Think from KERA

Consumer protection is on the decline… you’ve probably noticed

Consumers are mad as hell, and they’re not going to take it anymore. Heather Timmons writes about consumer rights for The Guardian. She joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why American shoppers are fed up with higher prices, inflation, private equity and A.I. customer service (among other things) and just navigating daily life is costing us billions of dollars a year in time and fees. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

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The trend in global entertainment: hyperlocal

3w ago00:47:14Tap to summarize

Taylor Swift’s world tour was a huge hit, but will there be like it? Tom Wainwright, media editor at the Economist, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the rise of “local” entertainment, where artists want to appeal to a smaller segment of the population and not go “global,” and what that means for the United States’ hold on shaping culture. His article is “Entertainment is being deglobalized.” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

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She created space for women astronauts

3w ago00:46:03Tap to summarize

Training to blast off in a rocket is one thing, but being the first mother in space turned out to be much harder. Anna Fisher was a NASA astronaut from 1996 to 2002, the chief of the Space Station branch of the Astronaut Office and the first mother in space. She joins host Krys Boyd to discuss her record as the longest serving astronaut at 36 years and 9 months, the ways her space flight became controversial and political, and about the trail she blazed for women today. She’s part of the new PBS documentary “Once Upon a Time in Space.” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

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There’s a dad bod and a dad brain

3w ago00:46:17Tap to summarize

Motherhood changes a woman’s brain in many ways and now we know dad’s minds are impacted, too. Darby Saxbe is a clinical psychologist and professor of psychology at the University of Southern California. She joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the changes fathers go through when a baby is born from hormones to attention span the important role grandfathers play, and why there’s a pretty good reason for a “dad bod.” Her book is “Dad Brain: The New Science of Fatherhood and How It Shapes Men’s Lives.” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

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The new mission of the DOJ

3w ago00:46:43Tap to summarize

The Department of Justice traditionally operated with a certain level of independence until President Trump took office. Devlin Barrett writes about the Justice Department and FBI for The New York Times, and he joins host Krys Boyd to discuss evidence that Trump is using the department to exact revenge on his enemies, new orders DOJ employees have been given, and why cases about civil rights and tax fraud are being abandoned. His book is “The Department of Revenge: How Trump Took Control of American Justice.” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

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Michael Pollan: Your guide to consciousness

4w ago00:46:35Tap to summarize

Consciousness is something we can’t touch, see or even measure and yet each of us possesses it. Michael Pollan joins host Krys Boyd to explore what we do and don’t know about the mysteries of the conscious mind, the evolution of awareness, and to ponder if A.I. could ever really know its deepest self. His book is “A World Appears: A Journey into Consciousness.” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

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Great Replacement Theory is exploding all over the world

4w ago00:46:13Tap to summarize

Racist and discredited ideas behind the “Great Replacement Theory” are fueling the rise of authoritarianism across the globe. Ibram X. Kendi is professor of history and the founding director of the Howard University Institute for Advanced Study, an interdisciplinary research enterprise examining global racism. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how authoritarian leaders tap into the fears of white populations to tighten their grip on power at the expense of Black and brown people worldwide. His book is “Chain of Ideas: The Origins of Our Authoritarian Age.” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

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How novelist George Saunders thinks about free will

4w ago00:46:52Tap to summarize

George Saunders’ latest novel takes readers into a journey of the soul this time quite literally. The Booker Prize-winning author talks with host Krys Boyd about the book, which takes on greed, capitalism and questions of good and evil from the perspective of a being who must transport a soul to the afterlife. It’s called “Vigil.” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

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The unbreakable bond of found family

4w ago00:46:22Tap to summarize

Unraveling the history of the Jim Crow South, personal stories are interwoven with humor and heartbreak. Tayari Jones is an author and C.H. Candler Professor of English and Creative Writing at Emory University. She joins host Krys Boyd to discuss her new novel, which follows two young Black women – both motherless and as close as sisters – navigating the era with different trajectories. The book is called “Kin.” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

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David Sedaris on the absurdity of aging

4w ago00:47:05Tap to summarize

When you have the natural curiosity of David Sedaris, ordinary observations turn into moments of humor and humanity. The best-selling author joins host Krys Boyd to discuss his latest book of essays that lays out life in in the 21st Century, from his walking habit that garnered him a garbage truck, his souvenir from meeting the Pope, and what he thinks of life, death and even our love of dogs. His newest book is “The Land and Its People.” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

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Consumer protection is on the decline… you’ve probably noticed