Episodes

  • Why cynics earn less and die earlier — and how hope can help

    Why cynics earn less and die earlier — and how hope can help
    Sep 18 2024
    We'd love to hear your thoughts on the podcast. Take the survey here or at wbur.org/survey. In Kamala Harris' second high-profile national interview since becoming the Democratic nominee for president, she took questions from members of the National Association of Black Journalists. Politico's Eugene Daniels was one of the interviewers. He joins us. Then, in his new book "Hope For Cynics," Jamil Zaki tackles cynicism and how its rise might be eroding society. Zaki joins us. And, 25 years ago, Neo took the "red pill" and learned the true nature of his reality. New York Times film critic Alissa Wilkinson explains why "The Matrix" is more relevant than ever.

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    30 mins
  • Suicide after climate disasters is common. How can we prevent it?

    Suicide after climate disasters is common. How can we prevent it?
    Sep 17 2024
    We'd love to hear your thoughts on the podcast. Take the survey at wbur.org/survey. Schools are reopening in Springfield, Ohio, after bomb threats rocked the community. The city has become a center of anti-immigrant backlash after former President Donald Trump and his running mate Sen. JD Vance amplified racist falsehoods about Haitian immigrants. WYSO's Kathryn Mobley and Springfield NAACP chapter president Denise Williams give us a picture of Springfield. And, after losing everything in a climate-driven flash flood in 2022, screenwriter and actor Tony Calhoun took his own life. NPR's Rebecca Hersher joins us to remember Calhoun and explore how to prevent other deaths like his. Then, former President Jimmy Carter will turn 100 on Oct. 1. The Carter Center is organizing a concert to celebrate. Jimmy Carter's grandson Jason Carter talks about his grandfather's love for music and who will perform at the concert.

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    33 mins
  • California coastal erosion is sending homes into the ocean

    California coastal erosion is sending homes into the ocean
    Sep 16 2024
    We'd love to hear your thoughts on the podcast. Take the survey here or at wbur.org/survey. Police arrested Ryan Wesley Routh Sunday after what the FBI says was an attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump. The New York Times' Thomas Gibbons-Neff talks about interviewing with Routh last year. Then, after a student collapsed and died during physical education, an inspection found 170 defibrillators in Houston Public Schools that aren't working. Houston Public Media's Adam Zuvanich tells us more. And, images from the Californian coastal city of Rancho Palos Verdes show homes precariously close to collapsing into the Pacific Ocean. Los Angeles Times reporter Rosanna Xia joins us.

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    20 mins
  • Why is Friday the 13th considered so unlucky?

    Why is Friday the 13th considered so unlucky?
    Sep 13 2024
    We'd love to hear your thoughts on the podcast. Take the survey at wbur.org/survey. Author and sociologist Arlie Hochschild shares stories of people facing poverty, the loss of jobs and the rise of the opioid epidemic in Appalachian Kentucky. And she explores what led to their allegiance to former President Donald Trump. And, "Inside Out 2" is out on digital, DVD and Blu-ray, and drops on Disney + on Sept. 25. Kensington Tallman plays Riley in both "Inside Out" and "Inside Out 2" and joins us to talk about the movie. Then, why do people have so many superstitions around Friday the 13th? Phil Stevens, the author of "Anthropology of Magic and Witchcraft: Inherently Human," joins us to answer that question.

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    31 mins
  • The fight for Michigan's open Senate seat

    The fight for Michigan's open Senate seat
    Sep 12 2024
    Israel's attack on a school shelter in Gaza Wednesday killed 18 people, including six United Nations aid workers. We get the latest from the West Bank and Gaza from the Guardian's Julian Borger. Then, in our look at how eastern Kentucky went from blue to MAGA red, host Scott Tong traveled around the region with Republican activist Roger Ford. And, Democratic Rep. Elissa Slotkin and Republican former Rep. Mike Rogers are facing off to fill an open Senate seat, being vacated by Democrat Debbie Stabenow. Zoe Clark of Michigan Public joins us.

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    25 mins
  • How the toxic air from 9/11 is still making former NYC students sick

    How the toxic air from 9/11 is still making former NYC students sick
    Sep 11 2024
    We'd love to hear your thoughts on the podcast. Take the survey at wbur.org/survey. Voters say that the economy is one of the most important issues ahead of the 2024 presidential election. The Washington Post's Jeff Stein joins us to break down what former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris said about the economy in Tuesday's debate. And, Millennials are America's largest and most diverse generation. How are they thinking about the upcoming election? Author Stella Rouse joins us to talk about what's driving Millennial voters. Then, in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attack, students, teachers and other school staffers were sent back to buildings just blocks from the smoldering rubble of the Twin Towers before the area was considered safe. In the years since, exposure to the toxic air has sickened and killed thousands of people. Environmental epidemiologist Maayan Yitshak-Sade and former Stuyvesant High School student Lila Nordstrom join us.

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    30 mins
  • How the 'collective shame' of addiction shapes politics in Appalachia

    How the 'collective shame' of addiction shapes politics in Appalachia
    Sep 10 2024
    We'd love to hear your thoughts on the podcast. Take the survey here or at wbur.org/survey. Long COVID and chronic Lyme disease share similar symptoms and are often misunderstood. STAT's Isabella Cueto discusses how scientists are studying both conditions in the hopes of discovering new treatments. Then, California Gov. Gavin Newsom has a big decision to make: whether or not to sign the country's only major regulations on artificial intelligence. Axios' Ina Fried talks about the bill. And, Appalachian Kentucky has long been at the center of America's addiction crisis. Pike County resident James Browning tells his story of addiction and recovery.

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    26 mins
  • When coal mining dwindled in Kentucky, regional politics shifted

    When coal mining dwindled in Kentucky, regional politics shifted
    Sep 9 2024
    The Justice Department is investigating an alleged Russian disinformation campaign targeting the 2024 election. Bloomberg Business's Jeff Stone talks with us about that and other attempts at election interference. And, Republicans enjoy overwhelming support in rural, white America. But it wasn't always that way. Eastern Kentucky was once a solid Democratic stronghold. Host Scott Tong reports from Appalachian Kentucky about how that happened and what role coal mining played. Then, Jesse Dufton is an avid climber. He's also blind and relies on a headset and his wife Molly's guidance to climb. Jesse and Molly Dufton join us to talk about Jesse's career and his hopes for the 2028 Paralympics.

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    31 mins