Think from KERA

Robert Zoellick has viewed America’s relationship to other countries both internally – as Deputy Secretary of State – and externally – as president of the World Bank. He joins host Krys Boyd to talk about aligning U.S. policy decisions with a larger global purpose. His new book is called “America in the World: A History of U.S. Diplomacy and Foreign Policy.”

On the Netflix show “Indian Matchmaking,” families hunt for a good match for a daughter or son. Someone with good social standing, in the right class, and who understands duty to family. Love doesn’t have a whole lot to do with it. Parul Bhandari is associate professor at the Jindal Global Business School in Delhi, India, and she joins host Krys Boyd to talk about how the show is teaching the world about Indian cultural practices.

No matter how many walls are constructed and checkpoints set up, migration is an ancient response to the need to find new sources for shelter, safety and food. And climate change has often been at the root of these mass movements. Science journalist Sonia Shah joins host Krys Boyd to talk about why global movement is actually a hopeful signal, bringing with it diversity and help for ecosystems. Her new book is called “The Next Great Migration: The Beauty and Terror of Life on the Move.”

America had been warned for years that a pandemic would someday hit. The prep work was done, and step-by-step instructions to mitigate fall out were disseminated. So why have things gotten so bad? Ed Yong covers science as a staff writer for The Atlantic, and he joins host Krys Boyd to talk about the current crisis and how it could’ve been avoided. His recent article is headlined “Anatomy of an American Failure.”

We all want life to get back to normal but what will that look like? This hour, we’re exploring how three sectors of everyday life are responding to the pandemic. We’ll start with a look at how administrators are working to safely reopen schools. Then we’ll move on to how COVID-19 is affecting the entertainment industry – and how the virus is forcing us all to rethink how we travel.

You’ve probably noticed your hands a lot more these days. With the amount of handwashing you’re doing, they’re probably looking pretty dry and cracked. Are you killing off the good germs along with the bad? Dr. James Hamblin, staff writer at The Atlantic and a lecturer at Yale School of Public Health, joins host Krys Boyd to talk about how our skin protects us – and how we can better protect it. His book is “Clean: The New Science of Skin.”

Americans are proud of living in the “land of the free” — and some feel that being asked to wear a mask or stay home impedes that freedom. Mark Rothstein is professor of law and medicine and director of the Institute for Bioethics, Health Policy and Law at the University of Louisville School of Medicine. He joins host Krys Boyd to talk about what to do when public health directives during a pandemic clash with our expectation of personal liberty. His article “The Coronavirus Pandemic: Public Health and American Values” was published in The Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics.

Katniss Everdeen is the protagonist in “The Hunger Games” who must save the world with her bow and arrow. Young Rue is an innocent murder victim in the story. And even if you haven’t read the books, you can probably guess which character is white and which is Black. University of Pennsylvania associate professor Ebony Elizabeth Thomas joins host Krys Boyd to talk about how the lack of diversity in children’s books reflects a lack of imagination. Her book “The Dark Fantastic: Race and the Imagination from Harry Potter to the Hunger Games” is newly out in paperback.

Bob Ross painted happy little clouds and happy little trees and, 25 years after his death, he still makes us happy. Michael Mooney joins host Krys Boyd to talk about TV’s “Joy of Painting” host, who encouraged us to make happy little accidents. His recent article in The Atlantic is headlined “Why Is Bob Ross Still So Popular?”

It’s been 17 years since U.S. forces invaded Iraq. Robert Draper of The New York Times joins host Krys Boyd to talk about how a combination of groupthink, faulty intelligence and a flawed decision-making process led to a war that spawned many unintended consequences. His new book is called “To Start a War: How the Bush Administration Took America Into Iraq.”