More than 160 people have been injured - some seriously - in Iranian missile strikes on two southern Israeli towns close to a nuclear facility, according to Israeli emergency officials. We hear about the medical situation on the ground and take a look at Israel's nuclear capabilities.
Also on the programme: Italian voters give their verdict on a government plan to have more power over the judiciary; and a US comedy institution makes its UK debut as Saturday Night Live hits British screens.
(Picture: Ultra Orthodox Jewish residents look on at the scene of a direct hit of an Iranian missile in Arad, Israel. Credit: Abir Sultan/EPA/Shutterstock)
If you’ve spent any time on social media recently, you’ve probably come across a video of a young, square-jawed influencer calling himself Clavicular. He has become the face of an internet subculture called looksmaxxing, in which men do almost anything — like taking steroids and hormones or bashing their jaws with a hammer — to try to become more handsome.
In this episode, Natalie Kitroeff talks with reporter Joseph Bernstein about the world of looksmaxxing and how what might seem like a fringe phenomenon is actually the culmination of a digital culture that rewards physical perfection with status and algorithmic power.
On Today’s Episode
Joseph Bernstein covers digital subcultures for the Styles desk at The New York Times.
Ahead of the busy spring travel period, it's quickly become more expensive and inconvenient to fly. With war dragging on in the Middle East, rising fuel prices are increasing costs for airlines and forcing some to steer clear of the region. Meanwhile, a partial government shutdown in the U.S. is causing long lines at busy air-travel hubs as TSA employees quit or call in sick. Host Luke Vargas speaks to aviation reporter Benjamin Katz and airlines reporter Alison Sider to consider whether there’s an end to the disruption in sight.
And check out WSJ’s Take On the Week for an in-depth conversation on oil and the broader energy markets from an investor's perspective.
In his first term, President Trump required transgender service members to register with the diagnosis of gender dysphoria in order to continue serving openly in the military. Now, amidst Middle East deployment plans, that documentation is being used to find and separate thousands of highly trained troops. This week on The Sunday Story, how the Pentagon’s push to remove trans troops is affecting active duty service members—and how it may also affect the military’s mission readiness.
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Podcast production by Evan Campbell, and Patrick Fort.
President Trump has threatened to attack Iran's power plants, if Tehran doesn't reopen the Strait of Hormuz within two days. Iran has said it will target energy infrastructure in the region belonging to the US if that happens. Iranian missiles have hit the southern Israeli towns of Arad and Dimona, injuring at least 100 people. Dimona is near a key nuclear facility. Also: Robert Mueller, the man who led the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 US election, has died; how Islamophobia has risen in Australia in the wake of the Bondi attacks last year that killed 15 people; and the popular boy band, BTS, return to the stage after taking a four-year break to do their mandatory national military service.
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Jen Psaki, Joe Biden's former White House Press Secretary and host of MS NOW's The Briefing with Jen Psaki, talks to Dan about the ways the Trump administration is trying — and failing — to sell its war with Iran to the American people. The two discuss the White House's meme-forward messaging campaign, MAGA media's break with the president over the war, and how Trump's cell phone interview habit is shaping media coverage. Then, Dan and Jen discuss how a series of contentious Senate primaries are reshaping the Democratic Party and whether "fuck Trump" is a strong enough message heading into the midterms.
For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
