Newton, Newsom, and more news: 6 podcasts on this week’s top stories

Welcome back to Podsauce’s weekly news roundup. It’s been another doozy, with Hurricane Ida making landfall on Sunday and devastating the still-recovering city of New Orleans. While the war is over, the talk about Afghanistan is not, as we watch the Taliban swiftly make changes to the country. Also, the Supreme Court let the country’s strictest abortion regulations pass silently in the night, as Texas puts bounties on the heads of women seeking the medical procedure.

There’s big sports news from New England and an upcoming recall election in California. Coast to coast, here are the top news stories of the week.

Recode Daily

Sunday, August 29th, Hurricane Ida made landfall in New Orleans, Louisiana, 16 years to the day after Hurricane Katrina. While power went out across the entire city, the main question on everyone’s mind was “will the levees hold?” And indeed they did, but Ida didn’t go quietly. “Recode Daily” looks at the history of the levees in New Orleans, why they didn’t work 16 years ago, and why they did this time.

TIME’s The Brief

September 1st’s episode from “TIME’s The Brief” reads five news stories marking the start of the month. The episode “After a Rushed Exit, the U.S. Vows to Fight Terrorist Threats in Afghanistan from Afar… and More Stories” covers what the U.S. will do now after a failed 20-year war, the Texas abortion ban that passed through the Supreme Court, and how to help people impacted by Hurricane Ida. They also share a review of Steve Martin’s newest show Only Murders in the Building.

The Rachel Maddow Show

MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow is talking about the Supreme Court allowing Texas’ strict abortion regulations, effectively an abortion ban, to pass silently in the night. She points out how Texas got to this point, which starts long before 2021. Maddow can articulate these Draconian regulations much better than us on “The Rachel Maddow Show.” And we highly suggest you take a listen to how catastrophic this ban will be for women in Texas, and what it means for the future of Roe v Wade.

The Lead

You never want to be the guy that replaces the guy, you want to be the guy that replaces the guy that replaced the guy. You get it, we knew you would. Well, anyway, that’s what happened this week in New England. Cam Newton, NFL MVP, three time Pro Bowler and Tom Brady’s replacement, has officially been released from the New England Patriots. In his spot will be first round draft pick and rookie from Alabama, Mac Jones. It was an exciting competition for QB1 in the preseason, and Newton’s release comes just a few weeks after having to miss practices due to “misunderstanding” COVID-19 protocols for unvaccinated players.

Total Recall: California’s Political Circus

The California Recall Election is set for Tuesday, September 14th, where Governor Gavin Newsom is taking on a plethora of Republicans, independents, and a smattering of Democrats. But CNN’s Chief Political Correspondent Dana Bash is being reminded of a different time, just 18 years ago. It’s 2003, and hundreds of challengers are looking to save the withering state of California and become its leader. The election for governor featured adult film stars, sumo wrestlers, comedians, and ended with the election of action star Arnold Schwarzenegger. “Total Recall: California’s Political Circus” unpacks the scandal, partisanship, and celebrity of California’s 2003 recall election – and what it set up for the election today.

Hack

“Hack” is an Australian news podcast targeted for younger audiences. Their episode from today is looking at China’s new regulations on screen time. Specifically for video games. “Hack” speaks with the world’s most prominent expert on dopamine and how becoming addicted to it can affect your brain. Also, they touch on the Olivia Rodrigo criticism that’s been happening this week. But, as Elvis Costello says, “It’s how rock and roll works. You take the broken pieces of another thrill and make a brand new toy. That’s what I did.” Thank you, Elvis.