Rough Translation

How are the things we're talking about being talked about somewhere else in the world? Gregory Warner tells stories that follow familiar conversations into unfamiliar territory. At a time when the world seems small but it's as hard as ever to escape our echo chambers, Rough Translation takes you places.

Rank #1: Brazil In Black And White.
Two radically different ways of seeing race come into sudden conflict in Brazil, provoking a national conversation about who is Black? And who is not Black enough?

Rank #2: The Congo We Listen To.
It made headlines worldwide: Hundreds of women raped in one Congolese village. But when one researcher arrives in town, something feels off. (Note: This episode contains descriptions of violence.)

Code Switch

Ever find yourself in a conversation about race and identity where you just get...stuck? Code Switch can help. We're all journalists of color, and this isn't just the work we do. It's the lives we lead. Sometimes, we'll make you laugh. Other times, you'll get uncomfortable. But we'll always be unflinchingly honest and empathetic. Come mix it up with us.

Rank #1: Political Prisoners?.
In "Prison City" Wisconsin, white elected officials are representing voting districts made up mostly of prisoners. Those prisoners are disproportionately black and brown. Oh, and they can't actually vote.

Rank #2: The Original Blexit.
How is it that the party of Lincoln became anathema to black voters? It's a messy story, exemplified in the doomed friendship between Richard Nixon and his fellow Republican, Jackie Robinson.

Embedded

Host Kelly McEvers takes a story from the news and goes deep. Whether that means digging into the Trump administration's past, the stories behind police shootings caught on video, or visiting a town ravaged by the opioid epidemic, Embedded takes you where the news is happening.

Rank #1: Mitch Part 1: 'Win This Thing'.
Mitch McConnell has been described as "opaque," "drab," and even "dull." He is one of the least popular - and most polarizing - politicians in the country. So how did he win eight consecutive elections? And what does it tell us about how he operates?

Rank #2: Trump Stories: The Apprentice.
Omarosa Manigault Newman has a new book. What about those tapes? We re-visit an episode from our "Trump Stories" season.

Live from the Poundstone Institute

Paula Poundstone is on a quest to gather all of the world's knowledge. Or, as she puts it, "to get less stupid, one topic at a time." Follow her search as she looks to scientists, researchers, and experts for evidence about everything from what music cats like to the fluid dynamics of spilling coffee. "Every week, we'll keep looking for knowledge," says Paula, "because we know we left it somewhere."

Rank #1: How Long Are You Gonna Be In There?.
We learn from a professor who actually teaches a class about identifying B.S., and we talk to a researcher who made a fascinating discovery about... pee. Plus: late night legend Jay Leno joins us to take our personality test.

Rank #2: Do I Need A Bath?.
We learn all about Forest Bathing, which is a real thing, and it could improve your health. Also, we learn why having a messy desk might be a sign of genius. Plus: Saturday Night Live legend Dana Carvey joins us to take our personality test (and to do some really great impressions).

The New Washington

This limited-run series of interviews from the producers of "The Daily" takes you inside Trump’s Washington. From July through December of 2017, "The New Washington" delivered interviews with the political character you wanted to hear from most that week, with analysis and commentary from Michael Barbaro, Carl Hulse and their colleagues in the D.C. bureau of The New York Times.

Rank #1: Sarah Huckabee Sanders.
The White House press secretary is one of the most visible jobs in American politics. Michael Grynbaum, a media correspondent for The Times, spoke with Ms. Sanders about growing up as the daughter of a prominent politician, inheriting her position after her celebrity predecessor Sean Spicer quit and trying to manage coverage of a tumultuous White House while mollifying a boss who believes he is his own best spokesman.

Rank #2: Senator Richard Burr.
The Senate Intelligence Committee’s investigation into Russian tampering in the election is the premier inquiry on Capitol Hill. The Republican senator from North Carolina, the committee’s chairman, opens up about its progress, his relationship with President Trump and a distant relative who made his last name famous.

Up First

NPR's Up First is the news you need to start your day. The three biggest stories of the day, with reporting and analysis from NPR News — in 10 minutes. Available weekdays by 6 a.m. ET, with hosts Rachel Martin, Noel King, David Greene and Steve Inskeep. Now available on Saturdays by 8 a.m. ET, with hosts Lulu Garcia-Navarro and Scott Simon. Subscribe and listen, then support your local NPR station at donate.npr.org.

Rank #1: Thursday, February 20, 2020.
Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg didn't exactly get a warm welcome from his rivals on the debate stage. Political operative Roger Stone will be sentenced on Thursday. Will the presiding judge stick with the original sentence? Eleven people are dead after a gunman opened fire in the German town of Hanau. The suspected shooter reportedly left a written confession expressing far-right views.

Rank #2: Wednesday, February 19, 2020.
President Trump grants clemency to eleven people, including former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich. The ninth debate of the Democratic presidential primary takes place in Nevada tonight. Five months after voting took place, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani wins reelection.

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Pop Culture Happy Hour is a fun and freewheeling chat about the latest movies, television, books, and music.

Rank #1: To All The Boys I've Loved Before.
The Netflix young adult romance To All The Boys I've Loved Before tells the story of a high school pair who may or may not — but come on, they will — end up together. You've probably seen it on your Twitter feed, and today we assemble a very special panel to talk about it.

Rank #2: Avengers: Infinity War and What's Making Us Happy.
The Avengers try to keep a space-tyrant from performing cosmic genocide. The film doubles down on character interactions both familiar and unfamiliar. Guest: Code Switch co-host Gene Demby.

1A

1A is home to the national conversation. The show frames the best debates with great guests in ways to make you think, share and engage.

Rank #1: The 1619 Project.
"We really tried to select stories that would go across the spectrum of American life," journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones told us.Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Find us on Twitter @1A.

Rank #2: The Friday News Roundup for July 5, 2019.
Justin Amash says "adios" to his party. The printers start rolling on the new census forms. And the car world loses a legend.Around the world, protesters smash up the parliament in Hong Kong. President Trump crosses a line in Korea. And there's change at the top of the European Union and Central Bank.Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Find us on Twitter @1A.

What Trump Can Teach Us About Con Law

Professor Elizabeth Joh teaches Intro to Constitutional Law and most of the time this is a pretty straight forward job. But with Trump in office, everything has changed. Five minutes before class Professor Joh checks Twitter to find out what the 45th President has said and how it jibes with 200 years of the judicial branch interpreting and ruling on the Constitution. Hosted by acclaimed podcaster Roman Mars (99% Invisible, co-founder Radiotopia), this show is a weekly, fun, casual Con Law 101 class that uses the tumultuous and erratic activities of the executive branch under Trump to teach us all about the US Constitution. Proud member of Radiotopia from PRX.

Rank #1: 2- The Appointments Clause and Removal Power.
The US Constitution has a clause that describes how the president can hire certain political appointees with the advice and consent of the Senate. It doesn’t say when the president can fire someone. We take a look at recent Trump firings and put them in context of Supreme Court cases where the court both upheld and denied the president’s right to fire an executive branch employee. Even if a president has the constitutional power to fire someone, it doesn’t mean there aren’t political and legal consequences of the action.

Rank #2: 21- Attorney Client Privilege.
When the office of Trump’s personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, was raided by the FBI, Trump took twitter to express his concern. He wrote “Attorney-client privilege is dead!” Let’s see if it is.

Still Processing

Step inside the confession booth of Wesley Morris and Jenna Wortham, two culture writers for The New York Times. They devour TV, movies, art, music and the internet to find the things that move them — to tears, awe and anger. Still Processing is where they try to understand the pleasures and pathologies of America in 2019.

Rank #1: ‘The Perfect Movie for Our Time’ | Episode 18.
We’re kicking off 2017 with a movie speed round to prepare for this weekend’s Golden Globes. We talk through our feelings about “La La Land,” “Fences” and a couple of the other films we saw over the holidays that made us laugh, cry — and sometimes cringe. Plus: Wesley serenades Mariah Carey after her New Year’s Eve debacle and we offer some cultural intentions for 2017.

Rank #2: We Watch Whiteness.
This week we're talking about white culture, and what it is trying to tell us about itself on TV, at the movies and in books. We're noticing that white people are anxious--consciously and unconsciously--about their place in the world, and it's fascinating to unpack. First, we look at the new season of Roseanne, a show that explicitly embraces its whiteness and thumbs its nose at anyone who would challenge that. Then, we talk about the hit horror movie A Quiet Place, which explores dystopia in a way that reveals submerged white fears of a brown invasion (we liked the craft of the movie a lot, but it’s got some problems it’s not aware of). We pose the question: what would a self-aware interrogation of being white look like?Plus, we celebrate JaVale McGee's incomparable stank face, worry about Kanye's tweets (we recorded this episode before his most recent tweets in support of Trump, which we'll have to address another time), and bring you our very first nominee for Song of the Summer...!  One last thing: we're bringing the show to Australia, and we'll be back with new episodes in a couple weeks. Till then, keep stuntin'! Keep shinin'!  Discussed this week:JaVale McGee (NBA player, Golden State Warriors)"The Legacy of Childhood Trauma" (Junot Diaz, The New Yorker)"I Like It" (Cardi B, Bad Bunny and J. Balvin) Kanye's recent tweetsRoseanne (ABC)A Quiet Place (directed by John Krasinski)White Trash: The 400-Year Untold History of Class in America (Nancy Isenberg, Penguin Books)Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis (JD Vance, HarperCollins)Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City (Matthew Desmond, Broadway Books)Green (Sam Graham-Felsen, Random House)

The Ticket: Politics from The Atlantic

Join Atlantic political correspondent Isaac Dovere on the road each week as he reports from around the country on the politics, policies, and personalities that are defining this crucial moment in American history. Each week brings you an intimate and surprising conversation with the names you know and names you may not know—but should.

Rank #1: The Great Recession, One Decade Later.
In December 2007, the U.S. marked the beginning of its longest recession since World War II. Now the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, an agency born in the ashes of the nation's economic downturn, is under new leadership that promises big changes. Meanwhile, a tax plan speeding through Congress could have far-reaching effects on the economy, well beyond taxes. On paper, the U.S. economy looks robust. But for whom, and for how long?This week, Annie Lowrey and Alana Semuels join our hosts to look at what's happened in the decade since the Great Recession, and what's happening now. What lessons have we learned from the crisis? And which are we doomed to repeat?Links:- "The Never-Ending Foreclosure" (Alana Semuels, December 1, 2017)- "The Great Recession Is Still With Us" (Annie Lowrey, December 1, 2017)- “The GOP Targets America’s Most Loved and Hated Tax Break” (Alana Semuels, November 2, 2017)- “The U.S. Isn’t Prepared for the Next Recession” (Annie Lowrey, October 31, 2017)- “Mick Mulvaney Is Pretending Everything's Totally Normal at Work” (Gillian B. White, November 28, 2017)- “Could a Tax Fix the Gig Economy?” (Alana Semuels, November 6, 2017)- “Trump Says His Tax Plan Won't Benefit the Rich—He's Exactly Wrong” (Annie Lowrey, September 29, 2017)- "Could a Memo by Christina Romer Have Saved the Economy?" (John Hudson, February 22, 2012)- “The Fight Over the CFPB Reveals the Broken State of American Politics” (David A. Graham, November 28, 2017)- "The Shadow of the Stimulus" (Ross Douthat, February 1, 2009)- "Return of the Shopping Avenger" (Jeffrey Goldberg, December 1, 2009)- The Half Has Never Been Told  (Edward Baptist)- The Unwinding (George Packer)- "The Nutshell Studies" (Katie Mingle, 99 Percent Invisible)- "The Reason This 'Racist Soap Dispenser' Doesn't Work on Black Skin" (Max Plenke, Mic.com, September 9, 2015) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rank #2: Is the Presidency Broken?.
“We are a president-obsessed nation, so much so that we undermine the very idea of our constitutional democracy,” writes John Dickerson in his May cover story in The Atlantic. “No one man—or woman—can possibly represent the varied, competing interests of 327 million citizens.” Have we heaped so much upon the president that the job has become impossible? Is Trump testing the office in valuable ways? And if the presidency is broken, how do we fix it?Links- "The Hardest Job in the World" (John Dickerson, May 2018 Issue)- “Scott Pruitt Bypassed the White House to Give Big Raises to Favorite Aides” (Elaina Plott and Robinson Meyer, April 3, 2018)- "Letter to Joseph Hooker from Lincoln, January 26, 1863" (Library of Congress)- Educated (Tara Westover, 2018)- Meltdown: Why Our Systems Fail and What We Can Do About It (Chris Clearfield and András Tilcsik, 2018)- Lincoln in the Bardo (George Saunders, 2017)- “There’s Something Funny About Tiffany Haddish” (Caity Weaver, GQ, March 26, 2018) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Constitutional

With the writing of the Constitution in 1787, the framers set out a young nation’s highest ideals. And ever since, we’ve been fighting over it — what is in it and what was left out. At the heart of these arguments is the story of America.As a follow-up to the popular Washington Post podcast “Presidential,” reporter Lillian Cunningham returns with this series exploring the Constitution and the people who framed and reframed it — revolutionaries, abolitionists, suffragists, teetotalers, protesters, justices, presidents – in the ongoing struggle to form a more perfect union across a vast and diverse land.

Rank #1: Framed.
In the premier episode of “Constitutional,” we go back in time to that hot Philadelphia summer in 1787 when a group of revolutionary Americans debated, drank and together drafted the U.S. Constitution.

Rank #2: Ancestry.
In 1879, a case involving Chief Standing Bear came before a Nebraska courtroom and demanded an answer to the question: Are Native Americans considered human beings under the U.S. Constitution?

A Piece of Work

A Piece of Work is everything you want to know about modern and contemporary art but were afraid to ask. Hosted by Broad City’s Abbi Jacobson, this 10-episode series explores everything from Pop Art to performance in lively conversations with curators, artists and Abbi’s friends, including Hannibal Buress, Tavi Gevinson, RuPaul and Questlove. WNYC Studios is a listener-supported producer of other leading podcasts including Radiolab, Snap Judgment, Death, Sex & Money, On the Media, Nancy and many others.© WNYC Studios

Rank #1: Tavi Gevinson Wonders When It’s Done .
When you look at abstract art, what are you supposed to see among all those splatters and blobs? Abbi sorts out her feelings about Jackson Pollock’s monumental action paintings with a little help from the dancer and choreographer Mark Morris, and she puzzles over the scratchy surfaces of Cy Twombly’s paintings with Rookie editor, Broadway actor, and fashion prodigy Tavi Gevinson. Also featuring: Corey D’Augustine, Stella Jacobson, and Anne Umland View the artwork from this episode at wnyc.org/abstract --- About the podcast:  From WNYC Studios and MoMA, A Piece of Work is everything you want to know about modern and contemporary art but were afraid to ask. Hosted by "Broad City"’s Abbi Jacobson, this 10-episode series explores everything from Pop art to performance in lively conversations with curators, artists, and Abbi’s friends, including Hannibal Buress, Tavi Gevinson, RuPaul, and Questlove. Produced by WNYC Studios. www.wnycstudios.org

Rank #2: How Questlove Learned to Love Silence .
Ahmir Thompson (a.k.a. Questlove of The Roots) is a very busy dude. He was feeling stretched thin, until he discovered the power of silence to let his creativity cut through the noise. To help him find that silence, he’s got one of Yves Klein’s Blue Monochrome prints on his wall at home. Abbi gets up close to one of Klein’s blue paintings and Kazimir Malevich’s “Suprematist Composition: White on White” and discovers how deep a single color can get -- if you just give it some time. Also featuring: Ellen Davis and Anne Umland View the artwork from this episode at wnyc.org/monochromes --- About the podcast:  From WNYC Studios and MoMA, A Piece of Work is everything you want to know about modern and contemporary art but were afraid to ask. Hosted by "Broad City"’s Abbi Jacobson, this 10-episode series explores everything from Pop art to performance in lively conversations with curators, artists, and Abbi’s friends, including Hannibal Buress, Tavi Gevinson, RuPaul, and Questlove. Produced by WNYC Studios. www.wnycstudios.org

Radiolab Presents: More Perfect

From the producers of Radiolab, a series about how the Supreme Court got so supreme.

Rank #1: Kittens Kick The Giggly Blue Robot All Summer .
We think of the Supreme Court justices as all-powerful beings, issuing momentous rulings from on high. But they haven’t always been so, you know, supreme. On this episode, we go all the way back to the case that, in a lot of ways, started it all. 

Rank #2: Object Anyway .
At the trial of James Batson in 1983, the prosecution eliminated all the black jurors from the jury pool. Batson objected, setting off a complicated discussion about jury selection that would make its way all the way up to the Supreme Court. On this episode of More Perfect, the Supreme Court ruling that was supposed to prevent race-based jury selection, but may have only made the problem worse.

The NPR Politics Podcast

Every weekday, NPR's best political reporters are there to explain the big news coming out of Washington and the campaign trail. They don't just tell you what happened. They tell you why it matters. Every afternoon.

Rank #1: Bernie Sanders Wins New Hampshire Democratic Primary.
Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders has narrowly won the New Hampshire Democratic primary, as moderate voters split their voters between other candidates.Former South Bend, Ind., mayor Pete Buttigieg and Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar both had strong showings in New Hampshire. The state's electorate is considerably older and whiter than that of the nearly all of the remaining contests. Despite this result, both candidates face an uphill climb to the nomination because of a dearth of support from voters of color.Former Vice President Joe Biden and Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren both under-performed expectations. Neither secured any delegates in the state, with their vote totals falling below the necessary 15 percent threshold.This episode: congressional correspondent Susan Davis and campaign correspondents Asma Khalid and Scott Detrow.Connect:Subscribe to the NPR Politics Podcast here.Email the show at nprpolitics@npr.org.Join the NPR Politics Podcast Facebook Group.Subscribe to the NPR Politics Newsletter.Find and support your local public radio station.

Rank #2: In Fight With 'Chuck And Nancy,' Trump Says He'd Be 'Proud' To Shut Down Government.
In a testy and dramatic Oval Office exchange with Rep. Nancy Pelosi and Sen. Chuck Schumer, President Trump made clear he would be "proud" to shut down the government in less than two weeks if he doesn't get funding for his border wall. This episode: White House correspondent Tamara Keith, political editor Domenico Montanaro and Congressional correspondent Scott Detrow. Email the show at nprpolitics@npr.org. Find and support your local public radio station at npr.org/stations.