Current Events - Think

Why Debates Don’t Change Minds

February 10, 2020 Culture, Current Events, Language, Politics

Eleanor Gordon-Smith joins us to talk about why, with all our power to be rational, analytical, empathetic and reflective, we’re still prone to refusing to listen to another side.

What Trump’s Acquittal Means For Future Impeachments

February 7, 2020 Current Events, History, Politics

Jeffrey A. Engel joins us to talk about how the Trump impeachment differed from the impeachments of Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton – and about how it will affect future impeachment proceedings.

What It Takes To Get By In Putin’s Russia

February 4, 2020 Current Events, Global Issues, Politics

Joshua Yaffa, Moscow correspondent for The New Yorker, joins us to talk about the power players who’ve succeeded in Putin’s shadow – and others who weren’t able to carve out their places.

A Thousand Years Of Pirate History

February 3, 2020 Culture, Current Events

Maritime terrorism expert Peter Lehr joins us to talk about the forces that created piracy and why we should heed warnings of its continued growth today.

A Former Ambassador To Iraq Talks Iran

January 31, 2020 Current Events, Global Issues, Politics

Former U.S. Ambassador to Iraq from 2016-19, Douglas A. Silliman joins us to talk about U.S. strategy in the region – and about what it will take to improve relations with Iran.

How A Murderer Found His Soul – And Voice – In Prison

January 20, 2020 Culture, Current Events, Race/Identity

Author and criminal justice advocate, Shaka Senghor joins us to talk about how he worked through his own pain of hurting people and now helps communities heal theirs.

Latinos And The Invention Of The Cool, Walk-able Neighborhood

January 17, 2020 Culture, Current Events, Economics, Race/Identity

A. K. Sandoval-Strausz, director of the Latina/o Studies Program and associate professor of history at Penn State University, joins us to talk about how Latinos have influenced cities across the country.

Mental Gymnastics: New Insights Into The Brain

January 16, 2020 Culture, Current Events, Race/Identity, Science and Technology

This hour, experts on brain science join us to separate fact from fiction – and to better understand what we know about gender, creativity and how our brain is programmed to lead us home.

The Hitmen Of The Dark Web

January 15, 2020 Culture, Current Events, Science and Technology

Technology writer Brian Merchant joins us to talk about the surprising and shadowy world of crowd-sourced contract killers.

An Autopsy Of The Great Recession

January 14, 2020 Current Events, Economics

Reveal journalist Aaron Glantz joins us to talk about how “mortgage products” let so many Americans down.

Finding E.T. Won’t Be Cheap

January 14, 2020 Current Events, Science and Technology

Science journalist Adam Mann joins us to talk about the renewed push and excitement to fund the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, or SETI, despite skepticism and pushback.

Battlefield Medicine Needs To Change Right Now

January 13, 2020 Current Events, Global Issues, Health, Science and Technology

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist David Wood joins us to talk about current experiments and crucial advances taking place in battlefield medicine that could push the chances of survival well beyond a one-hour window.