In the rush to power AI, data centers are popping up in small communities across the U.S. But a growing backlash against this build-out is pitting communities against developers over energy prices and water use. Today on the show, one Michigan community’s fight to stop a data center and what it means for Big Tech. 

Related episodes: 
What $10B in data centers actually gets you 
Is AI overrated or underrated? 

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.  

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It’s … Indicators of the Week! Our weekly look at some of the most fascinating economic numbers from the news. 

On today’s episode: Frozen and canceled federal dollars, America’s intensifying tit-for-tat with China, and a sloppy trend infiltrating the music business. (With a pocket full of shells.)

Related episodes: 
China's trade war perspective 
Fighting AI with AI 

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 Corey Bridges. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.


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From drones to body armor to bulletproof whiteboards, companies are offering schools a multitude of products to try to deter or protect against the next school shooting. But does any of this stuff work? On today’s show, a look inside the school shooting industry. What's for sale and the psychology behind the growing industry.

Related episodes:  
Why are so many public schools closing?  

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.  

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For most of human history, economic growth was, well, pretty bleak. But around the Enlightenment, things started clicking. This year's Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences went to a trio of researchers whose work focuses on how technological progress led to this sustained economic growth. Today we hear from one of them, Joel Mokyr, about his work on European economic history. 

Related episodes: 
Why are some nations richer? (2024 Economics Nobel) 
A conversation with Nobel laureate Claudia Goldin (2023 Economics Nobel)

For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.  

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