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With jail looming, is Theranos fraudster Elizabeth Holmes sorry?
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The headline on the New York Times interview with the one-time darling of Silicon Valley, now convicted fraudster, said it all: “Liz Holmes Wants You to Forget About Elizabeth.”
Writer Amy Chozick met Elizabeth Holmes, the former media darling, in San Diego where she now lives. Gone is the uniform of black polonecks, driven ambition, the austere manner and weirdly deep voice – done to ape her hero Steve Jobs – instead “Liz” presented as a thirtysomething, cool west coast mom of two, hanging out, going to the zoo, talking about her dog and Burning Man.
But the convicted Theranos founder is awaiting prison – she has been sentenced to 11 years having been found guilty of defrauding investors out of more than $100 million in her blood-testing start-up. She was set to go to prison in April but she has appealed.
Her invention at age 19 when she dropped out of Stanford – a blood test from a finger prick that could diagnose hundreds of conditions including cancers – never came close to working despite her many promises, and the millions of dollars investors poured into the company.
Since the interview was published – Holmes’ first in seven years – it has sparked controversy with sceptics on social media suggesting that the New York Times fell for the fraudster’s new image, that it facilitated her carefully planned rehabilitation effort. Not so, Chozick tells In the News, who explains how the interview came about, and that rehabilitation was far from the former tech whizz kid’s mind as she faces jail time. Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by John Casey.
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Lebanon under attack: Locals fear another Gaza could unfold
26:17|It’s nearly four weeks since Israel detonated explosions in the pagers belonging to members of Hizbullah, the Iran backed Lebanese-based militia. Since then the conflict in the Middle East has escalated. Israel has been striking inside Lebanon with missiles and has now sent ground troops into the country and Hizbullah has been striking back at targets in Israel. The death toll is mounting. A key day was September 23rd when 550 people were killed in Lebanon by Israeli air strikes.Since then Beirut has been bombed: last Thursday two Israeli missile attacks hit the centre of the densely populated city, killing 22 people and injuring over 170.Irish Times journalist Sally Hayden lives in Beirut, 1km from where the bombs fell and she reports, that there was no warning from the Israel Defense Forces.She tells In the News what life is like in the city now, describes the escalation in the conflict between Israel and Hizbullah and why Lebanese people who see what Gaza has endured in the past year, fear the same could happen to them.International journalists have been prohibited by Israel from documenting events in Gaza which is why Hayden says it is important that journalists like herself report from on the ground in Lebanon.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Declan Conlon and Suzanne Brennan.Why Irish voters love a 'celebrity candidate'
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20:22|With the appointment this week of Cork-born Morgan McSweeney as his chief of staff, British prime minister Keir Starmer must be hoping for some calm after a turbulent first 100 days in office.As the brains behind Starmer’s leadership campaign, McSweeney (47) is credited with having brought the prime minister to power.After a landslide win in July, Starmer’s first three months should have been spent consolidating that popularity and delivering on the pre-election promises of a selfless, calm and steady government with none of the drama of the previous administration.Instead there has been a stream of bad news stories and self-inflicted wounds.It’s not the image he projected when in opposition while bashing the Tory government for similar behaviour.Irish Times London correspondent Mark Paul looks back at Starmer’s difficult first three months, explains why McSweeney, a master strategist, is now in the top job and what banana skins await the new Labour leader in the coming months.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Declan Conlon.The child protection controversy engulfing Sinn Féin
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16:54|Last weekend, The Sunday Times reported that an unnamed Irish politician had been working for Russian intelligence as "an agent of influence” within the Oireachtas. Although the news “came as no surprise” to Taoiseach Simon Harris, it is one of the most serious national security issues in recent history.Gardaí have now compiled a list of members of the Oireachtas and other people, including those in academia, that they believe have been targeted by Russians in Ireland seeking to exploit them for information gathering and destabilising the State.But how are they approached? And how is their co-operation encouraged by local Russian operatives? Also, why would the Kremlin consider an Irish politician a valuable asset?Jack Horgan-Jones tells In the News how such approaches are made and how politicians have reacted to reports that one of their own has allegedly been influenced by Russia.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Declan Conlon.Car theft in Ireland: Are international gangs to blame?
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33:50|October 7th is a date seared into the memory of Israelis. It was the day last year that they awoke to an attack by militant group Hamas, on a scale never before seen in the decades-long conflict.When In the News first reported on the febrile situation, interviewing Mark Weiss in Jerusalem who assessed the likely Israeli response, the scale of the Hamas massacre was unknown. Today, we know that about 1,200 Israelis were killed by Hamas in the attacks and 251 were taken hostage.Israel’s onslaught on Gaza in retaliation has been merciless and sustained. As the year has gone on, In the News has reported on many aspects of this relentless war, including on the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza with Unicef’s James Elder; the escape from Gaza by the Alagha family from Blanchardstown who were visiting family when the war broke out; the case brought by South Africa at the International Criminal Courts of Justice, accusing Israel of genocide, with powerful testimony from Irish barrister Blinne Ní Ghrálaigh; the hopes in May of a ceasefire; and an eyewitness report from Irish Times journalist Sally Hayden on life in the Occupied West Bank.All episodes of In the News covering the Israel-Hamas war – including those mentioned here – are available wherever you get your podcasts.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan.Is homework a waste of time?
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