The Indicator from Planet Money

President Trump is making big moves to shrink and reshape the federal workforce. He's offered buyouts, instituted a hiring freeze, and called for prioritizing job seekers who are "passionate about the ideals of our American Republic." While his actions have drawn criticism, some see an opportunity for the new administration to improve the federal hiring process. Today on the show, Jennifer Pahlka, Senior Fellow at the Niskanen Center, tells us why, in her view, government hiring has been broken for a long time while sharing her thoughts on Trump's proposals to fix it. Related episodes: What happens when Social Security runs out of money? (Apple [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/what-happens-when-social-security-runs-out-of-money/id1320118593?i=1000674923987] / Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/episode/2HfeGX8D77m4rlxb6xcGsa?si=aa356ddd65a4421c]) Why Trump's potential tariffs are making business owners anxious (Apple [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/why-trumps-potential-tariffs-are-making-business-owners/id1320118593?i=1000685093050] / Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/episode/6JYg8Kd4iupWg6iZeaHojA?si=bab748e9119943e4]) For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org [http://plus.npr.org/]. Fact-checking by Sierra Juarez [https://www.npr.org/people/g-s1-26724/sierra-juarez#:~:text=for%20Planet%20Money-,Sierra%20Juarez%20is%20a%20researcher%20and%20fact%20checker%20at%20the,and%20fact%20checking%20in%20Mexico.]. Music by Drop Electric [https://dropelectric.bandcamp.com/]. Find us: TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@planetmoney], Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/planetmoney/], Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/planetmoney], Newsletter [https://www.npr.org/newsletter/money]. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices] NPR Privacy Policy [https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy]

The story of a man who started buying and selling stocks as a hobby ... and got seriously addicted. We also speak with a neuroeconomist about the human brain on day trading. Related episodes: The young trolls of Wall Street are growing up [https://www.npr.org/2024/07/18/nx-s1-5043657/the-indicator-from-planet-money-the-young-trolls-of-wall-street-are-growing-up] Invest like a Congress member [https://www.npr.org/2024/06/18/1197965254/stock-trading-congress-etfs-unusual-whales] For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org [http://plus.npr.org/]. Music by Drop Electric [https://dropelectric.bandcamp.com/]. Find us: TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@planetmoney], Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/planetmoney/], Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/planetmoney], Newsletter [https://www.npr.org/newsletter/money]. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices] NPR Privacy Policy [https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy]

With the LA wildfires still burning, we were left with a lot of questions. Today, we answer two of them: whether GoFundMe campaigns could interfere with receiving federal assistance and how much of those "proceeds" from special product sales actually go to wildfire victims. Related episodes: After the fires (Apple [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/planet-money/id290783428?i=1000685102673] / Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/episode/4cx4oHRFYZByFxxwms8YpJ?si=1ba6eae7c9d94ddc]) Why is insurance so expensive right now? And more listener questions (Apple [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-indicator-from-planet-money/id1320118593?i=1000652527715] / Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/episode/3Nm65Vg7RbSFxMT7XkBeuC?si=61d7baf146d24e0a]) For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org [http://plus.npr.org/]. Fact-checking by Sierra Juarez [https://www.npr.org/people/g-s1-26724/sierra-juarez#:~:text=for%20Planet%20Money-,Sierra%20Juarez%20is%20a%20researcher%20and%20fact%20checker%20at%20the,and%20fact%20checking%20in%20Mexico.]. Music by Drop Electric [https://dropelectric.bandcamp.com/]. Find us: TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@planetmoney], Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/planetmoney/], Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/planetmoney], Newsletter [https://www.npr.org/newsletter/money]. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices] NPR Privacy Policy [https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy]

Indicators of the Week unpacks numbers from the news. This week, we delve into what President Trump's first AI announcement reveals about the economics of the industry, a Chinese company's answer to OpenAI, and the reason why Prince Harry may have settled with Rupert Murdoch's media empire. Related listening: Is AI overrated or underrated? [https://www.npr.org/2024/09/11/1198748511/is-ai-overrated-or-underrated] (Apple [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/planet-money/id290783428?i=1000669194968] / Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/episode/4rETAdDnEOH6PVsdTvRCt3?si=71205a9cabf34218]) AI creates, transforms and destroys... jobs [https://www.npr.org/2023/12/08/1197958787/ai-jobs-friday] For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org [http://plus.npr.org/]. Fact-checking by Sierra Juarez [https://www.npr.org/people/g-s1-26724/sierra-juarez#:~:text=for%20Planet%20Money-,Sierra%20Juarez%20is%20a%20researcher%20and%20fact%20checker%20at%20the,and%20fact%20checking%20in%20Mexico.]. Music by Drop Electric [https://dropelectric.bandcamp.com/]. Find us: TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@planetmoney], Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/planetmoney/], Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/planetmoney], Newsletter [https://www.npr.org/newsletter/money]. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices] NPR Privacy Policy [https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy]

A freshly re-inaugurated President Trump is reportedly considering making his first moves on tariffs: a 10% tariff on Chinese imports and a 25% tariff on imports from Canada and Mexico, both of which he says could start as early as next week. If the U.S. slaps tariffs on foreign products, U.S companies that import foreign goods, and their customers, will bear the cost. But, before any of that happens, businesses can also face a less tangible cost—uncertainty. Today on the show, we hear from a couple business owners who experienced Trump's first trade war. And we'll learn how the uncertainty from tariffs, or just the threat of them, can have ripple effects throughout the economy. Related episodes: How Trump's tariffs plan might work [https://www.npr.org/2024/12/02/1216727936/trump-tariffs-china-exports] Trump's contradictory trade policies [https://www.npr.org/2024/12/18/1219982262/trumps-contradictory-trade-policies] For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org [http://plus.npr.org/]. Music by Drop Electric [https://dropelectric.bandcamp.com/]. Find us: TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@planetmoney], Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/planetmoney/], Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/planetmoney], Newsletter [https://www.npr.org/newsletter/money]. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices] NPR Privacy Policy [https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy]