News Nerds
By News Nerds
News NerdsJan 11, 2024
The Woman Who Made Me Love Cooking
During the pandemic, I learned to love cooking. I picked up a copy of the Art of Simple Cooking ad started experimenting with salad dressings, pie dough, and breads. My guest today is who I have to thank for that. Alice Waters built her restaurant, Chez Panisse, off of the food culture in France, where she visited at 19, and the values of Maria Montessori. Waters focused on organic, local, and seasonal produce and paid the farmers - not the distributors - the price for their crops. In 1995, Alice founded the Edible Schoolyard Project, an initiative that engages students in growing and cooking their own food as part of school curriculum. Today, Chez Panisse remains at its original location in Berkeley after 50 years. Since the last time we talked in March of 2021, Alice opened a new restaurant in Los Angeles called Lulu with the former head chef at Chez Panisse, David Tanis, announced the creation of the Alice Water Institute for Edible Education at UC Davis, and wrote a book. She shared with us today that she’s organizing an event called Climate, Food, Hope on the National Mall this October before the presidential elections.
As you might have guessed, I won’t be publishing episodes as frequently as once a week anymore; I’ve gone into high school but still want to bring important conversations like this to you every few months.
Ezra
David Cross: Pious As Ever
Hi,
Technically we're off for the summer, but it's fun to break rules.
Today, a conversation about religion, parenting, acting, and comedy with David Cross. Cross is best known for partnering with Bob Odenkirk in the 1990s to create Mr. Show, and acting in shows and movies such as Arrested Development, where he played the Tobias Funke, and Alvin and the Chipmunks, where he played the villainous Ian Hawke. That might be true, but he’s also thought a lot about his place in religion from an early age when he began to feel doubt about Judaism. He also has a daughter and is currently on the Worst Daddy In The World tour. Just a note: my WIFI wasn’t too good, so apologies for any delays or sound issues.
Ezra
Forensic Pathologist Werner Spitz
Today we talk to forensic pathologist Werner Spitz. Dr. Spitz is 96 but shows no signs of retirement. As we’ll find out, he wouldn’t even want to retire on his 100th birthday in 2026. Spitz was born in what was then Germany and is now Poland in 1926 to a Jewish family and moved to France early in Hitler’s rise to power. The family moved to Israel, where Spitz would later receive an MD. After he moved to the U.S., Werner worked as a forensic pathologist in Maryland and in Michigan, where he’s based now. Over his career, Spitz has worked on the cases of JFK, MLK, JonBenet Ramsey, Nicole Brown Simpson, and others. He’s also a coauthor of the textbook, Medicolegal Investigation of Death, an over 700 page tome written to help new forensic pathologists and the police. The book’s in its fifth edition, it now contains color photographs, and has gotten rave reviews from many, including David Sedaris. We’ll talk about the structure of forensic pathology, Werner’s family, and his career.
We'll be starting our annual summer hiatus soon.
Ezra
DC Update
Radio Adventurer Barbara Bogaev
This week, the search for the perfect interview. Public Radio host Barbara Bogaev will join us to talk about her experience growing up in Philadelphia listening to Fresh Air with Terry Gross to eventually guest hosting the show. Bogaev also hosted the radio documentary series Soundprint and Weekend America. She has also guest hosted Marketplace Weekend and programs at KCRW in Santa Monica. Today, we'll talk about the night in which she may or may not have been drinking and landed a job in radio, her thoughts on what makes radio good, and how she became a suspected terrorist and inadvertently helped to burn down a sheepherder’s hut in Morocco in a unseasonably strong blizzard.
Ezra
King: A Life
I think it’s rare for a biography to be so well written that almost every aspect of a figure’s life is detailed. My guest today, Jonathan Eig, seems to have done just that and managed to keep my attention for more than 600 pages. Jonathan is the author of 5 other nonfiction books, as well as 4 children’s books. He was also a reporter. His upcoming book, King: A Life, chronicles the rise of Martin Luther King Jr., from his childhood in Atlanta, Georgia, where his father served as a preacher at the Ebenezer Baptist church, to his time organizing the civil rights movement from the Montgomery bus boycott to the March on Washington. Today, we’ll talk about King’s education, the father-son relationship, the events of the civil rights movement, and King’s legacy. Eig’s book will be published on the sixteenth.
Ezra
Former Trump Lawyer Peter Ticktin
Today, a conservative view of the April 4th Trump indictment brought by Manhattan DA, Alvin Bragg. My guest today, Peter Ticktin, was a lawyer for Donald Trump who worked on a legal case against the Clinton campaign, the DNC, and other Democrats. Ticktin and the other lawyer working on the case argued that the Clinton campaign leveraged accusations relating to Russian election collusion against the former president as the 2016 election progressed. The team of attorneys were fined more than 50,000 dollars for their work on the case based on a judge's ruling that the legal claims were only "political grievances." Ticktin also wrote a book called, What Makes Trump Tick: My Years with Donald Trump from New York Military Academy to the Present, which explains his experience as Trump's classmate at the academy. We'll talk to Ticktin about Trump's indictment and arraignment, his legal practice, and his personal views.
Sandy Hook: An American Tragedy And The Battle For Truth
When a gunman killed 20 first graders and 6 educators on December 14, 2012 at Sandy Hook Elementary School, many called for bipartisan action. My guest today will explain that this action never really came and in addition, conspiracy theorists including Alex Jones spread false claims that the shooting was staged by the government. Elizabeth Williamson is a feature writer for the New York Times and has written about what she calls a “battle for truth” surrounding the shooting in Newtown, Connecticut. Williamson was previously part of the Times’ editorial staff and wrote for the Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post before joining the Times. While there, she was a correspondent covering eastern Europe. We’ll talk about her book, Sandy Hook: An American Tragedy And The Battle For Truth, which is now out in paperback.
This week is also our third anniversary. Donate today.
Ezra
Global Cooking With My Dad Year
Today we hear two interviews about youth in the limelight. First an interview with the CEO of Global Citizen Year, Erin Lewellen. She grew up in rural Oregon as the daughter of a logger and schoolteacher and now heads a nonprofit that sends high school graduates around the world on a global gap year to help solve specific problems in the world. This semester is in Cape Town, South Africa where students will work with human rights protection and activism. We'll talk about Erin's early life, GCY's programs, and the public education system. In the second half of the podcast we hear from the authors of the new cookbook, Cooking With My Dad, The Chef which was published in association with America's Test Kitchen. Although the authors, Ken and his daughter Verveine Oringer, live in Boston, they are connected to the rest of the world through Ken's restaurants. Ken is a James Beard Award winning cook and when Verveine was diagnosed with Celiac disease, they decided to write a cookbook for kids that explains how to make everything from pasta to waffles without flour.
Even Mark Bittman Loves How To Cook Everything
Food royalty Mark Bittman joins us today to talk about a career spanning from the late seventies and early eighties until now. Of course he’s the author of the 1998 cookbook How To Cook Everything and the series that followed, he worked with the New York Times for 30 years including at his minimalist column, and has made America aware of the systemic problems embedded in how we eat with books like Animal, Vegetable, Junk. Today we hear a reflective side of Bittman. We’ll hear about his grandparents, who settled in the U.S. after leaving Europe, how the media has changed since he joined the industry, and his take on America’s food problem.
Ezra
Rikers
Rikers Island in New York City houses a complex of ten jails. Although some might think of the facility in terms of statistics and numbers, Reuven Blau and Graham Rayman's new book, Rikers: An Oral History documents Rikers' history from the 70s until today from the point of view of people that spent parts of their lives at the prison. The pair of journalists interviewed more than 130 incarcerated people, correctional officers, wardens, investigators, and commissioners to explain everything from food to violence on the island. Today we’ll talk to Blau, a reporter for The City, and Rayman, a reporter for the New York Daily News about the book and the future of Rikers.
Ezra
Michael Kimmelman ❤s NY
Have you ever thought about what New York City was like before Europeans settled the area? This is just one of the many questions answered by Michael Kimmelman’s latest small gem of a book, The Intimate City: Walking New York. The book combines Michael’s own knowledge of the city with other points of view. He invited planners, professors, and architects to join him on walks around the quiet streets of pandemic New York. Kimmelman is the architecture critic for the New York Times and was previously the chief art critic based in Berlin. He’s also a two time Pulitzer finalist and the founder of a new project from the Times called Headway which focuses on Global affairs. Today we’ll talk about Michael’s book, his work for the Times, and his own upbringing as the son of a leftist doctor in Greenwich Village.
Ezra
Analyzing The White House With Peter Baker
Today we’ll analyze last week’s State of the Union Address with Peter Baker. Peter is the chief White House Correspondent for the New York Times. Biden is the third president Baker has covered with the times. He previously covered Bill Clinton and George W. Bush for the Washington Post. In between his time covering the White House at the Post, he was a Moscow Bureau Chief with his wife Susan Glasser who’s also a journalist. In addition to Biden’s State of the Union, we’ll talk about his time in Russia where he interviewed Vladimir Putin and co wrote a book about the Kremlin with his wife. They went on to co write two additional books including their latest, The Divider: Trump In The White House 2017-2021, which was published last year. Also coming up, we’ll talk about Kamala Harris’ role in the White House as Biden prepares to officially announce his bid for reelection in 2024 and the White House response to the 3 latest unidentified objects shot down late last week.
The Fabulous Glenn Close!
Today, we’ll sit down with acclaimed actress Glenn Close. Close has won Tonys, Golden Globes, and Emmys for her work on screen. You probably know her best from movies such as Fatal Attraction, 101 Dalmatians, The World According to Garp, Dangerous Liaisons, Albert Nobbs, The Big Chill, The Wife, and Hillbilly Elegy. She’s also possibly the most interesting actress working today. We’ll talk about how she grew up in the midst of what she calls a cult, how mental illness has touched her family and her work championing productive ways to talk about it through her organization, Bring Change 2 Mind. And of course, her renowned career. Specifically, we’ll talk about her work in Hillbilly Elegy, directed by Ron Howard, where she plays Mamaw, the fierce matriarch of a scarred family, and in The Wife where Close plays a famous novelist’s wife who’s constantly shadowed and diminished.
Ezra
A Special Food Show With Christopher Kimball And Matt Sartwell
If last week’s show was for the history buffs today is for the people that love to eat. Today we have a gargantuan show with Christopher Kimball of Milk Street and Matt Sartwell of Kitchen Arts and Letters. First, we’ll play my recent interview with Christopher Kimball, the cook with the bowtie. You might know him for his work with America’s Test Kitchen where he founded the classic food magazine Cook’s Illustrated. The magazine famously accepts no advertising and tests every recipe until they’ve exhausted every possible combination they can think of. He left America’s Test Kitchen in 2015 and went on to found Milk Street.
Milk Street focuses on changing the way you cook and as Chris will tell us, his exploration of other food cultures both influenced his choice to leave America’s Test Kitchen and inspired Milk Street. As he states on the Milk Street website, the company extends "an invitation to the cooks of the world to sit at the same table.”
After my interview with Christopher, we’ll head to New York where we’ll step inside the famed bookstore, Kitchen Arts and Letters. I was fortunate to geek out about cookbooks with Matt Sartwell, who’s the managing partner at the store. We’ll talk about kitchen reference, books for beginners, and more. It’s not only a store for home cooks, because Julia Child and James Beard stopped by as well. The store was founded by Nach Waxman in 1983 and has been America’s best known culinary bookstore ever since. Nach died in 2021 but has been remembered by the culinary community for his love of cooking and sharing that love with the world.
This episode was such a joy to create for you guys, I hope you enjoy.
Ezra
The Conspiracy To Kill Roosevelt, Stalin, And Churchill
Today we have a show for the history buffs out there. Nearly eighty years ago, a historic conference took place in Tehran. The three leaders fighting against the Nazis in World War II, Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin met in Iran after exhaustive planning and correspondence. They knew that the conference would help the three nations come together and agree on key issues in the war. The three leaders didn’t know, however, that as they made their way to Tehran, Nazi sympathizers would be in the city as well. In the new book, The Nazi Conspiracy: The Secret Plot to Kill Roosevelt, Stalin, and Churchill, Brad Meltzer and Josh Mensch tell the story of a potential assassination plot against the leaders. The book expands on the events of the Tehran conference and answers how the leaders got to that point. It’s a complicated story and this week Josh Mensch stops by to help us understand it. Mensch is a documentary film writer, producer, and director who’s worked with the History Channel, Nat Geo, Discovery, and PBS. This is his third book written with Meltzer.
Ezra
One Of Ezra's Favorites From 2022
As the year comes to an end, I thought it would be a good opportunity to review this year in interviews. This week, you’ll hear one of my favorite interviews of the year with writer Lois Lowry. Lowry is a prolific author; she’s written almost 50 books. Two of her books, Number the Stars and The Giver, won a John Newbery Award for best children’s literature. She has a new book coming out in February called The Windeby Puzzle. It’s inspired by the discovery of a 2,000 year old bog body of a child found in Germany. Set in the Iron Age, the book imagines what happened to the child, who was found wearing a woolen blindfold. In this January interview we talked about her best known books, my favorites, and newest books.
Have a good start to the holidays!
Ezra
It's Been A Year Since The Deadly Kentucky Tornadoes
This week marks the one year anniversary of a chain of deadly tornadoes that travelled through Kentucky and the surrounding states. 80 Kentuckians died in the tornadoes and many more were injured. One of the hardest hit towns in Kentucky was Mayfield. Many businesses were affected by the storm including Carr’s Steakhouse. Last year I talked to Daniel Carr, who is an owner at the steakhouse. This week I called him back up to get an update on the future of the restaurant. Although the restaurant was completely destroyed, the Carr family has opened Carr’s Cafe while they think about rebuilding.
Help Kentucky tornado victims: https://secure.kentucky.gov/formservices/finance/wkyrelief
Ezra
A New Perspective Of World War II With Matthew Delmont
The U.S. military has been racially integrated for less than a century, and the nation has fought some of the most significant wars with segregated troops. As this week’s guest will tell us, the often overlooked role of African Americans in the second World War is important; black troops fought in combat, supplied other troops with food and ammunition, and built key infrastructure that allied militaries relied on in winning the war. Matthew Delmont’s new book is Half American: The Epic Story of African Americans Fighting World War II at Home and abroad. Delmont teaches history at Dartmouth college and is the author of 4 previous books, all relating to civil rights and African American history. He won a Guggenheim Fellowship in 2017 and was awarded a National Endowment for the Humanities Public Scholar Award two years ago.
Ezra
Thanksgiving With J Kenji
I'm back from Italy with an interview with one of the great foodies of America.
You might know J Kenji Lopez Alt from his cookbooks or maybe his work at Cook’s Illustrated and Serious Eats or maybe from social media, where he has hundreds of thousands of followers. Lopez Alt is known for his scientific approach to cooking in his books, videos, and articles. Well, this week, Kenji was in town, and he graciously stopped by for an interview. He’s the author of two cookbooks, The Food Lab, and his newest book, The Wok: Recipes and Techniques. He’s also published a children’s book called Every Night Is Pizza Night. Today we’ll talk about his early days in the kitchen, his latest cookbook, and his advice for last minute Thanksgiving woes. Happy Thanksgiving!
Ezra
Lula And The Amazon Rainforest
This week we’ll head south, to Brazil, where voters narrowly elected Lula Da Silva as the country’s next president. Lula previously was president of Brazil from 2003 to 2010 and won in Sunday’s run-off election against incumbent Jair Bolsonaro. Many were watching the race because of policy regarding the deforestation of the Amazon Rainforest. As today’s guest will tell us, president-elect Lula views deforestation in a different way than Bolsonaro; in fact, Lula has pledged to stop deforestation of the Amazon altogether. A day after the election, I recorded my interview with climate scientist Carlos Nobre. He works with the University of São Paulo, the Federal University of Espírito Santo and the State University of São Paulo regarding the Amazon and its impacts on earth systems. He was also a lead author of the 2007 IPCC report that won the Nobel peace prize. We’ll learn how the Amazon acts as the “carbon sink” of the world, the effect of deforestation on the ecosystem, more sustainable ways to extract wealth from the Amazon, and how Lula’s administration will work to stop deforestation.
The Latest From Florida, Remembering Loretta Lynn, And Science Writer David Quammen
Following a slow start to the hurricane season, Hurricanes Fiona and Ian left many without electricity or even a house to return to after the storm. This week we’re joined by National Public Radio’s Miami correspondent Greg Allen, who has been covering the hurricanes. Allen got his start in radio in Pennsylvania where he hosted a weekly folk music program. After work at several NPR member stations, Greg transitioned to work at national shows including Morning Edition and Talk of the Nation. Before becoming a correspondent based in Florida, he worked for four years as a Midwest correspondent.
Later, remembering country icon Loretta Lynn. She died Tuesday at the age of 90. She’s best known for her autobiographical song “Coal Miner's Daughter” which is the same name of her first memoir. Then, we’ll listen back to my 2021 interview with science writer David Quammen. He has a new book out called Breathless: The Scientific Race to Defeat a Deadly Virus and It’s a finalist for the national book award. My full interview with David is linked here.
Sorry for the delay, what can I say, Wi-Fi on the high plains!
Ezra
Remembering Queen Elizabeth With Robert Hardman
On this week’s News Nerds, remembering England’s Queen Elizabeth who died earlier this month at 96. Journalist Robert Hardman joins us to talk about his book, Queen Of Our Times: The Life of Elizabeth II, which was published in March of this year. Robert writes for the Daily Mail and has worked covering the royal family for more than 25 years. He’s the author of 4 additional books about Queen Elizabeth and has adapted his work into several documentaries. We’ll talk about Queen Elizabeth’s early days on the throne, the commonwealth, and the differences between her and her son, King Charles.
Have a happy week,
Ezra
National Political Correspondent Gabriel Debenedetti On His New Book, The Long Alliance
Yo, News Nerds, I'm so glad to be back! This week I (virtually) sat down with NY Mag correspondent, Gabriel Debenedetti.
The complicated relationship between Barack Obama and Joe Biden is mostly thought of through the lens of their two terms in the White House , but today’s guest, New York Magazine writer Gabriel Debenedetti tells us that the relationship spans almost 2 decades. Debenedetti’s new book, The Long Alliance which was published yesterday, profiles the two president’s relationship from 2003 up until this year, a time span in which he says the two men had a nuanced but at times turbulent relationship. We’ll talk about the duo’s decision making, how their personal lives seeped into their professional ones, and what their relationship looks like now. Debenedetti writes for New York Magazine, which he joined in 2018, but previously covered politics and the 2016 presidential race for Politico. He also previously covered the Obama Administration and Capitol Hill for Reuters.
A tentative plan for next week: Remembering Queen Elizabeth II
Ezra
Professor Mary Ziegler On Roe Vs. Wade
We'll be gone for the summer, so I thought that I would leave you with a treat. Every week day this summer we'll be posting a new mini crossword that you can print or solve online. Have fun with those!
This past week was noteworthy for the Supreme Court; along with rulings on religion and gun rights, the court overturned Roe Vs. Wade, a landmark decision that guaranteed the right to an abortion. Justices voted 6 to 3 to uphold the specific Mississippi abortion ban in Dobbs Vs. Jackson, and 5 to 4 - Chief Justice John Roberts joining the dissenting opinion - to overturn Roe and all later court cases that ensure Roe.
At the moment, 7 states, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Oklahoma, Missouri, Kentucky, Arkansas, and Alabama have already instituted abortion bans while others are expected to ban abortion in the coming months. 20 states are protecting or expanding abortion rights. This week, we’ll talk to legal historian and author Mary Ziegler. She’s written extensively about the battle over abortion rights and the conservative movement to end abortion. Her latest book, Dollars for Life, focuses on the rise of the pro life movement because of campaign spending.
Today we'll be speaking to someone who knows the history of both the pro and anti abortion movements well. You might have heard Professor Mary Ziegler on NPR or read her Op - Eds in The Atlantic, The New York Times, or The LA Times. Her latest book on the anti - abortion movement is called Dollars For Life: The Anti - Abortion Movement And The Fall Of The Republican Establishment.
We'll talk about the legal reasoning behind the Supreme Court's decision, how the Republican party has shifted to regarding Roe as a key issue, and how states that will enact abortion bans will enforce such restrictions.
At the end of the show we’ll catch up with a voter that I spoke to before the 2020 election. He’s a conservative who supports the decision of the Supreme Court to overturn Roe.
Writer Kathryn Schulz On Her New Book, Lost & Found
This week on News Nerds we’ll be speaking with Pulitzer Prize winning writer Kathryn Schulz. Her new book, Lost & Found grapples with the loss and then later discovery in Kathryn’s recent life. The book is split into three sections, lost, where she recounts the event of her father’s death and her grief afterwards, found, when we learn of her relationship with fellow New Yorker writer Casey Cep who is simply known as ‘C’ in the book, and the final section titled ‘and’ in which Schulz and Cep get married
Ezra
Montana Congressional Candidate Tom Winter
It’s primary season! Earlier this week, 7 states held primary elections including Montana were I produce this show. Because of the 2020 census, we’ve gained an additional seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. This week we’ll listen to my interview with former state representative, Tom Winter. He ran in Montana’s new western congressional district as a democrat against Monica Tranel and Cora Neumann.
An Exploration In To Yellow Rain
In the years following the so called ‘secret war’, when the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency trained the ethnic group of the Hmong to fight against the Northern Vietnamese, mysterious reports emerged of a yellow substance falling out of aircrafts and causing harm, sometimes fatally, to the Hmong. Reports from Hmong migrants leaving Laos detailed the destruction this substance, which was later labelled as ‘Yellow Rain,' and a harsh debate regarding the possibility that it was a chemical weapon ensued. That’s the topic of Mai Der Vang’s second poetry collection which was published last year. It’s titled Yellow Rain and it was just named a finalist for this year’s Pulitzer Prize in poetry. Mai Der will talk about Yellow Rain and we’ll hear some of her poems.
A Son Reflects On His Relationship With His Witty Mother
In his first memoir, novelist Brian Morton chronicles the story of his mother as she suffers from the effects of a stroke and then dementia. The book, Tasha: A Son’s Memoir is an excellent look into the lives of not only one family, but I think, many others who have gone through similar experiences with their relatives. From when he resorts to hiding a recording device in his mother’s cluttered house, and finds out that her caretaker has verbally abused her, to when Tasha screams that she’s being kidnapped at a crowded restaurant when Brian attempts to take her to his house to care for her, to her insistence that anyone who enjoys angel food cake is an idiot, the story Brian paints is both heartbreaking, but also funny. Morton's past books include Florence Gordon and Starting Out in the Evening which was adapted into a film in 2007. Brian’s received the Academy Award in Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the Koret Jewish Book Award for Fiction, and the Guggenheim Foundation Award. He’s also been a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award. We’ll talk to Brian this week.
The Latest On Ukraine With Mark and Caroline Cancian
As the war in Ukraine continues, the information behind the conflict continues to change rapidly. This week we’re joined by Mark Cancian. He’s a senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a think tank based in Washington D.C; this week he’s helping us understand some of the crucial logistics and reasoning behind the war. We’ll also hear from his daughter, Caroline, who gives us her take on the war and her father’s work.
Ezra
How The Iranian Revolution Of The 70s Affected A Family
When my guest this week, Neda Toloui - Semnani’s grandfather walked across the dessert to Tehran in search of work decades ago, he decided on a surname for his family. Toloui (of sunrise), and Semnani (of Semnan). This is just one of the stories described in Neda Toloui - Semnani’s new memoir, They Said They Wanted Revolution: A Memoir of my Parents. Her book chronicles the story of her parents, two young Iranian students who where swept up with the revolution of the 70s. Although Neda was very young at the time of the revolution, she pieces together the story of her father’s arrest because of his activism as a leftist and continues her story from there.
Ezra
PS: Yes, I know this is late, I'm very sorry.
The BBC's 100th Anniversary... And Our Second
It's our second year anniversary show, but do you know who’s been on the air a lot longer? It’s the British Broadcasting Corporation, or the BBC. This we’re talking to historian, author, and BBC insider, David Hendy. He’s latest books, 'The BBC: A People's History' (UK) and 'The BBC: A Century on Air' (USA) detail the 100 years of the BBC. We’ll talk about the BBC’s founding in 1922, it’s role in the second world war, and the challenges the service faces today.
Ezra
A Former State Department Official On The War In Ukraine
When Russia started its invasion of Ukraine in February, my guest this week, Michael Kimmage was watching the conflict unfold from Washington D.C. He oversaw the Russia/Ukraine portfolio from 2014 to early 2017 for the U.S. State Department. He’s now a professor at Catholic University. We talk about Russia’s ambitions for the war, possible outcomes of the war, and more.
How A Ukrainian Journalist Got Out Of Their Country
This week, we’re getting the latest on the war in Ukraine with journalist Maria Romanenko. She left the country on the first day of the invasion and she’s telling us the process of crossing multiple boarders to get into the UK were she is now. She’ll tell us how President Zelensky was elected in 2019 and why she’ll return to Ukraine when it’s safe to do so. Also, freelance journalist Mircea Barbu tells us the latest from inside the Ukrainian city Chernivtsi.
Ezra
Cooking With Jacques Pepin And The Latest From Ukraine With Manny Marotta
This we’re back with another edition of the podcast. We’ll start off the show with a short summary of the latest news. Next we’ll talking to Manny Marotta, he’s an independent journalist who was reporting from Ukraine as Russia started its invasion. He’s now in the US, but this week he’s telling us how he got out of Ukraine - on foot. Later, we’ll be talking to renowned chef, author, and painter Jacques Pepin. That’s all this week.
Ezra
The War In Ukraine Continues
We’re starting the show this week with my interview with Natalia Melnychuk. In addition to working for PEN International, an association dedicated to advocacy for writers, poets, journalists, and people of the pen, Natalia works as a freelance journalist. After she left Ukraine on the second day of the Russian invasion, she traveled to the UK. At the end of the show, Scott Horsley, NPR’s chief economic mind, is back on the show. This week we’re discussing sanctions and how they affect national economies
The Latest From Ukraine With Journalist Mircea Barbu
As the war in Ukraine continues, now into its 2nd week, we have what you need to understand the Russian invasion. We’re starting off the show with the latest on Ukraine including the latest on the occupation of the port city Kherson, President Biden’s state of the union adress, and how the world is reacting to the invasion. We’re going directly to Ukraine where freelance journalist Mircea Barbu is reporting. We recorded our interview on Sunday, so some of what you’re going to hear may not be up to date.
Ezra
Joshua Prager On The Family Roe
This week we’re joined by author and journalist Joshua Prager. Joshua's latest book, The Family Roe: an American Story, chronicles the family behind Roe vs. Wade, the historic Supreme Court decision that is being challenged today. In the book, Joshua details the family behind the pseudonym, Roe.
Ezra
26 Year Old State Senator Will Haskell
This week we’re joined by one of the youngest state senators in office right now, democratic representative Will Haskell. Will was elected as the state senator for the 26th district of Connecticut when he was only 22, and now he’s written a book about the experience. It’s called 100,000 First Bosses: My Unlikely Path As a 22-Year-Old Lawmaker. We’ll talk about the book, his path to the state senate, and his views on national politics.
Ezra
Newberry Award Winner Lois Lowry
Known for works such as The Giver Quartet, Number The Stars, and The Willoughbys, author Lois Lowry joins for the whole episode. We'll talk about her most well-known books, as well as her newest books, including On The Horizon and the Willoughbys Return.
Ezra
Former CDC Director, Dr. Tom Frieden On The Pandemic
The former CDC director, Dr. Tom Frieden joins us this week to discuss the latest on the Covid pandemic including the Omicron variant, N95 masks, and more. Dr. Frieden served as CDC director from 2009, 2017. He’s also the founder of Resolve to Save Lives an organization working to prevent cardiovascular disease and epidemics.
Also, television legend, Betty White has died, she was 99.
Ezra
It's Our Holiday Special!
It’s the holiday season and on this episode of News Nerds you’ll hear some never before heard before and after discussions with two of our past guests. First, we’ll be hearing from Lisa Napoli. Lisa is a former journalist turned author who’s latest book is called Susan, Linda, Nina & Cokie: The Extraordinary Story of the Founding Mothers of NPR. Next, Scott Horsley tells me about how he started working in Public Radio in a conversation I had with him. Scott is NPR’s Chief Economics Reporter.
Ezra
The Climate And A Small Business Owner In The Path Of A Tornado
British environmentalist and author Jonathon Porritt talks with us about his new book Hope in Hell: How we can Confront the Climate Crisis and Save the Earth. Also Daniel Carr, an owner of Carr’s Steakhouse in Mayfield Kentucky. The restaurant was destroyed by deadly tornadoes that swept through Kentucky and the surrounding states. That's all this week on News Nerds for Wednesday, December 22nd, 2021.
Ezra
NPR's Chief Economics Correspondent, Scott Horsley
NPR’s chief economics correspondent Scott Horsley joins us this week to discuss the stock market, November’s unemployment and jobs reports, how the Omicron variant might affect the economy, inflation, and more this week on News Nerds for Friday, December 17th, 2021.
Ezra
Apoorva Mandavilli And Michaeleen Doucleff On The Omicron Variant
We’re joined by New York Times science and global health Reporter Apoorva Mandavilli and Michaeleen Doucleff, a correspondent for NPR’s Science desk, this week on News Nerds for Wednesday, December 8th, 2021. They share their reporting on the new Covid-19 strain, Omicron which was detected on November 23rd in South Africa. The World Health Organization (or WHO) labeled the variant a variant of concern. That’s all coming up. Also the geographical location challenge and a... ...podcast recommendations?
Ezra
Tuvulu's Foreign Minister On Climate, John Swartzberg With The Latest On Covid, And Jeopardy!
We’re joined this week by Simon Kofe, the foreign minister to Tuvalu, a small country about halfway between Australia and Hawaii. He recorded a viral video for the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow where he stands knee deep in the Pacific Ocean, where he says was once land. We talk about Tuvalu and what would happen if the islands making up Tuvalu were to go under water. Also, John Swartzberg. He's the clinical professor at the school of public health at UC Berkeley. He’s joined me before to discuss covid. This week we talk about covid vaccines, variants, and more. Also, THIS IS JEOPARDY! Jeopardy has been on the news a lot lately and we close the show talking with Christopher Stucky who was on the show earlier this year. We talk about preparation for the show, what it was like to meet Matt Amodio, and more.
Ezra
Susan Stamberg and Linda Wertheimer: The Founding Mothers of NPR
NPR’s Susan Stamberg and Linda Wertheimer join us this week to discuss their careers, being a woman journalist in the 70s at a startup organization, and more. We’re back after a break from the podcast. There’s going to be some amazing interviews in store for you this season on News Nerds. For example, listen next week for an interview about COP26 with Tuvalu's foreign minister, Simon Kofe!
Ezra
The KNP Complex Fire Rages Through Sequoia Groves As 126,000 Gallons Of Oil Has Been Spilt
The Huntington Beach oil spill in California has spilt approximately 126,000 gallons of crude oil, damaging the ecosystem. Meanwhile, the KNP Complex fire rages through the state, destroying over 80,000 acres of land and threatening ancient sequoia trees, some of which have been standing for thousands of years. Gabrielle Canon a reporter for the Guardian shares her reporting on the oil spill and the fires on this week’s episode.
Encore: Pulitzer And Peabody Winning Journalist, Nadja Drost
On this week’s episode I talk to Pulitzer and Peabody award winner, Nadja Drost. She is a correspondent for the PBS Newshour. Before the pandemic she and Bruno Federico documented the struggle of immigrants from around the world crossing a dangerous stretch of jungle called the Darien Gap, many without adequate supplies. She talks to me today about the Darien Gap, what immigrates face there, how the Biden administration compares to the Trump administration regarding immigration, and more.
This is a best of episode. Regular full episodes of News Nerds will be back next week.
Ezra
Encore! BJ Leiderman on Composing for NPR
It’s September and that means the end of summer. Over the season we’ve talked to some amazing guests and covered so much. Today we’re looking back on that. This week, my interview with BJ Leiderman. He is composer of many notable (NPR) National Public Radio themes. These include the Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me’s theme, the Weekend edition Saturday and Sunday themes, as well as the original morning edition theme.
Ezra