Afghanistan's Money Problem

The U.S. government spends a ton of money, on everything from Medicare to roads to defense. In fact, it spends way more than it takes in. So…it borrows money, in the bond market. By selling U.S. Treasurys, basically IOUs with periodic interest payments. And for decades, people ha ... Show More

Pre-order the Planet Money book here for your free gift. Our sister show, The Indicator, is chronicling the evolving business of crime for its Vice Week series. Today, we bring to you two cases of crime in the age of AI. First, cybercriminals are using our own voices against us. ... Show More

It’s here! It’s free to download and playtest! It’s the Planet Money game! (Download here.)Download and playtest the game go here Sign up for the 11/1 virtual AMA event and get updates about the gameSubmit your feedback on the gameWatch the how-to video with Kenny and Elan for pl ... Show More

The FT’s south Asia correspondent Ben Parkin explains how Afghanistan’s economy has changed in the year since US forces left the country and the Taliban retook control of the government.    Clips from CBS, BBC  - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  For further read ... Show More

The former finance minister from the collapsed Afghan government, Khalid Payenda, tells Ed Butler that it was brought down by rampant corruption at a very high level. He served for six months from the beginning of this year and says that by the time US forces left and the Taliban ... Show More

The Taliban have made big moves in the last few days in their bid to take control of Afghanistan. This weekend, they seized several cities and suddenly claimed a lot of the north. On Monday, they took another provincial capital. What is the Taliban’s strategy, what will the Unite ... Show More

A firsthand account of the Taliban’s “reign of terror” in Kabul a year after the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. Get the facts first on Morning Wire. 

After 20 years the United States is ending its occupation of Afghanistan. A lot has changed but many Afghans like journalist Ali Latifi are concerned about how many things are still the same. Roads remain unpaved, the electricity is spotty and a newly energized Taliban is threate ... Show More

Is it time to stop the freeze of the country's financial assets and donor aid or will that just legitimise the Taliban? Ed Butler speaks to John Sifton, the Asia advocacy director for the campaign group Human Rights Watch, who says the west should ease up on its sanctions to help ... Show More