Think from KERA

the 2020 election like it was the most consequential of their lives. So how did it all turn out? University of Houston political science professor Brandon Rottinghaus and Victoria M. DeFrancesco Soto from UT’s LBJ School of Public Affairs join host Krys Boyd to analyze the election results and talk about what they say about the direction of the nation.

Amy Coney Barrett’s 11th hour confirmation gives the Supreme Court a solid 6-3 conservative majority. And that has some Democrats contemplating court-packing should the election go their way. Columbia University law professor Jamal Greene joins host Krys Boyd to talk about expanding the courts, justice term-limits and whether or not the judiciary is just fine as it is.

Attracting Latino and Black voters has been a major campaign storyline this year. Meanwhile, Asian-Americans haven’t been courted as aggressively. Russell M. Jeung, professor of Asian-American Studies at San Francisco State University, joins host Krys Boyd to talk about the issues that speak to Asian-American voters – and how religion plays into party affiliation. His essay “The Religious and Racial Minoritization of Asian American Voters” appears in the book “Religion Is Raced: Understanding American Religion in the Twenty-First Century.”

In 2016, the media and political pundits were stunned by Donald Trump’s win after weeks of polling showed a clear victory for Hillary Clinton. W. Joseph Campbell joins host Krys Boyd to talk about how polling works and why data sometimes fail to predict the future. His book is called “Lost in a Gallup: Polling Failure in U.S. Presidential Elections.”

Ten-thousands years ago, “I scratch your back, you scratch mine” was a survival tactic reserved for families. But soon our species learned friendly vis-à-vis with strangers offered even greater chances of success. Michael McCullough, professor of psychology at the University of California San Diego, joins host Krys Boyd to talk about how our collective experiences have taught us to care for one another. His book is called “The Kindness of Strangers: How a Selfish Ape Invented a New Moral Code.”

For the 2018 midterm elections, 55-percent of eligible Black women voters showed up at the polls. And politicians noticed. Andra Gillespie, Associate Professor of Political Science at Emory University, joins host Krys Boyd to talk about this key voting bloc—and why Black women voters are sometimes called the backbone of the Democratic party.

President Trump has focused on a charged campaign narrative that the suburbs are under siege—but who’s attacking? Kriston Capps, Staff writer at Bloomberg CityLab, joins host Krys Boyd to talk about Trump’s take on federal fair housing—his thoughts on who’s allowed to live where— and why he hopes some voters hear his call. His article is called “Showdown Over Segregation in the Suburbs. 

The early days of the pandemic gave many of us a new appreciation for the convenience of grocery stores and the essential workers who keep them stocked. Benjamin Lorr joins host Krys Boyd to talk about his investigations into the highly-guarded inner-workings of how our food goes from field, to truck, to shelf. His new book is “The Secret Life of Groceries: The Dark Miracle of the American Supermarket.”

Early voting numbers for this 2020 presidential election are already setting records—but that doesn’t mean voting has gotten any easier. Journalist Erin Geiger Smith joins host Krys Boyd to talk about the past, present, and future of voting and provides simple ways to encourage people to exercise their right. Her book is called “Thank You for Voting: The Maddening, Enlightening, Inspiring Truth About Voting in America.”

Humans are connected to both a 100-foot-long Blue Whale and a fly-sized frog by one thing: the bones under our skin. Roy Meals, clinical professor of orthopedic surgery at UCLA, joins host Krys Boyd to talk about the science and wonder of our skeletal framework and explains why bones are invaluable—and have been so since the dawn of recorded time. His book is “Bones: Inside and Out.”