David K. Shipler & Daniel Zwerdling have spent their lives investigating thorny and neglected issues, winning journalism’s top awards along the way. Now join Dave and Danny on TWO REPORTERS, as they interview stellar guests about pressing social problems and solutions - and just fascinating stuff - in ways you haven’t heard before.
Will Trump follow the playbook of autocrats who destroyed the democracies that brought them to power? / FROM THE ARCHIVE
Episodes
November 2024
-
… such as Viktor Orbán of Hungary: pack courts and agencies with ideological cronies, intimidate and harass the press, and continue to denigrate opponents as “evil,” “low IQ,” "vermin" and “enemies from within.” Harvard professor Steven Levitsky, co-author of How Democracies Die and Tyranny of the Minority, tells us why it could take years to rescue America’s democracy. Even if you heard this episode when we first posted it, we think you’ll want to listen again now that Trump is returning to the Oval Office.
Can you get enemies to see what they share in common, and prevent war?
October 2024
-
Russian and American intelligence officers, Iranians and Americans, Israelis and Arabs, Hutus and Tutsis in Africa - and more. John's memoir, From Vision to Action: Remaking the World Through Social Entrepreneurship, is like a how-to guide - filled with candid accounts of his successes and failures.
Want to know what whales are saying with their magical sounds?
September 2024
-
whale recordings back to the giant animals to see if and how they respond. Some of her latest findings could break new ground: she can identify individual whales by their sounds. Michelle tells us the moving story of how she morphed from broke actor to internationally-respected whale researcher - and how she hopes research on humpbacks' "language" can help humans protect them.
We're sad and angry that it makes sense to repost this episode - on mass shootings / FROM THE ARCHIVE
September 2024
-
to spot potential killers for decades, in places from schools and companies to government agencies - and the latest carnage could probably have been avoided if authorities had followed their manual. Our guests, practitioners Monique Boudreaux and Matt Talbot, say everybody in America needs to help them instead of looking the other way.
Are you sure you get how the Supreme Court ban on affirmative action could change America?
Episodes
August 2024
-
to low levels they haven't seen since the 60s and 70s. He says Chief Justice John Roberts and the other Republican extremists on the Court misinterpret the Constitution. And as for the belief that under affirmative action, college officials generally admitted blacks who weren't qualified? Lee says: Not true.
When Trump praises Hungary's Viktor Orbán, do you realize exactly how Orbán has gutted its democracy? / FROM THE ARCHIVE
July 2024
-
pack courts and agencies with their cronies, slander and intimidate the media, and denigrate their opponents as "evil" and "vermin." Harvard professor Steven Levitsky, co-author of How Democracies Die and Tyranny of the Minority, tells us why it could take years to rescue America's democracy - even if Trump loses the upcoming election.
Can you teach kids today to tackle social issues - and make it fun? (Hint: Think anti-war anthems from the 60s.)
July 2024
-
- inspired in part by 60s satirist Tom Lehrer. After hearing these tunes, the 9-year-olds in your family might feel inspired to research a problem in your own neighborhood - and then write your members of Congress about it!
A prominent judge’s braided - and surprising - life of blindness and the law / Part 2
June 2024
-
revealing interview, as David pulls the curtain aside and tells us how the judges on this powerful court really do their work. Spoiler alert #1: It used to involve a red children's sand pail. Spoiler alert #2: Because David is blind, he used to hire "readers" who rattled off every word of laws, books and briefs out loud to him, at such mind-boggling speeds that most people couldn't understand them.
A prominent judge’s braided - and surprising - life of blindness and the law / Part 1
June 2024
-
including tricks like counting rows and seats in a movie theater and following the clicks of high heels. Meanwhile, David became an accomplished lawyer who fought landmark civil rights cases. You can read their full story in David's new book, Vision: A Memoir of Blindness and Justice. David will return in Part 2 to take us behind the scenes of the second most important court in the nation.
How a sniper almost killed our guest (plus other chilling tales of a foreign correspondent) Part 2 / FROM THE ARCHIVE
May 2024
-
he tells us in this episode how they did it. Lew also gives us remarkable insight into how he could do his work - taking notes as people got beaten to death and blown up in front of him - and survive emotionally. And finally, a roving correspondent talks honestly about the toll that constant traveling took on his spouse. After hearing Lew, you might think differently about what reporters face when they tell you the latest from Ukraine and the Middle East.
How a sniper almost killed our guest (plus other chilling tales of a foreign correspondent) / FROM THE ARCHIVE
April 2024
-
Prize during decades of reporting on the Vietnam war and other conflicts across Asia. Lew lived by a motto: “Whatever the threat or danger, I had to be there.”
Check out how foreign autocrats whom Trump admires gutted their democracies, step by step - legally
March 2024
-
pack courts and agencies with their cronies, slander and intimidate the media, and denigrate their opponents as "evil" and vermin. Harvard professor Steven Levitsky, co-author of How Democracies Die and Tyranny of the Minority, tells us why it could take many years to rescue America's democracy - even if Trump loses the next election.
When they taught you the history of these intrepid explorers, was it pretty much a lie?
March 2024
-
was an early example of how powerful newspapers - in this case The New York Times and New York Herald - spread fake news (although critics still debate whether the newspaper owners knew it was fake or didn't bother to corroborate the explorers' stories). Journalist Darrell Hartman tells us life and death tales from his recent book, Battle of Ink and Ice, that shed light on the perils of vanity and competition for fame and profit.
When apps ask to "share your location" or use voice ID, could it hurt you? / FROM THE ARCHIVE
February 2024
-
The ACLU's Nathan Wessler returns to explain how geolocation, voice recognition and other high-tech tracking methods - including the way you walk! - could disrupt your life in ways you hardly expect.
January 2024
Should you worry about facial recognition at airports, malls and unexpected places? / FROM THE ARCHIVE
-
high-tech tools like facial recognition to track you more than you might think. As the ACLU's Nathan Wessler tells us, the facial recognition software sometimes goofs - and ordinary, innocent people like you end up in jail.
January 2024
OMG if Trump wins again, he could take over the internet (maybe) / FROM THE ARCHIVE
-
of the nonpartisan Brennan Center for Justice, has unearthed dozens of emergency presidential powers. Voters should understand the potential powers they could give any president, before they cast their ballot.
December 2023
Here's another episode that should boost your spirits
-
The Wind is Invisible. Given the grim news in the world, Dave's lovely poetry - glimpses of nature, reflections on family, moving insights about love - is a refreshing antidote. It's also (according to Danny) a surprising change from Dave's tough-minded journalism. Dave reads some of his poems and explains what influences his work - including his mother, who taught English, and Robert Frost, the legendary poet whom Dave actually met.
December 2023
Do you know any idealistic politicians? Here's one!
-
how politics and government can actually make people's lives better. Shekar fights for immigrant taxi drivers, the LGBTQ community, and minorities who need good low-income housing; he went briefly to jail and got smeared by the Proud Boys, along the way. Oh - and he's doing the normal thing like getting potholes fixed.
November 2023
Why do Iran's leaders mistrust or even hate the US - and its allies? / FROM THE ARCHIVE
-
one reason why Iran's government learned to hate the US long ago: The US and Britain secretly ran the plot to topple its leader in the 1950s. Why? For Iran's oil. Filmmakers Taghi Amirani and Walter Murch discuss their riveting documentary, Coup 53 - which shows step by step how the CIA and MI6 carried it out.on text goes here
October 2023
Will Republicans ever back a decent leader again - like this one? / FROM THE ARCHIVE
-
the presidency of Republican Dwight D. “Ike” Eisenhower. His granddaughter, Susan Eisenhower, describes some of Ike’s visionary and controversial policies - which many if not most Republicans would likely oppose today.
October 2023
Do you realize that America’s railroads are probably the worst in the industrialized world? / Part 2
-
their customers complain about lousy freight service. Marilee Taylor and Ron Kaminkow, veteran train engineers and labor organizers,have encountered those problems just about every day they've climbed aboard a locomotive - and they describe them in riveting detail. Still, they love driving trains, if things go well. As Marilee says, sometimes she'd fire up the massive engine, and "I'm, like, yes." But they're stunned that America seems to stand by as its crucial railroad industry deteriorates.
See the rest of our episodes below
September 2023
Do you realize that America’s railroads are probably the worst in the industrialized world? / Part 1
The freight railroad industry is crucial, but companies have slashed tens of thousands of workers in recent years while trains have become less reliable and derailments have threatened entire towns. Meanwhile, railroad companies have reported record and near-record profits. Historian Peter Rachleff and train engineer Ron Kaminkow, who’s also a labor leader, guide us through the colorful, brutal history of America’s railroads - built by “oligarchs” on the backs of Black convicts, slaves and Chinese laborers. Once you know that saga, you’ll understand the industry’s current problems better. And you might not get so nostalgic when you hear a train whistle and watch two miles of freight cars clacking by.
September 2023
This former Russian diplomat is in hiding - since he dared to denounce Putin’s war in Ukraine / Part 2 FROM THE ARCHIVE
Boris Bondarev says he wanted to quit his job as a Russian diplomat long ago, to protest Putin's policies, but it took years to gather courage to take that life-changing step. Putin's war in Ukraine pushed him to act - and now he and his wife are living under protection in Switzerland (with their cat; more about that in our episode). In Part 2 of this introspective conversation, Boris explains why resigning was a moral act of “redemption” after a career serving policies that he gradually decided were unworthy of his country. Is Boris right that the war against Ukraine won’t strengthen Putin but destroy him?
August 2023
This former Russian diplomat is in hiding - since he dared to denounce Putin’s war in Ukraine / FROM THE ARCHIVE
Boris Bondarev represented Russia as a diplomat for more than 20 years. But after Russia invaded Ukraine, he took a rare and potentially dangerous step: he resigned, to protest the horrors of Vladimir Putin's "fascist state." In Part 1 of this candid chat, Boris explains why he overlooked Putin's crimes for years - and why the invasion of Ukraine propelled him to act. His actions have turned his own family's life upside down.
August 2023
If you were an editorial cartoonist, how would you capture Trump's twisted mind? / Part 2 with Darrin Bell
Darrin Bell won the Pulitzer Prize for doing exactly that - depicting Trump as a shrieking infant, a naked tyrant, and as a god giving life to racists instead of to Adam. Darrin explains how his own encounters with racism pushed him to draw, as an emotional escape. And he tells why his cartoons attack not only Trump but sometimes leaders he likes. HINT: young people should hear this interview to learn how perseverance can pay off!
July 2023
How did this poor black kid grapple with racism and then win the Pulitzer Prize? / Part 1
Darrin Bell's white, wealthy classmates bullied him because he had big lips, and store clerks automatically assumed he was shoplifting. Today, Darrin has transformed his struggles into a brilliant and acclaimed graphic memoir, "The Talk" - named for the conversation that parents of color often have with their children to explain why the world likely won't treat them the same as whites.
July 2023
How right-wing radicals are reshaping what's taught in your local schools / FROM THE ARCHIVE
Republicans and their allies are banning books, courses and even brief classroom chats about "divisive topics" - and passing laws to punish teachers who disobey. They're also spending big money to elect school boards that embrace their extremist visions. Jonathan Friedman of PEN America describes some of the most threatening developments across the country.
June 2023
How book banning is spreading across America, Part 1 / FROM THE ARCHIVE
You've heard that it's happening - and now two librarians tell us in this moving episode how they became targets of extremists. When Suzette Baker refused to ban books on racial and LGBTQ issues, right-wing parents and local officials in Texas got her fired. Meanwhile, librarian Martha Hickson was fighting her own battle against censorship, 2000 miles away in New Jersey - but she managed to organize supporters to rally against censorship. And they won.
June 2023
This famous professor got in trouble with some students - and he adjusted his teaching / FROM THE ARCHIVE
None of us can listen to Geoffrey Stone, the First Amendment scholar at the University of Chicago, tell about his encounter with African American students without asking ourselves some tough questions: what kinds of speech do we really want to allow, or prevent, on college campuses? And how do we keep universities faithful to their mission of teaching young people to think? Stone walks us through the controversy and how he responded to it.
May 2023
When many African Americans speak, what are they speaking?
They're speaking African American English, according to linguist Lisa Green at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Lisa grew up speaking AAE in Louisiana, and since then, her ground-breaking research has found that AAE is based on a system of consistent grammatical rules, pronunciations and definitions - in other words, Lisa's studies show, "it's not mainstream English with mistakes." Some call it a dialect, which evolved from the African languages that slaves spoke blended with plantation English; in fact, when someone says, "she aks" instead of "she asks," they might be echoing Old English from centuries ago. Lisa argues that schools need to acknowledge and respect black children's African American English, even while they teach them Standard American English that they need to succeed in broader society.
April 2023
Can you start a sentence with "And" or "But"?? We all need this grammar lesson / Part 2
You'll dazzle friends with the grammar smarts you'll get from our second chat with Bryan Garner, one of America's language gurus. You're finally about to learn if you can - or can't - end a sentence with a preposition; if you can use "like" instead of "as"; and if you can banish "whom" and "whomever" from your brain. Just wait until you hear Bryan's rant about lawyers' terrible writing. Can you guess which common five-letter word (which lawyers love) causes endless legal battles?
April 2023
Can you start a sentence with "And" or "But"?? We all need this grammar lesson / Part 1
Bryan Garner, one of America's grammar gurus, tells us where we're going wrong - and what we're getting right. You're sure to find (you'll surely find?) answers to some of your own burning questions, like (or is it "such as"?): should you feel bad about using adverbs? Or should you feel badly? How will this episode impact your own language? (Actually, is "impact" even a verb?) After hearing our conversation with Bryan, you might not write or speak quite the same way.
March 2023
How do we teach kids - and everybody - to tell the difference between the lies swirling around them and actual facts?
Ebonee Rice is a senior vice president of a national group that’s doing exactly that: the News Literacy Project. They’ve created programs for students across the country - adults can use them too – to teach them how to dissect and evaluate everything from tweets and catchy ads and TikTok posts to news stories on national TV. You might be stunned when you hear statistics showing just how gullible many kids are.
March 2023
Attacks on free speech at universities - by students on the right and the left - are getting seriously scary
None of us can listen to Geoffrey Stone, the famous law professor at the University of Chicago, tell about his own encounter with upset students without asking ourselves some tough questions: what kind of speech do we really want to allow, or prevent, on college campuses? And how do we keep universities faithful to their mission of teaching young people to think?
February 2023
How a sniper almost killed our guest (plus other chilling tales of a foreign correspondent) / Part 2
Lewis Simon's Pulitzer Prize-winning reporting, in collaboration with colleagues, helped spark an international scandal and topple a corrupt dictator; he tells us in this episode how they did it. Lew also gives us remarkable insight into how he could do his work - taking notes as people got beaten to death and blown up in front of him - and survive emotionally. And finally, a roving correspondent talks honestly about the toll that his constant traveling took on his spouse.
February 2023
How a sniper almost killed our guest (plus other chilling tales of a foreign correspondent) / Part 1
Lewis Simons won the Pulitzer Prize during decades of reporting across Asia. He lived by a motto: "Whatever the threat or danger, I had to be there." When you hear him describe his harrowing adventures covering the Vietnam war, it brings that tragic conflict alive better than history books.
January 2023
Millions of children in America are going hungry - can you believe it? / Part 2 FROM THE ARCHIVE
When you see students across the nation struggling with learning and behavioral problems, it might be partly because their families can’t afford enough good food. Dr. Megan Sandel has a bold idea, which Congress tried briefly - and successfully - but then scuttled: give low income parents more money.
January 2023
Millions of children in America are going hungry - can you believe it? / Part 1 FROM THE ARCHIVE
Dr. Megan Sandel takes us into the GROW clinic in Boston, where kids resemble malnourished children in poor countries. Some 2 year olds look half their age. The Biden administration eased the crisis by expanding child tax credits, but Congress has let those credits expire. So, it's back to crisis.
December 2022
Enjoy the holidays. Still, please be aware that black cops confront racism every day / FROM THE ARCHIVE
Officer Shanette Hall and Lt. Ray Rice joined St. Louis County's police department because they were passionate about making things better, by exposing racial injustice and bringing police and the community closer together. They tell us in this moving interview that instead, department officials punished them for speaking out. (PS Since our interview, Hall quit the force.)
December 2022
Would YOU throw away a prestigious career - and maybe risk your life - to protest Russia’s war in Ukraine? / Part 2
Boris Bondarev says he wanted to quit his job as a Russian diplomat long ago, to protest Putin's policies, but it took years to gather courage to take that life-changing step. Putin's war in Ukraine pushed him to act - and now he and his wife are living under protection in Switzerland (with their cat; more about that in our episode). In Part 2 of this introspective conversation, Boris explains why resigning was a moral act of “redemption” after a career serving policies he thought unworthy of his country. Is Boris right that the invasion of Ukraine won’t strengthen Putin but destroy him?
December 2022
Would YOU throw away a prestigious career - and maybe risk your life - to protest Russia’s war in Ukraine? / Part 1
Boris Bondarev represented Russia as a diplomat for more than 20 years. But after Russia invaded Ukraine, he took a rare and potentially dangerous step: he resigned, to protest the horrors of Vladimir Putin's "fascist state." In Part 1 of this candid chat, Boris explains why he overlooked Putin's crimes for years - and why the invasion of Ukraine propelled him to act.
October 2022
Are right-wing conservatives reshaping what's taught in your local schools?
Republicans and their allies are banning books, courses and even brief lessons about "divisive topics" - and passing laws to punish teachers who disobey. They're also spending big money to elect school boards that embrace their extremist visions. Jonathan Friedman of PEN America describes some of the most threatening developments across the country.
October 2022
Will extremists ban YOUR favorite book, next?
Librarian Suzette Baker refused to ban books on racial and LGBTQ issues. So, as she recounts in this moving episode, right-wing parents and local officials in Texas got her fired. Meanwhile, librarian Martha Hickson was fighting her own battle against censorship 2000 miles away in New Jersey - but she describes how she organized supporters to rally against censorship, and won.
September 2022
White extremists are brainwashing your neighbors – and family? FROM THE ARCHIVE
Attacking the Capitol, trying to overturn the presidential election, sabotaging voting rights: extremists have gone mainstream, with support from the Republican Party. While TWO REPORTERS are on vacation, hear chilling details about the extremists’ game plan - in this compelling episode with Cynthia Miller-Idriss, from our archive.
August 2022
Can you name a Republican with morals and scruples? FROM THE ARCHIVE
TWO REPORTERS are on vacation - meanwhile, we hope you'll find this repeat episode from our archive more compelling than ever. Hear what Bob Inglis - a former conservative Republican congressman - has to say about his former party and politics. It's especially important against the backdrop of Trump's and fellow Republicans' continuing efforts to sabotage America's democracy.
August 2022
Could you help prevent mass shootings?
Specialists in “behavioral threat assessment” have been quietly trying to spot potential killers for decades, in places from schools and companies to government agencies. Our guests, practitioners Monique Boudreaux and Matt Talbot, say everybody in America needs to help them - and could.
July 2022
Is George Orwell's 1984 coming true? / Part 3
It could happen to you: police mistakenly suspect or arrest you, because an app's location data show you were near the scene of a crime. The ACLU's Nathan Wessler returns to explain how geolocation, voice recognition and other high-tech tracking methods - including your gait! - could disrupt your life in ways you hardly expect.
July 2022
Is George Orwell's 1984 coming true? / Part 2
America's surveillance network is nowhere near as pervasive and chilling as China's, but U.S. companies and government agencies are already using high tech tools like facial recognition to track you, more than you might think. As the ACLU's Nathan Wessler tells us, the facial recognition software sometimes goofs - and ordinary, innocent people like you end up in jail.
June 2022
Have you read George Orwell's 1984? / Part 1
It's not just fiction anymore: the frightening vision of mass surveillance that Orwell painted has come to life - in China. In fact, Conor Healy of IPVM says that China's vast network of cameras, cell phone tracking, face and voice recognition, and other advanced technology surpasses what Orwell made up. In Part 2, coming soon, we'll examine whether the U.S. is traveling down a similar road.
May 2022
Two black cops: "Almost nothing's changed since Black Lives Matter. Nothing." / Part 2
If you could wave a magic wand and make racist behavior disappear from America's police departments, how would you do it? Ray Rice and Shanette Hall, both black officers, have ideas: fire racist cops starting tomorrow, and transform recruiting and training. All their suggestions face huge obstacles.
April 2022
Two black cops: "Almost nothing's changed since Black Lives Matter. Nothing." / Part 1
Officer Shanette Hall and Lt. Ray Rice joined St. Louis County's police department because they were passionate about making things better - by rooting out racism and bringing police and their community closer together. Instead, they say department officials are punishing them for speaking out about racial injustice. You'll be moved by their unsettling stories.
March 2022
If you eat meat - or don’t eat meat - you need to hear this! / Part 2
Imagine meat that's cultured in factory tanks instead of grown on a farm. Thinks it's a fantasy of the future? They're already selling it in Singapore - and professional tasters can't tell the difference between the laboratory and the farm-raised version. Bruce Friedrich, CEO of the Good Food Institute, joins us again to explain how pathbreaking companies are "cultivating" meat from animal cells - and how it could help solve some of the world's most dangerous problems.
March 2022
If you eat meat - or don’t eat meat - you need to hear this! / Part 1
Bruce Friedrich, former master strategist at PETA, streaked naked past Buckingham Palace with "GoVeg" painted on his body. Like that tactic or not, you'll be astonished as Bruce explains how you can fight global poverty, help prevent a medical crisis, fight climate change - and prevent massive suffering - simply by cutting back on (or shunning) farm-raised meat.
February 2022
Does Iran mistrust/hate the US for justified reasons?
Nations are like people: once they've been traumatized, it's hard to forget. The US and Britain toppled the democratically-elected leader of Iran almost 70 years ago. Why? For the oil. Filmmakers Taghi Amirani and Walter Murch discuss their riveting documentary, Coup 53 - which shows step by step how the CIA and MI6 carried it out.
January 2022
Can you name a Republican with morals and scruples? / Part 2
Whatever your political leanings, you're about to go, Really?! when you hear what Republican President Dwight D. Eisenhower did in the White House. Many historians used to rank "Ike" among the worst American presidents; last year they ranked him 5th best. Granddaughter Susan Eisenhower, who consults with international executives and government leaders, dug up astonishing facts about his policies that even surprised her.
January 2022
Can you name a Republican with morals and scruples? / Part 1
Here’s one – although he died more than 50 years ago. In an era when Republican leaders are trying to destroy America’s democracy, it’s a revelation to reconsider Dwight D. Eisenhower. His granddaughter, Susan Eisenhower, dug through diaries, letters and government documents to bring him back to life.
December 2021
Want to hear a strategy that can help save America’s democracy? - Part 2
An ingenious news site for immigrants just might be the model for reviving local journalism. Actually, every media company should study how Documented keeps attracting a bigger audience, learning from them and forging bonds with the community.
December 2021
Want to hear a strategy that can help save America’s democracy? - Part 1
Local newspapers and other local news sources are dying, which is one reason many people can’t separate fact from fiction - a crisis we began to detail a few episodes ago. But the American Journalism Project has a solution - and director Sarabeth Berman joins Two Reporters to lay it out. Hint: your local news site might become your favorite charity.
November 2021
Inside the world of TV news / Part 2
In Part 2 of our chat with Terence Smith - veteran of The New York Times, CBS and PBS - he takes us behind the scenes to show us the dramatically different ways in which print and broadcast reporters cover the news. Example: cute animals sometimes beat out Terry on TV.
November 2021
He covered four wars and five presidents / Part 1
... and now Terence Smith takes us back to the golden era in modern American journalism - the 1960s, 70s and 80s, when he filed dispatches from around the globe for The New York Times and CBS. Marilyn Monroe, the Six-Day War in the Middle East, the war in Vietnam - Terry gives us fascinating glimpses of them all, in his new memoir and on Two Reporters. Coming soon in Part 2: the love/hate world of TV news.
October 2021
As local newspapers die, is America’s democracy dying with them?
Maybe you never read the Birmingham Post-Herald or Green Bay News-Chronicle, but thousands of papers like them have died in recent years. That’s left a vacuum – which other media have helped fill with propaganda, opinion and outright lies. The New Yorker’s Evan Osnos returns to Two Reporters to diagnose the troubling causes, and describe an intriguing strategy to revive local news.
October 2021
How can hedge fund executives make so much money, anyway?
The New Yorker’s Evan Osnos tells us the infuriating answer in Part 2 of our chat about his new book, Wildland. As Evan says, hedge fund executives and their political allies have shaped America’s laws to benefit themselves more than you. Yet, Evan explains why he’s optimistic about America’s future.
October 2021
What do poor blacks, hedge fund executives and coal miners have in common?
Evan Osnos, staff writer for The New Yorker, gives a provocative answer as he chats about his new book, Wildland. Democrats and Republicans alike should hear what Evan has found, as he’s explored why America is so fractured.
September 2021
Will Republicans allow Alona Whitebird to teach her students about racism?
Oklahoma is one of the latest states where Republicans have passed a law that gives history teachers chills - when it comes to teaching about race, gender and other human rights issues. Teachers can lose their licenses if state officials don't like what they teach. NOTE: We wish Alona had been our teacher in high school ...
July 2021
Question for Congressional Republicans: “Would you rather lose your soul or lose an election? / Part 2
Bob Inglis explains his strategy for getting Democrats and Republicans to fight climate change - together. Plus: will Republicans destroy America’s democracy?
July 2021
God helped prod this Republican to fight climate change / Part 1
After Bob Inglis collapsed and lay on the floor, in the wake of losing a Congressional election, he heard a voice in his head. The words spurred him to see political enemies - and the world - in a new light.
June 2021
White extremists are brainwashing your neighbors – and maybe some of your family, too
Home repair and cooking lessons on youtube, martial arts classes and catchy rock: white extremists use them all to spread racist, anti-semitic and anti-immigrant ideas, sometimes more cleverly than you think. Cynthia Miller-Idriss joins us again, to help us know how to spot when loved ones are getting hooked - and then know how to handle it.
June 2021
We thought we knew about white extremists …
… but what Cynthia Miller-Idriss tells us in this two-part episode gives us chills. Hear in this chapter about key extremist groups, their philosophies and growing violence.
Coming soon: how President Biden’s new plan to fight extremism might – or might not - help.
May 2021
What’s up with Walmart and food programs for hungry people?
Maria Rose Belding joins us again with one of her mentors, Robert Egger, who founded one of America’s most acclaimed food programs for hungry people. Robert used to run nightclubs but now he's devoted to helping the poor. He and Maria Rose argue that corporations have taken over many of the nation's food programs - not always helping the people they serve.
May 2021
You’ll feel better about the future of America …
… after you meet Maria Rose Belding. It’s corny but true: Maria Rose is not quite 26, she’s exuberant and seemingly tireless, and her path-breaking app that helps hungry people is used across the nation. But Maria Rose’s inspiration for this great idea came from a troubling place.
May 2021
OMG The U.S. President could take over the internet! (maybe)
Presidents have drawn up plans to wield sweeping emergency powers - and some of those plans are so secret that even Congress has never seen them. Elizabeth Goitein, of the nonpartisan Brennan Center for Justice, has unearthed dozens of emergency presidential powers. You'll give thanks Trump didn't use them.
April 2021
Reopen the schools! BUT …
Dr. Joshua Sharfstein is a big name in the world of public health, and he warns that America will make a huge mistake if it rushes to reopen schools just as they all were BC (Before Covid). Plus: everybody should hear Josh’s take on the gratifications of compromise.
April 2021
Stop judging low-income people / Part 2 of Hunger
When you see students across the nation struggling with learning and behavioral problems, it could be partly because their families can’t afford enough good food. Dr. Megan Sandel has a bold idea: give them more money.
April 2021
Hunger in America / Part 1 (get ready to be shocked)
We all wish we had a doctor like Megan Sandel - kind, eloquent, a great story-teller, and passionate about social justice. Children she treats at the GROW clinic echo poor nations, they’re so malnourished - but it’s Boston. Megan says America has barely begun to tackle social problems that make tens of millions of people “food insecure.”
Music by
Westport Sunrise Sessions
Piano by Judy Zwerdling Zwelling