The Indicator from Planet Money - Why “free” public education doesn’t always include school supplies

Back-to-school supplies are getting more expensive … so why are parents and teachers at public schools expected to foot the bill? Today on the show: An economist explains how the cost of school supplies fits into the larger history of public school funding, and what one school district is doing differently. 

Related episodes: 

A food fight over free school lunch 

Mailbag: Children Edition 


For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Fact-checking by Sierra Juarez. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.  

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NPR's Book of the Day - What Toni Morrison learned from revisiting five of her most-read novels

Arguably, no high school reading list is complete without one of Toni Morrison’s books. In today’s episode, we look back at a 2004 conversation between the author and NPR’s Renee Montagne, who visited Morrison to talk about a new paperback re-release of five of her novels. The interview focuses on Morrison’s perspective on hauntings, apparitions and ghosts, including the way Morrison’s late father helped her complete Song of Solomon.


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Tech Won't Save Us - Palantir is Thriving Under Trump w/ Caroline Haskins

Paris Marx is joined by Caroline Haskins to discuss what Palantir actually does and the growing influence it has within the US government and many large corporations.

Caroline Haskins is a staff writer at Wired.

Tech Won’t Save Us offers a critical perspective on tech, its worldview, and wider society with the goal of inspiring people to demand better tech and a better world. Support the show on Patreon.

The podcast is made in partnership with The Nation. Production is by Kyla Hewson.

Also mentioned in this episode:

What Next | Daily News and Analysis - Trump’s Getting His Economy. Yikes.

Donald Trump has been calling for the Fed to cut rates to bolster the economy, and yesterday, they announced they would. The bad news is that’s because the economy is going to need a lot more bolstering.

Guest:  Justin Wolfers, economist and professor at the University of Michigan

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Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme, and Rob Gunther.


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Global News Podcast - US TV host Jimmy Kimmel suspended over Charlie Kirk shooting comments

The American television network ABC has suspended late-night talk show host, Jimmy Kimmel, indefinitely over comments he made about the shooting of the right-wing influencer, Charlie Kirk. The announcement has reignited the debate about free speech in the US. Also: the latest on Donald Trump's state visit to the UK, thousands of Palestinians flee Israel's bombardment in Gaza City, an exclusive BBC interview with Brazil's President Lula, Indian-administered Kashmir's fruit industry on the brink of collapse, and how AI could predict your health in ten years' time.

The Global News Podcast brings you the breaking news you need to hear, as it happens. Listen for the latest headlines and current affairs from around the world. Politics, economics, climate, business, technology, health – we cover it all with expert analysis and insight. Get the news that matters, delivered twice a day on weekdays and daily at weekends, plus special bonus episodes reacting to urgent breaking stories. Follow or subscribe now and never miss a moment. Get in touch: globalpodcast@bbc.co.uk

It Could Happen Here - Years of Lead Paint

The gang compare and contrast the Years of Lead to current brainrotted form of political violence in the United States from assassinations, conspiracy theories, and state sponsored doxing.

Sources: 

https://www.cawshinythings.com/i-was-promised-a-more-aesthetically-pleasing-cyberpunk-dystopia/

https://www.cato.org/blog/politically-motivated-violence-rare-united-states

https://today.yougov.com/politics/articles/52960-charlie-kirk-americans-political-violence-poll

https://www.middlebury.edu/institute/academics/centers-initiatives/ctec/ctec-publications/italian-neofascism-and-years-lead-closer-look 

https://libcom.org/article/giuseppe-pinelli-death-anarchist 

https://libcom.org/article/analysis-autonomia-interview-sergio-bologna 

https://sk.sagepub.com/ency/edvol/terrorism2ed/chpt/ordine-nuovo 

https://www.britannica.com/event/Bologna-train-station-bombing-of-1980

https://www.britannica.com/place/Italy/Terrorism#ref929858

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/09/16/us/tyler-robinson-charges.html?unlocked_article_code=1.mU8.jooL.UUL_fH4KQcdy

https://www.404media.co/doj-deletes-study-showing-domestic-terrorists-are-most-often-right-wing/ 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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CBS News Roundup - 09/17/2025 | World News Roundup Late Edition

Three police officers killed and 2 injured in shooting in rural Pennsylvania. We're learning more about how Charlie Kirk's accused killer turned himself in. Federal Reserve cuts key interest rate by a quarter percentage point. CBS News Correspondent Jennifer Keiper with tonight's World News Roundup.

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The Gist - Christian Duguay Brings the Valley Heat

Christian Duguay, creator of Valley Heat, breaks down how Doug Duguay, his in-show alter ego, works within a 51% fictional universe. Tight sound design and ad-jingle microplots create an absurd world populated with Canadian foosball biker gangs and rogue car washes. Duguay traces the show’s improv roots and why “I’ll take that” became its guiding ethos. Plus: RFK Jr. claims that CDC director Susan Monarez once admitted, “I am untrustworthy.” And in the spiel, Charlie Kirk’s killer has his first court appearance, as the administration all but declares war on leftists.

Produced by Corey Wara

Production Coordinator Ashley Khan

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