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On this episode: The Biden Book dropped, the India-Pakistan ceasefire, and Trump's new air palace. Plus: a new executive order, David Hogg, and a little bit about the Pope. Let's get to it!
Time Stamps:
12:11 - Biden cover-up
39:03 - David Hogg
42:18 - India & Pakistan
49:20 - the Qatari plane
56:54 - New executive order
58:53 - the Pope
Bad Christians and Hanging Toads: Witch Crafting in Northern Spain, 1525–1675 (Cornell University Press, 2025) by Dr. Rochelle Rojas tells riveting stories of witchcraft in everyday life in early modern Navarra. Belief in witchcraft not only emerged in moments of mass panic but was woven into the fabric of village life. Some villagers believed witches sickened crops and cows with poisonous powders, others thought they engaged in diabolism and perverted sex, and still others believed they lovingly raised toads used to commit evil deeds. Most villagers, however, simply saw witches as those with reputations of being mala cristianas—bad Christians. Dr. Rojas illuminates the social webs of accusations and the pathways of village gossip that created the conditions for the witch beliefs and trials of the period.
While studies of witchcraft in Spain tend to focus on the inquisitorial trials and witch panic of 1609–14, Bad Christians and Hanging Toads turns to witch trials conducted by the region's secular judiciary, Navarra's royal tribunals, tracing the prosecution of accused witches over 150 years. Using detailed evidence from trial records and neighbors' testimonies, Dr. Rojas vividly brings to life the women and men crafted as witches by their neighbors and the authorities and guides readers through the judicial process, from accusations and the examination of the evidence to sentencing and punishment.
By privileging the voices of villagers throughout, Bad Christians and Hanging Toads demonstrates that the inner logic of early modern European witchcraft trials can be understood only by examining of the local, everyday aspects of witch belief.
This interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose book focuses on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty negotiation and implementation in civil war contexts, with qualitative analysis of the Angolan and Mozambican civil wars. You can find Miranda’s interviews on New Books with Miranda Melcher, wherever you get your podcasts.
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Is the U.S. economy … good? Bad? Somewhere in the middle? If it feels like you're desperately shaking a Magic 8 Ball for economic tea leaves, and even it's telling you, 'Ask again later.' Well, it might be on to something. While we're all hearing anecdotes about empty cargo ships from China and fewer people eating at McDonald's, the hard data that would point to a possible recession hasn't shown up yet. Case in point: Tuesday's better-than-expected Consumer Price Index numbers, showed inflation cooled slightly last month despite uncertainty around President Donald Trump's tariffs. Ben Casselman, chief economics correspondent for The New York Times, explains why the vibes don't match the data.
And in headlines: President Trump eliminated sanctions on Syria, Cassie Ventura began testifying in music mogul Sean 'Diddy' Combs' federal sex-trafficking and racketeering trial, and the Trump Administration ended federal temporary protected status for Afghans in the U.S.
Show Notes:
The news to know for Wednesday, May 14, 2025!
We’re talking about President Trump’s high-stakes Middle East trip, and the deals he’s made so far.
Also, we have updates in three high-profile court cases involving Sean Diddy Combs, Kim Kardashian, and the Menendez brothers.
Plus, Major League Baseball’s historic decision to un-ban some players, what more parents in tech are encouraging their children to do, and how A-I is powering new features on popular apps.
Those stories and even more news to know in about 10 minutes!
Join us every Mon-Fri for more daily news roundups!
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Washington DC’s football stadium is a new “Arena-Hood”... because football can fix the housing crisis.
Nutella is pivoting to peanut butter in America… because nothing divides economies like nuts.
Hidden Junk Fees are officially illegal… so we’ll tell ya what to do when the hotel drops a “Resort Fee.”
Plus, the 10 fastest-growing baby names in America… are made-for-LinkedIn.
$MAR $LVY $SPY
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On this episode of the Hayek Program Podcast, Peter Boettke reflects on the lessons he’s learned throughout his academic career, focusing on what it takes to succeed after graduate school. Boettke encourages graduates to: value the scientific pursuit of truth and scholarship; cultivate a sense of awe, wonderment, surprise, and appreciation; and to be curious. He cautions against prioritizing cleverness over clarity and emphasizes the need to continually adapt and adjust. Persistence and hard work pays off. Try to pursue ideas, not people. Don’t be inept and don’t be lazy. Pay attention to details. Be a productive member of your department. Produce research that is genuinely interesting and of intrinsic value to your academic peers. Try to be a life changing professor. Work with good people who challenge you and find that network which insists on lifelong learning, one where you can harshly criticize one another then go have a beer together.
Boettke highlights the ongoing work of the liberal project, arguing that liberalism is not a fixed doctrine, it’s an emancipatory project. Liberalism begins with a very strong recognition of oppression, but it brings a promise of deliverance. Because language and problems change over time, liberalism must be restated in the language and concepts of successive generations. He argues that the worst thing that can happen to a good cause is not to be artfully criticized, but to be ineptly defended.
Peter Boettke is a Distinguished University Professor of Economics and Philosophy at George Mason University and Director of the F.A. Hayek Program for Advanced Study in Philosophy, Politics and Economics at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. He has published numerous books including The Socialist Calculation Debate: Theory, History, and Contemporary Relevance (2024), Money and the Rule of Law: Generality and Predictability in Monetary Institutions (2021), Living Economics: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow (2012), and Challenging Institutional Analysis and Development: The Bloomington School (2009).
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CC Music: Twisterium
Why would a spider have a frog best friend? Why do they love your shower? Does lemon repel them? Should you rehome them outside? Why so hairy? How do you identify the harmless ones? Which ones get kinky? Hey. This will be fun. If you’re afraid of spiders, this is the best first step to conquering that fear forever. If you love spiders, you’re in good company with Dr. Marshal Hedin, a San Diego State University professor who has dedicated his life to the diverse array of araneids. Also: why they need and deserve your love.
Visit the Hedin Lab at SDSU and follow Dr. Hedin on Bluesky, iNaturalist, and Google Scholar
A donation went to the San Diego State University Biodiversity Museum
More episode sources and links
Smologies (short, classroom-safe) episodes
Other episodes you may enjoy: Kinetic Salticidology (DANCING SPIDERS), Spidroinology (SPIDERWEBS), Fearology (FEAR), Herpetology (REPTILES), Culicidology (MOSQUITOES), Speleology (CAVES), Aperiology (MACRO PHOTOGRAPHY), Scorpiology (SCORPIONS), Entomology (INSECTS), Forest Entomology (CREEPY CRAWLIES)
Transcripts and bleeped episodes
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