Think from KERA

Since the earliest days of the Cold War, the U.S. government has continuously revised a plan that would ensure continuity in the event of a nuclear attack. Garret M. Graff joins us to talk about the inner-workings of the plan – and how it’s evolved in the last six decades – which he writes about in “Raven Rock: The Story of the U.S. Government’s Secret Plan to Save Itself — While the Rest of Us Die” (Simon & Schuster). He speaks tonight to the World Affairs Council of Dallas-Fort Worth.

Excessive worry can lead to depression and even poor physical health. There are, however, some benefits to worrying. Kate Sweeny, associate professor of psychology at the University of California, Riverside, joins us to talk about how worrying can both motivate us and serve as an emotional buffer. Her recent study “The Surprising Upside of Worry” appears in the journal Social and Personality Psychology Compass.

Who among us hasn’t looked at the night sky and asked, “Is there anybody out there?“ Theoretical physicist Jim Al-Khalili joins us to bring us up to date on the search for life in other parts of the universe. He’s the editor of a new collection of essays by scientists writing on the topic, “Aliens: The World’s Leading Scientists on the Search for Extraterrestrial Life” (Picador).

Every four years, Texas Monthly takes on the enviable task of naming the top 50 barbecue joints in the state. The new rankings are unveiled this week, and Texas Monthly barbecue editor Daniel Vaughn joins us to talk about who made the cut – and about the tricks these pit masters use to smoke the competition.

Over the many years he’s spent writing for GQ, The New York Times, ESPN and other outlets, Chuck Klosterman has developed into one of America’s foremost cultural critics. He joins us to talk about his best writing from the past decade, which he’s collected in “Chuck Klosterman X: A Highly Specific, Defiantly Incomplete History of the Early 21st Century” (Blue Rider Press).

In the midst of the Cold War, a young Texan visited Moscow and turned the classical music world upside down. Stuart Isacoff takes us back to 1958 to relive Van Cliburn’s stunning victory at the Tchaikovsky International Piano Competition. His new book is called “When the World Stopped to Listen: Van Cliburn’s Cold War Triumph, and Its Aftermath” (Knopf). The 15th Van Cliburn International Piano Competition begins today in Fort Worth.

Honesty may be the best policy – but that doesn’t mean we always stick to it. Yudhijit Bhattacharjee joins us to talk about how humans are actually wired to occasionally venture from the truth. His story “Why We Lie” appears in the June issue of National Geographic magazine.

Islamophobia has made it difficult for many Muslim immigrants to fit into American society. Sociologist Erik Love studies civil rights and joins us to make the case that bolstering universal civil rights – rather than seeking protection for vulnerable groups – is actually the most effective way to help Muslim Americans. He writes about the ideas in “Islamophobia and Racism in America” (NYU Press).

The most controversial figure in President Trump’s cabinet is arguably chief strategist Steve Bannon. Documentary filmmaker Michael Kirk joins us to talk about Bannon’s days operating Breitbart News – and about how his views on race and nationalism have shaped the president’s policies. Kirk’s Frontline documentary “Bannon’s War” airs tonight at 9 on KERA-TV.

Paul Theroux is one of America’s foremost travel writers. And he’s also an accomplished novelist. He joins us to talk about his latest work of fiction, which centers on a brood of siblings doing their best to free themselves from the grip of an overbearing mother. The book is called “Mother Land” (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt).