KERA's Think

Last Thursday, the first American Pope was introduced to the world as Pope Leo XIV. Christopher White, Vatican correspondent at the National Catholic Reporter and author of the upcoming book “Pope Leo XIV: Inside the Conclave and the Dawn of a New Papacy,” joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the Chicago-born Robert Francis Prevost, what his mission for the church might be going forward, and the significance of the papal name he’s chosen as he now looks to lead 1.4 billion Roman Catholics. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

We want our airline pilots to fly only when they’re healthy, which can lead to masking symptoms of mental illness. Helen Ouyang is an emergency physician and associate professor at Columbia University. She joins host Krys Boyd to discuss rules around pilot health — which can discourage them to seek necessary treatment for fear of being deemed unfit to fly — and why there are both pros and cons to the policy. Her article in The New York Times is “Why Airline Pilots Feel Pushed to Hide Their Mental Illness.” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

A.D.H.D is a fairly common diagnosis, but some researchers are wondering if we should start taking a more nuanced approach to treatment. Paul Tough is a contributing writer for The New York Times Magazine, and he joins host Krys Boyd to talk about why A.D.H.D. might be experienced by anyone at a given time and might not be a permanent diagnosis, and why doctors are rethinking standard stimulant medications. His article is “Have We Been Thinking About A.D.H.D. All Wrong?” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Malcolm X, John F. Kennedy, James Baldwin —1963 brought great minds together to work on the common goal of Civil Rights. Peniel Joseph is Barbara Jordan Chair in Political Values and Ethics at the LBJ School of Public Affairs and professor of history and founding director of the Center for the Study of Race and Democracy at the University of Texas at Austin. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how different political perspectives shaped a pivotal year in Civil Rights history and how violence woke the nation up to the urgent need for change. His book is “Freedom Season: How 1963 Transformed America’s Civil Rights Revolution.” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Humans have an extraordinarily high genetic mutation rate — which just means we’ll never be perfect. Laurence D. Hurst is professor of evolutionary genetics in the Milner Centre for Evolution at the University of Bath, and he joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why imperfection is baked into our genetic code, why other species can get rid of “junk” DNA better, and what this means for human evolution. His book is “The Evolution of Imperfection: The Science of Why We Aren’t and Can’t Be Perfect. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

We’ve all had moments of blind rage, but the science says we can be wide-eyed and alert even in our most emotional moments. Ethan Kross is a professor in the University of Michigan’s psychology department and its Ross School of Business and he is the director of the Emotion and Self-Control Laboratory. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the newest research into controlling our emotions so they don’t control us, how labeling feelings as “good” and “bad” helps build a feelings immune system, and why avoidance is sometimes a great tool. His book is “Shift: Managing Your Emotions—So They Don’t Manage You.” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

The high cost of living combined with a modest bank account has young people asking if they should save or splurge? And many of them are choosing to splurge. Journalist Claire Lampen joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why Gen Z is taking on second jobs and side hustles to pay for meals out, elaborate vacations and other treats that might more prudently be skipped. Her article in The Cut is “Is Everybody Just Living Beyond Their Means?” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

It was first thought schools would close for only a few weeks during Covid, but that stretched into a year. Was it too long? Journalist David Zweig joins host Krys Boyd to discuss what we can learn from school closures during the pandemic and to look at the reality that decisions were based on scientific guesswork. His book is “An Abundance of Caution: American Schools, the Virus, and a Story of Bad Decisions.” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

The early 2000s preached “girl power” to the masses — but that often looked like sex and plastic surgery. Sophie Gilbert, staff writer at The Atlantic, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss what coming of age in the early aughts meant for young women in an atmosphere of highly sexualized body image, how porn manifested itself into pop culture, and what society had to say about powerful women. Her book is “Girl on Girl: How Pop Culture Turned a Generation of Women Against Themselves.” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Grandparents raising their grandchildren have taken on a “second shift” of parenting — and it’s exhausting them. Faith Hill, staff writer at The Atlantic, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how lack of childcare is reshaping what used to be the golden years of grandparenting, how it’s changing what retirement looks like, and why saying “no” to family is so difficult. Her article is “Grandparents Are Reaching Their Limit.” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Ed Helms is known as a comedian, actor and writer—and also as an investigator of history’s biggest gaffes. The host of the podcast SNAFU joins host Krys Boyd to talk about the cats that were trained for the CIA, a plan to nuke the moon, and other bad ideas that never saw fruition (thankfully). His book is called “SNAFU: The Definitive Guide to History’s Greatest Screwups.” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

José Andrés joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the hope and nourishment food brings to those in desperate need, how he built his humanitarian mission, and the types of people he surrounds himself with to make the world a better place. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

By the 1920s, 76% of the Native American population was forced to attend boarding schools. Mary Annette Pember is national correspondent for ICT News, and she joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the legacy these schools left behind, from generational trauma to tribes working even today to reclaim their languages and ceremonies, and why the U.S. took this route to assimilate Native populations in the first place. Her book is “Medicine River: A Story of Survival and the Legacy of Indian Boarding Schools.” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

The Signal leak from the Department of Defense is just another reason American allies are worried about sharing sensitive intelligence with our country. David V. Gioe is British Academy Global Professor and Visiting Professor of Intelligence and International Security in the Department of War Studies at King’s College London and Director of Studies for the Cambridge Security Initiative and is co-convener of its International Security and Intelligence program. He joins host Krys Boyd to explain what an “intelligence liaison” is and why the U.S. has broken those unwritten rules, and why that might put our national security in a precarious position. His article “How America’s Allies Boost U.S. Intelligence” was published in Foreign Affairs. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

The friendly, neighborhood library actually came about by centuries of rebellious acts. Director Dawn Logsdon joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how the public library came to be so ubiquitous in American life— and so loved, and the age-old efforts to limit the books they distribute. The documentary “Free for All: The Public Library” airs on PBS. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Harvey Weinstein is once again in a Manhattan courtroom defending himself against sex crimes charges – allegations that came to light after deep investigative work by New York Times reporter Jodi Kantor. The best-selling co-author of “She Said” joins host Krys Boyd to talk about her work uncovering consequential stories, when she knows a story is ready for print, and what attracts her to stories that hold powerful people to account. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

The Russia-Ukraine war has dragged on for more than three years, but the depths of the U.S.-Ukrainian coordination in the war effort are only now coming to light. New York Times investigative reporter Adam Entous joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the dramatic secret U.S. military missions to Ukraine. And we’ll speak with the mayor of Ukraine’s second largest city, Kharkiv, about his appeal to Americans to not forget his country. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

It’s not every day a serious academic espouses belief in the unexplained — maybe more should? Jeffrey Kripal holds the J. Newton Rayzor Chair in Philosophy and Religious Thought at Rice University. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss UFOs, souls, déjà vu and how these universal concepts make us more human. His book is “How to Think Impossibly: About Souls, UFOs, Time, Belief, and Everything Else.” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

It was a 900-page policy paper that President Trump disavowed during the campaign, but now Project 2025 is changing life in America. David Graham, staff writer at The Atlantic, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the document that offers a blueprint for the second Trump administration, how it wants to align the DOJ with the oval office’s desires, and how it envisions the country changing socially and economically. His book is “The Project: How Project 2025 Is Reshaping America.” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

The Trump administration is deporting alleged violent gang members to a prison in El Salvador — often with little evidence. New Yorker staff writer Jonathan Blitzer joins host Krys Boyd to discuss cases of men mistaken for members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua and deported anyway, efforts to get them back, and how the U.S. court system seems one step behind the fast-moving orders from the White House. His article is “The Makeup Artist Donald Trump Deported Under the Alien Enemies Act.” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices