Episode 97

SBF, China Protests, Inequity in Special Ed

Ravi and Rikki start with the latest fallout from the spectacular downfall of FTX and Sam Bankman-Fried. The hosts then turn to the historic anti-lockdown protests in China with Pulitzer-winning journalist Ian Johnson and some startling inequities in New York City’s special education system.

SHOW NOTES

Ravi and Rikki go through Sam Bankman-Fried’s possibly inadvisable interview with Andrew Ross Sorkin, shedding yet more light on all the absurdity in the collapse of crypto giant FTX.

Michael joins the show to talk through a staggering show of public unrest in China, including an interview with the Council on Foreign Relation’s Ian Johnson.

Ravi and Rikki unravel some revelatory reporting from ProPublica and THE CITY, detailing the multimillion-dollar inequities plaguing New York City’s special education system.

Finally, Ravi answers a listener who called in to ask whether Ravi’s actually a Democrat.

SBF & FTX [3:37]

‘Look, I Screwed Up’: Sam Bankman-Fried Is Challenged on the Collapse of FTX (NYT Dealbook, 11/30)
Bankman-Fried’s FTX, senior staff, parents bought Bahamas property worth $300 mln (Reuters, 11/22)
​​FTX lawyer says ‘substantial amount’ of assets are either stolen or missing (CNN Business, 11/22)
Sam Bankman-Fried tries to explain himself (Vox, 11/16)

China Protests [15:08]

China Protests Break Out as Covid Cases Surge and Lockdowns Persist (New York Times, 11/28)
Family members say China’s Covid measures to blame for fatal fire incident (CNNi, 11/29)
Xi’s Obsession With Control Produced China’s Protests (Foreign Policy, 11/28)
Will China’s Protests Survive? (Foreign Policy, 11/28)
China’s faltering “zero COVID” policy: Politics in command, economy in reverse (Atlantic Council, 5/11)

Inequity in Special Ed [36:36]

Public Schools Are NYC’s Main Youth Mental Health System. Where Kids Land Often Depends on What Their Parents Can Pay. (ProPublica, 11/17/22)
Banks wants to cut private school payments for NYC students with disabilities (Chalkbeat, 11/16/22)
Two boys with the same disability tried to get help. The rich student got it quickly. The poor student did not. (USA Today, 2/9/2020)
“Carter Case” Spending for Students with Disabilities Continues to Climb (Independent Budget Office, 2022)

Voicemail [49:43]