Topic: 5 Hour Energy

Meredith Angwin's book, "Shorting the Grid," is used to explain the fragility of the American electric system and the "Enron-style" chicanery involved in energy trading. During the Texas freeze, the price per megawatt-hour surged from a typical $25 to the regulatory cap of $9,000. ERCOT is described as an air traffic controller for energy that manages a market where participants have little financial incentive to maintain on-site fuel reserves for rare weather events.

Manoj Bhargava, the billionaire creator of 5-Hour Energy, develops a "Free Electric" hybrid bike designed to provide 24 hours of electricity from one hour of pedaling. Bhargava pitches the bike as a solution for the 1.3 billion people living without power. The hosts mock the concept as a form of "slave labor" where the poor must pedal to power their homes.

NPR is accused of running a "promotional scam" by airing a five-minute segment on Five-Hour Energy and its founder, Manoj Bhargava, without explicitly disclosing the company's status as a major corporate underwriter. The segment featured a reporter "hooked" on the product, which the hosts argue blurs the line between journalism and advertising. NPR currently has 175 corporate underwriters but rarely provides on-air disclaimers during related stories.