Recently, the Charlotte Observer ran a powerful five-part series that revealed shocking practices inside the state’s prison system. The investigation exposed correctional officers running contraband rings and collaborating with gang members. As a result of that series, the state commissioned a study to see whether best practices from other state prison systems could be implemented in North Carolina. The authors of the study, Caitlin Saunders and Joel Rosch, discuss their findings.

A student-led initiative on college campuses  in North Carolina is tackling one of the most important issue of our time - political polarization. The project, called Leaders for Political Dialogue, convenes students from Duke, N.C. State, UNC and N.C. Central. Students spend a weekend learning how to communicate better with those whose political opinions may differ from their own. Kelly Brownell talks with the founder of the project, as well as three participants.

More and more rich people are choosing to give their money away before they die. Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has pledged to give away 99% of his family's Facebook stock - a gift estimated at the time to be worth $45 billion dollars. Some mega-donors are even pressing to spend donated funds their own lifetimes.

Joel Fleishman, a preeminent scholar on philanthropy, compares this current trend with the more traditional approach of perpetual foundations which are designed to last for generations. Fleishman's  book is Putting Wealth to Work - Philanthropy for Today or Investing for Tomorrow.

The latest research on poverty indicates that a federal job guarantee is economically feasible. Such a guarantee could help address big American issues like crumbling infrastructure while at the same time ensuring workers aren't living in poverty. Kelly Brownell talks about the topic with William "Sandy" Darity, the director of the Samuel DuBois Cook Center on Social Equity at Duke University.

Barney Frank spent 32 years in Congress. He served most recently as the ranking member of the House Financial Services Committee. He sponsored the 2010 Dodd-Frank Act, which resulted in a sweeping reform of the U.S. financial industry. He is also one of the most prominent gay politicians in the U.S. In this conversation Barney Frank questions which side Donald Trump is rooting for in 2018, talks about the use of humor in politics, and explores the need for pragmatism in the fight for a fairer society.

Barney Frank’s visit to Duke was sponsored by the Samuel & Ronnie Heyman Center for Ethics, Public Policy and the Professions, in collaboration with the Kenan Institute for Ethics; POLIS, the Center for Political Leadership, Innovation and Service, and the Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke.

For decades, higher education leaders have supported expanding college education to include disadvantaged groups. Many colleges have embraced policies that fight discrimination. And yet, as the economist Charles Clotfelter shows, America’s system of undergraduate education was unequal in 1970 and is even more so today.

He contends despite a revolution in civil rights, billions spent on financial aid, and the commitment of colleges to greater equality, stratification has grown starker in part because colleges cater largely to children of elites.

Charles Clotfelter's new book is Unequal Colleges in the Age of Disparity (Harvard University Press).

Earlier this week a lone gunman perpetrated the deadliest mass shooting in modern American history. Why does the U.S. lack a comprehensive gun control policy? After the violence at Columbine High School, Kristin Goss began studying the gun control movement in America. She talks about why the movement hasn't caught on (it's not the NRA) and how things may be changing.

Lisa Monaco served as President Obama’s chief counterterrorism and homeland security advisor for his entire second term. She was responsible for policy coordination and crisis management on issues ranging from cybersecurity to natural disasters to terrorist attacks at home and abroad. Previously, Lisa helped Robert Mueller transform the FBI after 9/11 into a national security organization focused on preventing terrorist attacks on the United States.

Does history make statesmen or do statesmen make history? A conversation with Bruce Jentleson about his forthcoming book The Peacemakers: Lessons Learned from 20th Century Statesmanship.

Music: Blue Dot Sessions

The United Nations estimates more than 400,000 people have lost their lives in the Syrian civil war and millions more have had to leave their homes and the country. Cynthia Viveros-Cano is stationed in Damascus, Syria, as a Humanitarian Affairs Officer for the United Nations. Her role is help ensure aid gets to the people who need it most.