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 childcare industry has been having a tough go of it. It's already expensive; pandemic-era programs have ended; plus there are too few providers. Enter a new challenge: increasing liability insurance premiums. Today, we look at why these premiums are rising for childcare providers, and how they're impacting both businesses and consumers.

Related episodes:
Baby's first market failure (Apple / Spotify)
When Uncle Sam stops paying the childcare bill (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 Identity Theft Resource Center, which tracks hacks and data theft, says health care topped the list in the U.S. last year for cyberattacks.

To get to the top, it took a mix of obsessive attention to detail, scale, government support and guitar-string-related quirks. Can BYD can crack the U.S. market.

Comfort foods like fish and chips in the U.K. are often cheap dishes with humble origins. But economic headwinds are putting the squeeze on owners of fish and chip shops.

Comfort foods are often cheap dishes with humble origins. What happens when our staples become luxuries? Economic headwinds in the U.K. are putting the squeeze on owners of fish and chip shops.

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

A drought is causing a slowdown in shipping traffic at the Panama Canal. It's introducing new problems for the global supply chain.

Yellow stunned the trucking industry when it filed for bankruptcy this month. A specific type of loan, the debtor in possession financing, promises some rich returns to the lender in this case.

Financial stress. It feels personal, but it has big implications for the economy.

Financial literacy programs have been called useless in the past. But a new study suggests that's due to the way the subject is taught, rather than the subject itself.

Sanctions backfire. So why do we keep using them?

A major bank in Silicon Valley experienced a bank run and failed. Fearing a cascading catastrophe in tech and banking, the government stepped in to prevent contagion.

Is that review real or fake? Most of us can't tell

Consumers and politicians across the country are complaining about price gouging. But when do prices cross the line from market-rate to exorbitant — or even unethical?

What your commute can do for you

The Adani Group, one of India's largest conglomerates, has lost billions in market value after being accused of fraud. The company has denied everything.

A new book says the Great Resignation was really the Great Reshuffle.

During the pandemic, the cost to fill and transport a shipping container skyrocketed. Now, shipping rates have dropped by roughly 80% over the last six months.

The cost of transporting shipping containers has gone back down to 2019 levels after record highs during the pandemic. That should be great news for consumers, right? Well, not so fast.