Over the past year, the Trump administration has been eliminating policies aimed at slowing down climate change – and now, it may go even further. This week, the Environmental Protection Agency plans to repeal the “endangerment finding” that has been the scientific basis of rules limiting greenhouse gas emissions since 2009. To talk more about this endangerment finding and where the fight against climate change goes from here, we spoke to Leah Stokes. She’s an associate professor at UC Santa Barbara where she works on climate and clean energy policy and co-host of the climate podcast, A Matter of Degrees.
And in headlines, Department of Homeland Security officials testify before Congress, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick admits to lunching with his kids on Epstein Island, and the Trump administration takes down a rainbow flag at the Stonewall National Monument in New York City.
You’ve got junk, and we have info. The charming and hilarious researcher, professor, sex-positive health advocate, and author of the science book “Strange Bedfellows,” Dr. Ina Park, joins to talk about sores, symptoms, muffs, condoms, testing schedules, titillating vaccine developments, miracle medications, Brazilians, HIV magic, stepping out vs. opening up, toilet seats, antibiotics, new scientific shockers about bacterial vaginosis, crotch crickets, conservative obstructions, the secrets of Columbus, and most importantly how to stay horny, true to yourself, and safe. Whether you’re monogamous, open, ace, or dating, she’s giving the advice you need to communicate more openly and have more empathy for the health of friends and strangers.
It seems like artificial intelligence is everywhere in our virtual lives. It's in our search results and our phones. But what happens when AI moves out of the chat and into the real world? NPR science editor and correspondent Geoff Brumfiel took a trip to the Intelligence through Robotic Interaction at Scale Lab at Stanford University to see how scientists are using AI to power robots and the large hurtles that exist for them to perform even simple tasks. (encore)
Interested in more AI stories? Email us your ideas at shortwave@npr.org.Listen to every episode of Short Wave sponsor-free and support our work at NPR by signing up for Short Wave+ at plus.npr.org/shortwave.
Today, the story of three inventions. The first, the sewing machine, was created by a selfish and ambitious inventor who wanted all the credit and was willing to fight a war for it.
The second, a more modern invention, was made by an Italian inventor who wanted only to connect the world through video, so “evvvvverybody can talk with evvvvverybody else.”
And, a third invention that tied them both together across more than a century. The patent pool.
How do people get motivated to invent, and how do they get rewarded for their ideas? Usually through a patent. And, when the thicket of patents become too thick, how do we simplify, and make it so inventors can work together? The answer will involve bitter rivals, a sewing machine war, the nine no-no’s of anti-trust, and something called a gob-feeder.
This episode was hosted by Erika Beras and Sam Yellowhorse Kesler. It was produced by Luis Gallo and edited by Marianne McCune. It was fact-checked by Sierra Juarez and engineered by Cena Loffredo. Alex Goldmark is Planet Money's executive producer.
Want more business storytelling from us? Check our weekly deepdive show, The Best Idea Yet: The untold origin story of the products you're obsessed with. Listen for free to The Best Idea Yet: https://wondery.com/links/the-best-idea-yet/
About Us: The daily pop-biz news show making today’s top stories your business. Formerly known as Robinhood Snacks, The Best One Yet is hosted by Jack Crivici-Kramer & Nick Martell.
In his latest novel, George Saunders continues to explore his interest in death and the afterlife. Vigil tells the story of an oil tycoon and climate change denier named K.J. Boone who’s visited by a series of ghosts in his final hours. In today’s episode, NPR’s Scott Detrow asks Saunders about similarities between this novel and A Christmas Carol. They also discuss the author’s Substack, his experience in the oil industry, and the role of storytelling in this political moment.
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
Although sexual assault and rape by rideshare drivers has been widely reported, Uber itself largely avoided legal liability until last week, when a jury decided the company had to pay $8.5 million to a woman who said she was raped by her Uber driver.
Guest: Sarah London, co-Lead and liaison counsel in the multidistrict litigation against Uber.
Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.
Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme, and Rob Gunther.
