NPR's Book of the Day - In ‘The Bullet Swallower,’ the wild, wild West meets magical realism

The titular protagonist of Elizabeth Gonzalez James' new novel, The Bullet Swallower, is rooted in a story she once heard about her great-grandfather: He was a Mexican outlaw, shot by Texas police and left for dead, who lived to tell the tale. Inspired by that family lore, James uses magical realism, spirituality and some very bad characters to paint a nuanced picture of life on the U.S. Mexico border. In today's episode, she tells NPR's Ari Shapiro why she's so committed to untangling Texas in her writing, and what she thinks her great-grandfather might think of the story she based on him.

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

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy

Pod Save America - Biden and Haley Tag Team Trump

On Trump's orders, Republicans in Congress double down on killing the bipartisan border deal. Both Joe Biden and Nikki Haley hit Trump's memory lapses while campaigning in South Carolina. And, the Biden Campaign starts to preview its 2024 strategy—including  a big surrogate operation, empowering social media influencers, and—maybe!—an endorsement from Taylor Swift.

 

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.

Read Me a Poem - “The Hill-Shade” by William Barnes

Amanda Holmes reads William Barnes’s “The Hill-Shade.” 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.



Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Chapo Trap House - 802 – Adult High School feat. Alex Nichols (1/29/24)

Alex Nichols a.k.a. @Lowenaffchen joins us to look at a series of certified Good Mental Moments from our top politicians. Then, we transition to doing a live listen to the new Tom McDonald feat. Ben Shapiro song FACTS. Is Ben bringing Tom down? Is that an AI or is Ben really that robotic? Do you really want to be talking compound interest in your rap verse? Alex puts on his Fortune Kit hat to discuss that and more. Check out Fortune Kit here or wherever you get pods: https://soundcloud.com/fortune-kit And the FYM podcast here or wherever you get pods: https://chapofym.podbean.com/

The Indicator from Planet Money - Are we overpaying for military equipment?

If the proposed defense budget is passed, it will account for roughly 3.5 % of U.S. GDP. The military buys everything from pens and paper clips to fighter jets and submarines. But the market for military equipment is very different from the commercial market. And sometimes the system results in the Pentagon, and taxpayers, overpaying. This week, we're bringing you a three-part series on the defense industry.

Today, we unpack how defense costs are getting so high and why it's happening.

Related:
Can Just-In-Time handle a new era of war? (Apple / Spotify)

How to transform a war economy from peacetime (Apple / Spotify)

For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.

Music by
Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy

The Commentary Magazine Podcast - Biden’s Choices on Iran

Today's podcast worries over Joe Biden's next steps relating to Iran and its proxies attacking Americans in the Middle East and the temptation to do just a little bit and not a lot to respond, which will only make things worse. It's even more puzzling given how vulnerable Biden is in an election year against Donald Trump on this issue because Trump can favorably contrast his record on Iran with Biden's in a way Biden will be hard-pressed to counter. Give a listen.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Everything Everywhere Daily - Prohibition

On January 16, 1919, the 18th Amendment to the US Constitution was passed. It banned the manufacture, sale, and transportation of alcohol. 

The path to the 18th Amendment was something that was almost a century in the making, and once it was passed, it was widely ignored both illegally and through numerous legal loopholes. 

Finally, after being in place for almost 14 years, it was repealed with overwhelming popular support using a constitutional method that has never been used before or since.

Learn more about prohibition, how it came about, and how it ended on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily.


Sponsors

BetterHelp

Visit BetterHelp.com/everywhere today to get 10% off your first month


ButcherBox

Sign up today at butcherbox.com/daily and use code daily to choose your free steak for a year and get $20 off." 


Subscribe to the podcast! 

https://link.chtbl.com/EverythingEverywhere?sid=ShowNotes

--------------------------------

Executive Producer: Charles Daniel

Associate Producers: Peter Bennett & Cameron Kieffer

 

Become a supporter on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/everythingeverywhere


Update your podcast app at newpodcastapps.com


Discord Server: https://discord.gg/UkRUJFh

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/everythingeverywhere/

Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/everythingeverywheredaily

Twitter: https://twitter.com/everywheretrip

Website: https://everything-everywhere.com/

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

NPR's Book of the Day - ‘Only Say Good Things’ chronicles Crystal Hefner’s life at the Playboy mansion

Crystal Harris was only 21 when she entered the Playboy mansion for the first time. Within a few days, the college student moved in. She later married Hugh Hefner, and stayed by his side until his death in 2017. In her new memoir, Only Say Good Things, Hefner looks back on the paradox of sexual freedom and strict rules she lived by at the mansion. She tells NPR's Michel Martin how her perspective on love, liberation and control has changed since she left.

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

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy