When comedy writer Tamara Yajia talks about her childhood, she’s sometimes unsure what tone to strike. Her new memoir Cry for Me Argentina: My Life as a Failed Child Star depicts a very fun nuclear family with parents and grandparents who are loud, crass, and sex-positive. There are hilarious moments and situations that seem wildly inappropriate.
In this week’s episode, Tamara tells Anna about the ups and downs of her childhood, which was spent in both Argentina and the U.S., and what she wishes her parents had done differently.
This episode was produced by Cameron Drews.
To check out the episodes about Hurricane Katrina that Anna mentioned, click here:
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If you’re new to the show, welcome. We’re so glad you’re here. Find us and follow us on Instagram and you can find Anna’s newsletter at annasale.substack.com. Our email address, where you can reach us with voice memos, pep talks, questions, critiques, is deathsexmoney@slate.com.
We’re talking about the top item on lawmakers’ agendas as they return to the nation’s capital.
And President Trump’s effort to cut more foreign aid—just as catastrophic natural disasters strike overseas.
Also, the latest U.S. court rulings on tariffs and child immigrants set for deportation.
Plus: more turmoil and warnings at the CDC, new state laws taking effect this month, and yet another record set by Taylor Swift—even before her new album drops.
Those stories and even more news to know in about 10 minutes!
Join us every Mon-Fri for more daily news roundups!
The Trump administration is preparing a major Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation in Chicago, and it may come as soon as this week. The details have been few and far between, but it would likely increase the number of ICE and Border Patrol agents in the city significantly. According to “border czar” Tom Homan, the White House is even considering taking over a Naval base north of Chicago to hold the “large contingent” of federal agents. Chicago, unsurprisingly, has long been in the crosshairs of President Donald Trump’s threats to federally invade cities as part of his so-called crackdown on crime. And Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson is not having it. On Saturday, he signed an executive order instructing local police not to cooperate with troops or federal agents if the President’s threats come to fruition. For more on the impact that federal arrests have on federal courts, we spoke with Jessica Brand, a lawyer and Executive Director of Wren Collective, a non-profit aimed at criminal justice reform and prosecutorial power.
And in headlines: Congress is back in session, a federal judge blocks the Trump administration from deporting hundreds of migrant children to Guatemala, and more than 800 demonstrations take place across the country on Labor Day to protest billionaires taking over the government.
Passkeys promise safer and easier logins to websites and apps. But if you’re wondering what they are or how they work, you’re not alone. WSJ contributor Sean Captain will explain. Plus, WSJ reporter Ann-Marie Alcántara will join us to get you up to speed on how tech companies are navigating the new age-verification rules. Julie Chang hosts.
When Jane Birkin's boyfriend ran over her beloved wicker basket, she was stuck lugging a messy tote onto a flight to London. As her Hermès planner exploded across the first-class cabin, her mortified seatmate suggested she needed a bag with pockets. "Hermès doesn't make one with pockets," Jane sighed. He replied: "But I am Hermès." Jean-Louis Dumas, head of the luxury empire, watched Jane sketch her dream bag on an airplane vomit bag. Three years later, the first-ever Birkin arrived as a gift… kicking off what would become the most expensive, hard-to-get handbag design in the world. But this hand-stitched masterpiece wasn’t always the ultimate status symbol. The Birkin didn’t fit in the logo-obsessed 1980s, and didn’t truly pop off until it landed a starring role on Sex and the City. Today, Birkins start at $12,000 with impossible waitlists, while the rarest sell for $450,000—more than some houses—and have spawned multi-million-dollar counterfeit rings.
Discover how Hermès weaponized scarcity to invent the Holy Grail of handbags; how a luxury product can outperform the stock market; and why the Birkin Bag is the best idea yet.
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A booming underground vape market is thriving. It’s unapproved, unregulated, and risky. Today on the show, we hear from The Atlantic’s Nick Florko to dig into why illegal vapes have flooded the U.S., and what’s at stake.
More than 1 in 10 people in the United States take an antidepressant. And the most commonly prescribed type of antidepressant are SSRIs — or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. That includes drugs like Zoloft, Prozac and Lexapro. But what happens when some patients decide they want to stop taking their SSRIs? While doctors know stopping SSRIs can sometimes cause unpleasant short-term side effects – like dizziness, anxiety, insomnia and nausea – some people report symptoms that last months, even years. So, with investigative reporter Emily Corwin and professor of clinical psychology Michael Hengartner, we’re diving into the research around the long-term effects of going off your antidepressants – what it shows and its limits.
Read more of Emily Corwin’s reporting on the topic here.
Author Kate Riley says her book Ruth was partly based on her year spent living in an insular religious community. The debut novel explores what it’s like to live in a world without total access to information, despite the protagonist's intense curiosity. In today’s episode, Riley speaks with NPR’s Ayesha Rascoe about the Peace Church tradition, how her interior life shaped the novel, and why this might be Riley’s first and last book.
To listen to Book of the Day sponsor-free and support NPR's book coverage, sign up for Book of the Day+ at plus.npr.org/bookoftheday
From selling hats, NFTs and cryptocurrency, to stock boosts, swaps and golf-course deals made abroad, the Trumps are taking this presidency to the bank—for what looks to be billions. You can call it distasteful, but has it tipped over into “illegal”?
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Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme, and Rob Gunther.
