Writer, Editor
Senior Associate Editor at The Atlantic, author of "Busting Cactus Smugglers in the American West."
PROFILE
Weston Phippen
FROM Weston Phippen
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Who Are The Cactus Thieves Cactus experts say there are about 2,000 different types of cacti living today. Many of them are out here in the deserts of the West, but they’re in danger. According to a study published last year in the journal “Nature Plants,” almost one third of them are threatened with extinction. They’re threatened by humans taking their habitat, and livestock trampling them. The biggest reason so many cacti are disappearing, however, is a simpler one: theft. People are stealing rare breeds and selling them. There are laws against it, but they’re tough to enforce across hundreds of thousands of square miles of the desert West. We take a look inside the cactus smuggling trade.
Recommended
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Terrorism in London: Lessons for the US This weekend’s terrorist attack in London left seven people dead and almost 50 injured. London police fatally shot the attackers, and ISIS claimed responsibility.
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Gov. Jerry Brown: California and China will fight climate change together President Donald Trump reportedly wants the U.S. to withdraw from the Paris Climate Accord, and he’s expected to announce a decision soon. California Governor Jerry Brown heads to China to strengthen climate and clean energy ties.
The Business
In 'Speechless,' Scott Silveri combines comedy, family & disability Scott Silveri has written and produced sitcoms for more than 20 years. In all that time, he never encountered a TV family that looked anything like the one he grew up in -- with a mom, a dad...and a brother with cerebral palsy. He changed that with his show Speechless on ABC. Silveri tells us about looking to his own past for stories, and why he was determined to make a family comedy and not just a "disability show."
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
How do Trump supporters feel about the Paris Accord? Globally and around the U.S., there are strong opinions whether or not the Paris Climate Accord is a good idea. The American exit is either a horrifying abdication of American leadership or a forceful and long overdue statement about U.S. sovereignty.