PRI’s The World: Latest Edition

For many, 2020 has been a scary year. In an effort to get to the root of why many people feel this way, the first thing we did was something we probably should have done a long time ago — we reached out to a psychiatrist. In a new season of "Things That Go Boom," The World's partner podcast from PRX, host Laicie Heeley also asked listeners, friends and family to answer what might seem like a pretty simple question: How safe do you feel? The answers weren't simple at all. Guests: Arash Javanbakht, psychiatry researcher; Bunmi Akinnusotu, host of What in the World? Additional reading: Sex and Death in the Rational World of Defense Intellectuals, Carol Cohn The politics of fear: How fear goes tribal, allowing us to be manipulated, Arash Javanbakht When mask-wearing rules in the 1918 pandemic faced resistance, Becky Little As the 1918 flu emerged, cover-up and denial helped it spread, Becky Little

Why did the US Navy reinstate celestial navigation as part of its curriculum a few years ago? Well, you can’t hack a sextant. In the seventh episode of the third season of "Things That Go Boom," our partner podcast from PRX, host Laicie Heeley looks at some of the vulnerabilities that come with an overreliance on high-tech defense systems. Guests Peter Singer and August Cole are national security experts who have taken to writing futuristic techno-thrillers to sound a few alarms. Among their warnings: The opening battles of World War III won’t happen on a battlefield, and they will probably be silent. Guests: Peter Singer, strategist and senior fellow at New America August Cole, non-resident senior fellow at the Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security at the Atlantic Council Additional reading: Burn-In, Forbes. Ghost Fleet, The Diplomat. China Uses AI To Enhance Totalitarian Control, The Atlantic.

Disinformation and misinformation have been blurring the line between fantasy and reality since the start of communication itself. But over the last decade, they’ve posed an increasing threat to democracy in the United States, with the 2016 presidential election becoming a major flashpoint in Americans’ understanding of the consequences of fake news. In episode six of the third season of "Things That Go Boom," our partner podcast from PRX, host Laicie Heeley looks into how false information flooding the internet and spreading like wildfire on social media poses risks not just to national and election security, but to our health and safety. Guests: Mike Mazarr, senior political scientist at RAND Corporation Cindy Otis, author, former CIA analyst and disinformation investigations manager Camille Stewart, head of security policy for Google Play and Android Russell Jeung, professor of Asian American studies at San Francisco State University Additional reading True or False: A CIA Analyst's Guide to Spotting Fake News, Cindy Otis "Vote and die: Covering voter suppression during the coronavirus pandemic," Nieman Foundation "Combating disinformation and foreign interference in democracies: Lessons from Europe," Margaret L. Taylor

As the US reckons with systemic racism and a less-than-democratic past, China is doubling down on its authoritarian ways. Meanwhile, research on the health of democracy from across the globe indicates the patient is not well. In episode five of the third season of "Things That Go Boom," our partner podcast from PRX, host Laicie Heeley traces China’s rise from the 1990s, when American pop music held a place alongside patriotic education, to its more recent political assertiveness — not to mention its chokehold on civil rights in Hong Kong and Xinjiang. As China moves to assert itself on the world stage, is democracy losing? Guests: Connie Mei Pickart, writer and educator Yascha Mounk, associate professor at Johns Hopkins University and senior fellow at the German Marshall Fund Additional reading: How the world views American-style democracy, Eurasia Group Foundation Nationalism ruined my Chinese friendships, Connie Mei Pickart via SupChina In Hong Kong, defiance has gone quiet, The New York Times

Are we in the middle of a new Cold War — or have we rewritten the game? With old nuclear arms treaties expiring and no new ones being signed, are we adapting to the times — or playing with fire? In episode four of the third season of "Things That Go Boom," our partner podcast from PRX, host Laicie Heeley looks at the past and present of civil defense and nuclear arms control and asks what we can do — as individuals and as a nation — to prevent the existential threat of nuclear war. Guests: Alex Wellerstein, professor at the Stevens Institute of Technology and historian of nuclear weapons; Alexandra Bell, senior policy director at the Center for Arms Control and Non-proliferation. Additional Reading: NUKEMAP Trump Will Withdraw From Open Skies Treaty, The New York Times Time Running Out on the Last US-Russia Nuclear Arms Treaty, Defense News Will Donald Trump Resume Nuclear Testing?, The Economist

In Russia, after almost a decade in prison, businessman Yevgeny Prigozhin was released into a new world: Mikhail Gorbachev had given his last speech as leader of the Soviet Union and the Communist Party was outlawed. Soon, gangs were violently extorting new business owners and the murder rate soared in the country. But Prigozhin was comfortable with chaos. He started a hot dog stand and climbed his way up into the highest echelons of power — and then decided to diversify. In episode three of the third season of "Things That Go Boom," our partner podcast from PRX, host Laicie Heeley looks at a Russian businessman who takes on a new game — a war in the shadows — and how we prepare for what we can't see.

Former US Vice President Dick Cheney, who died on Monday at the age of 84, was a strong advocate for the first Gulf War and US-led invasion of Afghanistan, was a central player in the 2003 US invasion of Iraq and was one of the architects of the “War on Terror.” Also, a look at how the collapse of the Oslo Accords haunts the Middle East on the 30th anniversary of the assassination of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. And, China’s surveillance of its Uyghur population has shifted from the physical world to the digital one. Plus, Sir David Beckham receives knighthood at Windsor Castle. Listen to today’s Music Heard on Air. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

When Hurricane Melissa hit Jamaica as a category 5 storm, it tore through the country's agricultural center, demolishing crops and killing livestock. Now, as aid flows into the country, concerns are rising about the country's food security moving forward. Also, tens of thousands of people take to the streets in Serbia one year after a deadly railway station disaster killed 16 people, as victims’ families still await accountability. And, Afghanistan is hit by a strong earthquake for the second time in two months. Plus, Japanese baseball pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto steals the show during Game 7 of the World Series in Toronto. Listen to today’s Music Heard on Air. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

A few thousand people have arrived at the Tawila refugee camp in Sudan, after escaping harrowing violence in the RSF-controlled city of el-Fasher, many of them unaccompanied children. Also, Timor-Leste, Southeast Asia’s smallest economy, joins the ASEAN bloc. And, a 91-year-old Japanese man is the oldest runner at the New York City Marathon. Plus, a look at Halloween and other ghostly traditions around the world. Listen to today’s Music Heard on Air. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

US President Donald Trump met with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, today. Both leaders sounded optimistic about cooling trade tensions between the world's two largest economies. Also, in Rio de Janeiro, residents of two favelas are reeling after Brazil’s deadliest police raid in decades left more than 130 people dead; the governor defended it as a “hard blow against crime” but rights groups are calling it a massacre. And, Radio Free Asia announces it will begin closing down its operations on Friday. Plus, National Geographic Explorer Paul Salopek discusses his journey on foot across Turkey. Listen to today’s Music Heard on Air. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Today in Jamaica, people are picking up the pieces after the strongest storm seen on Earth — and the strongest hurricane in Jamaica's history — thrashed the island. Also, an attack by Israeli forces inside Gaza leaves at least a hundred Palestinians dead. And, Lithuania closes its border with Belarus for a month. Also, the Netherlands uses “harm reduction” instead of jail time to address its drug crisis. Plus, a new exhibit looks at creatures deep beneath the ocean’s surface. Listen to today’s Music Heard on Air. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Atrocities continue as Sudan’s military retreats from el-Fasher, a town in Darfur that has been under a grueling siege for more than 500 days. Also, Hurricane Melissa makes landfall in Jamaica with catastrophic winds and the potential for widespread flooding and landslides. And, President Vladimir Putin says Russia has a nuclear-powered cruise missile that can't be intercepted by US technology, and that it’s been tested successfully and is ready to be deployed. Plus, an ant that can give birth to an entirely different species. Listen to today’s Music Heard on Air. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Hurricane Melissa intensifies into a Category 5 hurricane as it heads towards Jamaica. We look at how, in the age of climate change, storms are becoming wetter, stronger, slower and more destructive. Also, US President Donald Trump is on a weeklong trip to East Asia. And, Ireland elects left-leaning lawmaker Catherine Connolly as its new president, known for her outspoken views on the war in Gaza, NATO and Irish unification. Plus, a small abandoned village in Greenland is seeing a revival. Listen to today’s Music Heard on Air. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

China's leadership has announced its latest five-year plan for the future. A lot of details are still unknown, but one of government's big ambitions is to strengthen its domestic tech sector. Also, the case of the Guildford Four is considered one of the worst miscarriages of justice in British legal history; decades later, their families say the fight for accountability is still not over. And, 1 in 3 French university students skips a daily meal regularly, as they struggle with rising housing costs and inflation; now, volunteers are coming to help, with groceries and more. Plus, Cape Verde celebrates qualifying for the World Cup for the first time in history. Listen to today’s Music Heard on Air. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Colombia has recalled its ambassador to the US as tensions mount between the two countries over aid cuts and US military strikes in the Caribbean. Also, a British soldier on trial for killing two people on Bloody Sunday in Northern Ireland in 1972 has been cleared of all charges; we hear reactions from survivors of the violence that day in Belfast. And, Singapore imposes a levy on all departing flights in an effort to boost funding to develop sustainable aviation fuels. Plus, 10 million crabs travel en masse on Christmas Island as part of an annual spawning ritual. Listen to today’s Music Heard on Air. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Today, the airport in Khartoum was scheduled to reopen for the first time since the start of the country’s civil war two years ago. But a series of drone strikes near the airport put the kibosh on those plans. Also, Copenhagen's Human Library lends people who volunteer to be “open books" in one-on-one conversations with "readers." These books share a wide range of personal perspectives — from being a trans woman or military veteran to being a police officer or sex worker. And, sleeper trains are making a comeback around the world. Plus, daytime coffee raves are on trend for twenty-something-year-olds in Barcelona. Listen to today’s Music Heard on Air. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Russian forces attacked an energy facility in the Chernihiv region overnight, leaving its northern part without power and in some cases without water. Power engineers are working to repair the damage and restore electricity. Also, Emmanuel “Meme” del Real, founding member of the Mexican band Café Tacvba, which redefined Latin rock with humor and experimentation, steps into the spotlight with "La Montaña Encendida" ("The Burning Mountain") — his first solo album. And, National Book Award winner Ha Jin is set to publish a new coming-of-age novel set against the backdrop of the Tiananmen Square massacre. Plus, Italy is celebrating the 50th birthday of Pimpa, the beloved Italian children’s comic character with a penchant for adventure, this year. Listen to today’s Music Heard on Air. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Bolivians have elected a center-right candidate, Rodrigo Paz, as their new president, ending 20 years of leftist political leadership. Paz’s victory puts the 12-million-strong nation on a notably uncertain path as he attempts to implement significant changes for the first time since 2005. Also, authoritarian governments are increasingly using ‘foreign agent’ laws to intimidate and silence civil society groups and journalists. And, a new study reports that cancer rates in Lebanon are rising faster than anywhere else in the world. Plus,  Hindus worldwide are celebrating Diwali today. The festival of lights involves oil lamps, fireworks ... and a bit of friendly gambling. Listen to today’s Music Heard on Air. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is visiting the White House for his third visit since US President Donald Trump returned to office. While Zelenskyy hopes for stepped-up US support in the form of Tomahawk missiles, Trump's newly announced second summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin could complicate matters. Also, Israelis are cheering the return of 20 living hostages, and the potential remains of another 28, but the deal will not bring relief to the relatives of those whose bodies cannot be found. And, a small population of desert lions in Namibia become the only maritime lions in the world. Plus, musicians battle for glory at the legendary International Chopin Piano Competition in Poland. Listen to today’s Music Heard on Air. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

US President Donald Trump has confirmed that he authorized the CIA to conduct secret operations in Venezuela, adding that the White House is weighing the possibility of a land attack on the country. Also, staff members at a prestigious opera house in Venice, Italy, are going on strike to protest the incoming conductor, saying she lacks the experience needed for the role. And, Doctors Without Borders shutters its emergency care center in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, amid a surge in violence. Plus, 130 years later, The British Library reinstates playwright and author Oscar Wilde’s library card. Listen to today’s Music Heard on Air. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices