science journalist
Michelle Nijhuis is a science journalist who has written for several organizations and publications, including the Food and Environment Reporting Network and the New Yorker.
PROFILE
Michelle Nijhuis
Guest
FROM Michelle Nijhuis
To the Point
The future of federal public lands under Trump This week Republican Representative Jason Chaffetz of Utah introduced a bill calling for the immediate sell-off of 3.3 million acres of public lands spread out over 10 states. The total amount is roughly the size of Connecticut. Malheur National Wildlife Refuge Photo by Barbara Wheeler, USFWS The Wilderness Society is calling the proposal Step Two in a radical Republican plan to offload federal property. Step One was a quiet change over a week ago to a single line in the House rules which redefined the value of federal land and made it easier for the government to dispose of it. Science writer Michelle Nijhuis has been tracking this for the New Yorker's "Elements" blog .
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Could a Vintage Water Planning Project End the Drought? Half a century ago, the engineer Ralph Parsons came up with a plan to bring Southern California all the water it would ever need. This plan was called the North American Water and Power Alliance, or NAWAPA. NAWAPA never got built, but its promise lingers.
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
The Caviar Underground Paddlefish Polyodon spathula (Timothy Knepp - US Fish and Wildlife Service) Consider the paddlefish: It’s prehistoric looking, even ugly. It lives in the Osage River in Missouri. And it’s worth about $40,000 on the black market. We take a look at the seedy world that is the caviar underground.
Recommended
The Treatment
Guy Ritchie: King Arthur EXCLUSIVE PODCAST: Director Guy Ritchie stops by to discuss retelling lore his way in King Arthur.
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Previewing James Comey's blockbuster testimony Former FBI director James Comey testifies Thursday in front of the Senate Intelligence Committee, but his opening statement has been released. In it, he says he felt pressured by Donald Trump to declare loyalty to him and publicly clear him of any wrongdoing in the Russia investigation.
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.