Think from KERA

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...

One of the challenges to counting all the people who identify as Native American or Alaska Native is squaring federal definitions of identity with tribal ones. Mark Trahant, editor-at-large for ICT, and Dee Alexander, Intergovernmental Tribal Affairs Specialist with the U.S. Census Bureau, join host Krys Boyd to discuss the ways the government counts tribal affiliation vs. the ways tribes count th...

Type-A people, with their drive, focus and relentless pursuit of perfection, are at risk of burnout and health problems. Dr. Romie Mushtaq is a physician and chief wellness officer for Evolution Hospitality. She joins host Krys Boyd to discuss what she calls the “busy brain” – linked to insomnia, ADD and anxiety – and offers strategies to tame overactive minds. Her book is “ The Busy Brain Cure: T...

Each of us is the product of a long string of decisions and even chance that occurred long before we were even born – a thought that can boggle the mind. Brian Klaas is professor of global politics at University College London and host of the Power Corrupts podcast. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the ways our actions and even inactions affect not just our lives, but history, and how we find wa...

In the aftermath of the 2020 election, everyone from U.S. senators to local election workers have been threatened with physical violence. Zack Beauchamp is a senior correspondent at Vox, and he joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how these threats impact voting and how elections are conducted. His article is “ How death threats get Republicans to fall in line behind Trump. ” Learn about your ad choice...

It’s OK to fail at work, but there is a right way to do it. Amy Edmondson, Novartis Professor of Leadership and Management at the Harvard Business School, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why corporate American approaches failure all wrong, and how to incorporate healthy lessons from flubs in the workplace. Her book is “ Right Kind of Wrong: The Science of Failing Well .” Learn about your ad choice...

The Democrats used to be the party of the working class, but they’re increasingly losing that audience. George Packer is a staff writer at The Atlantic, and he joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the ways cultural issues have divided the Republican and Democratic parties, and why it will be hard for Democrats to win back a class of workers that might just determine the outcome of this year’s elections...

There have been seven coups across Africa from 2020 to 2023. Murithi Mutiga, director of the Africa Program at the International Crisis Group, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the challenges democracy faces in the grip of political violence, and the risk of that violence spreading to the rest of the continent. His Foreign Affairs article, written with Comfort Ero, is “ The Crisis of African Democra...

The idea that owning will make you happy and fulfilled is part of the self-determinism ideal of the American Dream. Benjamin C. Waterhouse, associate professor of history at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss myths about being your own boss and why you might actually be happier working a regular 9-5 job. His book is “ One Day I’ll Work for Myself: The...

So, you’ve already fallen short on your New Year’s resolutions. Time to reset, recharge and start again! Jancee Dunn is the Well columnist for The New York Times, and she joins host Krys Boyd to discuss a simple, step-by-step way to find energy in the New Year, from tips from psychologists to what to eat and how to exercise. Her series is “ The 6-Day Energy Challenge. ” Learn about your ad choices...