Two new history books make a strong case for why learning about the past is critical to understanding the world today. First, History Matters is a posthumous collection of writings by American historian David McCullough. In today’s episode, co-editor Dorie McCullough Lawson and historian Jon Meacham tell NPR’s Scott Simon about McCullough’s endless curiosity. Then, in Midnight on the Potomac, Scott Ellsworth explores little-known corners of Civil War history. In today’s episode, he speaks with Here & Now’s Sarah McCammon about long-held myths about the period.
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Short Wave - What Are Flies Doing In The Middle Of The Ocean?
In the North Sea — between the United Kingdom, Norway and Denmark — thousands of flies swarmed an oil rig. Engineer Craig Hannah noticed they’d stay still on the rig for hours, suddenly taking off all at once. He was seeing hoverflies. Often confused with bees, they’re unsung pollinators. And they migrate, often hundreds of miles – including, it seems, to the middle of the ocean.
Today on the show: The mystery of why these insects are landing in the open ocean. Plus, a surprising finding in the Amazon rainforest and the sounds of life in a coral reef.
Interested in more science behind skincare products? Email us your question at shortwave@npr.org.
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Today on the show: The mystery of why these insects are landing in the open ocean. Plus, a surprising finding in the Amazon rainforest and the sounds of life in a coral reef.
Interested in more science behind skincare products? Email us your question at shortwave@npr.org.
Listen to every episode of Short Wave sponsor-free and support our work at NPR by signing up for Short Wave+ at plus.npr.org/shortwave.
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What Could Go Right? - The Progress Report: China’s Climate Change Commitment
Get ready for a Progress Report season finale packed with good news as Emma shares some life-changing breakthroughs! The Gates Foundation is funding a game-changing GBS vaccine, while a cutting-edge AI stroke diagnosis system in England is significantly improving recovery rates. Plus, China steps up with a bold pledge to slash greenhouse gas emissions while NASA’s James Webb Telescope just uncovered an astonishing 6,000 new planets.
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Opening Arguments - Stephen Miller Is Just Having People Killed Now
OA1195 - How much of the federal government has actually shut down, and why? We explore the truth behind the spin, and Matt breaks the exclusive story of how at least one part of the executive branch appears to be illegally operating at full capacity.
We then then connect some of the most fast-moving stories of the past few weeks to bring out the terrifying relationship between the obvious legal issues around the Trump administration’s threats to invade Venezuela, underreported executive actions on “Antifa” and “domestic terrorism” and their broad potential consequences, and the Trump’s recent threat to use US cities as “training grounds” for US troops.
Then: good news! Jenessa shares a win on voting rights out of Pennsylvania, and Matt celebrates a resounding victory for the free speech rights of non-citizen students like Rumeysa Ozturk and Mahmoud Khalil from a Reagan-appointed federal judge. Finally, today’s footnote confirms that the Wu Tang Clan is as a matter of law indeed nothing to fuck with.
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“Stephen Miller takes leading role in strikes on alleged Venezuelan drug boats,” The Guardian (9/29/2025)
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“Invocation of the Alien Enemies Act Regarding the Invasion of The United States by Tren De Aragua” – The White House (3/15/2025)
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“Designating Antifa as a Domestic Terrorist Organization” – The White House (9/22/2025)
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“Countering Domestic Terrorism and Organized Political Violence,” The White House (9/25/2025)
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Boston senior federal judge William Young’s order in AAUP v. Rubio (9/30/2025)
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Memorandum & Order Granting and denying parts of Martin Shkreli’s motion to dismiss in PleasrDAO v. Shkreli (9/25/2025):
Engines of Our Ingenuity - The Engines of Our Ingenuity 3331: What Is a Photo?
Episode: 3331 Some thoughts about photography and reality. Today, Let’s take pictures.
Global News Podcast - Manchester synagogue attacker named
Police have named the man who killed two people at a synagogue in Manchester. Jihad Al-Shamie, a 35-year-old British man of Syrian descent, was shot and killed by officers outside the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue. Also, Donald Trump has declared the US is now in an armed conflict with drug smugglers in the Caribbean Sea. A man alleged to be a high-up figure in the Tren de Aragua gang has been arrested in Colombia. A former Israeli hostage who was held in captivity in Gaza for 16 months has called on Hamas to sign President Trump's peace plan. The disgraced rapper, Sean Diddy Combs, is set to be sentenced on prostitution charges. Luxembourg's Grand Duke Henri is formally abdicating his throne. There is a rogue planet gobbling up gas and dust at an unprecedented rate. Open AI's Sora app raises yet more concerns about artificial intelligence and copyright.
The Global News Podcast brings you the breaking news you need to hear, as it happens. Listen for the latest headlines and current affairs from around the world. Politics, economics, climate, business, technology, health – we cover it all with expert analysis and insight. Get the news that matters, delivered twice a day on weekdays and daily at weekends, plus special bonus episodes reacting to urgent breaking stories. Follow or subscribe now and never miss a moment. Get in touch: globalpodcast@bbc.co.uk
The Stack Overflow Podcast - One is not the loneliest number for API calls
Gil Feig, co-founder and CTO of Merge, joins the show to explore Merge’s approach for reducing third-party APIs to a single call, the complexities of and need for data normalization, and the role that AI and MCP plays in the future of API functionality.
Episode notes:
Merge connects you to any third-party system for fast, secure integrations for your products and agents.
Connect with Gil on LinkedIn and X.
Shoutout to user Abhijit for winning a Lifeboat badge on their answer for Complex numbers in python.
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It Could Happen Here - Executive Disorder: White House Weekly #36
The gang discuss the government shutdown, War Department plans to deploy troops to US cities, ICE raids in Chicago, new border wall construction, and a National Security Presidential Memo targeting political violence indicators like “anti-capitalism, anti-christianity, and extremism on migration, race, and gender.”
Sources:
https://www.mediamatters.org/health-care/right-wing-media-run-wild-blatantly-false-claim-democrats-are-shutting-down-government
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/feds-charge-man-who-burned-u-s-flag-outside-white-house-in-protest-of-trumps-executive-order/
https://x.com/SecWar/status/1971342502650429458
https://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/news/tom-homan-cash-contracts-trump-doj-investigation-rcna232568
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/sep/29/stephen-miller-venezuela-drug-boat-strike
https://thetriibe.com/2025/09/feds-detain-dozens-of-immigrants-in-massive-south-shore-apartment-building-raid-in-chicago/
https://thetriibe.com/2025/10/video-shows-feds-choking-a-black-man-in-east-garfield-park/
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array(3) { [0]=> string(184) "https://www.omnycontent.com/d/clips/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/78d30acb-8463-4c40-a5ae-ae2d0145c9ff/f0e9b679-39fd-4795-81a1-b36a01682437/image.jpg?t=1759441978&size=Large" [1]=> string(10) "image/jpeg" [2]=> int(0) }The World in Brief from The Economist - Synagogue attack in Britain; OpenAI’s $500bn valuation, and more
Police in Britain named Jihad al-Shamie, “a British citizen of Syrian descent”, as the suspected attacker in a car-ramming and stabbing at a synagogue in Manchester, an English city.
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CBS News Roundup - 10/02/2025 | World News Roundup Late Edition
Day two of the government shutdown, and because of the Jewish holiday, there's been no movement by Republicans or Democrats. Authorities in Manchester, England are calling a deadly attack on a synagogue, on the holiest day of the Jewish year, a terrorist act. NTSB to investigate taxiway collision by two Delta jets at New York's LaGuardia Airport. CBS News Correspondent Jennifer Keiper with tonight's World News Roundup.
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