On Second Thought

The Breakroom gang celebrates #HappyFriday with a look at the week’s biggest stories including an app that finds lunch companions, a surprise wedding, and busting big banks. Then, we talk about creepy clowns, the debut of the Netflix series “Luke Cage,” and a Harry Potter move marathon in IMAX.

It's been nearly 200 years since French political scientist Alexis de Tocqueville traveled 7,000 miles across a young United States. His book, "Democracy in America," described how all Americans had the potential to reach economic success, no matter what their origins. But the "American Dream" feels out of reach for many people in 2016. Political commentator and comedian John Fugelsang wanted to find out why. What he discovered by retracing de Tocqueville's journey is chronicled in "Dream On," a

You know, there have been big success stories when it comes to animal conservation. There were very few grizzly bears left in 1975. Now there are hundreds. The bald eagle was brought back from the brink of extinction and the green sea turtle has seen a huge increase in population in recent years. But there's no such happy ending for Toughie, the last known member of his species. Toughie was a Rabb's fringe-limbed tree frog and he lived at the Atlanta Botanical Garden in what's called a frogPOD.

The Holocaust displaced millions of Jews in the 1940s. Many survivors were left to find new homes and rebuild their lives on foreign shores. One of those places of refuge was Savannah, Georgia. Author Jonathan Rabb explores this difficult transition in his new novel, “Among The Living.” In the book, set in 1947, concentration camp survivor Yitzhak Golden travels to Savannah and must deal with complex divisions within the Jewish community there. Rabb joins us to talk about the real history that

Lots of people say they can't draw and if they do doodle, they draw boxes or something really simple. But Atlanta-based illustrator Mike Lowery wants to start young when it comes to creating artists. He's the author of "The Pursuit of the Pesky Pizza Pirate!" It's part of a series of books that encourage kids to doodle. We talked with Lowery about why doodling matters.

Last month, NPR host Steve Inskeep spoke with several voters from Georgia before and after the first presidential debate. One of those voters was Jimmy Arno, who told Inskeep that he has considered joining a militia group if Hillary Clinton becomes president. Earlier this year, the Southern Poverty Law Center found that the number of anti-government militia groups has grown by more than a third since 2014. We speak with Ryan Lenz of the SPLC about the latest data on militia groups and the causes

A new film called “Denial” starring Rachel Weisz tells the story of the 2000 legal battle between Emory University professor Deborah Lipstadt and British Holocaust denier David Irving. We talked with Lipstadt about the libel case, which garnered international attention.

In 2001, a jury in Georgia convicted 20-year-old Joey Watkins to life in prison for a number of charges, including murder. His case caught the eye of the Georgia Innocence Project, which contacted the hosts of the “Undisclosed” podcast. The show looks at criminal convictions where there’s room for doubt and Watkins’ case was perfect for coverage. We learned more about this story from Susan Simpson and Colin Miller, co-hosts of the podcast. Clare Gilbert, the interim director of the Georgia

Last month, NPR host Steve Inskeep spoke with several voters from Georgia before and after the first presidential debate. One of those voters was Jimmy Arno, who told Inskeep that he has considered joining a militia group if Hillary Clinton becomes president. Earlier this year, the Southern Poverty Law Center found that the number of anti-government militia groups has grown by more than a third since 2014. We speak with Ryan Lenz, senior writer for the Southern Poverty Law Center's Intelligence

Incumbent U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson (R-Georgia) is expected to win a third term in this year’s election. On Monday, we spoke with his opponent, businessman and Democratic candidate Jim Barksdale. Today, we talk to Isakson about the competition and his plans should he return to Washington to represent Georgia.