KERA Think

Kevin Morris, senior research fellow and voting policy scholar at the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss what the Voting Rights Act did for representational democracy across the country.

Jon Emont joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how Driscoll’s berries sought to corner the Asian market with a new fruit but found its plant cuttings stolen.

Carl Zimmer joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why scientists are concerned about the potential for chatbots to make pathogens more deadly.

Michael Lewis joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the people known as "blockers" who called out DOGE on its illegality.

Ben McIntyre joins guest host John McCaa to discuss the man with the code name “Redwood.”

Anne Applebaum, staff writer at The Atlantic, joins guest host John McCaa to talk about her reporting during which she’s witnessed government workers – under the guise of diplomatic efforts – making self-serving deals with short-term goals.

David Gelles joins guest host Courtney Collins to discuss Extreme Weather Survivors, a nationwide support group for families upended by climate disasters.

Nicholas Carnes joins guest host Courtney Collins to discuss why ordinary citizens are not offered a seat at the table when it comes to politics.

Kathryn Jezer-Morton joins guest host Courtney Collins to discuss how capturing content shapes the way we live.

Andrea Suozzo joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the rise of ectopic pregnancies and how doctors are afraid to treat them for fear of prosecution.

Lindsay Owens joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how companies have been selectively bumping up prices.

Liane Moriarty joins host Krys Boyd to talk about crafting characters that readers can’t get enough of and how her large family shapes her work.

Toluse Olorunnipa joins host Krys Boyd to discuss efforts to sew doubt into the election process and concerns about a smooth midterm election in November.

Sarah Hepola joins host Krys Boyd to discuss her search for answers about why marriage and motherhood have eluded her.

Robert Kolker joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the story of nine siblings who began to lose themselves to frontotemporal dementia.

Lindsay Crouse joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the courage it takes to let go and change course and why “strategic quitting” is a skill.

Steve Thompson joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why lawmakers are worried about the looming budget deficit.

Allison Aubrey joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how taking on mid-life head-on can be both rewarding and fulfilling.

Olga Khazan joins host Krys Boyd to discuss adverse effects from meditation.

Erin D. Dumbacher joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why having too many weapons does not necessarily make us safer.

O'Callaghan joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the enormous numbers of satellites being launched into space, and why, despite concerns, there are plans to launch 2 million more in the next few years.

Vox correspondent Allie Volpe joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how tech is offering solutions to social isolation (a problem it created).

Antonio Damasio joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why he believes consciousness came before feelings and why feelings came early in the evolutionary process.

Kai Bird joins host Krys Boyd to discuss Roy Cohn's mentorship of a young Donald Trump and his eventual disbarment for unethical conduct.

🎧 Is al-Qaeda functionally dead — or just dormant?:

🎧 Europe isn’t built for the heat:

Journalist Billy Brennan joins host Krys Boyd to discuss “paradoxical lucidity,” where dementia patients seem to “wake up” and interact right before they decline again.

Abigail R. Hall is an Independent Institute Senior Fellow and professor of economics at the University of Tampa. She joins host Krys Boyd to make the case that some of these laws have outlived their intended purposes and violate our liberties.

Perrin Roosevelt Ireland joins host Krys Boyd to discuss interesting facts about animal sex – from gender fluidity to procreation to co-parenting – and offer a glimpse into why so many species are worth saving from extinction.

Annie Lowrey is a staff writer at The Atlantic, and she joins us to talk about just how much the government makes us work for the services it provides and how those systems could become more efficient.

Jon Ronson joins host Krys Boyd to talk about what he found while looking for strange displays of masculinity.

Tyler Austin Harper joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how DEI policies burdened him as a black scholar.

Alina Chan is a molecular biologist, and she joins host Krys Boyd to talk about precautions that can be put in place that allow for important research to be conducted while protecting the public. think.kera.org/2026/08/31/w...

Michael Powell, staff writer at The Atlantic, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss Burlington, Vt., Seattle and other places where needle exchanges have made public spaces unwelcoming.

🎧 The real reason adult kids go no contact:

New Yorker staff writer Evan Osnos joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why, when America has pulled research funding, China is funneling billions of dollars to remake its economy.

🎧 When children have to take care of their parents:

We’ve all heard of “imposter syndrome” and something similar is going on in your brain in regard to your intelligence. Dr. Josh Turknett, M.D joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why we all have the ability to unlock abilities, how intelligence is built over time.

For every exonerated individual in the criminal justice system, there is another forgotten victim: the original victim’s family. Barbara Bradley Hagerty joins host Krys Boyd to discuss a case involving a man, Ben Spencer, who was wrongfully convicted of a crime.

If you need to call the IRS to answer a tax question, you could wait hours on the line thanks to funding cuts. Stephanie Mencimer joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why 7 million people are waiting to hear back from the IRS about correspondence. think.kera.org/2026/08/19/t...

We’ve all heard the advice to “do what we love” for our careers, but burnout and low wages make that advice seem like a cruel joke. Emi Nietfeld joins host Krys Boyd to discuss her disillusionment with her “millennial values”.

President Trump’s frequent tariff announcements put global trade in a new, precarious position. Chad P. Bown joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how tariffs push up prices, what lessons from history can teach.

President Trump thought defeating Iran would be a clean and easy operation. David E. Sanger joins host Krys Boyd to discuss Trump’s options for ending the war, which include military escalation, economic crackdown or simply declaring victory and walking away. think.kera.org/2026/08/14/t...

For millions of Americans, health care benefits come from their jobs and now small businesses are finding they can no longer afford to offer them. Bob Herman joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how the end of subsidies to the Affordable Care Act.

🎧 Is California overdue for the Big One?:

A.I. and drones are changing warfare are the U.S. and its allies ready to meet the challenge? Yaroslav Trofimov joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why billions invested in new tanks, planes and warships might be better spent on cheap drones. think.kera.org/2026/08/10/t...

Colombia is known for its illicit drug trade and now cartels there are counterfeiting U.S. dollars. Yudhijit Bhattacharjee joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how Colombian authorities are trying to track down criminal enterprises counterfeiting dollar bills.

Long before A.I., people have worried about technology taking away the ability to work with our hands. Joshua Habgood-Coote joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the centuries-old longing to get back to the “good old days” of craftsmanship.

Open caskets used to be fairly standard, but we’re losing the artists who make that possible. John Semley joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the history, culture and economics of morticians, why their particular trade is quickly going out of fashion.

Stephanie Fairyington is a journalist who writes on gender, sexuality, family and parenting. She joins host Krys Boyd to discuss her perception that she didn’t live up to modern standards of pretty.