The Decibel

The fraud trial of Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes has started in California. Holmes has been accused of defrauding investors and patients by lying about a groundbreaking technology that could test for a range of diseases from a single drop of blood.Jason Kirby, a reporter with The Globe’s Report on Business section, has been following the case and tells us Silicon Valley entrepreneurs will no doubt be closely watching to see how the court – and media – regard one of their now-fallen stars, the youngest ever self-made female billionaire. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On Monday it was announced that the last American troops had left Kabul’s airport, ending 20 years of Western military presence in Afghanistan. Canada’s last flight evacuating Canadians and Afghans who had worked with Canada departed last week. But individuals and groups, including The Globe and Mail, continued to try to arrange ways out of the country for those threatened by the Taliban.Adrian Lee is an editor for Globe Opinion, and our guest host. He first introduces us to two Afghan men who have successfully fled to Ukraine with the help of The Globe. Then, Adrian speaks with Ottawa Bureau Chief Robert Fife about what the government has done — and hasn’t done — to help Afghans trying to flee the Taliban in these final days. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In his new memoir, environmentalist Clayton Thomas-Müller recounts growing up surrounded by love and strength – but also family violence, relentless racism, and poverty. From selling drugs in a gang to organizing environmental campaigns against oil and gas extraction, the stories of Thomas-Müller’s life defy any one category to paint a complex picture of what it is to be a Cree man in Canada.Guest host and Globe national reporter Willow Fiddler speaks with Thomas-Müller about the connection between fighting climate change and healing in Indigenous communities, and how his book Life in the City of Dirty Water is part of his own path to healing. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

As a bonus, we're bringing you an episode of Stress Test, a podcast about personal finance from The Globe and Mail, hosted by Rob Carrick and Roma Luciw.A lot of people feel uncomfortable negotiating with their boss for a raise and other perks. But if you don’t ask, you won’t get. And it’s definitely a lot easier to save money if you’re making more of it. We hear from a group of friends (who tell each other everything) as they discuss their recent experiences asking for a raise. Plus, Roma talks to Hadiya Roderique, who taught negotiation at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management and also was a lawyer. She shares her tips on how to make your case like an expert. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Despite the pandemic, Canada’s federal election campaign has felt somewhat normal. There have been socially-distant campaign events and speeches full of policy promises. The NDP and Conservatives have released their platforms and while the Liberals haven’t released theirs, they are still making new announcements. But has one of these issues come to define the campaign so far?Marieke Walsh, a political reporter at The Globe and Mail, joins guest host Laura Stone from the campaign trail to break down what’s been going on so far and explore the big question … what is this federal election actually about? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Should judges take race into account when deciding on punishments for crimes? The Nova Scotia Court of Appeal ruled last week that it should. Judges in that province must now take the effects of marginalization and racism into account when sentencing Black offenders by considering ensuring reports called Impact of Race and Culture Assessments – or it could be grounds for an appeal. Justice Anne Derrick wrote in the ruling that Black and other racialized people are overrepresented in federal prisons. Nearly 10 per cent of Canadian federal prisoners are Black, while Black people make up only 3.5 per cent of the country’s population.Tanya Walker, a lawyer from Toronto, is on the show to tell us how systemic racism shapes legal outcomes, the importance of rehabilitation, and what this ruling could mean for the future of Canadian law. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Shein may be one of the most successful clothing brands that you’ve never heard of. The fast-fashion giant is where Gen Z shoppers go to find cheap, trendy clothing. Over the course of the pandemic, the brand managed to bring in nearly $10 billion (USD) in sales. But what are the environmental and ethical costs of this quickly produced yet easily disposed form of fashion?Terry Ngyuen, a reporter for The Goods at Vox, recently wrote a piece called, Shein is the future of fast fashion...is that a good thing?, and is on the show to tell us how Shein got so popular, where it stands alongside competitors and what questions still remain about how it has managed to become so big so quickly. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Canada has an opportunity when it comes to electricity. We’re ahead of the game in some ways. A sizable part of the electrical grid is already decarbonized. And, about 80 per cent of our electricity comes from clean sources like hydroelectricity. But with demand expected to double as we electrify everything in our lives – from electric vehicles to heating homes – Canada’s grid faces some major challenges if we are going to keep up and meet our net-zero climate goals.The federal election provides us with a moment to have a national conversation about an infrastructure issue that could be as consequential as building the railway was in the 19th century. Columnist Adam Radwanski discusses the hurdles for modernizing and unifying the grid and why all Canadians should care about an admittedly wonky policy topic. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The last time the Taliban ruled Afghanistan, they imposed an extremist interpretation of Shariah law on its people, harboured Osama bin Laden as he planned 9/11, and were ultimately routed from power by the U.S.-led invasion of the country in 2001. Now, they’re back, and giving interviews promising a kinder regime, with amnesty for all Afghans who worked for the government. Meanwhile on Wednesday, civilians were killed when Taliban militants violently dispersed a protest.Sher Jan Ahmadzai worked in the government of former Afghan president Hamid Karzai, and is now the director of the Center for Afghanistan Studies at the University of Nebraska Omaha.Today, Professor Ahmadzai tells us who this new Taliban is, how they swept back into power, and why he fears for a “bleak” future for the people of Afghanistan. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

After 17 months of lockdowns, masking, social distancing and vaccinations, it looked like we might finally be cresting the worst of the pandemic. But the official word has come from Canada’s top public health officer, Theresa Tam: we’re now in a fourth wave.Cynthia Carr, an epidemiologist based in Winnipeg, talks about how the combination of the Delta variant, vaccine hesitancy, and schools reopening means this wave will be different.Read more about the complications the Delta variant will create as kids return to school. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.