In Ali Smith's Gliff, two children wake up to find that someone has painted a red line around their home. They've been marked "unverifiable" and they're at risk of being captured. The dystopian near-future in which they live is a world of government surveillance and environmental destruction – and one without libraries. In today's episode, Smith talks with NPR's Scott Simon about the authoritarian themes in her novel. They discuss what makes authoritarianism feel attractive and safe, Smith's former career as an advertising copywriter, and the connection between slogans and tribalism.
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As Donald Trump has demonstrated, losing an election is no reason to admit you lost an election. In fact, in North Carolina, the Republican challenger, who lost a race for the state’s Supreme Court, is testing a bold new strategy of disqualifying ballots until he gets the result he wants. And if he succeeds, it could start a trend.
Guest: Mark Joseph Stern, Slate senior writer covering courts and the law.
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Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme, Ethan Oberman, and Rob Gunther.
The U.S. tested nuclear weapons until the early 1990s. Since then, scientists have been using supercomputers and experiments to simulate nuclear test detonations, without detonating any nukes. But there are signs the world's nuclear powers may be readying to test again: Russia, China and the U.S. are all upgrading their nuclear test sites.
NPR science correspondent Geoff Brumfiel was among a small group of journalists allowed to tour an underground laboratory where this research happens.
Read more of science correspondent Geoff Brumfiel's reporting here.
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Kath joins us for our annual review of the Big Game spectacle. We give our appraisal of what this year’s ad slate says about the state of American culture, plus reactions to Kendrick Lamar’s halftime show, and how conservatives continue to be oppressed by the TV. Then the Washington Post’s Jeff Stein joins us to discuss his reporting on what exactly Elon Musk & the DOGE team are trying to do to the federal government.
Jeff’s piece on Elon & DOGE: https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2025/02/08/doge-musk-goals/
If you’re in LA, check out Jacques & Grace’s Game Show Pig variety show at the Loge Room this Wednesday, 2/12: https://www.lodgeroomhlp.com/shows/game-show-pig/
Amanda Holmes reads Mark Strand’s “My Mother on an Evening in Late Summer.” Have a suggestion for a poem by a (dead) writer? Email us: podcast@theamericanscholar.org. If we select your entry, you’ll win a copy of a poetry collection edited by David Lehman.
This episode was produced by Stephanie Bastek and features the song “Canvasback” by Chad Crouch.
Unelected "special government employee" Elon Musk continues to lead an unprecedented flurry of changes and cuts to US institutions - supporters call it good budgeting; critics call it an attack on democracy. Rising egg prices lead to a massive heist, and Waffle House is charging a per-egg fee to diners. The Pentagon changes its media stance, Google lifts its long-standing ban on AI weaponry. Oh, and Zombie Spiders. All this and more in this week's strange news segment.
This episode touches on crypto marketing with Kraken's CMO Mayur Gupta who shares how technical expertise, brand values and customer trust can drive digital finance innovation.
Mayur Gupta, Chief Marketing and Growth Officer at Kraken, brings unique insight as a former developer turned marketing executive at one of crypto's longest-standing exchanges. In this episode, Mayur discusses the evolution of marketing in tech companies, the false dichotomy between brand and performance marketing and his vision for crypto adoption globally.
In Chinese, belief means trust. For 10 years, Consensus has united those who believe in building a new internet where everyone has value. Join us at Consensus Hong Kong February 18 - 20, 2025 where belief becomes real. Connect with global leaders, innovators, and investors shaping the future of Web3, and experience the power of collaboration at the industry's most influential event. Register now: https://go.coindesk.com/3BeigBq
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"Gen C" features hosts Sam Ewen and Avery Akkineni. Executive produced by by Uyen Truong. Our theme music is "1882” by omgkirby x Channel Tres with editing by Doc Blust. Artwork by Nicole Marie Rincon.