The Indicator from Planet Money

Every time you buy a ticket that leaves a U.S. airport, you pay a fee that’s supposed to help fund the TSA. So why have TSA workers been working without pay? Today on the show, we explore the history behind an earmarked tax and its very personal impacts. Come see Planet Money live on stage in April! 12 cities. Details and tix here: https://tix.to/pm-book-tour .  Related episodes: Your next flight...

Why are flight tickets so expensive right now? Increased oil prices seems like it’d be the obvious answer. That’s mostly right. Airlines used to do some financial magic to help keep airfare down as oil prices increased, a strategy called “fuel hedging.” But they stopped. And now fliers are on the hook for a lot of the difference.  On today’s show, the lost art of fuel hedging. How it worked, plus...

How has Russia’s economy not completely collapsed after four years of war, sanctions and billions in debt? One economist says it is the war that has been propping up Russia's economy, not the other way around. He calls it smertonomika or death economics. On today’s show, six reasons why Russia’s economy is still chugging along despite burning money by the billions waging war on Ukraine. Come see P...

Live from London, it’s Saturday Night? Saturday Night Live made its UK debut over the weekend after a well-hyped promotional campaign. Will this all-American sketch show translate to British audiences? We examine SNL’s multi-million dollar gamble.  Come see Planet Money live on stage in April! 12 cities. Details and tix here: https://tix.to/pm-book-tour .  Related episodes:  Why Paramount went loo...

It’s Indicators of the Week (now on YouTube !). It’s our weekly look at some of the most fascinating economic numbers from the news.  On today’s episode: The Trump administration cracks down on immigrant truck drivers, Poland becomes a top-twenty economy, and the booming business of … ant smuggling?  Related episodes:  A trucker, a farmer, and an entrepreneur walk into a global supply shock   You...

Iran is using an affordable strategy to even the playing field in the war with the U.S. It’s using drones that cost in the thousands of dollars to combat American missiles that cost several million. Military analysts have already signaled concern about the U.S. producing enough munitions, and this isn’t helping. Today on the show, why the U.S. spends so much on munitions and what it’s learning fro...

It’s really hard to estimate the total cost of war in the middle of one. Over the first six days of the Iran war, an estimated $11.3 billion was charged to the public purse. But long-term costs take years to manifest. Even daily costs are fuzzy. Take munitions: the Department of Defense hasn’t budgeted for  many of the bombs it's dropping. One more time. The bombs – the bombs! – are not totally pr...

The U.S. and Israel war with Iran is causing a shock to the economic system. Gas prices are higher, diesel too, and even fertilizer is being affected. Today on the show, we speak to three people about the economic ripple effects of the conflict: a truck driver, an Iowa corn farmer, and a manufacturer of an alternative to plastics. Come see Planet Money live on stage in April! 12 cities. Details an...

If you were in the business of making a bunch of money in 2026, you probably wouldn’t pick journalism. From social media to AI, the attention economy has upended the economic calculus for delivering news. But some entrepreneurs are looking to buck the trend. Today on the show, we examine what the success of two startups could mean for the future of journalism. Come see Planet Money live on stage i...

It’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 big is this gas crisis  and could releasing oil reserves help? Also, Live Nation gets a deal from the government.   Related episodes:  Are concert tickets UNDER priced?   Will Trump’s shipping insurance plan work?   For sponsor-free episodes of T...

At a dinner in 2010, physicist Sean Carroll is handed a phone. On the other end: A wealthy patron looking to potentially fund his research. Months later came an invite to a conference. It would take place on an island. The caller was Jeffrey Epstein. Sean declined. Many others didn’t. On today’s show, why did so many academics say yes to Epstein’s invites and money? And what Epstein’s ability to i...

During the pandemic, mostly unregulated lenders went after struggling restaurants and music venues, charging at times sky high rates. Now, they’ve found a new market: small businesses that desperately need cash to pay tariffs. Today on the show, the story of a financial lifeline that can turn into a financial choke hold. Come see Planet Money live on stage in April! 12 cities. Details and tix here...

More than a thousand ships are stranded outside the Strait of Hormuz, bobbing in the water. A big reason? Insurance. War insurance premiums have skyrocketed since the war with Iran began. It’s an add-on that covers things regular insurance doesn’t, like missile strikes. And shippers don’t want to foot the bill or put their crews at risk. Cue the traffic jam.  On today’s show, how a critical trade...

It turns out healthcare in America CAN be cheaper. If your employer wants it to be. Today on the show, we speak with a Canadian-founded startup that has unusually generous benefits for their employees.  Come see Planet Money live on stage in April! 12 cities. Details and tix here:  https://tix.to/pm-book-tour .  Related episodes: Health insurance premiums are going up next year — unless you work a...

The night shift isn’t for everyone, but it often means a boost in pay and a foot in the door. Yet a smaller share of Americans are working the graveyard shift than in decades past. Today on the show, where did all the third shift workers go?  Come see Planet Money live on stage in April! 12 cities. Details and tix here: https://tix.to/pm-book-tour .  Related episodes:  Why Americans don’t want to...

Remember those juicy mortgage rates from back in 2021? You don’t actually need a time machine to get one today. You just need to find someone willing to sell their house AND their mortgage to you. Called ‘assumable mortgages,’ they take a long time to get, and you’ll probably need a fat wad of cash. On today’s show, how to buy your way into a cheap mortgage rate. Related episodes:  How mortgage ra...

China will soon unveil its economic blueprint for the next five years, including a target for economic growth. This comes as consumption is down, wages aren’t rising, and property prices continue to drop. So what’s the plan? Today, we hear from NPR’s China correspondent Jennifer Pak about the challenges facing China’s economic policymakers. FYI, we are going on a book tour! Planet Money’s first ev...

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 a...

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 tick...

It’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 to...

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...

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 doze...

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...

You 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 bone...

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 d...