It's come to this: Human certification in the age of AI slop

Equinomics, bag fees, and leftover campaign dollars

Our listeners have QUESTIONS about the economy. And we have answers. Today on the show, we look at why horse breeding might be slowing down, why airlines charge baggage fees, and where campaign cash actually goes. Fact checking by Sierra Juarez [https://www.npr.org/people/1268825622/sierra-juarez].  Your Next Listen  — Can the yield curve still predict recessions? [https://lnk.to/5aUzF0NI] Connect with The Indicator — Sign up for The Indicator’s brand new newsletter [https://npr.org/indicatornewsletter]  — Find our socials, YouTube and more [https://linktr.ee/indicator_npr]! — For sponsor-free episodes, subscribe to NPR+ [https://plus.npr.org/]  See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy [https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy]

Can the internet be reclaimed from Big Tech?

Why one former senior advisor of the FTC thinks a libertarian myth of the internet [https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/833829/reclaiming-the-internet-by-olivier-sylvain/] has given Big Tech too much power. Fact checking by Vito Emanuel. Your Next Listen  — Why infinite scroll's inventor wants to kill his creation [https://lnk.to/XjpHn6WE] Connect with The Indicator — Sign up for The Indicator’s brand new newsletter [https://npr.org/indicatornewsletter] — Find our socials, YouTube and more [https://linktr.ee/indicator_npr]! — For sponsor-free episodes, subscribe to NPR+ [https://plus.npr.org/] See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy [https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy]

Why boardinghouses could make a comeback

There is a burgeoning effort across the U.S. to revive boardinghouses, aka single room occupancy units or SROs, as a solution to the housing crisis. But what happened to them in the first place? We track the disappearance of the first rung of the housing ladder. Fact-checking by Vito Emanuel.  Your Next Listen  — How to build abundantly [http://lnk.to/HevSSF] Connect with The Indicator  — Sign up for The Indicator’s brand new newsletter [https://npr.org/indicatornewsletter]  — Find our socials, YouTube and more [https://linktr.ee/indicator_npr]! — For sponsor-free episodes, subscribe to NPR+ [https://plus.npr.org/] See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy [https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy]

How AI is clogging the courtroom

AI has made it infinitely easier for anyone who can’t afford a lawyer, can’t get one, or doesn't want one to file a lawsuit and pro se cases are skyrocketing. But the wins haven’t followed and courts are starting to get overwhelmed with new AI filings. Today on the show, what happens when AI gets its day in court. Your Next Listen   — Most People Can’t Afford Legal Help. 1 Reformer Wants To Change That [https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2020/09/29/917824026/most-people-cant-afford-legal-help-1-reformer-wants-to-change-that?amp=&=&=&=&=&=&orgid=] Connect with The Indicator — Sign up for The Indicator’s brand new newsletter [https://npr.org/indicatornewsletter] — Buy the Planet Money book [https://lnk.to/i3AukBdDWE] — Find our socials, YouTube and more [https://linktr.ee/indicator_npr]! — For sponsor-free episodes, subscribe to NPR+ [https://plus.npr.org/]  Fact checking by Sierra Juarez [https://www.npr.org/people/1268825622/sierra-juarez]. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy [https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy]

Obsession, the most fun job in China, and a new green card policy

It’s Indicators of the Week (now on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@planetmoney]!). It’s our weekly look at some of the most fascinating economic numbers from the news.  On today’s episode: China’s baaaaad job market has led to an interest in becoming a shepherd [https://www.reuters.com/business/world-at-work/job-ad-shepherds-goes-viral-china-exposing-labour-market-strains-2026-05-27/], a young YouTuber strikes Hollywood gold, and the Trump administration's new green card policy is telling immigrants to 'go home.' Fact checking by Vito Emanuel.  Your Next Listen  — We're about to lose a lot of foreign STEM workers [https://lnk.to/e6JDrOWE] Connect with The Indicator — Sign up for The Indicator’s brand new newsletter [https://npr.org/indicatornewsletter]  — Find our socials, YouTube and more [https://linktr.ee/indicator_npr]! — For sponsor-free episodes, subscribe to NPR+ [https://plus.npr.org/]  See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy [https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy]