Planes, trains and bad bridges

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 recent updates on the Biden Administration's infrastructure bills raise a serious question: what counts as infrastructure? Today on the show, we speak with two economists on the topic. 

President Biden is pushing the boundaries of how most Americans think of infrastructure.In a speech on Wednesday, he laid out his vision for revitalizing the nation’s infrastructure in broad, sweeping terms: evoking racial equality, climate change and support for the middle class ... Show More

In a rare sighting on Wednesday, Congress actually worked together to achieve a compromise… A bipartisan group of senators reached an agreement on a massive infrastructure package. CNN Political Director David Chalian breaks down what’s in the $550-billion bill and what to expect ... Show More

On Tuesday, the United States Senate approved a $1 trillion infrastructure bill — the largest single infusion of federal funds into infrastructure projects in more than a decade. It was a bipartisan vote, with 19 Republicans voting alongside the Democrats. Soon after, the Senate ... Show More

This week, President Biden unveiled the first part of his massive $2 trillion infrastructure plan... and it’s a whole lot more than just fixing roads and bridges. Congressional Correspondent Ryan Nobles takes you inside the proposal and explains how the wide-ranging proposal coul ... Show More

The Senate is preparing to vote on another stimulus bill — the third of the pandemic.The bill has the hallmarks of a classic stimulus package: money to help individual Americans, and aid to local and state governments. It also contains provisions that would usher in long-term str ... Show More

The physical infrastructure of the United States is crumbling and businesses there are feeling the effects. So why is this bill that aims to restore roads, bridges and communications facing such a treacherous political road ahead? Successive Presidents have tried and failed to ge ... Show More

In the past decade or more, votes over increasing the U.S. debt ceiling have increasingly been used as a political tool. That has led to intense showdowns in 2011, 2013 and, now, 2023. This year, both sides of the argument are dug in and Republicans appear more willing to go over ... Show More