It's Been a Minute

How did you respond to the assassination of Charlie Kirk? Many mourned or called for revenge. Others pointed to Kirk's extreme, bigoted statements as justification. But how do those reactions impact how the American public will metabolize another instance of gun violence? Brittany is joined by Abené Clayton, a gun violence reporter for The Guardian, to get into how Kirk's assassination fits into the broader narrative of political violence and how Kirk's own statements about guns will shape the coming political discourse. Follow Brittany Luse on Instagram: @bmluse For handpicked podcast recommendations every week, subscribe to NPR’s Pod Club newsletter at npr.org/podclub. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

There's a new man in town: the "performative male." Is he trying to trick you into thinking he's open-minded, or does he really like reading books and drinking matcha? We're breaking down what's gender performance and what's gender manipulation. In this episode, Brittany is joined by Manny Fidel, host of No Such Thing, and James Factora, staff writer for Them. They get into what makes a "performative male" and why criticism of them is a sign that some liberals are guilty of gender policing. Follow Brittany Luse on Instagram: @bmluse For handpicked podcast recommendations every week, subscribe to NPR’s Pod Club newsletter at npr.org/podclub. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Bizarre videos, uncanny photos, and Luigi Mangoine's likeness on Shein...? AI slop is taking over the web. It's putting money in people's pockets, and driving them offline, too. This is AI + U. Each Monday this month, Brittany is exploring how you are already seeing the impacts of AI. Artificial Intelligence has become a constant in ways we can and can't see...and for the next few weeks we're zeroing in on how AI affects our daily lives. Brittany chats with Washington Post tech reporter Drew Harwell and freelance writer Emma Marris about the limits of AI creativity and what this 'slop' is doing to us on and offline. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

KPop Demon Hunters, or as Brittany's mom keeps mistakenly calling it "Kidz Bop: It's the Devil," is dominating the music charts. And, thank god! These bombastic bangers are a welcome reprieve after a summer full of sad songs. We need to talk about those bangers, but we also need to talk about the void KPop Demon Hunters is filling. This summer was lacking a true shiny, shimmering song of the summer. Where were the bops? Where were the ubiquitous, undeniable culture uniting hits? It's disappointing we don't have an anthem to point to – but it's also telling. Brittany sits down with Stephen Thompson, host for NPR Music and co-host of Pop Culture Happy Hour, to discuss what we had instead of songs of the summer – and what that tells us about how our musical landscape has changed. To find out Brittany's song of the summer follow her on Instagram: @bmluse Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

The Florida detention center, "Alligator Alcatraz," may close, but what can you learn from its short but impactful run? First, the name echoes old Southern American racist tropes and adapts them for a modern audience. Second, its casually playful name is a blueprint for other detention centers popping up across the United States. But what does this all add up to? In this episode, Brittany, freelance journalist Asher Elbein, and Miami Herald race and identity reporter Raisa Habersham unpack the racist trope of alligators in Florida and how the joke-ified name of the facility dehumanizes its inmates. For handpicked podcast recommendations every week, subscribe to NPR’s Pod Club newsletter at npr.org/podclub. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

It's official: Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce posted one of the most liked Instagram photos of all time. Also, they're officially engaged. Swift and Kelce are no strangers to the spotlight, but we still know very little about their relationship aside from what they are willing to share. And Molly McPherson, a public relations expert, says that's no accident. In this episode, Brittany returns to a conversation she had with Molly back when Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce first started dating, and Brittany and Molly discuss why Swift and Kelce need your attention to fuel the business of their relationship and meet stakeholders's (from fans to the NFL) wants and needs. Plus, Brittany and Molly get into how you can use Swift and Kelce's strategy in your own life. For handpicked podcast recommendations every week, subscribe to NPR’s Pod Club newsletter at npr.org/podclub. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Have Americans changed their minds? Polling on immigration suggests a seismic shift in public opinion. According to Gallup, 79% of Americans now say immigration is a good thing for the country, which is a record high. Plus, the share of Americans who want lower rates of immigration has dropped from 55% in 2024 to 30% this year. And it's not just this poll showing a shift in how we think about immigration. But why has this change happened? And where might we see reverberations of this in our culture? Brittany digs into the data and the consequences for the Trump administration with Jasmine Garsd, NPR senior immigration correspondent, and Christian Paz, political correspondent at Vox. For handpicked podcast recommendations every week, subscribe to NPR’s Pod Club newsletter at npr.org/podclub. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

On September 2, 2005, on a telethon to raise money for victims of Hurrican Katrina, Kanye West went off script and said, "George Bush doesn't care about Black people." 20 years later, would those words have the same impact today? In this episode, Brittany, NPR music correspondent Rodney Carmichael, and Code Switch's Leah Donella revisit that moment and dissect why those words rippled through the nation. They investigate how race and politics intersected decades ago and how those words still cast a shadow over American politics now...from what celebrities are willing to say to power and why or why not. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Social media is full of images of unhoused people that's either meant to make you angry or laugh. For Leah Goodridge, this content is a new form of 'poverty porn.' 'Poverty porn' used to refer to charity commercials showing malnourished children to evoke empathy from sympathetic viewers. But according to New York City attorney and tenant advocate Leah Goodridge, that kind of imagery has shifted into something more: rage bait. With the center of that rage being homeless people. Leah Goodridge joins Brittany to get into how social media, our legal system, and societal narratives around homelessness create a culture that punishes and mocks people in need. For handpicked podcast recommendations every week, subscribe to NPR’s Pod Club newsletter at npr.org/podclub. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

We need to talk about the memes your tax dollars paid for. What is the federal government trying to communicate with them? The social media accounts of the White House and the Department of Homeland Security have been chock-full of memes: memes that mock people being deported, memes that are aimed at recruiting new ICE agents, even a meme that seemingly references a book by a white supremacist. To get into who these memes are speaking to and what story they’re trying to tell, Brittany sits down with NPR correspondent Shannon Bond and Joan Donovan, assistant professor of journalism and emerging media studies at Boston University and founder of the Critical Internet Studies Institute. For handpicked podcast recommendations every week, subscribe to NPR’s Pod Club newsletter at npr.org/podclub. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Has online hate ever been this cruel? Brendan Abernathy is a singer-songwriter who went viral earlier this year for an earnest performance of his song "married in a year." The backlash was immediate, and one word popped up over and over again in the comments: "cringe." Brittany and Ramtin Arablouei, co-host of NPR's Throughline, get into the rise of cringe culture: where it comes from, how it's hurting us, and how leaning into cringe is good for art. And Ramtin talks with Brendan about how to cope with the criticism, and Brendan debuts a new song about his experience. Brendan's new album is out September 26th. For handpicked podcast recommendations every week, subscribe to NPR’s Pod Club newsletter at npr.org/podclub. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Sex sells. So does outrage. That's why these sex workers are making rage bait. In the past few months, UK and Australian-based OnlyFans creators like Bonnie Blue and Annie Knight made headlines for their extreme sex stunts, most notably for sleeping with over 100 men in one day. But in addition to these stunts, they also appear on controversial podcasts to gain traction, or do day in the life vlogs - much like your average everyday influencer. And they're making bank. So how did we get to this point? Brittany wanted to know more, and find out why this matters for those of us who don't consume this content. So, she sat down with New York Magazine writer Rebecca Jennings and writer and author Charlotte Shane to discuss the blurry lines of sex work, influencing, and rage bait. For handpicked podcast recommendations every week, subscribe to NPR’s Pod Club newsletter at npr.org/podclub. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Are you scared of being cheated on? You're not alone. There are apps and social media groups dedicated to outing a cheater. But is our paranoia about cheating actually hurting our relationships? And on top of that, definitions of "cheating" vary widely. How do you decide for yourself what really counts as cheating? And what's really fueling our fear of being cheated on? Brittany is joined by Kathryn Jezer-Morton, writer of the Brooding column from The Cut, and Shannon Keating, freelance culture journalist, to answer these questions and get to the bottom of why fear of infidelity haunts our culture and our dating lives. For handpicked podcast recommendations every week, subscribe to NPR’s Pod Club newsletter at npr.org/podclub. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Tyler Perry is many things, but is he someone we should aspire to be? Entertainment mogul Tyler Perry has built a media empire that has spanned theater, film, and television. And he’s recently been accused by an employee of sexual harassment. Brittany is joined by entertainment journalist and author Tre'vell Anderson and SUNY Purchase theater and performance professor William Bryant Miles to dive head-first into the Madea-verse, asking how Tyler Perry became such a media powerhouse, and whether these allegations of wrongdoing threaten to topple the fraught media empire he has built. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Jubilee has become one of the go-to open forums for debate in the digital age. Videos like: "Flat Earthers vs Scientists," "1 Conservative vs. 20 Feminists," and, "What Makes a Real Man?" are just some of the few topics they cover. It's what caused The Atlantic staff writer Spencer Kornhaber to write his article, "Jubilee is Like Gen-Z's 'Jerry Springer Show'". But their most recent video, "1 Progressive vs 20 Far-Right Conservatives," has gone viral for what some feel is a dangerous platforming of fascist ideals. Brittany is joined by The Atlantic staff writer Spencer Kornhaber to get into the state of public discourse, and how traditional media may led us to this moment. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Finding it hard to concentrate? Are you glued to social media for longer than you’d like? Well, maybe it’s not you… maybe it’s the phones. Brittany is joined by Magdalene Taylor, writer, cultural critic and senior editor at Playboy, and Fio Geiran, producer at TED Radio Hour and a writer of their Body Electric newsletter, to discuss this phrase: “it’s the phones.” They get into the effects that smartphones have on our brains and our culture, why some people are returning to “dumbphones,” and why it might take more than willpower to manage our relationships with our phones. Click here to check out the Body Electric newsletter. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Have you ever stayed in a relationship, because you felt like it would be too hard to find another partner? This episode is for you. Let this be a lesson for us all. Divorce is on the decline except for one key demographic: people over 50. So, in a world where many of us say it's harder to find friends or new relationships later in life, why are people 50 and up more likely to break up? Brittany is joined by Texas Tech University professor Dana Weiser and University of British Columbia professor Rosie Strout. Together they come out the other side with a message for all of us: it's never too late to write a new love story. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Are you hungry? Brittany has some irresistable recommendations. In this episode, Brittany steps out to find the best American recipes: peanut butter egg rolls and the juiciest fried green tomatoes. Along the way she uncovers the stories of these dishes - ones that could have only come from the Midwest and the South. This is... Food for Thought. And for the past few weeks, Brittany has been looking at the way food and dining shape our communities and culture. And for the last episode in the series, Brittany chats with Chicago Tribune restaurant critic Louisa Kung Liu Chu and food writer and cookbook author Nicole Taylor about summer staples that taste like home. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Not to be dramatic, but would you die for Hasan Piker? For some of you, Hasan Piker needs no introduction. He is one of the leading voices in progressive political content online, boasting a massive 2.9 million followers on Twitch alone. He's polarizing, charismatic, and (kind of) a bro. And his fans love him. Just take this Instagram comment for example: "Not to be dramatic, but I'd die for this man lol." With all the discourse about young men flocking to the political right because of online commentators like Joe Rogan and Theo Von, some have started asking if Piker is the Joe Rogan of the left? A fan on TikTok did refer to Piker as "the himbo gateway drug to leftist thought." In this special episode, Brittany sits down with Hasan to get some perspective on what's going on with young men, and to find out what Hasan sees that the rest of us are missing. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Many people feel that finding a lifelong partner can require a good bit of luck...but can the same be said for lifelong healthcare? Brittany is joined by Maris Kreizman, author of I Want to Burn This Place Down: Essays, to understand the precarious relationship between finding love and finding consistent health insurance. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy