Latest Episodes

Today’s episode comes from our friends at the podcast Twenty Thousand Hertz. They investigated the Netflix “ta-dum” – the sound effect that rings out when you queue up a Netflix show. It’s so iconic you probably can hear it in your head, but it almost sounded very, very different (think bleating goats). Find more episodes from Twenty Thousand Hertz here.

Three top officials have recently retired early from the Federal Reserve amid controversy surrounding personal stock trading activity. WSJ's Nick Timiraos explains what's led to the worst reputational crisis at the Fed in decades.

Democrats gambled that their expanded child tax credit would be so popular, Congress wouldn't let it lapse. It just lapsed. WSJ's Richard Rubin explains why the monthly checks for parents are ending, and dad Jamie Herrington discusses what it means for his family.

For decades, fossil fuel companies have fought action on climate change. They've done so directly – by challenging legislation that would help reign in emissions. But they've also done it indirectly, by funding organizations who lobby congress, launching fake grassroots campaigns, and perhaps most importantly, through advertising. These ads, according to Martin Watters at the nonprofit firm ClientE...

More than half of the NBA's players have tested positive for Covid-19 this season as the highly contagious Omicron variant sweeps the country. WSJ's Ben Cohen explains how the NBA has had to tap into its developmental league to keep the games going, and what it means for the players getting their first big break.

On January 15, 1919, a tank exploded in Boston’s North End releasing a tsunami wave of molasses that plowed down the city’s streets at 35 miles per hour. It destroyed businesses and homes. Lives were lost. And in the wake of this sticky disaster, people were suspicious… What caused the tank to blow? Who was to blame? There were rumors of foul play.

Workplace burnout is on the rise, with resignations at an all-time high. WSJ's Ray A. Smith reports that employers are scrambling to find ways to combat it. And we hear from a woman who says professional burnout sent her to the hospital. Plus, the president of Bumble, the dating app, explains why his company gave employees a week off last year.

Crime Show will be back with new episodes starting January 25th. Today we'd like to introduce you to Heavyweight episode #38: Justine.

Pfizer has sold and distributed billions of doses of its Covid-19 vaccine, generating an estimated $36 billion in sales last year. CEO Albert Bourla talks to The Journal about Omicron and how Pfizer is approaching the virus as we enter the third year of the pandemic.

During a late-night internet search, caller Brenna stumbled across an ancient super-sized snake. It got her wondering: why doesn’t it slither among us today? Where’d it go? Snake hiss-perer Jason Head tells us about the life and times of Titanoboa, the biggest snake ever found.

After a steep rise in gas prices, violent protests broke out in the Central Asian nation of Kazakhstan. Dozens have been killed, most of the country's government has resigned and, now, Russian-led forces are entering the country to intervene. WSJ's James Marson traces the roots of these protests.

We asked for your weirdest alternative energy ideas, and you delivered. This week, Alex — plus climate journalists and experts Brian Kahn and Amelia Urry — vet some wacky new ways we could power our planet in the future. Join us as we assess the good, the bad, and the viable… in our very first HTSAP game show.

Months after they first came on the market, at-home Covid-19 tests are still scarce in some parts of the country. But it didn't have to be this way. WSJ's Brianna Abbott unpacks the decisions and circumstances that led to the at-home testing shortage. And healthcare CEO Zachariah Reitano explains how he found tests for his customers.

The Department of Justice has charged about two dozen academic researchers in the U.S. over suspicions they may be secretly helping China. But WSJ's Aruna Viswanatha explains universities see the government's actions as intimidation and an attack on open research.

Drag Kings. Gender Bending. Punk Rock. In the 1990s, that’s what Club Casanova was all about. Back then, New York City nightlife was poppin’. But so was crime. Both of which then Mayor Rudy Giuliani was hellbent on cleaning up. Luckily for him, a racist Prohibition-era law helped eradicate crime...and fun. And a few days before New Years 1998, Club Casanova was Rudy’s latest victim.

Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes promised investors that her company could revolutionize blood tests. But after 11 wire-fraud charges and 15 weeks of a court trial, yesterday a jury found Holmes guilty on four counts. WSJ's Sara Randazzo, who has been in the courtroom, explains what this means for Holmes and why this trial was a referendum on how Silicon Valley startups raise cash.

A New Year’s resolution: Last year, hundreds of you submitted your mortifying tales. This week, we announce the winner. Mary’s glory hole gets the whole glory.

This week, we’re talking about oil pipelines. From the fight against Keystone XL to Standing Rock, pipeline protests have been central to the climate movement in the U.S. But they’ve always been about more than just the climate -- they’ve also been a battle for Indigenous rights, demanding that Native American people and Tribes should have a say over what happens in their historic territories. This...

This week we are bringing a you dazzling NPI episode from earlier this year. Zsa Zsa Gabor was the epitome of Hollywood glam, starring in dozens of films and tv shows in the 1940s and 50s. But by the 1980s, her shine began to dim. On September 14 1989, Gabor made a celebrity comeback when she was prosecuted for slapping a Beverly Hills cop. In court Gabor played the role she was born to play… herse...

We’re revisiting one of our favorite episodes this week. A few years ago, listener Annie asked ELT to settle a longstanding family debate: exactly how old is Winnie-the-Pooh? To hunt down an answer, we consult with professional age-guesser Ben Ramey, bear biologist Rae Wynn-Grant, and Sarah Shea, a professor who has studied this question.

Mariah Carey released "All I Want for Christmas Is You" in 1994 to moderate success. Today, the song is a megahit and Christmas playlist staple. What happened? WSJ's John Jurgensen called up the "Queen of Christmas" to find out. This episode was originally published on December 11, 2020.

AMC, the world's largest movie-theater chain, is now over 80% owned by everyday investors. Which means CEO Adam Aron has a new boss: The 'apes.' WSJ's Alexander Gladstone and Erich Schwartzel introduce the online movement that saved AMC. And self-declared 'ape' investor David Dumas explains why he jumped in.

A common piece of career advice is to bring your whole self to work. But what if your whole self includes a deep concern for the climate? Can you bring that part of yourself to work, even if it makes your workplace uncomfortable? This week we talked to a couple of people, Emily Cunningham and Eliza Pan, who had that same question. They were deeply concerned about the climate crisis and they felt th...

Her new boyfriend’s wife died four years ago. Reminders of her are all over his house, from her clothes in the closet to her photos on the wall. It makes the caller feel uncomfortable and inadequate. She wonders if there’s room in his house — or his heart — for her.