News

Stars are starting their own companies and marketing products directly to their fans. We talked to people following and making these deals, including John Legend who started his own skincare brand.

Attorney General Pam Bondi has named the head of the Drug Enforcement Administration to be Washington D.C.'s emergency police commissioner. The National Guard, FBI and other entities are now working to follow President Trump's directive to clean up the nation's capital.

In 1968, Nathaniel Estes started his own plumbing business in Denver's Five Points neighborhood. As his company grew, he became a pillar of the local Black community. His son, Eddie Estes, and daughter, Cathy Lane, remember their now 94-year-old father, and what it was like growing up as the plumber's kids.

It’s … Indicators of the Week! Our rapid run through the numbers you need to know.  

On today’s episode: John Legend croons; CPI inflation soothes; Same job as mom? You’ll earn more, dude; Apple vs. Apple, a courtroom feud. 

Related episodes: 
Why every A-lister also has a side hustle 
The DOJ's case against Apple 
The Intergenerational Transmission of Employers and the Earnings of Young Workers

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.

(Image credit: GABRIELLE LURIE)

In this Back To School episode we consider the "List of Life": the criteria that define what it is to be a living thing. Some are easy calls: A kitten is alive. A grain of salt is not.

But what about the tricky cases, like a virus? Or, more importantly, what about futuristic android robots?

As part of our Black History Month celebration, developmental biologist Crystal Rogers and Short Wave co-host Regina G. Barber dig into what makes something alive, and wade into a Star-Trek-themed debate.

Listen to Short Wave on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

Is there something you'd like us to cover? Email us at shortwave@npr.org.

(Image credit: CBS)

A federal judge on Thursday struck down two Trump administration actions aimed at eliminating diversity, equity and inclusion programs at the nation's schools and universities.

(Image credit: Claire Savage)

The deployment is meant to help the government of Haiti recover vast swaths of territory seized in the past year and now controlled by heavily armed gangs.

(Image credit: Odelyn Joseph)

Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a directive issued Thursday evening that DEA boss Terry Cole will assume "powers and duties vested in the District of Columbia Chief of Police."

(Image credit: J. Scott Applewhite)

With a wild card invitation, the tennis legend is making history in her return to the U.S. Open later this month as the oldest singles player to take the court in more than 40 years.

(Image credit: Scott Taetsch)

It's been four years since the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan and the Taliban's return to power. Life for certain groups has deteriorated significantly. But the Trump administration says Afghanistan’s conditions have improved in recent years to the point where sending Afghan nationals BACK does not pose a threat to their safety.

A year ago, on August 14, 2024, the World Health Organization declared mpox a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. Why are health experts so frustrated by the world's response?

(Image credit: Glody Murhabazi/AFP)

A group of religious leaders in Washington, D.C. is criticizing President Donald Trump's federal takeover of the District's police force, saying his rhetoric is dehumanizing and counterproductive.

(Image credit: Chip Somodevilla)

A jury convicted former Republican candidate Solomon Peña of conspiracy, weapons and other charges in the shootings in 2022 and 2023 on the homes of four Democratic officials in Albuquerque, including the current state House speaker.

(Image credit: Roberto E. Rosales/AP)

President Trump says he'll know "probably in the first two minutes" whether Vladimir Putin is serious about ending the war in Ukraine, touting his past relationship with the Russian leader.

(Image credit: Mikhail Klimentyev)

The law requires all users to verify their ages before using common social media sites ranging from Facebook to Nextdoor.

(Image credit: Andrew Harnik)

The left-leaning media outfit has surged in Donald Trump's second term, appealing to progressives outraged by the president. Still, the online streaming world remains dominated by right-wing voices.

Swift revealed the release date, cover art and track list for The Life of a Showgirl. She also discussed her romance with Travis Kelce, buying back her masters and recovering from the Eras Tour.

(Image credit: New Heights)

When Trump announced his law enforcement actions in D.C., he also singled out a slew of other Democratic cities. The mayors of Baltimore, LA, Oakland, Chicago and New York say crime is down.

Hundreds of former air force reservists and pilots join a chorus of defense establishment figures calling for an immediate end to the war in Gaza.

(Image credit: Itay Stern NPR)

Fighting in Ukraine escalates ahead of tomorrow's summit between Trump and Putin. And, Trump was heavily involved in the selection process for this year's Kennedy Center Honors, a presidential first.

(Image credit: Genya Savilov)