Author Allison Epstein says when she read Oliver Twist, she found Charles Dickens' portrayal of Fagin, the novel's central scoundrel, to be stereotypical and antisemitic. But there was also something about the character that piqued her curiosity. Now, her new novel Fagin the Thief gives that character a backstory – and a literary second chance. In today's episode, Epstein speaks with NPR's Scott Simon about her research into where someone like Fagin might've grown up, her reimagination of the character's intentions, and how she came to view Dickens as a working writer.
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What Next | Daily News and Analysis - A Tea Party for the Democrats?
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Bernie Sanders are holding packed rallies on their “Fighting Oligarchy” tour. The energy is there, but what is the message and how could it translate to a win for the down-and-out Democratic Party?
Guest: David Weigel, national political reporter at Semafor.
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Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme, Ethan Oberman, and Rob Gunther.
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Engines of Our Ingenuity - The Engines of Our Ingenuity 2249: Mrs. Coade’s Stone
Episode: 2249 Mrs. Coade's remarkable stones. Today, architectural historian Margaret Culbertson tells about a woman who made artificial stone.
The Stack Overflow Podcast - “The power of the humble embedding”
Read Me a Poem - “Käthe Kollwitz” by Muriel Rukeyser
Amanda Holmes reads Muriel Rukeyser’s “Käthe Kollwitz.” 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.
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It Could Happen Here - Miniature Ethnic Cleansing: Encampment Sweeps in Oakland
Mia talks with Emma and Sathya, who do advocacy and support work for unhoused people, about Oakland's brutal regime of encampment sweeps.
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array(3) { [0]=> string(150) "https://www.omnycontent.com/d/programs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/78d30acb-8463-4c40-a5ae-ae2d0145c9ff/image.jpg?t=1749835422&size=Large" [1]=> string(10) "image/jpeg" [2]=> int(0) }Freakonomics Radio Archives - Freakonomics - The Rat Man
A full-length conversation with Robert Sullivan, who wrote the best book on rats you’ll ever read. To get subscriber-only episodes, sign up for SiriusXM Podcasts+ on Apple Podcasts or by visiting siriusxm.com/podcastsplus.
The post The Rat Man appeared first on Freakonomics.
array(3) { [0]=> string(0) "" [1]=> string(0) "" [2]=> int(0) }This Machine Kills - Patreon Preview – 399. The Business of Management (ft. Katie Wells)
We are joined by Katie Wells — Director of Research at Groundwork Collaborative — to discuss her new report with the Fairwork Project which examines the current labor conditions in the gig platform market in the US. We chat about how core features of the broader economy are becoming extremely abnormal — prices are no longer fixed and standard, income is piecemeal and unstable, people can use short-term credit to buy their fast food dinner, platform services are integrating with and replacing government services. The abnormalities keep piling up until they become the new normal. Plus we draw connections between the managerial techniques of platform companies and private equity firms.
••• Fairwork US Ratings 2025: When AI Eats the Manager https://fair.work/en/fw/publications/fairwork-us-ratings-2025/
Standing Plugs:
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Hosted by Jathan Sadowski (bsky.app/profile/jathansadowski.com) and Edward Ongweso Jr. (www.x.com/bigblackjacobin). Production / Music by Jereme Brown (bsky.app/profile/jebr.bsky.social)
CBS News Roundup - 03/24/2025 | World News Roundup Late Edition
Trump administration texts journalist Yemen attack plans. Hyundai to invest billions in Louisiana steel plant. Appeals court panel appears divided on Trump's deportation of immigrants under wartime law. CBS News Correspondent Jennifer Keiper with tonight's World News Roundup.
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Consider This from NPR - Trump targets Big Law, and Big Law appears intimidated
For weeks, President Trump has been issuing executive orders and memos that levy or threaten sanctions on major law firms.
The moves suspend security clearances, cancel government contracts, bar employees from federal buildings — and other actions that threaten their ability to represent their clients.
While Trump complains the law firms employed "very dishonest people," legal experts say Trump is retaliating against firms who have represented his political opponents or, in one case, rehired an attorney who had left his position to help prosecute a case against Trump.
We hear from Rachel Cohen, who publicly resigned from her law firm in protest.
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The moves suspend security clearances, cancel government contracts, bar employees from federal buildings — and other actions that threaten their ability to represent their clients.
While Trump complains the law firms employed "very dishonest people," legal experts say Trump is retaliating against firms who have represented his political opponents or, in one case, rehired an attorney who had left his position to help prosecute a case against Trump.
We hear from Rachel Cohen, who publicly resigned from her law firm in protest.
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