5D AGO · BONUS • PLANET MONEY+ ONLY

Why economists got free trade with China so wrong (Planet Money+)

As U.S. trade with China exploded in the early 2000's, American manufacturing began to shrivel. Workers struggled to adapt and find new jobs. It ran counter to how mainstream economics at the time viewed free trade, that it would be a clear win for the U.S. In today's bonus episode, Greg Rosalsky talks with David Autor about why economists got free trade with China so wrong. Autor, an MIT economics professor, and his colleagues published a series of eye-opening studies over the last 15 years or so that brought to light the costs of U.S. trade with China. We also hear about Autor's thoughts on the role of tariffs and get an update on his research. With better, more precise data, it paints an even more nuanced and Autor says "bleaker" picture of what happened to these manufacturing workers.This is another installment of Behind The Newsletter, where Greg shares his interviews with policy makers, business leaders, and economists who appear in The Planet Money Newsletter. To sign up for the newsletter and to read more about Autor's research, check out this link:https://www.npr.org/newsletter/moneyShow your support for Planet Money and the reporting we do by signing up for Planet Money+ in Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. You'll be able to unlock this episode and other great bonus content! Regular episodes remain free to listen!Email the show at planetmoney@npr.org.

MAY 2

Why it's so hard to find a public toilet

Why is it so hard to find a bathroom when you need one? In the U.S., we used to have lots of publicly accessible toilets. But many had locks on the doors and you had to put in a coin to use them. Pay toilets created a system of haves and have nots when it came to bathroom access. So in the 60s, movements sprung up to ban pay toilets. Problem is: when the pay toilets went away, so too did many free public toilets. Today on the show, how toilets exist in a legal and economic netherworld; they're not quite a public good, not quite a problem the free market can solve. Why we're stuck, needing to go, with nowhere to go. This episode was produced by Willa Rubin with help from James Sneed. It was edited by Marianne McCune and engineered by Cena Loffredo. It was fact-checked by Sierra Juarez. Alex Goldmark is our executive producer. Find more Planet Money: Facebook / Instagram / TikTok / Our weekly Newsletter. Listen free at these links: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, the NPR app or anywhere you get podcasts. Help support Planet Money and hear our bonus episodes by subscribing to Planet Money+ in Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org/planetmoney. Music: Audio Network - "Smoke Rings," "Can't Walk Away" and "Bright Crystals." Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

APR 26

How 23andMe's bankruptcy led to a run on the gene bank

Reporter Alexi Horowitz-Ghazi's Aunt Vovi signed up for 23andMe back in 2017, hoping to learn more about the genetic makeup of her ancestors. Vovi was one of over 15 million 23andMe customers who sent their saliva off to be analyzed by the company. But last month, 23andMe filed for bankruptcy, and it announced it would be selling off that massive genetic database. Today on the show, what might happen to Vovi's genetic data as 23andMe works its way through the bankruptcy process, how the bankruptcy system has treated consumer data privacy in the past, and what this case reveals about the data that all of us willingly hand over to companies every single day. This episode was produced by Sylvie Douglis and edited by Jess Jiang. It was engineered by Harry Paul and Neal Rauch and fact-checked by Tyler Jones. Alex Goldmark is our executive producer. Find more Planet Money: Facebook / Instagram / TikTok / Our weekly Newsletter. Listen free at these links: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, the NPR app or anywhere you get podcasts. Help support Planet Money and hear our bonus episodes by subscribing to Planet Money+ in Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org/planetmoney. Music: NPR Source Audio - "Lazybones," "Twirp," and "On Your Marks" Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

APR 23

A primer on the Federal Reserve's independence

President Donald Trump has been loudly critical of Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell for years now. Since January, the President has accused him of playing politics by keeping interest rates high. Trump has also threatened to oust Powell — which would mark an extraordinary shift away from the independence of the central bank. Today on the show, three Indicators: a short history of the Federal Reserve and why it's insulated from day-to-day politics; how the Fed amassed a ton of power in recent years; and a Trump executive order that took some of that power away. The original episodes from the Indicator were produced by Corey Bridges, Brittany Cronin, and Julia Ritchey. They were engineered by Cena Loffredo, James Willetts, and Gilly Moon, and fact-checked by Sierra Juarez. Kate Concannon is the editor of the Indicator. Follow us wherever you get your podcasts. This episode of Planet Money was produced by James Sneed and edited by Marianne McCune & Mary Childs. Alex Goldmark is our executive producer. For more of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Or, find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook. Listen free at these links: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, the NPR app or anywhere you get podcasts. Help support Planet Money and hear our bonus episodes by subscribing to Planet Money+ in Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org/planetmoney. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

APR 21 · BONUS • PLANET MONEY+ ONLY

Free trade zones, freeports, tax havens... How money draws its own borders (PM+)

In today's bonus episode, Mary Childs talks with journalist Atossa Araxia Abrahamian about her book, "The Hidden Globe: How Wealth Hacks the World." In it, Atossa explores the ways the very rich and corporations stay out of reach of the nation-state — free trade zones, freeports, tax havens, even creating independent cities in international waters. Atossa also shares one of the more interesting practices she came across in her research, ships that fly "funeral flags." It's when, she says, a company wants to dismantle a ship below the radar (maybe skirting labor and environmental laws), so it registers its vessel with an agreeable country. Related episode: "Buy This Passport" https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2016/03/02/468953007/episode-687-buy-this-passport Sign up for Planet Money+ in Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. You'll be able to unlock this episode and other great bonus content! Regular episodes remain free to listen! Email the show at planetmoney@npr.org.