BYU Prof Discovers New Fossil

BYU Prof Discovers New Fossil

Top of Mind with Julie Rose

Who are the Kochs and Does Their Tiff With Trump Matter?, Saving Zion for the Future, Reviving Infants' Dying Hearts

Episode: Who are the Kochs and Does Their Tiff With Trump Matter?, Saving Zion for the Future, Reviving Infants' Dying Hearts

  • Aug 14, 2018 9:00 pm
  • 12:35 mins

The oldest flying vertebrates we know of are creatures called pterosaurs. They lived during the age of dinosaurs. But they’re not dinosaurs. They’re not birds either. In fact, we don’t actually know much about them because pterosaur fossils are really rare. And yet, BYU paleontologists have just found one in the most unlikely place.

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Who are the Kochs and Does Their Tiff With Trump Matter?

18m

Guest: Kenneth Vogel, Reporter, The New York Times, Author of “Big Money” You’ve likely heard of the “Koch network,” established by a wealthy trio of brothers – last name Koch – who run a chemical and manufacturing empire. The Kochs have built a libertarian political operation over the years that some investigative reporters say rivals the Republican Party itself in size and influence. Which is why a recent dispute between Charles Koch and President Trump got a lot of attention: Koch levied some harsh criticism toward Trump’s trade policies at a meeting with major donors. Trump responded by calling the Koch brothers “a total joke” on Twitter, adding, “I don’t need their money or bad ideas.” Maybe this is just another one of Trump’s Twitter tiffs. But just what is the power the Koch network holds and does its influence have any bearing on life outside Washington?

Guest: Kenneth Vogel, Reporter, The New York Times, Author of “Big Money” You’ve likely heard of the “Koch network,” established by a wealthy trio of brothers – last name Koch – who run a chemical and manufacturing empire. The Kochs have built a libertarian political operation over the years that some investigative reporters say rivals the Republican Party itself in size and influence. Which is why a recent dispute between Charles Koch and President Trump got a lot of attention: Koch levied some harsh criticism toward Trump’s trade policies at a meeting with major donors. Trump responded by calling the Koch brothers “a total joke” on Twitter, adding, “I don’t need their money or bad ideas.” Maybe this is just another one of Trump’s Twitter tiffs. But just what is the power the Koch network holds and does its influence have any bearing on life outside Washington?

Ghost Peppers Saving the Grasslands

20m

Guest: Dean Pearson, PhD, Research Ecologist, US Forest Service Once firefighters have put out the devastating wildfires burning across the West, the race will be on to get those burned areas to start growing shrubs and grasses that are native to the region. The trouble is that a lot of these areas are already infected by invasive plants – like cheatgrass – that grow aggressively, squeeze out native plants and only make future fires more likely because cheatgrass is an annual plant that becomes a field of dry tinder just itching to go up in flames during the next fire season. So, getting native, fire-resistant plants to take root in grasslands is a major priority. But field mice also happen to find the seeds of native plants really tasty – unless they're coated in chili powder, that is.

Guest: Dean Pearson, PhD, Research Ecologist, US Forest Service Once firefighters have put out the devastating wildfires burning across the West, the race will be on to get those burned areas to start growing shrubs and grasses that are native to the region. The trouble is that a lot of these areas are already infected by invasive plants – like cheatgrass – that grow aggressively, squeeze out native plants and only make future fires more likely because cheatgrass is an annual plant that becomes a field of dry tinder just itching to go up in flames during the next fire season. So, getting native, fire-resistant plants to take root in grasslands is a major priority. But field mice also happen to find the seeds of native plants really tasty – unless they're coated in chili powder, that is.