Episodes

  • The US loses tech hires, sayonora to Sora, and Afroman's win

    The US loses tech hires, sayonora to Sora, and Afroman's win
    Mar 27 2026
    It’s Indicators of the Week (now on YouTube!). It’s our weekly look at some of the most fascinating economic numbers from the news.

    On today’s episode: The US ain’t doing too hot in attracting European tech workers; OpenAI takes its video generator Sora behind the barn; and a rapper, pound cake, and the police.

    Related episodes:
    OpenAI's deals are looking a little frothy
    We're about to lose a lot of foreign STEM workers
    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 Julia Ritchey and Vito Emanuel. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.

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    9 mins
  • Tracing the tax that's supposed to fund TSA

    Tracing the tax that's supposed to fund TSA
    Mar 26 2026
    Every time you buy a ticket that leaves a U.S. airport, you pay a fee that’s supposed to help fund the TSA. So why have TSA workers been working without pay? Today on the show, we explore the history behind an earmarked tax and its very personal impacts.

    Come see Planet Money live on stage in April! 12 cities. Details and tix here: https://tix.to/pm-book-tour.

    Related episodes:
    Your next flight doesn't have to be so expensive. Here's why
    How flying got so bad (or did it?)

    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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    8 mins
  • Your next flight doesn't have to be so expensive. Here's why

    Your next flight doesn't have to be so expensive. Here's why
    Mar 25 2026
    Why are flight tickets so expensive right now? Increased oil prices seems like it’d be the obvious answer. That’s mostly right. Airlines used to do some financial magic to help keep airfare down as oil prices increased, a strategy called “fuel hedging.” But they stopped. And now fliers are on the hook for a lot of the difference.

    On today’s show, the lost art of fuel hedging. How it worked, plus why airlines stopped doing it.

    Come see Planet Money live on stage in April! 12 cities. Details and tix here: https://tix.to/pm-book-tour.

    Related episodes:
    A lot of gas trapped, oil reserves tapped, and Live Nation gets a (tiny) cap
    Will Trump’s shipping insurance plan work?

    Listener Questions: Airline tickets, grocery pricing and the Fed
    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 mins
  • Why hasn't the Russian economy collapsed?

    Why hasn't the Russian economy collapsed?
    Mar 24 2026
    How has Russia’s economy not completely collapsed after four years of war, sanctions and billions in debt? One economist says it is the war that has been propping up Russia's economy, not the other way around. He calls it smertonomika or death economics.

    On today’s show, six reasons why Russia’s economy is still chugging along despite burning money by the billions waging war on Ukraine.

    Come see Planet Money live on stage in April! 12 cities. Details and tix here: https://tix.to/pm-book-tour.

    Related episodes:
    How your favorite fish sticks might be funding Russia's war
    Who’s propping up Russian oil?

    The economic war against Russia, a year later
    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 mins
  • The multimillion dollar Saturday Night Live UK gamble

    The multimillion dollar Saturday Night Live UK gamble
    Mar 23 2026
    Live from London, it’s Saturday Night? Saturday Night Live made its UK debut over the weekend after a well-hyped promotional campaign. Will this all-American sketch show translate to British audiences? We examine SNL’s multi-million dollar gamble.

    Come see Planet Money live on stage in April! 12 cities. Details and tix here: https://tix.to/pm-book-tour.

    Related episodes:
    Why Paramount went looney tunes for Warner Bros.

    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 mins
  • Trump and truckers, Poland prospers, and a booming ant biz

    Trump and truckers, Poland prospers, and a booming ant biz
    Mar 20 2026
    It’s Indicators of the Week (now on YouTube!). It’s our weekly look at some of the most fascinating economic numbers from the news.

    On today’s episode: The Trump administration cracks down on immigrant truck drivers, Poland becomes a top-twenty economy, and the booming business of … ant smuggling?

    Related episodes:
    A trucker, a farmer, and an entrepreneur walk into a global supply shock
    You Could Always Go To Poland
    The little pet fish that saved a town in the Amazon

    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 Julia Ritchey and Vito Emanuel. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.

    To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:

    See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.

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    9 mins
  • How Iran is wasting American resources

    How Iran is wasting American resources
    Mar 19 2026
    Iran is using an affordable strategy to even the playing field in the war with the U.S. It’s using drones that cost in the thousands of dollars to combat American missiles that cost several million. Military analysts have already signaled concern about the U.S. producing enough munitions, and this isn’t helping. Today on the show, why the U.S. spends so much on munitions and what it’s learning from Iran.

    Come see Planet Money live on stage in April! 12 cities. Details and tix here: https://tix.to/pm-book-tour.

    Related episodes:
    Are we overpaying for military equipment?
    Can Just-In-Time handle a new era of war?
    A trucker, a farmer, and an entrepreneur walk into a global supply shock
    Are we overpaying for military equipment?

    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.


    To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:

    See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.

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    9 mins
  • How much is the Iran war costing us?

    How much is the Iran war costing us?
    Mar 18 2026
    It’s really hard to estimate the total cost of war in the middle of one. Over the first six days of the Iran war, an estimated $11.3 billion was charged to the public purse. But long-term costs take years to manifest. Even daily costs are fuzzy. Take munitions: the Department of Defense hasn’t budgeted for many of the bombs it's dropping. One more time. The bombs – the bombs! – are not totally priced in.

    On today’s show, estimating the cost of the Iran war right now. And how healthcare, disability benefits, environmental costs and interest payments could add to its future price tag.

    Come see Planet Money live on stage in April! Twelve cities. Details and tix here: https://tix.to/pm-book-tour.

    Related episodes:
    A trucker, a farmer, and an entrepreneur walk into a global supply shock
    A lot of gas trapped, oil reserves tapped, and Live Nation gets a (tiny) cap

    Will Trump’s shipping insurance plan work?
    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.

    To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:

    See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.

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    Show More Show Less
    8 mins