Planet Money (NPR)

Episode: The Rest of the Story, 2025

Release Date: December 26, 2025
Host: Nick Fountain
Contributors: Sarah Gonzalez, Alexi Horowitz-Ghazi, Jeff Guo, Alex Goldmark

Overview

This episode of Planet Money is the annual “Rest of the Story” update, where hosts check back in on people and stories previously covered throughout the year. The focus: illustrating that while news stories may end, economic forces and human lives continue to evolve. Updates span the subscription economy, the diamond industry, life in Gaza post-ceasefire, the launch of the Planet Money board game, the journey of safer power tools, and even a legal tussle over the show's namesake phrase.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Subscription Trap and Its Limbo (04:24–09:18)

Background Recap

• Subscription Model Domination: Last fall, Alexi Horowitz-Ghazi explored the growth of the subscription-based business model, tracing its expansion from software to everyday goods.
• The 'Click to Cancel Rule': The FTC introduced a rule to make subscriptions easy to cancel, aiming to reduce “subscription traps.”

Update and Regulation Fallout

• The 'Click to Cancel' rule was struck down by a federal appeals court due to procedural errors, and the FTC chair was replaced by Andrew Ferguson, an opponent of the rule.
• Ferguson: “Unfortunately, the previous administration, as they often did, cut tons of corners... They skipped important procedural steps, and a court had to strike the rule down.” (06:05–06:16, Alexi + Ferguson on Fox News)
• FTC will now rely on existing tools like the ROSCA act for selective enforcement.

Entrepreneur Perspective

• Harun Mokhtarzada, co-founder of Rocket Money (a subscription management service), ironically found success by charging a subscription for a service that cancels subscriptions.
  • “What if we charged a subscription for this service? ... I just said, this is crazy, guys. Like, we can't have a subscription cancellation service that charges people a subscription for. Just seems so ridiculous.” (07:13–07:28, Harun Mokhtarzada)
• Despite the failed rule, Mokhtarzada says business is booming:
  • “The subscription economy continues to boom. This year we saw the average user adding three subscriptions... We processed over 10 million cancellations this year.” (08:31–08:45)

Memorable Moment

• Hosts joke about using this segment as motivation to cancel unused subscriptions:
  • “New Year, new us, let's cancel some stuff.” (09:15, Alexi Horowitz-Ghazi)

2. Diamonds: The Price is (Still) Not Right (09:24–14:04)

Background Recap

• Lab-Grown Diamonds: Jeff Guo bought a one-carat lab-grown diamond for $137, despite retail prices hovering around $1,000.

Update

• Retail prices for lab-grown diamonds have dipped further, down to ~$800 but still significantly higher than the wholesale price.
  • “The prices are getting cheaper. So we’re down from $1,000 to about $800 now.” (11:03–11:12, Jeff Guo)
• The specific diamond is still with Jeff, though a listener, Adam, had asked to use it for a proposal. Adam ultimately got engaged using his parents’ ring, sharing the joyful story with the hosts.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• “I was too busy gazing into the sparkliness of this beautiful diamond.” (11:49, Jeff Guo)
• Adam reflects on love and proposals:
  • “I was sitting in my car having just heard this podcast about six months into dating and thinking, you know, I really like this girl...” (12:36)

3. Gaza: Cash, Ceasefire, and the Cost of Living (14:15–20:54)

Recap of Previous Reporting

• Gaza’s economy was collapsing: Israel had restricted paper shekels, making cash scarce and decrepit. Prices for staple goods soared, and families lived in tents due to destroyed housing.

2025 Update

• Despite a ceasefire, cash is still not allowed into Gaza. The same scarcity persists, with worn-out cash and not enough of it.
• Humanitarian conditions have improved—there’s more food and stability, but the economic situation remains dire.
  • Tomato prices: Once $32/kg, now ~$3/kg.
  • Diapers: Down from $75/pack to ~$9–10, but still higher than pre-war prices.
  • “Chocolate, by the way, is selling for about A$50 to US$6 right now, Mohammad says.” (19:48, Sarah Gonzalez)
• Moving stories: Muhammad’s family is now in a new tent, making a mosaic floor from marble rubble, growing vegetables, but still facing severe hardships like his wife Wala’s illness and the near-impossibility of securing medical evacuation.

Notable Moment

• Happiness at small victories (daughter finally gets chocolate), countered by ongoing tragedies.

4. Community-Driven Economics: Board Game and Book Updates (22:37–26:21)

Planet Money Board Game

• Co-created with Exploding Kittens, the board game has evolved through extensive community playtesting and feedback.
  • “It really feels like we're doing this as a community at this point.” (25:03, Alex Goldmark)
• Rules have been simplified and refined; new versions are out for testing with further feedback encouraged at PlanetMoneyGame.com until January 15.

Planet Money Book

• An economics book is set for April release, with pre-orders supporting its bestseller push:
  • “If you pre order now, you get a special gift and it will help us get on the bestseller list.” (26:05, Alex Goldmark)

5. A Safer Saw and the Stalling of Regulation (26:22–30:05)

Background

• Steve Gass, inventor of SawStop (a table saw that instantly stops to save fingers), spent years lobbying to make the technology mandatory.
• Over 10,000 fingers estimated saved by the technology.

Update

• After political shake-ups, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) saw key members fired, stalling the regulation that would have made finger-detection mandatory.
  • “It's like watching a car wreck and not being able to do anything to prevent it. In this case, tens of thousands of woodworkers who will be injured seriously, life changing injuries that didn't need to occur.” (28:38–29:04, Alex Goldmark)
• Gass is frustrated but moving forward with market-based solutions, designing a safer band saw.

Humorous Addendum

• Host correction: It’s “brat,” not “bratwurst,” in reference to the sausage used to test the saw’s safety.

6. Meta Update: Paul Harvey’s Legacy and Lawsuit (30:05–31:13)

• “Rest of the Story” was originally a radio segment by Paul Harvey. His estate is now suing Paramount over alleged unauthorized use, demanding removal and damages.
  • Nick Fountain jokes, “And that is the rest of the rest of the story. Please don’t sue us.” (31:10)

Memorable Quotes

• Nick Fountain (on the phone vs. social media):
  “I bring this up because lately at Planet Money, it has been so satisfying to call up old sources.” (01:13)
• Harun Mokhtarzada (on subscriptions):
  “The sheer irony ... is why I personally was adamantly opposed to it. I just said, this is crazy, guys.” (07:16–07:21)
• Sarah Gonzalez (on Muhammad’s family in Gaza):
  “They collected broken marble from rubble and they made this like mosaic floor and it's actually like really beautiful.” (17:05–17:37)
• Alex Goldmark (on the board game community):
  “It really feels like we're doing this as a community at this point.” (25:03)
• Alex Goldmark (on the failed saw regulation):
  “It's like watching a car wreck and not being able to do anything to prevent it.” (28:38)

Timestamps of Major Segments

• 04:24 – 09:18: Subscription economy and regulation update
• 09:24 – 14:04: Lab-grown diamonds follow-up and Adam’s proposal story
• 14:15 – 20:54: Gaza: economy, daily life, and the aftermath of conflict
• 22:37 – 26:21: Planet Money board game & book
• 26:22 – 30:05: Safer saw innovation, regulation limbo
• 30:05 – 31:13: Paul Harvey legacy lawsuit

Tone & Style

The episode maintained the original Planet Money tone: witty, conversational, and honest, without shying away from tough realities or poking fun at their own work and the quirks of the economy.

For Listeners Who Missed It

This episode serves as both a look back and a reminder that the “rest of the story” is always being written. Policies shift, lives evolve, and the economy’s strange forces persist—often with unintended consequences, clever solutions, and a little community spirit along the way.