Episodes

  • Best Of: Inside Elon Musk's Twitter Takeover / Comic Taylor Tomlinson

    Best Of: Inside Elon Musk's Twitter Takeover / Comic Taylor Tomlinson
    Sep 14 2024
    Journalists Ryan Mac and Kate Conger talk about the chaos Elon Musk created inside Twitter, how Musk moved further to the political right, and how Trump wants to appoint Musk to head a new efficiency commission. Their book is Character Limit.

    Also, we'll hear from comedian Taylor Tomlinson, host of CBS's late-night talk show After Midnight. Tomlinson started doing stand up when she was 16 and took a class with a Christian comedian. Then she started testing her material on the church circuit.

    And, Maureen Corrigan reviews Rachel Kushner's new novel, Creation Lake.

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    49 mins
  • Remembering Actor James Earl Jones

    Remembering Actor James Earl Jones
    Sep 13 2024
    James Earl Jones was the voice of Darth Vader in Star Wars and Mafusa in The Lion King, and once the voice of CNN. But there was a time when he didn't want to be heard. We revisit his 1993 interview with Terry Gross about how he overcame his stutter. Jones died this week at 93.

    Also we remember late guitarist Russell Malone. He played with Diana Krall and Harry Connick Jr.

    Film critic Justin Chang reviews His Three Daughters.

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    46 mins
  • Gearing Up For A Post-Election Legal Fight

    Gearing Up For A Post-Election Legal Fight
    Sep 12 2024
    Democrats and Republicans learned from the legal fight over the 2020 elections, New York Times reporter Nick Corasaniti explains how both sides are prepping for 2024 ballot box fight.

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    45 mins
  • How Elon Musk Destroyed Twitter

    How Elon Musk Destroyed Twitter
    Sep 11 2024
    After buying Twitter in 2022, Elon Musk instituted sweeping changes. He laid off or fired about 75% of the staff –including about half the data scientists. He also ended rules banning hate speech and misinformation. Authors Kate Conger and Ryan Mac recount the takeover in Character Limit.

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    44 mins
  • The Unchecked Power Of Sheriffs

    The Unchecked Power Of Sheriffs
    Sep 10 2024
    Investigative journalist Jessica Pishko says that a growing group of "constitutional sheriffs" have become a flashpoint in the current politics of toxic masculinity, guns, white supremacy, and rural resentment. "Constitutional sheriffs would argue that there is no one who can tell them what to do," Pishko says. "Not the president, not the Supreme Court, not the governor, not the legislature. Sometimes constitutional sheriffs will call themselves something like a king." Her book is The Highest Law in the Land.

    Also, Maureen Corrigan reviews Creation Lake, by Rachel Kushner.

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    44 mins
  • Taylor Tomlinson Is Ready To Joke About Her Bipolar II. Mostly.

    Taylor Tomlinson Is Ready To Joke About Her Bipolar II. Mostly.
    Sep 9 2024
    The After Midnight host was initially unsure about sharing her bipolar II diagnosis on-stage. But, she tells co-host Tonya Mosley, "I got such amazing feedback from people who had been struggling with their mental health." Her new Netflix comedy special is Have It All.

    Also, David Bianculli reviews the new season of Only Murders in the Building.

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    45 mins
  • Best Of: SCOTUS Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson / Novelist Danzy Senna

    Best Of: SCOTUS Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson / Novelist Danzy Senna
    Sep 7 2024
    Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson's new memoir, Lovely One, gives us a rare glimpse into her legal mind. And she gets personal about her childhood, marriage and her time as a public defender.

    Also, we hear from writer Danzy Senna, who writes about the experiences of being biracial in America and the meaning of race itself. Her new novel Colored Television.

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    48 mins
  • Inside The Making Of 'The Sopranos'

    Inside The Making Of 'The Sopranos'
    Sep 6 2024
    25 years ago, The Sopranos premiered on HBO and changed expectations of what TV could be. There's a new two-part documentary, called Wise Guy, about the making of the show, centering on the series creator and executive producer, David Chase. We're using that as an excuse to revisit our interviews with Chase, as well as Lorraine Bracco, who played Tony's psychiatrist, Dr. Melfi, and Michael Imperioli, who played Tony's impetuous nephew.

    Film critic Justin Chang reviews Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.

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    47 mins