Within 100 miles of the border and coastlines, the Border Patrol can conduct warrantless stops and interrogations. Reece Jones is a Guggenheim Fellow and professor and the chair of the Department of Geography and Environment at the University of Hawaii. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the almost-unfettered agency, how the Supreme Court has authorized its powers, and how it’s becoming a national police force. His book is “Nobody Is Protected: How the Border Patrol Became the Most Dangerous Police Force in the United States.”

Corporations are looking to implement anti-racist policies within their organizations – and some of that work involves actually talking with the people who work there. Y-Vonne Hutchinson is the CEO and founder of ReadySet, a diversity, equity, and inclusion consulting firm, and she talks to host Krys Boyd about how employees can have frank and honest conversations with management about race and achieve real results. Her book is “How to Talk to Your Boss About Race: Speaking Up Without Getting Shut Down.”

This episode originally aired on March 1, 2022.

The gun control debate often focuses on the number of bullets a weapon can fire at one time. Phil Klay joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the technology that has allowed guns to evolve from single shooters to automatic weapons, and to talk about why we’ve felt the need to make guns even more deadly. His article in The New Yorker is called “How Did Guns Get So Powerful?”

The Creek Nation recognized Black people as full citizens until that ruling was revoked in the 1970s. Caleb Gayle is a journalist and professor at Northeastern University. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the struggle for Black Creeks to regain tribal recognition, how the government was involved, and how Black Creeks see themselves today. His book is “We Refuse to Forget: A True Story of Black Creeks, American Identity, and Power.”

For something that’s inside all of us, it’s taken physicians several millennia to understand blood. Dr. Dhun Sethna is a clinical and academic cardiologist. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how slowly advancements in our knowledge of blood circulation and the heart progressed, and where these discoveries have taken medicine today. His book is “The Wine-Dark Sea Within: A Turbulent History of Blood.”

With all the Jurassic Park movies, seeing a T-rex has become fairly common today. But just imagine the wonder of unearthing the first skeleton at the turn of the last century. David K. Randall, senior reporter at Reuters, joins host Krys Boyd to tell the story of fossil hunter Barnum Brown, his discovery that amazed the world, and how the Museum of Natural History capitalized on it. His book is “The Monster’s Bones: The Discovery of T. Rex and How It Shook Our World.”

If you’ve ever had to say, “because I said so” to a little human asking “but why?” you’ve argued with a young philosopher. Scott Hershovitz is director of the Law and Ethics Program and professor of law and philosophy at the University of Michigan. He joins guest host Courtney Collins to discuss the debates he has with his two boys, Rex and Hank, and why it’s important to take on deep questions with young minds. His book is called “Nasty, Brutish, and Short: Adventures in Philosophy with My Kids.”

Debate can turn even the shiest person into a confident orator. Bo Seo is a two-time world champion debater and a former coach of Harvard College Debating Union. He joins guest host Courtney Collins to discuss the fundamentals of a good debate, and his own transformation from a nervous immigrant child to a world champion speaker and coach. His book is called “Good Arguments: How Debate Teaches Us to Listen and be Heard.”

When a wooden duck goes missing, a woman looking to find herself ends up in the center of a mysterious caper. Linda Holmes, co-host of NPR’s Pop Culture Happy Hour, joins guest host Courtney Collins to discuss the characters in her new novel, in which secrets of lost love and the lessons learned from coming home find themselves front and center. The book is called “Flying Solo.”

The animal kingdom perceives the world in wild and unusual ways. Ed Yong, Pulitzer Prize–winning science writer on staff at The Atlantic, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss what seems like animal magic powers – from magnetic fields and sonar to complex vision and heightened smell. His book is “An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us.”

This episode originally aired on June 24, 2022.