#662 : November 16, 2018
Where There Is a Will
Stories of people who believe there is always a way. And also those who don’t.
#661 : November 9, 2018
But That's What Happened
Stories of women in unsettling situations. When they try to explain what’s wrong, they’re told that they don’t understand—that there’s nothing unsettling about it.
#660 : November 2, 2018
Hoaxing Yourself
Stories of people who tell a lie and then believe the lie more than anyone else does. In other words: Stories about people pulling hoaxes...on themselves.
#659 : October 12, 2018
Before the Next One
There’s no rulebook on how to handle a school shooting. And no real way to prepare for one. This week, people take what they’ve learned from these tragedies and try to use that knowledge to save others.
#658 : October 5, 2018
The Unhappy Deciders
Making big decisions about other people's lives can feel pretty awful. Zoe Chace followed Senator Jeff Flake as he decided to force the Senate to delay its vote on Judge Kavanaugh. Among her discoveries: Those protestors in the elevator? They aren’t the reason he did what he did.
#657 : September 21, 2018
The Runaways
A bunch of teenagers go missing from a town in Long Island. For months, the police treat them as runaways, ignoring the kids' parents, who keep trying to tell them otherwise. They keep trying to tell them that something much worse might have happened.
#656 : September 14, 2018
Let Me Count the Ways
Yes, youʼve heard about the family separations. Youʼve heard about the travel ban. But there are dozens of ways the Trump administration is cracking down on immigration across many agencies, sometimes in ways so small and technical it doesnʼt make headlines. This week, the quiet bureaucratic war that’s even targeting legal immigrants.
#655 : August 24, 2018
The Not-So-Great Unknown
What happens when unadventurous people end up in adventurous situations. Like an astronaut who goes to places no one has gone before, even though he’s not really into outer space.
#654 : August 10, 2018
The Feather Heist
A flute player breaks into a British museum and makes off with a million dollars worth of dead birds.
#653 : August 3, 2018
Crime Scene
Every crime scene hides a story. In this week's show, we hear about crime scenes and the stories they tell.
#652 : July 20, 2018
ICE Capades
Dispatches from a government agency in its tumultuous teenage years.
#651 : July 13, 2018
If You Build It, Will They Come?
A young preacher opens a new church. A new restaurant reopens old wounds. This week, stories of people trying to build something that will last.
#650 : June 29, 2018
Change You Can Maybe Believe In
An innocent man forgives the cop who framed him. An Argentinian talk show that usually treats women as objects suddenly gets really interested in feminism. This week, stories about changes that seem too tidy to be true.
#649 : June 22, 2018
It's My Party and I'll Try If I Want To
Democrats are desperate to retake part of Congress. Their best shot is the House. This fall, they’ll be slugging it out with Republicans—but in the meantime, they’re slugging it out with each other. The progressive and moderate wings of the Democratic party are going head-to-head in Democratic primaries all over the country right now, wrestling over what the party should be and stand for. This week, we have the story of a candidate in one primary like that.
#648 : June 8, 2018
Unteachable Moment
Stories about people trying to learn something when no one is clear what the lesson is supposed to be.
#647 : May 25, 2018
LaDonna
A security guard at the airport notices something going wrong on the tarmac, and takes it upon herself to fix it. It’s way harder than she expects.
#646 : May 18, 2018
The Secret of My Death
Cryptic messages on a cell phone and a teeter totter at a construction site: these are clues people found, trying to make sense of a death.
#645 : May 4, 2018
My Effing First Amendment
Conservative students don't feel like their ideas are welcome on campus. So they're fighting back. We go to Nebraska, where one skirmish spins out of control.
#644 : April 27, 2018
Random Acts of History
Stories about people who accidentally bump into unsettling facts of history in settings meant to teach them history. What they end up learning is very different from what they’re supposed to.
#643 : April 13, 2018
Damned If You Do…
It’s one thing to weigh pros and cons. But sometimes all you have is con and con. This week, stories of people having to make a choice, when no good options exist. The group Ira mentions at the end of Act One is the UN World Food Programme; their donation page is here.
#642 : April 6, 2018
The Impossible Dream
Before he leaves the Senate for good, Republican Jeff Flake is trying to get a bill passed. He has his work cut out for him, with a Senate that barely brings anything to the floor, a party he feels estranged from, and a president who seems to hate his guts. Producer Zoe Chace hung out with him for four months.
#641 : March 16, 2018
The Walls
Stories from border walls around the world, where one place ends and another begins. And the strange ecosystems that arise.
#640 : March 2, 2018
Five Women
A different kind of #MeToo story, about several women who worked for the same man. They tell us not only about their troubling encounters with him, but also about their lives beforehand. Who were they when they entered the workplace, and how did their personal histories shape the way they dealt with his harassment?
#639 : February 23, 2018
In Dog We Trust
Stories of dogs and cats and other animals that live in our homes. Exactly how much are they caught up in everyday family dynamics? We answer this question and others.
#638 : February 9, 2018
Rom-Com
The one thing you know for sure when you're watching a romantic comedy is that it's going to turn out okay in the end. When you're living one? Not so much. This week for Valentine's Day, stories that unfold like rom-coms.
#637 : February 2, 2018
Words You Can't Say
In this politically charged climate, it feels like you have to be super careful with your language, no matter who you are or what side you're on. Stories about people who say the “wrong” thing and suffer the consequences, including a very conservative Republican from Louisiana who's lambasted for being too liberal.
#636 : January 19, 2018
I Thought It Would Be Easier
A year into Trump’s presidency, stories chronicling the sometimes hard, often bad, decisions politicians from both parties are making.
#635 : January 12, 2018
Chip in My Brain
A boy who can’t dribble gets a coach, a new best friend, and something to believe in.
#634 : December 22, 2017
Human Error in Volatile Situations
Even the best laid plans can go catastrophically wrong when humans get involved. This week, people bungle simple operations on some of the most dangerous weapons in the world.
#633 : December 15, 2017
Our Town - Part Two
So many people in Albertville, AL wondered what it cost them in taxes when thousands of undocumented immigrants moved to their town. One woman drove our host Ira Glass to the grocery store to watch a random Latina mom buy some milk with government assistance, to try to prove her point. So what’d all the newcomers really cost? And what was their effect on crime, schools, and politics?