Episode 55

Bear Market, Legalizing Weed, Russia’s War Efforts, Biden vs. Charter Schools

Ravi, Cory, and Rikki start with America’s inflation crisis, the Fed’s efforts to combat it, and the resulting bear market. Then the hosts turn to the recent discourse around the alleged societal harms of marijuana use, the attempt on Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s life, the showdown between the Biden administration and charter schools, and the potentially shifting tide of Russia’s war in Ukraine. Finally, we wrap up with a Eurotrip edition of Ravi’s wild ideas.

SHOW NOTES

Ravi explains the economic metrics pointing down right now and argues there’s ample reason for steep declines in the stock market. Rikki notes the outsize impact on cryptocurrencies as Cory circles back to the odds of a recession in the American economy.

Cory opens the conversation on marijuana with Laura Ingraham’s much-derided argument linking weed to mass shootings. Rikki responds, as all three hosts argue there is indeed nuance to the drug’s harms and benefits, more than is often conveyed in the “legalize weed” discourse.

Rikki updates us on the attempted attack on Brett Kavanaugh, arguing it represents part of what we feared when the draft opinion to overturn Roe v. Wade was leaked last month. 

Ravi breaks down the political back-and-forth over the Biden administration’s new rules on charter school funding, arguing they’re overly stringent and selectively targeted. Cory brings in counterarguments as to why some find the new standards warranted.

Rikki brings us the latest updates from the ground in Ukraine, laying out how the war has changed since Russia’s move to refocus its efforts strictly on the Donbas in the east. Ravi and Cory discuss how the American public’s attention to the war has waned as expected despite its continuing humanitarian toll.

Finally, Ravi brings us a special Eurotrip edition of his wild ideas segment.

Bear Market [1:45]  

America’s inflation headache gets worse (The Economist, 6/13)
Fed Raises Rates by 0.75 Percentage Point, Largest Increase Since 1994 (Wall Street Journal, 6/15)
The recession will hit in the first half of 2023 and the Dow is headed lower: CNBC CFO survey (CNBC, 6/9)
Bitcoin drops as much as 17%, falling below $23,000 as $200 billion wiped off crypto market over the weekend (CNBC, 6/13)
The Bear Market Could Drive the Economy Straight Into Recession (Barron’s, 6/14)
Stopping inflation is going to hurt (Vox, 6/15)

Legalizing Marijuana [10:06]

Laura Ingraham on The Ingraham Angle (Fox News, 6/1 & 6/2)
Cannabis and the Violent Crime Surge (Wall Street Journal, 6/6/2022)
The Effect of State Marijuana Legalizations: 2021 Update (CATO Institute, 2/2/2021)
Schizophrenia linked to marijuana use disorder is on the rise, study finds (CNN, 6/26/2021)
A Tale of Two Countries: Racially Targeted Arrests in the Era of Marijuana Reform (ACLU, 2020) 

Kavanaugh Update [24:25]

Kavanaugh incident could lead to more security for judges (PBS, 6/11)
House passes bill to extend security protections to families of Supreme Court justices (CNN, 6/14)

Biden vs. Charter Schools [29:18]

Public Support Grows for Higher Teacher Pay and Expanded School Choice (Education Next, 2022)
New Democratic divide on charter schools emerges, as support plummets among white Democrats (Chalkbeat, 5/14/2019)
Why the latest fight about charter rules matters — for schools and education politics (Chalkbeat, 5/9)
Biden admin says $174 million has gone to defunct charter schools, defending new rules (Chalkbeat, 6/7)
The Rebound in Charter Support — But Also a Widening Partisan Divide (Education Next, 2022)

Ukraine Update [34:40]

Ukraine’s Zelensky says Russia will “go further” than Donbas if given the opportunity (CNN, 6/14)
Ukraine’s high casualty rate could bring war to tipping point (The Guardian, 6/10)
Russia earns $97 billion on energy exports since invasion (BBC, 6/14)

Ravi’s Radical Idea [39:05]