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The Ghost in Your Phone (Throwback)
It's hot. A mother works outside, a baby strapped to her back. The two of them breathe in toxic dust, day after day. And they're just two of thousands, cramped so close together it's hard to move, al…
Published on 1 year, 8 months ago
Ralph Nader, Consumer Crusader
Whether it's pesticides in your cereal or the door plug flying off your airplane, consumers today have plenty of reasons to feel like corporations might not have their best interests at heart. At a m…
Published on 1 year, 8 months ago
The 14th Amendment
Of all the amendments to the U.S. Constitution, the 14th is a big one. It's shaped all of our lives, whether we realize it or not: Roe v. Wade, Brown v. Board of Education, Bush v. Gore, plus other S…
Published on 1 year, 8 months ago
The Land of the Fee (Throwback)
Tipping is a norm in the United States—and it's always been controversial. The practice took off after the Civil War, as employers sought cheap labor from formerly enslaved people: if tips were expec…
Published on 1 year, 8 months ago
A History of Hezbollah
Hezbollah is a Lebanese paramilitary organization and political party that's directly supported by the Islamic Republic of Iran. In the wake of the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel, and Isr…
Published on 1 year, 9 months ago
The Great Textbook War
What is school for? Over a hundred years ago, a man named Harold Rugg published a series of textbooks that encouraged students to confront the thorniest parts of U.S. history: to identify problems, a…
Published on 1 year, 9 months ago
Radiolab: Worst. Year. Ever
What was the worst year to be alive on planet Earth? We make the case for 536 AD, which set off a cascade of catastrophes that is almost too horrible to imagine. A supervolcano. The disappearance of …
Published on 1 year, 9 months ago
A Symphony of Resistance (Throwback)
In 2011, the world was shaken by the Arab Spring, a wave of "pro-democracy" protests that spread throughout the Middle East and North Africa. The effects of the uprisings reverberated around the worl…
Published on 1 year, 9 months ago
The Rise of the Right Wing in Israel
For most of its early history, Israel was dominated by left-leaning, secular politicians. But today, the right is in power. Its politicians represent a movement that uses a religious framework to def…
Published on 1 year, 9 months ago
The Right to An Attorney
Most of us take it for granted that if we're ever in court and we can't afford a lawyer, the court will provide one for us. And in fact, the right to an attorney is written into the Constitution's si…
Published on 1 year, 10 months ago