The Sunday Read: ‘A Republican Election Clerk vs. Trump Die-Hards in a World of Lies’
14 July 2024 - 29 minsCindy Elgan glanced into the lobby of her office and saw a sheriff’s deputy waiting at the front counter. “Let’s start a video recording, just in case this goes sideways,” Elgan, 65, told one of her employees in the Esmeralda County clerk’s office. She had come to expect skepticism, conspiracy theories and even threats related to her job as an election administrator. She grabbed her annotated booklet of Nevada state laws, said a prayer for patience and walked into the lobby to confront the latest challenge to America’s electoral process.
The deputy was standing alongside a woman that Elgan recognized as Mary Jane Zakas, 77, a longtime elementary schoolteacher and a leader in the local Repub...
Series Episodes
Natalie Harp’s Devotion to Trump
One of the president’s closest aides seems to have limitless access to him and the information he receives.
22 mins
24 August Finished
Think Baseball Is Boring? The Savannah Bananas Are Here to Fix That.
Jesse and Emily Cole created theSavannah Bananaswith a simple mission in mind: to make baseball as entertaining as possible. They introduced some innovations to America’s pastime, including twerking umpires, stilt-walking pitchers and TikTok-ready choreographed dance numbers. They tinkered with the rules of baseball, making a game that was shorter and faster, with plenty of opportunities for fan engagement. The result? A sports sensation. In the 10 years since its founding, the team has become one of the most popular sports organizations in the world, reaching tens of millions of fans online, with a waiting list of millions of others hoping to see a game in person. For many, the Bananas are the ultimate sports success story, one that shows a path forward for teams and leagues concerned about fan retention in an era of shortened attention spans and endless entertainment options. But others take a less rosy view of the Bananas and their hyper-energetic brand of baseball, seeing them as an existential threat to a game that fans have loved for more than a hundred years. On today’s show, host Natalie Kitroeff talks with Jonathan Abrams, a Times reporter who covers culture news, about the Bananas phenomenon, and then heads to a Banana Ball game to see things for herself.
36 mins
23 August Finished
An Expert on Conflict Says Your Relationships Are Doomed Without It
The author Priya Parker says the key to human connection is to lean into the fight.
42 mins
22 August Finished
When Private Equity Comes for Your Favorite Team
The Los Angeles Lakers have been sold for a record $12.5 billion, the latest sign that huge pools of institutional money are flooding into professional sports.
34 mins
21 August Finished
Who Moves Up, and Who's Pushed Out, in Pete Hegseth's Military
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has been replacing top-ranking U.S. military officers with those who, many argue, show more loyalty to Hegseth and his ideas than to the military itself.
30 mins
20 August Finished
El Niño Is Back. And Worse Than Ever.
The recurring climate phenomenon is poised this year to enter a new phase known as a super El Niño, exacerbating the effects of climate change.
23 mins
19 August Finished
