In the high-stakes competition to dominate the business of clean energy, the Democratic Republic of Congo is a major arena: The country is the source of more than two-thirds of the world’s cobalt, a key component of electric-car batteries.
In recent years, China has established a strong presence in Congo, while the United States has lost ground. We went to ... Show More
Today
The Bond Market Is Flipping Out. Here’s Why You Should Care.
For the past few months, you’ve probably been hearing about the turbulence in the bond market.Today, Ben Casselman, the chief economics correspondent for The New York Times, explains what has been happening, and why it matters.Guest: Ben Casselman, the chief economics corresponde ... Show More
28m 28s
Yesterday
The A.I. Researcher Whose Rebellion Is Changing Everything
In recent days, Jacob Coxon, a researcher at the artificial intelligence company Anthropic, quit his job and posted warnings about the risks of the technology. That kicked off a crisis that culminated in a call by prominent leaders of the industry to slow down A.I. development.He ... Show More
34m 13s
Sep 13
The Good, the Bad and the Good-Bad (Movie)
When it comes to movies we love, there are the artistic masterpieces and there are the foot-stomping crowd pleasers. But there’s another particular kind of beloved movie, the one that makes our friends groan, but that we rewatch incessantly; the one that we can quote line for lin ... Show More
37m 36s
Dec 2021
The blood diamond of batteries
Cobalt is powering the electric vehicle revolution, but much of the world’s supply is mined under deadly conditions in Congo. Journalist Nicolas Niarchos explains Congo's resource curse.
Today’s show was produced by Will Reid, edited by Matt Collette, engineered by Efim Shapiro, ... Show More
30m 5s
May 2025
131 - Who Controls Eastern Congo?
The last few years have seen a dramatic shift in the balance of power in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), with Rwandan-backed militias advancing in North Kivu, Ugandan forces launching cross-border operations, and Western powers quietly increasing their presenc ... Show More
1h 42m