Invented in Kansas City in 1955, the Bomb Pop is the ultimate shorthand for nostalgic Americana — a throwback to the simple days of ice cream trucks, July 4th fireworks and humid summer nights. But Mackenzie Martin reports that during the Cold War, some parents revolted over the symbolism of selling a red-white-and-blue frozen weapon of war to children.
3d ago
250 Years Later, Why We’re Still Fighting About Our Founding
Two hundred and fifty years ago, the founding fathers gave rise to a new nation. They also gave rise to an enduring myth about their virtue and what that meant about America’s virtue as a country. Jia Lynn Yang, a New York Times journalist, discusses how the founding myth has evolved, why we are still fighting about it and why it may hold the key to America’s future. Guest: Jia Lynn Yang, a New York Times journalist writing explanatory pieces about the ideas underlying the news. Background reading: Is there a founding story that can unify left and right? Photo: Michelle Gustafson for The New York Times For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
2d ago
Taylor Swift’s wedding: Madison Square Garden, NDAs and a princess castle – The Latest
The US superstar golden couple Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are finally tying the knot in a rumoured major event in New York’s Madison Square Garden. The couple – who got engaged 10 months ago, announced via an Instagram post that received 14m likes in its first hour online – held an intimate rehearsal dinner at MSG with a rumoured guest list of 1,000 for today’s ceremony and construction of a custom-made fairytale castle inside. But with tight security, NDAs and New York streets on lockdown – what do we know? Lucy Hough speaks to Guardian writer Elle Hunt – watch on YouTube. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
3d ago
The Camden 14: Naming America’s First Soldiers
In a special edition of “Start Here,” the team travels to the site of the 1780 Battle of Camden. After spending years discovering and unearthing remains of the fallen, researchers have finally given the soldiers a proper burial – and in a first-of-its-kind development, have been able to identify one by name. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
3d ago
Is America's 250th birthday celebration too partisan?
This weekend, the United States marks its 250th birthday, and what Congress intended to be a nonpartisan, patriotic celebration has instead become — like seemingly everything else — partisan. We discuss how the event became fraught with politics and a new NPR/PBS News/Marist poll showing that American pride is also deeply divided along partisan lines. Plus, a special Thursday edition of Can't Let It Go. This episode: voting correspondent Miles Parks, White House correspondent Danielle Kurtzleben, and senior political correspondent Tamara Keith. This podcast was produced by Casey Morell and Bria Suggs, and edited by Rachel Baye. Our executive producer is Muthoni Muturi. Listen to every episode of the NPR Politics Podcast sponsor-free, unlock access to bonus episodes with more from the NPR Politics team, and support public media when you sign up for The NPR Politics Podcast+ at plus.npr.org/politics. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy
4d ago
American History as Rorschach Test
The Florida Department of Education recently announced an alternative to the Advanced Placement history course that it described in a press release as “free from ideological bias or indoctrination.” For its new curriculum, Florida recommends one textbook: Land of Hope: An Invitation to the Great American Story, by Wilfred McClay. As American patriotism plummets, McClay partly blames history class, which he thinks isn’t teaching students a “love of country.” Ahead of July 4 and America’s 250th, Hanna talks with McClay about whether teaching should background or foreground the sins of a country—and what might be lost or gained. --- Get more from your favorite Atlantic voices when you subscribe. You’ll enjoy unlimited access to Pulitzer-winning journalism, from clear-eyed analysis and insight on breaking news to fascinating explorations of our world. Atlantic subscribers also get access to exclusive subscriber audio in Apple Podcasts. Subscribe today at TheAtlantic.com/Listener. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Florida Department of Education recently announced an alternative to the Advanced Placement history course that it described in a press release as “free from ideological bias or indoctrination.” For its new curriculum, Florida recommends one textbook: Land of Hope: An Invitation to the Great American Story, by Wilfred McClay. As American patriotism plummets, McClay partly blames history class, which he thinks isn’t teaching students a “love of country.” Ahead of July 4 and America’s 250th, Hanna talks with McClay about whether teaching should background or foreground the sins of a country—and what might be lost or gained. --- Get more from your favorite Atlantic voices when you subscribe. You’ll enjoy unlimited access to Pulitzer-winning journalism, from clear-eyed analysis and insight on breaking news to fascinating explorations of our world. Atlantic subscribers also get access to exclusive subscriber audio in Apple Podcasts. Subscribe today at TheAtlantic.com/Listener. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
4d ago
Canada’s massive military buildup: Part 1
Mark Carney ran for office promising to spend a whole lot more on the Canadian military. Since being elected, he’s poured billions of dollars into defence, and plans to roughly triple Canada’s defence expenditures in the next ten years. He’s also proposing to grow Canada’s defence industry revenues by 240%. Today, in part one of our two part documentary, senior producer Imogen Birchard heads to Canada’s biggest defence and security trade show in Ottawa to hear what those in the defence industry – and those protesting outside – think about the plan. For transcripts of Front Burner, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/frontburner/transcripts
4d ago
Does the new Fed chair care about jobs?
Last month, new Fed Chair Kevin Warsh presided over his first interest rate decision and press conference … but he didn't talk much about maximum employment. How much does Kevin Warsh care about the jobs side of the Fed’s dual mandate? Fact checking by Sierra Juarez. Your Next Listen — Are we in a new era of permanently higher prices? Connect with The Indicator — Sign up for The Indicator’s brand new newsletter— Buy the Planet Money book— Find our socials, YouTube and more!— For sponsor-free episodes, subscribe to NPR+ See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy
4d ago
‘Claude, How Should I Vote in 2026?’
In the 2026 elections, artificial intelligence is the backdrop for just about everything. The US and Anthropic reached a truce in recent days that lets the company roll out its powerful models to some users, the sort of on-the-fly decision-making that has candidates jockeying to shape how AI is regulated. Big AI companies are pouring money into 2026 state and federal races, dwarfing the cryptocurrency industry’s spending in 2024. And even as AI is fueling Americans’ anxiety about jobs and energy prices, it’s feeding them the ads and information that will shape their votes: According to one survey, 55% of US voters under the age of 45 are likely to use chatbots to learn about candidates and elections. On today’s Big Take podcast, Bloomberg’s Michael Shepard, a senior editor focusing on AI, joins David Gura to discuss what the first AI election means for our current moment. We have a special Bloomberg subscription offer for podcast listeners at Bloomberg.com/podcastoffer. Hosted by David Gura; Produced by Rachael Lewis-Krisky; Reported by Michael Shepard; Edited by Jeffrey Grocott. Fact-checking by Victor Swezey, Julia Press and David Fox; Engineering by Emma Munger. Senior Producer: Naomi Shavin; Deputy Executive Producer: Julia Weaver. Executive Producer: Nicole Beemsterboer. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
6d ago • Subscribers Only
The Supreme Court Expands Presidential Power. Again.
The Supreme Court on Monday delivered one of the biggest changes in decades to how the federal government works when it ruled that President Trump could fire independent government regulators. Then, it announced an exception to its own ruling. Ann E. Marimow, who covers the Supreme Court for The New York Times, explains what the court was up to. Guest: Ann E. Marimow, the Supreme Court for The New York Times from Washington. Background reading: The Supreme Court expanded Mr. Trump’s power to fire officials but prevented the removal of Lisa Cook, a Federal Reserve governor. Photo: Tierney L. Cross for The New York Times For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
5d ago
SCOTUS and the "Color Blind" Constitution
The Supreme Court wrapped up a year of giving Trump and the Republican Party nearly everything they could want. And even in the final, birthright citizenship case, what is remarkable is not that Trump lost, but how close he came to winning that one too. Guest: Jay Willis, editor-in-chief at Balls and Strikes. Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen. Podcast production by Rob Gunther, Evan Campbell, Madeline Thames-Ducharme and Patrick Fort. Paige Osburn is the senior supervising producer of What Next and What Next TBD. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
From The New Yorker · The demise of the English paper will end a long intellectual tradition, but it’s also an opportunity to re-examine the purpose of higher education. Written by: Hua Hsu Narrated by: Woody Fu Read the article: https://apple.news/AJiQDJ5H9QVO6f-W22QsaHQ Published: June 30, 2025
06/30/2025 • Subscribers Only
How the brains of the wealthy are hardwired differently
From Rolling Stone · They have fantasies of going to Mars, transhumanism, and superhuman AI. How the heck does someone get this way? And what does it mean for the rest of us? Written by: Alex Morris Narrated by: Jaime Lamchick Read the article: https://apple.news/AjdqlVKyiTc6Gc-xb6TepIQ Published: June 15, 2025
07/06/2025 • Subscribers Only
My best friend’s murder was a tabloid circus. Now, I’m looking for the truth.
From Rolling Stone · When Nicole DuFresne was killed in New York in 2005, the media twisted the narrative by latching onto a phrase that fell out of her mouth: “What are you going to do, shoot us?” Written and narrated by: Mary Jane Gibson Read the article: https://apple.news/AeuxF4eR5SAKuMnX0XkAC3A Published: July 6, 2025
07/07/2025 • Subscribers Only
America’s overheated landfills have been making people sick
From Bloomberg Businessweek · Beneath layers of waste, landfills around the U.S. have been reaching scorching temperatures, and neighbors have been getting sick. Written by: Laura Bliss and Rachael Dottle Narrated by: Inés del Castillo Read the article: https://apple.news/A_bf2QgYhQYC9Seqcjt20Ow Published: July 1, 2025
07/01/2025 • Subscribers Only
The eternal quest to save Gap
From Bloomberg Businessweek · The iconic ’90s retailer was on the precipice of death for years. Richard Dickson finally had momentum for a comeback — then came Trump. Written by: Amanda Mull and Lily Meier Narrated by: Suehyla El-Attar Young Read the article: https://apple.news/AmHN1IWHBQj2HawQ8HkA_dw Published: June 24, 2025
06/25/2025 • Subscribers Only
The spying scandal rocking the world of HR software
From Bloomberg Businessweek · HR software maker Rippling accused Deel, a key rival, of hiring a staff member to serve as a mole. Things escalated from there. Written by: Kate Clark and Ellen Huet Narrated by: Kirsten Potter Read the article: https://apple.news/AvZh6Pz41RjOmFrbAcWwHCg Published: June 10, 2025