P.M. Edition for Oct. 10. President Trump responded to recent Chinese actions targeting the U.S. by threatening higher tariffs and export controls on China—a move that sent U.S. markets falling. WSJ reporter Jack Pitcher explains the market reaction. Plus, the White House said today that it has begun mass layoffs of federal workers as a result of the government shutdown. And MIT has become the first university to reject a compact sent by the Trump administration last week offering colleges funding advantages. We hear from WSJ reporter Doug Belkin about why the university rejected it, and what it means for other universities faced with a similar proposal. Alex Ossola hosts.
Season 3 of Funny You Should Mention begins with the “Filth Queen” herself Steph Tolev to explore why gross can be smart, how crowd work goes viral, Bill Burr’s boost to her career, and the Canadian comedy grind. Big laughs, sharp ideas, adult themes. We also get into slapstick dummies, family lore, and why Boston brings the best chaos. Come for the filthy stories, stay for the surprisingly thoughtful theories on why certain jokes land, and what that says about us.
The U.S. government spends a ton of money, on everything from Medicare to roads to defense. In fact, it spends way more than it takes in. So…it borrows money, in the bond market. By selling U.S. Treasurys, basically IOUs with periodic interest payments. And for decades, people have loved to invest in Treasurys, for their safety and security.
But lately, Treasurys have started to look riskier.
In part because, in recent years, there’s a new buyer at the table: hedge funds, those loosely-regulated financial companies that invest on behalf of institutions and wealthy clients. They have started doing a special trade called the “Treasury basis trade.” And, depending on who you talk to, this trade could destabilize our entire financial system. Or help the U.S. government borrow more money. Or both.
On the latest episode: how and why are hedge funds getting into Treasurys? We follow how a Treasury travels from the nest into the hands of hedge funds. And we speak to someone from one of those hedge funds, about what they’re doing and why.
This episode was hosted by Mary Childs and Kenny Malone. It was produced by Willa Rubin and edited by Marianne McCune. It was fact-checked by Sierra Juarez and engineered by Jimmy Keeley and Cena Loffredo. Alex Goldmark is our Executive Producer.
U.S. chipmakers’ stocks are hit especially hard by tariff threats. Plus: Venture Global stock drops after the gas exporter loses an arbitration case against BP. And Applied Digital posts strong quarterly results. 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.
Atoms are the building blocks of our world. Many have been around since right after the Big Bang created the universe nearly 14 billion years ago. And if life on Earth is made of atoms that are from all the way back then... will those atoms keep existing forever? That’s what CrowdScience Listener Rob in Australia would like to know.
Caroline Steel investigates the immortality of atoms by travelling to CERN, the world’s largest particle physics laboratory located along the border of France and Switzerland. There, theoretical physicist Matthew McCullough explains whether the smallest atoms can decay or survive the test of time.
Physicist Marco van Leeuwen from Nikhef, the National Particle Physics Laboratory in the Netherlands, gives Caroline a behind-the-scenes tour of the ALICE experiment and the Large Hadron Collider at CERN. She learns how atoms are smashed at incredibly high speeds, and whether that might spell the end of an atom.
And all life on earth is made up of atoms, but how does a collection of tiny particles become a living being? Astrobiologist Betül Kaçar from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, breaks down how life works from an atomic point of view.
Presenter: Caroline Steel
Producer: Imaan Moin
Editor: Ben Motley
(Photo: Hands cupping a glowing atom in the studio - stock photo. Credit: Paper Boat Creative via Getty Images)
What can we learn about investing in 1999 or 2007 that can be applied today? While history doesn’t repeat, it often rhymes and we discuss what we wish we would have known 25 years ago and how we’re applying that today.
Disclosure: Advertisements are sponsored content and provided for informational purposes only. The Motley Fool and its affiliates (collectively, “TMF”) do not endorse, recommend, or verify the accuracy or completeness of the statements made within advertisements. TMF is not involved in the offer, sale, or solicitation of any securities advertised herein and makes no representations regarding the suitability, or risks associated with any investment opportunity presented. Investors should conduct their own due diligence and consult with legal, tax, and financial advisors before making any investment decisions. TMF assumes no responsibility for any losses or damages arising from this advertisement.
We’re committed to transparency: All personal opinions in advertisements from Fools are their own. The product advertised in this episode was loaned to TMF and was returned after a test period or the product advertised in this episode was purchased by TMF. Advertiser has paid for the sponsorship of this episode.
Let's imagine the worst scenario for civilization: humans, for one reason or another, go extinct. What will rise from the ashes of the Anthropocene to take their place? In the second part of this two-part series, Ben, Matt and Dylan explore the possible candidates, from various high-order mammals and avians, to life beneath the seas, to plants, fungi, artificial intelligence and more. (We're extremely excited about this one, and can't wait to hear your picks for the next rulers of Earth.)
Italy’s Campi Flegrei volcano is depicted in Greek and Roman mythology as the entrance to the underworld. Its eruptions thousands of years ago blocked out the sun, turning summer into winter. And now the volcano is stirring in a way it hasn’t for centuries. We go to the volcano outside Naples to understand its new activity.
Plus: EU scrutinizes Google, YouTube, Apple and Snapchat over their children’s online-safety efforts. And the U.K. names Google as a company to keep an eye on under new competition law. Julie Chang hosts.
The Texas National Guard arrived in the Chicago area, then a judge granted a temporary restraining order on deploying the guard in Illinois. Meanwhile, ICE arrests and raids continued and the Chicago area began to feel the effects of the ongoing federal government shutdown.
Reset dives into those and other top local stories with Chicago Sun-Times reporter Mark Norkol, Fox 32 political correspondent Paris Schutz and Borderless Magazine editorial director Mauricio Peña.
For a full archive of In the Loop interviews, head over to wbez.org/intheloop.
