Howard Cohen, former Senior Advisor at the Department of Defense's Defense Media Activity and current strategist at CX Studios joins the show to unpack the power of non-kinetic capabilities in modern defense strategy. From web consolidation and cost-saving at scale to safeguarding national security through strategic communications, he shares insights from his work leading digital modernization across the Department of Defense. Together, they explore why public-facing websites are more than just digital real estate—they're mission-critical infrastructure in the information age.
array(3) { [0]=> string(64) "https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/f2cfwf72r3kyubeh/Cohen_Final.m4a" [1]=> string(0) "" [2]=> string(8) "38549999" }NBN Book of the Day - Ketian Zhang, “China’s Gambit: The Calculus of Coercion” (Cambridge UP, 2023)
Emerging from an award-winning article in International Security, China's Gambit examines when, why, and how China attempts to coerce states over perceived threats to its national security. Since 1990, China has used coercion for territorial disputes and issues related to Taiwan and Tibet, yet China is curiously selective in the timing, target, and tools of coercion. This book offers a new and generalizable cost-balancing theory to explain states' coercion decisions. It demonstrates that China does not coerce frequently and uses military coercion less when it becomes stronger, resorting primarily to non-militarized tools. Leveraging rich empirical evidence, including primary Chinese documents and interviews with Chinese and foreign officials, this book explains how contemporary rising powers translate their power into influence and offers a new framework for explaining states' coercion decisions in an era of economic interdependence, particularly how contemporary global economic interdependence affects rising powers' foreign security policies.
Nomeh Anthony Kanayo, Ph.D. Candidate in International Relations at Florida International University, with research interest in Africa's diaspora relations, African-China relations, great power rivalry and IR theories.
Check out my new article https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sciaf.2025.e02699
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It Could Happen Here - How We Saved Trans Medicaid Healthcare Coverage
Mia talks with journalists David Forbes, Mady Castigan, and Mira Lazine of the new Trans News Network about how mass grassroots action driven by trans journalism defeated the GOP's ban on Medicaid covering trans healthcare and how we can do it again.
Sources:
https://transnewsnetwork.networkforgood.com/
Social Media: @thefreeradical.org, @davidforbes.bsky.social, @madycast.com
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
array(3) { [0]=> string(150) "https://www.omnycontent.com/d/programs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/78d30acb-8463-4c40-a5ae-ae2d0145c9ff/image.jpg?t=1751824393&size=Large" [1]=> string(10) "image/jpeg" [2]=> int(0) }The World in Brief from The Economist - Over 60 Gazans shot dead waiting for food; fighting in Syria quietens, and more
At least 67 people were killed by Israeli forces on Sunday while waiting for UN food trucks in northern Gaza, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
Global News Podcast - Dozens of Gazans die in shooting near to aid convoy
Dozens of Gazans die near to an aid convoy; Israel says its troops fired warning shots but rejects Hamas death figures. Also: D-Day veteran "Papa" Jake Larson dies at 102, and how Russia indoctrinates Ukrainian children.
Good Bad Billionaire - Howard Hughes: Eccentric aviator
The original weird billionaire, Howard Hughes was a filmmaker, a playboy and a world record-breaking aviator. He was also an obsessive germophobe who died a paranoid recluse.
Journalist Zing Tsjeng and BBC business editor Simon Jack tell the story of one of the strangest billionaires in history. A wealthy child who was orphaned young, he dallied in different businesses but still became the richest man in America.
In this special series, Good Bad Dead Billionaire, find out how five of the world's most famous dead billionaires made their money. These iconic pioneers who helped shape America may be long gone, but their fingerprints are all over modern industry - in business trusts, IPOs, and mass production. They did it all first, but how did they make their billions?
Good Bad Billionaire is the podcast exploring the lives of the super-rich and famous, tracking their wealth, philanthropy, business ethics and success. There are leaders who made their money in Silicon Valley, on Wall Street and in high street fashion. From iconic celebrities and CEOs to titans of technology, the podcast unravels tales of fortune, power, economics, ambition and moral responsibility, before inviting you to make up your own mind: are they good, bad or just another billionaire?
The Economics of Everyday Things - 100. Podcasts
What goes into creating an episode of The Economics of Everyday Things? And how do shows like this one make money? Zachary Crockett turns the mic on himself.
- SOURCES:
- Gabe Tartaglia, vice president of podcast and satellite monetization at SiriusXM.
- Gabe Roth, editorial director of the Freakonomics Radio Network.
- Sarah Lilley, senior producer of The Economics of Everyday Things.
- Jeremy Johnston, audio engineer at the Freakonomics Radio Network.
- Daniel Moritz-Rabson, fact-checker at the Freakonomics Radio Network.
- RESOURCES:
- "Digital Ad Revenue Surges 15% YoY in 2024, Climbing to $259B, According to IAB," (International Advertising Bureau, 2025).
- "Cost per Thousand (CPM) Definition and Its Role in Marketing," by Will Kenton (Investopedia, 2024).
- "Podcast Statistics You Need To Know," (Backlinko).
.
Consider This from NPR - With plea deals canceled, what happens next with the Guantanamo 9/11 trials?
Plea deals with the 9/11 defendants, including for the alleged ringleader, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, have been canceled.
Families of those who died on September 11th are still calling for justice.
What happens next in the most delayed criminal trial in US history?
NPR's Sacha Pfeiffer speaks with Georgetown University Law professor Stephen Vladeck.
For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.
Email us at considerthis@npr.org.
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Families of those who died on September 11th are still calling for justice.
What happens next in the most delayed criminal trial in US history?
NPR's Sacha Pfeiffer speaks with Georgetown University Law professor Stephen Vladeck.
For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.
Email us at considerthis@npr.org.
Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices
NPR Privacy Policy
PBS News Hour - World - Palestinians describe choice between starvation and risking death to get food aid in Gaza
There are signs that Israel is preparing to expand ground operations into an area of central Gaza that has been a relatively safe refuge for displaced Palestinians and humanitarian aid groups. While the Israeli military issued evacuation orders, at least 85 more Palestinians were reportedly killed while seeking food aid. John Yang speaks with The Wall Street Journal’s Sudarsan Raghavan for more. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders
PBS News Hour - Science - Malaysia stops accepting plastic waste from the U.S. and other rich nations
The U.S. produces more plastic waste than any other country in the world. Last year, more than 35,000 tons of it was shipped to Malaysia, which received more discarded plastic from rich nations than any other developing country. But in June, Malaysian leaders effectively banned future shipments. John Yang speaks with Anja Brandon, director of plastics policy at Ocean Conservancy, to learn more. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders