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1A - Local Spotlight: The Carpet Capital’s Chemical Problem

Northwest Georgia is a picturesque place, with rolling hills and open farmland. Its creeks and rivers have sustained families for generations. On the surface, the environment looks pristine.

But something toxic lurks within the lush landscape that you can’t see, smell, or taste. For many years, locals weren’t aware of its presence.

PFAS are a group of synthetic chemicals used to repel water and stains. Many of them don’t break down in nature, which is why they’re often called ‘forever chemicals.’ They can build up in the environment and our bodies over time.

These chemicals were used for years in the production of carpets in northwest Georgia. And the long-term environmental and human cost in the region is high.

In this installment of our Local Spotlight series, we head to the “carpet capital” of the world to examine its chemical problems.

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State of the World from NPR - US oil blockade roils life in Cuba. Venezuelans test new freedoms

Cuba hasn’t received an oil shipment since December. The shortage has grounded air travel, and disrupted food production, hospitals and schools. Venezuelans stage open demonstrations in the streets that only weeks ago could have meant jail time.

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This Machine Kills - Patreon Preview – 444. The Stories We Tell

We chat about our week as Guests of Honor at Capricon, a science fiction convention in Chicago, and all the great panels and chats we had about luddism, science fiction, politics of futures, and the importance of the stories we tell—and are able to tell and believe—about technology-in-society. Then we wrap up with a recent case study of storytelling: the performative puppetry of moltbook. ••• Moltbook was peak AI theater https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/02/06/1132448/moltbook-was-peak-ai-theater/ ••• Exposed Moltbook Database Let Anyone Take Control of Any AI Agent on the Site https://www.404media.co/exposed-moltbook-database-let-anyone-take-control-of-any-ai-agent-on-the-site/ Standing Plugs: ••• Order Jathan’s book: https://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520398078/the-mechanic-and-the-luddite ••• Subscribe to Ed’s substack: https://substack.com/@thetechbubble ••• Subscribe to TMK on patreon for premium episodes: https://www.patreon.com/thismachinekills Hosted by Jathan Sadowski (bsky.app/profile/jathansadowski.com) and Edward Ongweso Jr. (www.x.com/bigblackjacobin). Production / Music by Jereme Brown (bsky.app/profile/jebr.bsky.social)
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Marketplace All-in-One - Holiday spending slowdown

New data show retail sales were flat in December, despite high expectations for the holiday season. So did shoppers spend less? Or did they just frontload that gift spending in November? Also in this episode: AI tools propel widespread online shopping scams, a Colorado utility company shuts off power to prevent wildfires, and what’s next for crypto after last week’s freefall.


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The Source - Trump’s threat to nationalize the midterm elections

The polls look grim for Republicans heading into the midterms — and recent special elections look even worse. President Trump has reacted by calling for the Republican party to take over the elections entirely. Advocates for free and fair elections are calling this a warning sign. What could happen and how can we protect our elections?array(3) { [0]=> string(38) "https://www.tpr.org/podcast/the-source" [1]=> string(0) "" [2]=> string(1) "0" }
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PBS News Hour - Art Beat - Opera singer Denyce Graves takes her final bow on stage

After singing on the world's top opera stages for more than 40 years, acclaimed mezzo soprano Denyce Graves took a final bow last month and is pivoting to teaching the next generation. Senior arts correspondent Jeffrey Brown joined Graves in the days leading up to her farewell for our arts and culture series, CANVAS. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy
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Talk Python To Me - #536: Fly inside FastAPI Cloud

You've built your FastAPI app, it's running great locally, and now you want to share it with the world. But then reality hits -- containers, load balancers, HTTPS certificates, cloud consoles with 200 options. What if deploying was just one command? That's exactly what Sebastian Ramirez and the FastAPI Cloud team are building. On this episode, I sit down with Sebastian, Patrick Arminio, Savannah Ostrowski, and Jonathan Ehwald to go inside FastAPI Cloud, explore what it means to build a "Pythonic" cloud, and dig into how this commercial venture is actually making FastAPI the open-source project stronger than ever.

Episode sponsors

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Links from the show

Guests
Sebastián Ramírez: github.com
Savannah Ostrowski: github.com
Patrick Arminio: github.com
Jonathan Ehwald: github.com

FastAPI labs: fastapilabs.com
quickstart: fastapicloud.com
an episode on diskcache: talkpython.fm
Fastar: github.com
FastAPI: The Documentary: www.youtube.com
Tailwind CSS Situation: adams-morning-walk.transistor.fm
FastAPI Job Meme: fastapi.meme
Migrate an Existing Project: fastapicloud.com
Join the waitlist: fastapicloud.com

Talk Python CLI
Talk Python CLI Announcement: talkpython.fm
Talk Python CLI GitHub: github.com

Command Book
Download Command Book: commandbookapp.com
Announcement post: mkennedy.codes

Watch this episode on YouTube: youtube.com
Episode #536 deep-dive: talkpython.fm/536
Episode transcripts: talkpython.fm

Theme Song: Developer Rap
🥁 Served in a Flask 🎸: talkpython.fm/flasksong

---== Don't be a stranger ==---
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Michael on Bluesky: @mkennedy.codes
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The Gist - Autocracy Watch with Yascha Mounk

Political theorist Yascha Mounk returns to assess whether the United States is sliding toward autocracy or demonstrating institutional resilience under pressure. He argues that while the Trump administration's actions have been more extreme than expected, courts, elections, and a decentralized system have so far acted as real constraints rather than hollow rituals, a case he first laid out in The People vs. Democracy: Why Our Freedom Is in Danger and How to Save It. Mounk also warns against exaggeration that fuels anticipatory obedience, even as he concedes the next three years remain an open test of democratic durability. Plus, Britain's Epstein reckoning, where Keir Starmer loses top aides over ties to Jeffrey Epstein, while close associations in Epstein's own country (the USA) don't matter.

Produced by Corey Wara

Video and Social Media by Geoff Craig

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Consider This from NPR - How Pam Bondi has reshaped the Justice Department

Attorney General Pam Bondi is set to testify before the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, where she’s likely to face questions about the Epstein Files, the Minnesota immigration crackdown and the attempt to prosecute several of President Trump’s perceived political enemies. 

NPR’s Ailsa Chang talks with Pulitzer-Prize-winning investigative journalist Carol Leonnig about how Bondi has reshaped the Department of Justice, and what she’s expecting to hear in Wednesday’s testimony.

For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.  Email us at considerthis@npr.org.

This episode was produced by Jeffrey Pierre and Connor Donevan, with audio engineering by Tiffany Vera Castro. It was edited by Christopher Intagliata and Courtney Dorning.

Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.

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The Source - Life inside the ICE Dilley detention center

Conditions inside the family immigration detention facility in Dilley, Texas are drawing renewed scrutiny as detainees, attorneys and advocates describe shortages in medical attention, inadequate and substandard food and water, and serious mental-health strain — allegations that federal officials and the private operator dispute.array(3) { [0]=> string(38) "https://www.tpr.org/podcast/the-source" [1]=> string(0) "" [2]=> string(1) "0" }