Mitt Romney, Mapping the Universe, Sisters and Rebels

Partisanship Stalls Pandemic Relief (0:32) Guest: Mitt Romney, Republican US Senator from Utah Attempts to negotiate another pandemic relief package have fallen apart in Washington and states are struggling to figure out how to implement the orders President Trump issued extending unemployment insurance. Catching Wildfires Cold in Their Tracks (12:49) Guest: Chaz Nelson, Smart City Engineer, Utopia Fiber For much of the Western United States, it’s wildfire season. As wildfires get bigger and hotter, they’re harder to fight. Catching them early is key. A team of engineers at Brigham Young University has developed an early warning system to spot fire before anyone even notices the smoke. Mapping Out The Universe (20:33) Guest: Kyle Dawson, Professor of Physics and Astronomy, University of Utah A map of the universe. Captain Kirk and his Starship Enterprise surely had one. But in real-life, the map’s been a long-time coming. Scientists have just released the most complete one yet–it’s 3-D, which is cool. But let’s be clear, it’s just a tiny, tiny sliver of all the space out there. Still, this new map is an important milestone for cosmologists trying to understand the origins of the universe. CIA Turns to TV to Find New Recruits (36:09) Guest: Nicholas Dujmovic, Professor of Politics, The Catholic University of America, Former Intelligence Officer at the CIA The last thing you’d expect from a secret spy agency is an ad splashed across streaming TV sites. The CIA aired its first-ever advertisement made for television. It’s got dramatic music and cryptic comments and even a covert handoff between spies in the field. Why is the CIA recruiting on TV? What the Lumpkin Sisters Can Teach Us About America (52:54) Guest: Jacquelyn Dowd Hall, Emerita Professor of History, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Author of “Sisters and Rebels: A Struggle for the Soul of America” The current debate in America over whether it’s appropriate to fly the Confederate flag or keep a monument to Confederate soldiers on