Britain has elected a Labour government for the first time in 14 years. The party inherits a spattered legacy and a country that is often seen as a laughing stock internationally. We consider Sir Keir Starmer’s long to-do list: growing the economy, mending Britain’s reputation…and moving house within 24 hours.
Today's episode features two interviews with Kevin Kwan, author of the Crazy Rich Asians series. First, former NPR host Lulu Garcia-Navarro spoke to the writer in 2020 about Sex and Vanity, exploring identity through the lens of a biracial character and setting a new trilogy between Europe and the U.S. Then, Here & Now's Robin Young asks Kwan about his newest novel, Lies and Weddings, and his thoughts on the fascination with wealth and power in literature.
To listen to Book of the Day sponsor-free and support NPR's book coverage, sign up for Book of the Day+ at plus.npr.org/bookoftheday
Jason Hill was born and raised in New York, and post college, went back to New York and joined the financial services - though, he was always into technology. Eventually, he moved to South Florida because every time he was in New York, he couldn't wait to leave. He enjoys playing poker, pickleball, and spending time with his two kids.
Jason has been a podcaster for many years, interviewing founders and creators of new startup and tech solutions. When COVID hit, he was struck with how difficult it was to connect with individuals via audio call. He validated an idea he had, and combining his ambition and a little bit of boredom, he got a crew building a solution.
Britain's Labour Party won the UK general election by a landslide, ending 14 years of Conservative Party rule. The US government is using new tactics to address the problem of critically low water levels in the Colorado River, and Republican voters in Florida reject the idea of man-made climate change despite Florida being among the states most vulnerable to climate disasters.
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Today's episode of Up First was edited by Mark Katkov, Eric Whitney, Matthew Schuerman, Janaya Williams and Olivia Hampton. It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Ben Abrams and Lindsay Totty. We get engineering support from Hannah Gluvna. And our technical director is Zac Coleman.
In Australia, more than six people were hospitalised suffering from hallucinations and persistent vomiting. The thing they all had in common? They ate a specific brand of hemp-infused mushroom gummies, which have since been recalled.
But why take mushroom supplements in the first place? Social media claims fungi harnesses the power to unlock your hidden potential, to increase concentration and reduce stress. This week’s panel looks into the evidence. Will these claims crumble under scrutiny?
Professor David Nutt pulls magic mushrooms out of the magicians hat to expose its secrets. These recreational drugs are classified as a psychedelic, causing users to hallucinate. Find out what hallucinations are and why David believes this shroom, illegal in much of the world, could become a key ingredient in medicinal treatments sometime soon.
Also, the first chemist on record, how touch screens can tell the difference between your finger and an inanimate object, and why some songs get stuck between your ears.
Presenter: Alex Lathbridge
Panellists: Christine Yohannes and Godfred Boafo
Producers: Harrison Lewis, Alice Lipscombe-Southwell, Noa Dowling and Florian Bohr
What does an art history of Instagram look like? Appreciation Post: Towards an Art History of Instagram(University of California Press, 2024) by Dr. Tara Ward reveals how Instagram shifts long-established ways of interacting with images. Dr. Ward argues Instagram is a structure of the visual, which includes not just the process of looking, but what can be seen and by whom. She examines features of Instagram use, including the effect of scrolling through images on a phone, the skill involved in taking an “Instagram-worthy” picture, and the desires created by following influencers, to explain how the constraints imposed by Instagram limit the selves that can be displayed on it. The proliferation of technical knowledge, especially among younger women, revitalises on Instagram the myth of the masculine genius and a corresponding reinvigoration of a masculine audience for art.
Dr. Ward prompts scholars of art history, gender studies, and media studies to attend to Instagram as a site of visual expression and social consequence. Through its insightful comparative analysis and acute close reading, Appreciation Post argues for art history’s value in understanding the contemporary world and the visual nature of identity today.
This interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose new book focuses on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty negotiation and implementation in civil war contexts, with qualitative analysis of the Angolan and Mozambican civil wars.
The month of July is named after Julius Caesar. In 44 BC, after his assassination, the Roman Senate renamed the month of Quintilis after him in honor of the month he was born.
The fact that he was appointed dictator for life probably had something to do with it.
All the emperors that came later never changed it, so instead of Quintilis, we have July.
So stay tuned for the Quintilis episode of questions and answers on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily.
This decision is absolutely outrageous. It is in the hall of fame of worst Supreme Court Decisions in our nation's history. It's that bad. As such, we recorded a ton, there is yelling involved. And cursing. And we even did an extra length patron episode to answer some of your questions. Neil Gorsuch recently promised that the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision on presidential immunity would be one “for the ages,” and Chief Justice John Roberts has certainly delivered here. In this special episode recorded on the 248th anniversary of history’s most famous rejection of monarchical tyranny, we review the historical context and (alleged) legal foundations of Trump v. U.S. (July 1, 2024). How much power has the Supreme Court just given future presidents? Are the unusually stark warnings of the authoritarian consequences of this decision from the liberal dissenters as “disproportionate” as Roberts claims, or are they exactly proportionate to the broad protections against investigation and prosecution which it seems to provide?
Matt shares his perspective from nearly two decades of working with people seeking asylum from failed (and failing) democracies, and we close with our hopes for a better American future.
