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The Economy Explained
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The Indicator

I'm just here for the health benefits

by  ,  ,  , 

Dependable health insurance is keeping more people in their jobs. Rising health costs don't help. Today we look at the repercussions this kind of job lock has on the wider economy. 

I'm just here for the health benefits

Listen · 8:28
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Chipotle Restaurant.
Andrew Renneisen/Getty Images

The Indicator

Following the Chipotle playbook for the cyclospora crisis

by  ,  Ricky Mulvey ,  , 

Taco Bell and Taylor Farms are taking hits to their reputation due to the cyclosporiasis outbreak across the country. They could learn a thing or two from Chipotle, which went through its own public relations battle during a similar outbreak about a decade ago.

Following the Chipotle playbook for the cyclospora crisis

Listen · 9:29
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Sand heists and property rights in the Caribbean (Summer School)
Jackie Lay

Planet Money

Sand heists and property rights in the Caribbean (Summer School)

by  ,  , 

Imagine a nation where, for the residents, land is for the claiming. You walk down the street, pick out a nice looking plot of land, and just plop down a marker. No rent, no taxes, no deed – just free land. That’s the communal system of property rights that governed a small Caribbean island for over a century.

World Tour 5: Sand heists and property rights in the Caribbean

Listen · 40:16
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A barber cutting hair in his barbershop located in the Little Haiti neighborhood of Miami, Florida.

A barber cutting hair in his barbershop located in the Little Haiti neighborhood of Miami, Florida. Joe Raedle/Getty Images hide caption

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The Indicator

How ending TPS is squeezing workers, businesses and (soon) consumers

by  ,  Ricky Mulvey ,  , 

What happens when roughly a million people working legally in the U.S. suddenly lose that right to stay here? We’re starting to find out in places like Miami, Florida, home to one of the largest Haitian communities in the country. There, we talk to people on what the end of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) means for their businesses and the wider economy.

How ending TPS is squeezing workers, businesses and (soon) consumers

Listen · 9:06
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Blood bag in hospital room.
Rodrigo Arangua/Getty Images

The Indicator

Why we're short on blood, water and helium

by  ,  ,  Ricky Mulvey ,  , 

Shortages are in the news again! Here’s why the supply of blood, water and helium are at concerningly low levels.

Why we're short on blood, water and helium

Listen · 9:19
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Though some influencers largely seem like regular people sharing their love of music, the content they're making can sometimes be a form of hidden advertising.
Illustration for NPR by Jackie Lay

The Indicator

Who is a music industry plant? And does it matter?

by  ,  ,  , 

Musicians from the Rolling Stones to up-and-coming pop star Bella Kay have one thing in common: Influencers are being paid to promote their songs. 

Who is a music industry plant? And does it matter?

Listen · 9:07
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What makes a toy go viral
Erika Beras/NPR

Planet Money

What makes a toy go viral

by  ,  , 

Squishy, slimy, fidgety toys are having a moment. But it’s more than just an anxiety-soothing, social-media fueled trend – these toys are reshaping how toys get made.

What makes a toy go viral

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New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani holds up bananas as he speaks at a food distribution center in Brooklyn.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images

The Indicator

Mamdani markets, America bets, Gen Z drinks

by  ,  Ricky Mulvey ,  ,  , 

It’s Indicators of the Week! 

Mamdani markets, America bets, Gen Z drinks

Listen · 8:59
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A phone showing Truth Social, President Trump's social media platform, in the app store
Chris Delmas/AFP Via Getty Images

The Indicator

Trump’s new Truth Social plan: pay $100K

by  ,  ,  , 

President Trump’s social media company, Truth Social, wants to sell investors early access to its posts. When Trump announces tariffs or new strikes on Iran, those milliseconds matter in the market. Is this corruption? Is this legal? And what does corruption mean for the U.S. economy? 

Trump’s new Truth Social plan: pay me $100K

Listen · 8:55
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How to beat the resource curse in Norway (Summer School)
Jackie Lay

Planet Money

How to beat the resource curse in Norway (Summer School)

by  ,  , 

Let’s call it the luxury of restraint. This is what enabled Norway to avoid the fate of so many other countries when they discovered oil and it changed the mix of their economy overnight.

World Tour 4: How to get rich and stay that way in Norway

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A series of iPhone 16 on display.
Annice Lyn/Getty Images

The Indicator

Even Moore’s law can't save affordable tech

by  ,  ,  , 

For decades, consumer tech like laptops and gaming systems got better AND cheaper. Memory shortages caused by the AI boom are making those lower prices a thing of the past.

Even Moore’s law can't save affordable tech

Listen · 8:39
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A 'for sale' sign in front of a home in Florida.

A 'for sale' sign in front of a home in Florida. Joe Raedle/Getty Images hide caption

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The Indicator

You had housing questions. An economist answered them.

by  ,  ,  , 

The U.S. housing market is pretty weird right now. Whether you’re a buyer, seller or a renter, it leads to all kinds of questions, like: How did we end up with a housing shortage? Is housing still a good investment? What policies might unlock the housing inventory held by baby boomers? So we called up someone with answers: Redfin’s chief economist, Daryl Fairweather. 

You had housing questions. An economist answered them.

Listen · 9:30
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A restaurant check with a credit card and a 20-dollar bill.
Chris Delmas/AFP via Getty Images

The Indicator

Petty! Econ! Grievances!

by  ,  ,  ,  , 

We have some grievances. Economic ones. And we’re airing them out. 

Petty! Econ! Grievances!

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Piles of cash and a town of solutions in Kenya, Nigeria (Summer School)
Jackie Lay/NPR

Planet Money

Piles of cash and a town of solutions in Kenya, Nigeria (Summer School)

by  ,  , 

Let’s head to a small town in Kenya that’s become globally famous for helping economists answer some of the biggest questions facing humanity.

World Tour 3: Piles of cash and a town of solutions in Kenya, Nigeria

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Three beefs: U.S. and Brazil, Taco Bell and liability, Waymo and trial lawyers
Mario Tama/Getty Images

The Indicator

Three beefs: U.S. and Brazil, Taco Bell and liability, Waymo and trial lawyers

by  ,  ,  ,  , 

It’s Indicators of the Week! 

Three beefs: U.S. and Brazil, Taco Bell and liability, Waymo and trial lawyers

Listen · 9:22
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Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, Brendan Carr.
Kevin Dietsch/Kevin Dietsch

The Indicator

Can Paramount "gift" its way past the FCC?

by  ,  ,  , 

Paramount’s $111 billion merger with Warner Bros. Discovery has a few hurdles ahead of it. One of them is an FCC approval. But a recent investigation shows that Paramount and the FCC have a dubious relationship, one with potential conflicts of interest.

Can Paramount "gift" its way past the FCC?

Listen · 9:44
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Big Lettuce meets Small Intestine

KINGS BEACH, CALIFORNIA - JULY 16: Packages of Taylor Farms salad greens are displayed at a Safeway store on July 16, 2026 in Kings Beach, California. Federal health officials are investigating whether shredded iceberg lettuce supplied by California-based Taylor Farms was the source of a nationwide Cyclospora outbreak that has sickened more than 1,600 people in 34 states, though no definitive link has been confirmed. JUSTIN SULLIVAN/GETTY hide caption

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JUSTIN SULLIVAN/GETTY

Planet Money

Big Lettuce meets Small Intestine

by  ,  , 

The cyclospora outbreak that’s sickening thousands of Americans got us interested in the rise of Big Lettuce, and the challenges of keeping it clean. 

Big Lettuce meets Small Intestine

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Can Y’all Street outflank Wall Street?

The Indicator

Can Y’all Street outflank Wall Street?

by  ,  ,  , 

Biz-friendly Texas is opening a stock exchange, built and based in the state. Can it become—or best—Wall Street? And how has politics influenced the birth of Y’all Street?

Can Y’all Street outflank Wall Street?

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Houses under construction in a Texas neighborhood.

Some regions of the country frequently see brand new housing developments spring up without any guaranteed buyers. Brandon Bell / Staff/Getty Images hide caption

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The Indicator

Two Cities. Two chip plants. One affordability crisis.

by  ,  ,  Emma Ferrara , 

The formerly sleepy economies of suburban Austin, Texas and Syracuse, NY are getting two new semiconductor chip plants. They’re bringing thousands of jobs and dollars to the area but while Austin’s housing market seems to be handling the change well, Syracuse is in the midst of an affordability crisis. On today’s show, why?

Tale of Two Cities

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