Elon Musk’s Tesla has officially launched its self-driving taxi service in Texas. It’s taking on industry leader Waymo, but there are plenty of hurdles on the road to expansion for both companies. WSJ reporters Becky Peterson and Katherine Blunt give us a state-of-the-industry assessment. Victoria Craig hosts.
Just a few years after they trumpeted their DEI efforts, companies are now backtracking and trying to hide these programs. Wall Street Journal On the Clock columnist Callum Borchers joins host Julia Carpenter to talk about this reversal and what it means for employees and job hunters.
Mosquitoes are the deadliest animal on the planet, and some of them may be on the rise. At least in listener Abigail Krich-Starr's area, that's due to warmer, wetter weather — which, yes, is linked to climate change. But it doesn't stop there: Ecologists and entomologists say increased heat could also alter mosquito behavior, shift their natural habitat, and even change how pathogens incubate and spread inside their bodies.
So how do you protect yourself against the (mosquito) masses? Our experts suggested several things: - Assess your risk by checking local mosquito surveillance efforts, like this one for the state of Massachusetts - Consider rescheduling outdoor events happening between dusk and dawn, which is peak biting time for multiple mosquito species - Wear long-sleeved shirts and pants, weather-permitting, to limit exposed skin - Use an EPA-approved DEET repellent, and/or a permethrin spray for clothing and outdoor gear This episode is part of Nature Quest, a monthly Short Wave segment that answers listener questions about the local environment.
Got a question about changes in your local environment? Send a voice memo to shortwave@npr.org with your name, where you live and your question. We might make it into our next Nature Quest episode!
Listen to every episode of Short Wave sponsor-free and support our work at NPR by signing up for Short Wave+ at plus.npr.org/shortwave.
Smith – the protagonist in Great Black Hope – is at a party in the Hamptons when he's arrested for cocaine possession. Smith is a young, Black, queer man of privilege who's floated through New York's largely white downtown social scene – but that changes when his roommate is found dead. In today's episode, author Rob Franklin joins NPR's Ayesha Rascoe to talk about his debut novel. They discuss Black respectability politics, the long tradition of bored rich kids in the literary canon, and the novel's origins.
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
The world has held a close eye on the Strait of Hormuz lately with Israeli and U.S. strikes on Iran. Nearly a quarter of the world's seaborne oil passes through the narrow waterway, and many are worried Iran could shut the strait down. Today on the show, we explore what it would mean for Iran to close off the strait, and what insurance could tell us about tensions in the Middle East.
Related episodes: Oil prices and the Israel-Hamas war (Apple / Spotify) How the 'shadow fleet' helps Russia skirt sanctions (Apple / Spotify)
For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.
A jury recently found Greenpeace liable for more than $660 million in damages to the company behind the Dakota Access pipeline for its role in the Standing Rock protests.
But the ramifications extend far beyond Greenpeace. As protests against various Trump administration policies heat up across the country, what does this lawsuit say about how opponents can weaponize the courts to criminalize protesters?
Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplusto get access wherever you listen.
Podcast production by Ethan Oberman, Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther.
Libby Watson returns to the show! We discuss the weekend’s limited US strike on Iran and Trump’s baffling behavior around what already may be a winding-down conflict. We also talk Democratic & media responses, and where Iran might go from here. Then: all eyes are on Zohran in the NYC mayoral primary, voting is tomorrow, we discuss Zorhan’s campaign and his chances of bringing this all home. Finally, we celebrate the love & marriage of an old friend of the show with their NYT vows section announcement.
Find Libby’s new show “What’s All This Then” wherever you get podcasts, and all her other links here:
https://linktr.ee/whatsallthisthen
New merch for the summer up at https://chapotraphouse.store
Can game theory be used to win a world cup? Can you pay the way out of political corruption? And are there winning strategies in life we don't use because we're too embarrassed?
We're sharing this special episode of Cautionary Tales in which Nate and Maria make an appearance to answer listener questions with CT host Tim Harford.
For a full list of sources, see the show notes at timharford.com.
Amanda Holmes reads verse 31 from Rabindranath Tagore’s Gitanjali. 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.