As the planet warms, our oceans suffer. Here & Now's Peter O'Dowd talks to one of the world’s leading marine experts, Peter de Menocal, director of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, about what the future of oceans can tell us about our life on land, and solutions that can be found in their depths.

Economist Raj Chetty is the director of Opportunity Insights, which studies how to give children from all backgrounds better chances of succeeding. Michael Jonas, the executive editor of CommonWealth Beacon, talks to Chetty about why fewer Americans out-earn their parents than in previous generations, why the consequences are particularly devastating for lower-income households—and powerful, research-backed solutions to break the cycle of intergenerational poverty.

Does our increased use of AI amplify human imagination, or risk dulling our capacity for original thought? Cloe Axelson, senior editor of WBUR's Cognoscenti, explores the intersection of AI and creativity with poet and artist Sasha Stiles; the director of Harvard College Writing Center, Jane Rosenzweig; and Ann Handley, author of the forthcoming book "ASAP: As Slow As Possible."

WBUR's Mirian Wasser talks to a panel of energy experts —Matthew Nelson, former chair of the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities; Erika Uyterhoeven, a Democratic state representative from Somerville Disctrict; and Mary Wambui, a ratepayer advocate who sits on the state's Energy Efficiency Advisory Council  — about the market and policy drivers behind the skyrocketing electric and gas bills across New England, as well as practical steps consumers can take to ease the burden.

Ezekiel Emanuel — bioethicist, oncologist and author of  the new book “Eat Your Ice Cream” -— talks to WBUR's Deborah Becker about how to separate interventions that improve longevity and quality of life from those that don’t.

Samantha Power,  former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and USAID Administrator, speaks with Here & Now host Indira Lakshmanan about the changing role of the United States in the world.

M. Gessen, opinion columnist at The New York Times and the author of Serial's 2026 show "The Idiot," joins Here & Now host Indira Lakshmanan for a wide-ranging conversation on Russia, Ukraine and the rise of global totalitarianism. Plus, what happens when a reporter turns the lens inward to confront family history and personal memory.

Former National Endowment for the Arts leaders - Harvard Loeb Fellow Jen Hughes,  Kennedy School Program Director Jenn Chang, and Asian American Ballet Project Founder Elizabeth Mochizuki - speak to WBUR's Tania Ralli about the future of arts funding amid efforts to defund the agency and bold new models to sustain artists and cultural institutions.

This conversation was a part of The WBUR Festival (2026), where thousands of attendees descend on Boston each year to hear movers, makers, and other fascinating people in conversation with each other and with WBUR.

Ken Casey, frontman of the punk band Dropkick Murphys, talks to Here & Now's Robin Young about  channeling punk rock's protest roots to deliver a pro-democracy message.

This conversation was a part of The WBUR Festival (2026), where thousands of attendees descend on Boston each year to hear movers, makers, and other fascinating people in conversation with each other and with WBUR.