Plus: South Korean tech stocks rise after national conglomerates pledge billions in domestic investments. And a venture firm that exclusively invests in legal tech companies closes its second fund. Julie Chang hosts.
Not a lot of people predicted that Trump would fold and let Congress vote on the release of the Epstein files. But his retreat shows that Democrats have more leverage than conventional wisdom has suggested, and they should not rule out long shots in the fight against Trump’s authoritarian project. Meanwhile, MAGA looks to be fracturing in real time and Trump looks more and more vulnerable—on his ballroom, falling asleep in meetings, and his constant reminders that he’s only out for himself. Plus, MTG’s possible Saul to Damascus moment, Border Patrol’s invasion of Charlotte, bombing Venezuela would not be America First, and the Epstein emails are a reminder of how gross and nauseating the elites can be. Go away, Larry Summers.
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Circle's SVP of Marketing, Tim Queenan, shares why stablecoins and the new Arc blockchain are creating the ‘Economic OS for the internet.
Tim Queenan, SVP of Marketing, Circle, joins Gen C this week to share that stablecoins and programmable money represent a foundational shift in the global financial system, similar to the early internet. He discusses how Circle is spearheading this transformation with USDC and its new blockchain Arc, creating the ‘Economic OS for the internet
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Genius Group has partnered with CoinDesk for Bitcoin Treasury Month, launching the Genius x CoinDesk Quest. Participants can join the Bitcoin Academy, complete free microcourses from experts like Natalie Brunell and Saifedean Ammous, and enter to win 1,000,000 GEMs (worth 1 BTC) promoting bitcoin education and adoption. CTA: geniusgroup.ai/coindesk-bitcoin-treasury-month/
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"Gen C" features host Sam Ewen. Executive produced by Uyen Truong.
As Chicago’s City Council prepares to vote on Mayor Johnson’s latest budget proposal ahead of the city’s Dec. 31 deadline, In the Loop hears a critique from Civic Federation president Joe Ferguson, a former city watchdog and public finance expert.
For a full archive of In the Loop interviews, head over to wbez.org/intheloop.
Many Democrats across the country — from Washington strategists to local activists — called the move a surrender. They say the defectors gave up a winning hand right when public opinion was on their side. The loudest criticism came from younger Democrats who called for new party leadership.
In this latest installment of “If You Can Keep It,” our weekly series on the state of democracy, we look at the fractures the shutdown exposed on the left and how a new generation of lawmakers thinks the party should govern in the years ahead.
Find more of our programs online. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.
David Kirtley is a nuclear fusion engineer and CEO of Helion Energy, a company working on building the world’s first commercial fusion power plant by 2028.
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Is U.S. manufacturing driving off a cliff or into the sunset—and taking the economy with it? Look no further than sales of heavy trucks. Trucking companies buy more of these big rigs when they expect they will have more stuff to ship, so declines in heavy truck sales often match up to economic contractions dating back to the 1960s. Now the data show that sales have been going downhill since 2023, falling off more dramatically since June of this year. Host Alex Ossola talks with Bob Tita, who covers manufacturing for The Wall Street Journal, and Avery Vise, vice president of trucking for data analysis and forecasting firm FTR Transportation Intelligence, about what that says about this moment in the economy, and what might be clouding the picture.
Plus: Johnson & Johnson agrees to acquire Halda Therapeutics for just over $3 billion. And Federal Reserve Governor Philip Jefferson says the Fed should proceed slowly with any further interest rate cuts. Zoe Kuhlkin 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.
Bangladesh's former prime minister Sheikh Hasina has been found guilty of crimes against humanity and sentenced to death. A tribunal in Dhaka found she had ordered security forces to kill protesters during student-led anti-government demonstrations in 2024. The UN estimates up to 1,400 people died during the uprising, most by gunfire. Sheikh Hasina was tried in her absence and has been living in exile in India since being forced from power. She has dismissed the court's verdict as politically motivated.
Also: a plea from the UN aid chief to stop the supply of weapons to the rival armies in Sudan. A BBC investigation has uncovered evidence raising doubts about the trial of US marines over the killings of Iraqi civilians in 2005. Researchers look to artificial intelligence to treat a type of brain cancer, by detecting early signs that tumours are returning. And we drop in on a knitting session in Denmark to find out why young people are driving a boom in traditional crafts.
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