Think from KERA

There isn’t a news outlet in America that hasn’t written or talked about whistleblowers in the last week. Tom Mueller joins Krys Boyd to talk about the calculations that whistleblowers go through when they decide to raise an issue – and about what’s ahead for the person who called foul on the President. Mueller’s new book is called “Crisis of Conscience: Whistleblowing in an Age of Fraud.”

Al-Qaeda was conceived by men as a movement for men. But with the rise of ISIS, women were called to build a new society together with men, and many answered that call. Journalist Azadeh Moaveni joins host Krys Boyd to talk about the realities young female runaways found inside ISIS and the nationless status they have now, which she writes about in “Guest House for Young Widows: The Women of ISIS.”

When a judge imposes a sentence, is justice really served? What if forgiveness could be the more moral – and effective – choice? Martha Minow, a professor at Harvard Law School, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the intersection of crime and punishment and forgiveness, which she writes about in, “When Should Law Forgive?”

Urban landscapes are characterized as hot and gritty, with more concrete than green space. Still, pigeons, coyotes and fish often thrive despite the inhospitable conditions. Brendan Koerner joins host Krys Boyd to talk about the burgeoning study of urban evolution. His story,“How Cities Reshape the Evolutionary Path of Urban Wildlife,”appears in Wired.

When early humans formalized a relationship between man and god, how did it eventually become the faiths we know today? Agustín Fuentes, Chair of the Department of Anthropology at the University of Notre Dame, joins host Krys Boyd to talk about the evolution of religion over 50,000 years, which he writes about in, “Why We Believe: Evolution and the Human Way of Being.”

Imagine these scenarios: a loved one is dying, but a new machine can prolong their life; a life-saving drug just hit the market, but it will bankrupt the family. Dr. Jonathan Moreno, a professor of ethics at the University of Pennsylvania, joins host Krys Boyd to work through these and other gut-wrenching questions, which he covers in his book, “Everybody Wants to Go To Heaven But Nobody Wants to Die: Bioethics and the Transformation of Health Care in America.”

Saudi Arabia’s crown prince Mohammed bin Salman promised reform, even granting women the right to drive. But when Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi was murdered, the violence and revenge at his behest became clear. Journalist Martin Smith joins host Krys Boyd to talk about bin Salman’s influence on the Middle East. His Frontline documentary “The Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia” airs Tuesday on PBS stations.

Pirates have captured the popular imagination since the Elizabethan Era: ship hulls filled with chests of gold and stolen rubies. Today, though, pirates are more a product of failed states with bounties of hostages for ransom. Maritime terrorism expert Peter Lehr joins host Krys Boyd to talk about the forces that created piracy and why we should heed warnings of its continued growth today, which he writes about in “Pirates: From Vikings to Somali Raiders, A New Global History with Lessons for Today.”

The large state university is under the microscope these days: who gets in and why, the rise of the for-profit degree, exorbitant student debt, and, of course, football (or at least the money that surrounds it). As Think broadcasts from the Texas Tribune Festival in Austin, host Krys Boyd talks about issues facing higher education with University of Texas System Chancellor J.B. Milliken and Texas A&M University System Chancellor John Sharp.

President Donald Trump’s 2020 re-election campaign began almost as soon as he took office, but there are a few traditional, fiscally conservative Republicans who want to challenge him. As Think broadcasts from the studios of KUT in Austin, William Weld – a two-time governor of Massachusetts – joins host Krys Boyd to talk about his strategy for challenging the president in the Republican primary.