Host Christine Lee breaks down the latest news in the crypto industry as the LIBRA token scandal continues.
CoinDesk’s Christine Lee breaks down the latest news in the crypto industry on “CoinDesk Daily" as the Libra scandal continues. Libra co-creator Hayden Davis bragged in text messages that he bought influence over Argentine president Javier Milei. Plus, creditors of the collapsed cryptocurrency exchange FTX with claims below $50,000 have started receiving their payouts.
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This episode was hosted by Christine Lee. “CoinDesk Daily” is produced by Christine Lee and edited by Victor Chen.
Riverside Sheriff Chad Bianco enters the race for California governor. Insurers in California have been pulling out of high-risk wildfire areas, leaving home owners struggling to find coverage. President Donald Trump sparks controversy by renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. California lawmakers weigh the possibility of state-owned oil refineries. A new California state bill seeks to ban the sale of powerful anti-aging products to minors.
During his trip to Europe last week, Vice President JD Vance said to European leaders at the Munich Security Conference, “The threat that I worry the most about vis-a-vis Europe is not Russia, it’s not China, it’s not any other external actor. What I worry about is the threat from within. The retreat of Europe from some of its most fundamental values—values shared with the United States of America.”
In the face of mounting inflation and rampant illegal immigration, Europe’s leaders must listen to their people and not take a “hard left,” plunging the country into a Joe Biden-level, continentwide nightmare, argues Victor Davis Hanson on today’s edition of “Victor Davis Hanson: In His Own Words.”
“[Vance’s] criticism was multifaceted: Close your borders. Legal-only immigration. Up your defense budget. Allow for free speech. We've gone through the Biden nightmare at home. We know what it was like to go hard left. Don't go that way. Deregulate. ...
“Germany and Europe better be very careful. Germany's fertility rate is 1.45. Europe's, in aggregate, is only about 1.5. We're at least 1.6. We said years ago in 2014, NATO, pay 2% of GDP and hold your own and pull your own weight. And now it's 10 years, 11 years later and we still have nine NATO countries that will not do it, especially Germany. ...
“They have 16% of the population was not born in Germany. France is almost as bad. And they do not assimilate, intermarry, and integrate like we do. They are looking at this huge Russian-Ukrainian war on their borders where maybe 1.5 million people have been killed or wounded or missing. And they're critical of the United States that pays the greatest proportion of the NATO budget and who puts Europe under its nuclear shield. And they are damning us.”
In 1970, one of the world’s largest infrastructure projects opened in Aswan, Egypt.
It was a dam that harnessed the power of the Nile River, the longest river in the world.
The dam provided electricity for half of the country and tamed the annual floods, a regular feature on the Nile.
But the project wasn’t without its drawbacks. It became a point of contention during the Cold War, displaced thousands, and destroyed an unknown number of ancient artifacts.
Learn more about the Aswan High Dam on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily.
We’re coming to you from a recent event in Austin, covering the latest Senate confirmations, Eric Adams’ potential removal from office, and Jamie Dimon’s hot mic moment—where he said what everyone’s thinking. Tune in!
In this episode of Madison's Notes, Jonathan Haidt, renowned social psychologist and author, dives deep into the impact of digital saturation on today's youth, drawing insights from his latest book, The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness (Allen Lane, 2024). The discussion explores how growing up immersed in social media, video games, and smart technology is reshaping young people’s sense of self and influencing their political engagement. Haidt explains how the constant connectivity may be contributing to an increase in anxiety and how it’s altering their approach to both personal identity and societal participation.
Haidt also addresses the potential for a "generational war," where differences between older and younger generations are often framed as inherent character flaws. He emphasizes the importance of understanding that many of Gen Z’s choices have been shaped by forces beyond their control, rather than pointing to a moral failing. This leads into a comparison with the themes explored in The Coddling of the American Mind, particularly the societal impact of overprotection and the lack of resilience-building among youth.
The conversation then moves into practical territory, with Haidt discussing the importance of activating the brain’s inhibition system to help young people develop resilience and the ability to handle stress, conflict, and complex decision-making. He suggests that cultivating the inhibition system through thoughtful practices is key in fostering more resilient and independent young adults.
Finally, Haidt examines the role of tech giants like Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg in shaping the digital landscape and their growing political influence. He discusses the challenges of addressing the negative impacts of social media, pondering whether government intervention will result in meaningful change or if the influence of tech leaders will prevent any real reform.
This episode provides a compelling exploration of how technology, societal norms, and political dynamics intersect to shape the lives of younger generations and offers valuable insight into the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead for both youth and society at large.
Contributions to and/or sponsorship of any speaker does not constitute departmental or institutional endorsement of the specific program, speakers or views presented.
In Absorption Narratives: Jewishness, Blackness, and Indigeneity in the Cultural Imaginary of the Americas(U Toronto Press, 2025), Stephanie M. Pridgeon explores cultural depictions of Jewishness, Blackness, and Indigeneity within a comparative, inter-American framework. The dynamics of Jewishness interacting with other racial categories differ significantly in Latin America and the Caribbean compared with those in the United States and Canada, largely due to long-standing and often disputed concepts of mestizaje, broadly defined as racial mixture. As a result, a comprehensive understanding of Jewishness and the construction of racial identities requires an exploration of how Jewishness intersects with both Blackness and Indigeneity in the Americas.
Absorption Narratives charts the ways in which literary works capture differences and similarities among Black, Jewish, and Indigenous experiences. Through an extensive and diverse examination of fiction, Pridgeon navigates the complex connections of these identity categories, offering a comparative perspective on race and ethnicity across the Americas that destabilizes US-centric critical practices. Revealing the limitations of US-focused models in understanding racial alterity in relation to Jewishness, Absorption Narratives emphasizes the importance of viewing the narrative of race relations in the Americas from a hemispheric standpoint.
President Donald Trump has a problem with journalists, particularly those who do or say things he doesn’t like. His latest fight is with the Associated Press, which refuses to go along with the president’s decision to unilaterally rename the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. But he’s also going after CBS’s “60 Minutes” for how it edited an interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris and the Des Moines Register over a late-election poll it published showing Trump losing Iowa in November (he didn’t). Katherine Jacobsen, the Committee to Protect Journalists’ program coordinator in the U.S., Canada, and the Caribbean, talks about the risks to press freedom under the Trump administration.
Also in headlines: Trump officials continued to move closer to Russia during peace talks in Saudi Arabia over ending its invasion of Ukraine, the White House says billionaire Elon Musk is not running the Department of Government Efficiency, and another top federal prosecutor in D.C. resigned.
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Learn more about The Committee to Protect Journalists – cpj.org