Forget the north south divide, what about the ‘squeezed middle’? Tom Sutcliffe and guests discuss the cultural and political status of the country’s ‘second city’ Birmingham.
The writer Kit de Waal looks back at growing up in the city, caught between three worlds – Irish, Caribbean and British – in her memoir Without Warning and Only Sometimes. The historian Richard Vinen argues, in his new book Second City, that Birmingham is the overlooked heart of modern Britain, and the remnants of the West Midland’s Victorian industrial heyday can be glimpsed in the poetry of Liz Berry – in The Dereliction and Black Country.
The news to know for Monday, September 12th, 2022!
What to know about Ukraine’s breakthrough on the 200th day of war that sent Russian troops retreating. It’s being called the one of Russia’s biggest setbacks so far.
And we’ll take you to the UK as the late Queen Elizabeth II begins her final journey while the the new king makes his first official speech.
Also: why a change coming to your credit card statement is causing a gun rights debate.
Plus: a historic U.S. open win, major changes coming to Major League Baseball, and what to expect on TV’s biggest night tonight (the Emmys!)…
In Nickel and Dimed, author Barbara Ehrenreich lives the life of a low-wage worker and explores how unsustainable poverty is, as well as how easy it can be for one to get stuck in a vicious cycle. In this conversation with John Ydstie from 2001, Ehrenreich, who died earlier this month, discusses the symptoms of a profit-driven society and the issues that echo those today.
In this installment of Best Of The Gist, some extra bonus content from our Wednesday interview with New Yorker staff writer Susan Orlean about her craft and the obituaries she’s been writing. And then we listen back to Wednesday’s Spiel about the recent $438.5 ruling against Juul for its role in marking vaping products to kids.
You may have strong feelings one way or the other about the Biden administration’s recently-announced plan to forgive some student loan debt. We covered the basics of the plan when it was first announced a couple of weeks ago during our daily news roundups. But today, we’re digging deeper into the potential pros and cons to the individuals impacted and the overall U.S. economy.
Today’s first guest is the director of economic policy at the Bipartisan Policy Center, Shai Akabas. His areas of expertise include higher education – specifically, how we finance it.
Then later, you’ll learn more about exactly who is eligible and how to get the debt relief if you are. We’re getting answers from financial coach Meagan Landress, a certified student loan professional with the company “Student Loan Planner.”
Pakistan is battling a huge natural disaster as a result of heavy monsoon rains. It?s been widely reported that a third of the country is under water. But can that really be the case? Featuring the BBC?s correspondent in Pakistan Pumza Fihlani and Dr Simon Cook, a senior lecturer in Environmental Science at the University of Dundee.
Presenter: Tim Harford
Producer: Jon Bithrey
Editor: Richard Vadon
Production Coordinator: Jacqui Johnson
Sound Engineers: Graham Puddifoot & James Beard
(Image: aerial photograph of flooded residential areas after heavy monsoon rains in Dera Allah Yar, Balochistan province. Credit: Getty/Fida Hussain)
