Best Planet Money episodes upvoted by the community

#919: Are Cities Overrated?

June 14, 2019 • 18m

Big cities used to be the land of opportunity for most people. But with changes in work, some economists are wondering: Are cities overrated?

#982: How To Save The Economy Now

March 20, 2020 • 14m

Neel Kashkari is the President of the Minneapolis Fed. And he's run a bailout of an economy already. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.

#931: The IT Guy Vs. The Con Artist

August 07, 2019 • 22m

A notorious con artist offered Felipe an IT job. He took the job —and tried to con the con man.

#651: The Salmon Taboo

June 05, 2019 • 17m

In Japan, salmon used to be garbage fish. Today, it's a delicacy. How one Norwegian with a lot of extra fish changed the tastes of a nation.

#699: Kansas City Vs. Kansas City

November 17, 2018

A bunch of you asked why so many cities threw billions in tax breaks at Amazon. It reminded us of an episode we did in 2016.

#859: You Asked For Even More

August 10, 2018

You have a lot of questions... about tariffs, unemployment rates, and RV dealerships, to name a few. We have answers.

#969: The Island No One Owns

February 01, 2020 • 29m

In Barbuda, land isn't a thing you buy. It's something you just... have. Put up a fence and it's yours. But all that might change. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.

#941: Three Bets

September 28, 2019 • 22m

We jog to New Jersey to bet on tennis, we solve a mystery in Las Vegas, and we venture into the world of video game loot. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.

#945: The Liberty City

October 19, 2019 • 24m

A man in Texas had a dream: To build a whole new kind of city, with no property tax, no debt, and a whole lot of freedom. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.

#826: The Vodka Proof

February 23, 2018

Vodka is the best selling spirit in the United States, and there are zillions of brands. But is there any difference between them?

#922: The Cost of Getting Your Money Back

June 27, 2019 • 20m

Accidentally sending $1,500 to a stranger on Venmo reveals just how hard it is to get your money back in the new economy.

#562: A Mall Divided

April 06, 2016

A California mall straddles the border between two cities — and the minimum wage is higher on one side.

#418: A Fake Bank For Money Laundering Run By The Government

February 14, 2019 • 20m

To catch drug traffickers, the U.S. government tried something it had never tried before. It set up and ran a fake offshore bank for money laundering. Fake name. Fake employees. Real drug money.

#690: All In

March 18, 2016

We talk to a professional poker player who lost on the first day of poker's most famous tournament--but went on to get a huge payout. Turns out there's a game behind the game.

#705: The Muscle Patents

June 10, 2016

Two bodybuilders go at it over a Stanford University patent. And we dive in to make sense of it.

#892: The Lost Plane

February 07, 2019 • 17m

In December, a commercial flight had to make an emergency landing in Iran. They discovered that landing there would be easy. Getting out – much, much harder.

#926: So, Should We Recycle?

July 13, 2019 • 24m

Cities might be picking up your recyclables, but there is a very good chance they aren't being recycled. And that might be a good thing...if you really care about the planet. Part two of a two-part series. ⎸Subscribe to our newsletter here.

#789: Robocall Invasion

August 18, 2017

Your phone rings--it looks like your neighbor's calling. But instead, it's the creepiest scam of the year.

#399: Can You Patent a Steak?

August 09, 2017

We visit the workshop of the meat inventor who came up with Steak-Umm and KFC's popcorn chicken. And we try to figure out what meat inventors tell us about patents and innovation.

#700: Peanuts and Cracker Jack

May 06, 2016

Beer. Water. Pretzels. It takes effort, strategy, and some serious lungs to sell expensive junk food at a baseball game. Meet the hot dog vending legend of Fenway Park.