When looking back at the 2000s, is the decade defined more by George W. Bush or “Gossip Girl”? Kristian Vistrup Madsen is a writer based in Berlin, and he joins host Krys Boyd to make the case that the aughts were marked by sexualization, obscenity and war – and why we ate it up. His article published in The White Review is “Chains or Whips? The Cruel Decade and its Aftermath.”

Bilingual speakers effortlessly mix multiple languages into conversation – but something much more complex and fascinating is happening in their minds. Washington Post columnist Theresa Vargas and Sarah Phillips, a postdoctoral scholar in the neurology department at Georgetown University Medical Center, join host Krys Boyd to discuss bilingualism in our culture and the neurological pathways that allow language switching to flow so freely.

There’s a growing call for the federal government to consider breaking up some of the country’s largest tech companies – similar to how it went after railroad barons of the 19th century. Elizabeth Nolan Brown is a senior editor at Reason and the main author of Reason’s morning newsletter, the Reason Roundup. She joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why this focus on anti-trust lawsuits isn’t popular with the general population and may be blowing the problems created by big tech well out of proportion. Her article is “The Tech Giants Were Always Doomed.”

With a president in his 80s and an election season looming, where is Kamala Harris? Elaina Plott Calabro, staff writer at The Atlantic, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the work the vice president has been doing the last three years, why it’s been mostly invisible, and her struggle to convey her readiness for the top job to voters. Her article is “The Kamala Harris Problem.”

When we’re feeling lonely, maybe the best thing to do is pick up a paint brush or pen and express how we’re feeling. Dr. Jeremy Nobel is a primary-care physician, public health practitioner and poet with faculty appointments at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and the Harvard Medical School. He is the founder and president of the Foundation for Art & Healing, and he joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how we can use creative expression to connect with others. His book is “Project UnLonely: Healing Our Crisis of Disconnection.”

If you instantly feel better when a favorite song comes on the radio – or just feel seen when a sad song plays – you’re tapping into humankind’s deep connection with music. Larry Sherman is professor of neuroscience at the Oregon Health and Science University, and he joins host Krys Boyd to talk about how music works in the brain and how it affects our emotions. His new book is “Every Brain Needs Music: The Neuroscience of Making and Listening to Music.”

A vast network of volunteers and professionals alike is connected by a love of animals and a duty to protect them from harm. Kendra Coulter is professor in management and organizational studies at Huron University College at Western University and a fellow at the Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics. She joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the animal advocates battling abuse and pushing for pro-animal policies in legislatures – and how their work benefits humans, too. Her book is “Defending Animals: Finding Hope on the Front Lines of Animal Protection.”

In 1964, President Lyndon Johnson signed into law the Civil Rights Act with The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. standing at his side. Peniel Joseph is the Barbara Jordan Chair in Political Values and Ethics at the LBJ School of Public Affairs and professor of history and the founding director of the Center for the Study of Race and Democracy at the University of Texas at Austin. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the contentious but essential relationship between the president and Civil Rights leader. His essay appears in the book “LBJ’s America: The Life and Legacies of Lyndon Baines Johnson.”

Policies created by both the left and right have failed to curb illegal immigration. Marcela Valdes, a staff writer for The New York Times Magazine, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the continued inflow of international migrants to the U.S. and how employers here benefit from their arrival. Her article is “Why Can’t We Stop Unauthorized Immigration? Because It Works.”

Stories of deadly predators abound, but often those animals fear humans much more than we must fear them. Adam Hart is professor of science communication at the University of Gloucestershire. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the realities of people who live among predators and why the line between conservation and eradication is a difficult tightrope to walk. His book is “The Deadly Balance: Predators and People in a Crowded World.”