The Indicator from Planet Money - We’re about to lose a lot of foreign STEM workers

Earlier this month, President Donald Trump announced a $100,000 fee on new H-1B visa petitioners. Today on the show, we talk to an economist about how much H-1B visa holders have contributed to US growth, their effects on American-born workers, and why the United States’ competitors are taking advantage of this moment. 


Related episodes: 

How much international students matter to the economy 

The precarity of the H-1B work visa 

Could foreign workers unlock America's tight labor market? 

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.  

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy

The Indicator from Planet Money - What media consolidation means for free speech

Jimmy Kimmel’s brief departure from the airwaves triggered a wave of debate over free speech.  Partly triggering his suspension was the government threatening to leverage its power over pending media deals. That’s in part due to a piece of decades-old legislation. 

Today on the show, we look at how the Telecommunications Act of 1996 set the stage for government meddling and corporate capitulation. 

Related episodes: 
Breaking up big business is hard to do 
Mergers, acquisitions and Elon’s “rude” proposal 

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.

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy

More or Less: Behind the Stats - The Case of the Missing US Data

In early February 2025, something strange started happening across US government websites.

Decades of data began disappearing from webpages for agencies such as the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health and the Census Bureau. In many cases the entire website went dark. Within a few days some 8,000 government pages and 3,000 datasets had been taken down. Since then, many have been reinstated - but some have not. We speak to Professors Maggie Levinstein and John Kubale to find out why this data was taken away, and why any of it matters.

If you spot any numbers or statistical claims that you think we should check out contact: moreorless@bbc.co.uk

Presenter: Tim Harford Producer: Lizzy McNeill Series Producer: Tom Colls Editor: Richard Vadon Production Co-Ordinator: Rosie Strawbridge Audio Mix: Neil Churchill

Audio Mises Wire - Presidents Have a Long History of Using the FCC to Silence Their Critics

President Trump’s latest anti-broadcast media actions are portrayed in legacy media as being unprecedented. While they definitely are outrageous, they hardly are the first time presidents have used federal agencies to go after broadcast opposition.

Original article: https://mises.org/mises-wire/presidents-have-long-history-using-fcc-silence-their-critics

The Indicator from Planet Money - Argentina’s bailout, a new way to cool data centers, and a cold holiday hiring season

It’s Indicators of the Week! It is that show where we parse the most fascinating financial numbers in the news and bring them to you. 

On today's show: Argentina needs a bailout, Microsoft’s new way to cool data centers, and retail hiring is not looking like it’s in the holiday spirit.

Related episodes:  

A radical plan to fix Argentina's inflation

What $10 billion in data centers actually gets you

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 

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy