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Summer School 2: The golden ages of labor and looms

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Planet Money

Summer School 2: The golden ages of labor and looms

Who has the power? Workers or bosses? It changes through the ages, though it's usually the bosses. Today, we look at two key moments when the power of labor shifted, for better and worse, and we ask why then? What does history have to say about labor power right now?

Summer School 2: The golden ages of labor and looms

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Selina Cheng, newly elected chairperson of the Hong Kong Journalists Association, speaks to media in Hong Kong on Wednesday. Cheng said she lost her job at The Wall Street Journal after she refused her supervisor’s request to withdraw from the election for the leadership post.

Selina Cheng, newly elected chairperson of the Hong Kong Journalists Association, speaks to media in Hong Kong on Wednesday. Cheng said she lost her job at The Wall Street Journal after she refused her supervisor’s request to withdraw from the election for the leadership post. Kanis Leung/AP hide caption

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Asia

Head of Hong Kong's top journalist group says she lost 'WSJ' job due to her role

Reporter Selina Cheng says she lost her Wall Street Journal job after refusing her supervisor's request to withdraw from the election to lead the journalism group, which advocates for press freedom.

Why the EU can regulate big tech faster
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The Indicator from Planet Money

Why the EU can regulate big tech faster

The Digital Markets Act is a new piece of European legislation aimed at making markets in the digital sector "fairer and more contestable." It's essentially antitrust regulation—rules to ensure that no one company or group of companies makes an area of business uncompetitive. And these rules are making some big companies sweat, not because they're afraid of monetary penalties, but because they could have an effect on antitrust regulations around the world.

Why the EU can regulate big tech faster

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Former NFL player Terrell Davis said Monday, July 15, 2024, he was “humiliated

Former NFL player Terrell Davis said Monday, July 15, 2024, he was “humiliated" after being handcuffed and removed from a United Airlines flight, then later apologized to by law enforcement, over the weekend. Here, Davis delivers his speech during induction ceremonies at the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday, Aug. 5, 2017, in Canton, Ohio. David Richard/AP hide caption

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National

NFL Hall of Famer Terrell Davis says he was handcuffed and removed from United flight

The former NFL player says the “traumatizing experience” took place when the plane landed on Saturday. He says six FBI and other law enforcement agents boarded the plane and placed him in handcuffs.

A Dollar General store is seen on Aug. 3, 2017, in Luther, Oklahoma. Clothes, pool noodles and plastic lawn chairs are on display for sale outside the store's front doors, and shopping carts are lined up to the store's left.

Dollar General has agreed to pay a $12 million fine and improve conditions at its thousands of retail stores nationwide to make them safer for workers, the Labor Department said on Thursday. Here, a Dollar General store is seen on August 2017, in Luther, Okla. Sue Ogrocki/AP hide caption

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Sue Ogrocki/AP

Dollar General will pay $12 million in fines over workplace safety violations

The agreement says the chain must correct any future safety violations regarding blocked exits or access to fire extinguishers and electrical panels — or face fines of up to $500,000 per violation.

China's luxury liquor indicator

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The Indicator from Planet Money

China's luxury liquor indicator

If you regularly listen to The Indicator, you know China's economy is not doing great. Over the last few years, indicators like unemployment and local debt are up, and consumption and property sales are down.

China's luxury liquor indicator

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An electric vehicle is seen charging in New Jersey on June 11, 2024.

An electric vehicle is seen charging in New Jersey on June 11, 2024. Amanda Andrade-Rhoades for NPR hide caption

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Amanda Andrade-Rhoades for NPR

11 tips for a smooth EV road trip — without the range anxiety

Considering taking an electric vehicle on a long drive? Plenty of people get range anxiety. But with more charging stations on the roads, things are getting easier. Still, you'll want to have a plan.

11 tips for a smooth EV road trip — without the range anxiety

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Bags of Lay's chips sit for sale on a store's shelves.

PepsiCo said sales of its Frito-Lay snacks slumped in the most recent quarter as shoppers became more sensitive to rising prices. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images North America hide caption

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Food prices are no longer rising as much — but here's why it might not feel that way

Food prices have largely leveled off, but many people are still frustrated when they go to their local grocery store.

Food prices are no longer rising as much — but here's why it might not feel that way

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Elon Musk says he will fight charges of violating Europe's Digital Services Act. Musk during a visit at the Vivatech technology startups and innovation fair in Paris, on June 16, 2023 and (R) the new Twitter logo rebranded as X, pictured on a screen in Paris on July 24, 2023.

Elon Musk says he will fight charges of violating Europe's Digital Services Act. Musk during a visit at the Vivatech technology startups and innovation fair in Paris, on June 16, 2023 and (R) the new Twitter logo rebranded as X, pictured on a screen in Paris on July 24, 2023. Alain Jocard/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Alain Jocard/AFP via Getty Images

EU takes Elon Musk's X to court over blue checks and ads

The European Union has charged Elon Musk’s X with violating new regulations for social media platforms. Musk faces hefty fines over delivering misinformation.

Rooftop solar's dark side
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Planet Money

Rooftop solar's dark side

4.5 million households in the U.S. have solar panels on their homes. Most of those customers are happy with it - their electricity bills have just about disappeared, and it's great for the planet. But thousands and thousands of people are really disappointed with what they've been sold. Their panels are more expensive than they should be, and they say it is hard to get someone to come fix them when they break.

Rooftop solar's dark side

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Greece allows a 6-day work week and other indicators
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The Indicator from Planet Money

Greece allows a 6-day work week and other indicators

On Indicators of the Week, we cover the numbers in the news that you should know about. This week, we cover an encouraging trend for global wealth, closing Mexico's tariff loophole and the European nation bucking the trend of shorter work weeks.

Greece allows a 6-day work week and other indicators

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A person walked by an AT&T logo on a blue screen.

AT&T announced Friday that hackers stole 2022 data of “nearly all” of its cellular customers off the company's workspace on a third-party cloud platform. Pau Barrena/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Pau Barrena/AFP via Getty Images

AT&T says hackers stole 2022 call and text data from 'nearly all' cell customers

AT&T believes the data, which was stolen in April, is no longer publicly available. Affected current and former customers will be notified by the company but can also check their status online.

Google Vice President Majd Bakar speaks on-stage during an annual conference in San Francisco with the back drop of a massive data center.

Google Vice President Majd Bakar speaks on-stage during an annual conference in San Francisco with the back drop of a massive data center. Josh Edelson/Getty Images hide caption

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AI brings soaring emissions for Google and Microsoft, a major contributor to climate change

The tech giants both report surges in greenhouse gas emissions as they double-down on adding artificial intelligence to all of their products.

Artificial intelligence's thirst for electricity

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An asylum seeker's long road to a work permit
Darian Woods/NPR

The Indicator from Planet Money

An asylum seeker's long road to a work permit

There are currently just under 65,000 migrants in New York City's shelter system, stretching the city's outworn social service systems. Today on the show, we follow one asylum seeker's journey from Venezuela to New York and explore why the process is lengthy and complicated.

An asylum seeker's long road to a work permit

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Pump jacks extract oil from beneath the ground in North Dakota on May 19, 2021. The federal government announced a $241.5 million settlement with Marathon Oil on Thursday for alleged air quality violations at the company's oil and gas operations in the Forth Berthold Indian Reservation in North Dakota.

Pump jacks extract oil from beneath the ground in North Dakota on May 19, 2021. The federal government announced a $241.5 million settlement with Marathon Oil on Thursday for alleged air quality violations at the company's oil and gas operations in the Forth Berthold Indian Reservation in North Dakota. Matt Brown/AP hide caption

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Environment

Marathon Oil reaches a $241 million settlement with EPA for environmental violations

The federal government announced a settlement with Marathon Oil for alleged air quality violations at the company's oil and gas operations on the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation in North Dakota.

A view of Philadelphia City Hall.

A general view of Philadelphia City Hall on June 17, 2023. Mark Makela/Getty Images hide caption

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Philadelphia workers have to show up in the office today, flying birds or not

The City of Philadelphia has ordered all city workers to return to the office five days a week starting July 15. A judge ruled the mandate could go forward, despite opposition from union workers.

Thousands of Philadelphia city workers are fighting a 5-day office week mandate

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The $5.5 million grant to NPR comes at a time when local news is shrinking.

The $5.5 million grant to NPR comes at a time when local newsrooms are struggling to stay afloat. Allison Shelley/Allison Shelley/NPR hide caption

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Allison Shelley/Allison Shelley/NPR

Media

NPR gets $5.5 million grant to strengthen local journalism as news deserts spread

The grant, from Eric and Wendy Schmidt, will be used to launch regional newsrooms in Appalachia and the Mountain West. It will also be used to strengthen existing public media collaboratives in New England, the Midwest and California.

History 1: Money and the stone coin at the bottom of the sea
NPR

Planet Money Summer School

History 1: Money and the stone coin at the bottom of the sea

Planet Money Summer School is back for eight weeks. Join as we travel back in time to find the origins of our economic way of life. Today we ask surprisingly hard question: What is money? And where did it come from? We travel to a remote island in the Pacific Ocean for the answer. Then we'll visit France in the year 1714, where a man on the lam tries to revolutionize the country's entire monetary system, and comes impressively close to the modern economy we have today, before it all falls apart. Check out our Summer School video cheat sheet on the origins of money at the Planet Money TikTok.

History 1: Money and the stone coin at the bottom of the sea

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An ammunition vending machine pictured inside a Super C-Mart grocery store in Noble, Okla.

An ammunition vending machine pictured inside a Super C-Mart grocery store in Noble, Okla. Anna Pope/KOSU hide caption

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National

Bread and bullets: Some Southern supermarkets now sell ammo out of vending machines

American Rounds has installed machines at eight stores so far, with hundreds more on the way. It says this is the safest way to sell ammo, but cyber and gun violence prevention experts have concerns.

Vending machines sell bullets in grocery stores

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BMW of North America is recalling more than 390,000 vehicles in the U.S. because an airbag inflator could possibly explode, leading to a potentially serious injury or death.

BMW of North America is recalling more than 390,000 vehicles in the U.S. because an airbag inflator could possibly explode, leading to a potentially serious injury or death. Altaf Qadri/AP hide caption

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Altaf Qadri/AP

BMW recalling more than 390,000 vehicles due to airbag inflator issue

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said the recall includes certain 3 Series Sedans and 3 Series Sportswagons. BMW dealers will inspect and replace air bag modules as needed for free.

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