Shira Ovide, a journalist at the Washington Post, and Anna Szymanski from Reuters dive into Japan's turbulent market. They discuss how recent volatility, interest rate changes, and a rush of retail investors have shaken the financial landscape. The conversation also highlights the implications of a guilty verdict against Google for monopolistic practices. Additionally, they analyze Boeing's ongoing struggles and question whether its new CEO can steer the company away from turmoil while tackling challenges in the aviation industry.

Henry Grabar, a seasoned journalist covering the Paris Olympics, joins former co-host Anna Szymanski for a lively discussion. They delve into how hosting the Olympics is transforming Paris through infrastructure upgrades and urban development. Grabar shares insights on the unique strategy of using existing venues to minimize disruption. The conversation also touches on global economic trends and the complexities of revitalizing U.S. rail transportation. Listeners will enjoy learning about the rising importance of sustainability in events like the Paris Games.

In this episode of But Why we visit a credit union to learn what money is all about. And Felix Salmon, Anna Szymanski and Jordan Weissman from Slate Money answer questions about why money plays such a big role in modern society. How was money invented? Why can't everything be free? How do you earn money? How was the penny invented? Why are dimes so small? Download our learning guides: PDF | Google Slide | Transcript Related Episodes: What Is The Biggest Number? Resources: How To Talk To Kids About Money, Million Bazillion podcast Who invented money? - Luca, 9, Ashland, Ore. There's no first person we can point to who invented money. The idea of money has evolved as human society got more complicated. In the early days of humankind, people mostly bartered. Bartering is essentially trading. But over time people realized they needed to have a system for dealing with things when there wasn't an easy trade. If you have something I want but I don't want anything you're offering because I really need something else, how do we work it out? That's where the earliest forms of money emerged. First they were things like shells or rocks. Then pieces of clay with symbols or faces pressed into them. These things don't have much value by themselves, but if everyone agrees that they're going to use them as a symbol of value, you can trade them and start a system of payment. Eventually these objects became more formalized, turning into coins and paper dollar bills, like the ones we use today. These days there's another method of buying and selling: the credit or debit card.