Think from KERA

U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke’s 16th Congressional District covers El Paso and far West Texas. He joins us to talk about his views on border security – and his plans to run against Sen. Ted Cruz in 2018. And later, Franklin Foer joins us to talk about the many retaliatory moves Mexico could make as relations with our southern neighbors devolve. His story “Mexico’s Revenge” appears in the May issue of The Atlantic.

In 1972, Susan Stamberg became the first full-time female anchor of a daily news broadcast when she began work on NPR’s “All Things Considered.” She joins us to talk about her career at the network – including her distinguished career in arts journalism. And later in the hour, we’ll be joined by another NPR legend – “Weekend Edition Saturday” host Scott Simon. His latest book is called “My Cubs: A Love Story” (Blue Rider Press).

Beginning in the 1920s, many American cities began to institute racial zoning policies, the effects of which can still be felt today. Richard Rothstein of the Economic Policy Institute joins us to talk about the cumulative impact of these local laws, which he writes about in “The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America” (Liveright).

President Trump’s first few months in office have included executive orders on immigration, a Supreme Court confirmation and now a second attempt at repealing the Affordable Care Act. We’ll talk about how these sweeping changes and others affect Texas and the nation with Molly Ball of The Atlantic and Abby Livingston of the Texas Tribune.

Extraordinary intelligence is the most obvious sign of genius. Scientists are discovering, though, that true geniuses possess more than just high IQs. Claudia Kalb joins us to talk about how Einstein, Michelangelo and others harnessed their creativity, perseverance and other traits to become the towering minds of their times. Her story on geniuses appears in the May issue of National Geographic.

One hundred years ago this spring, Congress voted to declare war on Germany, thrusting the nation into World War I. The Smithsonian is looking back on the conflict and its lasting impact, and this hour we’ll talk about some of the highlights. We’ll be joined by Diane Wendt, who curated the “Modern Medicine and the Great War” exhibition at the National Museum of American History. And we’ll also talk with Lynn Heidelbaugh, who curated “My Fellow Soldiers: Letters from World War I” at the National Postal Museum.

The United States spends billions of dollars each year trying to house the poor. NPR reporter Laura Sullivan joins us to talk about why so many Americans – including many Texans – remain homeless despite these efforts. She teamed with Frontline on the documentary “Poverty, Politics and Profits,” which looks at the affordable-housing crisis – it airs Tuesday on PBS stations. Our conversation is a part of KERA’s One Crisis Away: No Place To Go series.

The people we think we know best – our friends, our parents, our children – all have secrets they’re keeping from us. It’s a skill that humans develop from the age of 4 and common across cultures. Carlin Flora joins us to talk about why we keep secrets – and the effect these inner thoughts have on our relationships. She writes about the topic for Psychology Today.

One of the things in life we can’t change is our DNA. Yet that hasn’t kept thousands of people from having their genomes sequenced. University of British Columbia psychology professor Steven Heine joins us to talk about why some of us put entirely too much stock into what genetic testing reveals, which he writes about in “DNA is not Destiny: The Remarkable, Completely Misunderstood Relationship Between You and Your Genes” (W.W. Norton and Co.).

Imagine that you had to know how every single thing you owned worked – from telephones to toilets. It’s a wonder we get by with actually knowing so little. Brown University professor Steven Sloman joins us to talk about how we tap into the vast intelligence of those around us in order to navigate our worlds. He writes about the topic in “The Knowledge Illusion: Why We Never Think Alone” (Riverhead Books).