It's Been a Minute

Several entertainers and artists have severed ties with the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts since President Trump assumed chairmanship of the organization. This week, Brittany is joined by Paper Magazine writer Joan Summers and New York Times Magazine writer J Wortham to unpack the implications of a government-influenced national culture center, and the state of art in America today...

Keke Palmer and SZA play two down on their luck friends who run into a series of hilarious unfortunate events in One of Them Days . Host Brittany Luse and IBAM producer Corey Antonio Rose joined NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour to discuss how this raunchy affair pulls off a story about friendship, unreasonable landlords, and gentrification. Support public media and receive ad-free listening & bonus. J...

We're back with "All the Lonely People," a series diving deep into how loneliness shows up in our lives. This week: is the men's loneliness epidemic overblown? There's been a lot more attention on loneliness in the past few years, with special attention on men's loneliness. And some men definitely are lonely: according to a recent Pew survey , 16% of men say they're lonely all or most of the time....

The price of eggs is skyrocketing due to avian flu, with no clear signs of slowing down. This week, Brittany is joined by NPR health correspondent Will Stone and public health nutritionist Marion Nestle to understand the precarities of our food safety system, and what we can do to stay safe. Support public media and receive ad-free listening. Join NPR+ today. See pcm.adswizz.com for information ab...

How do you adapt an "unadaptable" book? Today, host Brittany Luse finds out with RaMell Ross , director of the Oscar nominated adaptation of Colson Whitehead's The Nickel Boys . The story, set in the Jim Crow South, follows two Black boys doing everything they can to survive their tenure at the abusive Nickel Academy in Tallahassee, Florida. The film brings us a new perspective on Black life and c...

We're launching a series called "All the Lonely People," diving deep into how loneliness shows up in our lives and how our culture shapes it. This week, why are moms so acutely lonely? Brittany hears from her listeners, and from the experts: Jessica Grose, New York Times opinion writer and author of the book Screaming on the Inside: the Unsustainability of American Motherhood , and parental burnou...

Have you been dodging the news lately? Feeling a familiar sense of info fatigue creeping in? You're not alone. This week, Brittany is joined by NPR's White House reporter Danielle Kurtzleben and The Atlantic's Jonathan Lemire to unpack the Trump administration's "Flood the Zone" strategy - and how listeners can stay afloat. Support public media and receive ad-free listening. Join NPR+ today . See...

President Trump has signed numerous executive orders surrounding immigration, but one in particular put everyone on high alert - a move to end birthright citizenship. While the order is unlikely to stand, what does the pushback to this Constitutional right say about the state of our country, and who stands to benefit from its dissolution? Brittany sits down with NPR's immigration correspondent Jas...

Data from Gallup and the Bureau of Labor Statistics show that Americans are reading fewer books and spending less time reading than ever. There's been reporting on college kids struggling to finish longer texts. And last month, in a viral post , one user lamented their loss of concentration for reading, which led to a larger online discourse about how to approach books again. Brittany is joined by...

The new Trump administration is using the language of civil rights but flipping it on its head. If 'diversity' is now being coded as discrimination, what does that mean for the future of civil rights? Brittany is joined by Columbia Law professor Olatunde Johnson and Pulitzer prize-winning journalist Wesley Lowery to look at how the Trump administration is dismantling federal diversity, equity, and...

How do you bring the African Diaspora to the Grammys? Esperanza Spalding and Milton Nascimento's contrasting tones make a perfect team on Milton + esperanza, a collection of covers, duets, and original songs that have earned the pair a Grammy nomination for Best Jazz Vocal Album. Today, Brittany and Esperanza get into the years-long intergenerational friendship behind the music, and the Brazilian...

What good is a Humanities degree? According to two intellectuals, Dr. Ally Louks and Jason Stanley , the Humanities help us better connect to other humans. According to a lot of online haters, they're worthless. Dr. Louks recently posted her Cambridge University PhD thesis online and was piled on by a loud group of right-wing anti-intellectuals. Brittany, Dr. Louks, and Jason Stanley, a professor...

President Trump is no stranger to buddying up with the ultra rich, and that was on full display at his inauguration . Tech CEOs billionaires like Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, and Jeff Bezos were lined up at the proceeding. But beyond the optics, what policies are these CEOs and the new president working on together? Brittany is joined by NPR's tech correspondent Bobby Allyn and The Atlantic's Ashle...

Donald Trump has been re-sworn in as President of the United States. And for this re-ascendency, he owes a thank you to Latino voters, especially Latino evangelicals. They turned out for him in double digits in the last election. So what is it about Latinos, evangelicalism, and Trump's brand of Republicanism that helped tip the White House back in his favor? President and founder of the Public Rel...

Is beef tallow a good skincare moisturizer? According to Pew Research Center , 79% of New Year's resolutions are about one thing: health. It's Been a Minute is kicking off 2025 with a little series called "new year, new me." We're getting into some of the big questions and cultural confusion around our health and wellness. For our final installment, we're getting into a new skincare trend: using b...

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that Meta will end their third-party fact checking program , loosen their hate speech restrictions, and move some of the company to Texas. What's all of that signal about what we will see on social platforms in the coming months and years? Brittany Luse is joined by NPR reporter Huo Jingnan and Washington Post tech reporter Naomi Nix to break down Meta's tangled...

Bad Bunny's new album, DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS , has struck a chord with fans worldwide. He's always expressed a deep love for Puerto Rico, but his latest work takes it to new heights. In his fusion of old and new genres, he speaks to the shared experiences of the Puerto Rican diaspora and looks to their collective past as a way forward. Writer Carina del Valle Schorske and La Brega podcast host, Ala...

Beyoncé's Cowboy Carter-themed NFL halftime show performance showcased Black Americana, and drew in millions of viewers, but it left some viewers asking: Is she America's greatest propagandist? And which version of America is she promoting? Brittany Luse is joined by music and Black feminism scholar Daphne A. Brooks and mass communication historian Nick Cull , to unpack what is and isn't propagand...

How much protein do you really need to consume? According to Pew Research Center , 79% of New Year's resolutions are about one thing: health. It's Been a Minute is kicking off 2025 with a little series called "new year, new me." We're getting into some of the big questions and cultural confusion around our health and wellness. Today – we're getting into the macronutrient du jour: protein. High pro...

Five years ago progressive Democrats seemed to be on the rise. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez had just ousted a moderate Democrat, and Senator Bernie Sanders looked like he could win the party's nomination. Now, two members of the progressive group known as "The Squad" have lost their re-election bids. This week, Brittany sits down with one of them, former congressional representative, Cori Bush of Miss...

Why is sobriety more popular than ever? According to Pew – 79% of New Year's resolutions are about one thing: health. It's Been a Minute is kicking off 2025 with a little series called "new year, new me." We're getting into some of the big questions and cultural confusion around our health and wellness. This week – many Americans are starting out the year by cutting out alcohol and going "dry." Bu...

Brittany has some predictions for the big trends to watch for in 2025. First, social media is OUT. Not that people will stop using social platforms, but rather, Brittany thinks what they mean to us will continue shifting. Second, politicizing food is IN. Brittany thinks food will increasingly become a marker of political identity. You are what you eat? No, what you eat is a sign of what you believ...

Happy New Year! Pop champagne, kiss a loved one, and turn on the rom-com that made New Year's Eve a backdrop of your fall inspo Pinterest board: When Harry Met Sally. But don't stop there. Ilana Kaplan , author of Nora Ephron at the Movies , joins the show to put a spotlight on the woman that helped usher in the golden era of rom-coms and influenced the return of rom-coms. Support public media and...

From HBO's Industry to FX's The Bear, 2024 was full of TV characters working out their "daddy issues" the tough way...by committing patricide. This week Brittany is joined by Vulture's TV critic Roxana Hadadi and The New Yorker's Inkoo Kang to compare and contrast a new generation of daddy killers. Why do we enjoy seeing screen dads offed? And what does that say about our own anxieties about patri...

To close out 2024, Brittany and friends are running through the best and worst pop culture moments of the past 365 days. Along with NPR's Weekend Edition host Ayesha Rascoe and Code Switch co-host B.A. Parker , the three declare winners and losers in the following categories: WORD OF THE YEAR "Crash Out" "Cutesy" "Hawk Tuah" THE LOUDEST GASP HEARD AROUND THE WORLD Katt Williams on Club Shay Shay K...