Shivers: Astroworld, COP26, and Inflation

First up: Nine people died in a stampede at Travis Scott’s Astroworld music festival last weekend. We called up one local reporter who was on the scene to explain what happened, whether this tragedy could have been prevented, and what it means for live music. 

Next: Congress finally passed its $1.2 billion infrastructure bill. We’ve got the details on how the money’s gonna be spent.

Then: The U.N.’s climate talks are starting to wrap up. We’ll talk to a climate reporter about what new commitments countries brought to the negotiations, as well as what they didn’t.

ICYMI: We’ve got a roundup of some of this week’s biggest stories, from Nicaragua’s elections and Belarus’ border to how a hand signal learned on TikTok saved a life.

Plus: We’ll break down this week’s top business headlines, including the U.S. welcoming back foreign visitors and why everyone from Amazon to Spectrum is begging you to work for them.

Finally: We’ve got an infrastructure bill, but we’re still waiting on its counterpart: the social spending bill that, at one point, contained paid family leave. We’ve got an update on what’s holding it up.

P.S. Here’s how to do the TikTok hand signal for distress, and here’s the research on why wish-lists for gifts are better for everyone.

On this episode, you’ll hear from: 

Joey Guerra, music critic, The Houston Chronicle

Juliet Eilperin, deputy climate editor, The Washington Post

Dr. Carolyn Rubenstein, psychologist

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Skimm'd by Alex Carr, Luke Vargas, and Ciara Long. Engineered by Andrew Callaway. TheSkimm’s head of audio is Graelyn Brashear.