Think from KERA

Though never elected to any office, James Baker III spent decades shaping policy and politicians. Peter Baker, chief White House correspondent for The New York Times, joins host Krys Boyd to talk about Baker’s close and competitive friendship with George H.W. Bush – and about his diplomatic work that reshaped the world in the last quarter of the 20th Century. Peter Baker’s new book, co-written with Susan Glasser, is “The Man Who Ran Washington: The Life and Times of James A. Baker III.”

The biggest story heading into Election Day might just be the many thorny issues surrounding the actual process of voting. This hour, we’ll talk about mail-in ballots and the actual risk of voter fraud. We’ll hear from a former state redistricting chairman about how dividing up voting districts is much more complicated than you might think. And we’ll talk about ongoing efforts to fight voter suppression.

During the 2016 presidential campaign, FBI agents were tasked with looking into possible connections between the Trump campaign and Russia. Peter Strzok served as deputy director of the counterintelligence division and received the bureau’s highest investigative honor, the Director’s Award for Excellence. He joins host Krys Boyd to talk about his career tracking Russian interference – and about his very public firing after President Trump took office. His book is “Compromised: Counterintelligence and the Threat of Donald J. Trump.”

Latria Graham is a Black woman who grew up near nature and still seeks refuge in it as an adult. She joins host Krys Boyd to talk about how our public parklands are still full of reminders of American racism – and about what she has to say to those who feel unsafe when they explore the backcountry. Her article in Outside Magazine is “Out There, Nobody Can Hear You Scream.”

As our oldest living president, Jimmy Carter continues to forge a legacy of benevolence and modesty, which, in reflection, is exactly how he met his political moment post-Nixon. Jonathan Alter, MSNBC political analyst and former senior editor at Newsweek, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss Carter’s moral message after Watergate and his governing skills that sought to bring peace to a divided country. Alter’s new book is “His Very Best: Jimmy Carter, A Life.”

In the almost 50 years since President Nixon resumed relations with China, the world’s most populous country has become an economic and political juggernaut with ambitious, global designs. Mary Gallagher, director of the International Institute at the University of Michigan, joins guest host John McCaa to discuss the current state of U.S.-China relations and what it would take for the relationship to improve.

For travelers visiting Europe, Rick Steves’ guidebooks are an indispensable resource. The host of the PBS series “Rick Steves Europe” joins host Krys Boyd to virtually whisk us away to bucolic cobble stone streets and dramatic Alpine views from his book “For the Love of Europe: My Favorite Places, People, and Stories.”

John Brennan served as director of the CIA during President Obama’s second term. He joins host Krys Boyd to talk about rising through the ranks of the agency after answering a newspaper ad – and his views on the many presidents he served. His new autobiography is “Undaunted: My Fight Against America’s Enemies, at Home and Abroad.”

There’s an age-old idiom that might perfectly sum up modern political donations: “He who pays the piper calls the tune.” Sarah Kleiner, a politics reporter with the Center for Public Integrity, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss her reporting into how wealthy North Texas Republican donors use their money to call the shots on Capitol Hill. Her reporting on the topic appears in “The Dallas Piggy Bank,” an episode of the podcast she co-hosts called “The Heist.”

In just six months, the COVID-19 pandemic upended the world – and the dust hasn’t settled yet. Fareed Zakaria, host of Fareed Zakaria GPS on CNN Worldwide and a columnist for The Washington Post, joins host Krys Boyd to talk about what experts predict about the future of technology, politics, health and cities once the coronavirus is conquered. His new book is “Ten Lessons for a Post-Pandemic World.”