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Episode Date: May 21, 2025

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Hey, it's Sarah Gonzalez. The economy has been in the news a lot lately. It's kind of always in the news and Planet Money is always here to explain it. Each episode we tell a sometimes quirky, sometimes surprising, always interesting story that helps you better understand the economy. So when you hear something about cryptocurrency or where exactly your taxes go, yes, I was. Listen to the Planet Money podcast from NPR. ago, yes I was. Listen to the Planet Money Podcast from NPR. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Shade Stevens. President Trump has unveiled the concept for his proposed Golden Dome missile defense system. Trump says his administration has chosen the architecture for the missile shield that will be integrated with the nation's

current defense capabilities. Once fully constructed, the Golden Dome will be capable of intercepting missiles, even if they are launched from other sides of the world, and even if they are launched from space. Trump says the proposed Republican spending plan calls for $25 billion to help jumpstart construction of the missile shield. President Trump is set to meet with South African leader Cyril Memoposa today at the White House.

The meeting comes after the administration welcomed a group of white Afrikaners who claimed they were victims of racial persecution. Memoposa has rejected allegations of genocide and widespread seizures of white-owned land in his country. Data from the South African government shows most of the land in the majority black nation is owned by white Afrikaners who make up 7% of the population. The Doge team, led by billionaire Elon Musk,

has ended five surveys conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. Details from NPR's Anzila Wong. It's not clear which federal government surveys Doge has ended, but in a social media post on X, Doge called them quote, wasteful and pointed to their questions about people's internet usage and alcohol consumption. Both topics have long been tracked by some of the surveys the Census Bureau conducts to produce statistics to help guide policymaking and research.

That includes a survey of inmates in local jails, which is the only national source of detailed information on alcohol use and other characteristics of people incarcerated in jails. The bureau did not immediately respond to NPR's request for comment. Like other federal agencies, it's been under pressure from the Trump administration to shrink its workforce. It's raised concerns about its ability to produce accurate 2030 census results that are said to be used to redraw voting maps in the next decade. Anzila Wong, NPR News, Washington.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency will be on the ground in St. Louis today to survey tornado damage. As St. Louis Public Radio's Hiba Ahmed reports, city officials have shared more details about what happened there last Friday. During a press conference on Monday, St. Louis Mayor Kara Spencer said the tornado siren system failed to warn residents to take shelter. There was a failure, a human failure, a failure in protocol to get the sirens up and running, to let the community know that there was a massive weather event hitting our community. The tornado, which had wind speeds of up to 150 miles per hour and stretched at least a mile wide, tore through residential areas leaving homes and local businesses in rubble. Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe says after FEMA completes its survey, he will ask for a major disaster declaration from President Donald Trump, which would open up federal assistance.

For NPR News, I'm Hiba Ahmed in St. Louis. Hiba Ahmed, NPR News. U.S. futures are flat in after-hours trading on Wall Street. This is NPR. A new salmonella outbreak is being traced to a Florida grower whose tainted cucumbers were linked to more than 500 illnesses in nearly three dozen states last year. At least 26 current illnesses in 15 states have been traced to cucumbers from Bednor growers and distributed by Fresh Start Produce Sales. Last year's outbreak was traced to untreated canal water at farms used by Bednar.

The cucumbers were distributed to restaurants, wholesalers, and retailers between April 29th and May 19th of this year. For the first time in 50 years, the emergency room doctors will have a new framework for assessing people with head injuries. From member station KQED in San Francisco, April Domboski has more on the system outlined in the journal Lancet Neurology. A.D. LAMBOSKI, NURSERGENT, KQED, S.F.

Current assessment of traumatic brain injury filters patients into three categories, mild, moderate, or severe. UC San Francisco neurosurgeon Jeff Manley says that's way too vague. He's seen severe patients taken off life support who could have recovered and mild patients sent home with nothing. Six weeks later they've got pounding headaches, they've got problems with their visual system, they're not sleeping well, so there's nothing mild about that. The new framework recommends using blood tests, CT scans, and patient medical history to make diagnosis more detailed and precise.

For NPR News, I'm April Dombosky in San Francisco. U.S. futures are flat and after hours trading on Wall Street. On Asia Pacific markets, shares are mostly higher. This is NPR News.