America’s history is a mix of pride and shame so how should we square those conflicting feelings? Yoni Appelbaum, deputy executive editor at The Atlantic, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss what it means to be a patriot when scholars argue about the American story, how we can get back to a shared understanding of who we are as a nation, and whether that’s even possible. His article is “How to tell the American story.”

 The Declaration of Independence might’ve been written by men, but history was being made by women outside Independence Hall. Denise Kiernan, author, journalist, and producer, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the publishers, spies, and other extraordinary women that powered the American Revolution, why they are almost lost to history, and we’ll get the real story of the woman known as “Molly Pitcher.” Her book is "Obstinate Daughters: The Rebels, Writers, and Renegade Women Who Ignited the American Revolution

 George Washington may have set the standard for American presidents, but those precedents wouldn’t have mattered if John Adams hadn’t followed through on them. Lindsay Chervinsky, executive director of the George Washington Presidential Library, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the second U.S. president, how he solidified many of the functions of the chief executive we still know in the 21st Century, and why that meant he would sacrifice a second term. Her book is “Making the Presidency: John Adams and the Precedents That Forged the Republic.”  

On July 4th, 2025, devastating floodwaters ripped through the Texas Hill Country, killing more than 130 people. After the Flood, a new podcast from the Texas Newsroom and PBS’s Frontline, has followed survivors over the last year and tries to find out why this happened – and whether it could happen again.

In this first episode, you’ll hear what happened during those harrowing early morning hours of the flood. And you’ll meet a father who had just sent his daughter to Camp Mystic two weeks earlier.

You can find After the Flood wherever you get your podcasts.

From our little fur babies to “Herbie” the car, we imbue the world around us with wonderous human-like qualities. Justin Gregg is senior research associate with the Dolphin Communication Project and an adjunct professor at St. Francis Xavier University, where he lectures on animal behavior and cognition. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the benefits of anthropomorphism and the detriments of its polar opposite dehumanization. Plus, we’ll be introduced to a wide world where we love to see animals and objects as reflections of ourselves. His book is “Humanish: What Talking to Your Cat or Naming Your Car Reveals About the Uniquely Human Need to Humanize.”

Originally, America’s 250th birthday celebration was a bipartisan effort. Then President Trump took it over. Michael Scherer is a staff writer at The Atlantic, and he joins host Krys Boyd to discuss a newly rebranded celebration called America250, which has led to frustration among lawmakers over breakdowns in communication. Plus, we’ll get an update on where the $150 million allocated for the event from the Big Beautiful Bill has been spent thus far. His article is “Inside America’s Ugly Birthday Battle.”

Hospice care is a good option for dying loved ones so why not pets? Dr. Sunita Puri is the author of “That Good Night: Life and Medicine in the Eleventh Hour.” She’s also the program director of the Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship at the University of Massachusetts Chan School of Medicine, where she is an associate professor of clinical medicine. She joins host Krys Boyd to discuss end-of-life care for beloved animals, when to know whether painful treatments are the right option and the emotional decisions pet parents must go through. Her article “When Should You Say Goodbye to a Pet?” was published in The New Yorker.

India has claimed the world’s largest population since 2023 but that is going to change fast. Tom Sasse, South Asia Bureau Chief for The Economist, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why a decline in birth rates will hinder future growth, why India might not be able to achieve the wealth of other industrialized countries, and why attracting new immigrants might be the solution. His article is “India’s population will soon be falling probably quite fast.”

How do you write satire about an administration that is already over the top? Award-winning author Ben Fountain joins host Krys Boyd to discuss his wild new novel in which a pro-wrestler holds almost magical powers that captivate crowds. And that puts him at odds with a very narcissistic, bombastic president. We’ll hear how the current political moment is both sad and funny Fountain’s book is “Rasputin Swims the Potomac.”

 After the promises of Reconstruction began to wither, Black Americans searched for freedom in radically different locales. Caleb Gayle is a journalist, author and professor at Northeastern University, and he is also a contributing writer at The New York Times Magazine. He joins guest host John McCaa to tell the story of Edward McCabe, who made it his life’s work to set up a Black state in Oklahoma. His book is “Black Moses: A Saga of Ambition and the Fight for a Black State.” 

This episode airs December 10th, 2026.