Jon and Dan talk about Trump's disturbing first week in office, including his Executive Orders, ABC interview, and voter fraud lies. Then they're joined by DNC Chair candidate Tom Perez to talk about the future of the Democratic Party.
The Gist - Don’t Mind Us, We’re Just Collapsing
The Dow hitting 20,000 might sounds like great news to you, but to anthropologist Arthur Demarest, it’s an ominous echo of what he’s seen befall the Maya, the Aztecs, and the Inca: a spectacular apogee followed by collapse. Demarest studies the decline of civilizations. He says his research has shown that societies that avoid total disintegration undergo some other kind of major political or economic crisis.
For the Spiel, good news. We’ve fixed the Oscars.
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The Gist - The Problem With Tracking Hate
The Southern Poverty Law Center rushed to track the surge in reported hate incidents after the election—a surge that appears to have died down. Heidi Beirich explains the SPLC’s plans to weed any hoaxes out of its data and why it’s a bad idea to minimize incidents of hate just because they don’t rise to the level of a crime.
For the Spiel, getting acquainted with Canada’s Trump(s).
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The Gist - The Truth About Vitamin C
New Yorker staff writer Maria Konnikova returns to play “Is That Bullshit?” This week, the persistent nutritional myth about vitamin C. The actual vitamin, not the singer. Maria’s most recent book is The Confidence Game. Plus, one of Barack Obama’s dreams has finally been realized: a plain white t-shirt store is open in Hawaii.
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Pod Save America - “The Mall sank into the earth.”
Jon, Jon and Tommy talk about Trump's inaugural address, the women's marches across the US and Sean Spicer's wonderful weekend. Then they're joined by Seth Meyers from "Late Night with Seth Meyers".
Crimetown - S1 E07: Power Street
March 20th, 1983. As an FBI investigation swirls around him, an increasingly unpredictable and paranoid Buddy Cianci summons a few friends to his home on the East Side of Providence. What happens there that night shocks the city.
For a full list of credits, and for more information about this episode, visit crimetownshow.com.
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Curious City - Signs Of The Times: How Chicago Bars Got So Many Old Style Signs
We uncover the history and bask in the glow of a ubiquitous Chicago bar sign.
The Gist - A Bet Against Reality
President Donald J. Trump was voted into office by an impatient electorate that had no ability to measure his rhetoric against a political record. Slate political writer Will Saletan predicts that national impatience will not be kind to Mr. Trump. Saletan is the author of Bearing Right: How Conservatives Won the Abortion War.
U.S. Rep. Mark DeSaulnier, D-Calif., joined dozens of his colleagues boycotting the inauguration. He explains what Democrats can do to draw attention to Mr. Trump's conflicts of interest.
Michael Waldman penned two inaugural addresses for former President Bill Clinton. Waldman says Mr. Trump’s speech was remarkable for what it didn’t include: any mention of the Constitution, liberty, or democracy. “Which is something that presidents do," Waldman said. "It’s almost like a religious incantation in these speeches.”
For the Spiel, some non-Trump news. How Gambia got its groove and the fight against fake news in Sweden.
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50 Things That Made the Modern Economy - Antibiotics
In 1928 a young bacteriologist named Alexander Fleming failed to tidy up his petri dishes before going home to Scotland on holiday. On his return, he famously noticed that one dish had become mouldy in his absence, and the mould was killing the bacteria he’d used the dish to cultivate. It’s hard to overstate the impact of antibiotics on medicine, farming and the way we live. But, as Tim Harford explains, the story of antibiotics is a cautionary one. And unhelpful economic incentives are in large part to blame.
Producer: Ben Crighton
Editors: Richard Knight and Richard Vadon
(Image: Penicillin Fungi, Credit: Science Photo/Shutterstock)
the memory palace - Episode 102 (The Presidency of William Henry Harrison, or Back in the Saddle)
The Memory Palace is a proud member of Radiotopia, from PRX, a curated network of extraordinary, story-driven shows.
Music
- We start with (and later return to) And Grace by David Darling.
- Robert Farnon and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra play Captain Horatio Hornblower R.N. Suite II: The Wind which turns into Niggun for Solo Bassoon by Philippe Hersant.
- Then we hit Neon Lights by Kraftwerk from The Man Machine.
- And The Gentle Softness, the love theme to Enter The Dragon from Lalo Schifrin’s score.
- And hit up our friends Lullatone at the end with Origami Tulips.