According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, at least 1.8 million Americans have been actively looking for a fulltime job for more than 27 weeks. That’s over six months. In this episode, two people tell us what it’s like to navigate a never-ending job search. Plus: A surge in lone star ticks threatens the cattle industry, McDonald’s keeps huge amounts of data on frequent customers, and the national debt passes that $40 trillion threshold.

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Read the stories in today’s episode:

• The national debt hits $40 trillion
• Ticks increasingly threaten the health and livelihood of ranchers
• An Alabama cattle farm with a bird-tourism side hustle
• “Put me in, coach”: Navigating long-term unemployment in the low-hire economy
• How the McDonald's mobile app compiled 515-page dossier on one reporter