New York Times correspondent David Sanger says that Iran and its proxies are posing new challenges: "We're seeing outbreaks of low-level but highly damaging conflict all over the region."

Also, John Powers reviews the new Mexican film Tótem.

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Tracee Ellis Ross co-stars in the Oscar-nominated movie American Fiction. For eight seasons, she starred in the ABC comedy series Black-ish. We talk about her new projects, her superstar mother, Diana Ross, and forging her own path outside of her mother's success. We also talk about how she's come to embrace, at 51, never having children or being married.

Also, film critic Justin Chang reviews the new Vietnamese drama Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell and book critic Maureen Corrigan reviews Kahveh Akbar's debut novel Martyr!

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Time correspondent Simon Shuster has been interviewing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy since 2019, when Zelenskyy was still a famous entertainer and satirist. Shuster talks about Zelenskyy's rise to power, the infamous call with Trump that led to Trump's first impeachment, and how the war with Russia has changed him. Shuster's new book is The Showman.

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Dr. Uché Blackstock was one of the first doctors to raise the alarm that COVID-19 was disproportionately impacting Black people. She spoke with Tonya Mosley about how medical schools contribute to inequities in health care, and what we can do about it. Her book is Legacy: A Black Physician Reckons with Racism in Medicine.


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Ava DuVernay's new film Origin explores a new way to consider the historical subjugation of Black people in America: as the adverse result of a caste system. The film is inspired by Isabel Wilkerson's book Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents. In the movie, Wilkerson embarks on a journey to learn about caste, traveling to Germany and India to get to the root of the Black experience in America.

Also, we'll talk about how algorithms flatten culture with journalist Kyle Chayka. He says algorithms affect every aspect of our lives — from what we watch on Netflix, what songs are at the top of the charts, to what our local coffee shop looks like. His book is Filterworld.

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HBO's Succession swept at the Emmys, winning six awards for its fourth and final season. We compiled interviews with show creator/head writer Jesse Armstrong and actors Kieran Culkin and Matthew Macfadyen.

Also, David Bianculli reflects on the 25th anniversary of The Sopranos.

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Home schooling is now America's fastest growing form of education, but Washington Post reporter Peter Jamison tells Dave Davies, "It's remarkable how little oversight there is of home-schooled children."

Also, we remember TV critic Tom Shales.

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Filterworld author Kyle Chayka examines the algorithms that dictate what we watch, read and listen to. He argues that machine-guided curation makes us docile consumers.

Also, Maureen Corrigan reviews You Only Call When You're in Trouble, a new novel from Stephen McCauley.

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You may have heard about the pioneering research of anthropologist Margaret Mead, but do you know about her work with psychedelics? Mead and her husband, Gregory Bateson, thought psychedelics might reshape humanity by expanding consciousness. We'll speak with author Benjamin Breen about that research and how it led to the CIA's secret experiments in the '50s and '60s, using psychedelics in interrogation. He also shares with us details about a NASA-funded experiment to try to get dolphins to talk by giving them LSD. His book is Tripping on Utopia.

Also, John Powers reviews the Apple TV+ series Criminal Record.

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Award-winning director Ava DuVernay's new film Origin explores a new way to consider the historical subjugation of Black people in America: As the adverse result of a caste system.The film is inspired by Isabel Wilkerson's book Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents. In the movie, Wilkerson embarks on a journey to learn about caste - traveling to Germany and India to get to the root of the Black experience in America. DuVernay also directed 13th, When They See Us, and Selma.

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