A new analysis finds when reporters write high-profile "take down" pieces on powerful tech CEOs, there is often a glaring gender disparity. Winnie CEO Sara Mauskopf joins us. And, why does the loss of a pet hit many of us so hard? It's something our listeners have been thinking about since we aired a segment with the author of a new book about grieving our pets. Dozens wrote to us to share their own stories.

Some borrowers still have a lot of questions about the student loan debt forgiveness process and how to proceed. Three borrowers join us, along with Betsy Mayotte, founder of The Institute of Student Loan Advisors. And, bestselling young adult author Emiko Jean talks about her first book for adults, "Mika in Real Life." The novel centers around a directionless 35-year-old Japanese-American woman who's contacted by the daughter she gave up for adoption.

Geoff Muldaur is a master of American blues, roots, jazz and jug band music. In his new box set "His Last Letter," he has classical musicians in Amsterdam give these quintessential American tunes the chamber music treatment. And, funerals for Ray Liotta, Paul Sorvino, James Caan and Tony Sirico took place all in one month. It's the passing of a generation of Hollywood's most celebrated "mobsters." NPR's Bob Mondello reports.

Early this year, a 22-year-old bluegrass guitar player named Jake Eddy contacted clarinet player Andy Statman and asked him if he'd like to play bluegrass music together. Jon Kalish has this story about the unlikely collaboration. And, human-driven climate change is expected to cause about 110 trillion tons of ice to melt off Greenland's ice shield — and even the most drastic preventive measures can't stop it, according to a study published in Nature Climate Change this week. Glaciologist David Bahr joins us.

In her new book "Babel," Rebecca F. Kuang explores translation as a tool of imperialism. Associate producer Kalyani Saxena talks with Kuang and her fans. And, we revisit a conversation with star Colin Farrell and writer-director Kogonada about their new film "After Yang." The film centers around a family struggling to cope after the robot they bought as a caregiver breaks down.

Russia is set to shut its key Nord Stream natural gas pipeline to Europe for maintenance Wednesday, intensifying Europe's energy concerns. Host of Public Radio's "Full Disclosure" Roben Farzad joins us. And, influencer Andrew Tate calls himself the "king of toxic masculinity." He's recently been banned from YouTube and TikTok, among other platforms. Vox reporter Rebecca Jennings joins us.

Declining government support for state schools and private colleges that prioritize educational mission over efficiency are two contributing factors the to sky-high costs of college in the U.S. Some critics of President Biden's debt relief plan say forgiving loans does not address the root of the issue. Chronicle of Higher Education senior writer Lee Gardner joins us. And, new research shows that ants are better at killing pests, reducing plant damage and yielding more crops than pesticides. Entomologist and professor of science communication at the University of Gloucestershire Adam Hart joins us.

The launch of NASA's new Artemis I mission has been delayed after a rocket engine issue. We learn more with Bryan Smith, director of Facilities, Test and Manufacturing at NASA's Glenn Research Center. And, some conservative groups are calling for public and school libraries to ban books they deem unsuitable for their children. We speak to a librarian in Idaho who resigned last week in protest.

One year has passed since the U.S. and allied forces withdrew from Afghanistan. Today, Kabul is still falling for many Afghans and a new podcast, "Kabul Falling," focuses on their story. Nelufar Hedayat, the podcast's host, joins us. And, is there still hope for the American dream? We hear from Derek Thompson, staff writer at The Atlantic, about why it's become elusive for many.

HBO's "House of the Dragon" debuted with a whopping 10 million viewers — breaking records for the channel. But the emerging success of this "Game of Thrones" may not be quite enough to turn the fortunes of its parent company around. NPR TV critic Eric Deggans joins us. And, Facebook and Twitter recently took down social media accounts attacking U.S. adversaries and spreading American interests across the world. Then, they gave the information about those accounts to researchers. Femi Oke, host of Al Jazeera English's "The Stream," joins us.