Think from KERA

As the Supreme Court has chipped away at the Voting Rights Act, renewed calls have been made for ways to protect all Americans’ right to vote. Richard L. Hasen is professor of law and political science at UCLA and director of UCLA Law’s Safeguarding Democracy Project. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why he feels we need a Constitutional amendment guaranteeing the right to vote, and why leaving...

If you’re able to bend a durable food container easily, it’s got plasticizer in it — and that means some of that container is ending up inside of you. Lauren F. Friedman leads the health and food content team at Consumer Reports. She joins host Krys Boyd to discuss CR’s rigorous testing of fast foods and supermarket products to find the harmful chemicals that enter our bodies, and how we can reduc...

The ideal woman to swipe right on is rooted in ideals of whiteness. Sabrina Strings, professor and North Hall Chair of Black Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why she believes the relatively low numbers of Black women in relationships and marriages is a backlash to the Civil Rights movement and feminism, and why it’s time for a reworking of wha...

Jonathan Rauch, contributing writer to The Atlantic, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the lasting harms had on not only career diplomats but the broader LGBTQ community across the country – and why he says it’s time for a reckoning. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

In the elite art world, status is key to success—and not everyone can obtain it. Bianca Bosker is a contributing writer at The Atlantic, and she joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how the art world operates, the role of gatekeeping in who gets shown and who can buy art, and how anyone can become a more discerning patron of the arts. Her book is “ Get the Picture: A Mind-Bending Journey among the Insp...

With all the attention spent on learning more about the far reaches of space, the moon can be a forgotten wonder of our sky. Rebecca Boyle, science journalist and columnist at Atlas Obscura, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why the partnership between the Earth and the Moon is so critical for life on our planet, and why there are still so many mysteries to uncover about our celestial sister. Her bo...

Real progress on racism and other social issues requires the imagination to think beyond our current approach. Ruha Benjamin is a professor of African American Studies at Princeton University, where she is the founding director of the Ida B. Wells Just Data Lab. She joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why we are failing at imagining a better world and how thinking big is the path to unlocking good. He...

After years of improving safety numbers, American streets are becoming more dangerous. Matthew Shaer is contributing writer for The New York Times Magazine and an Emerson Collective fellow at New America. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how distracted and angry drivers are causing more crashes and automobile fatalities, why larger SUVs and trucks are part of the problem, and what can be done to...

China’s economy is struggling, and that impacts Xi Jinping’s next moves. Simone Gao is a journalist and host of  Zooming In with Simone Gao . She joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how China’s economic woes affect the larger global economy, and why the Chinese populace might be losing patience with its leader. Her article “ Xi Jinping’s once-unquestioned authority is showing cracks ” was published by...

Historically Black Colleges and Universities have a proven track record of producing exceptional graduates. Ayesha Rascoe is the host of NPR’s Weekend Edition Sunday, and she joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the many reasons why Black students turned to these institutions – a decision the Howard University graduate once made herself. Rascoe is a contributor to and editor of the book “ HBCU Made: A...

Pope Francis has formally approved priests blessing same-sex relationships. Host Krys Boyd talks with Francis X. Rocca, Vatican and global religion correspondent for The Wall Street Journal, about how the new ruling is being put into practice worldwide. We’ll also talk with Eder Díaz Santillan, creator and producer of the podcast “ De Pueblo, Católico y Gay, ” and lecturer at California State Univ...

Making a lot of arrests and fighting crime isn’t necessarily the same thing. Edwin Raymond is a 15-year veteran of the New York Police Department and one of the nation’s leading voices on criminal justice reform. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss practices inside police departments that contribute to unequal patterns of enforcement, and his ideas on how these can change. His book is “ An Inconven...

Is there a scientific explanation for our national polarization? Joel Achenbach is a reporter covering science and politics for The Washington Post. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why our emotions are getting the better of us when it comes to discussing politics, and why that means policy preferences will likely not lead to a meeting in the middle. His article is “ Science is revealing why Ame...

For generations of Black Americans, when times were tough – or when it was time to celebrate – gospel music provided the soundtrack. Shayla Harris is director and producer of a new PBS documentary series called “ Gospel ,” and she joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the legacy of this American art form, from its birth in churches to its rise to the mainstream. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx...

Birth rates in the U.S. are on the decline – so why is that? Host Krys Boyd talks about why millennials are having fewer children than previous generations with Washington Post columnist Andrew Van Dam; population projections with Bryan Walsh, editor of Vox’s Future Perfect; and we’ll hear from philosophy professor William MacAskill on why the welfare of future generations should matter to everyon...

Semaglutide drugs are all the rage for losing weight fast – and patients pay a lot to use them. Brad Olson is a news editor in The Wall Street Journal’s San Francisco bureau, and he joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the ways one of these drugs transformed his life and – now that he’s facing a future without it – his anxiety over gaining the weight back. His article is “ A Weight-Loss Drug Changed My...

Scroll through social media and you’ll start to notice: the aesthetic is all the same. New Yorker staff writer Kyle Chayka joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how algorithms are homogenizing our design choices, how our desires are being anticipated by computers, and what this says for creativity and innovation. His book is “ Filterworld: How Algorithms Flattened Culture .” Learn about your ad choices:...

Frank Langfitt has witnessed some of the defining events of our time, from the rise of Xi Jinping and the democracy protests in Hong Kong, to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and, most recently, the war in Gaza. NPR’s Global Democracy correspondent joins host Krys Boyd to talk about how these seismic shifts upend the lives of everyday people – and about how they challenge American power around the wor...

School boards used to be an anodyne way to get involved, but they’ve turned into hotbeds of political activity. Education journalist Laura Pappano joins host Krys Boyd to discuss this evolution – which dates back to at least the 1990s – and how school boards are now ground zero for much of the culture wars. Her book is “ School Moms: Parent Activism, Partisan Politics, and the Battle for Public Ed...

In our modern world, the term “colonizer” is as pejorative as it’s ever been. Roger Cohen is Paris bureau chief for The New York Times, and he joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the ways we’ve historically discussed colonizers, how that’s changing, and how our new terminology is playing out in the war in Gaza. His article is “ Who’s a ‘Colonizer’? How an Old Word Became a New Weapon .” Learn about yo...

Volodymyr Zelensky has become a symbol of resistance for the Ukrainian people. Time correspondent Simon Shuster joins host Krys Boyd to discuss his new biography of the comedian-turned-Ukrainian president, for which he interviewed Zelensky’s family, friends, military leaders and detractors to tell the story of his battle against Russia and struggle to keep the West engaged in the war. Shuster’s bo...

Fear is a natural human response – is there a way we can mitigate its harmful effects? Dr. Arash Javanbakht is a psychiatrist and neuroscientist who currently serves as the director of the Stress, Trauma, and Anxiety Research Clinic (STARC) at Wayne State University School of Medicine. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how fear works in the brain, its relationship to PTSD and trauma, and how we c...

Universities are struggling to protect free speech on campuses while safeguarding the well-being of all students. Len Gutkin, senior editor at The Chronicle Review, joins host Krys Boyd to talk about the aftermath of the recent Congressional hearings on campus anti-Semitism and about how universities are struggling to maintain the tradition of being places that welcome the free exchange of ideas....

Six in 10 Americans polled by the Pew Research Center say having political conversations with people they disagree with is generally stressful and frustrating. Does it have to be this way? Utah Gov. Spencer Cox (Republican) and Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly (Democrat) join host Krys Boyd to talk about why disagreement doesn’t have to lead to disrespectful rhetoric and insults, and about how we can have...

If you want to get a physicist truly excited, ask about all the math and science involved in the search for other universes. Paul Halpern is professor of physics at St. Joseph’s University and a prolific science writer, and he joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the search for parallel universes and how scientists account for unmeasurable figures in their theories. His book is “ The Allure of the Mult...