Recent Programs

  • Judicial Independence
    Have our courts – intended by America’s founders to be an independent arbiter of justice – turned into another political battlefield? Are today’s judges mere “politicians in robes”? This public radio documentary series looks at the challenges and proposed solutions.
  • The Power of Nonviolence
    The Power of Nonviolence seeks deep solutions to this vexing problem. We turn to wisdom teachings across our great spiritual traditions for guidance—and inspiration—on how the lasting wounds can be healed.
  • John Lewis’ Mission
    Known as the “conscience of Congress” and a civil rights icon, John Lewis died in July 2020 at age 80. The son of humble Alabama sharecroppers, John Lewis spoke from the stage on live national television at the massive March on Washington by the Lincoln Memorial in August 1963 – the day Rev. Martin Luther…
  • Tree-Lined Streets
    Charlie Starbuck, an affable tax attorney, single-handedly has increased the "canopy" of San Francisco by planting more than 7,500 trees, as part of the movement known as Friends of the Urban Forest.
  • Ida B. Wells’ Battle to Uncover the Truth
    Born to enslaved parents on a Mississippi plantation during the Civil War, Ida B. Wells emerged as a powerful investigative journalist. She overcame death threats and published widely in her quest to document the domestic terrorism against African Americans that came to be known as lynching. Ida Wells published the first major study of that…
  • Health Care With Kindness
    Patients often complain about rushed doctor visits and, of course, the cost of medical services. But a number of studies in recent years highlight a different concern: whether as a patient you actually experience kindness when receiving health care.

And being treated with basic courtesy and compassion – especially while undergoing medical distress – was rated in one…

Staff Picks

  • Resilient Nurses
    A no-holds-barred look at the stressful conditions in which many nurses work: the long hours, the emotional toll, the rapid pace, and the way that technology and institutional practices can make it hard to form a caring bond with patients.
  • Simple Relaxation Exercise
    A 15-minute stress reduction session to calm the body and mind.
  • Libraries Reimagined
    In 2019 Americans visited the library more often than they went to a movie or attended a sporting event. But far from institutions of the past, libraries today are rapidly evolving, ensuring free access to knowledge and protecting democracy.

Producer’s Note

  • ‘The Witness in Action’ in the George Floyd case

    In the midst of conflict or danger, some people choose to intervene — so to as minimize harm. Conflict mediation expert William Ury sees an important role for those who stand up in such circumstances, people who form a “third side” to witness and create a record of abuse. I thought about that while recently watching testimony in the murder trial of Minneapolis Police officer Derek Chauvin. Several community members decided not to stand idly by as George Floyd lay dying, but to speak up even in that tense situation. It’s worth listening now to our interview with Bill Ury, co-author of the negotiation classic, Getting to Yes and later, The Third Side.

Supported by listeners like you and…