News Nerds

 It’s primary season! Earlier this week, 7 states held primary elections including Montana were I produce this show. Because of the 2020 census, we’ve gained an additional seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. This week we’ll listen to my interview with former state representative, Tom Winter. He ran in Montana’s new western congressional district as a democrat agains...

In the years following the so called ‘secret war’, when the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency trained the ethnic group of the Hmong to fight against the Northern Vietnamese, mysterious reports emerged of a yellow substance falling out of aircrafts and causing harm, sometimes fatally, to the Hmong. Reports from Hmong migrants leaving Laos detailed the destruction this substance,...

In his first memoir, novelist Brian Morton chronicles the story of his mother as she suffers from the effects of a stroke and then dementia. The book, Tasha: A Son’s Memoir is an excellent look into the lives of not only one family, but I think, many others who have gone through similar experiences with their relatives. From when he resorts to hiding a recording device in his mother...

As the war in Ukraine continues, the information behind the conflict continues to change rapidly. This week we’re joined by Mark Cancian. He’s a senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a think tank based in Washington D.C; this week he’s helping us understand some of the crucial logistics and reasoning behind the war. We’ll also hear from his daughter, Caroline,...

When my guest this week, Neda Toloui - Semnani’s grandfather walked across the dessert to Tehran in search of work decades ago, he decided on a surname for his family. Toloui (of sunrise), and Semnani (of Semnan). This is just one of the stories described in Neda Toloui - Semnani’s new memoir, They Said They Wanted Revolution: A Memoir of my Parents. Her book chronicles the story of...

It's our second year anniversary show, but do you know who’s been on the air a lot longer? It’s the British Broadcasting Corporation, or the BBC. This we’re talking to historian, author, and BBC insider, David Hendy. He’s latest books, 'The BBC: A People's History' (UK) and 'The BBC: A Century on Air' (USA) detail the 100 years of the BBC. We’ll talk about the BBC’s founding in...

When Russia started its invasion of Ukraine in February, my guest this week, Michael Kimmage was watching the conflict unfold from Washington D.C. He oversaw the Russia/Ukraine portfolio from 2014 to early 2017 for the U.S. State Department. He’s now a professor at Catholic University. We talk about Russia’s ambitions for the war, possible outcomes of the war, and more.

This week, we’re getting the latest on the war in Ukraine with journalist Maria Romanenko. She left the country on the first day of the invasion and she’s telling us the process of crossing multiple boarders to get into the UK were she is now. She’ll tell us how President Zelensky was elected in 2019 and why she’ll return to Ukraine when it’s safe to do so. Also, freelance journalis...

This we’re back with another edition of the podcast. We’ll start off the show with a short summary of the latest news. Next we’ll talking to Manny Marotta, he’s an independent journalist who was reporting from Ukraine as Russia started its invasion. He’s now in the US, but this week he’s telling us how he got out of Ukraine - on foot. Later, we’ll be talking to renowned chef, author, and...

 We’re starting the show this week with my interview with Natalia Melnychuk. In addition to working for PEN International , an association dedicated to advocacy for writers, poets, journalists, and people of the pen, Natalia works as a freelance journalist. After she left Ukraine on the second day of the Russian invasion, she traveled to the UK. At the end of the show...

As the war in Ukraine continues, now into its 2nd week, we have what you need to understand the Russian invasion. We’re starting off the show with the latest on Ukraine including the latest on the occupation of the port city Kherson, President Biden’s state of the union adress, and how the world is reacting to the invasion. We’re going directly to Ukraine where freelance journalist Mirce...

This week we’re joined by author and journalist Joshua Prager. Joshua's latest book, The Family Roe: an American Story, chronicles the family behind Roe vs. Wade, the historic Supreme Court decision that is being challenged today. In the book, Joshua details the family behind the pseudonym, Roe. Ezra

This week we’re joined by one of the youngest state senators in office right now, democratic representative Will Haskell. Will was elected as the state senator for the 26th district of Connecticut when he was only 22, and now he’s written a book about the experience. It’s called 100,000 First Bosses: My Unlikely Path As a 22-Year-Old Lawmaker. We’ll talk about the book, his path to the&n...

Known for works such as The Giver Quartet, Number The Stars, and The Willoughbys, author Lois Lowry joins for the whole episode. We'll talk about her most well-known books, as well as her newest books, including On The Horizon and the Willoughbys Return. Ezra

The former CDC director, Dr. Tom Frieden joins us this week to discuss the latest on the Covid pandemic including the Omicron variant, N95 masks, and more. Dr. Frieden served as CDC director from 2009, 2017. He’s also the founder of Resolve to Save Lives an organization working to prevent cardiovascular disease and epidemics. Also, television legend, Betty White has died,...

It’s the holiday season and on this episode of News Nerds you’ll hear some never before heard before and after discussions with two of our past guests. First, we’ll be hearing from Lisa Napoli. Lisa is a former journalist turned author who’s latest book is called Susan, Linda, Nina & Cokie: The Extraordinary Story of the Founding Mothers of NPR. Next, Scott Horsley tells me about how he starte...

British environmentalist and author Jonathon Porritt talks with us about his new book Hope in Hell: How we can Confront the Climate Crisis and Save the Earth. Also Daniel Carr, an owner of Carr’s Steakhouse in Mayfield Kentucky. The restaurant was destroyed by deadly tornadoes that swept through Kentucky and the surrounding states. That's all this week on News Nerds for Wednesday, December 22nd, 2...

NPR’s chief economics correspondent Scott Horsley joins us this week to discuss the stock market, November’s unemployment and jobs reports, how the Omicron variant might affect the economy, inflation, and more this week on News Nerds for Friday, December 17th, 2021. Ezra

We’re joined by New York Times science and global health Reporter Apoorva Mandavilli and Michaeleen Doucleff, a correspondent for NPR’s Science desk, this week on News Nerds for Wednesday, December 8th, 2021. They share their reporting on the new Covid-19 strain, Omicron which was detected on November 23rd in South Africa. The World Health Organization (or WHO) labeled the variant a vari...

We’re joined this week by Simon Kofe, the foreign minister to Tuvalu, a small country about halfway between Australia and Hawaii. He recorded a viral video for the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow where he stands knee deep in the Pacific Ocean, where he says was once land. We talk about Tuvalu and what would happen if the islands making up Tuvalu were to go under water. Also, John Swartzberg. ...

NPR’s Susan Stamberg and Linda Wertheimer join us this week to discuss their careers, being a woman journalist in the 70s at a startup organization, and more. We’re back after a break from the podcast. There’s going to be some amazing interviews in store for you this season on News Nerds. For example, listen next week for an interview about COP26 with Tuvalu's foreign minister, Simon Kofe! Ez...

The Huntington Beach oil spill in California has spilt approximately 126,000 gallons of crude oil, damaging the ecosystem. Meanwhile, the KNP Complex fire rages through the state, destroying over 80,000 acres of land and threatening ancient sequoia trees, some of which have been standing for thousands of years. Gabrielle Canon a reporter for the Guardian shares her reporting on the oil spill and t...

On this week’s episode I talk to Pulitzer and Peabody award winner, Nadja Drost. She is a correspondent for the PBS Newshour. Before the pandemic she and Bruno Federico documented the struggle of immigrants from around the world crossing a dangerous stretch of jungle called the Darien Gap, many without adequate supplies. She talks to me today about the Darien Gap, what immigrates face there, how t...

 It’s September and that means the end of summer. Over the season we’ve talked to some amazing guests and covered so much. Today we’re looking back on that. This week, my interview with BJ Leiderman. He is composer of many notable (NPR) National Public Radio themes. These include the Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me’s theme, the Weekend edition Saturday and Sunday themes, as well as the original morni...

This week we continue to cover the transfer of power in Afghanistan, where the Afghan government fell to the Taliban last Sunday. From inside Kabul, Ali Latifi speaks to us with a firsthand account of Kabul. Ali is a correspondent for Al Jazeera English. But first we talk to Lynne O’Donnell. She left the country on the last commercial flight out of the Kabul airport last Sunday along with Afghanis...