Press Play with Madeleine Brand
World Cup Protests, Four Decades of Film and Scary Food News
ISIS explained, protests at the World Cup, Ken Turan on film, antibiotic-resistant bacteria and the limits of political polls.
By Barbara Bogaev • • 51m ListenWho are the people behind ISIS, the jihadist group that wants to carve out an Islamic state in Iraq and Syria? We find out from a former British intelligence and UN official. The World Cup kicks off today in Sao Paulo, but protests are putting a damper on the celebration in Brazil’s biggest city. We check in on the scene on the ground. Next, we turn to the national political landscape and look at why pollsters weren’t able to predict House Majority Leader Eric Cantor’s stunning defeat in Virginia’s seventh district this week. Ken Turan, film critic for the Los Angeles Times and NPR’s Morning Edition, discusses his new book, Not to Be Missed: Fifty-Four Favorites from a Lifetime of Film. Finally, we hear from a researcher who made a frightening discovery: a highly-antibiotic-resistant bacteria found in a frozen squid for sale in a Canadian grocery store.
In this episode
5 storiesISIS Explained
Iraq is unraveling. Kurdish soldiers have reportedly captured the oil-rich city of Kirkuk, and rebels say the Iraqi army didn’t even put up a fight. This comes one day after we learned that a jihadist group known as ISIS - Islamic State in Iraq and Syria - took over Mosul and Tikrit.
Read the story10 minProtests Cast Shadow on the World Cup
The first World Cup game, Brazil v Croatia, is scheduled to kick off today in Sao Paulo. But protests in Brazil’s biggest city are ongoing. In the latest violent turn, police used tear gas and smoke bombs to disperse the demonstrators. We check in with the scene on the ground.
Read the story9 minThe Limits of Political Polls
The political story of the week is the stunning defeat of House majority leader Eric Cantor in Virginia’s seventh district. Nobody predicted that Cantor would lose to a no-name, Tea Party-backed economics professor -- least of all, Cantor’s pollster, John McLaughlin.
Read the story9 minFour Decades of Film
Ken Turan, film critic for the Los Angeles Times and NPR’s Morning Edition, has been reviewing movies for some 40 years. Now he’s rounded up his favorite flicks in a new book called Not to Be Missed: Fifty-Four Favorites from a Lifetime of Film.
Read the story14 minA Superbug in the Food Supply?
Here’s a stomach-turner: researchers have found a highly-antibiotic-resistant bacteria in a frozen squid imported from South Korea. The squid was for sale in a Canadian grocery store. This is the first time the microbe has shown up in food products, and scientists say it could be a game changer. What are the potential dangers?
Read the story6 min
