Westerns are seemingly back in the culture. With the popularity of the television series Yellowstone and musical artists like Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter winning Album of the Year, it feels like we need to dust off our spurs and dig into this week’s book selection, Charles Portis’ True Grit. Andrew Limbong and B. A. Parker speak with NPR’s Morning Edition host, Michel Martin about how young Mattie Ross goes on the adventure of a lifetime with her father’s gun and hunger for vengeance – and how Portis’ young female lead illustrates real-world consequences.
This week's recommendations:
Andrew: Blood Meridian, Cormac McCarthy
Parker: Anne of Green Gables, Lucy Maud Montgomery
Michel: Harriet the Spy, Louise Fitzhugh
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Global News Podcast - Tanzania: Hundreds feared dead in post-election violence
Diplomats in Tanzania say there's credible evidence at least five-hundred people have been killed in days of clashes between protesters and security forces over disputed election results. The protests broke out after the President's main challengers were excluded from the ballot. A senior opposition politician told the BBC that police and foreign mercenaries were killing "with impunity". Tanzania's foreign minister has denied reports of widespread killings.
Also: US judges rule the Trump administration must maintain food aid for millions of Americans, despite the government shutdown. The Israeli judge who has resigned after revealing evidence that a Palestinian prisoner was sexually abused. Scientists create a single anti-venom that protects against 17 different poisonous snakebites. And Egypt's long awaited billion dollar Grand Museum finally opens its doors.
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
Engines of Our Ingenuity - The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1466: Vegetable Physiology
Episode: 1466 An old botany book for young girls changes scientific thinking. Today, a young student forms a scientific theory.
Risky Business with Nate Silver and Maria Konnikova - What to Make of the NBA Sports Betting Scandal
Last week, two federal indictments and several high-profile arrests rocked the NBA. One indictment accused defendants of sharing insider information to cheat at sports betting, and the other accused over 30 co-conspirators, including members of various mafia families, of rigging poker games.
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array(3) { [0]=> string(184) "https://www.omnycontent.com/d/clips/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/951120d9-cf6e-4224-93d7-b15c014dcea5/13713fe2-013e-483e-991c-b387016af5d7/image.jpg?t=1761948563&size=Large" [1]=> string(10) "image/jpeg" [2]=> int(0) }It Could Happen Here - It Could Happen Here Weekly 206
All of this week's episodes of It Could Happen Here put together in one large file.
- Caribbean Roundtable
- The Campaign to Bust Chicago’s Only Bookstore Union
- What’s Real in the Politics of Population with Andrew
- Occulture, William S. Burroughs, and Generative AI
- Executive Disorder: White House Weekly #39
You can now listen to all Cool Zone Media shows, 100% ad-free through the Cooler Zone Media subscription, available exclusively on Apple Podcasts. So, open your Apple Podcasts app, search for “Cooler Zone Media” and subscribe today!
Sources/Links:
Caribbean Roundtable
https://newsday.co.tt/2025/10/20/trinidad-and-tobago-stands-firm-with-us-on-regional-security/
The Campaign to Bust Chicago’s Only Bookstore Union
https://www.instagram.com/semcoopbooksellersunion/
Executive Disorder: White House Weekly #39
https://x.com/gavinnewsom/status/1981893887460544737?s=46&t=wjiWDhD7WaSqfSfZGiwlSw
https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/bay-area-food-banks-california-national-guard/3969875
https://www.404media.co/ice-and-cbp-agents-are-scanning-peoples-faces-on-the-street-to-verify-citizenship/ /
https://www.energy.senate.gov/services/files/0DED04C4-18C7-4C1F-BCE4-DD5B79FB0264
https://www.energy.senate.gov/services/files/0DED04C4-18C7-4C1F-BCE4-DD5B79FB0264
https://x.com/DHSgov/status/1983273176907043070
https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.ilnd.487571/gov.uscourts.ilnd.487571.94.0.pdf
https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.ilnd.487571/gov.uscourts.ilnd.487571.42.0_4.pdf
https://apnews.com/article/chicago-illinois-bovino-ice-immigration-506c9c661ee75f3e955f346daeed5555
https://x.com/BillMelugin_/status/1982959806173581456
https://www.cnn.com/2025/10/30/business/fentanyl-tariffs
https://www.npr.org/2025/10/30/nx-s1-5590754/trump-china-xi-meeting-lowers-tariffs
https://write.ellipsus.com/edit/aef875a8-f460-429d-af2a-66e197b3000f
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
array(3) { [0]=> string(150) "https://www.omnycontent.com/d/programs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/78d30acb-8463-4c40-a5ae-ae2d0145c9ff/image.jpg?t=1751824393&size=Large" [1]=> string(10) "image/jpeg" [2]=> int(0) }The World in Brief from The Economist - UN says boat strikes violate international law; Trump denies reports of escalation in Venezuela, and more
A federal judge in Rhode Island ordered the Trump administration to tap emergency money set aside for food stamps, saying “irreparable harm” could occur
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1A - The News Roundup For October 31, 2025
The government shutdown has gone on for longer than one month.
Now, Republicans are considering ending the Senate filibuster to reopen the government.
The Supreme Court requested more information as it heard arguments about whether President Donald Trump is within his rights to deploy the National Guard to Chicago.
Two prosecutors who went after January 6 rioters were put on leave this week for filing a sentencing memo in the case of a man who showed up armed outside of the Obama residence.
Amidst a brutal trade dispute, President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping sat down for a face-to-face meeting in South Korea.
Despite recent Israeli strikes killing more than 100 people in Gaza, the Trump Administration says the ceasefire with Hamas is still on.
Following a snub by President Trump and a successful nuclear weapons test, intelligence officials say Russian President Vladimir Putin is showing no signs of seeking a compromise to end the war Ukraine.
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Now, Republicans are considering ending the Senate filibuster to reopen the government.
The Supreme Court requested more information as it heard arguments about whether President Donald Trump is within his rights to deploy the National Guard to Chicago.
Two prosecutors who went after January 6 rioters were put on leave this week for filing a sentencing memo in the case of a man who showed up armed outside of the Obama residence.
Amidst a brutal trade dispute, President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping sat down for a face-to-face meeting in South Korea.
Despite recent Israeli strikes killing more than 100 people in Gaza, the Trump Administration says the ceasefire with Hamas is still on.
Following a snub by President Trump and a successful nuclear weapons test, intelligence officials say Russian President Vladimir Putin is showing no signs of seeking a compromise to end the war Ukraine.
Find more of our programs online. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.
Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Planet Money - After the shutdown, SNAP will still be in trouble
This week’s SNAP crisis is just a preview. Tucked inside the giant tax-cut and spending bill signed by President Donald Trump this summer are enormous cuts to SNAP: Who qualifies, how much they get, and who foots the bill for the program. That last part is a huge change.
For the entire history of the food stamp program, the federal government has paid for all the benefits that go out. States pay part of the cost of administering it, but the food stamp money has come entirely from federal taxpayers. This bill shifts part of the costs to states.
How much will states have to pay? It depends. The law ties the amount to a statistic called the Payment Error Rate -- the official measure of accuracy -- whether states are giving recipients either too much, or too little, in food stamp money.
On today’s show, we go to Oregon to meet the bureaucrats on the front lines of getting that error rate down -- and ask Governor Tina Kotek what’s going to happen if they can’t.
Looking for hunger-relief resources? Try here.
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This episode was hosted by Nick Fountain and Jeff Guo. It was produced by James Sneed and Willa Rubin, edited by Marianne McCune and Jess Jiang, fact-checked by Sierra Juarez, and engineered by Debbie Daughtry and Robert Rodriguez. Alex Goldmark is Planet Money’s executive producer.
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For the entire history of the food stamp program, the federal government has paid for all the benefits that go out. States pay part of the cost of administering it, but the food stamp money has come entirely from federal taxpayers. This bill shifts part of the costs to states.
How much will states have to pay? It depends. The law ties the amount to a statistic called the Payment Error Rate -- the official measure of accuracy -- whether states are giving recipients either too much, or too little, in food stamp money.
On today’s show, we go to Oregon to meet the bureaucrats on the front lines of getting that error rate down -- and ask Governor Tina Kotek what’s going to happen if they can’t.
Looking for hunger-relief resources? Try here.
Pre-order the Planet Money book and get a free gift. / Subscribe to Planet Money+.
Listen free: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, the NPR app or anywhere you get podcasts.
Facebook / Instagram / TikTok / Our weekly Newsletter.
This episode was hosted by Nick Fountain and Jeff Guo. It was produced by James Sneed and Willa Rubin, edited by Marianne McCune and Jess Jiang, fact-checked by Sierra Juarez, and engineered by Debbie Daughtry and Robert Rodriguez. Alex Goldmark is Planet Money’s executive producer.
Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices
NPR Privacy Policy