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Last month, Apple removed the ICE tracking app, IceBlock, from the App Store at the request of the Department of Justice.

In this photo illustration, the ICEBlock app is displayed on an Apple iPhone on October 02, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. Apple has removed the ICEBlock app from the App Store after a request by U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, citing officer safety issues. The immigration enforcement tracking app enables users to report ICE agent sightings in real time. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images hide caption

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The Indicator

How Apple's market power blocked ICEBlock

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Last month, the Trump administration asked Apple to remove an app from its App Store that crowdsourced sightings of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. Today on the show, we explain what an ongoing legal battle involving the developer of the video game Fortnite has to do with Apple’s latest move to comply with the Trump administration.

How Apple's market power blocked ICEBlock

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When AI is your job interviewer

AI Bots are starting to interview humans for jobs... and doing a pretty good job H. Armstrong Roberts/ClassicStock / Contributor/Getty Images hide caption

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The Indicator

When AI is your job interviewer

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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 show, we look at why a job interview with AI might be preferable to one with a human. ? And Adrian gets grilled by an AI job recruiter named “Anna.” Related episodes: 

When AI is your job interviewer

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Vicki Aguilar

Vicki Aguilar Nick Fountain/NPR hide caption

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Planet Money

After the shutdown, SNAP will still be in trouble

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This week’s SNAP crisis is just a preview. Tucked inside the giant tax-cut and spending bill signed by President Donald Trump this summer are enormous cuts to SNAP: Who qualifies, how much they get, and who foots the bill for the program. That last part is a huge change.

After the shutdown, SNAP will still be in trouble

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A customer shops for Halloween candy at a Walmart Supercenter.

A customer shops for Halloween candy at a Walmart Supercenter. Brandon Bell/Getty Images hide caption

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The Indicator

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

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

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

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Are China and India BFFs now?

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, left, and Chinese President Xi Jinping shake hands before their meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit Aug. 31, 2025. Uncredited/AP Newsroom hide caption

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The Indicator

Are China and India BFFs now?

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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 are signs of warming relations amidst President Trump’s ongoing trade war. Today on the show, is that trade war pushing India toward China? And what could happen if two of the world’s largest economies come together? 

Are China and India BFFs now?

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Eva Marie Uzcategui
Eva Marie Uzcategui/AFP via Getty Images

Planet Money

The remittance mystery

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For decades, the U.S. has been the single biggest source of remittances worldwide. A remittance is a transfer of money, typically from an immigrant to their family in their country of origin. But we are in the middle of a big, loud and very public immigration crackdown on those who are here without legal status. And that crackdown is disrupting the global remittance market. 

The remittance mystery

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A sign that reads Obamacare
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The Indicator

Is Obamacare doomed without extended subsidies?

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Health insurance subsidies are at the center of the current government shutdown. Democrats want to extend some expiring Affordable Care Act/Obamacare subsidies. Obamacare has weathered several political storms since its inception, but how will it fare without those subsidies?

Is Obamacare doomed without extended subsidies?

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How Marxism went from philosophy to cudgel

The head of a statue of German philosopher Karl Marx is covered with ice on a cold winter day in Berlin, Germany, Friday, Dec. 16, 2022. Markus Schreiber/AP News hide caption

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The Indicator

How Marxism went from philosophy to cudgel

by  Paddy Hirsch ,  ,  , 

Republican politicians like to use the term ‘Marxist’ to criticize Democrats. Lately, they’ve dubbed New York City mayoral candidate a ‘Marxist’ despite him identifying himself as a democratic socialist. Today on the show, we dig into what ‘Marxism, as an economic term,’ actually means.Related episodes: 

How Marxism went from philosophy to cudgel

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An advertisement for an AI company is posted on 2nd Street in San Francisco, California.

An advertisement for an AI company is posted on 2nd Street in San Francisco, California. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images hide caption

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The Indicator

The new language of AI tech workers

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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 our jobs and a drive to be at the top of the AI food chain. This, tech writer Jasmine Sun believes, is revealed in the emerging dialect of Silicon Valley tech workers.   

The new language of AI tech workers

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Should the fine have to fit the crime?
Courtesy of Ken Jouppi

Planet Money

Should the fine have to fit the crime?

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The U.S. Constitution famously outlaws “cruel and unusual punishments.” But there's another, far more obscure part of the Constitution called the Excessive Fines Clause, which basically says that the fine has to fit the crime. So far, the Supreme Court has been pretty mysterious about what that means. But for Ken Jouppi, the fate of his $95,000 plane hinges on it.

Should the fine have to fit the crime?

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A Social Security Administration office in Washington, DC.

A Social Security Administration office in Washington, D.C. SAUL LOEB / AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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The Indicator

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

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

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

Listen · 9:27
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The Ticketmaster website is shown on a computer screen.

The Ticketmaster website is shown on a computer screen. Joe Raedle/Getty Images hide caption

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The Indicator

Are concert tickets UNDER priced?

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Ticketmaster's CEO says that concert tickets are underpriced. But from inflation to bots to unscrupulous resellers, the market for tickets feels out of control to many fans. Can anything be done?

Are concert tickets UNDER priced?

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TikTok’s Trojan Horse Strategy
George Butler/Twenty Thousand Hertz

Planet Money

TikTok’s Trojan Horse Strategy

by  ,  ,  Casey Emmerling ,  , 

When TikTok videos started to go viral on Instagram and Reddit, TikTok turned to professional sound designers to protect their content.

TikTok’s Trojan Horse Strategy

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A sign that says 'No Data Center Complex'
Ulysse Bellier/Getty Images

The Indicator

No AI data centers in my backyard!

by  Dustin Dwyer ,  ,  , 

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 communities against developers over energy prices and water use. Today on the show, one Michigan community’s fight to stop a data center and what it means for Big Tech. Related episodes: 

Why data center backlash is growing

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Wall Street inscription on a building
Spencer Platt/Getty Images

The Indicator

Should we ditch quarterly earnings reports?

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Quarterly earnings reports are a long-standing requirement for public companies in the U.S. But the Trump administration wants to axe quarterly releases and just release them twice a year. And there is evidence to suggest this could be better in the long run for companies and investors. On today’s show, we look at the potential benefits and trade-offs of changing how often companies report their financial results. 

Should we ditch quarterly earnings reports?

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Murphy the dog awaits treatment at a mobile veterinary service for pets in Los Angeles.

Murphy the dog awaits treatment at a mobile veterinary service for pets in Los Angeles. Mario Tama/Getty Images hide caption

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The Indicator

Why are veterinarian bills getting so ruff on the wallet?

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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 skipped necessary vet care. So, what's going on here? A veterinarian, and a lesser-known economic theory, have some answers. 

Why are veterinarian bills getting so ruff on the wallet?

Listen · 8:24
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How Russia’s shadow fleet is sailing around oil sanctions
Stephane Mahe/Reuters

Planet Money

How Russia’s shadow fleet is sailing around oil sanctions

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Bjarne Caesar Skinnerup works as a maritime pilot in the straits of Denmark. That means he’s used to seeing oil tankers. But after the start of the war in Ukraine, the tankers started getting weird. They were flying flags he’d never seen before. They were old, very old, though many had taken on new names. Something was off. 

How Russia’s shadow fleet is sailing around oil sanctions

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Zack de la Rocha of Rage Against the Machine performs at Madison Square Garden.

Zack de la Rocha of Rage Against the Machine performs at Madison Square Garden. Theo Wargo/Getty Images hide caption

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The Indicator

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

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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 canceled federal dollars, America’s intensifying tit-for-tat with China, and a sloppy trend infiltrating the music business. (With a pocket full of shells.)Related episodes: 

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

Listen · 9:20
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Tech leaders, including Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, and Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, attend a dinner hosted by US President Trump with tech leaders in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 4.

Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, attends a dinner hosted by US President Donald Trump. SAUL LOEB / AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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SAUL LOEB / AFP/Getty Images

The Indicator

OpenAI's deals are looking a little frothy

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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 computing power from Oracle. Oracle buying tons of chips from Nvidia. 

OpenAI's deals are looking a little frothy

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