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No One's Got Mail Oct 18, 2021

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Democrats spent months fretting last year about the Postal Service and the fate of democracy. Now the Democrats are in charge. So why is the mail slowing down? And could planned changes fix what ails the Postal Service?

Guest: Jacob Bogage, business reporter for the Washington Post.

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TBD | The Return of Hacktivism Oct 15, 2021

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Over the last month, the domain company Epik and the streaming service Twitch have fallen prey to massive-scale hacks. The hackers revealed not just email addresses, but detailed personal information too. For Twitch, it was the entire source code for their site.

But the attackers aren’t holding this data for ransom. In fact, they don’t seem to want much of anything. What’s motivating this new wave of activist hacks? And who suffers?

Guest: Drew Harwell, tech reporter at the Washington Post

Host: Lizzie O’Leary

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The Return of Hacktivism Oct 15, 2021

Show notes

But the attackers aren’t holding this data for ransom. In fact, they don’t seem to want much of anything. What’s motivating this new wave of activist hacks? And who suffers?

Guest: Drew Harwell, tech reporter at the Washington Post

Host: Lizzie O’Leary

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

The Strike That Could Paralyze Hollywood Oct 14, 2021

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For as glamorous as Hollywood often seems, the workers behind the scenes rarely experience the star treatment. They do everything from sound design and makeup to cinematography and lighting, and they’ve had enough with the industry’s dizzying production pace and long hours that stretch into the early morning. Motivated by shifts in the industry due to the pandemic, workers from the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees union are gearing up for a strike that could halt movie and show productions alike.

Guest: Anousha Sakoui, entertainment industry writer for the Los Angeles Times.

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Is Someone Brain-Zapping American Operatives? Oct 13, 2021

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The Havana Syndrome sounds like something straight out of a spy novel: microwaves are being directed towards U.S. embassies, causing hearing loss, headaches, and in some cases, permanent brain damage. The Biden administration is taking these “anomalous health incidents” very seriously. Should we?

Guest: Michael Wilner, a Senior National Security and White House Correspondent for McClatchy.

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When Airbnb Takes Over Your Neighborhood Oct 12, 2021

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Galveston is a small island off the south east coast of Texas. It’s become a hot spot for short term rentals through start-ups like Airbnb but what the city has gained in tourism dollars, they’ve lost in actual residents.

Guest: Peter Holley is a senior editor at Texas Monthly.

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Will the Facebook Whistleblower Make a Difference? Oct 08, 2021

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The last month has seen a steady drip of leaked documents from inside Facebook, each seemingly more damning than the next. This week, the whistleblower behind the leaks revealed her identity.

What motivates Frances Haugen? And can she do real damage to the social media giant?

Guest: Jeff Horwitz, tech reporter at the Wall Street Journal.

Host: Lizzie O’Leary

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Congress Plays Chicken Oct 07, 2021

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Congressional Republicans are forcing Democrats into a game of chicken over the debt ceiling where the stakes are the well-being of the global economy. It’s a showdown that has played out time and again since 2011, but it doesn’t have to be this way.

Guest: Jordan Weissmann, senior editor for Slate

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Are We Ready for the Next Pandemic? Oct 06, 2021

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You might think that the wreckage caused by COVID-19 would be enough to make the U.S. take pandemic planning seriously. But a close look at current pandemic preparedness efforts reveals that’s far from the truth. It’s not too late, though, to get ready for the next Big One - if we’re willing to make serious investments beyond fighting germs.

Guest: Ed Yong, a staff writer at The Atlantic covering science.

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Democrats’ Gerrymandering Dilemma Oct 05, 2021

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With the results of the 2020 census in hand, all 50 states have begun the process of redistricting. Extremely thin margins in the House of Representatives mean that this hyper-local process has big implications on the balance of power at a national scale.

After aggressive Republican gerrymandering in the 2011 redistricting cycle, many Democrats came out in favor of creating non-partisan commissions to draw new voting maps. But how much of a moderating force are they really? And what happens if either side decides not to play by the commissions’ rules?

Guest: Nick Riccardi, a western political writer for AP.

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