The US defense industry is struggling to keep up with the revolution in cheap drones vs. expensive reusable military equipment. 

Today on the show, we talk with Stacie Pettyjohn, the director of the Defense Program at the Center for a New American Security on the three big reasons the U.S. is falling behind.

Fact checking by Sierra Juarez.

Your Next Listen 
— How Iran is wasting American resources

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How do residents of the South Side of Chicago feel about their new neighbor: the Obama Presidential Center? A mixture of pride and excitement, tempered with some concerns about what it could do to housing affordability. On today’s show, we’re bringing you an episode from our friends at Code Switch on the new center and its relationship to the historically Black neighborhoods around it. 

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Last month, new Fed Chair Kevin Warsh presided over his first interest rate decision and press conference … but he didn't talk much about maximum employment. 

How much does Kevin Warsh care about the jobs side of the Fed’s dual mandate?

Fact checking by Sierra Juarez.

Your Next Listen 
— Are we in a new era of permanently higher prices?

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During President Donald Trump’s first term, he touted the USMCA as the largest and most fair trade deal ever achieved. So why is he now talking about ‘terminating’ it?

Fact checking by Sierra Juarez.

Your Next Listen 
— Are Trump’s trade deals the real deal?

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If war is so costly, why do we keep fighting them? We dig into the wars in Iran, Ukraine and Gaza to understand the incentives that lead countries into violence. Today on the show, the five factors that lead to war. 

Chris Blattman’s book is Why We Fight: The Roots of War and the Paths to Peace.

Fact checking by Sierra Juarez. 

Your Next Listen 
— The new economic arms race

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For many of the 43 million Americans with federal student loans, July 1 is a day to mark on the calendar. Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act is introducing stricter borrowing caps and new repayment plans. Today on the show, we talk with NPR’s Education Reporter Cory Turner about the impact.

Fact checking by Sierra Juarez.

Your Next Listen 
— Will new loan limits lower the cost of grad school?

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It’s Indicators of the Week (now on YouTube!).

On today’s episode: The effect of GLP-1s on women and the workplace; NYC’s once flailing office space is BACK; your boss asking you to come back to the office miiiight be a narcissist. 

Fact checking by Emma Ferrara and Corey Bridges. 

Your Next Listen 
—Why GLP-1s aren't lowering employers' costs

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Are all these AI books any good? And by good, we mean are people willing to buy them — not whether the prose is singing. We talk to two researchers who’ve got some answers and a travel guide expert on why AI can’t replace first-hand experience.

Fact checking by Sierra Juarez. 

Your Next Listen  
— Human certification in the age of AI slop

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In 2019, Juan Hernandez was laid off from SpaceX. Luckily, he still had the opportunity to buy $50K - $60K of the company’s stock and, years later, it’s safe to say the risk was worth it. Today on the show, how stock options built California as a tech hub.

Fact-checking by Emma Ferrara. 

Your Next Listen 
— Do traders who make big bets make big money?

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A plan to create a new $250—with President Donald Trump’s face on it—has created a lot of pushback. Who probably won’t be pushing back, though? Criminals. On today’s show, we explain why.

Fact checking by Sierra Juarez.

Your Next Listen 
— Trump crypto, Trump ballroom and Trump drones

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It’s time for The Indicator Quiz! We test you, dear listener, on your knowledge of topics that we’ve covered on The Indicator. For today's quiz show, we are putting an urban planner from Nevada to the test. Play along with us and see how you do!

Are you interested in being a contestant on our next Indicator Quiz? Email us your name and phone number at [email protected] and put "Indicator Quiz" in the subject line.

Fact checking by Sierra Juarez.

Your Next Listen 
— A trap-loving DJ takes on economics

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