What's behind the 'pronatalist' movement to boost the birth rate?
A once-fringe movement claims having more babies is the only way to save civilization. NPR reporter Lisa Hagen and sociologist Karen Guzzo explain who's empowering pronatalism today.
'The Rehearsal' feels more surprising than ever as it returns for Season 2
The Max show uses actors and real people to stage elaborate recreations and imaginings of events. It's like a mystery tour, because you aren't given any clues about the final destination.
Harvard professor offers a grim assessment of American democracy under Trump
Steven Levitsky studies how healthy democracies can slip into authoritarianism. He says the Trump administration has already done grave damage: "We are no longer living in a democratic regime."
'Sinners' is one of the most interesting and audacious movies this year
This latest Ryan Coogler/Michael B. Jordan collaboration is set in 1930s Mississippi — it's awash in gorgeous music, turbulent romance, pan-African spiritualism and, by the end, buckets of blood.
Journalist Joy-Ann Reid revisits the legacy and marriage of Medgar and Myrlie Evers
Reid's book, Medgar and Myrlie, tells the stories of the civil rights leader from Mississippi and his wife, who became an activist after Medgar's 1963 assassination. Originally broadcast Feb. 7, 2024.
Francis Davis, Jazz critic and Terry Gross' husband, dies at 78
Davis was jazz critic for The Village Voice and a contributing editor for The Atlantic. He wrote many books on jazz, and won a Grammy for his liner notes for the reissue of Miles Davis' Kind of Blue.
Why people with mental health issues have 'Starved in Jail.' A journalist investigates
New Yorker writer Sarah Stillman found dozens of cases of people with mental illness arrested for minor crimes and of deprived medication and healthcare. They died from malnutrition and dehydration.
Jazz tenor saxophonist Gene Ammons would have turned 100 this week
Born on April 14, 1925, Ammons was a second-generation jazz musician from Chicago, who earned attention for his fiery work in Billy Eckstine's big band, and his staged duels with fellow saxophonists.
New book explores the real-life KGB spy program that inspired 'The Americans'
In The Illegals: Russia's Most Audacious Spies and Their Century-Long Mission to Infiltrate the West, Shaun Walker shares how agents were trained to blend into a target country and pose as citizens.
'Black Mirror' remains a thought-provoking treasure in its 7th season
Netflix's near-future anthology series draws on classic film/TV for inspiration but its strongest episode, "Common People," takes on subscription tiers in a chilling way.
