{"api_version": 1, "episode_id": "ep_code_switch_a472186a1ca4", "title": "Is the U.S. 'empire' beginning to show cracks?", "podcast": "Code Switch", "podcast_slug": "code_switch", "category": "culture", "publish_date": "2026-04-18T07:00:02+00:00", "audio_url": "https://prfx.byspotify.com/e/play.podtrac.com/npr-510312/npr.simplecastaudio.com/acf40eb5-ab43-4086-ae17-f1ef04b15913/episodes/1a43bda6-608c-4688-bc28-6e27ec425a03/audio/128/default.mp3?awCollectionId=acf40eb5-ab43-4086-ae17-f1ef04b15913&awEpisodeId=1a43bda6-608c-4688-bc28-6e27ec425a03&feed=KTjArdE7&t=podcast&e=nx-s1-5785139&p=510312&d=1731&size=27696571", "source_link": "https://www.npr.org/2026/04/18/nx-s1-5785139/is-the-u-s-empire-beginning-to-show-cracks", "cover_image_url": "https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/3000x3000+0+0/resize/3000/quality/66/format/jpg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F3a%2Ff4%2Fc2b1e766477bb7548349de29517c%2Fa950a5bb-5332-44d0-8ac5-f170baaeaf47.jpg", "summary": "TaskRabbit connects you with skilled local taskers for furniture assembly, mounting, and repairs. A while ago, there was this story I really wanted us to cover at Coats, you know, it never came to be, which happens sometimes, but it was right up our alley over here.", "key_takeaways": ["The destruction wrought by Hurricane Maria and like not not for nothing, the rise of Bad Bunny has brought all this fresh attention, like these new eyeballs, to The US's colonial r", "Journey through the heart of Europe on an elegant Viking longship with thoughtful service, destination focused dining, and cultural enrichment onboard and onshore", "So can you tell me what How to Hide an Empire is about and what prompted you to write it?"], "best_for": ["listeners looking for a practical AI episode debrief"], "why_listen": "It goes beyond the title with direct discussion of like, states, united, including: TaskRabbit connects you with skilled local taskers for furniture assembly, mounting, and repairs.", "verdict": "worth_your_time", "guests": [], "entities": {}, "quotes": [], "chapters": [], "overall_score": 65.3, "score_breakdown": {"clarity": 79.1, "originality": 44.3, "hype_penalty": 2.7, "actionability": 75.0, "technical_depth": 53.5, "information_density": 68.3}, "score_evidence": {}, "score_reasoning": {}, "scoring_confidence": 0.98, "transcript_available": true, "transcript_chars": 33961, "transcript_provider": "deepgram"}