Was Closing Schools The Right Move For American Teens?

March 31, 2021 Current Events, Education, Health, Mental Health, Politics

Alec MacGillis covers politics and government for ProPublica, and he joins us to tell the stories of teenagers in two small towns, one in New Mexico and one in Texas, where governors took very different approaches to public safety.

Dallas Fed Chair Talks Post-Pandemic Economy

March 30, 2021 Current Events, Economics, Health, Politics

Robert Kaplan, President and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, joins us to talk about how increased rates of vaccination and the rollback of COVID restrictions will affect the state’s economy the rest of the year.

Fatphobia And Covid Risk

March 24, 2021 Culture, Health, History, Science and Technology

Virginia Sole-Smith, a journalist and author of The Eating Instinct, joins us to talk about weight stigma in scientific research and subpar medical treatment attached to high BMI.

When Helping A Patient Means Ending Their Life

March 22, 2021 Culture, Health, History, Science and Technology

Katie Engelhart is a fellow at New America, and she joins us to talk about the doctors who assist patients with their own deaths and the tightrope they walk in doing so.

Your Brain On Autopilot

March 19, 2021 Health, Mental Health, Science and Technology

This hour, we’ll talk with a sleep expert about how the mind uses dreaming to process day-to-day events and prepare us for the future; we’ll learn how seeing “ghosts” might actually be a by-product of processing grief; and we’ll explore ways to cultivate the mind in order to achieve peak performance.

What Would We Do If There Were No More Nurses?

March 18, 2021 Current Events, Global Issues, Health, Mental Health

Theresa Brown is a nurse and author, and she joins us to talk about the nurses charged with healing despite a lack of support and how, even as the demand for care skyrockets, the nation faces a severe nursing shortage.

Bulk And Beauty: The Evolution Of Women Bodybuilders

March 18, 2021 Culture, Health, History, Sports

Petra Browne joins us to talk about her own journey into the world of competitive bodybuilding, why exceptional power must come with weight loss, and how traditional female roles still reign supreme in a boundary-breaking sport.

You’re Lying To Yourself – And That’s A Good Thing

March 17, 2021 Health, Language, Mental Health, Science and Technology

Shankar Vedantam, host of NPR’s “Hidden Brain,” joins us to talk about the myriad ways we lie to ourselves on a daily basis and how that might actually help lead to a much happier life.

When Birth Mothers Were Shamed Into Adoption

March 17, 2021 Culture, Health, History, Race/Identity

Gabrielle Glaser joins us to tell the story of how a system of closed adoptions across the nation operated on shifty moral ground and separated mother from child in the name of a wholesome environment.

Can Hospitals Survive Covid?

March 8, 2021 Economics, Health, Science and Technology

Vivian Ho is James A. Baker III Institute Chair in Health Economics and director of the Center for Health and Biosciences at Rice University, and she joins us to talk about the knock-on effects of the pandemic, from possible health-care bankruptcies to staffing issues, that hospitals are bracing for after the storm.

Why Is It Taking So Long To Get Your Covid Shot?

March 4, 2021 Current Events, Economics, Health, Politics, Science and Technology

Kaiser Health News correspondent Rachana Pradhan joins us to explain the very complicated process of producing these vaccines – a process money or even executive orders can only do so much to speed up.

Better Loving Through Chemistry

March 4, 2021 Culture, Education, Health, Science and Technology

Brian D. Earp joins us to argue that drugs that can help strengthen – and sever – relationships are out there now, and it’s time to understand the ethics and morals behind their use.