During the height of the Covid lockdown, prices for all sorts of things skyrocketed -- global supply chains broke, numerous companies (and, more importantly, families) struggled to survive. Economists, CEOs and politicians alike assured the public that after the pandemic passed, prices would return to 'normal.' Fast forward to 2025: it's post-lockdown... and, if anything, prices have continued to rise. In tonight's episode, Ben, Matt and Noel ask what's going on -- and discover a very real conspiracy at play.
R&B legend D’Angelo has died at 51 after a battle with cancer, remembered as a defining voice of neo-soul with albums like Voodoo and Black Messiah. A major storm is soaking Southern California, bringing flash flood warnings and dangerous driving conditions across the region. The federal shutdown enters a third week as thousands of government workers face layoffs and pay uncertainty. California’s secretary of state is refuting false claims that mail-in ballots expose voters’ choices. Governor Newsom has signed new wildfire insurance laws to speed relief for victims. In business, Newsom signs new AI safety rules into law to protect minors and Long Beach enforces the nation’s first staffing requirements for self-checkout lanes to reduce retail theft.
The Kankakee mallow is one of the rarest plants on the continent, according to the Smithsonian Garden in Washington D.C. It’s a pink flower that grows on tall stalks and is native to just one small island in the middle of the Kankakee River, about an hour south of Chicago.
But when botanist Rachel Goad paddled over to take a look back in 2014 with a group of native plant enthusiasts, instead they found an island overgrown with invasive honeysuckle.
Was this special native plant gone for good?
Perhaps, if not for the efforts of a small group of volunteers, initially led by conservationist Trevor Edmonson.
“Hearing the phrase that the Kankakee mallow only grows on this island — anywhere in the world, like that is the extent of its remaining natural habitat — is such a draw for anybody, especially someone early on in their career,” Edmonson said.
Today, reporter Claire Keenan-Kurgan from the Points North podcast at Interlochen Public Radio guides us on this floral rescue mission.
Points North is a podcast that tells great stories from the Great Lakes. For more stories like this one, go to pointsnorthpodcast.org.
For the past few weeks, Trump officials have repeatedly dodged questions about an undercover F.B.I. investigation of the border czar, Tom Homan, and what became of $50,000 in cash that was delivered to him.
Devlin Barret, who covers the F.B.I. for The New York Times, discusses the inquiry, which was closed after President Trump came to office.
Guest: Devlin Barrett, a New York Times reporter covering the Justice Department and the F.B.I.
Hamas hands over more bodies of deceased hostages as tensions rise in Gaza over the next phase of the ceasefire deal. The government shutdown stretches into its third week with no negotiations underway, as pressure builds on both parties to break the stalemate. And the Supreme Court takes up a major case on Louisiana’s congressional map that could weaken the Voting Rights Act nationwide.
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Today’s episode of Up First was edited by Miguel Macias, Jason Breslow, Anna Yukhananov, Mohamad ElBardicy and Martha Ann Overland.
It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Nia Dumas and Christopher Thomas
We get engineering support from Carleigh Strange. And our technical director is Stacey Abbott.
As Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners are reunited with their families, Israel waits for the return of more hostage remains. The Trump administration prepares to offer Argentina $20 billion in bailout funds. And family members are furious after Philadelphia’s medical examiner declares their daughter died by suicide – with more than 20 stab wounds.
On September 2, 31 BC, one of the most important battles in history took place off the coast of Greece.
The forces of Octavian, the posthumously adopted son of Julius Caesar, squared off against the forces of Mark Antony, the former right-hand man of Julius Caesar.
After having been partners in ruling Rome for years, the two developed irreconcilable differences that had to be resolved on the battlefield.
The outcome of the battle influenced the course of the Roman Empire for centuries.
Learn more about the Battle of Actium, what caused it, and how it affected history on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily.
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Eliezer Yudkowsky is as afraid as you could possibly be. He makes his case.
Yudkowsky is a pioneer of A.I. safety research, who started warning about the existential risks of the technology decades ago, – influencing a lot of leading figures in the field. But over the last couple of years, talk of an A.I. apocalypse has become a little passé. Many of the people Yudkowsky influenced have gone on to work for A.I. companies, and those companies are racing ahead to build the superintelligent systems Yudkowsky thought humans should never create. But Yudkowsky is still out there sounding the alarm. He has a new book out, co-written with Nate Soares, “If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies,” trying to warn the world before it’s too late.
So what does Yudkowsky see that most of us don’t? What makes him so certain? And why does he think he hasn’t been able to persuade more people?
This episode of “The Ezra Klein Show” was produced by Rollin Hu. Fact-checking by Michelle Harris. Our senior engineer is Jeff Geld, with additional mixing by Aman Sahota. Our executive producer is Claire Gordon. The show’s production team also includes Marie Cascione, Annie Galvin, Kristin Lin, Jack McCordick, Marina King and Jan Kobal. Original music by Pat McCusker. Audience strategy by Kristina Samulewski and Shannon Busta. The director of New York Times Opinion Audio is Annie-Rose Strasser. Special thanks to Helen Toner and Jeffrey Ladish.
