Lithium-ion batteries—used in everything from smart phones and laptops to electric scooters and cars—are catching fire on land and at sea. A former cargo ship captain walks us through why these fires are so hard to put out and why ocean-going car carriers are particularly at risk. For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.

How do you do the most good in the world? Money and data! That's according to this new wave of philanthropy known as effective altruism, heralded by the likes of Sam Bankman-Fried. Today on the show we uncover the art and science of effective altruism. For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.

Our indicators of the week: how a federal agency is trying to make it easier for you to cancel your subscriptions. And what's being done to address the 100,000-plus person backlog for organ transplants. For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.

The high seas — water 200 nautical miles from shore — are an ocean of possibility for industries looking to cash in. But without proper oversight, the problems could be as deep as the ocean itself. Could an international agreement help? For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.

We're putting Fed Chair Jerome Powell in the hot seat. Without fear and without favor, our guests look at Powell's record on jobs, inflation and financial stability. For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.

Recent banking turmoil is shining a spotlight on the people whose job it is to monitor banks themselves. Today, we examine the bank examiners and learn why their job is so important for the banking sector. Plus, a recent government report that shows they could be in short supply very soon. For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.

Credit Suisse was a 167-year-old financial giant. A favored place for the world's super-rich to stash their cash. So why did it collapse? For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.

The collapse of Silicon Valley Bank continues to ripple across banking and tech. Today, three indicators on the fallout, including what's next for some startup CEOs and why you might be hearing the term, moral hazard. And we talk about the other bank failure that's been overshadowed by SVB, New York-based Signature Bank. For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.

It's time for another edition of the Beigie Awards! Today, our winner comes through with one of the best anecdotes in Beigie history with a story about a Montana construction company that flew in workers via a private jet. For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.

Why are American consumers paying out the wazoo for drugs? Drug companies say it's because they need that money to fund the research and development that goes into making new life-saving drugs. Today we talk to a health economist who says you actually can have it all, lower prices and more innovation. For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.

Prices are rising. A major bank has collapsed. And the Fed is left holding the hose trying to put out these fires. The question of whether to raise interest rates or not just got even more challenging. For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.

For decades, Silicon Valley Bank was the bank for thousands of startups and tech companies in the Bay Area. No longer. SVB's sudden failure last week has roiled the tech world. And it forced regulators to step in as concerns grew about the wider financial system. On today's episode, we look at what happened at SVB, and the three reasons that made the bank especially vulnerable to collapse. For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.

Millions of people opted out of the labor force during the pandemic, and the Federal Reserve's most recent update on the economy explains why. Today, we hear from people who made that decision to leave the workforce. For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.

After a series of train derailments, the railroad industry is under scrutiny from politicians, the public and rail workers themselves. Many workers blame a relatively new management philosophy called precision-scheduled railroading (PSR). What is PSR and how has it changed the industry? For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.

The U.S. is helping broker a $20 billion deal to transition Indonesia off coal. The hope is this climate financing plan could be a model to move other developing counties away from coal-fired electricity. But Indonesian energy experts and solar executives worry much of this deal may just be "omong kosong" — empty talk. Today on The Indicator, we bring you an episode of Short Wave, NPR's daily science podcast. Climate solutions reporter Julia Simon breaks down the realities and limitations of Indonesia's renewable energy aspirations with Short Wave co-host Aaron Scott. (You can read more about this story here.)

It's another listener questions episode where we take on what you want to know! On today's show... We look at the U.S. birth rate. Are we booming or busting? Does the Consumer Price Index capture what's happening in rural America? And copyrighting knitting & sewing patterns, it's a tangled issue! If you have a question you'd like us to answer, email us at indicator@npr.org. For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.

The UK's withdrawal from the European Union in 2020 came with plenty of challenges. And now one of its biggest — how to deal with Northern Ireland — may finally be resolved. On today's episode, we hear from a small business owner whose land and operations are split by the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.

Washington is doubling down on the industries it wants to see grow. From semiconductor chips to lithium-ion batteries, we trace where the money is going and why. And which part's got the European Union all bent outta shape. For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org

For more than a decade, China has been a leader in global manufacturing, producing everything from trinkets and toys to advanced electronics. But there's another country looking to challenge China for manufacturing dominance: India. We ask, what would it take for India to become the world's factory? For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.

In 1957, a group of scientists fed up with their boss set the modern venture capital model in motion. Today, the story of the unconventional investment idea behind Silicon Valley startup culture and so much of the technology we use today. For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.