Sorry for the late episode! I believe this is only the second time I’ve missed a deadline with Atheistically Speaking, and I have good reason, I promise! Hear all about the story behind that, plus part two of our John Stuart Mill reading from Portable Atheist!
Donald Trump's talk on trade pits Americans against foreign trading partners. Dan Ikenson says Trump's rhetoric seriously misrepresents the benefits trade delivers to the parties involved.
On The Gist, the latest chapter in Germany’s ongoing struggle with the legacy of the Third Reich. The Wall Street Journal’s Mary M. Lane tells us about the outcry over a Nazi-era bronze horse that stands outside a boarding school in Bavaria. Then, on the occasion of the first two women to complete the Army Ranger course, we speak with Gen. Ann Dunwoody, the Army’s first female four-star general. She’s the author of A Higher Standard. For the Spiel, Mike has an idea why the new Man from U.N.C.L.E. tanked.
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The Federal Reserve is working to prevent the Fourth Corner Credit Union from providing cannabis entrepreneurs in Colorado with basic banking services. George Selgin comments.The Federal Reserve’s War on Drugs
* Under the credits is Harlaamstrat 74 off of John Dankworth's Modesty Blaise score.
* There're too pieces from Per Storby Jutbring's album, Dance of the Diaper Fairy. Snowbound, up top, and the title track at the end.
Notes
* Hoo boy, have I read a ton of books about the space program, thanks to my stint on the writing staff of ABC's Astronauts' Wives Club last year. So, most of this piece is just "stuff I now know." However: read numerous contemporary newspaper accounts, readily available on
On The Gist, comedian Jimmy Pardo recalls lessons learned from the dawn of podcasting and alt-comedy, and takes pride in the complexity of his new game show inspired by the room-escape zeitgeist. He hosts the podcast Never Not Funny and the new Science Channel program Race to Escape, with a season finale coming up Saturday, Aug. 29. For the Spiel, a public service announcement for public service announcements.
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Massive savings can come to those who shop around for medical care, but the government stymies consumers who might want to reap those rewards. Michael Cannon explains.
We’re all familiar with news stories about radicalized Western kids who join the terrorist group ISIS. Today on The Gist, Julia Ioffe tells the story of the mothers those kids leave behind, and how many turn to activism in their grief. She wrote the article “Mothers of ISIS” for Huffington Post Highline. For the Spiel, Mike consults the book of Job.
Today’s sponsor: Stamps.com, where you can buy and print official U.S. postage right from your desk using your own computer and printer. Use the promo code THEGIST to get a no-risk trial and a $110 bonus offer.
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