Episodes

  • Best Of: Stacey Abrams / Raphael Saadiq

    Best Of: Stacey Abrams / Raphael Saadiq
    Jul 19 2025
    Stacey Abrams is known as a voting rights activist, former candidate for Georgia governor, and founder of Fair Fight Action. But she's also a bestselling author, and has a new novel, a thriller revolving around a former Supreme Court clerk investigating a murder inside an AI company.

    Also, book critic Maureen Corrigan recommends two summer non-fiction books.

    And we hear from musician and producer Raphael Saadiq. He's known for his work as a member of Tony! Toni! Toné! and as a solo artist. He's produced and written for artists like Solange, D'Angelo, Beyoncé, John Legend, and many more.

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    47 mins
  • In The Dugout With Baseball All Stars

    In The Dugout With Baseball All Stars
    Jul 18 2025
    As Major League Baseball celebrates a memorable All Star Game, we feature some of our favorite baseball interviews – with crafty veteran pitcher Jamie Moyer, cerebral and successful manager Tony La Russa, and slugger Mike Piazza on his epic confrontation with Roger Clemens in the World Series.

    John Powers reviews Cloud, the new psychological thriller from Japanese director Kiyoshi Kurosawa.

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    47 mins
  • Congress has voted to eliminate government funding for public media

    Congress has voted to eliminate government funding for public media
    Jul 18 2025
    Act now to ensure public media remains free and accessible to all. Your donation will help this essential American service survive and thrive. Visit donate.npr.org now.

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    2 mins
  • The Dominance & Decline Of The Condé Nast Magazine Empire

    The Dominance & Decline Of The Condé Nast Magazine Empire
    Jul 17 2025
    For decades, Condé Nast publications such as Vogue and Vanity Fair were consequential tastemakers. Writer Michael Grynbaum explores the heyday of these magazines and how they lost their footing. His book is Empire of the Elite: Inside Condé Nast, the Media Dynasty That Reshaped America.

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    44 mins
  • Rising Floods, Cuts To FEMA And Future Chaos

    Rising Floods, Cuts To FEMA And Future Chaos
    Jul 16 2025
    ProPublica Editor-at-Large Abrahm Lustgarten says the deadly flooding in Central Texas — which has killed over 130 people — underscores the dangers of a more volatile climate. Despite clear scientific evidence, the federal government has made cuts to research and forecasting, even threatening to dismantle FEMA. "We could talk about the floods in Texas as being an early warning sign of policy degradation to come," he says. "And we can expect to be more on our own and unsupported by those policies when these disasters continue to happen in the future.

    Also, film critic Justin Chang reviews Sorry, Baby.

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    45 mins
  • Stacey Abrams On American Autocracy & Her New Chapter

    Stacey Abrams On American Autocracy & Her New Chapter
    Jul 15 2025
    Abrams isn't running for office — but she's not ruling it out, either. "Politics is a tool ... for getting good done, but it's not the only one." Her new thriller novel is Coded Justice. She spoke with Tonya Mosley about voter suppression, her faith, and collaborating with her siblings on her books.

    Also, David Bianculli reviews the BritBox period drama Outrageous.

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    45 mins
  • The 'Jailhouse Lawyer' Who Freed Innocent People — Including Himself

    The 'Jailhouse Lawyer' Who Freed Innocent People — Including Himself
    Jul 14 2025
    While serving a life sentence for a murder he didn't commit, Calvin Duncan studied law, hoping to appeal his case. In the process he became a jailhouse lawyer. We'll talk about how he managed to help free many wrongly convicted prisoners, including himself, while facing countless legal obstacles confronting people who are poor and Black. His memoir is The Jailhouse Lawyer.

    Maureen Corrigan recommends two summer non-fiction books: The Salt Stones By Helen Whybrow and A Marriage at Sea By Sophie Elmhirst.

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    44 mins
  • Best Of: A 'Failed' Child Star / A Novel About Pregnancy Post-Roe

    Best Of: A 'Failed' Child Star / A Novel About Pregnancy Post-Roe
    Jul 12 2025
    Tamara Yajia grew up Jewish in Argentina, intent on becoming a child star. But just when her break was coming along, her family emigrated to California. Her new memoir is Cry for Me, Argentina.

    TV critic David Bianculli reviews a new HBO Max documentary about Ms. magazine.

    Leila Mottley's novel The Girls Who Grew Big follows a group of teenage mothers in the Florida Panhandle who form a close-knit community to support each other through the challenges of young motherhood.

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    49 mins