Kyiv's mayor, Vitali Klitschko has urged people to leave the city if they have somewhere else to go while the freezing conditions last. We hear from a resident of Kharkhiv in eastern Ukraine after overnight strikes on the city.
Also on the programme: Under a severe crackdown, Iran's protesters question if enough international pressure has come to bear on Tehran's government; and the dangers of keeping wild animals as pets.
(Photo: Firefighters work at the site of an apartment building hit by a Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kharkiv, Ukraine. Credit: Reuters/Sofiia Gatilova)
At least half of the U.S. population will be hit by a powerful winter storm this weekend - we'll tell you how Oklahoma, and other states, are preparing. Plus, a look at how President Trump is using the military overseas as well inside the U.S. during his second term. Plus, a look at consumer spending in the U.S. and how sustainable it is at present levels.
How did the market react to President Trump’s proposed Greenland takeover? And why wasn’t the AI hype enough to save Intel’s stock price? Plus, why investors just can’t get enough gold these days. Host Hannah Erin Lang discusses the biggest stock moves of the week and the news that drove them.
The evidence is mounting that ICE is not only unbothered by moral boundaries, but immigration and customs enforcement agents acting on behalf of President Trump believe they are not constrained by constitutional red lines, either. According to a super-secret internal memo flagged in a whistleblower complaint this week, the Fourth Amendment simply doesn’t apply to ICE. That sense of impunity is also clear in a growing chamber of horrors from their enforcement operations; from masked agents taking a child in a blue bunny hat, to the shooting of Renee Good. Worryingly, this sweeping concept of immunity is kind of true—though maybe not for the reason you think. This week on Amicus, Dahlia Lithwick talks with Alex Reinert, the Max Freund Professor of Litigation & Advocacy at Cardozo School of Law. He is also the director of the Center for Rights and Justice and Co-Director of the Floersheimer Center for Constitutional Democracy. Alex explains the origins of qualified immunity—a legal theory that allows law enforcement officers to be free from consequences for their actions—why ICE’s lawlessness is not a new phenomenon (even if it is a phenomenon in hyperdrive under Trump), and what we can do about the obvious problem of maximal impunity for the people who have the most power to inflict harm.
Want more Amicus? Join Slate Plus to unlock weekly bonus episodes with exclusive legal analysis. Plus, you’ll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. You can subscribe directly from the Amicus show page on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Or, visit slate.com/amicusplus to get access wherever you listen.
The vast island of Greenland has found itself at the centre of a geopolitical crisis. But a little bit of geography can help us see the situation in a new light.
YouTuber and map expert Jay Foreman explains how Mercator maps - the maps that the vast majority of us use to understand the world - contain necessary but massive distortions and hugely exaggerate the size of the Arctic island.
So, why is making a flat map of a round globe so difficult? Why did we end up with a problematic map in the first place? And are there any alternatives?
Presenter: Tim Harford
Producer: Nathan Gower
Series Producer: Tom Colls
Editor: Richard Vadon
Programme Coordinator: Brenda Brown
Sound Engineer: James Beard
A senior Iranian cleric close to the ruling establishment threatened retaliation against American-linked assets across the Middle East if America attacks Iran, state media reported
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Anger is mounting over President Trump's comments about NATO troops' role in the Afghanistan war. Non-American veterans have demanded an apology, saying they fought alongside US soldiers on the front line. Also: the United States, Russia and Ukraine hold their first trilateral peace talks; the UN Human Rights Council approves an inquiry into Iran's protest crackdown; Alex Honnold postpones his controversial free solo skyscraper climb; and are you a grumbletonian -- consult the old dictionary of London slang.
