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1,037 episodes — Page 11 of 21
How to prepare for cyberattacks
The Biden administration has issued ominous warnings about looming Russian cyberattacks. The energy and finance industries are of particular focus, but one of the President's top cyber aides said last week that "We should consider every sector vulnerable." Maggie Miller reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
How Russia will impact the future of trade
Days after a 424-8 vote to revoke normal trade relations with Russia, the bill's path through the Senate is complicated. Senate Republicans are demanding the legislation be paired with a separate House-passed measure banning Russian oil imports, and Rand Paul has voiced opposition to expanding the Magnitsky Act. Gavin Bade reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Chip lobby gets warm welcome, but no money
A microchip lobbying blitz is happening on Capitol Hill today, and D.C. has pledged to pour billions of dollars into coaxing chip manufacturers back to the U.S. The problem? The money's held up in Congress. Brendan Bordelon reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Hackers come for your health data
Nearly 50 million people in the U.S. had their sensitive health data breached in 2021, a threefold increase in three years, according to a POLITICO analysis of the latest HHS data. Ben Leonard reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The global food crisis will only get worse
Russia and Ukraine combined provide about 30 percent of the world’s supply of wheat and Ukraine alone provides about 15 percent of the world's corn. Russia's invasion into Ukraine is setting off a global food crisis that might be unprecedented. Meredith Lee reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Will Biden (really) cancel student debt?
Ahead of the midterms, Democrats fret that Biden’s inaction on student debt could burn him with younger voters. Michael Stratford reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The state battle to criminalize trans care
The furor surrounding transgender youth has been playing out in Texas, but it's not the only state proposing criminalizing gender-affirming care despite opposition from medical experts. Republican lawmakers and conservative groups are increasingly using transition-related medical care as a wedge issue heading into the midterms. Juan Perez reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Covid funding blame game
The White House asked for $22.5 billion for covid response funds. Last week, Congress put together a bipartisan $15 billion plan. But so far, exactly zero dollars have actually been agreed upon. And even as the administration warns it may need to cancel new orders of Covid-19 drugs as soon as next week and wind down access to testing soon after that, there appears to be no clear strategy from either the White House or Capitol Hill to secure the funds. Adam Cancryn reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
How Liz Cheney wins re-election
Liz Cheney faces a primary with Trump-endorsed candidate Harriet Hageman. Wyoming political strategists say the only viable path to victory for Liz Cheney is with the help of Democrats and Independents who register as Republicans to vote in the primary. Tara Palmeri reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
A firefighter shortage
The Forest Service has long struggled with staffing shortages, but the challenges have intensified amid a hyper-competitive labor market and cost-of-living concerns. Ximena Bustillo reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Biden's strategy: help Ukraine without provoking Russia
Over the weekend, Russia intensified its airstrikes on western Ukraine, hitting targets just miles from the Polish border. Pentagon and NATO officials reiterated on Sunday that they do not intend to directly confront Russian forces within Ukraine. But they are sending military supplies, and Russia has warned that it regards those convoys as legitimate targets. Alex Ward reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Russia sanctions put crypto under the spotlight
As more banks and payment systems cut off service to Russians, digital asset firms are navigating the same reputational minefields as traditional financial institutions. Sam Sutton reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
One vax patient's rare journey
An adverse allergic reaction to a covid vaccine is rare, but just how rare remains to be seen. On Wednesday, the National Institutes of Health announced a new study to try to understand the number of people experiencing moderate allergic reaction to mRNA vaccines, and why. Joanne Kenen — who had an allergic reaction to her first Pfizer dose — reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
China’s Russia problem
The Chinese government has made clear it will remain a strategic ally of Russia despite its invasion of Ukraine. But the West wants China's help in cutting off Russia. Phelim Kine reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Will Biden ban oil from Russia?
The White House is considering a ban on Russian oil imports — even as U.S. gas prices soar and Biden takes hits on inflation. Meanwhile, CERAWeek, the nation's most important oil and gas industry conference, convenes in Houston. Ben Lefebvre reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Poland and the U.S. weigh fighter jet deal
Last week, when Poland considered sending warplanes to aid Ukraine, Warsaw asked the White House to guarantee it would replace the outgoing planes with U.S.-made fighter jets. On Sunday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that the two countries were in talks. Paul McLeary reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jan. 6 committee alleges "criminal conspiracy"
As the January 6 Committee prepares for its first public hearing — likely next month — some of their evidence is starting to come into shape. In a major release of its findings, filed in federal court late Wednesday, the committee suggested that its evidence supported findings that Trump himself violated multiple laws by attempting to prevent Congress from certifying his defeat. Nicholas Wu reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Biden admin announces new Covid plan. Will it work?
The White House has been reluctant to declare the end of the pandemic — especially after optimism last summer was made moot by the emergence of the Delta and Omicron variants. But administration officials have pointed to vaccine and test availability — and hope that revised CDC guidance and a new 96-page plan from the Biden administration will ease political pressure and a path out of the pandemic. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
New York City's voter experiment
A national movement to give voting rights to legal noncitizens has found its way to New York City. Pending court battles, it will soon give 800,000 people the chance to shape local elections. Erin Durkin reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
What will the sanctions on Russia really do?
Sanctions on banking, tech, weapons and more were rolled out against Russia over the weekend — arguably historic in size and scope. But the big question remains, will they have an effect on Putin's war against Ukraine? Nahal Toosi reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
What you should know about Ketanji Brown Jackson
President Joe Biden selected D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson as his nominee to succeed retiring Justice Stephen Breyer on Friday, making history by nominating a Black woman for the nation’s highest court. Josh Gertstein reports on what you need to know about the judge and her looming confirmation battle. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Biden’s red lines in Ukraine
Sanctions are a long-term solution to a short-term problem. They’re the lever that the United States and allies have chosen to use to punish Russia for its brazen invasion of Ukraine. But Biden made clear that any sanctions policy that hurts Americans, such as oil and gas sanctions, would be off-the-table, for now. Alex Ward reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The FDA's 4-month recall gap
The FDA first received reports of a foodborne illness suspected to be linked to infant formula back in September 2021. Last week, it issued a sweeping recall of three major brands after four babies were hospitalized and one died. Helena Bottemiller Evich reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
350.org faces next challenge: itself
It was the group that brought down the Keystone XL pipeline — a once-upstart environmental advocacy group that changed the face of America’s climate activism. But 350.org, founded by legendary activist Bill McKibben, now faces a budget crunch, equity fights and union strife. Zack Colman reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Putin escalates crisis
In a televised address on Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin recognized two breakaway territories in eastern Ukraine as independent, amounting to a dramatic escalation of a crisis that Western leaders have warned is a pretext for a Russian invasion of Ukraine. Alex Ward reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Josh Mandel and the crowded Ohio primary
In a Ohio Senate GOP primary that holds five candidates, Josh Mandel has broken through as an early front-runner with brazen tweets and campaign trail provocations. But what makes him stand out is the length of his political arc: he's ubiquitous in Ohio politics and has been working on becoming a Senator for the past two decades — before turning 45. Michael Kruse reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
A $30 billion price tag for continued Covid funding
Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra told congressional appropriators in charge of supplemental pandemic funding that at least $30 billion is needed to keep Covid-19 response work going, arguing that while the Biden administration may have enough vaccines and therapeutics to ride out the Omicron surge, it doesn’t currently have enough money to respond to another variant. Alice Miranda Ollstein reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
On the front lines in Ukraine
Journalist Kenneth Rosen visited front lines across the Donbas region to witness Putin’s digital war with Ukraine, and questions whether the West is prepared for cyberattacks and the future of warfare. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The court battles over mail-in voting
A pair of looming state court cases in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin could significantly curtail mail voting ahead of the midterms — one of Republicans’ major goals since former President Donald Trump went to war against the practice in 2020. Zach Montellaro reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Biden's stalled climate agenda
Joe Biden entered the White House last year with the most ambitious climate agenda in history, but he's struggling to logmajor wins and setbacks keep mounting. Josh Siegel reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Capitol Hill's instagram revolution
An anonymously run Instagram account known as “Dear White Staffers” has exploded in popularity, spilling tea and dragging longstanding workplace issues on the Hill into the light. It has also accelerated congressional staffers’ talk of unionizing. The problem? Well, it's complicated. Katherine Tully-McManus reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The next big health crisis?
When the pandemic began, Congress barred states from kicking people off Medicaid in exchange for additional federal funding, Enrollment surged nearly 20 percent over the next 16 months to 76.7 million, an all-time high. But state audits that will be triggered when the health crisis is declared "over" could lead to as many as 15 million people, including 6 million children, losing their health insurance. Megan Messerly reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Inside the resignation of Eric Lander
An internal White House investigation recently concluded that President Joe Biden’s top science adviser, Eric Lander, bullied and demeaned his subordinates and violated the White House’s workplace policy. On Monday, Lander resigned. Reporter Alex Thompson — who had the original scoop — shares the story. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Trucker protests take over Canada’s capital
With trucks and protesters occupying streets around Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Canada, Ottawa's mayor Jim Watson has declared a state of emergency. The “Freedom Convoy” — a collection of semis and other large trucks — began as a rallying point for Canadians opposed to vaccine mandates. But it has snowballed into an increasingly organized fight against Covid-19 public health measures and Trudeau himself. Andy Blatchford reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tensions mount, and mount, and mount
Russia now has an estimated 70% of the forces it needs for a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in place, according to Biden administration officials. A group of bipartisan Senators continue to work on a sanctions bill, and Europe and the U.S. are on alert. Alex Ward reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The uncomfortable Winter Olympics
China's human rights abuses — leading to diplomatic boycotts of the Beijing 2022 Games by the US, UK, Australia and more — have put athletes in a difficult spot. Phelim Kine reports Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
A shot for the youngest kids is in sight
On Tuesday, Pfizer and BioNTech announced they’re seeking authorization from the Food and Drug Administration for the first two doses of a planned three-dose Covid-19 vaccine regimen for children under 5 — the last age bracket remaining witout a Covid-19 vaccine. The agency said that it would convene its independent panel of vaccine experts on Feb. 15 to consider the data. While many welcomed the new development, some pediatricians raised concerns that the companies were moving too quickly. Lauren Gardner reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The hot economy is about to be put on ice
President Joe Biden delivered a massive economic stimulus that sparked historic job growth — but is also a factor in why inflation is the highest it's been since the 80s. Now, he’s counting on the Federal Reserve to come to the rescue as inflation eats up people’s paychecks and feeds anxiety about the future. Victoria Guida reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Jan. 6 panel is at an inflection point
Investigators for the Jan. 6 select committee have won a string of victories in court, obtaining testimony and records from Trump World. Now, they're preparing for their next battle, making those findings tangible — and understandable — to the public. Kyle Cheney reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The short list to replace Breyer
Last week, Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer announced his retirement, setting off a flurry of anticipation about who his successor would be and how the confirmation process would play out. Josh Gerstein reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The battle to save Waikiki
Climate change is eroding Hawaii’s most popular attraction. But, even in a deep-blue state, no one can agree on how to save it. Melanie Warner reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Monoclonal antibodies and the midterms
Republicans are accusing the Biden administration of racism — against white people. The FDA recommended that race and ethnicity be considered when deciding who gets the limited supply of monoclonal antibody treatments — including the only antibody treatment to effectively work against the Omicron variant. But, it's now become the latest political talking point for Republicans, looking to energize their base ahead of the midterm elections. Megan Messerly reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Vax wars head to California
For the third time in 10 years, California is in the middle of the national vaccine wars. On Monday, State Sen. Richard Pan unveiled legislation to eliminate the personal belief exemption for the impending Covid-19 vaccine mandate for K-12 students in California.California Playbook co-author Jeremy B. White reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The standoff over Ukraine
Two weeks ago, the first round of diplomatic talks between the U.S. and Russia took place. Last week, another round of diplomatic talks took place. And now, Russia has mobilized about 100,000 troops near its border with Ukraine. Alex Ward reports on the U.S.'s strategy to contain Russian aggression and possible outcomes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
What's next for Dems in Congress
After failures to advance two high profile bills — the Build Back Better spending plan and voting rights — Democrats return to the drawing board. Anthony Adragna reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Breaking up big meat
Four big companies dominate the meat processing market — but the Biden administration has considered breaking them up for a long time. Meanwhile, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has been on a multi-state tour talking about new cash programs from the Biden administration and strengthening local meat supply chains — but it could take billions of dollars and years of building up for smaller producers to reach a scale that would threaten the larger companies. Ximena Bustillo reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
CovidTests.gov is live — but is it ready?
After more than a month of surging case numbers due to the Omicron variant, the Biden administration is responding with more testing and masking. On Wednesday, it launched covidtests.gov, a website that allows users to request four free at-home covid test and this week also unveiled a plan to distribute hundreds of millions of free N-95 masks through pharmacies and community sites. Adam Cancryn reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Airlines face their next challenge: 5G
5G, more like 5 o-m-g! Amid concerns that AT&T's and Verizon's 5G rollout could cause thousands of flight cancellations and disruptions, the wireless companies agreed to heed the warnings of the aviation industry and scale back their rollout. How'd this get to be such a mess in the first place? Oriana Pawlyk reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Voting rights legislation: deterred or dead?
Last week, voting rights legislation hit a brick wall when Senators Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) announced they would not support changing Senate rules to get around a potential filibuster. Today, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer still plans to allow debate on voting rights — despite its almost certain failure. Playbook’s Eugene Daniels looks at what's next for the Biden administration. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Oregon's black market for cannabis
There’s a saying that Southern Oregon has more trees than people, but recently, the area has been overrun by international cartels and gun-toting outlaw farmers. What’s happening there represents one of the paradoxes of the legalized marijuana movement: states with large legal markets are also dealing with rampant illegal production. Natalie Fertig reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices