For much of the Cold War the United States had thousands more nuclear weapons than it needed. And it took decades for American political leaders to realise no one had ever asked: ‘how many nuclear weapons is enough?’ As for Ronald Reagan, he went into office a nuclear hawk and came out considering total disarmament. These aspects of the history the US nuclear programme are described in Fred Kaplan’s book The Bomb: Presidents, Generals, and the Secret History of Nuclear War(Simon & Schuster, 2021). Owen Bennett-Jones has been speaking with Fred Kaplan.
Owen Bennett-Jones is a freelance journalist and writer. A former BBC correspondent and presenter he has been a resident foreign correspondent in Bucharest, Geneva, Islamabad, Hanoi and Beirut. He is recently wrote a history of the Bhutto dynasty which was published by Yale University Press.
The Great Creators with Guy Raz premieres on September 20th, featuring conversations about creativity with some of the most celebrated actors, musicians and performers of our time. Each week, Guy sits down with notable and beloved entertainers to trace their life’s journey, dive deep into their work, and illuminate the source of their creativity. With each episode you’ll have a true appreciation for how your favorite creators found greatness, and might even feel inspired to ignite your own creativity.
In an upcoming episode, Guy interviews actor and theater legend Audra McDonald. She’s won six Tony Awards for her performances, more than any actor ever. They talk about how each new role scares her, and why that fear is actually essential to her work. And they discuss the exhaustive and extensive research she brings to each role, like jazz singer Billie Holiday, or Bess in George Gershwin’s musical Porgy and Bess.
The news to know for Tuesday, September 20th, 2022!
We’ll update you about the impact of Hurricane Fiona on Puerto Rico as much of the island is still without power. And new arrest numbers from the US-Mexico border set a record, so we’ll tell you what’s behind the surge.
Also, the subject of the hit podcast, ‘Serial’ has been released from prison. We’ll tell you why and explain the next big decision in the case.
Plus, what two groups found about banned books in America, what Apple is doing about a problem with its newest iPhone’s camera, and a world-renowned beer festival is back…
Queen Elizabeth II was laid to rest Monday, marking the end of the ten days of public mourning since her death on September 8th.
President Biden said in an interview that the pandemic is "over,” prompting swift criticism from public health officials. Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, host of Crooked’s “America Dissected,” tells us, there's still work to be done.
And in headlines: Hurricane Fiona left more destruction in the Caribbean, a Russian missile struck near another Ukrainian nuclear plant, and Adnan Syed, whose murder case was featured on the "Serial" podcast, was freed from prison.
Crooked Coffee is officially here. Our first blend, What A Morning, is available in medium and dark roasts. Wake up with your own bag at crooked.com/coffee
CNN, MSNBC, and ABC News all have ratings in the toilet. Public trust in mainstream media outlets has plumbed new lows as Americans realize they’re being fed a steady diet of propaganda.
So what’s going to fill that hole in the information ecosystem?
Programs such as “Counterpoints,” a new digital talk show hosted by Ryan Grim from The Intercept and Emily Jashinsky from The Federalist, hope to cut past the politics and strike straight at the truth.
Jashinsky joins this episode of “The Daily Signal Podcast” to discuss the rise of independent media outlets and how they’re taking on the giants in the industry.
College application season is approaching fast—too fast—for 16-yr old Maya and her mother, Melissa. The problem? Maya has no idea where to go or what to study. It doesn’t help that there are thousands of schools to choose from, and little transparency about their true cost. On this episode of How To!, we bring on Ron Lieber, New York Times money columnist and author of The Price You Pay for College. He shows Maya how to narrow down the list of potential colleges by asking insightful questions of the schools and, ultimately, yourself. Then he talks to Melissa about how to pay for it without harming the rest of the family’s finances.
Ron’s questions for parents:
What do you remember your parent or parents saying to you the first time they talked about what college would cost and what, if anything, they would pay?
Or if there was silence around the topic of paying for college, what did it speak?
How much was your parent or your parents willing to pay for your education? How did you feel about that?
If your parents paid your way, is it possible that you should not feel obligated to do the same, given how much the world has changed?
And if your parents paid nothing, have you asked yourself whether 15 years of extreme thrift starting now (or going deep into debt 15 years from now to pay for your child’s first-choice college) may not erase whatever pain lingers from that period long ago -- or may create new conflict with your spouse and kids?
How much might you be willing to borrow -- or delay repayment of your own student loans?
How long are you willing to delay retirement to meet this goal?
Do you have a question without an answer? Send us a note at howto@slate.com or leave us a voicemail at 646-495-4001 and we might have you on the show. Subscribe for free on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen.
Podcast production by Derek John, Rosemary Belson, and Kevin Bendis.
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An obsession with Hunter Biden’s laptop has been written off as the byproduct of a right-wing media bubble—but the reality is that what you don’t know can hurt you. It’s past time for Democrats and their supporters to confront some uncomfortable facts.
Guest: Olivia Nuzzi, Washington Correspondent for New York magazine.
If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Amicus—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.
On today’s show Ron Desantis' performative cruelty wins rave reviews from the Republican base. Donald Trump goes full QAnon in Ohio. Democrat Tony Evers stops by to talk about his race to hold the governorship in Wisconsin, and then Lovett debuts a new game called Culture War.
For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
More than fifteen years ago a woman, authorities call an eco-terrorist, slipped through the fingers of the FBI and vanished. Leah Sottile meets the agent she evaded, who’s made it his mission to see her caught before he retires.
CREDITS
Presenter: Leah Sottile
Producer: Georgia Catt
Written by: Leah Sottile and Georgia Catt
Fact Checking: Rob Byrne
Music and Sound Design: Phil Channell
Music including theme music by Echo Collective, composed performed and produced by Neil Leiter & Margaret Hermant; recorded, mixed and produced by Fabien Leseure
Artwork by Danny Crossley with Art Direction by Amy Fullalove
Script recorded and mixed by Slater Swan at Anjuna Recording Studio
Series Mixing and Studio Engineer: Sarah Hockley
Editor: Philip Sellars
Assistant Commissioner: Natasha Johansson
Commissioner: Dylan Haskins
Featuring footage from the FBI
Burn Wild is a BBC Audio Documentaries Production for BBC Sounds and Radio 5 Live.
