The Indicator from Planet Money

As the U.S. goes head-to-head with the rest of the world on tariffs, those countries are trying to figure out their best diplomatic strategy. One dilemma countries have is how close they get with another global superpower: China. On today's show, we hear from Pakistan's Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb about how the country is balancing trade relations with both countries. Related episodes: China's trade war perspective (Apple [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-indicator-from-planet-money/id1320118593?i=1000704053932] / Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/episode/40MQ9Y2lIyf2PgYNBvdUh2?si=hQ3pqT66QQy4kn6ycKOMzQ]) Dealmaker Don v. Tariff Man Trump (Apple [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-indicator-from-planet-money/id1320118593?i=1000704480067] / Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/episode/1rdBabrjTUjR3al1UQu7hL?si=9b39d3d212e54917]) Who's advising Trump on trade? (Apple [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-indicator-from-planet-money/id1320118593?i=1000704652252] / Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/episode/62HoeFaDk2zU2bFGYUJYfR?si=ce8220be6cf04372]) 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]. 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]

For weeks, Target has been the subject of a boycott after its decision to pull back on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies. And early data shows it's taken a toll on the company. But in other instances, boycotts haven't made much of a splash. Today on the show, when does a boycott actually make a difference? Related episodes: SPAM strikes back (Apple [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/planet-money/id290783428?i=1000691596523] / Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/episode/08hZIP40WGOAE64DXf3XhX?si=16f6635efa394150]) 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 Tyler Jones. 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]

It's ... Indicators of the Week! Our weekly look at the some of the most fascinating economic numbers from the news. On today's episode, we investigate falling foreign travel to the U.S., why student loan default collections are back [https://www.npr.org/2025/04/23/nx-s1-5372332/student-loans-default-collection], and why maaaaaaaybe being so friendly [https://www.regenerator1.com/p/building-our-native-ai-newsroom] with our AI chatbot pals has a cost. Related episodes: Economists take on student loan forgiveness [https://www.npr.org/2022/08/29/1119988025/economists-take-on-student-loan-forgiveness] Is AI overrated? (Apple [https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/is-ai-overrated/id1320118593?i=1000663366364] / Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/episode/0Cx1SvScerT2OEP353JVLK?si=QwpKHCQPTsK55AVwJgBFfg]) Is AI underrated? (Apple [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/is-ai-underrated/id1320118593?i=1000663256517] / Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/episode/449pYMEzLj6wQ2XDLfUeLq?si=TArtj-ozQTqeT5fhJxXq-Q]) 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]. 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]

President Trump has not been afraid to tack on tariffs over and over again. Allies and foes alike are anxiously wondering if the tariffs will stick or whether a trade deal will be made. On today's episode, we take a look behind the curtains of the White House administration and examine the advisors whispering into Trump's ear. Related episodes: Dealmaker Don v. Tariff Man Trump (Apple [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-indicator-from-planet-money/id1320118593?i=1000704480067] / Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/episode/1rdBabrjTUjR3al1UQu7hL?si=Z66_LLs7QC2Sx8e00RXKzQ]) China's trade war perspective (Apple [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-indicator-from-planet-money/id1320118593?i=1000704053932] / Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/episode/40MQ9Y2lIyf2PgYNBvdUh2?si=1f4be3cd8cf64d0c]) What keeps a Fed president up at night (Apple [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-indicator-from-planet-money/id1320118593?i=1000702927801] / Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/episode/6pEUssVpaNSVQNCCZZwIjb?si=df2a0540dece4e56]) 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 Tyler Jones. 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]

Donald Trump grew up learning to make deals. He's also loved tariffs since the 1970s. So are his market-shaking tariffs a bargaining chip? Or are they here permanently? We go all the way back to Trump's childhood to try to figure out if Dealmaker Don or Tariff Man Trump is in charge. Marc Fisher's book with Michael Kranish is Trump, Revealed [https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Trump-Revealed/Marc-Fisher/9781501156526]. Related episodes: What's so bad about a trade deficit? (Apple [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/whats-so-bad-about-a-trade-deficit/id1320118593?i=1000702599872] / Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/episode/3R4MiQN6W5r3iXTVmsNcbp?si=yqDY9eZsQ-S-CKR29fipNw]) Why there's no referee for the trade war (Apple [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/why-theres-no-referee-for-the-trade-war/id1320118593?i=1000699716550] / Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/episode/2k8taeYxWx2J7L5OmybamL?si=RuQ7S8iTSAaSHch0lwKvRg]) Tariffied! We check in on businesses (Apple [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tariffied-we-check-in-on-businesses/id1320118593?i=1000702260201] / Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/episode/7fzsO9OgoiwBfnSTa4hguS?si=bsNCjR3vSHizYW_mTA7e1A]) 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 Tyler Jones. 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]