The Indicator from Planet Money

The U.S. is known around the world for its problem with gun violence. The vast majority of murders in the U.S. are committed using guns. But what leads one person to shoot another? The "conventional wisdom" says gun violence is usually the act of calculated criminals or people acting out of desperate economic circumstances. But economist Jens Ludwig believes the conventional wisdom is wrong. Today on the show, he explains why he believes many of us fundamentally misunderstand the problem of gun violence and how behavioral economics reveals some potential solutions.

Jens's new book detailing his research into gun violence is called "Unforgiving Places: The Unexpected Origins of American Gun Violence".

Related episodes:
Can credit card codes help address gun violence?
The money going into and out of gun stocks
Guns and The Trump Slump

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Fact-checking by Sierra Juarez. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.

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Where does NPR get its funding? Today on the show, we open our books and share a brief history of public radio. And we learn what's at stake with President Trump's executive order to cut off federal funding to NPR.

Under NPR's protocol for reporting on itself, no corporate official or news executive reviewed this story before it was posted publicly.

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Fact-checking by Sierra Juarez. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.

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Robots have been a thing for a long time, but they've never quite met expectations. While AI has changed the game for chatbots, it's not quite so clear for robots. NPR science desk correspondent Geoff Brumfiel spoke to our colleagues over on our science podcast Short Wave on how humanoid robots are actually developing with the help of artificial intelligence. It was a fascinating discussion and so we are sharing that conversation with you today on the Indicator.

Related episodes:
Is AI underrated? (Apple / Spotify)
Is AI overrated? (Apple / Spotify)
Dial M for Mechanization (Apple / Spotify)

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.

See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.

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It's ... Indicators of the Week! Our weekly look at some of the most fascinating economic numbers from the news.

On today's episode: China bulks up for a financial chill, how much to save for a rainy day, and the price of used cars goes up.

Related episodes:
America's small GDP bump, China's big stimulus dispersal, and a Monkey King (Apple / Spotify)
How nonprofits get cash from your clunker (Apple / Spotify)
IRS information sharing, bonds bust, and a chorebot future (Apple / Spotify)

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President Trump has flirted with firing Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell since returning to office, but can he legally do that? Not without good cause. Today on the show, the danger of Trump's amped up attacks on Powell and the Fed's independence.

Follow Chris Hughes on Substack.

Related listening:
A primer on the Federal Reserve's Independence (Apple / Spotify)
Arthur Burns: shorthand for Fed failure?

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.

See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.

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Many businesses are scared of what President Trump's tariffs will mean for their industry. However, the shrimping industry is one that doesn't seem to be worried. In fact, shrimpers say they welcome them. On today's episode, why shrimpers are embracing the tariffs and whether economists agree that this tariff is good for Americans.

Related episodes:
Tariffied! We check in on businesses (Apple / Spotify)
Go ask ALICE about grocery prices (Apple / Spotify)
What the cluck is happening with egg prices? (Apple / Spotify)

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.

See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.

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Two American farmers tell us how they're feeling about a trade war that targets the soybean industry's biggest customer: China.

Related episodes:
How many times can you say uncertainty in one economic report? (Apple / Spotify)
Why Trump's potential tariffs are making business owners anxious (Apple / Spotify)

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.

See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.

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The Beigie Awards are back to recognize the regional Federal Reserve Bank with the best Beige Book entry. On today's episode, we shine a spotlight on a Midwest food bank.

Related episodes:
Why Midwest crop farmers are having a logistics problem (Apple / Spotify)
How many times can you say uncertainty in one economic report? (Apple / Spotify)

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.

See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.

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President Trump's federal cuts and scrutiny of academic institutions are forcing some U.S. scientists to head for the border. On today's show, an entomologist keeping America's farms safe from pests reconsiders America. And a CEO of a Canadian hospital explains how they are benefiting from the exodus.

Related episodes:
How much international students matter to the economy (Apple / Spotify)
What happens when billions of dollars in research funding goes away (Apple / Spotify)
A 'Fork in the Road' for federal employees (Apple / Spotify)

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.

See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.

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Many international students are rethinking their education in the United States as the federal government revokes visas, often over minor infractions. A shift away could carry a heavy economic toll, as international students contributed $44 billion to the U.S. economy last school year. So what happens when a generation of bright-eyed scholars decide to forgo school in the U.S. and take their dollars elsewhere?

Related episodes:
Do immigrants really take jobs and lower wages? (Apple / Spotify)
The long view of economics and immigration (Two Indicators) (Apple / Spotify)

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.

See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.

NPR Privacy Policy