Is there anything you wouldn’t do for your favorite person? That question is at the center of Sarah Harman’s debut novel All the Other Mothers Hate Me. The book follows a single mom, Florence, who goes to extreme lengths to defend her son when he becomes a suspect in the disappearance of his school bully. In today’s episode, Harman tells NPR’s Ayesha Rascoe about her misfit protagonist and her observations of British culture from an outsider’s perspective.
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The cascade of frenetic actions on the part of the Trump administration over the past week—even as Trump seemed to blink on acting when it came to Iran—is unnerving. Is there good news? Can someone cheer us up? And what about the Harris campaign going full-on dual-loyalty accuser in interviewing Josh Shapiro? Meanwhile, a recommendation for a remarkable novel called Foster Dade Explores the Cosmos, by Nash Jenkins. Give a listen.
Although some scholars have labeled the early Ming Dynasty as a proto-liberal state, they are mistaken. The Ming governance at that time was weak, not limited by law and ideology.
Trump tells the Norwegian Prime Minister that he no longer feels an "obligation" to peace because he didn't receive the Nobel Prize and announces that he's imposing tariffs on a series of NATO allies until "a deal is reached for the complete and total purchase of Greenland." Jon, Lovett, and Tommy discuss these latest developments and Trump's billion-dollar entry fee for the Board of Peace. Then, they cover the latest from ICE's occupation of Minneapolis, including the Justice Department's investigations into Mayor Jacob Fry and Governor Tim Walz, and break down some positive polling about the Democrats chances in the 2026 midterm elections. Then, Tommy talks to Jason Zengerle about his new book, published by Crooked Media Reads, that explores the rise of Tucker Carlson — "Hated by All the Right People."
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Jacob Soboroff was one of the reporters on the front lines of last year’s devastating wildfires in Los Angeles. For him, the story was also deeply personal: He grew up in the Palisades, one of several neighborhoods engulfed by the flames. In his new book Firestorm: The Great Los Angeles Fires and America’s New Age of Disaster, Soboroff provides a firsthand account of the Palisades and Eaton fires – and tries to understand what went wrong. In today’s episode, Soboroff speaks with Here & Now’s Peter O’Dowd about witnessing the destruction of his childhood neighborhood and the political aftermath of the fires.
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In early January, President Donald Trump signed an executive order threatening bans on defense contractors paying dividends or buying their stock back.
Today on the show, we learn about the Trump Administration’s frustrations with the weapons supply chain, find out what a defense industry investor makes of the move, and ask whether this reflects the state tightening its grip on the industry that arms the U.S. military.
Episode: 2243 Organizing for disaster: One place where New Orleans did it right. Today, our guest, UH journalist Michael Berryhill, prepares for a rainy day.
Amanda Holmes reads Nizar Qabbani’s “Maritime Poem,” translated from the Arabic by Rana Bitar and Robert Bensen. Have a suggestion for a poem by a (dead) writer? Email us: podcast@theamericanscholar.org. If we select your entry, you’ll win a copy of a poetry collection edited by David Lehman.
This episode was produced by Stephanie Bastek and features the song “Canvasback” by Chad Crouch.