Here's a riddle for you Max. What do the 1970s crime wave, the extinction of the California Condor,

rowdy crowds at NASCAR races and Gen Xers demanding to speak to the manager have in common?

Are they all things caused by Republican governors of California?

That is a really good guess, but no, Arnold Schwarzenegger has nothing to do with these things.

There's a compelling case that all of these things

are caused, at least in part, by lead.

So lead has been the star of a few news stories this week.

There's a panic over lead in the

insulation of Stanley mugs, the trendiest beverage accessory since Flasset Prom and

the CDC reported more than 400 possible cases of lead poisoning and babies and

toddlers from tainted apples sauce pouches. Is that what this is about?

Yes, so the mugs are probably fine, but the apple sauce situation is bad and getting worse, though we'll come back to that.

In order to understand the panic around these stories, I wanted to talk about lead.

I have been obsessed with it. You have been obsessed with it four years I do not shut up about lead but the

more research I read on it the more I feel like it could explain why America is the way it is and the alarm over Stanley mugs

while misplaced is both a reminder that lead is everywhere and has been for decades

and a sign to me that I'm not alone in thinking that lead has a lot to answer for.

Max, have you seen these Tik-Toc videos about the lead stare?

I love the lead poisoning stare that boomers give you and I especially like it if they

don't like something about you like your physical appearance and then that you're

wearing whatever they just point it out they don't say it's good or bad they just

point it out and then they just

...