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Your Right to Protest? Not the Supreme Court’s Problem. Apr 23, 2024

Show notes

The constitutional right to protest is right there in the First Amendment. So when the Fifth Circuit Court threatened this right across three states, why didn’t the Supreme Court take up the case?

Guest: Ian Milhiser, senior correspondent for Vox.

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What the WNBA Salary Debate Misses Apr 22, 2024

Show notes

With all eyes on the WNBA as Caitlin Clark was drafted, many were surprised at the star player’s new salary, and how it paled in comparison to that of an NBA rookie. What would it take to address this disparity?

Guest: Lindsay Gibbs, author and founder of Power Plays, “a no-BS newsletter about women’s sports” and co-host of the Burn It All Down podcast.

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The Internet Archive Endangered Apr 21, 2024

Show notes

From the Wayback Machine to the mass-digitization of the history of Aruba, the Internet Archive is a non-profit doing valuable work. But some of its other projects—a pandemic-era lending library and the ongoing digitalization of 78 rpm records—have led to lawsuits now threatening the future of this repository of the past.

Guest: Kate Knibbs, senior writer at Wired.

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What’s Driving Tesla’s Layoffs? Apr 19, 2024

Show notes

Tesla’s market cap has dropped. The company had its biggest round of layoffs ever. The Cybertruck doesn’t seem to be taking off. And Elon’s posting through it. Is Tesla in serious trouble?

Guest: Dana Hull, Bloomberg reporter and contributor to the podcast Elon, Inc.

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Is It Too Late to Escape “Forever Chemicals”? Apr 18, 2024

Show notes

Man-made per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, known as PFAS, are found in all sorts of industrial and consumer products, including carpets, rain jackets, and makeup. They’re also in our drinking water—and in our blood.

The EPA has recently announced plans to regulate the amount of certain PFAS in our water supply. But will these rules do enough to control chemicals for which there is no safe level of exposure?

Guest: Esmé E. Deprez, independent investigative journalist.

Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther.

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Will Abortion in Florida and Arizona Decide the Election? Apr 17, 2024

Show notes

How will impending abortion restrictions in Florida and Arizona impact votes this fall?

Guests:

Anna Hochkammer, executive director of the Florida Women’s Freedom Coalition.

Grace Panetta, political reporter for The 19th.

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What Israel Does Now Apr 16, 2024

Show notes

Over the weekend Iran fired flocks of missiles and drones towards Israel, but the damage was minimal. What role did Israel’s new network of regional allies play in tamping down the attack? —and how committed to war was Iran to begin with?

Guest: Graeme Wood, staff writer at The Atlantic.

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Trump In (Criminal) Court Apr 15, 2024

Show notes

Donald Trump is appearing in court today as a criminal defendant. Why did this case take so long to go to trial, and what’s at stake for the former president?

Guest: Jeremy Stahl, jurisprudence editor at Slate.

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Is America Ready for Legal Psychedelics? Apr 14, 2024

Show notes

How the semi-legalization of marijuana has drawn a road map for legalizing psychedelics—and also provided a list of pitfalls to be avoided.

Guest: Jane C. Hu, science journalist and author of the newsletter The Microdose.

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Does Google Suck Now? Apr 12, 2024

Show notes

Why lately our search engines just don’t seem to deliver results.

Guest: Jason Koebler, cofounder of 404 Media and co-host of the 404 Media Podcast.

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