Think from KERA

In 2000, the FBI received a credible threat that a U.S. government agent was close to a deal to sell a huge cache of military secrets to Libya. Special Agent Steven Carr was assigned the task of tracking down the suspect, and Yudhijit Bhattacharjee joins us tell the story of how Carr eventually identified the traitor. Bhattacharjee’s book is called “The Spy Who Couldn’t Spell: A Dyslexic Traitor, an Unbreakable Code, and the FBI’s Hunt for America’s Stolen Secrets” (NAL).

As a 12-year-old boy, Edwin Debrow shot and killed a cab driver in San Antonio. He was sentenced to 40 years and remains in prison. Skip Hollandsworth writes about him in the current issue of Texas Monthly, and he joins us to talk about how Debrow’s experience opens up a new conversation about the balance between justice, mercy and rehabilitation.

More than a million gallons of radioactive sludge and other products of the Cold War have governments around the world wondering how they can protect future generations from some of the deadliest substances ever made. Harvard professors Robb Moss and Peter Galison join us to talk about the effort to contain this waste long-term, the subject of their Independent Lens documentary “Containment,” which airs on PBS stations tonight.

In 2014, Hilaree O’Neill led a team of explorers in an attempt to determine the highest peak in Southeast Asia. She joins us to talk about how depleted supplies, freezing temperatures and internal squabbles fractured the team and nearly cost O’Neill her life. She’s in town for a National Geographic Live! event at the Perot Museum of Nature and Science.

In order to help others, we generally try to put ourselves in their shoes. That’s a step in the wrong direction, says Yale researcher Paul Bloom. He joins us to make the case that empathy actually leads us to terrible decisions in everything from relationships to medical care to criminal justice. He writes about his findings in “Against Empathy: The Case for Rational Compassion” (Harper Collins).

As President Obama prepares to leave the White House this month, it’s time to take stock of his time in office. Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Michael D’Antonio joins us to talk about the ups and downs of the last eight years – and about which of Obama’s achievements may be in danger under a Trump administration. D’Antonio’s new book is called “A Consequential President: The Legacy of Barack Obama” (Thomas Dunne Books).

Traditionally, gender was thought to be binary – children were born girls or boys. Robin Marantz Henig joins us this hour to talk about how scientists are adopting a more fluid understanding of gender and rethinking identity in the process. She writes about the topic in the January issue of National Geographic magazine.

Students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities borrow on average about $26,000 to pay for school. Their peers at other schools take on only about half that amount of debt. Katherine M. Saunders, senior researcher for the United Negro College Fund’s Frederick D. Patterson Research Institute, joins us to talk about how this extra burden affects black students in the long run.

The United States has long been one of the guardians of stability in the world. Johns Hopkins University professor of strategic studies Eliot A. Cohen joins us to talk about why traditional boots on the ground are still vital for keeping the peace – even in an age of unconventional warfare. He writes about the topic in “The Big Stick: The Limits of Soft Power and the Necessity of Military Force” (Basic Books).

The proliferation of fake news stories online has made it difficult for traditional media outlets to do their jobs. Dallas Morning News editor Mike Wilson and Al Día editor Alfredo Carbajal join us for a conversation about the state of journalism, about separating fact from fiction, their plans for covering the Trump administration and how they serve both their print and digital audiences.