Laicie Heeley
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laicie.bsky.social
Laicie Heeley
@laicie.bsky.social
Founder & CEO @inkstickmedia.com. Host of Things That Go Boom from PRX & Inkstick. Former wonk.
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Hey there look who’s new & noteworthy. Thanks, Apple Podcasts! @inkstickmedia.com @prx.org
We’re over the moon — Things That Go Boom just picked up 8 Signal Awards! 🥇🥈🥉

Including Gold for Public Service and Conversation Starter — plus Writing and Best Host!

Huge thanks to everyone who voted and supported our work. 💛
signalaward.com/winners

#SignalAwards #PodcastAwards
Winners - Signal Awards
The Signal Awards seeks to honor and celebrate the people and content that raise the bar for podcasting.Luminaries and leaders within the industry will judge Shows, Limited Series & Specials, Individu...
signalaward.com
October 16, 2025 at 4:02 PM
OMGGGGGG you guys, we won EIGHT @signalawards.bsky.social!!!
October 15, 2025 at 2:26 PM
Reposted by Laicie Heeley
A new report takes a hard look at the at least $21.7 billion in American military aid to Israel during its war on Gaza.

inkstickmedia.com/deep-dive-th...
Deep Dive: The US Aid Fueling Israel's Two-Year Gaza War
A new report takes a hard look at the at least $21.7 billion in American military aid to Israel during its war on Gaza.
inkstickmedia.com
October 10, 2025 at 11:40 AM
Reposted by Laicie Heeley
@laicie.bsky.social @joecirin.bsky.social: This new reality requires new thinking: old theories don't really fit what we're in right now. We're in a new nuclear arms race, the first since the 1980s... our goal has to be to minimize those losses and prevent the worst from happening.
October 7, 2025 at 9:57 PM
Reposted by Laicie Heeley
My panel (with @jonatomic.bsky.social, Mallory Stewart & @laicie.bsky.social) starts at 5:30pm ET. I am going to try out my new analysis of how the most dangerous feature of our current nuclear age is that authoritarian regimes now control almost of the world's nuclear weapons. Love to get feedback.
Here is the line up for the arms control conference starting at 4:30. Hit the link below to sign up for FREE and participate on line: secure.everyaction.com/rhSOFnj8ekO4...
October 7, 2025 at 9:08 PM
Reposted by Laicie Heeley
Trump said he and Hegseth talked about using U.S. cities as “training grounds.” Unfortunately, this @inkstickmedia.com story feels even timelier now.
‘Let’s Go Bash Some Skulls’: Inside the Militarization of Trump’s America
As the Trump administration expands its push to militarize US cities, critics rail against the heavy-handed impact on marginalized groups.
inkstickmedia.com
September 30, 2025 at 7:44 PM
A brand new season of #ThingsThatGoBoom from @inkstickmedia.com and @prx.org is coming soon! (And we're talking about the military-industrial complex.) inkstickmedia.com/coming-soon-...
Coming Soon: MIC Drop
We’re watching — in DC, LA, Chicago — what happens when the military comes to town. But what about the military that’s been there all along?
inkstickmedia.com
September 16, 2025 at 7:14 PM
Reposted by Laicie Heeley
You have two weeks to submit your story to the Bulletin's first-ever writing contest, judged by acclaimed sci-fi author Kim Stanley Robinson.

No fee to enter. Winners will be published in our January magazine. The first place winner will receive $3,000, with $500 each going to four runners-up.
Write Before Midnight
Announcing the Bulletin's new short fiction contest! You have until September 30 to send in your stories. At what time you ask? It couldn't be midnight, could it?
thebulletin.org
September 16, 2025 at 6:03 PM
Yeah that’s it, no more work today, Taylor Swift is getting married.
August 26, 2025 at 5:11 PM
Reposted by Laicie Heeley
this is why everyone I know isn’t having kids btw
The median cost of putting one child through daycare for 5 years in the U.S. is $43,000. That masks much higher costs in many large cities. It’s nearly $150,000 (almost $30,000 for one year) in Arlington, VA. This is for one kid www.wsj.com/personal-fin...
From $24,000 to $147,000: How Much Daycare Costs Across America
For working parents, the first five years of a child’s life are often the most financially draining. Explore this interactive map to see how costs vary across the U.S.
www.wsj.com
August 21, 2025 at 2:34 PM
This is absolutely heartbreaking. As a colleague said, the appropriate title is "For Sale: VOA." rasmus.com/auctions/fUN...
Broadcasting Studio Equipment Washington DC
An international broadcast company has ceased operations in the United States and will make a complete liquidation of their late model digital radio, video and podcast technology assets, studio equipm...
rasmus.com
August 20, 2025 at 5:39 PM
Hi who else is listening to their kids’ favorite show on repeat?
August 12, 2025 at 10:20 PM
Reposted by Laicie Heeley
I had to read this twice to believe it...Meloni, who ran for office on an anti-immigration platform, has now announced plans to let in hundreds of thousands of immigrants, in order to deal with the Italian labor shortage
www.reuters.com/world/italy-...
Italy to issue half million non-EU work visas over next three years
The move is part of a strategy to expand legal immigration channels in response to labor shortages.
www.reuters.com
July 3, 2025 at 1:12 PM
Reposted by Laicie Heeley
As the Trump administration slashes counterextremism programs, veterans worry about the risks.

By: @tylerfromtexas.bsky.social

inkstickmedia.com/inside-the-u...
Inside the US Military’s 'Dehumanization' Crisis Under Trump
As the Trump administration slashes counterextremism programs, veterans worry about the risks that could follow.
inkstickmedia.com
June 30, 2025 at 1:33 PM
So very many men.
June 25, 2025 at 4:04 PM
You guys, I got a little distracted (I can't imagine why) and forgot to tell you: We won an IWPA!!
Inkstick is thrilled to announce that the Things That Go Boom podcast is one of the winners of the 2025 International Women's Podcast Award!

See all of the winners and runner-ups here:

everybody-media.com/awards
June 25, 2025 at 3:57 PM
Watching the NATO press conference: We should really stop asking regular people why they can't keep facts straight. This isn't about media literacy; they're stuck in the middle of an information war.
June 25, 2025 at 2:48 PM
“Well Mr. President at least we don’t have to worry about Iran for another few…” *checks notes* “months. Another few months.”
June 25, 2025 at 1:49 AM
I guess ‘reducing nuclear threats’ doesn’t sound like such a silly idea now, huh?
June 22, 2025 at 1:56 PM
Oh hey if you wanna go back and listen to a whole season about why pulling out of the JCPOA during Trump’s first term was a terrible idea and would probably lead to war, we did that here: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t... (Season two.)
Things That Go Boom
News Podcast · Updated Semiweekly · Stories about the ins, outs, and whathaveyous of what keeps us safe. Hosted by Laicie Heeley.
podcasts.apple.com
June 22, 2025 at 2:41 AM
In case you find yourself wondering tonight, a handy table of Iran’s max missile ranges: www.iranwatch.org/our-publicat...
Table of Iran's Missile Arsenal
Iran has over 3,000 ballistic missiles, the largest arsenal in the Middle East. This table presents the known capabilities of Iran's major missile systems.
www.iranwatch.org
June 22, 2025 at 2:33 AM
I am meeting the moment by pouring another g&t.
June 22, 2025 at 2:28 AM
It certainly is, Hoka. It certainly is.
June 22, 2025 at 2:25 AM
I truly never thought this would happen. In my brain, the US launching an attack on Iran lives in the same all-bets-are-off room as China invading Taiwan.
June 22, 2025 at 2:10 AM