China scholar Michael Beckley says China is engaged in the largest military buildup since World War II, and is being increasingly aggressive with its Asian neighbors and with the U.S. Beckley's book is Danger Zone.

Ken Tucker reviews a reissue by Roger Miller.

Amer stars in a new Netflix comedy about his life called Mo. His family is Palestinian, and fled the first Gulf War, so Amer grew up in Houston from age nine. "Palestinian culture is a folksy farmer kind of mentality and life," Amer says. "And when I came to Texas, one of the things that was really attractive to me was the country music, the folksy music, the storytelling tradition of that." Amer also has two Netflix comedy specials, and co-starred in the Hulu series Ramy.

Also, Kevin Whitehead reviews the new album from jazz drummer Billy Drummond's quartet.

Tim Miller is a former Republican communications operative who held moderate views and backed moderate candidates for years. But he says in practicing the dark arts of opposition research and planting negative stories about rival candidates, he worked with increasingly extreme right-wing media outlets and fed populist outrage that would radicalize much of the Republican voter base. Miller examines his past work, and considers why so many Republicans who thought Trump unfit for office nonetheless backed him, in a new book, called Why We Did It.

Washington Post columnist Dana Milbank examines how the GOP got to where it is today, with some elected leaders and candidates still endorsing the lie that Trump won. His book is The Destructionists.

Film critic Justin Chang reviews Emily the Criminal starring Aubrey Plaza.

Robin Thede's HBO series, A Black Lady Sketch Show, is the first sketch comedy show solely written, directed and starring Black women. She spoke with contributor Tonya Mosley.

We remember actor Anne Heche, who died Sunday at age 53. She starred in Donnie Brasco, Wag the Dog, Six Days, Seven Nights, and Walking and Talking. Early in her career, she made headlines when she had a relationship with Ellen Degeneres. She spoke with Terry Gross in 2000.

Also, we listen back to our 2015 interview with actor Jonathan Banks, who co-starred as fixer and hitman Mike Ehrmantraut on Better Call Saul.

Ken Tucker reviews the new album by Loudon Wainwright III about growing older, and John Powers reviews the new documentary Three Minutes: A Lengthening.

2020 election deniers won key races in the Arizona GOP primary. New York Times Magazine journalist Robert Draper says the swing state is a bellwether for the rest of the nation.

The CDC estimates over 1 million Americans have died of overdoses since Oxycontin went on the market in the mid '90s. Dopesick author Beth Macy and harm reduction specialist Michelle Mathis talk about grassroots and community efforts to address the opioid crisis. Macy's latest book is Raising Lazarus.

TV critic David Bianculli reflects on the series finale of Better Call Saul.

Congressman Adam Schiff talks about the investigations of Donald Trump, and the significance of the top secret documents that the FBI seized from Mar-a-Lago last week. Schiff was the lead manager of the first impeachment and senate trial of President Trump, and now serves on the House Committee investigating January 6th and attempts to overturn the election. We'll also talk about what it's been like to work with colleagues who amplify falsehoods and conspiracy theories, and to be the constant target of threats. Schiff's memoir is Midnight in Washington.

Thede's HBO series, A Black Lady Sketch Show, is the first sketch comedy show solely written, directed and starring Black women. "It is a nonstop job," she says of the various hats she wears. Thede spoke with guest interviewer Tonya Mosley.

Also, Justin Chang reviews the noir thriller Emily the Criminal, starring Aubrey Plaza. And Lloyd Schwartz a reissue of Judy Garland films.

Over this past year, the Taliban have broken their promises to allow girls to continue their schooling and women to keep their jobs. Many girls and women are disappearing — arrested for violating the morality code, or abducted and forced to marry one of the Taliban. We talk with British/Iranian journalist Ramita Navai, who went undercover to speak to women who were victimized by the Taliban, and women working underground to help women escape brutality. Her new PBS Frontline documentary is called Afghanistan Undercover.

Also, we talk with Will Bunch, author of After the Ivory Tower Falls, about how college tuition became so expensive, driving students and parents into debt.

Justin Chang reviews the film Ali & Ava.