Think from KERA

Election interference didn’t start with Russian President Vladimir Putin – and the United States isn’t exactly innocent, either. Yale University fellow David Shimer joins host Krys Boyd to talk about the history of covert programs to influence voters. His book is called “Rigged: America, Russia, and One Hundred Years of Covert Electoral Interference.”

The CDC says to reopen schools safely, children must wear masks, desks must be pushed six feet apart, and cafeterias should be closed — measures President Trump has called “very tough” and “expensive.” Meanwhile, districts and teachers are preparing to open their doors. Education Week reporter Madeline Will joins host Krys Boyd to talk about what it will take to safely welcome students back to school amid the pandemic.

The Pledge of Allegiance refers to “one nation, under God, indivisible.” But the reality is that division has been a part of the American experience since the beginning. Journalist Colin Woodard joins host Krys Boyd to talk about the historic struggle to create “we the people.” His new book is called “Union: The Struggle to Forge the Story of United States Nationhood.”

We’ve all sent texts that weren’t returned or been left out of a group. So why is it that some of us can write off these slights when others see themselves as a perpetual victim? Humanistic psychologist Scott Barry Kaufman talks to host Krys Boyd about the relationship between victimhood and our sense of how much control we have of our lives. His article in Scientific American is “Unraveling the Mindset of Victimhood.”

In the wake of the Civil Rights movement, James Baldwin, with anger and love, documented the work that still needed to be done. And his words still resonate today. Eddie Glaude, Jr., James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor at Princeton University, joins host Krys Boyd to talk about looking at today’s racism through Baldwin’s eyes. His book is “Begin Again: James Baldwin’s America and Its Urgent Lessons for Our Own.”

“Motivated reasoning” is deciding what evidence to believe based on a conclusion that one prefers. Is that why some people wear masks and others don’t? Adrian Bardon, professor of philosophy at Wake Forest University, joins host Krys Boyd to talk about how identity, political affiliation, culture and rationalization have led to science denial. He’s the author of “The Truth About Denial: Bias and Self-Deception in Science, Politics, and Religion.”

The Supreme Court narrowly rejected the Trump administration’s attempt to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program – meaning life for its nearly 700,000 participants remains in limbo. In this collaboration between Think and The Texas Newsroom, host Krys Boyd explores why Congress has been unwilling to create legislation that addresses DACA, shares the stories of DACA recipients as they go about their lives unable to plan for their futures, and talks to Janet Napolitano, who initiated the program as President Obama’s Homeland Security secretary.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said of COVID-19, “If you reduce the density you can reduce the spread.” As we look to a new world laden with pandemic worries, the message might as well be, “get out of town.” Ian Bogost, contributing writer at The Atlantic and the Ivan Allen College Distinguished Chair in Media Studies at the Georgia Institute of Technology, joins host Krys Boyd to talk about ditching the urban core for peace — and distance. His article his headlined “Revenge of the Suburbs.”

If your country’s two dominant political parties faced more competition, they might have to reach beyond their bases to stay competitive. Katherine M. Gehl, founder of the Institute for Political Innovation, joins host Krys Boyd to talk about lessons from the business world that could fix our political system. Her new book, co-written with Harvard Business School professor Michael E. Porter, is called “The Politics Industry: How Political Innovation Can Break Partisan Gridlock and Save Our Democracy.” 

Forget “live, laugh, love” – scriptwriter and producer Kari Lizer wants three dogs and more sleep. The creator of “The New Adventures of Old Christine” and an Emmy-nominated co-executive producer of “Will & Grace” joins host Krys Boyd to talk about life after the kids have left, a new disdain for high heels, and finally finding her voice. Her new book is “Aren’t You Forgetting Someone?: Essays from My Mid-Life Revenge.”