New Yorker staff writer Elizabeth Kolbert has been reporting on climate and the environment for more than 25 years. In her work, she captures both the awe-inspiring beauty of the natural world and the unsettling truth about what humans are doing to it. Her latest book, Life on a Little-Known Planet: Dispatches From a Changing World , is a collection of essays from her decades-long career. Kolbert spoke with Apple News In Conversation host Shumita Basu about the stories that have shaped her repor...
Jan 22, 2026•24 min
In January 2025, catastrophic wildfires tore through Los Angeles, destroying entire neighborhoods and leaving devastation that continues today. MS NOW senior reporter Jacob Soboroff reported live from the blaze in his hometown of Pacific Palisades — and is now out with a new book, Firestorm: The Great Los Angeles Fires and America’s New Age of Disaster , a deeply reported account of the chaos and enduring fallout. Soboroff sat down with Apple News In Conversation host Shumita Basu to share what ...
Jan 15, 2026•25 min
The recent U.S. military operation in Venezuela has raised many questions about what’s actually driving the Trump administration’s aims in the region. To break down what’s known — and unknown — about this unprecedented action, Apple News In Conversation host Shumita Basu talked with New Yorker staff writer Jonathan Blitzer, who has been reporting on immigration and foreign policy for years. They discuss how Venezuela became a target of the current administration, and how this tenuous situation c...
Jan 08, 2026•28 min
This is an episode from our archives. Martinus Evans did not have an easy start to running. Weighing over 300 pounds, he set out to finish a marathon after a doctor told him to “lose weight or die.” He writes about his running journey in his book, Slow AF Run Club: The Ultimate Guide for Anyone Who Wants to Run . In this week’s episode of Apple News In Conversation , Evans talks with host Shumita Basu about the lessons he’s learned from being a “back-of-the-packer.”...
Jan 01, 2026•25 min
This episode from our archives is our most-listened-to interview of the year. It was originally published in June 2025. In his 22-year career in the FBI, undercover agent Scott Payne infiltrated some of the most dangerous criminal and extremist groups in America, from a motorcycle gang called the Outlaws to a white-supremacist group known as the Base. Payne shares his firsthand case accounts of gathering intelligence and stopping illegal activity in his memoir, Code Name: Pale Horse; How I Went ...
Dec 25, 2025•28 min
The end of the year is a moment to reflect on the art and culture that stood out. Apple News In Conversation host Shumita Basu sat down with two culture critics — Sam Sanders, the host of The Sam Sanders Show on KCRW, and Anne Helen Petersen, creator of the podcast and newsletter Culture Study — to break down their top releases. They talk about the music, film, and TV they loved most in 2025. Plus, our listeners share their own picks for this year’s can’t-miss shows and albums....
Dec 18, 2025•32 min
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is one of the most influential — and controversial — figures in American public health. And some of the changes he’s pushing, especially around vaccines, have drawn sharp criticism and resistance from many scientific experts. In a recent Atlantic profile, staff writer Michael Scherer examined how Kennedy’s background, including immense privilege and trauma, has shaped the perspective he now brings to his role at HHS. Scherer interviewed a...
Dec 11, 2025•31 min
At a time when interest in history is surging, millions of listeners are tuning in to hear historians Dominic Sandbrook and Tom Holland dive into the past on their hit podcast The Rest Is History . Known for sharp banter, vivid details, and engaging narratives, the show has become the world’s most popular history podcast and was named Apple Podcasts’s Podcast of the Year. Sandbrook and Holland join Apple News In Conversation host Shumita Basu to reflect on their favorite moments in American hist...
Dec 04, 2025•32 min
This is an episode from our archives. Even before the divisive presidential election, family estrangement was on the rise. Now, as holiday gatherings approach, many people are grappling with difficult family dynamics. Psychologist Joshua Coleman, the author of Rules of Estrangement: Why Adult Children Cut Ties & How to Heal the Conflict , talks to Apple News In Conversation host Shumita Basu about how to navigate strained relationships and what steps you can take to bridge divides....
Nov 27, 2025•30 min
With the release of her James Beard Award–winning cookbook, Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat, Samin Nosrat catapulted to international fame. But amid big life changes and loss in the years that followed, she struggled to redefine her connection to cooking. With her second book, Good Things , Nosrat is back with a fresh approach to preparing food — one that’s centered on spending precious time with loved ones. She sat down with Apple News In Conversation host Shumita Basu to talk about what makes a good rec...
Nov 20, 2025•30 min
Pulitzer Prize–winning photojournalist Lynsey Addario has spent the past two decades on the front lines of many of the world’s defining conflicts and humanitarian crises — from Iraq and Afghanistan to the Arab Spring, the Libyan civil war, and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. A new documentary from National Geographic, Love+War , explores not only her extraordinary career in conflict zones but also her life at home in London with her husband and their two young sons. Addario sat down with Apple New...
Nov 13, 2025•34 min
The United States has the highest maternal mortality rate among high-income nations — and, according to the CDC, more than 80% of maternal deaths are preventable. In her new book, Unbearable: Five Women and the Perils of Pregnancy in America , journalist Irin Carmon follows families as they navigate fertility struggles, pregnancy, birth, and loss within a health-care system that too often fails them. Carmon sat down with Apple News In Conversation host Shumita Basu to talk about how the history ...
Nov 06, 2025•25 min
Russell Vought, the director of the Office of Management and Budget, has become one of the most influential figures shaping Trump’s second term. He’s the main driver of efforts to weaken federal agencies and push through sweeping government layoffs. In a recent piece copublished by ProPublica and the New Yorker , reporter Andy Kroll reveals how Vought’s ideas about federal bureaucracy are being put into action. Kroll joins Apple News In Conversation host Shumita Basu to explain why some in Washi...
Oct 30, 2025•35 min
Zohran Mamdani is leading New York City’s mayoral race by double digits. But not long ago, the democratic socialist was a relatively unknown state assemblyman. New Yorker staff writer Eric Lach recently profiled Mamdani, tracing his unique biography to his surprise primary win against former Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Lach joins Apple News In Conversation host Shumita Basu to talk about Mamdani’s sweeping campaign promises, the challenges of governing New York, and why this race matters for the rest of ...
Oct 23, 2025•33 min
Sports betting has exploded in the U.S.: The Supreme Court gave states the power to legalize it in 2018, and, by the end of this year, it will be allowed in 39 states and Washington, D.C. In his book Losing Big: America’s Reckless Bet on Sports Gambling , author Jonathan D. Cohen unpacks how this industry got so big and what its rise says about American culture. He spoke with Apple News In Conversation host Shumita Basu about the draw and dangers of sports gambling....
Oct 16, 2025•31 min
The rise of the Make America Healthy Again movement reflects a larger trend: declining trust in public-health institutions in the U.S. In response, the creators of a new podcast, Why Should I Trust You? , bring MAHA supporters and health experts together in a rare forum to foster understanding and explore solutions. Apple News In Conversation host Shumita Basu sat down with two of the hosts, Brinda Adhikari and Maggie Bartlett, to talk about what they’re learning from these conversations, and th...
Oct 09, 2025•25 min
In just a few years, U.S. school districts have gone from blocking AI tools to welcoming them into classrooms. In a recent story for Bloomberg Businessweek , contributing writer Vauhini Vara reports on how these tools are being used — and what they mean for students, teachers, and the future of learning. Vara joins Apple News In Conversation host Shumita Basu to discuss the companies pushing AI into schools, the risks and promises of their products, and what might be lost — or gained — as classr...
Oct 02, 2025•29 min
Earlier this month, conservative activist Charlie Kirk was fatally shot during an event at Utah Valley University. The public response has amplified political divisions, leaving many people feeling anxious about the state of the country. Sean Westwood , director of Dartmouth’s Polarization Research Lab , explains that while a few voices are stoking tensions, most Americans reject violence and want calmer politics. Westwood spoke with Apple News In Conversation host Shumita Basu about what the da...
Sep 25, 2025•27 min
The Constitution has been amended 27 times, but the last meaningful change was over half a century ago. In her new book, We the People: A History of the U.S. Constitution , historian Jill Lepore argues that the near impossibility of amendment in recent decades underlies many of today’s political crises, from polarization to battles over the courts. Lepore spoke with Apple News In Conversation host Shumita Basu about the history of constitutional revision and why the amendment process matters for...
Sep 18, 2025•30 min
When Christine was 9, her mother began having delusions that upended their family’s life. Her mother was eventually diagnosed with schizophrenia, but treatments had no effect. Nearly two decades later, after she started medication for cancer, her psychosis suddenly vanished. In the New Yorker , staff writer Rachel Aviv tells this remarkable story — and what it reveals about how schizophrenia is diagnosed and treated. The piece was selected as an Apple News Story of the Month. Aviv spoke with App...
Sep 11, 2025•24 min
Hundreds of thousands of Americans seek help for opioid addiction each year, but too often, they’re met with a rehab system that fails them. Many programs operate with little oversight, prioritizing profit over care, while proven medications remain out of reach. Shoshana Walter, author of Rehab: An American Scandal , spoke with Apple News In Conversation host Shumita Basu about what actually works in treating addiction — and why even well-intentioned programs so often fall short....
Sep 04, 2025•31 min
This is an episode from our archives. Reality shows — like Survivor , The Bachelor , and Love Is Blind — are some of the most-watched TV series in the U.S. But how much “reality” is actually being shown? In her book Cue the Sun! The Invention of Reality TV , New Yorker staff writer Emily Nussbaum reveals how this industry came to be and takes people behind the scenes of some of the top reality series. Nussbaum speaks with guest host Sam Sanders about the most surprising aspects of this divisive ...
Aug 28, 2025•36 min
When Sudan’s civil war broke out in 2023, two military factions violently dismantled the country’s infrastructure, causing devastation for civilians. Now millions face famine, sexual violence, and mass displacement as international aid has dwindled after U.S. funding cuts. Atlantic staff writer Anne Applebaum and photojournalist Lynsey Addario traveled to Sudan to report on the crisis. Applebaum sat down with Apple News In Conversation host Shumita Basu to talk about what she saw on the ground, ...
Aug 21, 2025•22 min
“No tax on tips” is a provision in President Trump’s new tax-and-spending bill that promises a tax break for tipped workers. But nearly 40% of these workers don’t earn enough to pay federal income tax and won’t directly benefit from the policy. In his latest piece for the New Yorker , contributing writer Eyal Press explains how the “no tax on tips” proposal originally came from the National Restaurant Association — known to some labor advocates as “the other NRA” — a powerful industry lobby that...
Aug 14, 2025•27 min
The immigration landscape in the U.S. has shifted dramatically since President Trump began his second term. ICE raids and arrests have surged — including among migrants without criminal records — leaving detention facilities overflowing and families in crisis. NPR senior immigration correspondent Jasmine Garsd has been reporting from Florida, a state that has taken the lead in advancing Trump’s agenda. She sat down with Apple News In Conversation host Shumita Basu to share what she’s seeing on t...
Aug 07, 2025•22 min
Maternity homes are resurging in the post- Roe era. These facilities are meant to provide temporary housing and other services to pregnant people in need. But many are rooted in restrictive Christian ideology — and some former residents say they were coerced into placing their babies for adoption. In the new Wondery podcast Liberty Lost , journalist T.J. Raphael investigates this system through the story of one teenager, Abbi Johnson. Raphael joins Apple News In Conversation host Shumita Basu to...
Jul 31, 2025•26 min
Public support for the death penalty has been slowly declining in America. But under President Trump, executions have spiked. In her recent piece, “ Inside America’s Death Chambers ,” Atlantic staff writer Elizabeth Bruenig describes witnessing five executions — including two failed attempts — and what those experiences taught her about justice, mercy, and redemption. Bruenig spoke with Apple News In Conversation host Shumita Basu about her reporting and her own experience as the relative of a m...
Jul 24, 2025•33 min
New York Times critic Amanda Hess has spent years writing about the internet, technology, and culture. But when she became pregnant, and then a new parent, she was surprised by how much tech infiltrated — and tried to optimize — every aspect of her life. In her book Second Life: Having a Child in the Digital Age , Hess chronicles that experience. She sat down with Apple News In Conversation host Shumita Basu to talk about the promises and pitfalls of parenting technology, and the tools that actu...
Jul 17, 2025•28 min
Americans have a long history of obsession with the ultrarich, from Carnegie and Rockefeller to Bezos and Musk. And today, the gap between the rich and the poor is bigger than ever as the billionaire class has ascended to new heights. In his new book, The Haves and Have-Yachts , New Yorker staff writer Evan Osnos explores the extravagant lifestyles of the wealthy and their outsize influence on politics. He sat down with Apple News In Conversation host Shumita Basu to talk about this unique momen...
Jul 10, 2025•30 min
This is an episode from our archives. Since we published this episode, the Wall Street Journal released a report that the Pentagon purposely spread disinformation about UFOs, at times to protect secret military operations. Have we been visited by extraterrestrial life? And how much does the government really know when it comes to UFOs? Garrett Graff’s latest book, UFO: The Inside Story of the US Government’s Search for Alien Life Here — and Out There , investigates these questions and more. The ...
Jul 03, 2025•36 min
