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Episode Date: June 5, 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 Janene Herbst. A unanimous Supreme Court decision could make it easier to sue over so-called reverse discrimination. From Ideastream Public Media, Anna Huntsman reports the court sided with an Ohio State worker who claims she didn't

get a job because she's straight. Akron area resident Marlene Ames sued the state agency where she worked, alleging she'd been passed over for a promotion and then demoted because of her sexual orientation. Both people who got the jobs over her were gay. A lower court dismissed her suit, claiming she didn't have enough evidence.

Some district courts have historically set a higher bar for non-minorities to prove they've experienced discrimination. But writing for the court, Justice Katanji Brown Jackson notes the Civil Rights Act of 1964 does not set forth different requirements for members of majority and minority groups to prove discrimination. Ames can now argue her case to the lower court. The decision could affect similar lawsuits filed in other states. For NPR News, I'm Anna Huntsman in Akron, Ohio. President Trump says he spoke with Chinese President Xi Jinping their first chat since

Trump took office, talking about trade and says that it was a good conversation. Trump says they didn't talk about Russia and Ukraine, but he says teams from both the US and China will be meeting soon and that each leader invited the other to visit their respective country. Meanwhile, Trump issued a proclamation banning students from entering the US to study at Harvard and here's Alyssa Nadwerny has more. Trump's new order cites national security concerns including what it says are high crime rates and unchecked foreign influence on campus. In a statement, Trump said he was also directing Secretary of State Marco Rubio to begin revoking visas

of foreign students at the Ivy League school. In a statement, Harvard called the move quote, another retaliatory step that was in violation of the school's first amendment rights. This is the second time that Trump administration has attempted to ban Harvard from enrolling international students. The previous attempt was temporarily blocked by a federal judge last month.

Elissa Nadwani, NPR News. Israel says it's arming a private militia in Gaza in order to undermine Hamas. And Piers Daniel Estrin has more. Israel has confirmed that it has secretly transferred weapons to a Palestinian group in Gaza known as the Abu Shabab clan. An Israeli lawmaker opposed to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu leaked the revelation, accusing Netanyahu of arming criminals. In a video, Netanyahu confirmed that Israel has made use of clans in Gaza that oppose

Hamas. Previously, the group is believed to have been involved in looting humanitarian aid. Now, its Facebook pages say it secures aid delivery. It also promotes anti-Hamas messages. Hamas is calling on Palestinians to oppose the Israeli-supported militia, accusing Israel of creating chaos in Gaza. Daniel Estrin, NPR News, Tel Aviv. You're listening to NPR News from Washington.

Archaeologists have discovered what is likely the largest intact remains of an ancient agricultural site in the eastern half of what is now the United States. As NPR's Nell Greenfield-Boyce reports, it's in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Researchers used a drone to survey over 300 acres near the Menominee River. The drone was equipped with a laser that could map the shape of the ground. Madeline McLeaster is an archaeologist with Dartmouth College. She says the drone detected row upon row of raised gardening beds. I mean I didn't expect them just to keep going and going and going. This surprisingly large

agricultural system was built by the ancestors of the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin. In the journal Science, the researchers say the discovery suggests that large-scale agriculture may have been common in the region before Europeans moved in. Nell Greenfield, Voice, NPR News. Consumer goods company Procter & Gamble says it's cutting up to 7,000 jobs, about 6% of its workforce, over the next two years, part of a restructuring program, as the company says it's trying to navigate higher tariffs and slower growth.

The consumer goods giant says it will be exiting some of the brands it owns and that it will take around a $600 million hit in fiscal year 2026 based on current tariff rates. P&G, which owns Pampers, Tide and Swiffer, among others, also says it plans to slim down on the corporate side. US futures contracts are trading flat at this hour. I'm Janene Hurst, and you're listening to NPR News from Washington.