Technology policy reporter Cat Zakrzewski talks about the political pitfalls the Jan. 6 committee hearings faced when confronting the pivotal role of social media, and why it’s so hard to regulate big tech.
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The new Gold Rush? Prospecting solar power
Harper’s contributor Hillary Angelo talks about solar-farm construction in Nye County, Nevada—a potential weapon against climate change that also threatens the local ecology, and angers neighbors.
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The jobs used to deny disability benefits are stuck in 1977
Lisa Rein from The Washington Post details how the Biden administration has spent $250 million to modernize its vocational services but still uses outdated market data to determine benefits for 15 million people.
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How our attention warps American politics
Megan Garber from The Atlantic talks about the media landscape that has brought us to this divided point in American history.
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The systems that failed to help a refugee family
ProPublica reporter Kartikay Mehrotra tells the story of a 14-year-old Afghan boy who took his own life and the federal resettlement program ill-equipped to help Afghan refugees.
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With Roe overturned, doctors need lawyers
Time magazine reporter Abigail Abrams talks about the routine doctor-patient relationship for a pregnancy that has now become a high-stakes game of providing care while not running afoul of state mandates.
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What to say to your QAnon-believing relatives
Michael Shermer of Skeptic Magazine discusses why someone might be drawn into a conspiracy. Plus, a blog post from this episode about the dos and don’ts of talking to people who believe conspiracy theories.
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The rise of super meth
Journalist Sam Quinones joins us to discuss the rise in synthetic meth, the economic costs to the marketplace of illicit drugs, and the emotional and physical toll it’s had on those addicted.
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Why your boss wants you back at the office
Rani Molla, senior data reporter for Recode joins us to discuss how corporate America might move forward after Covid shutdowns.
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Rising seas, floods or droughts: Living with water as nature intended
Think broadcasts today from the studios of WWNO in New Orleans. Erica Gies discusses the Slow Water movement, an idea that pushes back on methods that speed water away so that floods and droughts find natural systems that work with today’s infrastructure needs.
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Have cable news hosts become too powerful?
David Zurawik, the recently retired media critic of The Baltimore Sun, talks about the impact these media stars have on our democracy – and about whether its necessary (or even possible) to reign them in.
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Should America stop trying to rule the world?
Prof. Daniel Bessner joins guest host Courtney Collins to discuss if the U.S. should continue to try to rule the world through force – or if recent history suggests it’s time to back off.
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