Today's episode features two interviews with Kevin Kwan, author of the Crazy Rich Asians series. First, former NPR host Lulu Garcia-Navarro spoke to the writer in 2020 about Sex and Vanity, exploring identity through the lens of a biracial character and setting a new trilogy between Europe and the U.S. Then, Here & Now's Robin Young asks Kwan about his newest novel, Lies and Weddings, and his thoughts on the fascination with wealth and power in literature.
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
The month of July is named after Julius Caesar. In 44 BC, after his assassination, the Roman Senate renamed the month of Quintilis after him in honor of the month he was born.
The fact that he was appointed dictator for life probably had something to do with it.
All the emperors that came later never changed it, so instead of Quintilis, we have July.
So stay tuned for the Quintilis episode of questions and answers on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily.
Economist Grieve Chelwa joins Bad Faith to explain how mass protests in Kenya defeated IMF-backed austerity policies, and how the IMF and World Bank use debt as a mechanism of political & economic control. Dr. Chelwa charts how the BRICS bank & dedollarization may provide a way out for countries struggling under western debt-control, and the crucial role global solidarity must play. This is one of those big picture episodes you wont want to miss.
On July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress of the 13 British colonies in North America issued a document addressing their grievances with the British Crown and stated to the world why they considered themselves to be a free and independent country.
That document and its legacy have had a much bigger impact than its signatories could have ever imagined almost 250 years ago.
Learn more about the Declaration of Independence, how it came about, and its legacy on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily.
Alexander Hamilton, the first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, is somewhat of a pop culture phenomenon thanks to a hit musical about his life. But a new book called The Hamilton Scheme dives into a less-known part of Hamilton's legacy — his vision for public debt. In today's interview, author and historian William Hogeland speaks with NPR's Steve Inskeep about why Hamilton considered higher loans to be paid by the federal government a good thing, and how that can be traced to today's relationship between China and the United States.
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
The Declaration of Independence is one of the most important documents in human history. Cato's Roger Pilon details the philosophical underpinning of America's Birth Certificate.
Last week, Vladimir Putin vowed to make new nuclear weapons and consider placing them close to NATO countries. Meanwhile, here in the US, the government boosted its nuclear weapon spending by 18% between 2022 and 2023.
The world is closer to nuclear war than it's been in at least forty years.
Today on the show: The game theory of nuclear war. When can mathematical models help us, and when can they lead us astray ... even to the brink of destruction?
As a special endcap to this season of Movie Mindset, Will, Hesse & Chris interview the director of Repo Man, Sid & Nancy, Walker and many others, the great Alex Cox. They discuss the Los Angeles of Repo Man, his visual style, his approach to making “political” films, and various genres, writers, and actors he admires. And of course, we get to the bottom of who killed JFK.
Alex is currently crowdfunding what may be his last movie, “My Last Movie” on Kickstarter. Please consider kicking in and becoming one of the dead souls:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/alexcoxfilms/my-last-movie
Find the rest of this season of Movie Mindset, including our episode on Repo Man, on Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/collection/510340?view=expanded