The Gist - Helen Lewis on Dead Parents, Paper Animals, And The Politics of Genius

Helen Lewis discusses The Genius Myth: A Curious History of a Dangerous Idea, her critique of how society defines—and distorts—the concept of genius. From Hans Eysenck’s wildly specific formula (preferably Jewish, born in February, lose a parent before age 10) to Picasso denying his granddaughter a paper animal because “this is the work of Picasso,” Lewis explores how mythmaking inflates flawed men into icons. Plus, negotiations aren't the goal—the goal is the goal. Negotiations are just a way to get there (or not). Produced by Corey Wara
Production Coordinator Ashley Khan
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Consider This from NPR - What’s at stake in the conflict between Israel and Iran?

The United States has worked for decades to prevent Iran from building a nuclear weapon. Now Israel says it is attacking Iran to remove that threat. What are the stakes in this conflict, not only for the two nations directly involved, but for the US and the world?

Mary Louise Kelly speaks with Aaron Stein, the President of the Foreign Policy Research Institute about those stakes and the history of nuclear proliferation in the Middle East.

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WSJ What’s News - Israel’s Case for Its War With Iran

P.M. Edition for June 17. President Trump has called for Iran’s “unconditional surrender” as he considers a range of options, including a potential U.S. strike, against the country. WSJ national security reporter Alexander Ward discusses the key piece of intelligence around which Israel built its case for war, though the U.S. didn’t buy it. Plus, unemployment for recent grads hits nearly its highest level in a decade. We hear from WSJ economics reporter Justin Lahart about the factors at play. And Amazon chief executive Andy Jassy says that developments in artificial intelligence will lead to a smaller workforce. Alex Ossola hosts.


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WSJ Minute Briefing - U.S. Stocks Slip as Israel-Iran Conflict Continues

President Trump called for Iran’s unconditional surrender and said he wouldn’t target the country’s leader “for now.” Plus: Verve Therapeutics shares soar after Eli Lilly agrees to acquire the gene-editing company. And shares of SunRun, Enphase Energy and First Solar sink after Senate Republicans back a phase-out of tax credits in Trump’s megabill. Danny Lewis hosts.


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The Daily Signal - Victor Davis Hanson: How The Transgender Movement Turned the Left Against Women

Victor Davis Hanson breaks down the tragic irony of today’s transgender sports movement on today’s episode of “Victor Davis Hanson: In His Own Words.”


“  As a classicist, I can tell you that there are documented fables, myths, poems, histories about people who feel they were in the wrong bodies. … There's a long history of sex research about people whose psychological or hormonal makeup does not match their physical characteristics. But here's the key: They're very rare.


“The Left was supposed to be for gender parity. … And now we're kind of reactionary. We flipped it upside down, where males go around the back, take over women's sports, and essentially, destroy it. And yet that is popular among many on the Left.”


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👉He’s also the host of “The Victor Davis Hanson Show,” available wherever you prefer to watch or listen. Links to the show and exclusive content are available on his website: https://victorhanson.com


(0:00) Introduction

(1:40) Transgender Athletes in Women's Sports

(2:29) Historical Context of Gender Dysphoria

(4:57) The Gender Transition Debate in Sports

(6:38) Political Ramifications and Final Thoughts

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African Tech Roundup - World-class Design: Guidione Machava on Why ‘African Designer’ Is a Limiting Label

Episode overview: Guidione Machava has a confession: he's tired of being called an "African designer." The Mozambican product designer, now based in France and fresh from stints at Shopify and Paris-based 23point5, reckons that geographic qualifiers automatically strip away a third of your professional value before you've even started. It's a provocative stance from someone who's built his career bridging African markets and global tech giants. Since launching- MozDevz - Mozambique's largest developer community - over a decade ago, Machava has been methodically executing what he calls his "Maria Sharapova strategy": a systematic approach to becoming world-class that he lifted from a Tim Ferriss podcast. The strategy worked. From building communities across six African countries to creating a business directory that attracted 300,000 SMEs, to founding Kabum Digital (Mozambique's leading tech publication), Machava has consistently punched above his weight class. His secret? "Piggybacking" on successful people and refusing to let his environment dictate his ambitions. Andile Masuku probes Machava on the realities of designing for African versus Western markets, why physical product development taught him to appreciate software's forgiving nature, and his mission to prove that world-class design talent can emerge from anywhere, provided you're strategic about how you position it. Key insights: - On strategic positioning: Despite building African communities and solving African problems, Machava deliberately brands himself as a "world-class designer" rather than a "world-class African designer." His reasoning? International clients and collaborators unconsciously devalue geography-qualified talent, even when they won't admit it. - On market realities: Designing for Western markets versus African markets isn't just about different user needs, it's about fundamentally different quality bars. "In Africa, designing a product that works well is a plus. In France, it's the bare minimum," he observes. - On the intersection economy: His time at 23.5—building design tools for made-to-order, sustainable fashion—taught him that the intersection of digital and physical economies is where the hardest, most rewarding innovation happens. Unlike software, physical products offer no "rollback to previous version" option. - On manufactured serendipity: Rather than waiting for opportunities, Machava systematically identified people in positions he wanted to occupy, then found ways to provide value to them. The approach landed him interviews with executives from IDEO, Google, and Facebook for his World Class Designer podcast. Notable moments: 1. How a Tim Ferriss interview with tennis champion Maria Sharapova became Machava's career template for achieving world-class performance in design 2. Why Shopify's hierarchy of priorities—solve merchants' problems first, make money second, never reverse that order—fundamentally changed how he approaches product design 3. The brutal economics lesson he learned at 23point5: physical product margins are tiny, error tolerance is minimal, and mistakes literally end up in landfills 4. His unconventional path from economics degree to postgraduate design studies, convincing Open Window Institute for Creative Arts & Technologies to let him skip three years of undergraduate work The contrarian take: Machava's most provocative insight centres on geographic positioning. Whilst celebrating African innovation has become fashionable, he argues that leading with continental identity in global markets is a strategic error. "If you say just 'world-class designer,' it's a completely different perspective," he notes, drawing from conversations with international colleagues who've confirmed his suspicions about unconscious bias.

Marketplace All-in-One - BONUS: How do Olympic athletes make money?

This week, Ryan and Bridget are answering a question about why athletes get paid what they do. In this bonus mini-episode of “Million Bazillion,” Bridget and Ryan hear from Colin Hufman, who competed in the 2022 Beijing Olympics with the U.S. curling team. Curling is a sport that’s played on ice, in which players slide granite stones toward a target area. We’ll learn about Colin’s experience earning income as an Olympic athlete, including payments for medals, monthly stipends and promotional endorsements. The hosts realize that making a living as an Olympian involves a lot more than just training and competing in sports.

Marketplace All-in-One - How do athletes get paid?

“Million Bazillion” listener Alistair wants to know how professional athletes get paid. Bridget and Ryan prepare for the semi-annual Public Radio Foosball Tournament, but their star player is drafted to the opposing team. The hosts have to scramble to assemble players for their dream team in time for the big tournament. In this episode, they learn about labor unions, player trades and statistical analysis strategies used in the movie “Moneyball.”


If your family is interested in learning more about the questions we answered in this episode, check out our website. We’ve got discussion questions and tips!


This episode is sponsored by Greenlight. Sign up for Greenlight today at greenlight.com/million.

State of the World from NPR - What is the Future of the Israel-Iran War and Will the U.S. Get Involved?

The war between Israel and Iran shows no signs of slowing down. There were traffic jams in Tehran with people fleeing after President Trump suggested on social media everyone there evacuate. We talk to a longtime Iran analyst about where the war might go and what the U.S. role in the conflict might be. And we go to the neighboring countries in the region to see how people are reacting to missiles flying overhead.

For more coverage of all sides of this conflict, go to npr.org/mideastupdates

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1A - ICYMI: Israel, Iran Conflict Shifts Focus

On Monday, the Israeli military struck the headquarters of Iran's state television network. The explosion was caught on video in the middle of a news broadcast. As the conflict enters its fifth day, 224 civilians have been killed in Iran. And in Israel, at least 24 people have been killed according to the prime minister's office.

Meanwhile, Israel's war in Gaza continues. This weekend at least 79 Palestinians were killed across the Gaza strip, many at an aid distribution point operated by the U-S and Israel. The death toll since October 7, 2023 in Gaza has now surpassed 55,000 people.

A French-Saudi summit scheduled to take place this week that was meant to pave the way for wider recognition of a Palestinian state was postponed indefinitely.

We discuss the regional and global implications of conflict between Israel and Iran.

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