Think from KERA

Meteorologists use a complex system of computer models, algorithms and historical data to predict the weather. Andrew Blum joins host Krys Boyd to talk about how satellites, super computers and international alliances are all vital to putting together a weather forecast. His new book is called “The Weather Machine: A Journey Inside the Forecast” (Ecco).

The internet has been part of our daily lives for more than two decades. But our approach to policing it is still in its infancy. Karen Kornbluh is director of the Digital Innovation and Democracy Initiative at the German Marshall Fund, and she joins host Krys Boyd to talk about whether we should establish a government agency to monitor the spread of disinformation online. Her essay “Bringing Truth to the Internet” appears in the journal Democracy.

As an automaker and tire manufacturer, Henry Ford and Harvey Firestone had plenty of incentive to make sure America’s roadways were suitable for cars. Jeff Guinn joins host Krys Boyd to talk about how the pair teamed with Thomas Edison for a series of road trips – and how those trips helped make car ownership a way of life. Guinn’s new book is called, “The Vagabonds: The Story of Henry Ford and Thomas Edison’s Ten-Year Road Trip” (Simon & Schuster).

Ankle monitors allow some people charged with a crime to live and work outside of jail ahead of their trials. ProPublica reporter Ava Kofman joins host Krys Boyd to talk about how defendants are on the hook for the hundreds of dollars the monitors cost per month – and about how the inability to pay can land them back in jail. Her story “Digital Jail: How Electronic Monitoring Drives Defendants Into Debt” appears in The New York Times magazine.

Through scientific innovations, determining paternity is now a pretty straight forward and reliable process. Columbia professor Nara B. Milanich joins host Krys Boyd to talk about how confirming biological fatherhood is only the beginning of establishing what it means to be a dad. Her new book is called “Paternity: The Elusive Quest for the Father” (Harvard University Press).

America is not at war with Mexico. But a visit to the border can feel like you’re entering a war zone. John Carlos Frey joins host Krys Boyd to talk about how defense contractors, lobbyists and other profiteers are lining their pockets in connection with the ongoing questions of immigration and border security. His new book is called “Sand and Blood: America’s Stealth War on the Mexico Border” (Bold Type Books).

In 2014, Colorado became the first state to legalize marijuana for recreational use – leading to $1.5 billion in sales annually. Jack Healy joins host Krys Boyd to talk about how the state now has enough data to consider the effect pot is having on health, crime and kids. His story “Reefer Madness or Pot Paradise? The Surprising Legacy of the Place Where Legal Weed Began” appears in The New York Times.

Some of the world’s top cancer researchers are Chinese scientists working in American labs. Peter Waldman joins host Krys Boyd to talk about how the FBI and National Institutes of Health are quietly purging these researchers from top facilities out of fear that the Chinese government will steal valuable intellectual property. Waldman’s reporting on the topic appears in Bloomberg Businessweek.

About one in four pregnancies ends in a miscarriage. Psychotherapist Julia Bueno experienced a miscarriage herself, and she joins host Krys Boyd to talk about how the loss of a pregnancy affects women – and about strategies for recovering from the trauma. Her new book is called “The Brink of Being: Talking About Miscarriage” (Penguin).

Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles and other big cities have struggled for decades to curb urban violence. Thomas Abt was a policymaker in the Obama-era Justice Department and is now a senior research fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government studying the issue, and he joins host Krys Boyd to talk about steps that cities can take to save lives lost to violence. His new book is called “Bleeding Out: The Devastating Consequences of Urban Violence – And a Bold New Plan for Peace in the Streets” (Basic Books).