A Chinese scientist, He Jiankui, made a shocking announcement to the world in 2018: He had secretly engineered the birth of the first gene-edited babies. The birth of the twins was seen as reckless and unethical by the scientific community. That’s because, among other things, the CRISPR gene-editing technique Jiankui used was so new. NPR science correspondent Rob Stein has been following the controversial world of gene-editing and human reproduction, including some companies’ recent quests to push gene-editing technology forward.
Read more of Rob Stein’s reporting on the topic here.
Interested in more science news? Let us know at shortwave@npr.org.
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What Next | Daily News and Analysis - South Park Understands the Assignment
After using a Trump-stand-in during his first administration, South Park has come back from hiatus as vulgar and confrontational as ever, with its aiming firmly fixed on MAGA. Contrary to government sources, the show’s enjoying a renewed cultural relevance in its 27th season.
Guest: David Mack, contributing writer to Slate.
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Podcast production by Ethan Oberman, Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme, and Rob Gunther.
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NPR's Book of the Day - ‘Sloppy’ author Rax King says she’s inspired by writers who did their best work sober
Author Rax King says her new book of essays Sloppy is unified by themes of “addiction and bad habits.” King has been sober from alcohol and cocaine for three years and in these essays, she openly shares her sobriety journey. In today’s episode, King speaks with NPR’s Juana Summers about why the author doesn’t see addiction as a shameful secret, King’s relationship with her dad, and learning to generate creativity without substances.
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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
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Chapo Trap House - 959 – The Bopper’s Lair (8/11/25)
We begin by reading the last will and testament of Anas al-Sharif, a 28-year-old journalist for Al-Jazeera that was among those slain in Gaza by Israel yesterday. We then resume our Epstein coverage, including a look at his Manhattan lair and celebrity dinner guests. Then, two pieces on venture capitalists driven insane by The Computer and a story by Pamela Paul on conservative women…with careers? Stick around until the end for another Stroke of Genius and a special announcement from Chris.
Pre-order Seth Harp’s book The Fort Bragg Cartel here: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/730414/the-fort-bragg-cartel-by-seth-harp/
And check out his book launch with TrueAnon at the Bell House this Wednesday: https://www.ticketmaster.com/an-evening-with-trueanon-and-seth-brooklyn-new-york-08-13-2025/event/300062F5CD8E3E2D
Audio Mises Wire - The Meaning of Coercion in Hayekian Philosophy
How do we define liberty? Hayek saw it as the absence of most (but not all) coercion, but that depends upon how one defines “coercion.” Murray Rothbard believed that Hayek was too willing to accept forms of coercion that were anti-freedom.
Original article: https://mises.org/mises-wire/meaning-coercion-hayekian-philosophy
Engines of Our Ingenuity - The Engines of Our Ingenuity 3324: Flying Blind
Episode: 3324 Jimmy Doolittle, Inventor of Instrument Flying. Today, flying blind.
The Daily Detail - The Daily Detail for 8.12.25
Alabama
- Both US senator for AL praise President Trump for federalizing DC area
- The ACT program launched by ALEA will engage businesses in fighting human trafficking
- Family of KJ Starkes Jr. file wrongful death lawsuit re: his hot car death
- Tuscaloosa teacher confirms the cell phone ban is working already
- Jerry Carl files with the FEC regarding Congressional District 1 race
- The Alabama Weather Network officially launched this past Monday
National
- President Trump nominates EJ Atonie as next head of Labor Statistics
- Trump sends letter to Congress regarding his 30 day emergency declaration for DC area
- US Attorney for DC, Jeanine PIrro ready to rock and roll against DC crime
- CA grand jury indicts a man for throwing rocks at ICE agents during protest
- Whistleblower docs revealed by Just The News, re: smear leaks approved by Senator Adam Schiff to target Trump
- Federal Judge denies DOJ request for grand jury transcripts surrounding Ghislaine Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein
Risky Business with Nate Silver and Maria Konnikova - Grand Theft Automated: How to Save a Trillion Lives from Cautionary Tales
A radical thought experiment transforms the lives of a new breed of philanthropists, as they follow the logic of altruism to extraordinary lengths. The most famous convert to the Effective Altruism movement, Sam Bankman-Fried, is either a humanitarian hero, a con artist at an astonishing scale, or most bafflingly, both.
For a full list of sources, see the show notes at timharford.com.
Get ad-free episodes, plus an exclusive monthly bonus episode, to Cautionary Tales by subscribing to Pushkin+ on Apple Podcasts or Pushkin.fm. Pushkin+ subscribers can access ad-free episodes, full audiobooks exclusive binges, and bonus content for all Pushkin shows.
Subscribe on Apple: apple.co/pushkin
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See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
array(3) { [0]=> string(187) "https://www.omnycontent.com/d/playlist/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/951120d9-cf6e-4224-93d7-b15c014dcea5/eb5e885e-6644-4680-aec4-b15c0150ffc0/image.jpg?t=1714595518&size=Large" [1]=> string(10) "image/jpeg" [2]=> int(0) }Read Me a Poem - “Hitler’s First Photograph” by Wislawa Szymborska
Amanda Holmes reads Wislawa Szymborska’s “Hitler’s First Photograph,” translated from the Polish by Stanislaw Baranczak and Clare Cavanagh. Have a suggestion for a poem by a (dead) writer? Email us: podcast@theamericanscholar.org. If we select your entry, you’ll win a copy of a poetry collection edited by David Lehman.
This episode was produced by Stephanie Bastek and features the song “Canvasback” by Chad Crouch.
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It Could Happen Here - Why Trump is Obsessed with the Autopen
Garrison talks with Robert about Republican investigations into the presidential autopen as a way to rescind pardons and remove judges.
Sources:
https://www.shapell.org/behind-the-scenes/the-robot-pen/
https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1908354
https://www.cnn.com/2025/06/05/politics/autopen-trump-biden-analysis
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/13/us/politics/biden-pardon-autopen-trump.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/13/us/politics/biden-clemency-interview.html
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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