🎧 ‘The Daily’: Why U.S. Bombs Are Falling in Yemen | New York Times

Listened to 'The Daily': Why U.S. Bombs Are Falling in Yemen from New York Times

The killing of Jamal Khashoggi has renewed criticism of Saudi Arabia more broadly, including the kingdom’s role in the war in Yemen. It’s a war that has created what has been called the worst humanitarian crisis in the world — and one that the United States has backed from the beginning.

A nice little overview of some of the history behind what’s going on in several portions of the Middle East.

🎧 ‘The Daily’: How El Chapo Ended Up in a Brooklyn Courtroom | New York Times

Listened to 'The Daily': How El Chapo Ended Up in a Brooklyn Courtroom from New York Times

The U.S. government has its first chance to publicly present its account of one of the world’s most notorious drug kingpins.

A fascinating story.

🎧 ‘The Daily’: Letting Louis C.K. Back Onstage | New York Times

Listened to ‘The Daily’: Letting Louis C.K. Back Onstage from New York Times

Nine months after admitting to sexual misconduct with multiple women, Louis C.K. dropped into a New York City comedy club unannounced and tried to make a comeback. And then he returned, again and again. We talk to the club owner who gave him that stage.

An interesting story that brings up an important philosophical question. It’s one thing for phenomenally rich people who could otherwise have retired and disappeared, but how this plays out will also inform how it will affect other lesser famous people going forward as well.

🎧 ‘The Daily’: Diplomacy and Deception From North Korea | New York Times

Listened to ‘The Daily’: Diplomacy and Deception From North Korea from New York Times

President Trump says the nuclear threat from North Korea is over. But new satellite images of hidden missile bases suggest that the situation has only worsened since his meeting with Kim Jong-un, the North Korean leader.

🎧 ‘The Daily’: What Facebook Knew and Tried to Hide | New York Times

Listened to ‘The Daily’: What Facebook Knew and Tried to Hide from New York Times

The story of Facebook in the past few years has been that of a company slow to understand how powerful it has become. But an investigation by The New York Times finds that once Facebook’s leaders understood the problems they faced, they sought to conceal them.

🎧 ‘The Daily’: The Plan to Discredit the Florida Recount | New York Times

Listened to ‘The Daily’: The Plan to Discredit the Florida Recount from New York Times

The partisan battle over several close races risks damaging public confidence in the state’s election systems.

🎧 ‘The Daily’: A Conversation With a Freshman Democrat | New York Times

Listened to ‘The Daily’: A Conversation With a Freshman Democrat from New York Times

We spoke with Abigail Spanberger, a recently elected congresswoman from Virginia, about her first days in the Capitol and what it means to be a Democrat today.

Last week on “The Daily,” we looked at the campaign of a candidate who embodied the Democratic strategy for winning the House. This week, she arrived in Washington.

Abigail Spanberger a former C.I.A. officer, was elected as a Democrat in Virginia’s Seventh Congressional District. Listen to last week’s episode of “The Daily” about how the Democrats flipped the House, with a spotlight on Ms. Spanberger’s victory in a reliably conservative district.

The incoming group of House Democrats is the most diverse, most female freshman class in history. Members of the group also have major differences in ideology, which may present a challenge for Democratic leaders trying to unify their new House majority.

🎧 ‘The Daily’: The California Wildfires | New York Times

Listened to 'The Daily': The California Wildfires from New York Times

What was once a seasonal concern has become a persistent, year-round threat across the state.

🎧 Episode 56: The Juggernaut (MEN, Part 10) | Scene on Radio

Listened to Episode 56: The Juggernaut (MEN, Part 10) by John Biewen and Celeste Headlee from Scene on Radio

Writer Ben James and his wife Oona are raising their sons in a progressive and “queer-friendly” New England town. They actively encourage the boys to be themselves, never mind those traditional gender norms around “masculinity” and “femininity.” All was well. Until the elder son, Huck, went to sixth grade. Story by Ben James, with hosts Celeste Headlee and John Biewen, and psychologist Terrence Real.

🎧 Episode 55: Be Like You (MEN, Part 9) | Scene on Radio

Listened to Episode 55: Be Like You (MEN, Part 9) by John Biewen and Celeste Headlee from Scene on Radio

Lewis Wallace, female-assigned at birth, wanted to transition in the direction of maleness—in some ways. He shifted his pronouns, had surgery, starting taking testosterone. None of that meant he wanted to embrace everything that our culture associates with “masculinity.” Story written and reported by Lewis Wallace, with co-hosts John Biewen and Celeste Headlee.

Brings up interesting ideas about why we do or don’t expect people who are born women and transition to also take on the toxicity traits of maleness. Why can’t we just be who we are?

🎧 Episode 54: American Made (MEN, Part 8) | Scene on Radio

Listened to Episode 54: American Made (MEN, Part 8) by John Biewen and Celeste Headlee from Scene on Radio

American history—law, economics, culture—has built different notions of masculinity (and femininity) for people of varying races and ethnicities. A trip through a century of pop culture and the stereotyped images that white supremacy has manufactured and attached to Asian and African American men. With scholars Tim Yu and Mark Anthony Neal and co-hosts John Biewen and Celeste Headlee.

Now I’m even more sad that Bruce Lee died an early death.

🎧 Lecture 12: "Resist Japan!" 1937–1945 | The Fall and Rise of China by Richard Baum

Listened to Lecture 12: "Resist Japan!" 1937–1945 by Richard Baum from The Fall and Rise of China

In the fireball of World War II, witness the brutal Japanese offensives in China and their grim consequences for the Nationalists, while paradoxically sparing the Communists from annihilation. Learn also about growing U.S. ambivalence toward Chiang K'ai-shek and how Japanese brutality actually aided the Communists' seizure of power.

This lecture was pretty information dense, so I’ve listened to it a second time. Also makes a nice review while trying to continue on with the series.

🎧 Episode 53: Himpathy (MEN, Part 7) | Scene on Radio

Listened to Episode 53: Himpathy (MEN, Part 7) by John Biewen and Celeste Headlee from Scene on Radio

Several years after Janey was sexually assaulted by her former boyfriend, Mathew, she told some of her closest friends, and her mother, what Mathew had done. Janey was so troubled by her loved ones’ responses, or lack thereof, that she went back to them years later to record conversations about it all. In this episode: Janey’s story, and philosopher Kate Manne, who coined the term “himpathy” in her 2017 book, Down Girl: The Logic of Misogyny. With co-hosts John Biewen and Celeste Headlee.

To hear more of Janey Williams’ story and the conversations she had with friends, check out her podcast, “This Happened”, available on most podcast apps and at thishappenedpodcast.com.

This is a painful and rough story, but very revealing about how our culture covers up for men who perpetrate sexual assault.

🎧 Episode 52: Warriors (MEN, Part 6) | Scene on Radio

Listened to Episode 52: Warriors (MEN, Part 6) by John Biewen from Scene on Radio

Do nations fight wars because men are naturally violent? Or do societies condition men to embrace violence so they’ll fight the nation’s wars?

Along with co-hosts John Biewen and Celeste Headlee, this episode features reporting by Barry Lam of the Hi-Phi Nation podcast, with scholars Joshua Goldstein of American University, Tom Digby of Springfield College, and Graham Parsons of the United States Military Academy, a.k.a. West Point.

🎧 Episode 51: More Than Paper Cuts (MEN, Part 5) | Scene on Radio

Listened to Episode 51: More Than Paper Cuts (MEN, Part 5) by cdsduke from Scene on Radio

The #MeToo Movement has shed a harsh light on sexual harassment in the workplace. Just how bad, and how pervasive, is sexism on the job in the U.S., from day-to-day expressions of disrespect all the way to rape? Spoiler: It’s bad.

Reported by Ibby Caputo. With researchers Hannah Riley Bowles of Harvard Kennedy School, Meg Bond of UMass Lowell, Peter Glick of Lawrence University, and Mily Treviño-Sauceda of Alianza Nacional de Campesinas.