Aug 10

What wellness costs us

Americans are investing billions in their health and wellness. What good do all these green powders and costly club memberships actually do? This episode was produced by Hady Mawajdeh, edited by Miranda Kennedy, fact-checked by Melissa Hirsch, engineered by Matthew Billy, and hos ... Show More

29m 38s

Jul 27

Is tipping fair?

From raising the tipped minimum wage to "no tax on tips," we look at the challenges of remaking tipped work. This episode was produced by Peter Balonon-Rosen, edited by Miranda Kennedy, fact-checked by Melissa Hirsch, engineered by Patrick Boyd and hosted by Jonquilyn Hill. Photo ... Show More

29m 45s

Jul 20

The summer I turned into a bookworm

Summer. Time for pools, BBQs, and the beach read. But why do we read "summer books"? This episode was produced by Avishay Artsy, edited by Amina Al-Sadi, fact-checked by Melissa Hirsch, engineered by Matthew Billy, and hosted by Jonquilyn Hill. Photo by Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto vi ... Show More

30m 4s

Aug 3

America’s high-speed rail fail

The US is well behind much of the world in building passenger rail, especially high-speed trains. But we do have one major advantage. This episode was produced by Devan Schwartz, edited by Naureen Khan, fact-checked by Melissa Hirsch, engineered by Patrick Boyd with help from And ... Show More

30m 20s

Jun 29

Can we ever know our dogs?

So many of us believe we understand what our pets are feeling. Are we fooling ourselves? This episode was produced by Miles Bryan, edited by Miranda Kennedy and Naureen Khan, fact-checked by Melissa Hirsch, engineered byPatrick Boyd and hosted by Noam Hassenfeld. Photo by Kylie C ... Show More

32m 54s

Mar 2025

An America First trap

This isn’t the first time we’ve tried to go America First. The last time helped blow up the economy and our relationships with our allies.This episode was produced by Amanda Lewellyn, edited by Jolie Myers, fact-checked by Laura Bullard and Travis Larchuk, engineered by Andrea Kr ... Show More

27m 27s

Jul 13

Chat BFF

More and more of us are interacting with chatbots. Can we have real relationships with AI, and can AI teach humans to be better people? This episode is a collaboration with Vox's Future Perfect team. It was produced by Denise Guerra, edited by Miranda Kennedy, fact-checked by Kim ... Show More

32m 52s

Jul 27

Is tipping fair?

From raising the tipped minimum wage to "no tax on tips," we look at the challenges of remaking tipped work. This episode was produced by Peter Balonon-Rosen, edited by Miranda Kennedy, fact-checked by Melissa Hirsch, engineered by Patrick Boyd and hosted by Jonquilyn Hill. Photo ... Show More

30m 30s

Jan 2025

MAGA meltdown

MAGA is fighting over immigration. Vox’s Andrew Prokop tells us what happened, and the Wall Street Journal’s Tim Higgins explains why it isn’t the first time Elon Musk has split the party — and won’t be the last.This episode was produced by Amanda Lewellyn, edited by Amina Al-Sad ... Show More

27m 50s

Mar 2025

PRETTY CURIOUS | Tariffs, Living Rent Free In Republicans Heads, And The Newest Hollywood IT Couple

Curious people, we have so much to talk about! This week on Pretty Curious, JVN and senior producer Chris are diving into the celebrity “IT” couple we can’t get enough of, the shadow side of healing, and living rent free in Republicans heads. Follow us on Instagram @CuriousWithJV ... Show More

30m 40s

Dec 2024

Almost Heaven

The appeal of "Country Roads" extends far beyond West Virginia or even the United States. We're revisiting an episode from this summer that examines the global popularity of the John Denver classic.This episode was produced by Victoria Chamberlin, edited by Matt Collette, fact-ch ... Show More

31m 35s

Jun 1

How Gen Z found religion

For the first time in decades, American Christianity is not in decline. What are young people looking for–and finding–at church? Further reading: The surprising chasm splitting Americans along religious lines by Christian Paz. Pew report: Decline of Christianity in the U.S. Has S ... Show More

32m 38s

May 21

Donald Trump’s “Big, Beautiful Bill”

“You are tearing me apart, Congress.” This episode was produced by Devan Schwartz with help from Hady Mawajdeh, edited by Amina Al-Sadi, fact-checked by Laura Bullard, engineered by Andrea Kristinsdottir and Patrick Boyd, and hosted by Seam Rameswaram. Listen to Today, Explained ... Show More

24m 55s