Two recent studies suggest that prospective homeowners will have to earn more than $100,000 annually to afford a typical home in much of the U.S.

There's been a lot of disagreement in Congress and in the country about whether the U.S. should continue to financially support the wars in Ukraine and Gaza.

Some taxpayers don't think the U.S. should give Ukraine any money to fight off Russia's invasion. And some taxpayers have concerns about how they might be funding weapons that have been used to kill civilians in Gaza. And there are questions about how much individual taxpayers contribute to war efforts, generally.

So in this episode, we attempt to do the math: The average taxpayers' contribution to Israel and Ukraine. It's not so simple. But in attempting to do this math, we get this window into the role of our tax dollars on foreign assistance, and how the U.S. sells weapons to other countries.

For links to some of the reports we looked at to report this episode, check out the episode page on NPR.org.

This episode was hosted by Sarah Gonzalez and Alexi Horowitz-Ghazi. It was produced by Sam Yellowhorse Kesler and edited by Jess Jiang. It was fact-checked by Sierra Juarez and engineered by Robert Rodriguez. Alex Goldmark is our executive producer.

Help support Planet Money and get bonus episodes by subscribing to Planet Money+ in Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org/planetmoney.

Visa and Mastercard announced a major settlement with U.S. merchants, potentially ending years of litigation over the fees charged every time a credit or debit card is used in a store or restaurant.

Tipping requests are on the rise. Businesses that never seemed to ask for a tip, like fast food joints, are now asking for one. Here's how to deal with unexpected requests and more.

The average median refund is $932 for 2020. Texas (93,400), California (88,200), Florida (53,200) and New York (51,400) have the largest amount of people potentially eligible for these refunds.

The Powerball jackpot increased to an estimated $865 million after no one won Monday night's drawing, continuing a winless streak that dates to New Year's Day.

Here's one sign that shrinkflation is no longer just a topic for economics nerds.

Cookie Monster recently complained on social media that his favorite food was getting smaller. "Me hate shrinkflation!" the fuzzy blue monster declared. "Guess me going to have to eat double da cookies!"

President Biden promised to sign a bill banning it during his State of the Union address.

Shrinkflation isn't new.

It's been happening for years. But people seem to be paying more attention right now amidst high food prices and inflation. And the White House is clearly aware of that.

After years of rising prices, many Americans are fed up with paying more and getting less. Will the pendulum ever swing back?

For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.

Email us at considerthis@npr.org.

The term is relatively new, but companies have long hidden price hikes in plain sight by changing package sizing. Now the debate is getting political.

Dynamic pricing is an increasingly common phenomenon: You can see it when Uber prices surge during rainy weather, or when you're booking a flight at the last minute or buying tickets to your favorite superstar's concert. On an earnings call last week, Wendy's ignited a minor controversy by suggesting it would introduce dynamic pricing in its restaurants, but the company quickly clarified that it wasn't planning on using it for "surge pricing."

One place you hardly ever see dynamic pricing? American supermarkets.

Why is that? Why shouldn't the prices for meat or bread or produce go down as they get older? Why does all the milk in the store cost the same, even when the "sell by" dates are weeks apart? Wouldn't a little more flexibility around prices be better for customers and help reduce waste?

Professors Robert Evan Sanders and Ioannis (Yannis) Stamatopoulus had similar questions. So they set out to discover what was keeping supermarkets from employing a more dynamic approach, and what might convince them it was time for a change ... in pricing.

This episode was hosted by Amanda Aronczyk and Nick Fountain. It was produced by Willa Rubin and edited by Keith Romer. It was engineered by Valentina Rodríguez Sánchez and fact-checked by Sierra Juarez.

President Biden is expected to highlight his push to cap junk fees in his State of the Union address, for a second year in a row. It's a theme he plans to take on the campaign trail.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau issued a new rule Tuesday capping late fees on credit cards, a move designed to save customers an estimated $10 billion a year. Critics promised a lawsuit.

The cost of auto and home insurance is rising much faster than overall inflation, thanks in part to a string of billion-dollar storms. A growing number of people are going without insurance.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, created after the Great Recession of 2007-09, has increasingly started policing the health care system.

There are no Wonka-like scenes of Tagalong rainbows and Do-si-do stools. But parents can be forgiven for feeling like Oompa Loompas — hardworking cogs in a well-oiled machine.

"It's moral hazard if you're only doing debt relief, but I believe we're balancing it out with accountability on colleges," says Education Secretary Miguel Cardona.