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Business

Why aren't more people taking on the trades?
Ted Shaffrey/AP

The Indicator from Planet Money

Why aren't more people taking on the trades?

There is expected to be a lot of demand for manufacturing jobs in the coming decade, but many of those positions will be left unfilled. So Darnell Epps set out to close that gap by connecting employers with workers and showing potential workers what's appealing about these jobs. Today, we dig into Darnell Epps journey through both law school and trade school.

Why aren't more people taking on the trades?

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A cyclist rides past a

A cyclist rides past a "Now Hiring" sign posted on a business storefront in San Gabriel, Calif., on Aug. 21, 2024. U.S. employers added 142,000 jobs in August, while the unemployment rate dipped to 4.2%. Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images

Economy

The latest jobs data provides a really confusing picture. Here are 4 things to know

There was both good news — and bad news — in the latest jobs report, providing an unclear picture as the Federal Reserve weighs how much to cut interest rates.

jobs friday august atc

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A high-angle, close-up photograph shows a person holding and reviewing a grocery store receipt in the parking lot, and their grocery cart full of purchased food sits in the background.

A practical tip from NPR reader Lisa Gluskin: check your receipt before you leave the parking lot of the grocery store. If you spot an error at home, you will be less likely to go back to the store to right the wrong. urbazon/Getty Images hide caption

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urbazon/Getty Images

Life Kit

10 more clever and commonsense ways to save money on groceries

Check your receipt. Grow your own veggies. Ask about senior discounts. NPR readers share their top tips on cutting costs at the grocery store.

Pavel Durov, CEO and co-founder of Telegram, is pictured onstage at TechCrunch Disrupt SF 2015 on Sept. 21, 2015, in San Francisco.

Pavel Durov, CEO of Telegram, is pictured onstage at TechCrunch Disrupt SF 2015 on Sept. 21, 2015, in San Francisco. Steve Jennings/Getty Images for TechCrunch hide caption

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Steve Jennings/Getty Images for TechCrunch

Technology

Telegram founder breaks silence, calling charges 'misguided'

The tech billionaire breaks his silence more than a week after being indicted by French authorities. He faces wide-ranging charges including complicity to distribute child abuse images and to traffic drugs.

How Pitbull got his name on a college football stadium
Ivan Apfel/Getty Images

The Indicator from Planet Money

How Pitbull got his name on a college football stadium

Recently, singer/rapper/entrepreneur Pitbull agreed to pay $6 million to Florida International University for the naming rights to its football stadium ... an unusual move for both parties: a musician paying for their name on a stadium, and for a college to name their stadium after a musician.

How Pitbull got his name on a college football stadium

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Photo illustration of a stop sign that reads
Oliver Munday for NPR

Life Kit

Could you live without shopping for a year? Try the 'no-buy challenge'

The goal is to save money, cut back on overconsumption and be more mindful of wasteful and unsustainable shopping habits. This guide can help you start a challenge of your own.

How to buy less stuff

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A pile of tampons against a blue background.

Four female House Democrats sent a letter to the FDA commissioner on Thursday urging the agency to address concerns about the safety and regulation of tampons. Loic Venance/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Loic Venance/AFP via Getty Images

Politics

After a study found toxic metals in tampons, lawmakers are pressing the FDA to act

Members of the Democratic Women's Caucus are urging the FDA to address concerns about the safety and regulation of tampons after a study found heavy metals, including lead, in many popular products.

This photo shows political commentator and YouTuber Benny Johnson on the left side of the photo while he speaks with Eric Trump, a son of former President Donald Trump, during the 2024 Republican National Convention. Johnson is wearing a black T-shirt and is holding a microphone. Eric Trump, standing on the right side of the photo, is also holding a microphone and is wearing a white shirt and gray suit jacket.

Political commentator and YouTuber Benny Johnson (left) speaks with Eric Trump, a son of former President Donald Trump, during the 2024 Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. Johnson made videos for Tenet Media. The Justice Department accused a company matching Tenet's description of working closely with employees of Russian state broadcaster RT to covertly spread pro-Russian narratives in the United States. Johnson says he was not aware of Tenet's ties to Russia. Daniel Slim/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Daniel Slim/AFP via Getty Images

Untangling Disinformation

How Russian operatives covertly hired U.S. influencers to create viral videos

Details in an indictment match Nashville-based Tenet Media, which offered lucrative paychecks to prominent right-wing influencers. The influencers say they were deceived.

Russia RT Interference

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Bingo! (Presidential debate edition)
Brent Jones/NPR

Planet Money

Bingo! (Presidential debate edition)

Campaigns can be a jargony slog. And this year, we are seeing a lot of economic terms being thrown around, many of which... aren't entirely straightforward.

Bingo! (Presidential debate edition)

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How Japan is trying to solve the problem of shrinking villages

Hachiro Koganezawa, 90, farms flowers and vegetables on a plot of land outside Nanmoku in Japan. (Anthony Kuhn/NPR) Anthony Kuhn/NPR hide caption

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Anthony Kuhn/NPR

The Indicator from Planet Money

How Japan is trying to solve the problem of shrinking villages

The once-thriving Japanese hamlet of Nanmoku was known for its silk and timber industries. Today, it is the country's most aged village, with two-thirds of residents over age 65. On today's show, how the Japanese government is trying to address rural depopulation and attract younger residents to villages like Nanmoku.

How Japan is trying to solve the problem of shrinking villages

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Sachin Shivaram, CEO of Wisconsin Aluminum Foundry in Manitowoc, Wisc., realized during the pandemic how much his employees were struggling with child care. Figuring out how to help them has been challenging.

Sachin Shivaram, CEO of Wisconsin Aluminum Foundry in Manitowoc, Wis., realized during the pandemic how much his employees were struggling with child care. Figuring out how to help them has been challenging. Andrea Hsu/NPR hide caption

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Andrea Hsu/NPR

This boss vowed to help his workers with child care. It hasn't been easy

Child care continues to vex working parents. In Wisconsin, the CEO of the Wisconsin Aluminum Foundry has been trying — and struggling — to make a difference.

CEO in Wisconsin tries to help employees struggling to find affordable child care

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Want to get ahead in youth sports? Try staying back a year.
Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images

The Indicator from Planet Money

Want to get ahead in youth sports? Try staying back a year.

Reclassing, when a student repeats an academic year by choice, is a popular way for kids trying to land a spot in a top college athletics program. But it can also come with some heavy costs. Today on the show, we explore the reclassing phenomenon and pressures kids and their parents face in a competitive environment for young athletes.

Want to get ahead in youth sports? Try staying back a year.

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How to fix a housing shortage
Amanda Aronczyk/NPR

Planet Money

How to fix a housing shortage

When Cody Fischer decided to get into real estate development, he had a vision. He wanted to build affordable, energy efficient apartments in Minneapolis, not far from where he grew up.

How to fix a housing shortage

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Let's party like it's NVIDIA earnings report day!
Darian Woods/Darian Woods

The Indicator from Planet Money

Let's party like it's NVIDIA earnings report day!

On this Indicators of the Week, we take you to a Manhattan bar to watch NVIDIA's latest earnings reports. Plus, how publishers are trying to keep their books in Florida school libraries and what private equity is doing in Football.

Let's party like it's NVIDIA earnings report day!

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