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U.S. attacks Iranian mine-laying vessels near Hormuz on Day 12 of war
Attacks and counterattacks continued throughout the Middle East Wednesday. Two cargo ships were struck in the Gulf, as some lawmakers in Washington pressed for answers on the war's rationale.
Americans are split on wanting the National Guard to monitor voting, a new poll finds
Nearly half of Americans support the National Guard monitoring November's elections, potentially signaling an openness to the sort of nationalizing of elections that President Trump says he wants.
The Trump DOJ is giving guns back to felons, including one alleged fake elector
The Department of Justice is quietly restarting a decades-dormant program to restore gun rights to felons. One of them was an alleged fake elector in 2020.
Federal oversight protects student borrowers. Some of it has stopped, watchdog says
Without this Education Department oversight, borrowers could "be placed in the wrong loan repayment status, billed for incorrect amounts" and more, the U.S. Government Accountability Office says.
2025 saw relatively fewer natural disasters. Will you get a break on home insurance?
Disaster costs fell in the U.S. in 2025. Still, it was the fourth time in five years that extreme weather inflicted more than $100 billion in annual losses. Industry experts say the growing financial toll will make insurers wary of rushing to cut rates.
The shadowy world of merchant cash advances
During the pandemic, mostly unregulated lenders went after struggling restaurants and music venues, charging at times sky high rates. Now, they’ve found a new market: small businesses that desperately need cash to pay tariffs.Today on the show, the story of a financial lifeline that can turn into a financial choke hold.Come see Planet Money live on stage in April! 12 cities. Details and tix here: https://tix.to/pm-book-tour. Related episodes: Can I get my tariff money back now? Three ways companies are getting around tariffs For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Fact-checking by Sierra Juarez. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.
Bam! Heat’s Adebayo scores 83 points, 2nd only to Wilt Chamberlain in NBA history
Bam Adebayo had a night for all time on Tuesday, with a point total second to only Wilt Chamberlain in the NBA record books.
Prosecutor says Rihanna, family were home when woman charged with attempted murder fired
Rihanna, her partner A$AP Rocky, their three children and her mother were all at home when a woman now charged with attempted murder is alleged to have fired at the property, a prosecutor said.
Senate Democrats ramp up pressure campaign for public hearings on war with Iran
Congressional Democrats are demanding transparency in the form of public hearings from Trump administration officials on the timeline and objectives of the war in Iran.
Ivey commutes death sentence of inmate whose accomplice fired fatal shot
Charles “Sonny” Burton was sentenced to death for the killing of Doug Battle during a 1991 robbery. However, another man shot Battle when Burton had left the building.
Wheelchair curler Steve Emt’s path from drunk driver to three-time Paralympian
Steve Emt and Laura Dwyer represent the U.S. in the Paralympics' new mixed doubles wheelchair curling event. They could bring home Team USA's first wheelchair curling medal ever.
Immigration detention on track for deadliest fiscal year since 2004
Twenty-three people have died since October in ICE custody, as advocates warn about overcrowding and health care access.
Photos from Iran and across the Middle East as the war enters Week 2
More than a week of the U.S. and Israel's war against Iran has dragged in global powers, upended the world's energy and transport sectors, and brought chaos to usually peaceful areas of the region.
A dose of psilocybin helps smokers quit in new study
The psychoactive substance in magic mushrooms appears to have a powerful effect on people trying to stop smoking.
‘Pro-worker AI,’ streaming fatalities, and other fascinating new economic studies
From artificial intelligence to fatalities from music streaming to the effects of immigrants on elderly health care, the Planet Money newsletter rounds up some interesting new economic studies.
GLP-1s have transformed weight loss and diabetes. Is addiction next?
A large study found that people taking GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic for diabetes were less likely to be diagnosed with substance use disorder.
Trump gives mixed messages about when the war with Iran will end
In a phone call with CBS News Monday, Trump said "the war is very complete." But at a separate event with Republican lawmakers, he said the U.S. still needed to achieve "ultimate victory."
Out of work and with 2 teens, this mom may lose food stamps under Trump’s changes
Policy experts say new SNAP changes don't address the challenges faced by single parents. They also argue that losing food assistance will only create more barriers for struggling families.
Why the ‘mad scramble’ to fill hormone therapy prescriptions for menopause
With the removal of FDA warning labels, hormone therapy to treat symptoms of menopause has grown in popularity. Now some patients are reporting delays in filling prescriptions for estrogen patches.
Why Congress rarely pushes back when presidents deploy military force
The Constitution gives Congress the power to declare war, but presidents assert broad authority over use of force and the military. Congress has done little to push back.
One year later: Mahmoud Khalil remains in limbo but ready to fight
The case of Khalil, who was detained last March, sits at the vanguard of a battle of immigrants' due process and civil rights, and the Trump administration's mass detention and deportation policies.
Georgia special election to replace MTG tests the power of Trump’s endorsement
Voting ends Tuesday night in the district that former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene left this year after a feud with President Trump. It's unclear if his pick will win her spot.
Alexander brothers convicted of sex trafficking in Manhattan federal court
Three brothers, including two of the nation's most successful luxury real estate brokers, were convicted of sex trafficking Monday after a five-week trial.
Australia grants asylum to 5 members of the Iranian women’s soccer team
Australia has granted asylum to five members of the Iranian women's soccer team who were in the country for a tournament when the Iran war began.
Tennessee GOP Rep says Muslims ‘don’t belong in American society’
Rep. Andy Ogles' social media post is the latest in a series of Islamophobic statements from House Republicans.
Trump set to hold a press conference as U.S.-Israel-led Iran war enters second week
It comes as oil and gas prices soar, throwing the global economy into turmoil.
Epstein used his ties to Nobel laureate scientists to try to rebuild his image
A 2006 conference for physicists in the U.S. Virgin Islands that included a trip to Jeffrey Epstein's private island shows how he used his wealth to build relationships with prominent scientists.
Top Arizona lawmaker says he’s complied with a subpoena for 2020 election records
Arizona's state Senate president says he has complied with a subpoena he received last week seeking records from a flawed, Republican-led review of the 2020 election in Maricopa County.
Colors fly as Hoover celebrates Holi
Colored powder filled the air at Veterans Park in Hoover on Saturday. Crowds gathered to celebrate Holi, the Hindu festival of Spring, usually identified by the throwing of colors.
What to know about Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran’s new supreme leader
The second son of the late supreme leader keeps a low profile. But he's long been viewed as wielding his power behind the scenes, from crushing dissent to influencing presidential elections.
Anthropic sues the Trump administration over ‘supply chain risk’ label
The Pentagon told suppliers they can't use Anthropic's artificial intelligence tools after the company said it would not let its tech be used for autonomous weapons and mass domestic surveillance.
This historian dug up the hidden history of ‘amateur’ blackface in America
In her new book, Darkology, historian Rhae Lynn Barnes writes about how blackface and minstrel shows became one of the most popular forms of entertainment in 19th- and 20th-century America.
