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.
On this edition of the “Weekly Recap,” NLW digs in on the latest speech from SEC Chairman Gary Gensler. It appears reasonable, but does the crypto industry believe him?
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I.D.E.A.S. 2022 by CoinDesk facilitates capital flow and market growth by connecting the digital economy with traditional finance through the presenter’s mainstage, capital allocation meeting rooms and sponsor expo floor. Use code BREAKDOWN20 for 20% off the General Pass. Learn more and register at coindesk.com/ideas.
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“The Breakdown” is written, produced by and features Nathaniel Whittemore aka NLW, with editing by Rob Mitchell and research by Scott Hill. Jared Schwartz is our executive producer and our theme music is “Countdown” by Neon Beach. Music behind our sponsors today is “Razor Red” by Sam Barsh and “The Life We Had” by Moments. Image credit: Mark Wilson/Getty Images, modified by CoinDesk. Join the discussion at discord.gg/VrKRrfKCz8.
A new investigation from ProPublica reveals a million-dollar Instagram verification scheme. Reset talks with ProPublica reporter Craig Silverman to learn more about the inner workings of the scheme and the motivation of its users.
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.”
Dahlia is joined by Mary Trump and Norm Ornstein to discuss how a single Trump-appointed judge’s attempt to stick a fork in the Justice Department’s criminal investigation into potential mishandling of classified materials is part of a systemic story about American justice. And they discuss the kinds of reform needed to protect democracy and repair the judiciary. And how to handle our collective trauma so we can get it all done.
In this week’s Amicus Plus segment, Dahlia is joined by Mark Joseph Stern to talk about lawlessness at Mar a Lago, whether lawlessness at Mar-a-Lago, the Texas judge whose order this week nominally aims to cut access to HIV preventative medications, but is also setting his sights (again) on cratering the Affordable Care Act, and they probe if the current outbreak of reckless judging can be inoculated or will continue to spread unchecked.
If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get an ad-free experience across the network and exclusive content on many shows—you’ll also be supporting the work we do here on Amicus. Sign up now at slate.com/amicusplus to help support our work.
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)
Mathematics and our ability to describe the world in terms of number, shape and measurement may feel like a uniquely human ability. But is it really? Listener Mamadu from Sierra Leone wants to know: can animals count too?
CrowdScience presenter Marnie Chesterton goes on a hunt to uncover the numerical abilities of the animal kingdom. Can wild lions compare different numbers? Can you teach bees to recognise and choose specific amounts? And if the answer is yes, how do they do it? Marnie tries to find out just how deep the numerical rabbit hole goes… and comes across a parrot named Alex who is perhaps the most impressive example of animal counting of them all.
Contributors:
Brian Butterworth - emeritus professor of cognitive neuropsychology at University College London
Mai Morimoto - researcher at Queen Mary University of London
Lars Chittka - professor of sensory and behavioural ecology at Queen Mary University of London
Irene Pepperberg - comparative psychologist, and research associate at Harvard University
Sounds:
Lions from Karen McComb, emeritus professor at University of Sussex
Túngara frogs from Michael Ryan, professor of zoology at University of Texa at Austin
A few years ago, Dr. Oz gave an interview about cousin incest. He was wrong, he just didn't know he'd be running for Senate 8 years later. Plus, it's a Vexillology corner with Ted Kaye. In the Antwentig, when is a good time for pushback and when does Mike let it go?
NAVA (The North American Vexillological Association) has launched a public survey to rate the designs of over 300 U.S. municipal flags adopted since 2015. The survey will run through November 30. We encourage all Gist fans interested in vexillography to take it. With so many new flags to rate, the survey results will provide a wealth of analytical information for community leaders, scholars, designers, hobbyists, and others interested in flags. Please visit the survey at https://bit.ly/cityflag-survey-pesca to make history in American city flags!
