President Biden has a little more than 2 months until his term is up. The time between administrations is called a "lame duck period" for a reason.
So what bread crumbs could that Delaware duck look to finish off before exiting the pond?
Well, Biden officials are working on rushing out the last bits of aid to Ukraine before the end of his term. In the meantime, President-elect Donald Trump is building what will be his team for the next four years.
We discuss what the next few months will look like for the new administration and the one in its final days.
In Argentina, President Javier Milei is celebrating both the success of this radical cost cutting in lowering inflation and the re-election of Donald Trump in the U.S. The ultra-libertarian has said that he wants to "make Argentina great again" and is travelling to Florida to congratulate Trump in person. We hear how Argentinians are reacting.
And without a war, a revolution or even a debate, plans for a brand new country were announced by Albania's prime minister. We learn why.
The future is growing brighter, and more efficient, for the entertainment giant.
(00:13) Jason Moser and Ricky Mulvey discuss:
- Highlights from Disney’s quarter.
- The future of ESPN.
- Amazon’s new discount shopping venture, Haul.
Then, (17:36) Motley Fool Senior Analyst Yasser El-Shimy joins Ricky for a look at Rocket Lab, why investors are getting “euphoric” about the company and risks to watch.
Before December, the United Nations aims to have a global treaty in place covering efforts to limit global plastic production and pollution. In a paper in the journal Science, a team of scientists have used machine learning to estimate what happens by 2050 if we do nothing. But they have also found that the problem is solvable, with the right political will, and as marine ecologist Neil Nathan of UCSB points out, with surprisingly little new rules, waste could be reduced by 91%.
Machine learning this week has also helped in the creation of Evo, a tool that has created a sort of chat-GPT for the language of life, DNA. Patrick Hsu, of the University of California at Berkeley is very optimistic that the power of this tool both to predict function and one day even design whole organisms is a foundational new approach.
Migratory birds navigate vast distances without GPS. It’s long been strongly suspected that they use the earth’s magnetic field to find their way, but Richard Holland of Bangor University and colleagues have found nuance in the way they do, and publish their findings in Proceedings of the Royal Society B this week. Using electromagnetic cages they have fooled individual warblers into acting as if they were in Russia, whilst actually still being in Austria.
Meanwhile, Daniele Sorini, a cosmologist at Durham University has been thinking about dark energy and the possibility of our existence. In a thought experiment wondering what changing the density of dark energy would do to the likelihood of our being here to even think about it. Slightly contrary to what many reason is the fine-tuning of universal constants to allow us, as intelligent observers, to exist, Daniele and colleagues calculate that actually our observed density of dark energy is not the most likely to allow intelligent life. If there are other universes in the multiverse, most observers would think there was much more dark energy than we do. You can read up about it in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, if you are an intelligent observer yourself.
Presenter: Roland Pease
Producer: Alex Mansfield with Eliane Glaser
Production Coordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth
(Image: Plastic waste issues in Philippines. Credit: Daniel Ceng/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Leaders from around the world are meeting in Azerbaijan for the U.N.’s COP29 climate conference. With Donald Trump’s recent election victory looming over the event, the U.S.’s role will be diminished. WSJ’s Matthew Dalton explains why this moment might be China’s chance to shine.
When you think of a family business, one of two images probably comes to mind: either the mom and pop shop around the corner or the dysfunctional family from “Succession.” But actually, “it could be anything,” says Jennifer M. Pendergast, family enterprise consultant and professor at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.
Last episode, we looked into the oldest family business in Chicago. And this got us thinking about family enterprise in general: Why do family members end up in business together? What happens when they do? Should they?
Curious City’s Erin Allen sat down with Pendergast to talk about this, plus why she says family business is the “backbone of the economy.”
Trump's appointments—like degenerate Matt Gaetz and Putin stooge Tulsi Gabbard—are about his raw power and his stupid show, but are also a risk to our nation's security and institutions. Plus, America's diploma divide has trapped us in a caste society, where future leaders are being chosen based on how they performed on standardized tests at age 18.
Though ending the Department of Education is a good idea, even fans of school choice ought to be wary of President-elect Trump's plan to nationalize school choice. Neal McCluskey explains why.
This episode features a candid conversation with Jasiel Martin-Odoom, Africa Investment Officer at Accion Venture Lab, exploring the intersection of venture capital and connectivity-focused content creation and ecosystem building in African tech.
Episode overview:
Andile Masuku sits down with Jasiel Martin-Odoom to unpack his unique approach to ecosystem engagement, scaling personal impact through content creation and driving value for founders across Africa. Reflecting on his experience transitioning from investment banking to fintech-focused impact VC, Martin-Odoom offers actionable insights on building authentic connections in the digital age.
Key topics:
• Authenticity in digital ecosystem building
• Content creation as deal flow mechanism
• Impact investing in African markets
• The evolution of venture capital engagement
• Scaling personal impact through technology
• Building sustainable founder relationships
Notable points:
1) Martin-Odoom's consistent content creation spanning 792 days
2) His transition from 100 to 11,000 social media followers through authentic at-scale engagement
3) The development of AI-powered content scaling systems
4) Sneak-peek into Accion Venture Lab's investment thesis
5) Perspectives on democratising access to investor insights
Listen in for practical insights into modern ecosystem building and venture capital engagement in Africa's dynamic tech landscape.
