Although it seems like the government can spend an endless amount of money, it cannot actually do all the things it wants to do. So the big question in this week's lesson is: How do we decide? Why does the government spend so much money on some things and not on others? And honestly, is there any limit?
Get tickets to our August 18th live show and graduation ceremony at The Bell House, in Brooklyn. (Planet Money+ supporters get a 10 percent discount off their tickets. Listen to the July 8th bonus episode to get the discount code!)
The series is hosted by Robert Smith and produced by Eric Mennel. Our project manager is Devin Mellor. This episode was edited by Planet Money Executive Producer Alex Goldmark and fact-checked by Emily Crawford.
Ruminations and reassurances. Checking and counting. Suffering and stigmas. It’s OCD, babes! OCD is now considered one of the most common psychiatric conditions, afflicting 2% to 3% of the general population, and this episode is among our top-requested topics. So we snagged a top-shelf ologist: psychiatrist, researcher, advocate and OCD Neurobiologist, *the* Dr. Wayne Goodman. We cover myths, misconceptions, diagnosis and treatment options for OCD, as well as advice for loved ones. Also: PANDAS, famous folks who are helping break the silence on it, intrusive thoughts, deep brain stimulation, genetic components, links to Tourette’s Syndrome, finding the right doctor, and the behavioral therapy that is the gold standard for OCD.
And surprise! Later this week we’ll have a bonus episode on OCD lived experience with neuroscientist, mental health advocate and OCD-haver, Uma Chatterjee.
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Podcast production by Ethan Oberman, Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme, and Rob Gunther.
Zachary Karabell and Emma Varvaloucas shine a light on a powerful form of providing education. This week, they’re joined by Laura Hosman of Arizona State University, creator of SolarSPELL, an offline, solar-powered digital library making education possible where internet access doesn't exist. Discover how SolarSPELL is transforming classrooms from remote Pacific islands to refugee camps in Syria, empowering teachers, and closing the digital divide with nothing but sunlight and ingenuity. They discuss bridging educational gaps, building digital literacy, and proving that when it comes to global progress, there’s plenty that can still go right.
What Could Go Right? is produced by The Progress Network and The Podglomerate.
For transcripts, to join the newsletter, and for more information, visit: theprogressnetwork.org
The Democrats are performing an autopsy of their 2024 electoral failures, but without mentioning Biden, the Harris campaign, their alienation of certain demographics, or their polarizing positions.
Mia and James are joined by journalists Mel Buer and Sean Beckner Carmitchel to discuss two months of ICE raids in LA and how the community has come together to resist them.
Mike Johnson, the Republican speaker of America’s House of Representatives, will dismiss the chamber early for summer to avoid an awkward vote related to Jeffrey Epstein.
Israel has acknowledged there's been a significant drop in the amount of aid reaching Palestinians in Gaza, but insists the military has not identified famine in the territory. Also: the British heavy metal star, Ozzy Osbourne, has died aged seventy-six.