Up First from NPR - Epstein Troubles In Congress, 2016 Election Interference, Columbia Student Discipline

House Republicans went home early for summer recess to avoid dragging out a fight over the Jeffrey Epstein saga, President Trump's spy chief published Obama-era emails claiming a conspiracy, and dozens of Columbia students are being suspended or expelled for their participation in pro-Palestinian protests.

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Today's episode of Up First was edited by Kelsey Snell, Krishnadev Calamur, Denice Rios, Janaya Williams and Alice Woelfle. It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Nia Dumas, and Christopher Thomas. We get engineering support from Stacey Abbott. And our technical director is Carleigh Strange.


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Code Story: Insights from Startup Tech Leaders - The Next Iteration of Gremlin – with Kolton Andrus, CEO

Today, I'm talking with Kolton Andrus, CEO and Founder of Gremlin. You may remember previously when we spoke with Matt, the prior CTO of the company. Since that time frame, a lot has changed at the company, going through several arcs and foundational changes that are leading to not only assessing weaknesses in your infrastructure, but walking you through how to fix it (and eventually, fixing it for you).

Questions:

  • Tell us a little bit of an overview about you.
  • Your time at Amazon & Netflix were big influences on the importance of chaos engineering and reliability testing. Can you tell me what was so foundational about your time there?
  • What is next iteration of Gremlin? What has changed in the platform primarily? Tell me about the arcs of the company here.
  • In 2022, there was a leadership transition and you increased your focus on the product. What are some of the most exciting developments that came from these last 3 years?
  • Where does AI fit into Chaos Engineering? And where does it not fit? Can you unpack your viewpoint here?
  • What are you most excited about in the next chapter for Gremlin, and for the broader SRE space?
  • What advice would you give a founder just getting started?


I couldn't be more excited about the future of Gremlin. Given the arcs the company has gone through, it's evident that Kolton has built foundational layers into the platform, and is steering the ship towards responsible chaos engineering, reliability, automation and much more.

Thank you for listening to today's episode. If you'd like to learn more about Gremlin, please visit gremlin.com.

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Headlines From The Times - Gaza Death Toll Rises, U.S. Quits UNESCO, Menendez Medical Release, Maxwell Seeks Relief, Tesla Diner Debuts, & Netflix Bets on AI

Israeli airstrikes kill at least 20 people in Gaza, including women and children, as Christian leaders call for an end to the nearly 21-month war. The Trump administration pressures Israel to conclude the conflict after a deadly church strike, while ceasefire talks in Qatar stall. Meanwhile, the U.S. announces it will leave UNESCO again, citing alleged anti-Israel bias and divisive agendas—just two years after rejoining. Erik Menendez, imprisoned for the 1989 killing of his parents, seeks early release to treat a serious medical condition ahead of a parole hearing that could test his life sentence. Meanwhile, Ghislaine Maxwell moves for prison relief from her sex-trafficking conviction as the Justice Department plans to meet with her lawyers and considers new subpoenas. Public and political pressure grows for answers in the Epstein case, even as Congress leaves Washington without voting to release more related files.

Big Technology Podcast - Are AI’s Economics Unsustainable? — With Ed Zitron

Ed Zitron is the owner of EZPR, host of Better Offline, and author of the Where’s Your Ed At newsletter. Zitron joins Big Technology Podcast to discuss whether the generative-AI boom is an unsustainable bubble ready to pop. Tune in to hear him debate OpenAI’s multi-billion-dollar burn rate, Microsoft’s leverage, and the economics behind ChatGPT. We also cover Nvidia’s GPU market, SoftBank’s colossal bets, advertiser drift from Google Search, and the hype around “AI companions." Hit play for a sharp, no-fluff conversation about the economics of AI.


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WSJ What’s News - U.S. and Japan Reach Trade Deal

A.M. Edition for July 23. President Trump says that he will set tariffs on the country at 15%. The WSJ’s Jason Douglas says the deal helps Japan’s crucial automotive sector. Plus, Trump lashes out at his perceived political enemies, including Barack Obama, as the president faces more questions about Jeffrey Epstein. And how younger individual investors are cheering on a new clutch of meme stocks. Azhar Sukri hosts.


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60 Songs That Explain the '90s - “Live Like You Were Dying”— Tim McGraw

This week, Rob puts his pretensions about country music aside with a closer look at Tim McGraw’s simple but moving song, “Live Like You Were Dying,” that encourages even the most sarcastic of 20-something-year-olds to romanticize their life. He talks about his late father-in-law who shared the same zest for life as the song’s narrator, and he encourages all his listeners to go sky diving, rocky mountain climbing, and to share a song they love with someone they love.


Host: Rob Harvilla

Producers: Olivia Crerie, Chris Sutton, and Justin Sayles

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Marketplace All-in-One - IRS data deal with ICE raises privacy alarms

ProPublica has recently discovered blueprints for an automated computer program that could potentially share millions of IRS taxpayer records with ICE, as the Trump administration continues to step up deportations and criminal investigations. When Marketplace asked for comment about the system uncovered by ProPublica, a senior DHS official cited a recent memorandum of understanding that allowed for the sharing of specific taxpayer info with appropriate safeguards and said descriptions of this system as "surveillance" were "absurd."


Marketplace’s Meghan McCarty Carino spoke with William Turton, one of the reporters on the ProPublica investigation, about how exactly this program would work.

The Daily - A D.O.J. Whistleblower Speaks Out

Warning: This episode contains strong language.

An explosive whistle-blower report claims that the Justice Department is asking government lawyers to lie to the courts, and that this has forced career officials to chose between upholding the Constitution and pledging loyalty to the president.

Rachel Abrams speaks to the whistle-blower about his career in the Justice Department and his complaint saying he was fired for telling the truth.

Guest: Erez Reuveni, who filed a whistle-blower complaint against the Department of Justice.

Background reading: 

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. 

Photo: Kent Nishimura for The New York Times

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