California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law the "Fair Pay to Play Act" on Monday, a first-in-the-nation law that will make it easier for college athletes to profit from their own name, image, and likeness.  The law doesn’t go into effect until 2023, but it could be a major problem for the NCAA.  Steve Berkowitz, reporter for USA Today Sports, joins us with more.

Next, we got one step closer to our self-driving car future, but there were some hiccups.  Tesla released a new feature to some of its customers called “Smart Summon” which would enable the car to leave a parking spot and navigate around obstacles to pick up its owner. The problem is that it didn’t work out to well and led to some fender benders.  Andrew Hawkins, transportation reporter at The Verge, joins us for what went wrong.

Finally, America’s first licensed cannabis restaurant is now open to the public.  Lowell Farms: A Cannabis Café lets you eat a meal, while smoking marijuana or consuming edibles.  Budtenders will find the right pairing of weed to match your food, or you can bring your own in for a “toke-age” fee.  Jenn Harris, senior writer for the LA Times food section joins us for what to expect.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The whistleblower will testify… House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff said that he has reached an agreement with the Trump-Ukraine whistleblower to come before the committee and be grilled by lawmakers.  Ginger Gibson, political reporter for Reuters joins us to discuss the latest controversy for the president and what to expect from this story this week.

Next, having your flight delayed and canceled is a nightmare, but imagine if that nightmare happened for three days straight.  American Airlines Flight 988 from Peru to Dallas, was plagued by problems leading passengers to be stranded in Peru for days.  Scott McCartney, Middle Seat columnist for the WSJ, tells us how it happened and what you should do in similar circumstances.

Finally, a U.S. adventurer recently became the first person to reach the world’s deepest spots.  Called the Five Deeps mission, Victor Vescovo, a Texas businessman, traveled solo to the deepest points of five oceans.  The expedition discovered over 40 new species, corrected underwater maps and more.  Josh Dean, contributor to Popular Science joined Victor at one of his missions and tells us his story.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is a compilation of some of the most compelling stories of the week.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is a compilation of some of the most compelling stories of the week.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The whistleblower complaint against President Trump has been released and it is alleging that Trump is using the power of the office to solicit interference from a foreign government in the election.  Furthermore, it alleges a cover-up by the White House to “lock down” records of the call.  Brett Samuels, White House reporter at The Hill, joins us for what is in the complaint and a recap of testimony from the DNI Joseph Maguire.

Next, the upcoming movie Gemini Man pits a 49-year-old Will Smith against a 23-year-old clone of himself.  To get it all done, 500 artists at six visual effects studios were tasked with creating a completely digital version of Smith.  They are not simply de-aging him. This is a Will Smith comprised of nothing but data.  Darryn King, contributor to Wired, joins us to talk about this game-changing tech.

Finally, a quick story about how the creator of the Labradoodle says the dog breed is his life’s regret.  Wally Conron, spoke to the “Sum of All Parts” podcast and explained why he created the breed to begin with and why he is unsure if what he bred was a “designer dog, or a disaster.”  My producer Victor Wright joins us for more.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So much is happening in Washington right now and no signs of slowing down.  An impeachment inquiry has been launched by Democrats, a declassified transcript summary has been released by the White House of a phone call Trump had with the Ukrainian President, and we are waiting to learn more about the whistleblower complaint that started it all.  Morgan Chalfant, White House Reporter at The Hill, joins us for more on what was said in the phone call.

Next, you’ve heard all about the crisis at the border and influx of migrant families seeking asylum, but what happens after they are released into the US and waiting for the next step in the process?  Often times they are exhausted, sick, out of money, and it is up to the local border communities to pick up the tab for helping them out.  Alan Gomez, immigration reporter for USA Today, tells us how local governments are spending millions caring for migrants released by the Border Patrol.

Finally, earlier this summer, an asteroid narrowly missed the Earth and internal NASA emails show that scientists were completely caught off guard by its rapid approach.  This near-miss resurfaced the long running conversation of how to build a reliable way to detect potentially hazardous asteroids.  Dan Vergano, science reporter at BuzzFeed News, joins us for more on this sneaky space rock.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has ordered a formal impeachment inquiry against Donald Trump after mounting pressure from fellow Democrats.  But what prompted all of this?  A controversy about a phone call that President Trump had with the Ukrainian president about investigating Joe Biden and his son in exchange for military aid.  Ben Schreckinger, national political correspondent for Politico, joins us to discuss the latest Trump controversy that finally led to an impeachment inquiry.

Next, Carmen Blandin Tarleton is possibly facing another face transplant.  12 years after the attack that left her disfigured and 6 years after getting a face transplant, Carmen’s immune system is rejecting her face.  She is now faced with two possibilities, get another transplant, but if the tissue fails rapidly, she might have to return to the disfigurement of her original face.  Alex Horton, reporter for the Washington post, joins us for more.

Finally, there are a lot of reasons why couples combine their finances, and a lot of reasons why it can be difficult too.  Some fear a loss of control of their own money, others are nervous about how their partner manages money and different financial goals.  Cheryl Winokur Munk, contributor to the WSJ, joins us for when my money and your money becomes our money and what to do about it. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Going to see your favorite musical act is getting pricier.  Concerts are more expensive than ever, but fans keep paying up. The average price of a ticket to the 100 most popular tours in North America have quadrupled over the past two decades.  Lucas Shaw, entertainment reporter at Bloomberg News, joins us for why ticket prices keep going up.

Next, politicians have been caught swearing since the beginning of politics, but according to a new analysis the number of swear words used by lawmakers on Twitter took a noticeable jump after 2016.  Beto O’Rourke’s latest campaign T-shirt even has the F-word on it.  J. Clara Chan, media and politics reporter at The Wrap, joins us for when profanity hits the campaign trail.

Finally, the CIA has declassified dozens of files from its attempts to create secret animal spies.  By 1967 the CIA had three programs aimed at using dolphins, cats, dogs, and birds in secret spy missions.  While not the most successful programs, it is an interesting look at how animals were being trained to perform a variety of tasks to help gather intel on the enemy.  Paul Handley, national security correspondent at AFP news agency, joins us for more.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Checking in on the 2020 Democrats…Sen. Elizabeth Warren continues to surge and is getting huge crowds at many of her events.  While Joe Biden remains the frontrunner, these large crowds are a sign of growing enthusiasm.  Ginger Gibson, political reporter for Reuters, joins us for that, a new plan on background checks circulating on Capitol Hill, and how President Trump has changed the White House to fit his style.

Next, the movies made it seem so simple, get a strand of hair and you can figure out who it belongs to through DNA.  Well that is only true if the hair had a root on it, and in most cases they don’t.  That has changed now thanks to a scientist who has developed a new technique that makes is possible to recover and sequence DNA from a hair without a root.  The scientist behind the technique is now getting packages of hair from all over in hopes that he can identify serial killers and victims.  Heather Murphy, reporter for the NY Times, joins us for the latest advancement in DNA. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is a compilation of some of the most compelling stories of the week.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.