What do influencing, AI and health sciences have in common? They’re all degree programs colleges have launched in the last few years to attract students looking for a new career path. On today's show, how colleges are rethinking degrees for a changing job market.

Fact checking by Leyla Doss. 

Your Next Listen 
— Community colleges are kind of underrated 

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Universities spend millions of dollars every year on their athletics programs. But does that investment pay off? Today, we interrogate the “Doug Flutie Effect.” 

Fact checking by Cooper Katz McKim.

Your Next Listen 
— How college sports juiced Olympic development

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What rhymes with "snakes" and helps the government classify economic activity? NAICS — or the North American Industry Classification System. These codes categorize every industry from artificial turf installation to zucchini farming. But they’re not exactly easy to get. Today we look at one business’ quest for a NAICS code and what makes them so valuable. 

Fact checking by Leyla Doss. 

Your Next Listen 
— How to take the temperature of the US consumer 

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Decades ago, rich Americans used to pay taxes as high as 40% on their investments. Nowadays, an obscure investment strategy is helping them slash that figure toward … 0%. Today on the show, Bloomberg reporter Loukia Gyftopoulou, tells us about this generation’s “great American tax dodge,” and the “mad genius” behind it.

A Tax Strategy for the Rich Built the World’s Largest Hedge Fund - Bloomberg

Fact checking by Sierra Juarez.

Your Next Listen 
— What’s a revenge tax?

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This week’s indicators: Rent is squeezing middle-income earners, the Trump admin is squeezing ACA enrollees, and GLP-1s are squeezing employers.

Fact checking by Julia Ritchey.

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

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President Trump and his money managers made more stock trades since his second term started than all members of Congress combined. The White House says there is no conflict of interest. Today on the show, we look at three companies he’s traded in that raise ethical flags because of their relationship with the federal government. 

Fact checking by Sierra Juarez.

Your Next Listen 
— Did Trump enable insider trading?

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The used car market is out of control and there doesn’t seem to be an easy fix for high prices. Today, three reasons why finding an affordable car is so difficult.

Fact checking by Sierra Juarez.

Your Next Listen 
— Prepping for a rainy day and higher used car prices

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Whether it’s oil from Venezuela or somewhere else, the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve needs to be refilled. The SPR is widely considered critical for energy security.  On today’s show, the challenges to refilling the reserves at a time of high federal debt and climbing gas prices. 

Fact-checking by Sierra Juarez. 
Your Next Listen 
— So… how long before these oil prices get REALLY bad? 
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Follow us to Tennessee where hemp farmers are already pivoting in the face of a state ban and soon, a looming federal ban on basically all THC-derived hemp products. Will Congress step in to save this $28 billion industry? 

Fact checking by Sierra Juarez.

Your Next Listen 
— How would-be weed merchants hit a ‘grass ceiling’ 

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This week’s indicators: Tracking your pain at the gas pump in real-time; OpenAI’s IPO hard-launch tug-of-war; one unexpected ingredient is making fertilizer—and potentially your groceries—a whole lot more expensive.

Fact checking by Schuyler Swenson.

Your Next Listen 
— What Iran teaches us about why wars start

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A vital artery for Saudi oil exports is under siege and it’s not the Strait of Hormuz. Today on the show, we explain what’s going on in the Bab el-Mandeb shipping lane connected to the Red Sea, why it’s important, and why the global oil crisis is poised to get even worse. 

Fact checking by Sierra Juarez.

Your Next Listen 
— Fixing the oil crisis might not fix the Persian Gulf   

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