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Episode Date: June 6, 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. Janine Herbst Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Janine Herbst. The Supreme Court has handed two big wins to the Trump administration's Department of Government Efficiency. NPR's Shannon Bond reports the court granted DOJ access to sensitive

Social Security data while separately blocking a watchdog group from accessing Doge's internal records. The Supreme Court says Doge can access personal information held by the Social Security administration, including Social Security numbers, medical and mental health records, and family court information. The order overturned lower court actions limiting that access. The Doge team has been amassing and consolidating data across federal agencies to further Trump administration goals, including immigration enforcement. In a separate order, the court said Doge does not have to turn over documents to a watchdog group suing to unveil information about Doge's activities.

Despite the White House's claims of transparency, those have been largely hidden from public view. Shannon Bond, NPR News. The city of Portland will pay $8.5 million to the descendants of 26 Black residents whose neighborhood was destroyed. Oregon Public Broadcasting's Kira Buckley reports the agreement also includes transferring two parcels of land back to the families. In the 1940s, North Portland was home to a thriving black neighborhood until the city used racist policies to displace homeowners. In 2022, over two dozen descendants filed a federal lawsuit against the city. Recently, the sides agreed to settle for $2 million. But at the city council meeting to approve the historic settlement,

Councilor Loretta Smith motioned to raise it to $8.5 million. And I get a second. Seconded. All 12 councilors voted to approve the settlement at the amended amount. For NPR News, I'm Kyra Buckley in Portland. Scientists say the wildfires raging in western Canada that have been sending smoky air into the U.S. Midwest are no fluke. They follow an emerging pattern that's being driven by climate change. NPR's Scott Newman has more. The fires this year are following a familiar pattern, one that was seen two years ago.

They're burning in places like Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and British Columbia, but their choking fumes are being felt in Minnesota, Illinois, and Michigan. John Smoll is a biology professor at Queen's University in Ontario, who studies the environment. He says climate change is driving this trend. The fires are hotter, the fires are longer, they start earlier, they last longer. Canadian authorities say that nearly half of the more than 200 fires burning now have yet to be contained. Scott Newman, NPR News. Wall Street higher by the closing bell, the Dow up 443 points, NASDAQ up 231, S&P 500 up 61. You're listening to NPR News.

You're listening to NPR News. Five leaders of Proud Boys, a far-right extremist group with a history of violence, want the federal government to pay them $100 million in punitive damages over claims that their constitutional rights were violated when they were prosecuted for their roles in the deadly attack on the U.S. Capitol building on January 6th of 2021. Four of the five were found guilty of seditious conspiracy to keep President Trump in power, even though he had lost the election to Joe Biden. This suit follows Trump's decision to pardon almost all of the January 6th defendants. President Trump's sweeping new travel restrictions that come into

place on Monday will bar most citizens from 12 countries from entering the U.S., including Afghanistan. And as NPR's Diya Hadid reports, it's just the latest move by the Trump administration to target Afghans in some way. Just hours after his inauguration, President Trump suspended the U.S. refugee admissions program, which halted the process for an estimated 200,000 Afghans. They were mostly men and women who worked with the US or who fought alongside American forces.

Trump's administration also cut most of America's promised aid to Afghanistan, which fed millions of hungry men, women and children. The administration argued the Taliban was siphoning off the aid. Then his administration announced temporary protected status for Afghanistan would end this summer. And now the travel ban. There's an exception for Afghans who fought alongside American forces. And here's Diya Hadid reporting from Mumbai. And I'm Janine Hurst, NPR News in Washington. World news is important, but it can feel far away. Janine Herbst, NPR News in Washington.