Think from KERA

Every White House employs a lawyer charged with making sure the administration operates not only legally but ethically, too. Richard W. Painter served as chief ethics lawyer in the George W. Bush White House. As Think broadcasts from Austin as part of the Texas Tribune Festival, Painter joins us to talk about the many ethical questions presidents face – and about how President Trump’s administration is faring in that department.

John Kerry first entered the public arena as a critic of the Vietnam War, a path that lead to a senate seat, a presidential nomination and secretary of state. As Think broadcasts from the studios of KUT in Austin as part of the Texas Tribune Festival, Kerry joins us to talk about his life in public service, which he writes about in “Every Day Is Extra” (Simon & Schuster).

As the author of “Team of Rivals,” “No Ordinary Time” and other books, Doris Kearns Goodwin is one of America’s foremost historians. The Pulitzer Prize-winner joins guest host John McCaa to talk about her latest effort, “Leadership in Turbulent Times” (Simon & Schuster), which focuses on a quartet of U.S. presidents as they find the will to guide the nation through eras of uncertainty.

In 1858, Abraham Lincoln famously told the Illinois Republican State Convention that, “a house divided against itself cannot stand,” arguing that the country couldn’t thrive while split over slavery. Ibram X. Kendi, director of the Antiracist Research and Policy Center at American University, joins guest host John McCaa to talk about why racism today is threatening to rip the country apart again, which he writes about forThe Atlantic.

The Civil War and the Great Depression each thrust the nation into a time of reinvention. And writer Ben Fountain feels we’re in the middle of another pivotal moment. He joins us to explain why he thinks the 2016 election and its aftermath have put the nation in another state of crisis, which he writes about in “Beautiful Country Burn Again: Democracy, Rebellion, and Revolution” (Ecco).

Aylan Kurdi made the front pages of newspapers across the world when images of the young Syrian refugee’s body washed up on the shore of the Mediterranean Sea. Tima Kurdi had immigrated to Canada by the time she saw the picture of her nephew, and she joins us to talk about what it’s like to flee your home not knowing if you’ll find shelter elsewhere. Her new book is called “The Boy on the Beach: My Family’s Escape from Syria and Our Hope for a New Home” (Simon & Schuster).

As a young Muslim living in Yemen, Mohammed al Samawi tried to build bridges between Muslims, Jews and Christians. And his efforts were met with death threats. He joins us to tell the story of how a coalition of online supporters worked together to extract him from the war-torn country. His new book is called “The Fox Hunt: A Refugee’s Memoir of Coming to America” (William Morrow).

As a mathematician, Eugenia Cheng is trained to work through problems logically. And even she struggles with fears of things that are extremely unlikely to happen. She joins us to talk about how we can use scientific reasoning to navigate an era full of irrational behavior. Her new book is called“The Art of Logic in an Illogical World”(Basic Books).

From unwanted hair to foul smells, there are many things we sometimes find icky about ourselves. Mara Altman joins us to talk about the untold history of why we hate our bodies, which she writes about in“Gross Anatomy: Dispatches from the Front and Back”(Putnam).

When the Civil War upended Cathy Williams’ world, the newly-freed woman made the incredible choice to disguise herself as a man and fight with the famed Buffalo Soldiers. Texas novelist Sarah Bird joins us to tell Williams’ story which is also the subject of her new book“Daughter of a Daughter of a Queen”(St. Martin’s Press).