Make Me Smart With Kai And Molly

First the U.S. Marines and now the Army. For the first time in American history, two members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff lack the blessing of the Senate, as Sen. Tommy Tuberville, an Alabama Republican, holds up hundreds of military promotions to protest the Pentagon’s new abortion policy. We’ll explain the implications of having interims filling these top military posts. And good news for the lungs of the planet: Deforestation is on a downward trend in the Amazon rainforest. Plus, we’ll play a game of Half Full / Half Empty with predictions about the “vibecession.” Here’s everything we talked about: “Amazon deforestation at six-year-low in Brazil after plunging 66% in July” from CNN “Army chief retires as Tuberville hold snarls the Pentagon’s top ranks” from Politico Joint Chiefs of Staff vacancies from Twitter “Why ‘grandternity’ leave might become the newest form of parental leave” from Mark