Amtrak subsidies keep many of Amtrak‘s routes alive despite the fact that ridership is down on many of them. These subsidies guarantee that Amtrak will be a second-rate, undercapitalized passenger railroad system.
Caleb O. Brown hosted the Cato Daily Podcast for nearly 18 years, producing well over 4000 episodes. He has gone on to head Kentucky’s Bluegrass Institute. This is one among the best episodes produced in his tenure, selected by the host and listeners.
The people who write the rules under which we must live generally ought to be subject to accountability from voters. That’s not a controversial proposition, but how it works in practice is more complicated. Daniel Dew of the Pacific Legal Foundation comments.
This week, Rob examines the hallowed art of employing songs within the soundtrack of a crucial TV scene to emotionally manipulate the viewing audience. Along the way, he evokes classic moments from ‘General Hospital’ , 'ER', and ‘Scrubs’ before ultimately expounding on the highly effective use of the Fray’s “How to Save a Life” in ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ to tug on the proverbial heart strings. He’s then joined by The Ringer’s own Yasi Salek to shine a light on how the Fray’s hit song shaped her experiences while watching the dramatic events unfold at the fictional Seattle Grace Hospital.
Host: Rob Harvilla Guest: Yasi Salek Producers: Chris Sutton, Jonathan Kermah, Olivia Crerie, and Justin Sayles
One of the most popular fruits in the world are apples.
Apples are associated with the Garden of Eden, pleasing your teacher, and the story of Snow White. They play a role in Greek and Norse mythology, and they have lent their name to famous record and computer companies.
However, apples are unlike almost every other fruit in that there are thousands of different varieties. The reason why there are so many different varieties is because of the uniqueness of the plant.
Learn more about apples, where they came from, and how they have been used in history on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily.
Tim Harford investigates some of the numbers in the news, and in life. This week:
We debunk a false claim that the hotel bill for immigrants is the size of the tax bill for Manchester.
An article in the Spectator claimed that 4% of women aged between 18 and 34 in the UK are OnlyFans creators. We track down the source and discover that it is not very good.
Do people in Scotland use much more water than people in Yorkshire? If so, why?
And we examine a popular claim that today’s working mothers spend more time with their children than your stereotypical 1950s housewife did.
Make sure you get in touch if you’ve seen a number you think Tim and the team should take a look at. The email is moreorless@bbc.co.uk
Presenter: Tim Harford
Reporter: Josephine Casserly
Producers: Nicholas Barrett, Lizzy McNeill and David Verry
Series producer: Tom Colls
Production co-ordinator: Brenda Brown
Sound mix: James Beard
Editor: Richard Vadon
By the early 2000s, only a handful of queer female characters had ever been featured on television. Then, The L Word entered the scene in 2004, exploring lesbian identity, friendship and sex over six seasons and a 2019 reboot. Now, two of The L Word's stars – Leisha Hailey and Kate Moennig – are out with a new memoir So Gay For You. In today's episode, the authors talk with NPR's Juana Summers about the way representation of queer characters has changed since the 2000s, the parts of the show that didn't stand the test of time, and their tips for lifelong friendship.
To listen to Book of the Day sponsor-free and support NPR's book coverage, sign up for Book of the Day+ at plus.npr.org/bookoftheday
Last week, the U.S. Treasury held an auction for 30-year bonds. Some were worried no one would show up to buy these things! That didn't happen, but the 'long bond' isn't exactly thriving at the moment. Today on the show, we look back at why we have such a long maturity bond and why it might be a good idea to start paying attention to it going forward.
Related episodes: Bond market nightmares (Apple / Spotify) Bond vigilantes. Who they are, what they want, and how you'll know they're coming (Apple / Spotify) Trying to solve the mystery of big bond yields (Apple / Spotify)
For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.
Despite Trump‘s campaign promises and despite DOGE‘s so-called reputation of cutting government waste, the new administration is spending money faster than the supposed spendthrift Biden administration. This is Machiavellianism at its best.