The Gist - The NIH vs. The New Grievance Politics

Former NIH director Elias Zerhouni reflects on the agency’s triumphs and shortcomings in light of his new memoir, Disease Knows No Politics. He defends the NIH’s legacy while addressing critiques from figures like current NIH head Jay Bhattacharya, and warns that proposed funding cuts could severely undermine scientific progress. Also: the decline of late-night TV amid political sameness, the comic potential of Sydney Sweeney’s controversial jeans ad, and a failed auction bid for Larry King’s designer denim.

Produced by Corey Wara

Production Coordinator Ashley Khan

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Serious Inquiries Only - SIO487: How Close Is Iran Actually To Nuclear Weapons?

We had like, a mini war over Iran's nuclear situation and it is barely even a memory in today's news cycle. But what happened there? Did Iran have nuclear weapons? What does it take for them to make some? Was Obama's Iran Nuclear Deal good? And what happened after it was no longer in place? What might happen now?

Joining is Evan McDonell, a former nuclear engineer with the US Naval nuclear program to give us the breakdown!

Newshour - Trump envoy visits controversial Gaza aid distribution site

President Trump says he wants to help the people of Gaza to live, following a visit by his special envoy, Steve Witkoff, to a controversial US and Israeli- backed aid site in the territory. Plus, the BBC investigates the cases of 160 children shot dead inside the Gaza Strip.

Also in the programme: Malawi hits its UN development goals for HIV and AIDS ahead of its targets; radioactive injections aimed at saving South Africa's rhinos; and we follow the market reaction to Donald Trump's global tariff deals -- and new US job figures.

(Photo credit: US government)

WSJ What’s News - Trump Orders Firing of Statistics Head After Weak July Jobs Report

P.M. Edition for Aug. 1. The jobs report, which showed sharply lower revised numbers for May and June, may open the door for the Fed to cut interest rates at its next meeting in September. WSJ finance news editor Christina Rexrode joins to discuss. Plus, software company Figma’s stock market debut yesterday saw its stock price jump 250% in its first day of trading, leaving some $3 billion on the table. We hear from Corrie Driebusch, who covers U.S. capital markets for the Journal, about why that happened. And President Trump says he will position two nuclear submarines “in the appropriate regions” in response to criticism from a former Russian leader. Alex Ossola hosts.


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The Daily Signal - Victor Davis Hanson: Experts Were Wrong. The Economy’s Strong—But the Fed Won’t Budge.

So why are media outlets still talking down the economy? And why is Chairman of the Federal Reserve Jerome Powell refusing to cut interest rates, despite earlier recession warnings that never materialized? Victor Davis Hanson breaks it all down on today’s episode of “Victor Davis Hanson: In His Own Words.”


“Remember that The Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Washington Post, and our main media organs all told us in May when Donald Trump was talking about art of the deal tariffs, … we were going to have high inflation, stagflation, bad job growth, static GDP, and a trade war along with a Wall Street collapse, basically a recession. Well, wall Street stock prices are at historical highs. Every one of those predictions was wrong.


“If [Powell] is worried about a trade war, and tariffs and soft job growth, which was predictive but didn't happen, why don't you lower interest rates? And the fact is that if you look at the interest rates that he did cut right before the 2024 election and his all over the map, attitude toward interest rates today, there is no logic because if he's worried that the economy inflation might— it's gone up one 10th of an point and it's steaming and then he's going to what? Keep interest rates that high?”


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(0:000 Economic Health

(0:54) Current Economic Indicators

(2:14) Reactions to Economic Data

(3:17 )Interest Rates and Federal Reserve

(6:07) Trump's Economic Strategies

(8:00) Final Thoughts

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WSJ Minute Briefing - Weak Jobs Report and Tariff Blitz Push U.S. Stocks Lower

A softer-than-expected July jobs report and President Trump’s revamped tariff plan weighs on markets. Plus: Amazon reports disappointing growth. Reddit swings to a quarterly profit on AI improvements. And First Solar’s earnings and revenue guidance beat expectations. 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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Marketplace All-in-One - The future of economic data under Trump

Following a weaker than expected jobs report today, President Trump said he’ll fire the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, claiming the data was rigged. It’s an unprecedented move with potentially enormous consequences for our understanding of the U.S. economy. We’ll explain. And, we’ll get into how Trump’s tariffs are destabilizing economies across globe. Plus, we’ll weigh in on tariff “rebates” and pricier desserts during a round of Half Full/Half Empty!


Here’s everything we talked about today:




We love hearing from you. Leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART or email makemesmart@marketplace.org.

The Journal. - Is Trump Winning His Trade War?

Over the last few months, President Donald Trump has struck numerous trade deals with countries and continues to negotiate with others. The European Union, Japan and South Korea all agreed to a tariff rate of 15%. WSJ’s Greg Ip says Trump has succeeded on his own terms and created a new trade world order, albeit a fragile one. Jessica Mendoza hosts.

Further Listening:
-
A Pharmaceutical Executive on Trump’s Tariff Strategy
- Why Trump Pushed His Tariff Deadline

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Motley Fool Money - The Fed’s Inflation Conundrum & an AI Billionaire Battle Royale

The Fed’s Inflation Conundrum & an AI Billionaire Battle RoyaleThe Fed kept rates flat this week, Apple and Amazon reported earnings, and we have the biggest names in AI battle it out for supremacy.Travis Hoium, Lou Whiteman, and Jason Moser discuss:- The Fed’s decision to hold rates steady
- Apple and Amazon earnings
- AI billionaire battle royale
- Stocks on our radarCompanies discussed: Alphabet (GOOG, GOOGL), Apple (AAPL), Alphabet (GOOG, GOOGL), Cloudflare (NET), PayPal (PYPL), Microsoft (MSFT).Host: Travis Hoium
Guests: Lou Whiteman, Jason Moser
Engineer: Bart Shannon, Adam LandfairAdvertisements are sponsored content and provided for informational purposes only. The Motley Fool and its affiliates (collectively, “TMF”) do not endorse, recommend, or verify the accuracy or completeness of the statements made within advertisements. TMF is not involved in the offer, sale, or solicitation of any securities advertised herein and makes no representations regarding the suitability, or risks associated with any investment opportunity presented. Investors should conduct their own due diligence and consult with legal, tax, and financial advisors before making any investment decisions. TMF assumes no responsibility for any losses or damages arising from this advertisement.

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