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Planet Money

Antitrust 1: Standard Oil

February 15, 2019 • At the turn of the 20th century, Ida Tarbell investigated John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil. What she discovered changed the economy of the United States.

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

Special agents celebrate their fake offshore bank with apple juice. Bill Bruton hide caption

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Bill Bruton

Planet Money

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

February 13, 2019 • 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.

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Planet Money

Episode 893: Our Valentines 2019

February 8, 2019 • We're back for our annual tradition: Channeling another year's worth of jealousy and self-loathing into a whole episode just for you. Happy Valentine's Day!

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Planet Money

Episode 892: The Lost Plane

February 6, 2019 • On today's show, we follow a commercial flight that made an emergency landing in Iran last December. And we discover that landing in Iran would be easy. Getting out – much, much harder.

Episode 891: Who Won The Bet Over Bitcoin?

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Planet Money

Episode 891: Who Won The Bet Over Bitcoin?

February 1, 2019 • Five years ago Ben Horowitz and Felix Salmon placed a bet about the future of bitcoin. Today we announce the winner.

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Planet Money

Episode 825: Who Started The Wildfire?

January 30, 2019 • After a wildfire, teams of investigators start combing the wreckage for clues. Finding the cause means, maybe, finding someone to pay. But where's the line between a natural disaster and a human one?

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Planet Money

Episode 890: The Division Problem

January 25, 2019 • We go to a harbor in Santa Barbara where the wait for a spot to park your boat used to be as long as 200 years. Today on the show, we're on a mission to figure out how to divide resources fairly.

John Bogle, founder of The Vanguard Group, died on Wednesday at the age of 89. Mark Lennihan/AP hide caption

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Mark Lennihan/AP

Planet Money

Episode 688: Brilliant Vs. Boring

January 23, 2019 • John Bogle died last week. His creation — the index fund — changed investing. Today, how his invention set off a million dollar bet between some of the biggest brains on Wall Street.

Episode 889: The Pay-What-You-Want Experiment

This Panera Cares store in Chicago switched from for-profit to non-profit, and it started asking customers to pay whatever they want. Niala Boodhoo/NPR hide caption

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Niala Boodhoo/NPR

Planet Money

Episode 889: The Pay-What-You-Want Experiment

January 18, 2019 • In 2010, Panera launched several pay-what-you-want cafes. On today's show: We talk to Panera founder Ron Shaich about how this turned out.

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Mathew Brady/AP

Government

Episode 888: The First Shutdown

January 16, 2019 • In 1879, Congress and the President were locked in a battle over the rights of African-Americans. It led to the first government shutdown.

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The Jetsons via YouTube

Planet Money

What The Future Of Work Means For Cities

January 15, 2019 • One of the nation's top economists explores the past and future of work in cities. He finds that opportunities for workers without a college degree are drying up.

Episode 887: You Asked For It, Yet Again

You asked, "how does Venmo make money?" We answer that and much more today on the show. Rachel Cohn/NPR hide caption

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Rachel Cohn/NPR

Planet Money

Episode 887: You Asked For It, Yet Again

January 11, 2019 • On today's show we answer questions about silver dollars, Venmo, and Brexit. Why? Because you asked!

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Planet Money

Episode 690: All In

January 9, 2019 • We go inside a professional poker tournament. It turns out some of the smartest players aren't just betting on themselves, but are actually staking their competition.

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Planet Money

Episode 886: The Price Of A Hack

January 4, 2019 • Hackers are an expensive headache for companies. But there might be a simple economic fix.

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Planet Money

Episode 885: Do It For Your Country

January 2, 2019 • People are the engine that fuels an economy. But what happens when you start running out of people?

Episode 884: The Rest Of The Story, Winter 2018

Quoctrung Bui

Planet Money

Episode 884: The Rest Of The Story, Winter 2018

December 28, 2018 • We check in on some stories we did this year to find all kinds of updates.

Episode 884: The Rest Of The Story, Winter 2018

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