Residents of Benton Harbor, Michigan, are facing dangerously high levels of lead in their tap water. Residents are calling for further government action from state and federal officials to address this major public health issue. Reverend Edward Pinkney, president and CEO of the Benton Harbor Water Council, joins us. And, there's long been a controversy surrounding whether college athletes can make money off of their names, images, and likeness, or NIL. This summer, a Supreme Court ruling allowed it for hte first time. We hear what some sports directors and law expert Martin Edel have to say about the change.

Netflix's "Squid Game" became its most streamed original show ever this week. It's popularity may lie in its handling of cultural touchstones in South Korea, and a more universal satire of capitalism. Professor Seung-hwan Shin weighs in. And, David Card shared the 2021 Nobel Prize in economics this week with two other economists. Card talks about his studies on the minimum wage, as well as the current state of labor — strikes, resignations and "stolen" jobs.

Rutherford County, Tennessee, has been arresting and illegally jailing kids for years. Nashville Public Radio's Meribah Knight and ProPublica's Ken Armstrong investigated the situation. Knight talks about the report. And, climate protesters clashed with police in Washington D.C. Thursday night as part of a week of demonstrations demanding action on climate change. John Beard, director of the Port Arthur Community Action Network, talks about the protests.

Life can be hectic. But with a bit of planning, you don't need to scramble to get a week's worth of meals on the table. Chef Kathy Gunst shared three make-ahead meals. And, as a gay Black man, writer Saeed Jones has felt increasingly upset by Dave Chappelle's insistence on making jokes about queer people in the name of creative freedom. He talks about his story in GQ, "Dave Chappelle's Betrayal."

Actor-director Ron Howard and actor Clint Howard talk about their new memoir, "The Boys: A Memoir of Hollywood and Family." And, Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón is dismissing about 60,000 marijuana convictions from before California legalized adult use in 2016. Gascón explains why he wants to see more jurisdictions expunge marijuana convictions.

2021 Nobel laureate Abdulrazak Gurnah's novels center on themes of migration, identity and effects of colonialism in East Africa. Gurnah joins us. And, polls show the Virginia governor's race tightening between former Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe and GOP businessman Glenn Youngkin. Jessica Taylor of Cook Political Report and Kyle Kondik of Sabato's Crystal Ball join us to analyze the campaigns.

We speak with young adult authors Angie Thomas and Tomi Adeyemi about their work at a recent event at WBUR's CitySpace. And, there have been some longstanding concerns about ed-tech. For instance, many children don't have laptops and other tech tools at home, and what about student privacy? TechCrunch's Natasha Mascarenhas discusses the future of these education platforms.

Elizabeth Holmes' trial defense portrays a drastic contrast to the image of the empowered girlboss that the former CEO is known for. Anne Coughlin discusses whether feminism played a role in shielding Holmes from criticism and accountability. And, a new study found that 85% of the world's population is already being impacted by human-caused climate change. Climate scientist Richard Alley joins us to talk about the report.

Grief has a medical cost: It's linked to higher blood pressure, shorter lives, depression and sleeping problems. Professor Toni Miles explains why she's calling for a collective response. And Jacqueline Stewart, chief artistic and programming officer at the new Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, talks about the collection's focus on diversity.

In 1971, Frances Moore Lappe published "Diet for a Small Planet," a book that promotes a plant-centric approach to eating as being more beneficial for personal and global health. We speak with Moore Lappe as well as her daughter Anna Lappe, who helped update the book. And, in his 2019 book "Talking to Strangers," author Malcolm Gladwell explores the sometimes fatal miscues that occur when we make assumptions about people we don't know. We revisit our conversation with Gladwell.