The Gist - Steven Hahn Unmasks the Myth of Liberal America
Diplomacy via tweet rarely ends well, but US ambassadors are now flailing into their way through international tensions with sarcasm, memes, and zero restraint. Plus Steven Hahn, NYU historian and author of Illiberal America: A History, joins to unpack how liberalism has always shared the stage with its illiberal twin. From eugenics to temperance to the penitentiary, Hahn explains how our progressive myths overlook the darker undercurrents of American history.
Produced by Corey Wara
Production Coordinator Ashley Khan
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1A - Why Accurate Labor Statistics Matter For The US Economy
The civil servant President Donald Trump fired was former Commissioner of Labor Statistics Erika McEntarfer, a labor economist nominated to the role in 2023 by President Joe Biden. The Senate overwhelmingly confirmed her in 2024. Commissioners often serve under multiple presidents.
The president defended his reasoning for the firing on social media – though he didn't provide evidence to back up his claims.
We discuss the consequences when the president fires the person at the head of the government's main agency for economic statistics.
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Marketplace All-in-One - Hear that? It’s productivity number noise
American worker productivity grew a modest 2.4% in the second quarter of the year. Good news, right? Well, take a look at the math, and the last few months of falling imports and slowing workforce growth translated to productivity that might only look strong on paper. Later in this episode: Trump floats a 100% tariff on foreign semiconductors, couples opt for charitable wedding registries, and a mom of six makes a tough career decision.
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Federalist Radio Hour - ‘The Kylee Cast’ With Kylee Griswold, Ep. 5: Someone’s Got To Go To Prison
If you care about combating the corrupt media that continue to inflict devastating damage, please give a gift to help The Federalist do the real journalism America needs.
Newshour - Israeli security cabinet discusses plan to fully occupy Gaza
The Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been meeting with his security cabinet and says he wants a complete military takeover of the entire Gaza Strip, starting with Gaza City. The Israeli leader believes a full takeover is “the only way” to destroy Hamas and free the remaining Israeli hostages.
Also on the programme: reports that Sudan’s military destroyed a UAE plane carrying Colombian mercenaries; and a tribute to the pioneering Latin-jazz musician Eddie Palmieri, who has died aged 88.
(Photo: A damaged Israeli flag stands in Gaza, as seen from the Israeli side of the border between Israel and Gaza, 7th August, 2025. Credit: Amir Cohen/Reuters)
Consider This from NPR - How some online networks target and radicalize kids
These networks encourage kids to hurt themselves, other minors or even animals. In some countries, they have been tied to mass casualty and terrorism plots.
NPR's domestic extremism correspondent Odette Yousef has spoken with a family that experienced this firsthand.
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WSJ What’s News - How Israel Plans to Take Over All of Gaza
P.M. Edition for Aug. 7. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that his country will take control of the entire Gaza Strip. WSJ correspondent Dov Lieber fills us in on what we know about the plan so far. Plus, President Trump has called for Intel’s CEO Lip-Bu Tan to resign over his ties to China. Amrith Ramkumar, who covers tech policy for the Journal, joins the podcast to discuss what this might mean for the troubled chip maker. And Firefly Aerospace becomes the third space or defense company to make its stock market debut this year. We hear from WSJ capital markets reporter Corrie Driebusch about what makes this sector so appealing to investors. Alex Ossola hosts.
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The Daily Signal - VDH: Is Fed Chair Jerome Powell Fighting Inflation—Or Trump?
Victor Davis Hanson explains the long-running tensions between Jerome Powell and Trump, why Trump has dubbed him “Too Late Powell,” and the economic consequences for everyday Americans on today’s episode of “Victor Davis Hanson: In His Own Words.”
“ The Wall Street Journal was forecasting a ‘stock crash,’ a ‘trade war,’ ‘uncertainty over tariffs,’ ‘anemic GDP,’ and all of the barometers… At that point, you would've thought that Powell, who agreed, basically, with the consensus of the economic media and most of the economists, why didn't he intervene in fears that they were right, that we were headed toward a recession and lower rates? Instead, he didn't do anything.
“ Jerome Powell has been in this fight with Donald Trump. … And whether we like it or not, he's acting emotionally or angrily to Donald Trump. And he has been under threat of being fired. He does not want to show that he's going to back down and lose the independence of the Fed to the president. The problem with that stance is it really hurts millions of Americans.”
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(0:00) Powell vs. Trump
(0:17) Trump's Economic Argument
(2:18) The Fed's Role in Inflation and Recession
(2:47) Trump's Criticism
(6:43) Powell's Independence and Consistency
(7:19) Lessons for Powell
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WSJ Minute Briefing - The Nasdaq Hits Another Record High While Other Major Indexes Slipped
U.S.tariffs kicked in on imports from dozens of countries just after midnight. Plus: Apple announces an extra $100 billion commitment to U.S. manufacturing. Eli Lilly’s weight-loss pill showed less than expected results. And, Crocs warns of a quarterly sales decline and an annual hit from tariffs. Charlotte Gartenberg hosts.
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An artificial-intelligence tool assisted in the making of this episode by creating summaries that were based on Wall Street Journal reporting and reviewed and adapted by an editor.
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