• Why you fight about the dishwasher
    Nov 27 2025

    Every relationship has a person who loads the dishwasher like an architect, and one who throws plates in like a tornado. Ellen Cushing, staff writer for The Atlantic, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why arguments over daily chores might signal deeper issues in a partnership, why some household appliances have such a hold on us, and, yes, we’ll get to scientific proof of how that dishwasher is really supposed to be loaded. (Be prepared to tell your significant other.) Her article is, “There Are Two Types of Dishwasher People.

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    47 mins
  • How philanthropy makes America possible
    Nov 26 2025

    Federal spending on everything from education to medical research has been sharply curtailed this year. So, what might fill the funding gap? Host Krys Boyd talks with three guests about the role of philanthropy in America – from providing an economic boost to communities to sending students to college to protecting our national parks.

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    47 mins
  • Why singles are giving up on dating
    Nov 25 2025

    There’s a record number of single people out there, but they aren’t finding each other. Jonathan Rosenthal, international editor for The Economist, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why young people are throwing in the towel on finding the perfect partner, what education levels have to do with it, and why those who do want to partner up might be misled by dating apps hiding datable matches. His article is “All over the rich world, fewer people are hooking up and shacking up.”

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    45 mins
  • When will A.I. want to kill us?
    Nov 24 2025

    A.I. is becoming smarter without much help from humans, and that should worry us all. Nate Soares, president of Machine Intelligence Research Institute (MIRI), joins host Krys Boyd to discuss what happens when A.I. brain power surpasses what humans are capable of, why we don’t have the technology yet to understand what we’re building, and why everything will be just fine … until it isn’t. His book, co-written with Eliezer Yudkowsky, is “If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies: Why Superhuman AI Would Kill Us All.”

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    46 mins
  • The U.S. has never had a common identity
    Nov 21 2025

    In the story of the melting pot, the United States can integrate all peoples into one — but what if that’s more of a myth than a metaphor? Colin Woodard is an author, historian, journalist and director of Nationhood Lab at Salve Regina University’s Pell Center for International Relations and Public Policy. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why the civics lessons we’re taught about our country are sometimes overridden by regional cultures, why the origins of our divisions come from where we live, and how a new national story might bring us together. His book is “Nations Apart: How Clashing Regional Cultures Shattered America.”

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    46 mins
  • The wartime justification of deportations
    Nov 20 2025

    Three of the 18th Century laws making up the Alien and Sedition Acts have expired, but the Alien Enemies Act is getting quite a workout today. Qian Julie Wang is managing partner of Gottlieb & Wang LLP, a firm dedicated to advocating for education and civil rights. She joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why the internment of Japanese Americans during WWII was allowed, why students can be deported for supporting Palestine, and how this antiquated law is being used in public policy today. Her introduction appears in the new edition of “The Alien and Sedition Acts.”

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    46 mins
  • Why we need laws to be specific
    Nov 19 2025

    Autocrats are famous for enacting vague laws with specific punishments – and if people preemptively overcorrect their behaviors, all the better. Matthew Purdy is editor at large and writer for The New York Times Magazine. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why the Trump administration has intentionally created vagaries around tariffs, D.E.I. and other areas so that it is difficult to know if one is breaking the law – and how that helps to consolidate presidential power. His article is “In the Trump Presidency, the Rules Are Vague. That Might Be the Point.”

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    46 mins
  • Can you trust generic drugs?
    Nov 18 2025

    When you pop open your medication bottle and take your pills, you assume they are safe. But how do you know? Debbie Cenziper, investigative journalist for ProPublica, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how medicines made in overseas labs don’t always meet U.S. safety standards; why lawmakers, doctors and patients are often unaware of this problem; and why we can’t easily find out where our medication is made. Her article is “Is Your Medication Made in a Contaminated Factory? The FDA Won’t Tell You.”

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    46 mins