In the late hours of Saturday, Iran launched hundreds of drones and missiles in an unprecedented direct attack on Israel. There was limited damage as Israel and its allies intercepted most of them before reaching Israeli airspace. Now, the Unit

Barbecue Earth, Episode 6: Food Security Reimagined

Mar 19th, 2024 23m 25s

Winners and losers—every major transition has them. For the world to meet its climate goals, it needs to undergo a partial shift away from traditional meat and toward alternative proteins. But who would be the winners and losers of a global pro

Barbecue Earth, Episode 5: Consider the Lobster

Mar 12th, 2024 28m 15s

There’s a lot to learn from the lobster. Its transformation from disdained prison food to fine-dining delicacy reveals how culture shapes our palate and how people could start to get a taste for food that does less damage to the planet than a b

Barbecue Earth, Episode 4: Uncle Sam and the Magic Beanstalk

Mar 5th, 2024 29m 3s

The soybean is more than just a humble legume—it’s a major geopolitical player that feeds the international meat market, shapes trade wars, and transforms economies. In Episode 4, we tell the story of how the soybeans that feed pigs around the

Barbecue Earth, Episode 3: How to Launder a Cow

Feb 27th, 2024 27m 42s

What is cattle laundering—and how are big meat companies involved with it? Episode 3 explores the phenomenon of the smuggling and sale of illegal cattle throughout the Amazon and tells the story of how the meat industry uses its power to underm

Barbecue Earth, Episode 2: The Farmers Strike Back

Feb 20th, 2024 28m 52s

Tractors blocking government buildings. Manure piled on highways. The birth of a populist political party. In the Netherlands, government regulations on agriculture’s nitrogen emissions have sparked backlash from Dutch farmers. In Episode 2 of

Barbecue Earth, Episode 1: Hog Country

Feb 20th, 2024 32m 9s

In the United States, agriculture plays by a different set of rules than other sectors. With its lax child labor laws and lack of environmental restrictions, the American farming industry operates in a uniquely under-regulated environment. Why?

Behind Closed Doors, Episode 3: Trouble in the Blue House

Jul 31st, 2023 38m 39s

The third episode, "Trouble in the Blue House," dissects the corruption scandal often called "South Korea's Watergate." When former President Park Geun-hye was first elected in 2013, she held widespread conservative support and was internationa

Behind Closed Doors, Episode 2: Seeing the Monster

Jul 27th, 2023 43m 7s

The second episode, "Seeing the Monster," explores what some call the biggest corruption scandal in history—Brazil's Lava Jato scandal. The story begins at a small gas station in southern Brazil, where a single arrest for bribery in 2013 unleas

Behind Closed Doors, Episode 1: If Men Were Angels, We Wouldn't Need Government

Jul 18th, 2023 34m 51s

What is corruption in democracies? How has it changed over time? And, in what forms does it emerge in our society today? Episode 1, 'If Men Were Angels, We Wouldn't Need Government,' answers these questions through the lens of case studies in t

The State of World Hunger

Jul 13th, 2023 45m 26s

The global hunger crisis has reached unprecedented levels. Violent conflict, economic shocks from the war in Ukraine, and accelerating climate change have exacerbated food shortages in many parts of the world. According to the World Food Progra

Evading Sanctions 101

Jun 15th, 2023 41m

Since President Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the United States and its allies have imposed tough global sanctions against Russia. Numerous sectors, individuals, and entities have been targeted for helping Russia’s war effort

Moldova’s Moment

Jun 1st, 2023 31m 52s

Since Putin’s invasion of Ukraine last year, the Eastern European nation of Moldova has been one of the countries most vulnerable to the war spilling over its borders. With the threat of Russia looming, the European Political Community, or EPC,

Türkiye’s Election: The End of Erdoğan?

May 4th, 2023 36m 29s

On May 14th, Türkiye will have its presidential and parliamentary elections. It will be a pivotal moment in Turkish politics with implications for the world concerning NATO, the war in Ukraine, Syrian refugees, and more. The highly contested ra

Could Solar Climate Intervention Buy the World Some Time?

Apr 20th, 2023 34m 53s

Last month, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released its latest assessment report. The news is not good, which makes it somber reading on this year’s Earth Day. Scientists warn that critical components of the Earth system m

Israel in Turmoil

Apr 6th, 2023 34m 45s

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu currently leads the most right-wing government in the country’s history since returning to power after winning last year’s election. Following an attempt by Netanyahu to weaken the Supreme Court, outrag

The End of TikTok?

Mar 23rd, 2023 37m 27s

While TikTok might be one of the world’s most popular social media apps, it has raised national security concerns among U.S. lawmakers and the Biden administration. With the app now facing a nationwide ban, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew will testify

The Future of Nigeria: Africa's Wounded Giant

Mar 9th, 2023 37m 1s

In Nigeria’s pivotal election, the so-called godfather of Lagos and Nigeria’s kingmaker, Bola Tinubu, snatched victory. This comes amid calls of election fraud from the opposition parties and their two candidates, Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi.

The China-Russia Bromance: A Year Later

Feb 23rd, 2023 35m 44s

Days before Russia illegally and brutally invaded Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping signed a “no limits” partnership, demonstrating their deepening relations. It has been a year since Putin’s full-scale

Lula’s Brazil: Encore Edition

Feb 9th, 2023 33m 29s

On January 1, 2023, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was sworn in for the third time as Brazil’s president with the challenge of leading a deeply divided country. Just a week later, on January 8, supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro stormed B

Ukraine's Silver Tank?

Jan 26th, 2023 34m 37s

The tanks are heading to Ukraine! After facing pressure from European and international allies, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced this week that Germany will supply Leopard 2 tanks to Kyiv. Following this, President Joe Biden announced th

Grading Biden's Foreign Policy

Jan 12th, 2023 35m 21s

Halfway through his term in office, President Biden has achieved significant accomplishments in 2022. The administration marshaled support around Ukraine to hold off the Russian invasion. It also passed major legislation to boost semiconductor

Humanity at Eight Billion

Dec 15th, 2022 35m 17s

At eight billion people, humanity has reached a major demographic milestone. Yet with a growing population, questions arise over whether nations can keep up. While developed Western countries struggle to take care of aging populations and low b

The Breaking Point: COP27

Nov 10th, 2022 38m 51s

This week, world leaders and delegates have gathered in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt to commence COP27. Despite the intensified calls for wealthier countries to deliver on reparations and help climate-vulnerable countries with the impacts of climate

Europe's Energy Crunch

Sep 22nd, 2022 34m 47s

Europeans are bracing for one of the toughest winters yet. As Europe levied tough sanctions on Russia following Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, the Kremlin is punching back by using its energy exports as leverage over Europe, plunging the continen