A weak GDP estimate contributed to the declines. Plus: Meta shares slide after reports that it delayed releasing a new AI model. Katherine Sullivan hosts.
An artificial-intelligence tool assisted in the making of this episode by creating summaries that were based on Wall Street Journal reporting and reviewed and adapted by an editor.
The Trump administration is preparing to deploy a Marine expeditionary unit to the Middle East along with more warships. But that development was not Hegseth’s highest priority at his Pentagon briefing. His first order of business was attacking the media—even before mentioning the six fallen service members who were killed in a plane crash supporting the war in Iran. And while the administration may have finally narrowed down its reasons for launching the war alongside Israel, it hasn’t discussed the risks of the operation, or why it doesn’t seem to have an issue with Putin helping Iran in the fight. Plus, JD is skeptical about the war but won’t tell Trump to his face, oil prices are soaring while Russia cashes in, and don’t forget that the Department of Homeland Security is still down shut down while our country is at war.
Plus: Uber is speeding up its rollout of robotaxi services. And EssilorLuxottica’s dominance in eyewear could erode amid smart glasses boom. Katherine Sullivan hosts.
Understanding exactly what is happening inside Iran is difficult. The government rarely gives visas to western journalists and closely monitors those that do enter the country. The internet is closely controlled by the regime. For the past two weeks, since the U.S. and Israel began their war in Iran, a writer in Tehran has been sharing entries from her diary with NPR about this war. We hear some of her writings which offer an intimate look at her life under bombardment.
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Two weeks into the war with Iran, the United States has spent more than $10 billion dollars. The conflict has claimed the lives of more than 1,000 Iranians and seven American service members. Those numbers are likely to grow if there are boots on the ground, a possibility that Trump Administration officials refuse to rule out.
The president traveled to Kentucky and Ohio this week where he went on the defensive, justifying the increase in gas prices and touting the drop in drug prices.
Israel is widening strikes into Lebanon and threatening to invade the southern portion of the country. The Tehran-backed Hezbollah group has been sending missiles into Israel since the attacks on Iran began nearly two weeks ago. Lebanon is appealing to Israel’s allies to stop the campaign.
The Journal’s investigation into the wild west of the fertility industry continues, this time from an intended parent’s perspective. Ryan Knutson speaks with AnnaMaria Gallozzi, who wanted to have a child through surrogacy after a cancer diagnosis. Gallozzi and her husband set aside a large sum of money, but they lost it all when the escrow company entrusted with that cash defrauded them. WSJ’s Ben Foldy walks us through the complicated legal battle, and reveals how a lack of oversight has exposed hopeful parents to fraud.
Ranjan Roy from Margins is back for our weekly discussion of the latest tech news. We cover: 1) Backlash against AI & specifically Sam Altman's comments about AI as a utility 2) Is this because people are worried about AI taking their jobs? 3) NBC poll shows AI is one of the least popular things in the U.S. 4) YouGov poll shows broadly negative feelings toward AI 5) Pew finds datacenters are very unpopular 6) Consequences of AI's unpopularity 7) Nvidia GTC preview: A rallying cry for AI 8) Could Jensen Huang be the guy that turns this around? 9) Amazon's AI code is messing things up 10) McKinsey's AI tool hacked 11) Meta can't get its act together with Avocado delayed 12) Should Meta's AI use Google's Gemini tech
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On this episode of The Federalist Radio Hour, Hans von Spakovsky, a senior legal fellow in the Edwin Meese III Institute for the Rule of Law at Advancing American Freedom, joins Federalist Senior Elections Correspondent Matt Kittle to discuss the fate of the SAVE America Act, analyze Republicans' hesitancy to use procedural tactics to secure a vote on it, and explain how the legislation impacts election integrity efforts ahead of the midterms.
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Illinois Governor JB Pritzker surveys the destruction left behind after a series of wild storms rip through Kankakee County, destroying homes and buildings. Plus, the Illinois primary election is next week, and all eyes are on the tight race to replace longtime retiring U.S. Senator Dick Durbin. We also talk about campaign finances and the use of AI in technology in political ads. In the Loop breaks down those stories and more with Axios Chicago reporter Carrie Shepherd, WBEZ politics editor Dave McKinney and local journalist Leigh Giangreco.
For a full archive of In the Loop interviews, head over to wbez.org/intheloop.
Today, we have on Jonathan Shainin, one of the founders of Equator Magazine, a new venture among very smart, thoughtful writers and editors that “is our collective response to a crisis that is as much spiritual and intellectual as it is political and economic. It is a venture that aims to create a more cosmopolitan home for thought and art than the one assigned to them by provincial Western periodicals. It also seeks to restore dignity to the concept of truth, and create a public space where the values of justice, solidarity and compassion can flourish.”
We talk about starting a new magazine in this media atmosphere, the need for an international perspective on the world, who their ideal reader might be, and why they still believe in the printed word. A very stirring episode and I hope you’ll take a listen.
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