From APM, American Public Media, and WNYC.

This is Freakonomics Radio on Marketplace.

Here's the host of Marketplace, Kyra's Doll.

Time now for a little bit of Freakonomics Radio that moment in the broadcast every couple

of weeks where we talk to Steven Dubner, the co-author of the books and the blog of the same name.

It is the Hidden Side O Everything.

Welcome back, man. I'm Istio.

I'm Istio Tukai. Thanks for having me.

I'm guessing you're going to be in front of your TV tonight for the debate?

I am. Yes, of course. I am.

In point of fact, also live tweeting and it's on Marketplace.org, so if you're lonely, you know where you can go.

Very good. The focus of this first presidential debate as you know is domestic policy.

So I'm assuming we're going to hear an awful lot about the economy.

One would certainly hope, right? I mean, that's what we're waiting for.

For these two men, who want to be the most powerful men in the world to help us fix the American economy, right?

So Kai, let me say two things about this.

The first...

Oh, go ahead.

I've seen that.

Which I have said on your program before, and I probably will again, is that the US president has much less influence over the economy than we actually see.

Yeah, but we have to pretend.

We have to pretend.

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