Month: May 2025

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Good Bad Billionaire - Masayoshi Son: High-tech gambler

Investor Masayoshi Son became notorious for making huge bets on technology companies. He once lost 96% of his fortune, but he’s still a billionaire thanks to successes like Yahoo! and Alibaba. BBC business editor Simon Jack and journalist Zing Tsjeng tell the tale of the billionaire who founded the conglomerate SoftBank and was once, very briefly, the richest person in the world. As the child of Korean immigrants in Japan, Son’s childhood took in sharing a home with pigs, an obsession with the businessman who brought McDonald’s to Japan, and a move to study in the USA aged 16. The podcast that tells tales of titans of technology, Wall Street moguls, pop stars, sporting legends, CEOs and entrepreneurs also explain how Son overcame a diagnosis that meant he was once given just two years to live. Then Simon and Zing decide if Son is good, bad, or just another billionaire.

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The Economics of Everyday Things - Little League (Replay)

Youth baseball — long a widely accessible American pastime — has become overrun by $10,000-per-year, for-profit travel leagues. Zachary Crockett peers inside the dugout.

 

  • SOURCES:
    • Linda Flanagan, author.
    • Nick Mackenzie, future New York Yankees shortstop.
    • R.J. Mackenzie, physical education teacher and baseball dad.
    • John Miller, journalist and baseball coach.

 

 

 

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PBS News Hour - Science - What the dismissal of hundreds of scientists means for a flagship climate report

In late April, the Trump administration told hundreds of scientists and experts that they were no longer needed to compile the next national climate assessment, a flagship report mandated by Congress to catalog the ways climate change affects the country. John Yang speaks with Elizabeth Koebele, an associate professor at the University of Nevada, Reno, who was among the recipients of that message. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders
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Consider This from NPR - Over tea, a deal with Damascus and a possible turning point for Middle East diplomacy

On the first major foreign trip of his second term, President Trump met with leaders in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE. His arrival was greeted with fanfare across the region — there were motorcades featuring Teslas, long processions of Arabian horses and camels, and traditional dance and musical performances. According to the White House, Saudi Arabia agreed to invest $600 billion in the United States. Qatar placed a huge order for Boeing Passenger jets.

But the biggest announcement of Trump's trip was a bit of surprise deal-making: after more than 20 years, Trump said, the U.S. will lift sanctions on Syria. President Trump and interim Syrian President al-Sharaa met for tea and also discussed the possibility that Syria could recognize Israel as a sovereign state.

NPR's Scott Detrow and Hadeel Al-Shalchi examine how this news was received in Israel, whether this moment be a critical turning point for Middle East peace and ask, can Trump actually deliver on these promises?

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WSJ What’s News - Boycotting Target, Part 1: How It Doubled Down on DEI, Then Backed Off

Many U.S. shoppers know Target as a place to get everyday items like groceries and paper towels, as well as clothes and homegoods. But recently some shoppers have stopped buying things at Target as part of boycotts over its pullback from policies around diversity, equity and inclusion. In the first episode of this special What’s News series, host Alex Ossola digs into how Target got here: the company’s history and why shoppers are upset with Target in particular at a moment when many other companies are also changing their DEI policies.


In your feed, you can find the second episode of this series, looking into the boycotts’ impact on Target’s business and on those of Black entrepreneurs with products on Target’s shelves. 


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WSJ What’s News - Boycotting Target, Part 2: Is Its Business Paying a Price?

After Target rolled back its goals around diversity, equity and inclusion, several organizers across the U.S. launched boycotts. In the second episode of this special What’s News series, we zoom in on the boycotts’ potential impact on Target’s business and on those of Black entrepreneurs with products on Target’s shelves. Host Alex Ossola and producer Jess Jupiter travel to Atlanta to see how one boycott, Target Fast, is going, and what things are like at one Bullseye Black Market for Black entrepreneurs. And we consider how effective boycotts are at pushing companies to change.


In your feed, you can find the first episode of this series, looking into Target’s history and why shoppers are upset with the company at a time when many other businesses are also changing their DEI policies. 


Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices