Trump is overseeing extrajudicial killings off the coast of Venezuela but nothing was going to stop him from getting a peace prize—even if it’s a fake one from super highly reputable FIFA. He also helped himself to a federal agency that used to work on peace initiatives, but which Elon DOGE’d. Democrats should embrace the spirit of McCain and focus on the massive corruption in the administration around crypto, the ballroom, the pardons, and more. At the same time, the Dems have a disconnect between leaders and the base over Israel, Netanyahu, and AIPAC. Plus, Candace may be less worried about the French taking her out than she plays on her podcast, and Fox doesn’t seem like it’s rooting for war in Venezuela.
Tommy Vietor joins Tim Miller for the weekend pod.
Plus: The EU fines X $140 million over breaches of Digital Services Act. And shares of Moore Threads, a Chinese competitor to Nvidia, soars in its market debut. Julie Chang hosts.
Can we turn the world’s deserts green? CrowdScience listener Youcef is captivated by the idea of bringing water back to Earth’s driest landscapes. With sea levels rising and huge stretches of land drying out each year, he wonders whether redirecting seawater inland could offer a solution to both problems. Presenter Alex Lathbridge sets out to investigate… starting with a kettle of salty water.
Alex speaks with scientists about how deserts form, and how human actions like overgrazing can tip a fragile grassland into a barren landscape. He learns how the brightness of bare sand affects local weather, reducing cloud formation and rainfall. Researcher Yan Li reveals how huge solar and wind farms could darken and roughen the Sahara’s surface enough to double its rainfall, potentially kickstarting a self-reinforcing cycle of vegetation and moisture.
But what about deserts where clouds already drift overhead? In the Atacama – one of the driest places on Earth – geographer Virginia Carter shows how fog harvesting nets can coax litres of fresh water from the air.
Alex also investigates desalination, where professor Chris Sansom is trying to harness solar power to remove the salt from seawater without burning vast amounts of fossil fuels. It’s promising, but can it reduce the impact of rising sea levels? And what do you do with all the salt that’s left over?
Climate scientist Alan Condron proposes an even wilder idea: towing kilometre-sized icebergs from Antarctica to parched nations. His models show it might be possible, but the logistics verge on science fiction.
Finally, plant scientist Zinnia Gonzalez Carranza warns that greening deserts isn’t just about adding water. Introducing new species, even hardy ones like mesquite, can trigger ecological chaos and harm the very communities who depend on these landscapes.
Presenter: Alex Lathbridge
Producer: Sam Baker
Editor: Ben Motley
Photo: Palm trees - stock photo Credit: danymages via Getty Images)
Warning: This episode contains graphic, accurate descriptions of unclean actions, and may not be appropriate for all listeners.
In 1981 and 1982, an horrific series of murders and mutilation gripped Chicago. Ultimately, investigators found four men guilty of the crimes: Edward Spreitzer, brothers Andrew and Thomas Kokoraleis, and the alleged ringleader, Robin Gecht. However, as Ben, Matt and Dylan discover in tonight's episode, three of the criminals seemed unable to explain what, exactly, led to their depraved acts. Gecht, they argued, had supernatural powers of compulsion.
On this episode of The Federalist Radio Hour, Neil Chilson, former FTC chief technologist and head of AI policy at the Abundance Institute, joins Federalist Senior Elections Correspondent Matt Kittle to sort through the fact and fiction about artificial intelligence, explain AI's role in the job market, health care, and politics, and examine the legal challenges that come with governing its use.
You can find Chilson's book Getting Out of Control: Emergent Leadership in a Complex Worldhere.
If you care about combating the corrupt media that continue to inflict devastating damage, please give a gift to help The Federalist do the real journalism America needs.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson battles alders over a competing budget proposal. Northwestern agrees to pay $75 million in a deal with the federal government. A new independent candidate enters the race for retiring Congressman Chuy Garcia’s seat. Gov. Pritzker signs legislation allowing Illinois to set its own vaccination guidelines. In the Loop breaks down those stories and more with Axios Chicago reporter Carrie Shepherd, WTTW Chicago politics reporter Heather Cherone and Chicago Sun-Times politics reporter Mitchell Armentrout.
For a full archive of In the Loop interviews, head over to wbez.org/intheloop.
Today’s episode explores a pair of business stories in China that may be unexpected. We hear about the robust service industry springing up as young people in China increasingly choose having pets over having children. And we go to the Chinese town where nearly all of an iconic Russian handicraft are actually produced.
Once again, I want to open with "I'm sorry" for all of this. If you're considering condemning us to content creator hell for our takes, first consider the question: What Would Charlie Do? Charlie would say, despite our worst takes, we are still redeemable! So, we're doing the first two seasons of Hazbin Hotel and doing a 200 level discussion on universalism about salvation and why it may be the best option for believers but it's still a legitimizing myth. Please don't hate us!
President Trump’s remarks targeting Somali immigrants and Rep. Ilhan Omar escalate tensions as federal agents prepare enforcement actions in Minnesota. CBS News announces a primetime special featuring Erika Kirk, marking Editor in Chief Bari Weiss’ on-camera debut and signaling a shift in the network’s editorial approach. In business, a new UCLA report warns California’s unemployment rate will rise as immigration policies hit specific regions and Costco sues the Trump administration to halt global tariffs and recover billions in import duty payments.