News Items Podcast with John Ellis

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**News Items Podcast with John Ellis**

Ninety percent of the news out there tells you nothing about where the world is going — ten percent of it tells you everything. Every afternoon on the News Items Podcast with John Ellis, John and Rebecca Darst focus on that ten percent — news that’s interesting, important or both. The podcast is based on John Ellis’ News Items, an email newsletter that goes out to organizations including the Council on Foreign Relations, Samsung Next, and the Wall Street Journal. Tune in every Monday through Thursday afternoon to hear decades of journalistic experience packed into 20 or so minutes of insight, plus guest interviews on finance, U.S. politics, foreign affairs, science and technology.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Latest Episodes:

Just Because Trump Said It, Doesn’t Mean It’s Wrong May 25, 2021

Show notes

Science and tech headlines:

Singapore's health authority has approved a rapid COVID-19 test that works like a breathalyzer.
Apple CEO Tim Cook’s claim that the company hasn't looked up its App Store profits and losses seems laughable – and it may hurt Apple in court.

News items:

Now that the economy is recovering and investors are looking for high yields, more of them seem willing to take a risk on collateralized loan obligations. Shades of 2008? Rebecca breaks it down.
“Havana Syndrome” was first reported by a few CIA and State Department employees in Cuba, and has since hit more than 130 U.S. government employees around the world.
Amazon is reportedly close to buying the legendary film studio MGM for $9 billion, including debt.
John and Rebecca discuss the latest news out of Wuhan – that three researchers at China’s Wuhan Institute of Virology sought hospital care in November 2019 – and why the lab leak theory was characterized as a conspiracy theory for so long.

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The Secret History of Wall Street May 24, 2021

Show notes

Rebecca interviews Zach Karabell, the author of a new book on the country's oldest private investment bank. In "Inside Money: Brown Brothers Harriman and the American Way of Power", Karabell argues that the wealth generated by the firm — and the ventures it backed — fueled America’s transformation from an agrarian society into a global superpower.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why the GOP (Secretly) Fears the Overturning of Roe v. Wade May 20, 2021

Show notes

Here are the news items:

Google lays out an idea for voice-based search, involving AI trained on the page results.
Researchers from Sweden’s Chalmers University of Technology have developed a lab concept for a rechargeable cement-based battery.
John explains the politics surrounding the Democrats’ attempt to establish a bipartisan commission to investigate the January 6th attack on the Capitol.
The International Energy Agency says the world can reach net zero emissions by 2050 – and simultaneously increase global GDP. Rebecca explains why this push for renewable energy will be less moralistic than the last.
A conservative opposition party in Japan wants to replace much of the country's welfare with a universal basic income.

PLUS: In the wake of the Supreme Court’s announcement that it will review a Mississippi law restricting abortions to pregnancies before 15 weeks, John and Rebecca discuss how overturning Roe v. Wade could backfire politically for the GOP.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Charlie Cook: ‘It’s Not Good to Bet Against History’ May 19, 2021

Show notes

John interviews Charlie Cook – creator of the renowned Cook Political Report – about waning enthusiasm for Trump among GOP voters; the Democratic Party’s uphill battle in next year’s midterm elections; and his predictions for the Virginia governor’s race and the California recall election.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jeff Bezos is on a Whole New Mission, with Brad Stone May 18, 2021

Show notes

Rebecca interviews Brad Stone, the Bloomberg reporter with two books on Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. His latest, "Amazon Unbound: Jeff Bezos and the Invention of a Global Empire", examines the company and its founder's transformation within the echelons of power, wealth, and ubiquity.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Melinda Gates: 28, Bill Gates: 0 May 17, 2021

Show notes

Here are the news items:

The WHO and the CDC finally agree: COVID-19 is airborne. Rebecca explains what the smart money play is.
As cars move toward an all-electric future, the automotive and electronics industries are beginning to fuse.
Thomas Friedman makes the case, in a New York Times column, that Hamas and Benjamin Netanyahu need each other. John breaks down Bibi’s latest power play.
The Bill and Melinda Gates divorce will be litigated in the press, and Melinda appears to have struck first, speaking to The New York Times in a story full of discomfiting details about Bill. John explains why it’s a “hit piece.”
China has become the world’s biggest supplier of armed drones, in part because the U.S. only exports drones to its closest allies. John explains why falling behind on drone A.I. is a massive risk.

PLUS: John and Rebecca discuss the AT&T and Discovery Inc. merger, which will create a new media giant (and a big player in the streaming wars).

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On Cybersecurity, the U.S. Should Go on Offense May 13, 2021

Show notes

Here are the news items:

For the first time, scientists have captured detailed images of key receptors in the hippocampus, that deep part of the brain where memory and learning happen.
The manipulation of mRNA has proven critical to the fight against COVID-19 — and it just might help treat heart defects, HIV, and cancer, too.
President Biden’s executive order to beef up the government's digital defenses is great, but how about going on offense?
Digital advertising growth has boosted the profits of giants like Facebook and Google. Now it's reaching media and news sites, too.
A new poll shows former Brazil president Lula da Silva would crush the incumbent Jair Bolsonaro in an electoral matchup.

PLUS: John and Rebecca discuss Facebook’s latest plans for its cryptocurrency and what it could mean for small businesses.

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Are Israel and Gaza Destined for Another War? May 12, 2021

Show notes

Here are the news items:

Sinovac’s COVID-19 vaccine is proving highly effective, burnishing China’s “vaccine diplomacy” as it exports millions of doses around the world.
Two human rights groups allege Apple is sourcing hardware and assembly work from Chinese companies engaged in forced labor of oppressed minorities.
Israelis and Palestinians may be headed for war again — John and Rebecca look at whether the window for de-escalation is closing.
American companies have announced $484 billion in share buybacks as they spend excess profits after a surprisingly strong year.
The FBI is reportedly looking into the investment practices (and foreign adventures) of Pennsylvania’s biggest pension fund, which holds $62 billion for public school teachers.

PLUS: John and Rebecca discuss the cyberattack on the Colonial Pipeline — the most important channel for fuel distribution in the country — and how the shutdown is affecting gas and heating oil commodities.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

'A Complete Fairy Tale': Retired Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges On Russia's Mock De-Escalation May 11, 2021

Show notes

John interviews a former Commanding General of U.S. Army Europe, Ben Hodges, about the ongoing military threat Russia poses in the region.

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SPECIAL: Around the World with CFR President Richard Haass May 10, 2021

Show notes

John interviews Richard Haass, the President of the Council on Foreign Relations, about a range of foreign policy issues, including Putin's real motives, the future of power in France and Germany, and our increasingly multipolar world. This is a longer, unedited version of the interview that ran earlier on Monday, May 10.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.