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)

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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)

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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

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Peak 65 is here. More than 4 million Americans will turn 65 between 2024 and 2027, representing the largest retirement surge in history. Years ago, older Americans could count on Social Security. But today there is some uncertainty on the program's solvency in the next decade plus. Now, many are entering their golden years with financial insecurity. Today on the show, how did Social Security become a thing? And what could the safety net for the Peak 65 generation and beyond look like?

Related episodes:
Iceberg ahead for Social Security (Apple / Spotify)
What would it take to fix retirement? (Apple / Spotify)
Social Insecurity

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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)

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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

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Nippon Steel says it wants to keep jobs in America as it looks to buy out US Steel. And economists say: that makes sense. But U.S. presidential candidates are pushing back. Today, we'll look at the role politics plays in distorting economics and find out whether that's what's happening in Pennsylvania and some other battleground states.

Related episodes:
The tensions behind the sale of U.S. Steel (Apple / Spotify)
How much do presidents ACTUALLY influence the economy (Apple / Spotify)

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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)

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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)

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Unlimited paid time off may sound like a nice perk, but it's not always what it appears. Employers aren't typically obligated to pay out unused vacation balances when a worker leaves, and it can be hard for workers to understand just how much time they can actually take off.

And yet ... endless leave?? It doesn't sound so bad.

Today on the show, is unlimited paid time off really a benefit? We try to figure out whether it works.

Related episodes:
Vacation, and why the U.S. takes so little of it (Apple / Spotify)
The 28-Hour Work Week

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Some bank customers are jumping to high-yield savings accounts to escape the shockingly low interest rates of personal savings accounts at big banks. So why aren't these banks raising their rates to attract more customers? Today on the show, we explore why big banks may not care about your savings account anymore.

Related episodes:
The dangers of money market funds (Apple / Spotify)
Interest rates up, but not on your savings account (Apple / Spotify)
Bad Form, Wells Fargo

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For years, rich nations have sent money to lower-income countries to help deal with the impacts of climate change. But it turns out, these wealthy nations are finding creative ways to funnel some of that financing back into their own economies. Today, we look at how the climate crisis is reviving a debate over how money should flow from rich to less-rich nations.

Related episodes:
A countdown to climate action (Apple / Spotify)
Gambling, literally, on climate change (Apple / Spotify)
Blue bonds: A market solution to the climate crisis? (Apple / Spotify)
Why a debt tsunami is coming for the global economy (Apple / Spotify)

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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)

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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)

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