News Nerds

The Taliban have seized control of Afghanistan. On this episode, special coverage of the transfer of power. We begin the show with an interview with Mike Jason. He’s a retired army colonel who served for 24 years on active duty. He lead combat units around the world including in Iraq, Kosovo, and Afghanistan. He talks to me about what went wrong in Afghanistan, If he saw this coming, what needs to...

 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,...

On this week’s episode I talk to Pulitzer Prize winning cartoonist, Barry Blitt. He illustrates cartoons for the New Yorker and other publications. He has contributed over 100 covers to the New Yorker. He talks to me about his inspiration, what his son thinks of his work, his controversial 2008 cover depicting the Obamas fist bumping in the Oval Office, and more. Also, the listener challenge will...

Hi Listeners, On this week's episode I spend almost a full half hour talking to Canadian author, Alan Bradley. He is the author of the Flavia De Luce mystery series , a series of 10 books. He talks to me about writing the series and his life growing up in Canada. Also, the News Nerds listener challenge is back from it's little vacation! Read it here: ⬇️ Take the name of a well known children’s aut...

 On this week’s episode we listen back to my interview with Cindy Christin and Debbie from NY. Cindy's a librarian at the Bozeman Public Library. I talked to her at the beginning of the pandemic for one of my first episodes of News Nerds. She talked to me about the closure of the library, her advice for book lovers, and more. Debbie has talked to me for 3 interviews over my 50 episodes and th...

 On this weeks episode we listen back to my interview with journalist Bill Kurtis. He is currently the scorekeeper for NPR’s Wait Wait Don't Tell Me, a news quiz launched in 1998. He talks to me about how he started his journalistic career, his position as a CBS news anchor, his work at Wait Wait Don't Tell Me, and more. Also, its my first week with a my new microphone which could not have be...

On this week’s episode I talk to John Swartzberg. He is the clinical professor at the School of Public Health at UC Berkeley. He talks to me this week about the CDC’s guidance to allow vaccinated citizens to go mask-less, school districts decisions to remove their mask mandates for students and staff, the new FDA approval for a new drug to treat alzimers, and more. Also, the geographical location...

 Hello listeners, On this week’s episode we listen back to my interview with Alice Waters. Alice Waters is the founder of the Chez Panisse restaurant in Berkeley, California. She helped create the farm to table movement in the United States and writes about sustainable food in her new book, We Are What We Eat: A Slow Food Manifesto . Also, the geographical location challenge where a new count...

 Hi listeners, On this week’s episode I talk to Jeremy Hobson. Jeremy was the host of NPR’s Here & Now and before that, the Marketplace Morning Report. He talks to me about his experience at Here & Now, why he left, his early career in radio when he contributed to a WILL show in Illinois called Treehouse Radio, what the LGBTQ movement means to him as a gay man, and more. Also, a mass...

 On this week’s episode, we’ll be spending a whole half an hour with liberal political pundit Bill Press. Bill talks to me about current events in the US such as Biden’s presidency and the issues he faces, what Donald Trump could have done better to win the election in November, and Liz Cheney’s oust from her leadership positions in the Republican Party. He also was the cohost of political de...

This week we talk to Lisa Napoli. We'll spend almost half an hour with her today. She's a former journalist who worked at the New York Times, CNN, Marketplace, and other prominent news organizations. After her career in journalism, Lisa became the author of four books, two of which we'll be talking about today. Her most recent book is Susan, Linda, Nina & Cokie: The Extraordinary Story of the...

Hello listeners, On this week's episode I talk with BJ Leiderman. If you're a public radio listener, you probably already know who he is. He is the composer behind many NPR themes including the former Morning Edition theme, the Car Talk stump the chumps theme, the Science Friday theme, and many more. We talk about his childhood inspiration, his one and only album, and of course, how he originally...

Hello listeners, On this week’s episode I talk to legendary journalist Bill Kurtis. He talks to me about his beginnings in journalism, his work at CBS Morning News, his fight for sustainable agriculture, and more. Elsewhere, Rudy Giuliani’s Manhattan Apartment has been searched by the FBI for possible connections to Ukraine. He was Former President Donald Trump’s attorney.  Also, please help...

On this week's episode we talk to Dr. Irene Pepperberg. She is an associate at the department of physiology at Harvard. Also on this week's episode, Senator Bernie Sanders and House of Representatives member Pramila Jayapal propose new legislation that may make it free for eligible students to go to public and community college. Elsewhere on the show, the verdict is in in the trial for former poli...

On this week’s episode we go to Minneapolis where the trial for former police officer Dereke Chauvin continues. On Wednesday, Dr. David Fowler testified to the court and came to the conclusion that George Floyd, who died after Chauvin kneeled on his neck for over nine minutes, died of a cardiac event. Also on episode 41, wildlife journal. A team of researchers have discovered that baby sea stars e...

 On this week's episode I review the book, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Find out if it's the book for you. Elsewhere on the show, we examine the claims of blood clotting in the AstraZeneca vaccine. Later we travel to Arkansas where the Republican governor, Asa Hutchinson, vetoed House Bill 1570, which would make gender-affirming care illegal for minors. After the veto, the Republi...

On this week's episode I talk to Dr. John Swartzberg. I talked to him in early December for a previous episode. He talks to us about new variants of covid-19, the new Johnson and Johnson vaccine, the US's next steps, and more. Also on this week's episode, India joins us for the geographical location challenge. On wildlife journal, we talk about stranded jellyfish on the west coast. All this and mo...

 On this week's episode, we look back on some of my favorite interviews. We look back on my interview with former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, my interview with Brian Von Herzen, and the news quiz with Debbie from New York City. It's a good one! This week I'm submitting a podcast to the NPR Student Podcast Challenge. I'll have more news on that later in the month and into next month. Ou...

 On this week's episode, I talk to renowned chef Alice Waters. Mrs. Waters help start the farm-to-table movement in the 70s. She opened her restaurant Chez Panisse in 1971 in Berkeley California. We talk about her favorite dishes, her travels to France, and how Chez Panisse responded to the covid-19 pandemic. Also, the geographical location challenge and wildlife journal is back with a look a...

Hello, This week I interview Tony Kahn. You might know him as a panelist from NPR's Says You! He has also produced numerous other works for public radio including Blacklisted. Gordon Kahn, Tony's father was blacklisted by Hollywood after he was accused of being part of the communist party. When this happened, the US government was much more Republican. Tony and the rest of his family had to flee t...

Hello, This week we discuss the second impeachment of former President Donald Trump. He was impeached in the house with 10 Republicans joining the Democrats. This week, the Senate has been debating the impeachment. We'll hear some of the evidence that has been brought up, and the arguments that each side is making. Also, the groundhog Punxsutawney Phil has been Predicting the weather pattern for o...

This week, Alberto Gonzales, the former Attorney General under George W. Bush joins me. We talk about current politics, and his experience as Attorney General. We discuss the impeachment of Donald Trump, and his refusal to concede the 2020 election. Also, the new design of the 20 dollar bill that may replace the current design. Harriet Tubman may replace Andrew Jackson on the 20 dollar bill, pushi...

 Hello! Today will be marked as a historic day in America. Kamala Harris made history by becoming get first woman and person of color to serve as a Vice President. She and Biden were sworn in today. Ezra will give you a report on what happened at the ceremony, and what Biden plans to do with his first few days in office. He's already signed 17 executive orders! President Trump was absent from...

Hello, On this week's episode Ezra talks about the second impeachment of Donald J. Trump. This time, Democrats are impeaching the president because of his remarks last Wednesday to his supports that would later arrive to the US capital, breach the capital system, and put lawmakers lives at risk. They are also citing his refusal to concede in the presidential election that he lost. Republicans are...

Hello, On what was a terrible day for many Americans, the US Capital Building has been stormed by rioters from the extreme right. Rioters stormed the building Wednesday, halting the confirmation of the Electoral Votes from the 2020 election. Thousands broke into the capital with guns and Trump signs. Police tried to restrain these moves, and after hours of this, the building was evacuated. Lawmake...