The Indicator from Planet Money

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Is the federal debt REALLY that bad?

Sandwiched between a burger joint and an oyster bar in New York City hangs a daunting image: The National Debt Clock. And that debt number? It just keeps ticking up. How deep in the hole are we? Nearly a hundred percent of gross domestic product. And counting. Today on the show, the federal debt. Is it time to freak out? Or is there nothing to see here? Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

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  How the Dominican Republic became Latin America's economic superstar

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  The highs and lows of US rents

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  The "Winner Take All" problem

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  Is 'government crypto' a good idea?

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  A new gold rush and other indicators

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  Iceberg ahead for Social Security

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  Why Venezuela is no longer in freefall

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  Hazard maps: The curse of knowledge

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  How Colorado towns are trying to get some water certainty

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  Not too hot, not too cold: a 'Goldilocks' jobs report

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  Protesters want schools to divest from Israel. How would that work?

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  What a cabinet maker can teach us about interest rates

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  Taxing the final frontier

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  Video Game Industry Week: The Final Level

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  Work. Crunch. Repeat: Why gaming demands so much of its employees