The Land Down-Under in Flames (00:02)

Guest: Manu Saunders, Post-Doctoral Research Fellow in Ecology, University of New England, Australia

The wildfires in Australia are on a scale that’s hard to comprehend. The land that’s burned is many times larger than the worst wildfire seasons in North America. At least 28 people have been killed, including four firefighters. Thousands of homes have burned. But the ecological impact is even more extreme – an estimated one billion animals have died in the fires. 

The London Mansion Where British Spies Eavesdropped on Nazi German Generals (15:28)

Guest: Jerome M. O’Connor, Historian, Journalist, Author of “The Hidden Places of World War II”

During WWII, a luxurious three-story mansion on the outskirts of London was used to house dozens of high-ranking German generals captured in combat. Why should they be given such luxurious accommodations given the way they were treating Allied prisoners of war – not to mention the atrocities of the death camps? 

Well it wasn’t about pampering the generals. It was about spying on them. Everything in the mansion was wired to listen in on the generals. 

Lots of Generic of Drugs are Made Overseas– But Foreign Manufacturers Aren’t Regulated the Same as Those in the U.S. (27:48)

Guest: C. Michael White, PharmD, Professor and Head of the Department of Pharmacy Practice, University of Connecticut

The vast majority of medicines prescribed by doctors in the US are generic drugs. I know I’m always glad when there’s a generic option, because it’s so much cheaper. But generic drugs – or their components - are also very likely to have been made in overseas factories not held to the same standards as US manufacturers.

Impeachment is a “Hard Reset” Button in Other Countries, but not the USA (50:37)

Guest: Tom Ginsburg, Professor of International Law, University of Chicago

After a month’s delay, the public gears of impeachment are turning again Washington. The US House will vote Wednesday to send its arguments in favor of impeaching President Trump over to the Senate for trial. The Republican-controlled Senate is unlikely to remove President Trump from office. 

America is not the only country that allows for impeachment of a President, but the way it works here is fairly unusual – and maybe not ideal.

Freshwater Mussels Are Dying Off and Scientists Aren’t Sure Why (1:09:07)

Guest: Emilie Blevins, Senior Conservation Biologist, Xerces Society

If you’re a shellfish fan, you’ve probably ordered mussels. The ones people eat from the ocean. But there are freshwater mussels, too. They thrive in North America’s rivers – or at least they have. Now they’re dying off in huge numbers. Researchers will show up to monitor their health at places along the Clinch River in Virginia only to find the riverbed carpeted with rotting mussel carcasses. Rivers in Wisconsin, Michigan and the Pacific Northwest have seen similar die-offs. 

Link Between Access to Books and Literary Achievement (1:29:48)

Guest: Rachel Wadham, Host, Worlds Awaiting, BYUradio