Detaining foreign students over their activism is the “kind of policy that ends democracies.” That’s what Jameel Jaffer tells Audie this week. He’s a law professor and Executive Director of the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University. We also hear from Franziska Wild, student senior editor at The Georgetown Voice, about the chilling effect the detentions are having on campus. 

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What’s the way out of the political wilderness for Democrats? The mayor of Chicago says look to his city “leading the way in this moment around the value system that the people of America want to see carried out in governance.” Audie talks with Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson about his political path forward.

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For decades, college athletes made millions for everyone but themselves. Now, the NCAA’s Name, Image, and Likeness policy, NIL, has changed the game. Audie dives into the chaos of NIL with former All-American gymnast Savannah Schoenherr and Washington Post writer Jesse Dougherty to find out who’s winning, who’s losing, and what it's like navigating America’s latest “wild west.” And will it change the way you experience college sports?

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Sweeping cuts are throwing America’s national parks and forests into uncertainty. With fewer rangers, trail crews, and wildfire fighters, the effects could be immediate — closed campgrounds, neglected trails, and a fire season primed to be more dangerous than ever. Audie talks with veteran wildland firefighter Riva Duncan and CNN Chief Climate Correspondent Bill Weir about what these cuts mean for public lands, outdoor tourism, and the communities—and economies— that depend on them.  

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Former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo resigned from office in 2021 amid a sexual harassment scandal. Now, he’s back and running for mayor of New York City. And he’s not the only one, other so-called “canceled” men from Hollywood, media and politics are being welcomed back to the public sphere. So what’s happened to the Me Too Movement? Audie talks with the founder of ‘Me Too’, Tarana Burke, and former Fox News anchor Gretchen Carlson, about backlash, regrets, and the work they’re doing to move forward.

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A growing number of tech leaders, conservatives, and social influencers believe falling birthrates pose an existential threat to civilization, and this “pro-natalist” movement wants Americans to start having more babies. Audie talks to Brad Wilcox, a sociology professor at the University of Virginia. His book is called, “Get Married: Why Americans Should Defy the Elites, Forge Strong Families and Save Civilization.”

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The Oscars aren’t just about the movies—they’re about politics, too. Audie talks with New Yorker staff writer Michael Schulman, author of Oscar Wars: A History of Hollywood in Gold, Sweat, and Tears. They break down the high-stakes world of Oscar campaigning including who’s pulling the strings behind the scenes, and what this year’s race reveals about the shifting dynamics of the industry. 

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Raw milk, seed oil skepticism, and...coffee enemas? The rise of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the conservative “Make America Healthy Again” movement is reclaiming what it means to be ‘crunchy’ -- a term previously associated with health-conscious liberals. Audie talks with Kiera Butler, a Mother Jones senior editor and reporter deeply embedded in the world of the conservative right's wellness trends. 

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President Trump put Elon Musk in charge of government efficiency and the result has been nonstop chaos and trauma for civil servants. Audie talks with WIRED reporter Vittoria Elliot about how he is doing it and who is helping him. Audie also talks with someone who’s gone through an Elon purge -- former Twitter executive Dr. Rumman Chowdhury. She offers advice on how to get through it.  

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In the wake of Donald Trump’s executive orders on immigration, Audie talks with Rev. Gabriel Salguero about how faith leaders are navigating the call to provide support and guidance to undocumented immigrants in their congregations. Rev. Salguero is the pastor of The Gathering Place in Orlando, Florida, and president and founder of the National Latino Evangelical Coalition.  

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