Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy have promised to cut $2 trillion from the federal budget with their Department of Government Efficiency. Simon Rabinovitch is U.S. economics editor for The Economist, and he joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how it may actually be possible to generate significant cost cutting – but not in the time frame the president-elect is hoping for. His article is “How to make Elon Musk’s budget-slashing dreams come true.”

Despite some progress, Black Americans continue to have worse health outcomes than other racial groups. KFF Health News senior correspondent Renuka Rayasam joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why we’re failing to close the health gap – especially for rural, low-income African Americans – and why access to quality care is sometimes blocked by the states. Her article, written with Fred Clasen-Kelly, is “Black Americans Still Suffer Worse Health. Here’s Why There’s So Little Progress.”

With the movie adaptation of “Nickel Boys” in theaters, Colson Whitehead’s celebrated novel is reaching new audiences. Whitehead joins host Krys Boyd to talk about his story of two boys assigned to a 1960s juvenile reformatory, bound by the trauma around them as they swing between hope and cynicism. “Nickel Boys” earned Whitehead his second Pulitzer Prize.

Of the thousands of books published each year in English, The New York Times has the task of winnowing that list down to the very best. Times Book Review editor Gilbert Cruz joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the best nonfiction and fiction books of 2024, from an 800-page biography of a president to a funny romantic comedy — there’s a book for everyone to enjoy. The list is “The 10 Best Books of 2024.”

 You can’t watch American sports without a barrage of commercials about sports betting — and it’s changing how fans interact with the action. Rolling Stone writer David Hill joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how new sports betting laws have opened up the market for all kinds of wagers and types of gamblers, the people who can’t stop, and the ways professional sports is changing because of the new money involved. His article is “Is the $11 Billion Online Sportsbook Bubble About to Burst?” 

We’ve innovated our workplaces since the factory-floor work of the Industrial Revolution, but our brains haven’t caught up. Mithu Storoni is a physician, neuroscience researcher and ophthalmic surgeon. She joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why the 9-to-5 workday breaks up the natural rhythms of optimal brain function and offers tips for finding the best time to do your most creative and productive work. Her book is “Hyperefficient: Optimize Your Brain to Transform the Way You Work.”

Genetic tests can help predict future health risks or just be a fun way to learn about your ancestry – but is that information just for you? Kristen V. Brown, staff writer at The Atlantic, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss giant loopholes in anti-discrimination laws that might allow disability and long-term care providers to exploit genetic testing results — even if a person never gets sick — and what that means for those told by a physician they should get tested. Her article is “Genetic Discrimination Is Coming for Us All.”

Twenty-five years after the success of “The Tipping Point,” Malcolm Gladwell is back with new insights. The author and co-founder of Pushkin Industries joins host Krys Boyd to discuss new anecdotes from social science that help explain the world around us – and to update the theory of contagion for our modern world. His book is “Revenge of the Tipping Point: Overstories, Superspreaders, and the Rise of Social Engineering.”

 For scientists to solve the mysteries of the ocean, they need to start with questions like “how do fish float?” Duke University biology professor Sönke Johnsen joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the wonders of vertical migration, why sharks must keep swimming to stay alive, and the clues offered to biologists that help piece together the questions of aquatic life evolution. His book is “Into the Great Wide Ocean: Life in the Least Known Habitat on Earth.” 

President-Elect Trump has tapped Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the Health and Human Services department with promises that dismay many public health officials. Yasmin Tayag, staff writer at The Atlantic, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss RFK Jr’s strategy to “Make America Healthy Again,” his distain for everything from vaccines to fluoride to processed foods – and his approach to managing a $1.7-trillion agency. Her article is “‘Make America Healthy Again’ Sounds Good Until You Start Asking Questions.”