The Indicator from Planet Money

Who's propping up Russian oil?

05 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Russia’s been subject to more than 5,000 sanctions since its invasion of Ukraine. Yet many purported allies of Ukraine are still getting Russian oil...

How Apple's market power blocked ICEBlock

04 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Last month, the Trump administration asked Apple to remove an app from its App Store that crowdsourced sightings of Immigration and Customs Enforcemen...

When AI is your job interviewer

03 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Companies are starting to use AI to interview potential employees. Sound creepy? Well, a new study suggests it might not be all bad.. Today on the sho...

A school cellphone ban study, white collar jobs wither, and spooky candy prices

31 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

It’s … Indicators of the…Eek! (Indicators of the Week.) Our regular look at some of the most fascinating economic numbers from the news. On tod...

Are China and India BFFs now?

30 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

China and India have a long, complicated history. Just a few years ago, there was a spate of armed skirmishes between the two nations. And yet, there ...

Is Obamacare doomed without extended subsidies?

29 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Health insurance subsidies are at the center of the current government shutdown. Democrats want to extend some expiring Affordable Care Act/Obamacare ...

How Marxism went from philosophy to cudgel

28 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Republican politicians like to use the term ‘Marxist’ to criticize Democrats. Lately, they’ve dubbed New York City mayoral candidate a ‘Marxis...

The new language of AI tech workers

27 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

It’s hard for young tech workers to find a job, even with the AI buildout bonanza. This has spawned a curious worldview that fears AI is coming for ...

Amazon's outage, anxious retirees, and LA brings the Heat, too

24 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

It’s … Indicators of the Week! Our weekly look at some of the most fascinating economic numbers from the news. On today’s episode: the Amazon g...

Are concert tickets UNDER priced?

23 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Ticketmaster's CEO says that concert tickets are underpriced. But from inflation to bots to unscrupulous resellers, the market for tickets feels out o...

No AI data centers in my backyard!

22 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In the rush to power AI, data centers are popping up in small communities across the U.S. But a growing backlash against this build-out is pitting com...

Should we ditch quarterly earnings reports?

21 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Quarterly earnings reports are a long-standing requirement for public companies in the U.S. But the Trump administration wants to axe quarterly releas...

Why are veterinarian bills getting so ruff on the wallet?

20 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Since 2020, the cost of veterinary care has increased about 40%—almost twice the rate of inflation. As a result, many pet owners say they've skippe...

Government shutdown fallout, price floors, and AI slop against the machine

17 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

It’s … Indicators of the Week! Our weekly look at some of the most fascinating economic numbers from the news. On today’s episode: Frozen and c...

OpenAI's deals are looking a little frothy

16 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

There have been many headline-grabbing AI deals recently: Nvidia investing up to $100 billion in OpenAI. OpenAI promising to buy $300 billion worth of...

Inside the growing industry to defend schools from mass shootings

15 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

From drones to body armor to bulletproof whiteboards, companies are offering schools a multitude of products to try to deter or protect against the ne...

Why do we live in unusually innovative times?

14 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

For most of human history, economic growth was, well, pretty bleak. But around the Enlightenment, things started clicking. This year's Nobel Memorial ...

Scam compounds, sewing patterns and stolen dimes

10 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

As Vice Week wraps up here at The Indicator, we wanted to take a slightly different perspective on the evolving business of crime and take a look at T...

How AI might mess with financial markets

09 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Market manipulation is an age-old issue. People trying to make money off unsuspecting investors by artificially influencing the price of a stock, say....

When cartels start to diversify

08 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The Sinaloa Cartel made the bulk of its money on cocaine. But cartels are diversifying into new operations including things like wildlife trafficking....

What’s supercharging data breaches?

07 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

It may seem like data breaches have gotten a heck of a lot more common. Well, there’s something to that. The bad guys are getting badder faster than...

Fighting AI with AI

06 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

With only several seconds of audio, someone can clone a victim’s voice, call their bank, and potentially get access to … everything. Vocal deepfak...

Vice Series: The evolving business of crime

05 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Crime doesn’t resemble the old days. A deepfake of your voice can be used to convince a relative you need money. AI bots are capable of colluding in...

Why Americans don't want to move for jobs anymore

03 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Americans are moving at record lows for work. What’s driving people to, well, not drive cross-country for jobs? On today’s Jobs Friday, we explore...

How close is the US to crony capitalism?

02 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We have seen a blurring of boundaries between government and business under President Trump. It has some political commentators ringing the alarm bell...

Why is everyone buying gold?

01 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Gold is on fire right now with some gold ETFs outperforming the major stock indexes over the past 12 months. Gold is supposed to be boring, an inflati...

We're about to lose a lot of foreign STEM workers

30 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Earlier this month, President Donald Trump announced a $100,000 fee on new H-1B visa petitioners. Today on the show, we talk to an economist about how...

What media consolidation means for free speech

29 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Jimmy Kimmel’s brief departure from the airwaves triggered a wave of debate over free speech.  Partly triggering his suspension was the government ...

Argentina's bailout, a new way to cool data centers, and a cold holiday hiring season

26 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

It’s Indicators of the Week! It is that show where we parse the most fascinating financial numbers in the news and bring them to you. On today's sh...

No, your doctor isn't getting rich off of vaccines

25 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Junior says doctors are pushing vaccines onto their patients in order to make profits. Healt...

Why are so many public schools closing?

24 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Faced with declining enrollment, public school districts across the country are rethinking how many schools they can run. Fewer students often means l...

Should 'surveillance pricing' be banned?

23 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

When you walk into a store, you're probably used to seeing price tags on things, saying what they cost. But when you shop online, there is no price t...

Can LA host a 'car-free' Olympics?

22 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Los Angeles is synonymous with car culture. But now that it's hosting the 2028 Olympics, could that be changing? On today's show, LA's public transit ...

The Fed cuts rates, America's FICO dips, and forever ends for sweepstakes winners

19 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

It’s … Indicators of the Week! Our weekly look at some of the most fascinating economic numbers from the news. On today’s show: A rate cut and ...

Why "free" public education doesn't always include school supplies

18 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Back-to-school supplies are getting more expensive … so why are parents and teachers at public schools expected to foot the bill? Today on the show:...

The crypto market is hot. But is it an illusion?

17 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

There has been an inordinate amount of trading activity recently in the crypto markets. But what if much of that activity was an illusion? A smokescre...

Why an aggressive rate cut could backfire on Trump

16 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The Federal Reserve is expected to make a modest cut to interest rates this week of about a quarter or half a percentage point. President Trump, howev...

Why beef prices are so high

15 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Beef is getting more expensive, and it doesn’t look as though that’s going to change any time soon. That’s the view of the Federal Reserve Bank ...

ICE raids, cooling on capitalism, and a Murdoch settlement

12 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

It’s … Indicators of the Week! Our weekly look at some of the most fascinating economic numbers from the news. On today’s episode: the concept ...

We read your mail on AI-proof jobs and how to fix crime labs

11 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We’ll never leave your messages unread. On today’s show, we open the inbox to hear from Indicator listeners about why seasoned software developers...

Can shareholders influence Elon Musk's trillion dollar pay package?

10 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Tesla’s board of directors recently proposed  a pay package for CEO Elon Musk that could pay him about a trillion dollars if he meets certain goals...

The cost of saving a species

09 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Animals are going extinct at an alarmingly fast rate, largely due to human activity. Same for plants. This is bad for all kinds of reasons, not least ...

Teamwork actually does make the dream work

08 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Behavioral scientist Jon Levy’s new book — Team Intelligence: How Brilliant Leaders Unlock Collective Genius — argues that, in the workplace, le...

Why moms are leaving their paid jobs

05 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Moms are quitting — or getting pushed out. Workforce participation for mothers in the U.S. has been dropping for most of this year, and the reasons ...

How much is AI actually affecting the workforce?

04 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

There’s been a lot of big talk about how artificial intelligence is going to replace white collar workers. But what data do we actually have around ...

So long, farewell, super cheap tariff-free shopping

03 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In late July, President Trump signed an executive order to get rid of de minimis, a kind of a loophole where packages valued less than $800 could come...

Inside the illegal vape boom

02 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A booming underground vape market is thriving. It’s unapproved, unregulated, and risky. Today on the show, we hear from The Atlantic’s Nick Florko...

AI creeps in, KATSEYE milkshakes, and China says “Zaijian!” to US soybeans

29 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

It’s … Indicators of the Week! Our weekly look at some of the most fascinating economic numbers from the news. On today’s episode: AI shuts out...

What olive oil tells us about Trump's tariffs

28 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Trump's tariffs are making business harder for international olive oil producers and it turns out those tariffs are even complicating other parts of t...

Trump's unprecedented attack on the Fed

27 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Last night, President Donald Trump posted a letter firing Federal Reserve Board Governor Lisa Cook. The reason? She was accused of listing two propert...

Three ways companies are getting around tariffs

26 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Businesses are scrambling for ways to minimize the impact of the Trump administration’s global tariff policy. Today on the show, we go over some of ...

Can you copyright artwork made using AI?

25 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Copyright is the legal system used to reward and protect creations made by humans. But with growing adoption of artificial intelligence, does copyrigh...

Job retraining and the brain, DC dining, and Robinhood's sports bet

22 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

It’s … Indicators of the Week! Our weekly look at some of the most fascinating economic numbers from the news. On today’s episode: Job retraini...

What happens when railroads get hitched

21 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Two freight-rail giants could make history if their $85 billion merger gets approved. Union Pacific’s proposed marriage with Norfolk Southern would ...

Cobalt-free batteries reign in Chinese EVs. Why not the US?

20 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

There’s been an era-defining race underway between two types of batteries used in electric vehicles: lithium batteries that use cobalt, and ones tha...

How algorithms are changing the way we speak

19 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Social media has birthed an entire lexicon replicated by millions online — even if these words don’t actually mean skibidi. On today’s show, we ...

Three innovations pushing the medical field forward

18 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Innovation is crucial for long-term economic prosperity. One area where that’s happening aplenty: medical technology. From a cancer vaccine to an Al...

The nepo baby premium, frothing markets, and Apple vs. Apples

15 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

It’s … Indicators of the Week! Our rapid run through the numbers you need to know.  On today’s episode: John Legend croons; CPI inflation soot...

Why every A-lister also has a side hustle

14 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Seemingly every celebrity has their own brand these days, whether it’s booze (Cameron Diaz, Matthew McConaughey) or cosmetics (Selena Gomez, Lady Ga...

Why Trump's spending bill could close your grocery store

13 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Trump’s tax and spending law makes the largest cut in history to one of the nation’s biggest safety net programs. Today on the show, we explore ho...

The arduous system for getting aid into Gaza

12 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Insulin needles. Sleeping bags. Nutella. These are items Arwa Damon’s charity — International Network for Aid, Relief and Assistance — has tr...

What we're reading on the beach this summer

11 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

It's time for our annual beach reading recs. Today we bring you three books, with a little economic learning to boot. Our recs: Who is Government? The...

More for Palantir, less for mRNA, and a disaster database redemption arc

08 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

It's ... Indicators of the Week! Our weekly look at some of the most fascinating economic numbers from the news. On today's episode: Palantir crosses ...

The legal case for — and against — Trump's tariffs

07 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

President Trump's new round of tariffs took effect today. It will bring in billions of dollars to the government, in part paid for by U.S. importers w...

What you need to know about the jobs report revisions

06 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Why do revisions to the jobs report happen? Today on the show, we speak with a former Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics about why revisio...

Can we still trust the monthly jobs report? (Update)

05 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Since his return to office, President Trump has waged something of a pressure campaign on economic data and the people in charge of delivering it. His...

What really goes on at the Bureau of Labor Statistics (Update)

04 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

On Friday, we reported on the latest jobs numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which showed weaker than expected growth. On Friday afternoon, ...

How you're using AI at work

01 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

AI is a hot topic for both employers and employees in the workforce. That's why we wanted to hear from our listeners about how they are using AI at wo...

Why the Fed could lose $1.5 trillion

31 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The Fed is on the hook for an estimated one-and-a-half trillion dollars. Despite the recent headlines, that's not because of building renovations. It'...

The risk of private equity in your 401(k)

30 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Private equity is a risky business. There are high-highs and low-lows. A retirement plan, on the other hand, is meant to be a reliable beast. But Pres...

The hottest multilateral club doesn't include the US

29 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

BRICS is an economic alliance of countries that includes Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa and several other nations. They met earlier this m...

A baby bonds bonanza

28 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Baby bond fever is catching on. In recent years, states like Connecticut have been experimenting with giving newborns government-seeded accounts that ...

Nigeria notches new highs, Magic gathers millions, and crypto climbs

25 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

It's ... Indicators of the Week! Our weekly look at some of the most fascinating economic numbers from the news. On today's episode: Nigeria gets a GD...

How to beach on a budget

24 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

It's the Beigie Awards, our eight times a year salute to the art and science of telling stories about the economy. The most recent Beige Book shows th...

When Uncle Sam owned banks and factories

23 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The quintessential American economic myth is that the free market picks winners and losers. But the federal government has long had a role in this equ...

Lunch with the man who coined TACO

22 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Despite presidential saber rattling and huge tariff threats, the U.S. stock market keeps reaching record highs. Why?Today we sit down with the man who...

Your tinned fish obsession is helping resurrect a lost industry

21 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Once upon a time, the states had a thriving tinned fish market. Like a lot of U.S. manufacturing though, that's been lost. But sardines are having a m...

Bonus episode: The Indicator plays... movie business trivia!

20 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

To cap off our weeklong series on all things Hollywood, we're going to have a little fun! Tune in to hear Adrian, Darian and Wailin battle it out as t...

Congress has voted to eliminate government funding for public media

18 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Act now to ensure public media remains free and accessible to all. Your donation will help this essential American service survive and thrive. Visit d...

Are you not entertained ... by our movie-related indicators?

18 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The movies come to Indicators of the Week. We dig into why one film is letting you reserve tickets a whole year in advance, what ticket prices might t...

When is cosplay a crime?

17 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Cosplay—or dressing up as your favorite character from pop culture—is fun! But it can fall into a legal gray area when it comes to companies' inte...

The story of China and Hollywood's big-screen romance

16 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

No country can come close to the amount of money Americans spend at the box office each year ... that is, until China came along. The US and Chinese f...

Why aren't filmmakers shooting in LA?

15 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Despite being, ya know, Hollywood, more and more movies and TV shows are shooting outside of Tinseltown. Dozens of U.S. states and many countries offe...

Before La La Land, there was Fort Lee, New Jersey

14 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Hollywood, baby! The glitz! The glamour! The ever-changing business models! This week, The Indicator is going to the movies. Starting today with the ...

Red tape indicators: sports betting, R&D and click-to-cancel

11 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We are back with Indicators of the Week! Today, we'll be digging into why U.S. professional gamblers are worried about their future, why businesses mi...

Could Meta do more to protect us from cyber scams?

10 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Many small businesses are online now, but so are cyber criminals trying to take advantage. On today's show, how one bar owner fell victim to a Faceboo...

Can you afford to evacuate ahead of a disaster?

09 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We are just at the start of hurricane season, and we're already seeing the danger and tragedy brought on by storms. There's another cost that gets muc...

Will the tax cuts pay for themselves?

08 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act is now law. It's expected to cost the government a pretty penny. The Congressional Budget Office predicts a $3.4 trilli...

Why can't we insure trees?

07 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In the U.S., we insure most everything we sell. So why not trees? Today on the show why trees aren't insured like other crops, and what it would take ...

One of the cheapest ways to save a life is going away (EXTENDED VERSION)

04 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This episode was first published as a bonus episode for our Planet Money+ listeners. Today, we're making it available for everyone! U.S. aid helped Es...

How ICE crackdowns are affecting the workforce

03 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The Trump administration's crackdown on immigrants might be the most profound change in the American labor market right now. Industries that rely on i...

Tech layoffs, recession pop and more listener questions answered

02 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We are back with another edition of listener questions! In this round, we tackle recession pop, why the job market feels so crummy for IT grads, and w...

We're nearing 'peak population.' These economists are worried

01 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Over the past century, the world's human population has exploded from around 2 billion to 8 billion. Meanwhile, the average fertility rate has gradual...

Can Starlink stay ahead in satellite internet?

30 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Whether you're watching Love Island in an RV or streaming a playlist in a remote California campground, if you're using satellite internet, odds are y...

Babies v climate change; AI v IP; bonds v world

27 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

It's ... Indicators of the Week! Our weekly look at some of the most fascinating economic numbers from the news. On today's episode: Could more babies...

We're gonna need a bigger boat-building industry

26 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

During World War II, the U.S. shipbuilding industry flourished. Now, it's nearly non-existent. China is the dominant shipbuilder in the world economy....

One of the cheapest ways to save a life is going away

25 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What's the price to save a human life? We examine the monumental legacy of the U.S. President's Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) with journalis...

Will Iran block the Strait of Hormuz?

24 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The world has held a close eye on the Strait of Hormuz lately with Israeli and U.S. strikes on Iran. Nearly a quarter of the world's seaborne oil pass...

You told us how tariffs are affecting you

23 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Americans like to spend money. In fact, we spend more per person than almost any other country in the world. So, we wanted to know how an uncertain ec...

SALT-n-pessimism

20 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

It's ... Indicators of the Week! Our weekly look at some of the most fascinating economic numbers from the news. On today's episode: the Senate passes...