Adrian Ma

Donald Trump's victory in this year's election had a lot to do with how many Americans feel about the US economy (surprise: not good). But Simon Rabinovitch, US Economics Editor for The Economist, argues that, despite the turmoil of the past few years, America's economy remains the envy of the world. Today on the show, Simon explains why that is, but also why he believes a Trump presidency puts America's 'economic exceptionalism' at risk.

The envy of the World - The Economist

Related episodes:
How much do Presidents ACTUALLY influence the economy? (Apple / Spotify)
Why are some nations richer? (Apple / Spotify)

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

Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.

Immigration is a top concern among U.S. voters this election cycle. But Zeke Hernandez, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania who studies immigration,thinks politicians and the media aren't giving the public the full story. Too often, he argues, they paint immigrants as objects of pity or fear, when the reality is much more complex — and positive. Today on the show, we look beyond the binary and explore the less talked about ways documented and undocumented immigrants shape the U.S. economy.

Zeke's book is called The Truth About Immigration: Why Successful Societies Welcome Newcomers.

Related listening:
Is the border crisis really a labor market crisis? (Apple / Spotify)
Do immigrants really take jobs and lower wages? (Apple / Spotify)
Welcome to the USA! Now get to work (Apple / Spotify)

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

Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.

TikTok could begin shutting down in the U.S. as soon as January 19 of next year. But the app is not going down without a fight. The company is asking a panel of federal judges to block the law in a high-profile case that pits free speech versus national security. Today on the show, how TikTok got to this point and what we can expect from the app's last ditch effort to stay alive in the U.S.

Related episodes:
Tick tock for TikTok? (Apple / Spotify)
Is Project Texas enough to save TikTok? (Apple / Spotify)

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

Rupert Murdoch took an Australia paper in Adelaide and turned it into one of the most influential media empires in the world. The question of who will run it after he's gone though is the subject of speculation both in reality and on the HBO fictional series "Succession." Now, a small probate court in Nevada will weigh in on that very question.

Today, how did the drama come to be? And what will the decision mean for the future of Fox, one of the most influential networks, on the planet and our political discourse?

Related episodes:
Dollar v. world / Taylor Swift v. FTX / Fox v. Dominion (Apple / Spotify)

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

Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.

The co-hosts return with answers to YOUR questions. In this episode of listener questions, we dive into why storefronts don't just fill up, how Tiny Desk found its secret sauce, and whether there's an ideal level of staff turnover.

Tiny Desk Donation Page

Related episodes:
Anatomy of a Layoff (Apple / Spotify)
Pay Cuts Vs. Layoffs

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

Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.

The Department of Justice thinks Apple has violated an antitrust law, pointing to its ecosystem of apps and products. Apple, for its part, thinks the DOJ is wrong on both the facts and the law. Today on the show, why the DOJ brought this lawsuit against one of the largest companies in the world and why it matters for all you smartphone owners out there.

Related episodes:
How Fortnite brought Google to its knees (Apple / Spotify)
Can an old law bring down grocery prices? (Apple / Spotify)

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

Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter

There is expected to be a lot of demand for manufacturing jobs in the coming decade, but many of those positions will be left unfilled. So Darnell Epps set out to close that gap by connecting employers with workers and showing potential workers what's appealing about these jobs. Today, we dig into Darnell Epps journey through both law school and trade school.

Related episodes:
One of the hottest jobs in AI right now: 'types-question guy' (Apple / Spotify)
Why it's so hard to mass produce houses in factories (Apple / Spotify)

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

Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.

We are back to answer your questions that you, our listener's, have been sending. On today's show, is chicken actually getting cheaper? Why doesn't the Federal Reserve use different interest rates around the country? And: is election spending an indicator of economic health?

If you have a question you'd like us to answer, email us at indicator@npr.org.

Related episodes:
Can an old law bring down grocery prices? (Apple / Spotify)
How political campaigns raise millions through unwitting donors
How mortgage rates get made
The rat under the Feds hat (Apple / Spotify)
The interest-ing world of interest rates (Apple / Spotify)

ICYMI, preorder our new Indicator t-shirt at the NPR shop. For more ways to support our show, sign up for Planet Money+ where you'll get sponsor-free listening, bonus episodes, and access to even more Indicator merch!

Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.

Gender equality in the workplace has been stalled for years. And one big reason behind this trend is something called the "winner-take-all" approach to business.

The team at The Indicator from Planet Money explores the shifting status quo on accessibility in video games.

President Biden's strike force, whose aim is to crack down on unfair or illegal pricing by corporations, could get a boost via a dusty piece of law that some are looking to revive.

After its crash several years ago, bitcoin has come back with a vengeance. That's in part due to the newfound accessibility of holding bitcoin through something called exchange traded funds

For decades, Saudi Arabia's economy has been defined by its abundant oil reserves. But with a plan known as Vision 2030, Saudi Arabia is trying to pivot away from that economic base.

Plaintiffs allege some big property management companies colluded to raise rental prices using an algorithm. How do these lawsuits challenge conventional thinking about collusion?

The Securities and Exchange Commission has approved a different way to buy into cryptocurrency. NPR's Planet Money team presents an explanation of bitcoin exchange traded funds.

Civics 101 is a podcast refresher course on the basics of how the U.S. government works, including federal holidays, why we have them and how we make them.

At the start of the year, the market for cryptocurrencies was in the midst of a monthslong crash. But as we close out 2023, some digital currencies are surging.

Children who live through war don't often have a chance to tell their stories. One museum in Sarajevo hopes to change that.

As we close out the year, Investopedia's list of most-searched terms for 2023 offers insights into the collective economic psyche.

Our Planet Money team explores how much money has been raised by political campaigns that automatically sign up donors to weekly donations without their knowledge.