The Indicator from Planet Money

“Sell America.” There’s new talk of how Europe could turn the economic screws on the U.S. after President Trump’s play for Greenland. Selling U.S. Treasury bonds is one way. Another is a legal tool. It’s been called the EU’s bazooka.

On today’s show, taking stock of Europe’s financial arsenal. How could America’s largest foreign lender lighten Americans’ wallets?

Planet Money wrote a book and is going on tour, come see us: tickets and tour dates here. 

Related episodes: 
Davos drama, credit card caps and tariff truths
Why Trump resurrected the Monroe Doctrine
Lunch with the man who coined TACO

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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Pakistan has had some major economic bumps as of late, including a near default in 2023. At the root: seriously low tax collection. Millions of Pakistan residents opt out of paying income taxes entirely. This is a problem a lot of lower- and middle-income countries face. On today's show, we talk about why there are so many tax dodgers in Pakistan and what the government is trying to do about it. 

Related episodes: 

Is the US pushing countries towards China?

A brief history of income taxes 

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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It’s time for … Indicators of the Week! Our weekly look at some of the most fascinating economic numbers from the news. 

On today’s episode: Why does Davos feel interesting this year? What if we did cap credit card interest rates? And we’re paying most of those tariffs, aren’t we?  

Also, big news! Planet Money wrote a book and we’re going on tour this spring. Find tickets and info at planetmoneybook.com. 

Related episodes: 

Trump's backup options for tariffs 

Globalization At Davos: What Happened? 

The carbon coin: A novel idea

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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Beef is back on top. Well, at least on top of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s new food pyramid, unveiled alongside updated national dietary guidelines. Red meat really never left the great American menu. But how’d it climb all the way up there?

On today’s show, America’s storied love affair with beef. And how big business and government have long influenced what winds up on our plates.

Related episodes: 
Why beef prices are so high
Who’s buying all the beef?

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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President Donald Trump is dead set on acquiring Greenland, and while national security is the stated reason, the country’s untapped mineral wealth could offer another explanation. Today on the show: is Greenland really an untapped land of riches? We talk to one Australian geologist who discovered the great costs and potential rewards of extracting these minerals himself. Related episodes: 
Add to cart: Greenland 
Why Trump resurrected the Monroe Doctrine 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 and Julia Ritchey. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.  

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