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David K. Shipler & Daniel Zwerdling have spent their lives investigating thorny and neglected issues - winning journalism’s top awards along the way. Now, on TWO REPORTERS, they combine forces for the first time. Join Dave and Danny as they interview stel

David K. Shipler & Daniel Zwerdling


    • Jun 14, 2025 LATEST EPISODE
    • monthly NEW EPISODES
    • 40m AVG DURATION
    • 85 EPISODES


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    Latest episodes from TWO REPORTERS

    What emergency powers could Trump declare next? / From the archive

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 14, 2025 31:13


    As we post this episode, Trump has sent Marines and Army National Guard troops to the streets, to try to quash protests by fellow citizens - the vast majority of them peaceful. Our guest Elizabeth Gotein, of the nonpartisan Brennan Center for Justice, has warned us before that any U.S. president could wield dozens of sweeping emergency powers to dismantle democracy, some so secret that members of Congress don't even know about them. We repeated Liz's episode last year and we're repeating it again: The crisis created by Trump and his allies is that serious.

    Are there really similarities between Hitler and Trump?

    Play Episode Listen Later May 24, 2025 59:39


    Hitler and the Nazis assaulted universities, museums and art institutions; purged them of people that Hitler perceived as enemies; and rewrote textbooks and museum exhibits to tell Hitler's (fake) version of history. Sound familiar? Historian Joan Clinefelter, who just retired from the University of Northern Colorado, says that there are major differences between Hitler in his early days and Trump.  "But I think they have the same ultimate goal," Clinefelter tells us, "which is ideological purity, sort of a cultural cleansing of history [and] of culture - so that it only gives the message that they believe is appropriate - and getting rid of anybody who has any sort of dissenting point of view."

    You think "debtors' prisons" shut down in the 1800s? Think again.

    Play Episode Listen Later May 3, 2025 48:57


    The US government outlawed debtors' prisons in the 1830s, the Supreme Court has ruled they're unconstitutional, and you'll find sentences like this on the internet: "Today it is illegal to put someone in prison because of a debt." So how is it that courts across the country lock up thousands of low-income people each year, according to estimates, because they haven't paid up their traffic tickets, garbage collection bills and other minor violations? Lisa Foster, a former judge and co-founder of the Fines and Fees Justice Center, says many courts have become "a place of oppression" because they "make the measure of justice the measure of someone's wealth. That is fundamentally un-American and it is unjust," Lisa tells us. "But our system does it every day."

    Isn't this the perfect time to lose yourself in a captivating novel?

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 12, 2025 48:48


    I think it is (Danny's writing this) - especially when the author is my co-host, David K. Shipler.  Dave's new novel, The Interpreter, takes us into the rice paddies and twisting alleys of Vietnam, right after US troops fled the war there in 1973. But Dave explores provocative issues that would resonate in Iraq or Afghanistan or any other country where interpreters play a crucial role for Americans. David Ignatius, the acclaimed associate editor and columnist of the The Washington Post, reviews it like this: "Shipler captures the awful truth that every correspondent knows - that we are unworthy of the brave men and women who act as our translators and ‘fixers,' the solitary heroes living between two languages and cultures but refusing to take sides." Dave's novel raises provocative questions, sure, but some of my favorite parts are like Vietnam travelogs, painting images of streets pulsing with motorbikes piled with families, chickens and guavas; lush jungles and spidery canals; and Vietnam's foul-smelling but magical-tasting fish sauce.  

    If schools changed what they teach, could that help prevent wars?

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 22, 2025 56:03


    Two Israeli educators argue, with evidence to back them up, that Israel's schools have indoctrinated people over the decades to detest and mistrust Palestinians - and to be primed to fight them (Palestinian schools have done a similar job poisoning their own students against Israelis). Daniel Bar-Tal and Nimrod Tal are convinced that revamping the curriculum could help change Israelis' mindsets, and make them more open to working toward  peace. Wait until you hear how Nimrod taught teachers-in-training last year about distressing, little-known aspects of Israel's history - and how that opened their hearts (at least a bit) to Palestinians.

    Could a deep fake turn your own life upside down?

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 22, 2025 50:14


    AI recreations of real people, which clone their faces, distinctive voices and all, have become so convincing that even top computer specialists are finding it hard to tell the difference between fakery and reality. Creative "deep fakes" aren't all bad - they can bring dead artists and historical figures alive, to energize museums and schools - but most uses so far have been evil: Think fake pornographic videos of your sister or daughter, or scams that bilk people out of millions of dollars. Our guest, law professor Danielle Citron at the University of Virginia, has been advising companies and government officials on how to protect the public from the terrible harm that deep fakes can cause, but executives like Elon Musk don't want to listen. Her worst fears haven't come true yet - such as a deep fake that changes an election or triggers a war - but it's hard not to expect them. 

    Here's another break from depressing events: Can you start a sentence with "And" or "But"?? / From the archive

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 31, 2025 35:59


    Dazzle friends with the grammar smarts you'll get from our second chat with Bryan Garner, one of America's language gurus. Finally, you're about to learn if you can - or cannot - end a sentence with a preposition; if you can use "like" instead of "as"; and if you can banish "whom" and "whomever" from your brain. Just wait until you hear Bryan's rant about lawyers' terrible writing. Speaking of which, can you guess which common five-letter word (which lawyers love) causes endless legal battles? 

    Want a respite from distressing news? OK, grammar is a serious topic, but ...

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 11, 2025 32:43


    ... we've never had so much fun debating it! Bryan Garner, one of America's grammar gurus, tells us where we're going wrong grammatically - and what we're getting right. You're sure to find (you'll surely find?) answers to some of your own burning questions, like (or is it "such as"?): should you feel bad about using adverbs? Or should you feel badly? How will this episode impact your own language? (Actually, is "impact" even a verb?) After hearing our conversation with Bryan, you might not write or speak quite the same way.

    Have you heard what else Trump could do - perhaps legally - to dismantle America's democracy? / From the archive

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 21, 2024 31:13


    Our guest warns that some of this is so secret that even members of Congress don't know it: Past Presidents have drawn up astonishing plans to wield sweeping emergency powers, possibly including seizing control of the internet. Elizabeth Goitein, of the nonpartisan Brennan Center for Justice, has unearthed dozens of these little-known emergency presidential powers - and she says they should scare you. 

    It's easy to use media to foster hate. Hear how an innovative group uses media to DEFUSE ethnic tensions

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 30, 2024 31:10


    In this uplifting chat, John Marks joins us again to tell how Search for Common Ground created radio and TV programs from Africa to Asia - designed to help bring former enemies together. His case studies from Burundi, Kenya and the Democratic Republic of the Congo show how Search's broadcasts helped soothe conflicts between warring groups, and reduced the scourge of rape by rampaging soldiers. The programs obviously are no panacea, but as John says, they are “keeping hope alive.”

    Will Trump follow the playbook of autocrats who destroyed the democracies that brought them to power? / FROM THE ARCHIVE

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 9, 2024 42:47


    Trump has already shown that when he moves back to the White House, he's likely to use the strategies of dictators he admires, such as Viktor Orbán of Hungary: pack courts and agencies with ideological cronies, intimidate and harass the press, and continue to denigrate opponents as “evil,” “low IQ,” "vermin" and “enemies from within.” Harvard professor Steven Levitsky, co-author of How Democracies Die and Tyranny of the Minority, tells us why it could take years to rescue America's democracy. Even if you heard this episode when we first posted it, we think you'll want to listen again now that Trump is returning to the Oval Office.

    Can you get enemies to see what they share in common, and prevent war?

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 19, 2024 50:26


    John Marks says yes - and he and the organization he founded, Search for Common Ground, have made it happen. He tells us surprising stories about how they get people to listen to each other, across hard lines of hatred and suspicion: Russian and American intelligence officers, Iranians and Americans, Israelis and Arabs, Hutus and Tutsis in Africa -  and more. John's memoir, From Vision to Action: Remaking the World Through Social Entrepreneurship, is like a how-to guide - filled with candid accounts of his successes and failures.

    Want to know what whales are saying with their magical sounds?

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 28, 2024 53:11


    Scientist Michelle Fournet and her colleagues from the University of New Hampshire hang out with humpback whales in Alaska, recording their daily communications - and then sending whale recordings back to the giant animals to see if and how they respond. Some of her latest findings could break new ground: she can identify individual whales by their sounds. Michelle tells us the moving story of how she morphed from broke actor to internationally-respected whale researcher - and how she hopes research on humpbacks' "language" can help humans protect them.

    We're sad and angry that it makes sense to repost this episode - on mass shootings / FROM THE ARCHIVE

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 7, 2024 38:22


    Four more have been murdered by a teen with an assault-style rifle - many more were injured - at Apalachee High School in Winder, GA. Still, this episode gives us a glimmer of hope: specialists in “behavioral threat assessment” have been quietly trying to spot potential killers for decades, in places from schools and companies to government agencies - and the latest carnage could probably have been avoided if authorities had followed their manual. Our guests, practitioners Monique Boudreaux and Matt Talbot, say everybody in America needs to help them instead of looking the other way.

    Are you sure you get how the Supreme Court ban on affirmative action could change America?

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 17, 2024 51:26


    Lee Bollinger, who was president of Columbia University and the University of Michigan, predicts that the number of black students at many colleges will plummet to low levels they haven't seen since the 60s and 70s. He says Chief Justice John Roberts and the other Republican extremists on the Court misinterpret the Constitution. And as for the belief that under affirmative action, college officials generally admitted blacks who weren't qualified? Lee says: Not true. 

    When Trump praises Hungary's Viktor Orbán, do you realize exactly how Orbán has gutted its democracy? / FROM THE ARCHIVE

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 27, 2024 42:47


    Trump, the Republican party and Project 2025 are echoing Orbán's autocratic playbook - along with strategies of other leaders who got elected democratically and then turned their nations into autocracies. Key steps: pack courts and agencies with their cronies, slander and intimidate the media, and denigrate their opponents as "evil" and "vermin." Harvard professor Steven Levitsky, co-author of How Democracies Die and Tyranny of the Minority, tells us why it could take years to rescue America's democracy - even if Trump loses the upcoming election.

    Can you teach kids today to tackle social issues - and make it fun? (Hint: Think anti-war anthems from the 60s.)

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 6, 2024 28:39


    Sesame Street changed TV by using music to help kids learn how to spell and how to share. Singer-songwriter Anya Rose and the group Ants on a Log write songs to help children in primary school learn edgier lessons, about problems from environmental pollution to racist and sexist behavior - inspired in part by 60s satirist Tom Lehrer. After hearing these tunes, the 9-year-olds in your family might feel inspired to research a problem in your own neighborhood - and then write your members of Congress about it! 

    A prominent judge's braided - and surprising - life of blindness and the law / Part 2

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 15, 2024 49:37


    Now that Judge David S. Tatel has retired from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, he feels freer to warn us all: the Supreme Court is threatening America's democracy by inventing spurious legal doctrines and grabbing more power for itself. There are also lighter moments in this revealing interview, as David pulls the curtain aside and tells us how the judges on this powerful court really do their work. Spoiler alert #1: It used to involve a red children's sand pail. Spoiler alert #2: Because David is blind, he used to hire "readers" who rattled off every word of laws, books and briefs out loud to him, at such mind-boggling speeds that most people couldn't understand them. 

    A prominent judge's braided - and surprising - life of blindness and the law / Part 1

    Play Episode Listen Later May 31, 2024 62:45


    David Tatel - who retired recently from the U.S. Court of Appeals - has led what he calls a "braided life" that intertwines hardship and accomplishment. With his wife, Edie, he describes how he struggled to hide his gradual loss of sight from friends and colleagues alike - including tricks like counting rows and seats in a movie theater and following the clicks of high heels. Meanwhile, David became an accomplished lawyer who fought landmark civil rights cases. You can read their full story in David's new book, Vision: A Memoir of Blindness and Justice. David will return in Part 2 to take us behind the scenes of the second most important court in the nation.

    How a sniper almost killed our guest (plus other chilling tales of a foreign correspondent) Part 2 / FROM THE ARCHIVE

    Play Episode Listen Later May 11, 2024 44:24


    Lewis Simon's Pulitzer Prize-winning reporting, in collaboration with colleagues, helped spark an international scandal and topple a corrupt dictator; he tells us in this episode how they did it. Lew also gives us remarkable insight into how he could do his work - taking notes as people got beaten to death and blown up in front of him - and survive emotionally. And finally, a roving correspondent talks honestly about the toll that constant traveling took on his spouse. After hearing Lew, you might think differently about what  reporters face when they tell you the latest from Ukraine and the Middle East. 

    How a sniper almost killed our guest (plus other chilling tales of a foreign correspondent) / FROM THE ARCHIVE

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 21, 2024 31:57


    Next time you hear details of the horrific wars in Ukraine and Gaza, think about how you're learning them: journalists are risking their lives to report from the front lines. Lewis Simons won the Pulitzer Prize during decades of reporting on the Vietnam war and other conflicts across Asia. He lived by a motto: "Whatever the threat or danger, I had to be there."

    Check out how foreign autocrats whom Trump admires gutted their democracies, step by step - legally

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 30, 2024 42:47


    Now Trump and the Republican party are following their autocratic playbooks, whether by design or by instinct: pack courts and agencies with their cronies, slander and intimidate the media, and denigrate their opponents as "evil" and vermin. Harvard professor Steven Levitsky, co-author of How Democracies Die and Tyranny of the Minority, tells us why it could take many years to rescue America's democracy - even if Trump loses the next election.

    When they taught you the history of these intrepid explorers, was it pretty much a lie?

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 8, 2024 49:17


    When you learned about the American explorers who claimed to discover the North Pole, the answer seems to be, "Yes." In fact, the fabled drama of Robert E. Peary and Frederick Cook was an early example of how powerful newspapers - in this case The New York Times and New York Herald - spread fake news (although critics still debate whether the newspaper owners knew it was fake or didn't bother to corroborate the explorers' stories). Journalist Darrell Hartman tells us life and death tales from his recent book, Battle of Ink and Ice, that shed light on the perils of vanity and competition for fame and profit.

    When apps ask to "share your location" or use voice ID, could it hurt you? / From the archive

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 17, 2024 39:28


    It could happen to you: police mistakenly suspect or arrest you, because an app's location data show you were near the scene of a crime. The ACLU's Nathan Wessler returns to explain how geolocation, voice recognition and other high-tech tracking methods - including the way you walk! - could disrupt your life in ways you hardly expect. 

    Should you worry about facial recognition at airports, malls and unexpected places? / From the archive

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 27, 2024 39:52


    America's surveillance network is nowhere near as pervasive and chilling as China's, but U.S. companies and government agencies are already using high-tech tools like facial recognition to track you more than you might think. As the ACLU's Nathan Wessler tells us, the facial recognition software sometimes goofs - and ordinary, innocent people like you end up in jail. 

    OMG if Trump wins again, he could take over the internet (maybe) / FROM THE ARCHIVE

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 6, 2024 31:18


    Presidents have drawn up plans to wield sweeping emergency powers - and some of those plans are so secret that even Congress has never seen them. Elizabeth Goitein, of the nonpartisan Brennan Center for Justice, has unearthed dozens of emergency presidential powers. Voters should understand the potential powers they could give any president, before they cast their ballot.

    Here's another episode that should boost your spirits

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 16, 2023 38:00


    David K. Shipler (aka "Dave," our podcast co-host) is not only a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist: He's a poet, and just published his debut volume of poems, The Wind is Invisible. Given the grim news in the world, Dave's lovely poetry - glimpses of nature, reflections on family, moving insights about love - is a refreshing antidote. It's also (according to Danny) a surprising change from Dave's tough-minded journalism. Dave reads some of his poems and explains what influences his work - including his mother, who taught English, and Robert Frost, the legendary poet whom Dave actually met.

    Do you know any idealistic politicians? Here's one!

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 2, 2023 44:56


    Shekar Krishnan just got re-elected to the New York City Council with three times as many votes as the runner-up. And so far, he's showing how politics and government can actually make people's lives better. Shekar fights for immigrant taxi drivers, the LGBTQ community, and minorities who need good low-income housing; he went briefly to jail and got smeared by the Proud Boys, along the way. Oh - and he's doing the usual political things like getting potholes fixed.

    Why do Iran's leaders mistrust and even hate the US - and its allies? / FROM THE ARCHIVE

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 12, 2023 42:29


    As the horrific war between Israel and Hamas continues, US and Iranian officials are sending each other warnings, just as they have for decades: Back off. When you hear this episode, it will help remind you one reason why Iran's government learned to hate the US long ago: The US and Britain secretly ran the plot to topple its leader in the 1950s. Why? For Iran's oil. Filmmakers Taghi Amirani and Walter Murch discuss their riveting documentary, Coup 53 - which shows step by step how the CIA and MI6 carried it out.

    Will Republicans ever back a decent leader again - like this one? / FROM THE ARCHIVE

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 28, 2023 51:26


    As we publish this, Congressional Republicans have just elected their new Speaker - a right-wing extremist who led the fight, which many consider seditious, to overthrow Joseph Biden's 2020 democratic election. So it's more astonishing than ever to revisit the presidency of Republican Dwight D. "Ike" Eisenhower. His granddaughter, Susan Eisenhower, describes some of Ike's visionary and controversial policies - which many if not most Republicans would likely oppose today.

    Do you realize that America's railroads are probably the worst in the industrialized world? / Part 2

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 7, 2023 39:38


    Railroad supervisors ignore safety problems. Railroad executives lay off thousands of workers and see accident rates soar. Railroad corporations make record profits while their customers complain about lousy freight service. Marilee Taylor and Ron Kaminkow, veteran train engineers and labor organizers, have encountered those problems just about every day they've climbed aboard a locomotive - and they describe them in riveting detail. Still, they love driving trains, if things go well. As Marilee says, sometimes she'd fire up the massive engine, and "I'm, like, yes." But they're stunned that America seems to stand by as its crucial railroad industry deteriorates. 

    Do you realize that America's railroads are probably the worst in the industrialized world? / Part 1

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 23, 2023 50:31


    The freight railroad industry is crucial, but companies have slashed tens of thousands of workers in recent years while trains have become less reliable and derailments have threatened entire towns. Meanwhile, railroad companies have reported record and near-record profits. Historian Peter Rachleff and train engineer Ron Kaminkow, who's also a labor leader, guide us through the colorful, brutal history of America's railroads - built by “oligarchs” on the backs of Black convicts, slaves and Chinese laborers. Once you know that saga, you'll understand the industry's current problems better. And you might not get so nostalgic when you hear a train whistle and watch two miles of freight cars clacking by.

    This former Russian diplomat is in hiding - since he dared to denounce Putin's war in Ukraine / Part 2 FROM THE ARCHIVE

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 2, 2023 33:25


    Boris Bondarev says he wanted to quit his job as a Russian diplomat long ago, to protest Putin's policies, but it took years to gather courage to take that life-changing step. Putin's war in Ukraine pushed him to act - and now he and his wife are living under protection in Switzerland (with their cat; more about that in our episode). In Part 2 of this introspective conversation, Boris explains why resigning was a moral act of “redemption” after a career serving policies that he gradually decided were unworthy of his country.  Is Boris right that the war against Ukraine won't strengthen Putin but destroy him? 

    This former Russian diplomat is in hiding - since he dared to denounce Putin's war in Ukraine / FROM THE ARCHIVE

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 26, 2023 38:49


    Boris Bondarev represented Russia as a diplomat for more than 20 years. But after Russia invaded Ukraine, he took a rare and potentially dangerous step: he resigned, to protest the horrors of Vladimir Putin's "fascist state." In Part 1 of this candid chat, Boris explains why he overlooked Putin's crimes for years - and why the invasion of Ukraine propelled him to act. His actions have turned his own family's life upside down.

    If you were an editorial cartoonist, how would you capture Trump's twisted mind? / Part 2 with Darrin Bell

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 5, 2023 42:51


    Darrin Bell won the Pulitzer Prize for doing exactly that - depicting Trump as a shrieking infant, a naked tyrant, and as a god giving life to racists instead of to Adam. Darrin explains how his own encounters with racism pushed him to draw, as an emotional escape. And he tells why his cartoons attack not only Trump but sometimes leaders he likes. HINT: young people should hear this interview to learn how perseverance can pay off!

    How did this poor black kid grapple with racism and then win the Pulitzer Prize? / Part 1

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 23, 2023 40:17


    Darrin Bell's white, wealthy classmates bullied him because he had big lips, and store clerks automatically assumed he was shoplifting. Today, Darrin has transformed his struggles into a brilliant and acclaimed graphic memoir, "The Talk" - named for the conversation that parents of color often have with their children to explain why the world likely won't treat them the same as whites. 

    How right-wing radicals are reshaping what's taught in your local schools / FROM THE ARCHIVE

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 3, 2023 32:42


    Republicans and their allies are banning books, courses and even brief classroom chats about "divisive topics" - and passing laws to punish teachers who disobey. They're also spending big money to elect school boards that embrace their extremist visions. Jonathan Friedman of PEN America describes some of the most threatening developments across the country.

    How book banning is spreading across America, Part 1 / FROM THE ARCHIVE

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 24, 2023 57:31


    You've heard that it's happening  - and now two librarians tell us in this moving episode how they became targets of extremists. When Suzette Baker refused to ban books on racial and LGBTQ issues, right-wing parents and local officials in Texas got her fired. Meanwhile, librarian Martha Hickson was fighting her own battle against censorship, 2000 miles away in New Jersey - but she managed to organize supporters to rally against censorship. And they won. 

    This famous professor got in trouble with some students - and he adjusted his teaching / FROM THE ARCHIVE

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 3, 2023 47:03


    None of us can listen to Geoffrey Stone, the First Amendment scholar at the University of Chicago, tell about his encounter with African American students without asking ourselves some tough questions: what kinds of speech do we really want to allow, or prevent, on college campuses? And how do we keep universities faithful to their mission of teaching young people to think?  Stone walks us through the controversy and how he responded to it. 

    When many African Americans speak, what are they speaking?

    Play Episode Listen Later May 14, 2023 40:40


    They're speaking African American English, according to linguist Lisa Green at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Lisa grew up speaking AAE in Louisiana, and since then, her ground-breaking research has found that AAE is based on a system of consistent grammatical rules, pronunciations and definitions - in other words, Lisa's studies show, "it's not mainstream English with mistakes." Some call it a dialect, which evolved from the African languages that slaves spoke blended with plantation English; in fact, when someone says, "she aks" instead of "she asks," they might be echoing Old English from centuries ago. Lisa argues that schools need to acknowledge and respect black children's African American English, even while they teach them Standard American English that they need to succeed in broader society.

    Can you start a sentence with "And" or "But"?? We all need this grammar lesson / Part 2

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 22, 2023 35:59


    You'll dazzle friends with the grammar smarts you'll get from our second chat with Bryan Garner, one of America's language gurus. Finally, you're about to learn if you can - or can't -  end a sentence with a preposition; if you can use "like" instead of "as"; and if you can banish "whom" and "whomever" from your brain. Just wait until you hear Bryan's rant about lawyers' terrible writing. Can you guess which common five-letter word (which lawyers love) causes endless legal battles? 

    Can you start a sentence with "And" or "But"?? We all need this grammar lesson / Part 1

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 15, 2023 32:43


    Bryan Garner, one of America's grammar gurus, tells us where we're going wrong - and what we're getting right. You're sure to find (you'll surely find?) answers to some of your own burning questions, like (or is it "such as"?): should you feel bad about using adverbs? Or should you feel badly? How will this episode impact your own language? (Actually, is "impact" even a verb?) After hearing our conversation with Bryan, you might not write or speak quite the same way.

    How do we teach kids - and everybody - to tell the difference between the lies swirling around them and actual facts?

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 26, 2023 31:15


    Ebonee Rice is a senior vice president of a national group that's doing exactly that: the News Literacy Project. They've  created programs for students across the country - adults can use them too – to teach them how to dissect and evaluate everything from tweets and catchy ads and TikTok posts to news stories on national TV. You might be stunned when you hear statistics showing just how gullible many kids are.

    Attacks on free speech at universities - by students on the right and the left - are getting seriously scary

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 23, 2023 47:03


    None of us can listen to Geoffrey Stone, the famous law professor at the University of Chicago, tell about his own encounter with upset students without asking ourselves some tough questions: what kind of speech do we really want to allow, or prevent, on college campuses? And how do we keep universities faithful to their mission of teaching young people to think?

    Attacks on free speech at universities - by students on the right and the left - are getting seriously scary

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 5, 2023 48:07


    None of us can listen to Geoffrey Stone, the famous law professor at the University of Chicago, tell about his own encounter with upset students without asking ourselves some tough questions: what kind of speech do we really want to allow, or prevent, on college campuses? And how do we keep universities faithful to their mission of teaching young people to think?

    How a sniper almost killed our guest (plus other chilling tales of a foreign correspondent) / Part 2

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 11, 2023 44:24


    Lewis Simon's Pulitzer Prize-winning reporting, in collaboration with colleagues, helped spark an international scandal and topple a corrupt dictator; he tells us in this episode how they did it. Lew also gives us remarkable insight into how he could do his work - taking notes as people got beaten to death and blown up in front of him - and survive emotionally. And finally, a roving correspondent talks honestly about the toll that his constant traveling took on his spouse.  

    How a sniper almost killed our guest (plus other chilling tales of a foreign correspondent) / Part 1

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 5, 2023 31:57


    Lewis Simons won the Pulitzer Prize during decades of reporting across Asia. He lived by a motto: "Whatever the threat or danger, I had to be there." When you hear him describe his harrowing adventures covering the Vietnam war, it brings that tragic conflict alive better than history books.

    Millions of children in America are going hungry - can you believe it? / Part 2 FROM THE ARCHIVE

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 15, 2023 19:48


    When you see students across the nation struggling with learning and behavioral problems, it might be partly because their families can't afford enough good food. Dr. Megan Sandel has a bold idea, which Congress tried briefly - and successfully - but then scuttled: give low income parents more money.

    Millions of children in America are going hungry - can you believe it? / Part 1 FROM THE ARCHIVE

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 7, 2023 24:29


    Dr. Megan Sandel takes us into the GROW clinic in Boston, where kids look like malnourished children in poor countries. Some 2 year olds look half their age. The Biden administration eased the crisis by expanding child tax credits, but Congress has let those credits expire. So, it's back to crisis.

    Enjoy the holidays. Still, please be aware that black cops confront racism every day. FROM THE ARCHIVE

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 25, 2022 57:56


    Officer Shanette Hall and Lt. Ray Rice joined St. Louis County's police department because they were passionate about making things better, by exposing racial injustice and bringing the police and community closer together. They told us in this moving interview that instead, department officials punished them for speaking out. (PS Since our interview, Hall quit the force.)

    Would YOU throw away a prestigious career - and maybe risk your life - to protest Russia's war in Ukraine? / Part 2

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 11, 2022 33:25


    Boris Bondarev says he wanted to quit his job as a Russian diplomat long ago, to protest Putin's policies, but it took years to gather courage to take that life-changing step. Putin's war in Ukraine pushed him to act - and now he and his wife are living under protection in Switzerland (with their cat; more about that in our episode). In Part 2 of this introspective conversation, Boris explains why resigning was a moral act of “redemption” after a career serving policies he thought unworthy of his country.  Is Boris right that the invasion of Ukraine won't strengthen Putin but destroy him? 

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