Today we have on Bridget Read, the author of a great new book called “Little Bosses Everywhere: How the Pyramid Scheme Shaped America.” (Out today!) We talk about the history of the MLM (multi-level marketing) from its alleged origins with the Yankee peddler and the frontier and the more insidious real story of eugenicists, scammers, and quackery. A lot of questions you might have about pyramid schemes and MLMs will be answered here: Why do they all do vitamins and supplements? Why did AmWay and the DeVos family have such a hold on Trump? Great book. Take a listen.
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Tears for Fears is a duo formed in 1981 in Bath, England by Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith. They’ve sold over 30 million albums, starting with their first, The Hurting, which went to number one in the UK. But it was their second album, Songs from the Big Chair, that made them international stars. It came out in 1985, and had huge singles like “Shout” and "Head Over Heels.” But their biggest hit is “Everybody Wants to Rule the World.” It won Best Single at the BRIT Awards in 1986, and it’s been streamed over 2 billion times. So I talked to the two of them about how they, along with their producer Chris Hughes and keyboard player Ian Stanley, made a song that would help define the sound of the 80s.
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An investigation into a new dangerous people smuggling route through Northern Kenya.
Why are large and ongoing protests continuing in Morocco?
And food fraud: what is it? And why is it dangerous?
Presenter: Audrey Brown
Producers: Amie Liebowitz, Stefania Okereke and Tom Kavanagh in London with Blessing Adegroba in Lagos
Technical producer: Jonathan Greer
Senior Producer: Paul Bakibinga
Editors: Andre Lombard and Alice Muthengi.
If you had a war between India and Pakistan on your 2025 bingo card, congratulations—because nobody else did, including the Trump administration. What are the possible consequences, and how will they interfere with Trump's trip to the Middle East in the coming days? Give a listen.
Pakistan says India's missile attack has ignited an "inferno in the region". India claims it targeted terrorist infrastructure. Also: Joe Biden speaks to the BBC, and cardinals gather to elect the next Pope.
And it’s looking like they won’t. As the Federal Reserve meets to determine the future of interest rates, don't hold your breath for any rate cuts. We'll give a preview of what to expect and hear about the added pressures the Fed is under given President Donald Trump's trade war. Plus, a handful of companies are responsible for major productivity growth, and Canadian truckers are being hit hard by tariffs.
As the state of New York works to eliminate school mascots with Native American names and imagery, they have run into a powerful adversary: the federal government. The U.S. Department of Education launched an investigation into whether the state is violating the civil rights of Long Island's Massapequa School District by forcing them to change their “Chiefs” mascot. President Donald Trump personally weighed in, expressing his support for keeping the mascot. A lawyer for the school says the issue is “the battleground for the preservation of our history and values nationwide.” We’ll hear about the issues at play in New York and how it affects other efforts by other states and cities to end offensive Native mascots.
Udi Wertheimer discusses Bitcoin Core's controversial OP_RETURN changes, mounting community backlash, and why Core developers are losing social capital with Bitcoiners over technical decisions they can't properly communicate.
Udi Wertheimer, co-founder of the Taproot Wizards and famous Bitcoin provocateur, joins us to talk about the explosive OP_RETURN debate dividing the Bitcoin community. We dive deep into why Bitcoin Core developers are facing unprecedented backlash, how they've lost touch with newer Bitcoiners, and what Greg Maxwell's sudden reappearance signals about Core's weakening position. Udi offers surprising insights on both sides and proposes solutions for rebuilding trust between developers and the community.
Follow our guests: @udiwertheimer
**Notes:**
• OP_RETURN controversy spans over a decade
• Greg Maxwell returns after years of silence
• Core devs disconnected from 5+ year Bitcoiners
• ~50 readers engage with Bitcoin OpTech weekly
• 6-month delay suggested for PR merge
• JPEGs benefit from controversy attention
Timestamps:
00:00 Start
03:08 OP_RETURN Debate Summary
10:21 SPAM on Bitcoin
17:17 Is this a Core blunder?
27:26 How SHOULD Core do?
34:42 What if Core doesn't communicate better?
37:38 What does a pleb do?
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Where did all these teens come from? Harmony Colangelo, co-host of This Ends at Prom, is here to explain how, before Americans got to worry about what teenagers were up to, we first had to decide what they were—and how a boom in postwar educational films taught a generation of adolescents what not to do.
Caleb O. Brown hosted the Cato Daily Podcast for nearly 18 years, producing well over 4000 episodes. He has gone on to head Kentucky’s Bluegrass Institute. This is one among the best episodes produced in his tenure, selected by the host and listeners.
