The Unreality of Now

#722 - 30 October 2020

Ahead of the election, we have stories about people trying to live in the unreality that defines this moment. Election officials combat a contagion among their very own workers; people who've never owned guns suddenly go buy them; and two women who allege they were sexually assaulted by the president compare notes.

The Walls Close In

#721 - 23 October 2020

People finding themselves stuck in small spaces—an elevator, an attic, an orchestra pit—trying to make sense of their new surroundings.

The Moment After This Moment

#720 - 16 October 2020

People who are worried — or not worried enough! — about what's hurtling unstoppably towards them.

Trust Me I’m a Doctor

#719 - 2 October 2020

A doctor who breaks the law might go to jail like anybody else. But who decides if that doctor gets to keep their medical license? On today’s show, the not-often-talked-about realm of licensing boards, and the disturbing decisions they sometimes make.

Same Bed, Different Dreams (2020)

#718 - 25 September 2020

Stories of people who are tied together, but imagine radically different futures. In one case, a movie star and her ex-husband plot against Kim Jong-Il. In another, a woman stalks her doppelgänger. And sometimes, one bed is the basis for an entire relationship, even for a man who almost never sees the person who shares his bed.

Audience of One (2020)

#717 - 11 September 2020

At a time when going to the movies is mostly out of the question, we bring the movies to you.

Trail of Tears

#716 - 4 September 2020

Sarah Vowell and her twin sister Amy headed out on the road to retrace the Trail of Tears – the route their Cherokee ancestors took when expelled from their own land – and reflected on the question, what are we supposed to do with the mix of good and bad that is this country?

Long-Awaited Asteroid Finally Hits Earth

#715 - 28 August 2020

Teachers, students and parents around the country have been bracing themselves all spring and summer long for the start of this unprecedented school year. This week, it's here.

Day at the Beach

#714 - 14 August 2020

It’s the last few weeks of summer, so we’re going to the beach! This week, stories from the surf and sand.

Made to Be Broken

#713 - 7 August 2020

From the moment we wake up in the morning there are a trillion rules — big and little — governing our lives. But sometimes, we encounter one we just can't abide by. In a pitched moment of rule-questioning, a show about rules and the people who break them.