Consider This from NPR

It's a familiar experience for anyone who has walked through an American shopping mall: A friendly salesperson approaches with a free sample of skincare cream, offering the promise of younger-looking skin. But behind this familiar mall ritual, NPR uncovered something far more costly: customers hit with thousands of dollars in charges they never authorized and products they didn't want and can't return.

This episode was reported by Monika Evstatieva and Caley Fox Shannon. 

It was produced by Mia Venkat and Monika Evstatieva, with audio engineering by Jimmy Keeley.

It was edited by Barrie Hardymon and Robert Little.

Our executive producer is Courtney Dorning.

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A report from the Labor Department on Wednesday showed consumer prices in September were up 3.7% from a year ago. What does the data tell us about the state of the economy?

NPR’s Scott Horsley contributed reporting to this episode.

It was produced by Jeffrey Pierre, with audio engineering by Tiffany Vera Castro. Our director is Kai McNamee.

It was edited by Tinbete Ermyas.

Our interim executive producer is Courtney Dorning.

Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.

See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.

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NPR sits down with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv to discuss the war, weapons, and his relationship with President Donald Trump.

This episode was produced by Alejandra Marquez Janse and Jeffrey Pierre, with audio engineering by Tiffany Vera Castro. Our director is Jonas Adams.

It was edited by Tara Neill, Hannah Bloch and Tinbete Ermyas.

Our interim executive producer is Courtney Dorning.

Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.

See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.

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Both Russia and Ukraine are using drones powered by artificial intelligence. But soon, AI could start leading the decisions on the battlefield as well. We visit one Ukrainian company that's working to make this a reality.

This episode was produced by Sophia Paliza-Carre and Karen Zamora, with audio engineering by Tiffany Vera Castro and Valentina Rodríguez Sánchez. 

Our director is Jonas Adams.

It was edited by Hannah Bloch and Tinbete Ermyas.

Our interim executive producer is Courtney Dorning.

Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.

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Companies like Amazon keeps close tabs on the spending habits of its customers. That data can be use to help the company recommend products. But it can also help companies get a sense of how motivated someone is to buy something, and possibly adjust pricing accordingly. 

Lindsay Owens says companies are using our personal data to transform the products and price tags. 

Owens is the president and CEO of the non-profit economic think tank Groundwork Collaborative, and the author of a book called “Gouged: The End of a Fair Price–and What That Means for Your Wallet”

This episode was produced by Michelle Aslam, with audio engineering by Damian Herring. 

Our director is Marc Rivers. 

It was edited by Michael Levitt.

Our executive producer is Courtney Dorning.

Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.

See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.

NPR Privacy Policy