Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Big Pharma has spent more than $85 million to defeat Prop 61
Election spending is cruising toward record highs in California, and no one’s making it rain harder than Big Pharma. Pharmaceutical companies have spent more than $85 million to defeat Prop 61.
By Madeleine Brand • • 50m ListenThe Supreme Court is back in session and two cases involving racial bias in criminal cases are on the docket. In one case, argued Wednesday, racial bias may have been a factor in sentencing a man to death. Then, election spending is cruising toward record highs in California and no one’s spending more than Big Pharma. Pharmaceutical companies have spent more than $85 million to defeat Proposition 61. Also, three years after the Snowden leaks, the FBI has arrested another NSA contractor. They’re investigating whether Harold T. Martin stole and leaked classified computer codes used to hack foreign governments. Next, if attractions like the Door to Hell and Galileo’s Middle Finger sound appealing, plan your next vacation with “Atlas Obscura: An Explorer’s Guide to The World’s Hidden Wonders.” And finally, 4chan, the web message board sometimes called “the cesspool of the internet,” is broke. Should you care if it’s forced to shut down?
In this episode
6 storiesSupreme Court considers racial bias in two criminal cases
The Supreme Court is back in session and two cases involving racial bias in criminal cases are on the docket. The justices heard arguments in a case on Wednesday where racial bias may have been a factor in sentencing a man to death. Duane Buck was convicted in 1996 of murdering two people and wounding another.
Read the story7 minBig Pharma has spent more than $85 million to defeat Prop 61
Election spending is cruising toward record highs in California, and no one’s making it rain harder than Big Pharma. Pharmaceutical companies have spent more than $85 million to defeat Proposition 61. Prop 61 would peg the price the state pays for drugs to the same price the VA healthcare system pays.
Read the story7 minNSA contractor accused of stealing top secret government info
Three years after the Edward Snowden leaks, the FBI has arrested another National Security Agency contractor. They’re investigating whether 51-year-old Harold T. Martin stole and leaked classified computer codes used to hack foreign governments.
Read the story10 min‘Atlas Obscura: A guide to the world’s strangest sights
Election spending is cruising toward record highs in California, and no one’s making it rain harder than Big Pharma. Pharmaceutical companies have spent more than $85 million to defeat Prop 61.
Read the story5 min'Atlas Obscura': A guide to the world's strangest sights
Any old vacation might include visits to museums, cathedrals and palaces, but what about some more unusual attractions? Like the “Door to Hell,” the “Everlasting Lightning Storm,” or “Galileo’s Middle Finger.”
Read the story14 min4chan is broke. Should we care?
The web message board sometimes called “the cesspool of the internet” is broke. 4chan was launched in 2003 and became the home of racist and sexist hate speech, inappropriate – if not illegal – pictures and memes like Pepe the Frog, now the mascot of the alt-right.
Read the story8 min
