Propelled by the success of her runaway bestseller, “Braiding Sweetgrass”, Robin Wall Kimmerer (Citizen Potawatomi) continues a passion for weaving together the science, the cultural knowledge, and the beauty of the natural environment and importance of taking notice of it. In her new children’s picture book, “Bud Finds Her Gift,” a young girl discovers what it means to receive and give the gifts of nature. And her book, “The Serviceberry,” lands on the small fruit clusters as a starting point to awaken one’s gratitude for the environment’s abundance. We’ll hear from Kimmerer about the arc of her work and the additional knowledge she’s collected from it.
Break 1 Music: My Wild Rose (song) Blue Moon Marquee (artist) Scream, Holler, and Howl (album)
FCC chair Brendan Carr’s “easy way or hard way” threat to TV broadcasters lit a censorship firestorm this week. Our Cato panel digs into the government's jawboning, broadcast licensees' “junior-varsity” First Amendment rights, and whether it’s time to scrap the FCC altogether. Plus, the latest on AI regulation and the art of the TikTok deal.
Featuring Gene Healy, Ryan Bourne, Brent Skorup and Jennifer Huddleston
Dallas ICE facility shooting. Trump targets former FBI director James Comey. Wrongful death lawsuit filed in DC plane crash. Correspondent Steve Kathan has these stories and more on the CBS World News Roundup.
The Office of Management and Budget sent out a memo with stark instructions for heads of federal agencies: They should consider layoff notices for all employees in programs that haven’t been funded yet for the government’s 2026 fiscal year, which starts Oct. 1. Also on the show: The U.S. is in negotiations to lend $20 billion to Argentina’s central bank, and climate change is treatening New Mexico's centuries-old irrigation system.
From the BBC World Service: Apple has called for the European Union's antitrust watchdogs to scrap some of its tech regulations, which it says lead to a worse experience for users. It's not the first time Apple has voiced its opposition to Europe's Digital Markets Act. We hear more. Plus, China has — for the first time — set a target for reducing carbon emissions. And, a Dutch village famous for its windmills is planning to charge visitors to see them.
Introducing the newest thing in higher (and we really mean higher — like look UP) education: The Flying Pig Academy. A dream of The Village Square (with support from Florida Humanities) for many years, it’s finally aloft. The division in American society is big and seems impossible at times to address.
This Flying Pig Episode: If you’re trying to build community in this fractured time (for anything), have we got a hack for you. At a time when binaries rule the day (you’re either with “us” or “them,” with us or against us), “complicating the narrative” between groups has a powerful effect on the conversations and relationships that are even possible. That means civic entrepreneurs need to be on the lookup for unexpected combinations—of traits in people, of relationships between people, of coalitions of groups. We call it being criss-crossey, a term we’re just sure is going to sweep the nation.
Miss the first Flying Pig Academy Episode? Find it here.
The second in the series, after "Location, Location, Location" is an homage to our intellectual hero (and lucky for us, our friend and colleague) Dr. Jonathan Haidt who - literally - wrote the book for Pigs With Big Dreams. The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion.
Oh and if you haven't watched the "hive switch-y" Almost Famous Tiny Dancer scene we mention toward the end of the episode, here's your chance.
The Village Square is a proud member of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what's broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it.
Plus: Denmark says drones were spotted over at least four airports, including a military air base housing F-16 and F-35 jet fighters. And, lawmakers are ramping up scrutiny of how big tech companies are using H-1B visas.
A.M. Edition for Sept. 25. Multiple drones flew over airports and a military base housing most of the country's fighter jets, with Denmark’s government calling the hybrid attack a threat to freedom and safety. Plus, the White House is planning for mass firings if there is a government shutdown next week. And, Delta is upgrading plane engines that are often behind toxic fumes leaking into the air supply on flights. But WSJ aviation reporter Ben Katz explains why the airline’s effort won’t entirely stop the risks. Caitlin McCabe hosts.
A deadly shooting at a Dallas ICE office leaves one detainee dead and highlights rising violence around immigration enforcement. Ukraine's president warns that Russia’s war is fueling a dangerous new arms race as President Trump signals support for Ukraine reclaiming its territory. And a White House memo orders agencies to prepare mass firings if the government shuts down, with health care premiums still at the center of the standoff.
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Today’s episode of Up First was edited by Alfredo Carbajal, Miguel Macias, Diane Webber, Mohamad ElBardicy and Alice Woelfle.
It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Nia Dumas and Lindsay Totty.
We get engineering support from Stacey Abbott. And our technical director is Carleigh Strange.
A snapshot of the country reveals deepening military and economic problems—and, perhaps above all, political ones. America’s efforts to clamp down on skilled-worker visas will have far-reaching unintended consequences. And globally, more children today are obese than underweight. We look at which countries are worst affected.
