On today's show:Saudi Arabia is leading the Persian Gulf states in a diplomatic row with Qatar. Joseph Kechichian, a senior writer for the Dubai-based Gulf News, analyzes why.World History Moment: When Eratosthenes estimated the size of Earth in 240 B.C., he was only off by about 99 miles, according to NASA.

Last month, the satirical news outlet The Onion published "The Trump Documents", an ambitious, multimedia undertaking adding up to almost 700 pages of fake leaks from President Trump’s White House.  The Onion's editor-in-chief Cole Bolton joins us to talk about "The Trump Documents" and satire in the age of Trump.

On today's show:We look at what the Trump administration's new directive on Cuba policy means going forward with Alberto Coll, professor of law at DePaul University. WBEZ Film Contributor, Milos Stehlik of Facets, sits down with the director of “Abacus”, Steve James. He’s best known for the 1994 Academy Award-nominated documentary “Hoop Dreams”, and most recently “Life Itself”, the biopic of late film critic Roger Ebert. And for Weekend Passport,  we chat with a Mexican sculptor who's aiming to reach people of all ages to engage in dialogue about the world's issues.

On today's show:  We hear from an activist and an academic about how immigration affects both the black and LGBT communities We hear how Chicago is marking World Refugee Day We untangle the discussion around THAAD, South Korea's controversial U.S. missile defense system. 

On today's show: we dig into the future of space travel amid shifting geopolitics: what countries are winning today's "space race" and should humans colonize Mars or Venus? Plus, celebrating 40 years of Bob Marley's pivotal album Exodus. 

On today's show: We take a closer look at the aftermath of Britain's election last week. Our resident historian tells us the story of a serf named Wat Tyler who led a march on London. In honor of International Albinism Awareness Day, We listen back to an interview with activist Peter Ash.  A conversation with some of the people behind a Chicago production of a play that remixes Charles Dickens' Great Expectations.

On today's show: Puerto Rican nationalist Oscar Lopez Riviera, who was pardoned by President Obama in January and released last month, joins U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez to discuss this weekend's statehood vote in Puerto Rico The Onion's editor-in-chief Cole Bolton on the challenge of satirizing the Trump administration

Bicycling regularly gave The Guardian political correspondent Peter Walker a new lease on life. Now, he’s written a book to make a case for how cycling can help society as a whole.

On today's show:  More than 3,000 people are gathering in Chicago this weekend for the second People’s Summit, Beyond Resistance: A People’s Movement for a Just World. The African Diaspora International Film Festival celebrates its 15th Anniversary in Chicago this year, presenting 16 documentaries and fiction films. We speak with Thrity Umrigar about her book Everybody’s Son, a story about race, politics and upbringing. 

On today's show: We discuss what was covered during James Comey's testimony to the Senate Intelligence Committee on Thursday morning.  We speak with the head of the Global Alliance for Africa, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting children and families affected by HIV/AIDS about his collaboration with Kenyan dancer Victor Onyango Odhiambo.