Being unhoused in America not only has emotional costs, but financial ones, too. Lori Teresa Yearwood is a reporter who covers housing for the Economic Hardship Reporting Project, and she joins host Krys Boyd to talk about the fines and fees that those who find themselves homeless incur – and the devastating consequences they have on the path to recovery. Her recent essay published in The New York Times is headlined “The Bill for My Homelessness Was $54,000.”

Election audits have shown again and again: voter fraud is not a problem on a massive scale. Vann R. Newkirk II, senior editor at The Atlantic and host of the podcast Floodlines, joins host Krys Boyd to talk about the people targeted for voter irregularities – mostly people of color – and why they serve as a cautionary tale for the future of American voting rights. His recent article is headlined “When the Myth of Voter Fraud Comes For You.”

Some police reform activists have embraced the idea of abolishing police forces altogether. Derecka Purnell is a human rights lawyer, organizer and columnist for The Guardian, and she joins host Krys Boyd to discuss her journey to the moment where she began to believe police reform doesn’t work, and the solutions she feels are necessary for equality, healing and public safety. Her book is called “Becoming Abolitionists: Police, Protests, and the Pursuit of Freedom.”

Our health is a reflection of the world around us, and racism runs deep in the body’s response to that world. Dr. Rupa Marya is an associate professor of medicine at UC-San Francisco and faculty director of the Do No Harm Coalition. She joins host Krys Boyd to explain her theories of how climate change and inequality correlate to surges in inflammatory disease, and how they might be healed with a new approach to medicine. Her book, co-authored with UT Austin research scientist Raj Patel, is called “Inflamed: Deep Medicine and the Anatomy of Injustice.”

America has a nostalgic reverence for World War II, which in some ways has shaped our national identity. West Point English professor Elizabeth D. Samet joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the picture of American exceptionalism that emerged post-war, the ways it has shaped domestic and foreign policy, and the myths it created. Her book is called “Looking for the Good War: American Amnesia and the Violent Pursuit of Happiness.”

Forty million people live in single-income households, and that means shouldering immense financial burdens alone. Anne Helen Petersen, author of the Substack newsletter Culture Study, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why the rate of singles and solo-living individuals is growing in America, what happens as the cost of living rises, and why she believes the nation is set up to reward the partnered and the married. Her Vox article is headlined “The escalating costs of being single in America.”

Our culture promises spontaneity as a key to happiness, but it would be good to remember there’s also comfort in repetition. Harper’s Magazine writer Meghan O’Gieblyn joins host Krys Boyd to discuss her thinking about a world more and more automated, what we can learn from habit, and how we can find freedom in even the most mundane tasks. Her article is headlined “Routine Maintenance.”

The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders are iconic, but who are the women behind the million-dollar smiles? Sarah Hepola joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the organization from the inside out, from the glitz and glamour, to body image, sexualization and how the cheerleaders fit into #metoo today. Hepola hosts the Texas Monthly podcast “America’s Girls.”

You’ve probably heard the quote: “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” The question is, why? Brian Klaas is professor of global politics at University College London, a columnist for The Washington Post and host of the Power Corrupts podcast. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the temptations and trappings of power, why we pick the leaders we do, and lessons we can learn from bad actors. His book is called “Corruptible: Who Gets Power and How It Changes Us.”

The worst blackout in Texas history happened in the winter of 2021. Is the state better prepared for this winter? Mose Buchele, KUT reporter and host of the podcast “The Disconnect: Power, Politics and the Texas Blackout,” joins host Krys Boyd to walk us through any regulatory or policy changes that have happened since the massive storm, and if Texas has secured the power grid for the future.