UCLA Egyptologist Kara Cooney discusses her research into the Egyptian pharaohs and why their system of rule and religious beliefs can help us to understand why the many still so often give power to the few.
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It’s surprisingly expensive to be homeless
Lori Teresa Yearwood talks about the fines and fees that those who find themselves homeless incur – and the devastating consequences they have on the path to recovery.
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How immigration laws support white supremacy
Reece Jones talks about his research into nativism and white supremacy and how panicked views about immigration from the fringe made it to the mainstream.
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What’s so great about Texas?
Farhad Manjoo of The New York Times discusses why, after filtering tens of thousands of towns with populations over a thousand, he arrived at the conclusion that cities in North Texas are among the most desirable in the country.
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The global poor need mental health care, too
Vox reporter Dylan Matthews discusses the work of the Happier Life Institute, which found that access to psychotherapy should be central to foreign aid and charity work abroad in order to increase well-being.
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On disability and discrimination
Jan Grue talks about justice for people with disabilities and why he believes, even with gains in disability rights, the world would still like to keep the differently-abled in the shadows.
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The race to save coffee from extinction
Sarah Sax of High Country News joins us to discuss how climate change and questionable farming practices are harming crops and ways researchers are trying to breed more sustainable beans.
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Want to help the planet? Stop buying so much
J. B. MacKinnon joins us to talk about the push-pull between the supposed economic harm of less shopping with the environmental impacts of buying too much.
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When disaster strikes, his phone always rings
Robert A. Jensen of Kenyon International Emergency Services joins us to discuss the delicate art of balancing practical management of large-scale disasters while honoring the humanity of families affected.
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How the U.K. is using Covid to address obesity
Politico senior food and agriculture reporter Helena Bottemiller Evich joins us to discuss the lack of political will in America to confront diseases related to diet, and why that’s hindering the pandemic response.
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The next pandemic is coming – here’s a plan
Epidemiologist Dr. Sandro Galea joins us to discuss how we can strengthen public health resources to not only respond to the next pandemic but strive for equity in the way we approach the health of the nation.
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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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