Month: August 2025

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Reset with Sasha-Ann Simons - WBEZ’s Weekly News Recap: Aug. 22, 2025

Chicago’s Inspector General urges City Council to police bad behavior. Democratic legislators return to Texas for a redistricting vote. Former Northwestern football coach reaches settlement with the university. Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul files more lawsuits against the Trump administration and politicians push for Southwest side communities to be declared disaster areas after flooding. Reset dives into these and other top local stories with City Cast Chicago executive producer Simone Alicea, FOX 32 political correspondent Paris Schutz and WBEZ education reporter Sarah Karp. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.
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The Book Review - Book Club: Let’s Talk About ‘Wild Dark Shore,’ by Charlotte McConaghy

Charlotte McConaghy’s latest novel, “Wild Dark Shore,” opens with an enigma: A mysterious, half-drowned woman washes ashore.

The stranger’s name is Rowan, and she has arrived on Shearwater, a remote island near Antarctica. The island, which houses an important seed bank, was once teeming with a community of scientists, but now the project is shutting down, the workers have left and the land lies quiet and deserted, everybody gone except for the Salt family, whose members are all lost in their own way. And all are hiding terrible secrets.

They’re not alone. Rowan herself has come to the island with a hidden purpose, putting this small community on a crash course for a long-overdue reckoning.

On this week’s episode, the Book Club host MJ Franklin discusses “Wild Dark Shore” with his colleagues Lauren Christensen and Elisabeth Egan.

Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

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Global News Podcast - A famine has been confirmed in Gaza City

A UN-backed body has confirmed a famine in Gaza City after twenty-two months of conflict and warned it could spread to other parts of the territory by the end of September. The UN says it's been caused by Israel's systematic obstruction of aid deliveries. Israel has denied there is a famine. Also: WHO warns of risks of extreme heat in the workplace, and crypto scam fugitive caught after littering in Seoul.

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Focus on Africa - Exploring Africa-Japan trade ties

Japan has pledged to work more closely with African countries at global summit on economic development. How can Africa benefit from stronger ties with Japan?

The former prime minister of Chad is facing a 20-year prison term after being convicted of hate speech, xenophobia and having incited a massacre. Who is Succès Masra and what sparked the intercommunal violence that led to the charges against him?

And did you know there are four distinct species of the African giraffe? We find out why that discovery is important for conservation.

Presenter: Charles Gitonga Producers: Tom Kavanagh, Sunita Nahar, Nyasha Michelle and Stefania Okereke Technical Producer: Pat Sissons Senior Journalist: Patricia Whitehorne Editors: Maryam Abdalla, Alice Muthengi and Andre Lombard

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Marketplace All-in-One - A turnaround for manufacturing — can it last?

We learned yesterday that business activity in the U.S. picked up in August, led by a big advance in the manufacturing sector. Manufacturing had been in a slump, but recorded its strongest growth in orders in 18 months. Is it the start of a bigger trend or just a blip? Then, Evergrande — once one of China's biggest property developers — is having its shares delisted from Hong Kong's stock exchange. Its ruinous downfall has threatened to weigh down the world's second-largest economy.

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Newshour - UN-backed body confirms famine in Gaza City

A report by the internationally recognised body for determining global food insecurity has confirmed that there is now famine in Gaza City. The IPC warns that the dire situation is likely to expand to other parts of the territory by the end of next month - with half-a-million people in Gaza facing catastrophic conditions. Israel denies there is famine in the territory.

Also in the programme: Spain’s most famous architect on the path to sainthood; and the dinosaur with the 'eye-catching sail'.

(File photo: Palestinians wait to receive food from a charity kitchen, in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, August 21, 2025. Credit: Reuters/Hatem Khaled)