The Indicator from Planet Money

Tala Visram, a British business journalist who reports on everyday economics, traces why boxed meals like Hamburger Helper are surging. She explores price-per-serving math, recession-era origins, shifting shopper behavior, protein and cultural trends, and how brands are rebranding and launching flavors to win budget-conscious shoppers.

Eswar Prasad, economist and Cornell trade policy professor who wrote The Doom Loop, outlines how interacting economic, political, and geopolitical forces create negative feedback cycles. He talks about globalization’s unequal gains, the rise of resentful politics and populists, fracturing international institutions, technology’s risks, and possible paths to break the cycle.

Guy Berger, senior fellow at the Burning Glass Institute and labor-market expert, explains the break-even jobs number and workforce trends. He unpacks why tiny job gains can still leave unemployment steady. The conversation covers shifting population growth, immigration effects on labor supply, and the real-world story of a skilled worker leaving the U.S.

A look at how college football quietly became a pipeline for Olympic talent. Cold War politics and U.S. resistance to state-funded sports shaped that system. Changes to college pay rules now threaten the revenue stream that supports niche Olympic programs. The show explores policy ideas and financial strains affecting American athletes' development.

The conversation covers the sudden rise in heat pump costs after a federal tax credit expired. They explore why homeowners favored heat pumps and how past energy-efficiency incentives worked. The discussion touches on who benefited from subsidies, industry risks and demand forecasts, plus local rebates that try to fill the gap.

Greg Upton, executive director of LSU’s Center for Energy Studies and energy expert, breaks down how data centers could change the electricity landscape. He lays out three futures for power supply. He explains risks of overbuilding or underbuilding generation. He discusses who pays for capacity and how regulators can limit ratepayer risk.

Discussion centers on the incoming Federal Reserve chair and the political and economic pressures they will face. Panelists debate whether interest rates should fall, rise, or stay steady amid mixed growth and hiring. The show also tackles Fed credibility, ethics reforms, and how trading scandals and Congressional scrutiny could shape central bank independence.

A massive EU–India trade agreement that covers about a quarter of global GDP and why it took decades to reach. The tricky automotive tariff compromise that protects India’s industry while opening markets. A surge in demand for a spicy hockey romance and how e-book licensing strains library budgets. A new $200,000 safety net for U.S. Olympians and how the payments are structured.

Macadamia nut harvests in Hawaii are being squeezed by labor shortages and limited worker mobility. The show links volcanic terrain and old orchards to why hand-picking persists. Discussion covers why wages are not rising despite low unemployment and how replanting and mechanization could reshape the industry.

The show unpacks how recent presidential actions are reshaping corporate behavior and why companies mostly stay silent. It covers pressure tactics from policy moves to lawsuits and the social dynamics at global gatherings. The conversation explores why executives fear speaking out, how short-term gains mute protest, and when local crises finally force firms to respond.