Zoe Strimpel on the collapse of Western authority, self and geopolitical understanding— and the predictably catastrophic results of our politics of retrenchment, appeasement and pacifism.
A mysterious letter detailing a supposed Islamist plot to take over schools shocked Britain in 2014. But who wrote it? From Serial Productions and The New York Times, “The Trojan Horse Affair,” an investigation that became bigger than we ever imagined. All eight parts are available now, wherever you get your podcasts.
Every culture has a different way of assigning names to people. Sometimes they use different words as names, sometimes names are in a different order, and sometimes they have completely different systems altogether.
One of the most complicated naming systems in history had to be that used by the ancient Romans. They had a very elaborate system for naming people, with different rules for men and women, and even special rules if you were adopted.
Learn more about Roman naming conventions on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily.
We have updates about the largest European ground war since WWII: the damage that's been done so far and how the rest of the world is responding.
Also, the verdict is in: what a jury decided about the three other former Minneapolis police officers who were there when George Floyd was killed.
Plus, new guidance about masks is expected today, the MLB's Spring Training was pushed back as negotiations go nowhere, and what's said to be the largest human family tree in history.
Hormone treatment and puberty blockers for children are a form of “child abuse,” Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton says.
Paxton is in the middle of a battle to protect children from a radical left that wants to corrupt them.
“If you're going to sterilize a child, whether it's through some type of chemical process or whether it's through some physical process," he says, "that's child abuse in Texas. It's not legal."
Paxton joins "The Daily Signal Podcast" to discuss his efforts to protect Texas’ children, as well as investigations of popular social media site TikTok and a lawsuit against Meta/Facebook over privacy concerns.
Also on this episode, Sen. Mike Braun, R-Ind., sits down with us to discuss the confining dangers of Obamacare and the perils of government-enforced mandates.
We also cover these stories:
Russia launches a full-scale invasion of Ukraine from several directions.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell calls on the U.S. to “ratchet the sanctions all the way up” on Russia.
Ukraine's ambassador to the U.S., Oksana Markarova, urges America and NATO to form an "anti-Putin coalition” in response to the invasion.
What does the US's disgusting history of war crimes teach us about international law? We look at the story of how the US screwed over Nicaragua and what the UN did about it. Also, we break down Gov. Abbott's gross attack on trans people. It's despicable, but what will the real life consequences be? Find out. Before that, some good news and very bad news in the efforts to hold Trump accountable for his uncountable crimes.
One of the video games that Short Wave's Scientist in Residence has been playing a lot in the pandemic is Animal Crossing, in which bits of stars fall along the beach. It got Regina thinking — what ARE shooting stars? For answers on all things asteroid, meteoroid and comet, she turns to planetary scientist Melissa Rice.
Haven't had any luck Googling to learning more about a cool phenomenon? Shoot us an email shortwave@npr.org, and we'll dig up some answers.
In interviews with the authors of The Black Agenda and Solitary, the issue of criminal justice reform is central. First, writer Anna Gifty Opoku-Agyeman talks about an essay collection from Black writers that tackles issues the U.S. faces today – that stem from racism and racist policies. She told NPR's Leila Fadel the book is arguing for the humanity of Black people. The second interview is with Alfred Woodfox, who served 43 years in prison – most of those in solitary confinement — for a crime he says he didn't commit. Woodfox told NPR's Scott Simon he struggles with claustrophobia even now.
Sen. Josh Hawley accused President Joe Biden of “haphazard, feckless foreign policy” Thursday, insisting that “we do not need American soldiers fighting in Europe.”
The Missouri Republican discussed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine during a Thursday interview with The Daily Signal's Mary Margaret Olohan at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Orlando, Florida, where he repeatedly emphasized that Biden’s “weakness” has led to the escalating situation in Ukraine.
“We need to be really clear that what the Russians are doing is absolutely wrong, that it is a violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty, and now we need a policy,” Hawley said. “Joe Biden hasn’t had any policy.”
“We should shut down Russia’s energy production and open ours,” he added. “We are the greatest energy-producing nation in the world. Joe Biden has shut down our energy production, that’s sent a message of weakness, it’s sent a message of dependence, that made us more dependent on foreign adversaries.”