The history of comedy is littered with pearl-clutching reactions to off-color bits. Historian Kliph Nesteroff joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how comedians have always pushed societal boundaries – and about how audience reactions range from complicity to virtue signaling. His book is “Outrageous: A History of Showbiz and the Culture Wars.”

There are parts of the country where upward mobility is simply unobtainable. Kathryn J. Edin, William Church Osborne Professor of Sociology and Public Affairs at Princeton University, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the intersection of poverty and geography and why in rural parts of the country residents feel the American Dream is on life support. The book, written with co-authors H. Luke Shaefer and Timothy J. Nelson, is “The Injustice of Place: Uncovering the Legacy of Poverty in America.”

Treatment resistant mental illness is a debilitating condition, and scientists are searching for breakthroughs. Laura Sanders writes about neuroscience for ScienceNews. She joins host Krys Boyd to talk about the pros and cons of deep brain stimulation, where electrical pulses are delivered straight into the brain during surgery. Her article is “The science behind deep brain stimulation for depression.”

A.I. facial recognition software is not infallible, but law enforcement is using it as if it is. Eyal Press is a contributing writer for The New Yorker. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss cases of mistaken identity that sent innocent people to prison, all on the authority of tech that is still new and has unintended bias built in. His article is “In Front of Their Faces.”

The recent hostage negotiations led by Qatar and Egypt are a window into how the Middle East as a whole is affected by the war in Gaza. Maria Fantappie, head of the Mediterranean, Middle East, and Africa Program at Istituto Affari Internazionali in Rome, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss shifting political realities in a region with uneasy alliances. Her Foreign Affairs article, written with Vali Nasr, is “The War That Remade the Middle East.”

Although most Americans polled say they don’t want an aggressive U.S. foreign policy, the voting record tells a different story. Jeffrey A. Friedman, associate professor of government at Dartmouth College, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the rhetoric of presidential candidates and how voters are swayed by powerful stances. His article “The Politics of Looking Strong” was published in Foreign Affairs.

Comedian and musician Reggie Watts has embraced his weirdness and made a career of it. Watts starred as the bandleader on CBS’s The Late Late Show with James Corden and IFC’s Comedy Bang Bang! He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss his memoir about growing up mixed race in a small town, and how he embraced his differences to find what’s cool. His book is “Great Falls, MT: Fast Times, Post-Punk Weirdos, and a Tale of Coming Home Again.”

David Brooks is on a mission to open hearts and minds. The New York Times columnist joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the skills we can learn to improve engagement and connection and develop character. His book is “How to Know a Person: The Art of Seeing Others Deeply and Being Deeply Seen.”

Children who live in war zones face untold horrors that strip them of innocence. Zarlasht Halaimzai, writer and founder of Amna, which specializes in supporting the psychosocial well-being of refugees and other displaced communities. She joins host Krys Boyd to discuss her life growing up amid the bombs and guns of the war in Afghanistan, and her work to help heal the trauma of children living through conflict worldwide. Her article, published in The Guardian, is “‘I remember the silence between the falling shells’: the terror of living under siege as a child.”

The end of Reconstruction can be chronicled by listening to the music of the era. Vann Newkirk, senior editor at The Atlantic, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the Fisk Jubilee Singers, who sang songs that evoked passion and heartbreak, and in doing so, saved an American art form. His article is “How the Negro Spiritual Changed American Popular Music– and America Itself.”