Tax Reform, Evolution of Hanukkah, Russia's Olympic Ban

Guest: Gladriel Shobe, JD, LLM, Professor of Law, J. Reuben Clark Law School, Brigham Young University The US House and Senate are closing in on a final deal to merge their respective tax cut plans and get something to President Trump’s desk for signature by next week. President Trump says it will be "a giant tax cut for Christmas." How giant? And for whom?

Guest: David MacMillan, PhD, Professor of Chemistry, Princeton University Developing a new medicine today can take more than 10 years from lab to market. One time-consuming step in that process involves plugging a radioactive atom into the proposed new drug so researchers can track where it goes in the body. That way they can see if the medicine is hitting its target. But the process of tagging a drug with a radioactive label is so complicated it can take months. Princeton University chemist David MacMillan’s lab can do it in just hours using blue LED lights and some chemistry magic.

Guest: Eric Alm, PhD, Professor of Biological Engineering and Civil Environmental Engineering and Co-Director, Center for Microbiome Informatics and Therapeutics, MIT Friendly bacteria – or probiotics - found in yogurt or sauerkraut, can help maintain balance in the gut microbiome. And new research suggests that probiotic supplements may be able to counteract some of the negative effects of a high-salt diet, which is known to contribute to high blood pressure.

Guest: Sam Payne, Host, The Apple Seed, BYUradio

Guest: Alan Avery-Peck, PhD, Kraft-Hiatt Professor of Judaic Studies, College of the Holy Cross Jewish homes celebrating Hanukkah lit the first candle in their menorah Tuesday night to celebrate the miracle of a one-day supply of oil that lasted eight days for the Jewish Maccabees. They were a small army who defeated the much larger forces of Syrian King Antiochus IV. Hanukkah today is known as the Festival of Lights. But light wasn’t always the key feature of the holiday.

Guest: Fred White, PhD, Professor of Russian Literature, Film and Culture, Utah Valley University About 200 Russian athletes hope to compete in the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea, but they won’t get to wear Russian uniforms, wave the Russian flag or hear the Russian national anthem if they win a gold medal. The International Olympic Committee has banned Russia from any official presence at the 2018 PyeongChang Games as punishment for widespread and systemic doping by Russian athletes at the last Winter Olympics, which were in Sochi, Russia. This isn’t just a story about sports and cheating. It’s also about politics, history and culture.