• Elon vs. Sam; Plus fighting “competitive authoritarianism”
    May 15 2026

    A New Yorker journalist has been reporting on the AI dispute between Elon Musk and Sam Altman, as well as developments around the new PM of Hungary.

    On Today's Show:
    Andrew Marantz, staff writer at The New Yorker and author of Antisocial: Online Extremists, Techno-Utopians, and the Hijacking of the American Conversation (Viking Press, 2019), talks about his recent reporting.


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    19 mins
  • Getting to yes vs. getting to no nukes in Iran
    May 14 2026

    President Trump has claimed that the US will sign a nuclear deal with Iran, but there are major obstacles standing in the way.

    On Today's Show:
    Nate Swanson, former director for Iran at the National Security Council between 2022 and 2025 and current director of the Iran strategy project for the Atlantic Council, offers analysis.


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    17 mins
  • Why stocks shrug off inflation and the war
    May 13 2026

    Between the impact of AI on the job market, and geopolitics on the energy market, the current economic situation is a lot to make sense of.

    On Today's Show:
    Kai Ryssdal, host and senior editor of Marketplace, talks about the latest economic news, including recent data on inflation, jobs and productivity, the effects of President Trump's tariffs and more.


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    15 mins
  • Why Democrats could get more midterm votes but lose the House anyway
    May 12 2026

    As the November midterms start ramping up, a look at some recent polling, and some redistricting battles that could impact the outcomes.

    On Today's Show:
    Mara Liasson, NPR national political correspondent, talks about the latest national political news, including what's happening in foreign policy as President Trump travels to China and a deal to end the Iran war is still not happening. Plus, she discusses the redistricting wars and what a recent NPR/PBS/Marist poll found about the president's approval ratings.


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    14 mins
  • She named 'critical race theory' and 'intersectionality' and would like to explain
    May 11 2026

    As academic terms like "critical race theory" have been reshaped by their use in political spheres, a conversation with someone who helped originate those ideas.

    On Today's Show:
    Civil rights scholar Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw, co-founder and executive director of the African American Policy Forum, founder and executive director of the Center for Intersectionality and Social Policy Studies at Columbia Law School, distinguished professor and Promise Institute chair for human rights at UCLA Law School and Isidor and Seville Sulzbacher professor at Columbia Law School, and the author of Backtalker: An American Memoir (Simon & Schuster), talks about key moments in her life that helped her develop groundbreaking legal concepts. Crenshaw is popularly known for her development of “intersectionality,” “Critical Race Theory” and as the host of the podcast Intersectionality Matters!


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    22 mins
  • Now what? Janai Nelson after arguing the SCOTUS voting rights case
    May 8 2026

    Today, SCOTUS released a decision in a gerrymandering case in Virginia, blocking Democrats from an election map with 4 more likely blue districts.

    On Today's Show:
    Janai Nelson, president-director counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, talks about the implications of the Supreme Court's decision in Callais v. Louisiana, which they say gutted the Voting Rights Act. Plus, her reaction to the news that the Virginia Supreme Court overturned the voter-approved redistricting ballot measure that would have been a boon to Democrats.


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    20 mins
  • Abortion pill rights, voting rights and the constitution according to Melissa Murray
    May 5 2026

    Yesterday, the Supreme Court temporarily reinstated a Food and Drug Administration rule allowing the abortion pill mifepristone to be prescribed via telemedicine.

    On Today's Show:
    Melissa Murray, NYU law professor, co-host of the podcast Strict Scrutiny, MSNOW commentator and the author of The U.S. Constitution: A Comprehensive and Annotated Guide for the Modern Reader (Simon & Schuster, 2026), explains the Constitution and how all the problems inherent in the founding are contained in it, not solved by it.


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    22 mins
  • Did SCOTUS revive Jim Crow districting?
    May 4 2026

    The Supreme Court's recent voting rights decision could fundementally change not only the nation's electoral landscape, but how the maps themselves are drawn.

    On Today's Show:
    Nick Corasaniti, New York Times reporter covering national politics, with a focus on voting and elections, talks about the possibility of "endless redistricting wars," and how this may affect this year's midterm elections and beyond.


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    21 mins