New York Times columnist David Brooks and Washington Post columnist Jonathan Capehart join Judy Woodruff to discuss the week in politics, including President Biden’s use of executive actions, Biden’s $1.9 trillion relief package, and the state of the Republican Party after former President Trump.
Category Archives: News
Morning News Podcast: A New Covid Vaccine, Trump And The Republican Party
Another vaccine has shown its effectiveness against the coronavirus. There’s one caveat though, it’s not as effective against the South African variant, which has now made its way to the U.S.
Also, how unified is the GOP around Donald Trump these days? After the insurrection at the Capitol, some Republican Congress members tried to distance themselves from the former president. But others never left his side. And President Biden says he’ll take on environmental justice issues. But other presidents have made similar promises.
Science Podcast: Social Costs Of Carbon & The Chirps Of Mole-Rats
On its first day, the new Biden administration announced plans to recalculate the social cost of carbon—a way of estimating the economic toll of greenhouse gases. Staff Writer Paul Voosen and host Sarah Crespi discuss why this value is so important and how it will be determined.
Next up, Alison Barker, a postdoctoral researcher at the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, talks with Sarah about the sounds of naked mole-rats. You may already know naked mole-rats are pain and cancer resistant—but did you know these eusocial mammals make little chirps to identify themselves as colony members? Can these learned local dialects make naked mole-rats a new research model for language learning?
Morning News Podcast: Climate Change Policies & Facebook’s Pullback
Yesterday, President Joe Biden signaled a new direction for the country when it comes to climate change. He said it should be considered an essential part of foreign policy and national security.
He signed an extremely wide ranging executive order that includes a number of new measures that could kick off the battle between the White House and the oil industry.
- Plus, Facebook’s pull back from politics.
- And, the second round of small business loans are off to a slow start.
Guests: Axios’ Ben Geman, Courtenay Brown, Sara Fischer and Joann Muller
Science Podcast: Spinal Cord Injury Device, Hand Gestures & Saturn’s Tilt
A neuroprosthetic device restores blood-pressure control after spinal-cord injury, and identifying the neurons that help us understand others’ beliefs.
In this episode:
00:47 A neuroprosthetic restores the body’s baroreflex
A common problem for people who have experienced spinal-cord injury is the inability to maintain their blood pressure, which can have serious, long-term health consequences. Now, however, researchers have developed a device that may restore this ability, by stimulating the neural circuits involved in the so-called baroreflex.
Research Article: Squair et al.
News and Views: Neuroprosthetic device maintains blood pressure after spinal cord injury
08:27 Research Highlights
How gesticulating changes the way that speech is perceived, and a new theory of how Saturn got its tilt.
Research Highlight: Hands speak: how casual gestures shape what we hear
Research Highlight: The moon that made Saturn a pushover
10:58 A neuronal map of understanding others
Humans are very good at understanding that other people have thoughts, feelings and beliefs that are different to our own. But the neuronal underpinnings of this ability have been hard to unpick. Now, researchers have identified a subset of neurons that they think gives us this ability.
Research Article: Jamali et al.
18:04 Briefing Chat
We discuss some highlights from the Nature Briefing. This time, the science of why cats love catnip, and the struggle to identify what the mysterious celestial object StDr 56 actually is.
Science: Why cats are crazy for catnip
Syfy Wire: So what the heck is StDr 56?
Morning News Podcast: New Covid-19 Variant & Vaccines, California Cases
A new variant of the coronavirus has scientists worried about the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines. In California, Gov. Gavin Newsom has lifted regional stay-at home orders.
But 54 counties in the state are still classified as having “widespread” coronavirus risk. So why did the state loosen the restrictions? And the CDC is reporting the highest number of overdoses in a 12-month period.
Politics Monday: Tamara Keith And Amy Walter On Biden’s First Days (Video)
NPR’s Tamara Keith and Amy Walter of the Cook Political Report join Judy Woodruff to discuss the latest political news, including President Biden’s first days in office, the prospects for bipartisanship in Congress, and former President Trump’s impeachment trial.
Morning News Podcast: Impeachment Trial Dates, Covid-19 Vaccine Delays
Today, the U.S. Senate will receive the article of impeachment against former President Donald Trump for inciting an insurrection. But the actual trial won’t start for another two weeks. Why the delay?
Logistics continue to be a challenge in the fight against the coronavirus. Only about half of the vaccines that have been distributed have been administered. And NPR’s investigations team finds that 135 unarmed Black people were killed by police in the past five years.
Sunday Morning Podcast: World News From Zurich, London & Milan (Jan 24)
The weekend’s biggest talking points are dissected by Tyler Brûlé, Rob Cox and Chandra Kurt, with commentary from our editors in London and Milan. Plus: Christoph Amend of ‘Zeit Magazin’.
Morning News Podcast: Latest News From Around The World (Jan 23)
We flick through the weekend’s papers across the Middle East and North Africa and examine the future relationship between the UK and the US under Joe Biden. Plus: Andrew Tuck’s Saturday column.