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.

Penny for your thoughts? Today we open our mail bag to hear from Indicator listeners. A college graduate tells us about their job search, a researcher discusses why products advertised as 'simple' may not be so straightforward, and another listener thinks the debate over Fed independence is a little more nuanced than we let on.

Heard something on the show you liked (or didn't)? Have an insight to share about the economy? Send us an email: indicator@npr.org!

Related episodes:
Should presidents have more say in interest rates? (Apple / Spotify)
We grade Fed Chair Jerome Powell (Apple / Spotify)
Trade wars and talent shortages (Apple / Spotify)
If the world had no accountants (Apple / Spotify)
The case for inflation

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 are many anecdotal complaints about Google search not being what it used to be. A German computer scientist and his colleagues put this theory to the test recently focusing on product reviews. Today on the show, we bring their findings to Google's chief search scientist.

Related episodes:
How Fortnite brought Google to its knees (Apple / Spotify)
Microsoft vs. Google: Whose AI Is better? (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.

Retailers are blaming thieves for falling profits. It's the biggest part of a problem called "shrink."

Over the last few decades, states and counties across America have liberalized the use of fireworks. It's just one reason why sales of fireworks have exploded.

Although workers across the country have seen an increase in wages, the cost of things like gas and food have also risen. This has left workers wondering if these raises are real or just an illusion.

When an outsider suggested the tiny northern hamlet of Swastika should change its name, town supervisors quickly rejected a change.

Crowds gathered in the northern New York village of Canton and other small New York towns on Saturday to protest racism and honor black lives lost to police brutality.

Utah lawmakers have decided to take on the state flag this legislative session. There's general agreement that the current flag needs an overhaul, but no consensus yet on what should replace it.

Voters in Utah voted to legalize medical marijuana this year. Now state lawmakers are meeting to rewrite the provisions, but supporters of the initiative say the lawmakers are overstepping.

The GOP primary to replace Jason Chaffetz in Utah's 3rd Congressional District includes a candidate embracing many of Trump's positions and another who didn't vote for the president last year.

The chairman of the House Oversight Committee says he wanted a change and to spend more time with his family. He would not discuss his next career move, but he says, "I want to still have a voice."

The powerful chairman of the House Oversight Committee said that Trump, as president, is exempt from conflict of interest laws and that he would not launch an investigative "fishing expedition."