Episódios

  • Trump's unprecedented attack on the Fed

    Trump's unprecedented attack on the Fed
    Aug 27 2025

    Last night, President Donald Trump posted a letter firing Federal Reserve Board Governor Lisa Cook. The reason? She was accused of listing two properties as her primary residences, which potentially gave her more favorable lending terms. This marks another escalation in the president’s battle for control of America’s central bank.

    We’re publishing our conversation early about whether this is legal, what the Fed might do, and how the Fed’s independence is more fragile than we may think.

    Related episodes:

    Should presidents have more of a say in interest rates?

    Can the Federal Reserve stay independent?

    It's hard out there for a Fed chair

    Patent Racism
    For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Fact-checking by Sierra Juarez. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.

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    9 minutos
  • Three ways companies are getting around tariffs

    Three ways companies are getting around tariffs
    Aug 26 2025

    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 the tricks and legal loopholes that companies are employing to get around these sudden import taxes.


    Related episodes:

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

    The secret tariff-free zone

    You told us how tariffs are affecting you


    For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.


    Fact-checking by Sierra Juarez. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.

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    9 minutos
  • Can you copyright artwork made using AI?

    Can you copyright artwork made using AI?
    Aug 25 2025
    Copyright is the legal system used to reward and protect creations made by humans. But with growing adoption of artificial intelligence, does copyright extend to artwork that’s made using AI? Today on the show, how a test case over a Vincent Van Gogh mashup is testing the boundaries of copyright law.

    Related episodes: ‘Let’s Get it On’ … in court Copyright small claims court The alleged theft at th heart of ChatGPT

    For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.

    Fact-checking by Sierra Juarez. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.


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

    Job retraining and the brain, DC dining, and Robinhood's sports bet
    Aug 22 2025
    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 retraining boosts mental health (with more mixed results for romance); the complex picture behind why dinner reservations are down in DC; and the trading platform Robinhood gets into the sports definitely-not-betting game.

    Related episodes:
    The cautionary tale of a recovering day trading addict
    The nepo baby premium, frothing markets, and Apple vs. Apples

    For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.

    Fact-checking by Cooper Katz McKim and Corey Bridges. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.


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    9 minutos
  • What happens when railroads get hitched

    What happens when railroads get hitched
    Aug 21 2025
    Two freight-rail giants could make history if their $85 billion merger gets approved. Union Pacific’s proposed marriage with Norfolk Southern would create the first coast-to-coast rail network. So why hasn’t it happened before now? Today on the show, the business of train mergers.

    Related episodes:
    How Yellow wound up in the red

    For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.

    Fact-checking by Sierra Juarez. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.

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

    Cobalt-free batteries reign in Chinese EVs. Why not the US?
    Aug 20 2025
    There’s been an era-defining race underway between two types of batteries used in electric vehicles: lithium batteries that use cobalt, and ones that use iron phosphate. Cobalt, a metal with a checkered human rights record, has been in the lead. Until recently.

    Henry Sanderson’s book on the elements that build electric vehicles is Volt Rush: The Winners and Losers in the Race to Go Green.

    Related episodes:
    The race to produce lithium
    How batteries are already changing the grid
    How batteries are riding the free market rodeo in Texas
    How EV batteries tore apart Michigan (Update)
    Batteries are catching fire at sea

    For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.

    Fact-checking by Sierra Juarez. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.

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    9 minutos
  • How algorithms are changing the way we speak

    How algorithms are changing the way we speak
    Aug 19 2025
    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 talk to author Adam Aleksic about how TikTok and Instagram's engagement metrics, and viral memes, are rewiring our brains and transforming language at warp speed.

    Adam Aleksic’s book is Algospeak: How Social Media is Transforming the Future of Language

    Related episodes:
    What we’re reading on the beach this summer

    For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.

    Fact-checking by Sierra Juarez. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.


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    10 minutos
  • Three innovations pushing the medical field forward

    Three innovations pushing the medical field forward
    Aug 18 2025
    Innovation is crucial for long-term economic prosperity. One area where that’s happening aplenty: medical technology. From a cancer vaccine to an Alzheimer’s blood test to a life-changing exoskeleton, we take you on a tour of the economics of health technology.

    Related episodes:
    The hidden costs of healthcare churn (Apple / Spotify)
    More for Palantir, less for mRNA, and a disaster database redemption arc (Apple / Spotify)
    It's actually really hard to make a robot, guys (Apple / Spotify)

    For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.

    Fact-checking by Sierra Juarez. Voice-over by Greg Hardes. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.

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    9 minutos