transcript

Speaker 1:
[00:00] Starting a business is one thing, but keeping it running smoothly as it grows, that's a completely different challenge, because at some point, it's not about the idea anymore. It's about execution. Order's coming in, customer's expecting updates, things needing to get out the door on time, and that's where ShipStation fits in. It's built to handle the operational side of e-commerce. You can connect it to over 200 sales channels and manage everything in one place instead of bouncing between different tools. It also looks across carriers like USPS, UPS and FedEx to find the best shipping option for each order and a lot of the process becomes automatic. Labels, tracking updates, even choosing the right carrier. It just happens in the background. So you're not stuck managing logistics all day. You're actually focused on building the business. Try ShipStation free for 60 days with full access to all features, no credit card needed. Go to shipstation.com and use code MoNews for 60 days for free. 60 days gives you plenty of time to see exactly how much time and money you're saving on every shipment. That's shipstation.com code MoNews, shipstation.com code MoNews. One thing Alex and I always notice around tax time is that it's one of the only moments we actually stop and look at our full financial picture, not just filing the return, but everything behind it. Income, savings, investments and where our money is actually going. Once you start looking at all of that in one place, you realize how helpful it is to actually have a clear system for it. That's one reason we've been using Monarch. Simplify your finances with Monarch. Monarch is the all-in-one personal finance tool designed to make your life easier. It brings your entire financial life, budgeting, accounts and investments, net worth and future planning all together in one dashboard on your phone or laptop. What I like about it is that it helps you move beyond just tracking expenses. You can actually plan ahead. You can see where your money is going, set clear goals and make adjustments as life changes. When you're juggling a lot of moving pieces financially, that kind of clarity helps a lot. Achieve your financial goals for good with Monarch, the all-in-one tool that makes money management simple. Use code mo news at monarch.com for half off your first year. That's 50% off at monarch.com, code mo news. It's a simple way to stay organized and proactive with your money. Hey everybody, it is Friday, April 24th. You're listening to the Mo News podcast. I'm Moshe Oinounou.

Speaker 2:
[02:12] And I'm Jill Wagner. This is the place where we bring you just the facts.

Speaker 1:
[02:16] And we read all the news and read between the lines so you don't have to. And like you, sometimes we have difficulty in doing crossword puzzles. We eventually solved them. But Jill, there was an unsolvable one. Unprecedented.

Speaker 2:
[02:28] Yeah, the New York Times Magazine on Sunday had a crossword error that caused the first ever unsolvable puzzle. Apparently there was a misprint. New York Times says it will not happen again. They were updating their templates. But apparently this was a Sunday ruiner for a lot of crossword enthusiasts who were like, am I losing it? Did I lose my touch?

Speaker 1:
[02:54] What is happening here?

Speaker 2:
[02:54] I don't understand.

Speaker 1:
[02:55] Seven Down was the last name of Renee Rapp, which is four letters, but only allowed for a three-letter response. What the hell is going on in the words of somebody? Shut it all down until you figure out what the hell is going on. But they say that redesign has an issue and it won't happen again. So hopefully a slightly less stressful weekend for many of you who depend on this crossword puzzle.

Speaker 2:
[03:18] Okay, let's get to the headlines. It has been about eight weeks since the war against Iran started. There is technically a ceasefire in place, but the battle over the Strait of Hormuz and the world's oil supply continues.

Speaker 1:
[03:30] Yeah, it doesn't sound like this is getting solved anytime soon.

Speaker 2:
[03:32] The Justice Department has officially reclassified medical marijuana as a lower-risk drug. What that means. And across the pond, a look at the UK's proposed lifetime smoking ban, that's cigarette smoking, as they aim to make the next generation of Brits entirely smoke-free.

Speaker 1:
[03:52] Yeah, everyone born after a certain year will never be able to buy cigarettes legally.

Speaker 2:
[03:57] Ever. Ever. Not at 18, not at 21.

Speaker 1:
[04:00] Not at 90.

Speaker 2:
[04:01] All right, to business news, the massive media merger between Warner Bros. Discovery and Paramount Skydance closer to happening and Metta trying to make its AI even more like its human workers.

Speaker 1:
[04:13] Translation, they are having workers potentially train their AI replacements. Jill, these are the types of things people are getting increasingly fearful of.

Speaker 2:
[04:23] Don't get any ideas, Mosheh.

Speaker 1:
[04:25] Jill, I'm talking to AI Jill today on the podcast.

Speaker 2:
[04:30] In other news, a historic spring drought fueling major wildfires in Georgia. Could Ghislaine Maxwell get a pardon? Apparently, the House Oversight Committee is split. In entertainment news, the latest Jeopardy! spin-off for everyone who loves sports trivia. And another robot beating a human in a sport that no one is really asking for. This time, table tennis.

Speaker 1:
[04:54] We'll get to this in the podcast, Jill, but I think we're getting to the point where there's going to be some significant pushback to some of this.

Speaker 2:
[04:59] And it is Friday. Cheers to the freaking weekend, what we are watching, reading and eating. Starting with the latest on the war in Iran, it has been about eight weeks since the war started. Remember, the president initially gave a four to six week timeline. Now, there is technically a ceasefire between the US and Iran, but that is not stopping the battle for the Strait of Hormuz, through which about 20% of the world's oil typically flows. President Trump wrote on True Social that he is ordering the US Navy to shoot and kill any Iranian boats laying mines with, quote, no hesitation. This follows reports that as recently as this week, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy laid more mines in the Strait. At the same time, the US is continuing to tighten its naval blockade on Iranian ports. CENTCOM said Thursday it has redirected 33 vessels since this blockade began, and on Thursday it announced that the US seized a sanctioned tanker carrying Iranian oil in the Indian Ocean. The goal is to weaken Iran's economy even more and force Iran to accept a peace deal. To that end, President Trump wrote on True Social that he has got all the time in the world, but Iran doesn't. He says the clock is ticking. Moshe, the clock is ticking as well for the global economy. The International Energy Agency has already called this the largest oil supply disruption in the history of the global market. New mines in the Strait would make that even worse. Iran has already mined the Strait. That happened earlier in the war and has said that it doesn't even know where all the mines are. Yesterday, we told you about the Pentagon estimate that it could take six months until after the conflict is over to get the Strait back to normal. US officials say the Navy is operating underwater drones in the Strait to help clear the mines. Bottom line, about 100 ships typically pass through this waterway every day, and that has slowed to single digits now.

Speaker 1:
[06:53] Yes, and the longer we wait here, the more significant you're going to see when it comes to shortages around the world of everything from oil to gas to fertilizer and other key elements here. We have an effective standoff here. The Iranians do not want to make concessions. They felt like there were some in the delegation that were ready to make concessions to the US on nuclear development. Others, the hardliners, were not. Trump does not want to back down here. He believes he won. There's a segment of the Iranian regime that believes the same, that they don't want to back down here. This is the situation moving forward. It's unclear what happens next here because Trump has left open the ceasefire extension. He has not put a firm date on it, at least not at this juncture. Now, one country that appears slightly less concerned than others is China, which apparently has been stocking away more oil than any other country on earth. This goes back to before the war here. The Chinese have 1.4 billion barrels of strategic crude oil reserves. That's about 80 days' worth in China. By comparison, the US has about 400 million barrels. That, based on our consumption, is about three weeks' worth. Remember that China also owns 70% of the global solar, wind, battery and electric vehicle supply chains. And so it's an okay space, at least by comparison here. But even so, given the size of their economy, they will face cutbacks as well over time and have to impose restrictions on their population, which is why someone's going to have to figure out a way to get a resolution here. The Pakistani is certainly trying, as the mediators here, not succeeding thus far. Because again, as we've been telling you on this podcast, it's very hard to come to a compromise when both sides believe they won, when neither side is willing to make real concessions here. As far as the US is concerned, they had demands before the war, they went to war. By the way, Iran estimates that nearly $300 billion in damage was done to Iran during that war. One of the things they're demanding is this new toll booth effectively they've set up in the Strait of Hormuz. They would like the money from that to go back to rebuilding their country if the US is unwilling to pay money back for the destruction, the war cause, which of course, Trump is not going to pay here. So we're in a holding pattern for now. The market's still not freaking out, Jill, which means at a gut level, they feel that a compromise will be gotten to here. But again, one of the key questions is who's negotiating on behalf of the Iranian side? That's something that Trump posted about on Thursday saying, can you guys get it together? Some of your folks want to make concessions, some of your folks think that they won and are being hardliners. And that's one of the issues we face here, is that with the assassination of dozens of Iranian leaders, you have a bunch of guys feeling each other out. Some of them can see that in some things, but not others. Some with the opposite, and there doesn't appear to be a decision maker here with the MIA Supreme Leader. So, second round of talks, being discussed, but no firm date, no firm place.

Speaker 2:
[09:45] All right, two health stories that we wanted to mention. Here in the US., the Justice Department has reclassified state-licensed medical marijuana as a less dangerous drug. The order shifts marijuana from a highly prohibited Schedule 1 drug with no accepted medical use, which is the same as heroin or ecstasy, to a less strictly regulated Schedule 3 drug with a moderate to low potential for abuse, something like ketamine or testosterone. The order does not legalize marijuana across the country, but it does let licensed marijuana companies deduct business expenses on their federal taxes, and it also makes it easier for researchers to study the effects of cannabis. The action also puts into place a more efficient system for state licensed medical marijuana companies to register with the DEA.

Speaker 1:
[10:34] This is just the latest in a long process we've seen in recent years to make cannabis more available. Right now, 40 states and DC have authorized cannabis for medical use. Half of all US states have now approved it for recreational use. When you look at the polling, the numbers are pretty overwhelming here. 88% of Americans, nearly 9 out of 10 Americans, believe that marijuana should be legal for medical or recreational use. Though about a third of Americans say that it should be legal only for medical purposes. Trump issued another executive order last year on this front, so this doesn't fully legalize it. But again, it makes it easier to be in the cannabis business, which still is challenging when it comes to banking and other matters, due to the fact that it's still illegal officially on a federal level.

Speaker 2:
[11:19] From marijuana to cigarettes heading overseas, the United Kingdom wants to have a smoke-free generation. Lawmakers move to ban the sale or supply of tobacco and vape products to anyone born in 2009 or after for the rest of their lives. This law was approved by Parliament on Tuesday. The goal would be to prevent younger generations from ever picking up the habit. And so it could eventually make smoking illegal across the country. Currently people in the UK have to be 18 to buy tobacco products or vapes. But the new law would increase that minimum age to buy the products each year. The legislation is expected to become law soon. It just needs approval from King Charles before it would take effect. He has previously said that he supports the measure. The ban is part of a series of measures aimed at tackling the health effects of smoking. That includes a ban on vaping in cars that have children. In playgrounds, outside of schools and dead hospitals.

Speaker 1:
[12:17] So this comes after New Zealand a couple of years ago passed a similar law, though it was repealed by the next government. The Maldives have also banned tobacco for anyone born in the year 2007 or later. The idea here is that this is important for both health and the economy. The government in the UK is saying that smoking costs Britain nearly $29 billion a year through lost productivity and health care costs. Now as for whether we might see this here in the US, looking at the polling, which is always an indication of where policy makers may go. Right now, the majority of Americans, 8 out of 10 Americans, say they believe cigarettes are harmful, or I should say very harmful according to polls. But only one out of five Americans, 19 percent of Americans said that smoking in the US should be made totally illegal. Now those numbers are from a Gallup poll just a couple of years ago, so it'd be interesting to see updated numbers. Nonetheless, it's always interesting to watch these trend lines because some of these things are really unpopular until they become popular. You may have seen those clips, Jill, we've reshared them on Instagram a couple of times, of people being asked about mandatory seatbelt laws in the 80s, being like, oh my God, that's outrageous.

Speaker 2:
[13:25] How dare they?

Speaker 1:
[13:25] How dare you make me wear my seatbelt? Which today, you look at that and you're like, what is wrong with you? Of course, you should be wearing a seatbelt. And I remember when Mayor Bloomberg in New York 25 years ago made the move to say, we're not going to allow smoking in bars anymore. Remember like back in the day, you'd come home from a bar smelling like an ashtray. And so you try to survive in the winter by like going to a restaurant or bar without a jacket.

Speaker 2:
[13:51] Try having long hair, Mosheh. I would take showers and just smell the smoke coming out of my hair.

Speaker 1:
[13:57] It was huge for the shampoo industry. But that's the thing, they were saying, oh my God, it's going to end bars, all bars in New York, like you won't be able to have a bar anymore. They're like, be in business. If we ban cigarette smoking, and yet, here we are. So fascinating to see how this unfolds here in the UK, and who else takes the baton on this one?

Speaker 2:
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Speaker 1:
[17:14] Right, Netflix deciding they weren't going to spend more than $80 billion on the company. They didn't want all those cable assets, which Paramount said, no, give us everything. Give us TNT, give us TBS, give us Animal Planet, Cartoon Network, CNN, we'll take it all. So this, if it finally goes through and, you know, the Ellison's have connections at the White House, certainly it appears regulatory approval will not be challenging for them. So this brings together HBO, Paramount, CBS, CNN, Showtime, Warner Bros. We're talking about the Top Gun, Harry Potter, Batman, Superman, Game of Thrones, Mission Impossible, Friends. So you're talking about one mega studio, one giant bundle. Do they keep HBO Max and Paramount separate or unify them? Right now, they're going to keep them separate. Then you have the news divisions getting together, CBS and CNN, cross-franchise potential. Does Harry Potter show up with Batman? I mean, there's a whole bunch of various ideas that they can work together now that they will have all these things under one house.

Speaker 2:
[18:16] So basically everything except Disney.

Speaker 1:
[18:20] Right. Disney is Disney, Netflix is Netflix, and then effectively this is Warner Bros. Paramount, which is the idea behind this because they want to compete. They have most of everything else. Yeah, no, there's also like NBC. NBC has its things, though it also sold off all of its cable entities except for Bravo recently. So there's a lot of changes. I mean, for those of you who are like, well, you have to do the same Google search or same AI search that we always do, which is like, I want to watch this. Where can I watch it right now? Now, one thing the Ellisons have promised, given that you have these two huge movie studios getting together, is they do promise they will put out 30 movies a year. Now, that's important because more than 4,000 actors, directors, writers, producers signed an open letter warning that the merger could further strain an industry already hit by consolidation. Because when you have fewer movie studios and they're all coming into one house, they're all producing fewer things, which is less work for all those people in Hollywood. And of course, Hollywood is also worried about the use of AI and on technology. So there are concerns here when it comes to human workers, which is a theme we'll be getting to here in our next story. So this is something we'll watch here, whether the Justice Department and whether various state entities get involved here and put additional requirements on this new entity before they officially give it a stamp of approval.

Speaker 2:
[19:41] All right, from Reuters, Meta is installing new tracking software on US-based employees' computers to capture mouse movements, clicks and keystrokes. And they're using this to train artificial intelligence models. This is part of a broad initiative to build AI agents that could perform work tasks autonomously. So Reuters is out with this report. They said they saw some internal memos. This tool is called Model Capability Initiative, or MCI. It's going to run on work-related apps and websites. And we'll also take occasional snapshots of the content on employees' screens. The memo says the purpose is to improve the company's AI models in areas where they struggle to replicate how humans interact with computers. Things like choosing from the drop-down menu or using keyboard shortcuts. So in that memo, Metta wrote, this is where all Metta employees could help our models get better, simply by doing their daily work. Mosheh, as we were talking about earlier, the question here is, is this essentially saying that Metta wants its human workers to train AI that's ultimately going to do the human workers' jobs?

Speaker 1:
[20:53] So officially Metta says no, right? And you've heard this from a lot of tech CEOs. Don't worry, we're just trying to become more efficient. Efficiency is the key word here when it comes to use of AI. But when you talk to tech leaders behind closed doors, they will admit there are scenarios that they're looking at where they're going to try to run these companies with like 25% of their current employees or 10% of their current employees. Can I run my entire company with a few hundred people and really smart AI? So that's one element here that is concerning, which is you're watching everything I do, are you effectively training my AI replacement? Number two is just sort of a privacy issue. You're looking at my screen, you're following my keystrokes, while I'm at work or working remotely, I don't want you knowing all my personal business employer. Now, of course, there are some assurances made about the tool saying they would only be able to view employees screen contents as they see them, they wouldn't be able to read files or attachments. So it's also sort of a mandate to making sure that you're working on things, you're not doing personal business, but we all do personal business at work. So this has a big brother element, this has an AI concern element here, Jill, but it comes as it is hugely competitive among these tech companies to integrate AI into their processes both internally for efficiency sake, making sure your shareholders see that you continue to bring in more revenue and you're implementing AI here and you're staying competitive with the other major companies. And then there's the consumer facing aspect of this, right? Meta has been behind in the AI race versus some of these other companies, Google, Anthropic, OpenAI, and so they need to catch up there. So there's the, how are they training and learning more about AI so they can be more competitive for the users of Instagram and Facebook and various Meta platforms beyond the internal element here.

Speaker 2:
[22:40] Yeah, this comes as Meta says it's planning to lay off 10% of its workforce around the globe. That's effective May 20th. They're also eyeing additional large cuts later this year. Amazon's cut about 30,000 corporate jobs in recent months. That's about 10% of its white collar workforce. And the FinTech Company block in February cut nearly half of its staff. So we are seeing companies with these massive layoffs. From the AP, wildfires are rapidly spreading across South Georgia, fueled by extreme drought conditions. A fire in Brantley County has burned about 5,000 acres, destroying dozens of homes and forcing mandatory evacuations. Schools as of Wednesday were still closed in that county. That fire only 15% contained. The bigger Pineland Road fire in Clinch County has grown to nearly 30,000 acres. And as of this recording, it's just about 10% contained.

Speaker 1:
[23:37] The governor of Georgia earlier this week declaring a state of emergency. More than 70% of Georgia is now under what they call extreme drought, raising concerns that conditions could worsen without significant rainfall here. Much of the state was under its first ever burn ban. Jill, we saw a very dry winter in a number of states that don't typically see very dry winters. There's a lot of concern about what it means to crops and food in the Plains states right now. And then there's Georgia, as we've been talking about, just across the border from Georgia. In Florida, there's also a significant drought. They're experiencing their worst one in a couple decades.

Speaker 2:
[24:09] Yeah, and no real rain expected in the area for at least a week. From Politico, members on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee are apparently divided over whether President Trump should pardon Jeffrey Epstein's convicted co-conspirator, Ghislaine Maxwell, in exchange for her cooperation in the panel's Epstein investigation. This is according to Congressman James Comer, who chairs the committee. Maxwell was deposed by the Oversight Committee as the sole convicted accomplice in the Epstein sex trafficking scheme. She had previously invoked her Fifth Amendment right in declining to answer the panel's questions. Well, her lawyer has said she would only speak if granted clemency, a power available solely to Trump, who has not ruled out the prospect of a pardon. When asked whether he believed it was a favorable deal to issue a pardon in return for Maxwell's testimony, Comer said, a lot of people do. He said the committee is split. He wouldn't name who on the committee supports granting a pardon. He said he doesn't speak for the committee. He said he himself was not in favor. He said he thinks it looks bad because besides for Epstein, the worst person he says in the whole investigation is Maxwell.

Speaker 1:
[25:21] A number of members of that committee on the Hill coming out in the last 24 hours to emphasize that they oppose a pardon for Maxwell. That includes Robert Garcia. He's the top Democrat on the panel. He says the Democratic side unanimously opposes a pardon here for her. He called it a huge step backwards and disrespectful for survivors, especially since she's a known abuser and a known liar. This all comes as pressure has been mounting on the Justice Department to pursue new prosecutions in the Epstein case, particularly after the UK arrested Prince Andrew, former Prince Andrew, as well as the former ambassador there for crimes. Those were all related to financial crimes there in the UK. Nonetheless, the Epstein story continues to be very big here. But one of the issues they face is Ghislaine doesn't want to talk unless she gets something beyond that interview that she did last year that put her in that minimum security prison, which, of course, the Justice Department says had nothing to do with that. So this is a story we'll continue to track.

Speaker 2:
[26:17] Mo, she was one of the people that we talked about in our predictions episode for 2026 that she could be on the pardon list. I thought no. I feel like you thought yes, maybe.

Speaker 1:
[26:27] I still think no, I still think no. There were others that I thought would be higher up. I just like at this point in the Epstein saga, I do not see President Trump wanting to, especially given the issues he has with his own base on Iran and the Epstein story already, poke the MAGA base, which is big on this issue, in the eye again. So I don't see him pardoning Ghislaine, at least not before midterms. As for his final two years, anything's possible.

Speaker 2:
[26:58] In entertainment news, a new show joining the Jeopardy universe from USA Today, a new spinoff, ESPN Jeopardy! will join its ranks, hosted by sportscaster and ESPN commentator, Joe Buck. The Jeopardy! franchise has expanded in similar ways in the past, including Celebrity Jeopardy! and Pop Culture Jeopardy! ESPN Jeopardy! is set to be the ultimate matchup between sports and the world's leading quiz show. And Mosheh, interestingly, it's not going to be civilian contestants.

Speaker 1:
[27:29] So the show will air on Disney Plus and Hulu, and they will feature some of your favorite ESPN reporters and anchors. The winner will receive a $500,000 grand prize for the charity of their choice. It looks like it's going to be airing this summer, so it's a short-term thing. Though, like anything, a lot of famous reality shows and game shows and other shows will start as short-term things. And if it gets a lot of attention and is particularly popular, maybe it continues long-term.

Speaker 2:
[27:57] This got my attention, Mosheh, because my husband, my dad, they live for sports trivia. My father-in-law, I feel like this is going to be a hit.

Speaker 1:
[28:06] So yeah, not so much regular Jeopardy!, though everyone loves regular Jeopardy!, but this will have a lot of people tuned in.

Speaker 2:
[28:12] And no notes, so you'll see which ESPN commentator really knows their stuff. Speaking of sports, kind of. Another day, another robot beating a human at something. From The Guardian, an AI-powered robot has beaten elite players at table tennis. This is considered a significant achievement for a machine based with human athletes in a real-world competitive sport. So the robot or the robotic system here is named ACE. It was developed by Sony. ACE has won three out of five matches against elite players, but it did lose the two that it played against professionals. And this is held as a milestone for robotics, which has long seen table tennis as one of the toughest tests of how far the technology has advanced because of the sport's lightning speed reactions, perception, and the skill that it demands.

Speaker 1:
[29:01] So AI researchers have been using games to help train programs in AI for a number of years now. We're talking about chess, poker, and other games. Building an intelligent robot takes the challenge to the next level by requiring the machine to enact those decisions, not just make those decisions. I guess ACE, they say, has an eight-jointed arm on a movable base in order to compete effectively here, displaying a mastery of spin, handling difficult shots, and apparently it pulled off one rapid backspin shot that a professional had thought impossible here. Now, one difficulty in playing ACE is that the robot has no eyes to look into, no body language to read, and so it doesn't succumb to any sort of pressure that we humans might react to. No staring down ACE, Jill, or flinching, or making any sort of sudden moves that you think might throw it off.

Speaker 2:
[29:53] Right. No nerves over there on ACE's side.

Speaker 1:
[29:56] No, but you know, we began the week with that robot winning the Beijing Half Marathon. We talk about, you know, training AI, giving people fears that you're going to be replaced by AI. Now we've got the robot. What are we doing? Playing with fire here, people.

Speaker 2:
[30:14] This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Finances are always a big topic in our house. With two kids, costs really add up, and you naturally have to start thinking more about the future, things like childcare, saving for college, long-term planning, and making sure you're prepared for the unexpected. And one thing that becomes clear pretty quickly is that financial stress isn't always just about the numbers. It is the pressure that can come with it. Money stress can show up in a lot of ways. It can affect your sleep, your focus, and sometimes even your relationships. And that's where therapy can really help, not because a therapist is there to give financial advice, but because they can help you work through the stress, expectations, and emotions that often come with money. BetterHelp is the world's largest online therapy platform with more than 30,000 licensed therapists. You fill out a short questionnaire, they match you with the therapist based on your needs and preferences. And if the match doesn't feel right, you can switch at any time. When life feels overwhelming, therapy can help. Sign up and get 10% off at betterhelp.com/monews. That is betterhelp.com/monews. And it is Friday, cheers to the freaking weekend. Time for what we were watching Reading and Eating. Moshe, what are you watching?

Speaker 1:
[31:33] Jill, I mentioned it. I'm down in DC, White House Correspondents' Dinner. I think we'll both be watching C-SPAN at 10 p.m. Eastern Time on Saturday night for what should be an interesting evening because Trump never attended this dinner during his first term. This is a dinner that every other president going back to like, I think Coolidge or Hoover attended. He's there in the same room with hundreds of journalists, some of whom he very much dislikes. Some of those journalists at this dinner, it's meant to raise money for journalism scholarships. They'll hand out awards. Some of the journalists who are getting awards this weekend are winning those awards for investigations of the White House. So what transpires will be very interesting. What are you watching?

Speaker 2:
[32:17] Season 2 of Running Point on Netflix. It came out Thursday. The character played by Kate Hudson takes over her family's basketball team called The Waves. It has a Ted Lasso vibe for anyone who hasn't watched. It's just easy watching. A lot of fun. Highly recommend. Mosheh, what are you reading?

Speaker 1:
[32:35] So there's a new book out called The Future is Peace. This is written by a Palestinian and an Israeli together, Aziza Boussara and Maoz Inoun. They both lost loved ones in the conflict over the years. And so this is their attempt looking at hope and understanding here. And we bring so much negative news from the Middle East. So I will read this for their perspective. What are you reading?

Speaker 2:
[32:56] Straight from the Mo News premium Slack, the reading channel. Tiffany says that she's really enjoying the book, The Last Branch Standing, a potentially surprising, occasionally witty journey into today's Supreme Court written by Sarah Iskar. She says it is nerdy yet accessible to non-lawyers and that she's learning a lot. Wanted to give that a shout out and of course, always shouting out our premium Slack channel.

Speaker 1:
[33:22] Sarah Iskar, a friend of the pod. We've had her on a couple of times. She does a very good podcast on the Supreme Court called Advisory Opinions, if you're ever looking for a deep dive into legal issues. Finally here, Jill, what are we eating this weekend? Let's start with you.

Speaker 2:
[33:35] Mosheh, I have been making one of my favorite snacks. Yes, I have it as a snack, grilled eggplants. I used to make it all the time, just a little olive oil, salt, pepper, and then some Parmesan cheese. Delicious and healthy. Highly recommend. What are you eating?

Speaker 1:
[33:51] I'm in DC, so I'm checking out some restaurants I've never been to before, including Pasqual over in Northeast. I was there last night, great Mexican place. Highly recommend. Near Capitol Hill there. I will give you my full recap of all of my DC eats when I come back.

Speaker 2:
[34:07] All right, everyone, that is a wrap on this Friday. Thank you so much for listening to the Mo News podcast. If you like what you hear, share this with your friends. It will help us grow. Please follow us, subscribe, so you do not miss an episode. Review us kindly in the App Store. The reviews really help. And if you value our news coverage, consider joining the Mo News premium community.

Speaker 1:
[34:26] Yes, once you become a premium member, you get your coverage all weekend long. You get access to our exclusive premium podcast, the Ask Mo Anything podcast that I put out every weekend, answering your questions, along with early access to interviews, exclusive episodes, the aforementioned weekend Instagram feed, the Mo News web app, workshops, a whole variety of things, plus knowing that you're supporting us in the independent media outlet. We are dependent on subscribers to keep this thing going and growing. And so check it out over at mo.news.premium with special discounts for the military community as well as teachers and students.

Speaker 2:
[35:01] All right, everyone, have a great weekend. We'll see you back here on Monday. Thanks for listening to the Mo News podcast. Have a fantastic day. I hope you enjoyed.