Things That Go Boom

<p>Germany's internal border checks were supposed to be temporary.</p><p>Introduced in 2015 as an emergency response, they've now become a familiar part of daily life across much of Europe.</p><p>Reporter Sam Baker travels to Germany's borders with France and the Netherlands, where commuters sit in traffic, businesses absorb mounting costs, and local leaders question whether the checkpoints make anyone safer. Along the way, she meets journalist Sandra Alloush, whose experience at one of these bo

<p>Ah Long spent years building a life in Shanghai. Then the pandemic arrived.</p><p>China's Zero-COVID policy cost him his job, his relationship, and eventually his faith that he could build a future there. So he did something almost unimaginable: he set out alone for the United States, crossing the Darién Gap, surviving robberies, and surrendering at the US-Mexico border to seek asylum.</p><p>But by the time he arrived, America had changed, too.</p><p>In this episode, reporter Aria Young follo

<p>A few hours outside Bogotá, a giant yellow circus tent rises above the countryside. Inside, families laugh at clowns, gasp at acrobats, and cheer for trapeze artists soaring overhead.</p><p>The performers are all members of the Colombian military.</p><p>For more than three decades, Circo Colombia has sent active-duty soldiers across the country to perform for communities, many of them in regions shaped by decades of armed conflict. Military officials say the circus builds trust, provides ente

<p>After a Norfolk Southern train carrying toxic chemicals derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, residents were told the air was safe and the situation was under control. But for many people living there, the emergency never really ended.</p><p>In this episode, East Palestine resident and Rail Watch founder Jess Conard takes us inside the chaos and confusion of the derailment’s aftermath: shifting evacuation zones, lingering chemical smells, chronic health problems, and the exhausting burden of tryi

<p>Wars. Raids. Climate disasters. Political violence. Economic shocks. Surveillance. States of emergency that never seem to end. We live through them all while still trying to get dinner on the table, make rent, raise kids, and imagine a future.</p><p>This season, Living in the Emergency follows people navigating a world shaped by permanent urgency — and examines who benefits when fear, instability, and crisis become the organizing logic of everyday life.</p><p>From emergency spending… to milit

<p><strong><em>A quick note:</em></strong><em> Independent journalism like Things That Go Boom only exists because of listener support. And right now, Newsmatch is doubling all donations — making it a powerful moment to give. If you love our show (and we hope you do!) consider making a tax-deductible contribution today.</em></p><p><em>👉 </em><a href="https://inkstickmedia.com/donate/"><strong><em>https://inkstickmedia.com/donate/</em></strong></a></p><p><em>Enjoy the show!</em></p><p>For decade

<p>As violence continues in Gaza, a new strategy inside the Palestine solidarity movement is taking shape — one aimed not at city streets or college campuses, but at the arteries of the global economy.</p><p>Around the world, dockworkers have refused to unload ships tied to Israel’s military supply chain. In Italy, Morocco, India, and Sweden, those refusals have sparked national strikes and port shutdowns. But in the United States — where 70% of Israel’s weapons originate — things look very diff

<p>For a century, the weapons industry has helped shape St. Louis — from the McDonnell Douglas fighters that once symbolized American air power to Boeing’s sprawling factories today. But when thousands of machinists walked off the job this year, something cracked in “Fighterland, USA.”</p><p>In this episode, we head to the picket line to hear from the workers who build America’s bombs and jets — those struggling to afford rent, groceries, and daycare while assembling weapons worth more than thei