The Indicator from Planet Money
NPR
A little show about big ideas. From the people who make <em>Planet Money</em>, <em>The Indicator</em> helps you make sense of what's happening today. It's a quick hit of insight into work, business, the economy, and everything else. Listen weekday afternoons.<br><br><em>Try Planet Money+! a new way to support the show you love, get a sponsor-free feed of the podcast, *and* get access to bonus content. You'll also get access to The Indicator and Planet Money Summer School, both without interruptions. sign up at plus.npr.org/planetmoney</em>
- 8 minutes 48 secondsWhy Paramount went looney tunes for Warner Bros.
Paramount Skydance is making a $110 billion play for Warner Bros. Discovery, and with it intellectual property like Harry Potter, Batman, and subsidiaries HBO and CNN. On today’s show, who is the man behind the deal? Does he really want to make movies? Will any regulators try to stop it?
FYI, we are going on a book tour! Planet Money’s first ever book comes out in April. We’ll be celebrating in about a dozen cities. There’s a limited edition tote bag included with your ticket, while supplies last. Details, dates and how to get your ticket at planetmoneybook.com.
Related:
The Warner Bros. curse (newsletter)
Coyote vs. Warner Bros.For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Fact-checking by Sierra Juarez. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.
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NPR Privacy Policy3 March 2026, 8:00 am - 9 minutes 29 secondsShould the families of organ donors be compensated?
Two economists get into the business—and stakes—of organ donation, and they argue why the government should financially compensate their families.
FYI, we are going on a book tour! Planet Money’s first ever book comes out in April. We’ll be celebrating in about a dozen cities. There’s a limited edition tote bag included with your ticket, while supplies last. Details, dates and how to get your ticket at planetmoneybook.com.
Related episodes:
Too many subscriptions, not enough organs
Your Organs, PleaseFor sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Fact-checking by Sierra Juarez. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.
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NPR Privacy Policy2 March 2026, 8:00 am - 9 minutes 25 secondsICE is bad for business, heat is bad for coffee, and sci-fi is bad for marketsIt’s … Indicators of the Week (now on YouTube!), our weekly look at some of the most fascinating economic numbers from the news.
On today’s episode: How Minnesota workers were affected by Operation Metro Surge, why coffee’s getting more expensive, and what happens when a sci-fi AI scenario meets the stock market.
Related episodes:
How ICE crackdowns are affecting the workforce
Why this rural town wants an ICE facility
For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Fact-checking by Julia Ritchey and Vito Emanuel. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.
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NPR Privacy Policy27 February 2026, 8:00 am - 8 minutes 48 secondsHow your favorite fish sticks might be funding Russia's war
Russia exports billions of dollars worth of fish a year across the world. But after the invasion of Ukraine, the U.S. banned imports of Russian fish. It turns out those bans are only so effective. Today on the show, how Russia has dodged import bans to keep selling billions of dollars worth of seafood every year, and how the U.S. has struggled to stop it.
FYI, we are going on a book tour! Planet Money’s first ever book comes out in April. We’ll be celebrating in about a dozen cities. There’s a limited edition tote bag included with your ticket, while supplies last. Details, dates and how to get your ticket at planetmoneybook.com.
Related episodes:
What’s propping up Russian oil?
How Russia’s shadow fleet is sailing around oil sanctionsFor sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Fact-checking by Vito Emanuel. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.
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NPR Privacy Policy26 February 2026, 8:00 am - 9 minutes 5 secondsWhat an Epstein recording reveals about how elites get jobs
What do the latest batch of documents tell us about convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and elite networking? Quite a bit. Today on the show, we analyze one exchange between Epstein and a former world leader to find out how the revolving door works for the rich and powerful.
FYI, we are going on a book tour! Planet Money’s first ever book comes out in April. We’ll be celebrating in about a dozen cities. There’s a limited-edition tote bag included with your ticket, while supplies last. Details, dates and how to get your ticket at planetmoneybook.com.Related episodes:
Gilded Age 2.0?
How close is the US to crony capitalism?
For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Fact-checking by Vito Emanuel. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.
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NPR Privacy Policy25 February 2026, 8:00 am - 9 minutes 30 secondsDo traders who place big bets make big money?We’re going whale watching today. No, not orcas or great blues, but financial traders that place big bets on something called options. On today’s show, who are these option whales and do their bets always pay off?
FYI, we are going on a book tour! Planet Money’s first ever book comes out in April. We’ll be celebrating in about a dozen cities. There’s a limited edition tote bag included with your ticket, while supplies last. Details, dates and how to get your ticket at planetmoneybook.com. Related episodes: Invest like a Congress member For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Fact-checking by Sierra Juarez. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.
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NPR Privacy Policy24 February 2026, 8:00 am - 9 minutes 29 secondsWhy there are roving rotisserie chicken mobsYou asked, we answered.
On today’s show, we tackle questions from our dear listeners on whether AI interviewers are biased, what the heck M2 money supply is, and what’s up with the frenzied mobs fighting for rotisserie chickens at the grocery store.
Related episodes:
When AI is your job interviewer
How beef climbed to the top of the food pyramid
Retirement luck, Hassett hassles the Fed, and boneless chicken in ... court?
Behind the Tiny Desk and other listener questions
For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.
Fact-checking by Sierra Juarez. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.
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See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.
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NPR Privacy Policy23 February 2026, 8:00 am - 8 minutes 41 secondsCan I get my tariff money back now?The Supreme Court struck down a bunch of President Trump’s tariffs yesterday. The Trump administration originally used an emergency economic powers law to justify the tariffs. And the court said: No! You can’t do that! Bad Trump, bad! This is despite the U.S. having raked in over a hundred billion dollars in import taxes already.
On today’s show, unpacking the Supreme Court’s blockbuster tariffs decision. What’s next for tariffs? And … are we getting tariff refunds? Asking for a friend.
Related episodes:
Trump's backup options for tariffs
Tariffied! We check in on businesses
Are Trump's tariffs legal?
Worst. Tariffs. Ever.
For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Fact-checking by Sierra Juarez and Vito Emanuel. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.
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See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.
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NPR Privacy Policy21 February 2026, 8:00 am - 9 minutes 27 secondsRetirement luck, Hassett hassles the Fed, and boneless chicken in ... court?It’s … Indicators of the Week! Our weekly look at some of the most fascinating economic numbers from the news.
On today’s episode: Why you better hope you retire at juuuust the right time, why the researchers at the Federal Reserve are being scolded by a White House economic advisor, and taking boneless chicken to court.
Related episodes:
Chicken meat, Gulf of Mexico lawsuit and Social Security beyond the grave
Davos drama, credit card caps and tariff truths
What would it take to fix retirement?
For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Fact-checking by Sierra Juarez and Corey Bridges. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.
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NPR Privacy Policy20 February 2026, 8:00 am - 9 minutes 11 secondsWhy this rural town wants an ICE facilityThe Trump administration is planning to pour more than $38 billion into warehouses for mass immigrant detention. While some communities are starting to push back, one rural town has agreed to expand its detention facility. On today’s show, we visit a small town in Georgia to learn about the trade-offs of becoming a detention town.
Related episodes:
How well are ICE’s 12,000 new officers being trained?
How ICE crackdowns are affecting the workforceFor sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Fact-checking by Sierra Juarez. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.
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NPR Privacy Policy19 February 2026, 8:00 am - 8 minutes 28 secondsHow well are ICE's 12,000 new officers being trained?The Department of Homeland Security says it has more than doubled the workforce of Immigration and Customs Enforcement under President Trump. Yet videos of immigration officers killing two U.S. citizens and using aggressive arrest tactics have left some politicians and community leaders rethinking the agency’s approach. On today’s show, law enforcement experts assess the training and culture at DHS.
Related episodes:
How ICE crackdowns are affecting the workforceFor sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Fact-checking by Sierra Juarez. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.
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