We'll explain new details about how the Taliban is enforcing the law and getting access to American weapons, all while more people are determined to have a voice in Afghanistan.
Also, a bomb threat near the U.S. Capitol. What officers found after an hours-long standoff.
Plus, the federal government is suing Facebook again, which live shows and movies are getting delayed this year, and an online retail giant is preparing to open a department store.
On the same day Facebook announced the launch of “Horizon Workrooms,” a virtual reality app for remote work meetings, the Federal Trade Commission filed an updated antitrust suit against the company. The FTC argues that Facebook tried to maintain a monopoly in the social media sphere through acquisitions of Instagram in 2012 and WhatsApp in 2014, and lessened the ability of contending apps like Vine to compete. Previously, a federal judge said the FTC failed to prove its contention that Facebook holds a monopoly, but with new FTC chair Lina Khan heading the more detailed suit this time around, Facebook may be forced to break up.
House Democrats introduced HR 4, the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, which is expected to be taken up by Congress next week. HR 4 is less sweeping than HR 1, the For the People Act, but contains measures that reinstate oversight powers of the Voting Rights Act, and make it easier for courts and observers to block election law changes. Though HR 4 is more limited, only one Republican in the Senate, Lisa Murkowski, is likely to support it, which means Democrats need nine more Republicans to bypass the filibuster.
And in headlines: Taliban members go door-to-door to hunt U.S. allies, OnlyFans bans sexually explicit videos, and Sha’carri Richardson returns to the track.
For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday
Mixed messages about COVID-19 from the media, politicians, and public heath officials have left many Americans questioning what information they can trust.
Across the nation, some political leaders and health experts continue to push for individuals to be vaccinated. We now know, however, that those who are vaccinated still may be infected by the coronavirus and contract COVID-19, although they remain far less likely to be hospitalized or die than those who are unvaccinated and contract COVID-19.
Vaccination data tells a positive story and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention should relay all the facts to Americans, says Kevin Dayaratna, who is principal statistician, data scientist, and research fellow at The Heritage Foundation, parent organization of The Daily Signal.
“The safety and the efficacy of the vaccines was tested last year. And we are continuing to see data and there are overall overwhelmingly no serious effects,” he says.
Dayaratna and Norbert Michel, director of Heritage’s Center for Data Analysis, just released a new report examining the effectiveness of the vaccines against the delta variant. The report, “A Statistical Analysis of COVID-19 Breakthrough Infections and Deaths,” dives deep into the data and facts about the spread of the virus and the efficacy of the vaccines.
Dayaratna joins “The Daily Signal Podcast” to explain what you need to know.
We also cover these stories:
President Joe Biden defended his handling of Afghanistan in a new interview.
Dozens of senators are calling on the Biden administration to move faster to evacuate Special Immigrant Visa holders from Afghanistan.
The Department of Education announced it was cancelling student loans for over 300,000 disabled Americans.
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In 1987, Anita Borg, AnitaB.org's namesake, saw how few women were at a "systems" conference. A few casual chats turned into the listserv, Systers, which continues to offer a place for women in engineering to meet and discuss.
Grace Hopper—that's Navy Rear Admiral Hopper to you, civilian—was the first to devise a theory of programming languages that were machine-independent. She created the FLOW-MATIC programming language, which served as the basis for COBOL.
Quincy started in electrical engineering and learned FORTRAN. That experience with how computers operate on hardware helped her teach C++. The difference is like listening to vinyl vs. mp3s.
Should UX designers create technology that you need to adapt to or adapts to you? And will different generations create different interaction paradigms?
It's summer, which for some means spare time at the beach, splashing in the waves and...building sandcastles. On today's episode, Emily Kwong asks: Scientifically, what is the best way to make a sandcastle? What's the right mix of water and sand to create grand staircases and towers? Sedimentologist Matthew Bennett shares his research — and personal — insights. Happy building!
Wondering what science and engineering are behind other summertime activities? Or just want to share your greatest sandcastle creations? Shoot us an email at shortwave@npr.org.
In our final conversation for “Reimagine Chicago: Public Safety,” we talk to the deputy inspector general of Chicago and a civilian within the police department to discuss why some reforms are harder than others to get done.
For more Reset interviews, subscribe to this podcast. And please give us a rating, it helps other listeners find us.
For more about Reset, go to wbez.org and follow us on Twitter @WBEZReset
As many as 100,000 Afghans — those who worked with the U.S. military over the years, and their families — are trying to get out of the country. But access to the Kabul airport is controlled by the Taliban, and the American military says evacuating American citizens is its 'first priority.'
Among the Afghans trying to flee are those who've applied for or been granted a Special Immigrant VISA. James Miervaldis, chairman of No One Left Behind — which helps Afghan and Iraqi interpreters resettle in the U.S. — tells NPR the process has been frustratingly slow.
For Afghans and the families who do make it out, those who wind up in the United States will be offered help from organizations like the Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service. Krish O'Mara Vignarajah, the group's president and CEO, tells NPR how the resettlement process unfolds.
This episode also features stories from family members of Afghan refugees already living in the U.S., which which first aired on NPR's Weekend Edition Saturday, with production from Hiba Ahmad and Ed McNulty. Correspondent Eleanor Beardsley in Paris reported on Afghan refugees in France.
