Think from KERA

Most of us are in a constant search for that elusive, uninterrupted eight hours of sleep. And we’re not alone. Emory University professor Benjamin Reiss joins us to talk about humanity’s centuries-old struggle to rest as the world continues to spin. His new book is called “Wild Nights: How Taming Sleep Created Our Restless World” (Basic Books).

In November, Hillary Clinton won Harris County by 160,000 votes. And that margin of victory has some Democrats hoping that Houston can be a leader in turning Texas blue. Andrew Cockburn joins us to talk about how the Texas Organizing Project delivered the victory by reaching out to black and Latino voters. He writes about the strategy in Harper’s.

In 2007, Lonnie Sue Johnson contracted encephalitis. The disease left her with almost no memories and no ability to form new ones. Michael Lemonick joins us to talk about Johnson’s story – and about how memory works in the brain – which he writes about in “The Perpetual Now: A Story of Amnesia, Memory, and Love” (Doubleday).

Norma McCorvey – the Dallasite better known as Jane Roe – died in February. Though the Supreme Court ruled in her favor in the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion, the case has remained a topic of public and legislative debate for more than 40 years. We’ll look back at McCorvey’s complicated life with Moira Donegan who recently wrote about McCorvey for the New Republic. We’ll talk with researcher Sarah Roberts who studies how women feel about their decision to have an abortion. We’ll also talk with Destiny Herndon-De La Rosa, the leader of a pro-life feminist organization and Kassi Underwood, author of “May Cause Love: An Unexpected Journey of Enlightenment After Abortion.”

Doctors are increasingly able to diagnose medical conditions in utero that may affect a child’s entire life. Science journalist Bonnie Rochman joins us to talk about the many ethical questions that arise from the knowledge gained by pre-birth testing. She writes about the topic in “The Gene Machine: How Genetic Technologies are Changing the Way We Have Kids – and the Kids We Have” (Scientific American).

In 2015, President Obama named John King the 10th U.S. Secretary of Education. As part of KERA’s American Graduate series, he joins us to talk about the government’s role in education – and about how changing U.S. demographics are affecting our schools. He’s in town for the release today of the Commit! Partnership’s Community Achievement Scorecard at Dallas City Performance Hall.

About 5 percent of the world’s population lives in the United States. However, one in four of the world’s prisoners is incarcerated here. Fordham Law School professor John Pfaff joins us to talk about why the U.S. has such a high rate of imprisonment – and about ways to curb that population. He writes about the topic in “Locked In: The True Causes of Mass Incarceration and How to Achieve Real Reform” (Basic Books).

The Federal Reserve is one of the most powerful – and least understood – institutions in America. Danielle DiMartino Booth – a former analyst with the Dallas Fed – joins us to talk about the inner workings of the Fed and why its policies often harm some Americans. Her new book is called “Fed Up: An Insider’s Take On Why the Federal Reserve is Bad for America” (Portfolio).

When wealthy nations craft healthcare policy, they often neglect the needs of immigrants. Northeastern University law professor Wendy Parmet joins us to talk about how a healthy immigrant population contributes to a nation’s overall health. She writes about the idea in her book “The Health of Newcomers: Immigration, Health Policy, and the Case for Global Solidarity” (NYU Press)

When it comes to military strategy and diplomatic negotiations, it’s easy to understand why U.S. presidents feel they can’t share everything they know with the public. Mary Graham, co-director of the Transparency Policy Project at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, joins us to talk about how presidents balance national security and the people’s right to know how they are being represented. Her new book is called “Presidents’ Secrets: The Use and Abuse of Hidden Power” (Yale University Press).