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The Economy Explained
A customer shops for Halloween candy at a Walmart Supercenter.

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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

Listen · 9:29
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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?

Listen · 8:54
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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.

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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?

Listen · 25:45
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A Social Security Administration office in Washington, DC.

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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.

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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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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?

Listen · 8:25
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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.

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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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Piles of garbage from commercial establishments litter curbs of New York's 48th St. between 5th and Madison Aves. Dec.12,1975, as a strike by private garbagemen entered its 11th day.
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Planet Money

The year NYC went broke

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In 1975, New York City ran out of money. For a decade it had managed to pay for its hundreds of thousands of city employees and robust social services by taking on billions of dollars in debt. But eventually investors were no longer willing to lend the city any more money. New York teetered on the edge of bankruptcy — the city shuttered more than a dozen firehouses, teachers went on strike and garbage piled up in the streets.

The year NYC went broke

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Justin Marston, CEO of Campus Guardian Angel, displays one of the company's drones for deterring mass shooters at the National Association of School Resource Officers in Grapevine, Texas.

Justin Marston, CEO of Campus Guardian Angel, displays one of the company's drones that could be used to deter mass shooters at the National Association of School Resource Officers in Grapevine, Texas, in July 2025. Meg Anderson / NPR Meg Anderson/NPR hide caption

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The Indicator

Inside the growing industry to defend schools from mass shootings

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From drones to body armor to bulletproof whiteboards, companies are offering schools a multitude of products to try to deter or protect against the next school shooting. But does any of this stuff work? On today’s show, a look inside the school shooting industry. What's for sale and the psychology behind the growing industry.Related episodes:  

Inside the growing industry to defend schools from mass shootings

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An illustration demonstrating concepts of economic historian Joel Mokyr's work
Johan Jarnestad/The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences

The Indicator

Why do we live in unusually innovative times?

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For most of human history, economic growth was, well, pretty bleak. But around the Enlightenment, things started clicking. This year's Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences went to a trio of researchers whose work focuses on how technological progress led to this sustained economic growth. Today we hear from one of them, Joel Mokyr, about his work on European economic history. Related episodes: 

Why do we live in unusually innovative times?

Listen · 9:32
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he US Treasury Department building in Washington, DC.
Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images

Planet Money

How the government got hedge funded

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The U.S. government spends a ton of money, on everything from Medicare to roads to defense. In fact, it spends way more than it takes in. So…it borrows money, in the bond market. By selling U.S. Treasurys, basically IOUs with periodic interest payments. And for decades, people have loved to invest in Treasurys, for their safety and security. 

How the government got hedge funded

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