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The School Shooting Down the Street Dec 09, 2021

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Michigan state Senator Rosemary Bayer has been fighting for years to get safe storage laws on the books in her home state. In the wake of the shooting at Oxford High School, a school that sits in her district, her mission has become that much more urgent.

Guest: Rosemary Bayer is a state senator in Michigan. She represents the northern suburbs of Detroit.

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What Peng Shuai Started Dec 08, 2021

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When Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai accused a former Chinese Vice Premier of rape, what came next was darkly predictable: the athlete disappeared from public view while the government scrubbed all mentions of her allegations and censored searches for her name. But few expected the Women’s Tennis Association to strike back, suspending all future tournaments in China and Hong Kong.

As the WTA stands up to China - leaving millions of dollars on the table - will other sports organizations follow suit and hold the government to account over its human rights abuses?

Guest: Ben Rothenberg, senior editor of Racquet Magazine and host of the tennis podcast No Challenges Remaining.

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House Democrats’ Long-Shot Plan to Dodge Disaster Dec 07, 2021

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All signs point to rough congressional elections next year. What are House Democrats doing to hold their majority?

Guest: Rep. Sean Maloney (D-N.Y.), chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

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The 30-Year Plan to End Roe Dec 06, 2021

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After oral arguments last week, the Supreme Court looks ready to overturn Roe v. Wade. How did conservatives get to this moment when the majority of Americans favor legalized abortion? And do liberals have the patience to keep the fight alive?

Guest: Mark Joseph Stern, staff writer at Slate covering the Supreme Court.

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Did @jack Ruin Twitter? Dec 03, 2021

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On Monday, Jack Dorsey stepped down as CEO of Twitter. It’s not the first time he’s left the job.

Is this really the end for the man who guided Twitter through the Trump era? And how will the platform change without him at the helm?

Guest: Nick Bilton, special correspondent at Vanity Fair

Host: Lizzie O’Leary

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Why No One Told Chris Cuomo No Dec 02, 2021

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CNN anchor Chris Cuomo was recently placed on indefinite leave by the network for his involvement in the damage control operations of his brother, former NY governor Andrew Cuomo, over the last year. A trove of documents revealed that Chris had overstepped ethical lines to help protect Andrew while he was under fire for allegations of sexual harassment.

Why did the younger Cuomo wade into the political muck, putting his job at risk? And will CNN hold him accountable?

Guest: Erik Wemple, media critic for the Washington Post.

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Everything We (Don’t) Know About Omicron Dec 01, 2021

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In November, South Africa alerted the world to Omicron, a new strain of COVID-19. Then, as cases began to pop up worldwide, the World Health Organization labeled it a “variant of concern.” What do we know about Omicron, and just how worried should we be?

Guest: Dr. Katelyn Jetelina, assistant professor with the School of Public Health at UTHealth and author of Your Local Epidemiologist on Substack.

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Are the Democrats Making Child Care Even Worse? Nov 30, 2021

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Child care has long been a “textbook example of a broken market,” as Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said this fall. How have government efforts so thoroughly failed to fix this industry? And does Biden’s infrastructure bill threaten to hamper child care businesses even more?

Guest: Claire Suddath, writer for Bloomberg Businessweek.

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RIP to the SAT Nov 29, 2021

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If you had to take the SAT for your college admissions process, you largely have the University of California System to thank for that. When the university adopted the test in 1968, hundreds of other colleges followed suit. But now, U.C. has decided not to use standardized tests in admissions anymore. Could the decision spur a retooling of the college admissions process more broadly?

Guest: Teresa Watanabe, education reporter for the Los Angeles Times.

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TBD | Best of 2021: Inside the Subreddit That Blew Up GameStop Nov 26, 2021

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This episode originally aired in January 2021

The story of how GameStop went from the verge of a bankruptcy to a $15 billion market value isn’t an easy one to wrap your head around. But it helps to go back to the beginning; almost three years ago, in a subreddit called r/wallstreetbets.

Guests:

Brandon Kochkodin, reporter at Bloomberg

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