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On today’s show: more scams! Rachelle is joined by Daily Beast entertainment editor and former Slatester Allegra Frank; the two discuss the launch and social media rollout of the new multi-level marketing company Elomir. Later in the episode they examine how, despite the abundance of information on MLMs predatory nature, they still manage to pull people in.

This podcast is produced by Daniel Schroeder, Rachelle Hampton, Daisy Rosario and Kevin Bendis.

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What do we lose if we lose the mall? 70 years into their existence, these hulking temples to commerce are surprisingly resilient and filled with contradictions. In this episode, Alexandra Lange, the author of the new book Meet Me at the Fountain: an Inside History of the Mall walks us through the atriums, escalators, and food courts of this singular suburban space. We also hear from mall-goers whose personal experiences help us make sense of this disdained yet beloved, disappearing yet surviving place.

This episode of Decoder Ring was written by Willa Paskin and produced by Willa Paskin and Katie Shepherd. Derek John is Sr. Supervising Producer of Narrative Podcasts. Merritt Jacob is our Technical Director.

If you have any cultural mysteries you want us to decode, email us at [email protected]

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Toronto’s Quayside project is a telling example of how smart cities have failed. Could it also show how to make them better?

Guest: Ben Green, Jennifer Keesmaat

Host: Lizzie O'Leary

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This week, Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers discuss Amazon’s acquisition of One Medical, the complications of start-ups offering loans to employees against their stock options, and Evan Osnos’ New Yorker article on the rise of the superyacht.

In the Plus segment: Why are Facebook and Instagram so bad now?

Podcast production by Jessamine Molli.

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The continent's deadly heat wave is only the tip of the melting iceberg.

Guest: Henry Grabar

Host: Lizzie O'Leary

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Thenmozhi Soundararajan was scheduled to give a talk at Google for Dalit History Month. It led to vicious attacks against her from some of its employees.

Guest: Thenmozhi Soundararajan

Host: Lizzie O'Leary

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This week, Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers discuss Elon Musk vs Twitter, the big banks getting big texting fines, and the ethically questionable academic study funded by Uber.

In the Plus segment: The Gates Foundation

Podcast production by Jessamine Molli.

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Dysfunction is nothing new to Twitter. But Elon Musk pulling his offer to buy the company adds a new layer of chaos.

Guest: Alex Kantrowitz

Host: Lizzie O'Leary

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There's still a lot unknown about COVID's new wonder drug.

Guest: Rachel Gutman-Wei

Host: Lizzie O'Leary

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This week, Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers discuss this week’s good jobs report versus the bad economic vibes, Boris Johnson’s ousting as Prime Minister, and the stark decline in the quality of air travel.

In the Plus segment: What are the odds that two former FBI directors would be audited?

Podcast production by Jessamine Molli.

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