It’s Election Day, and the votes are being tabulated. So how can we know the counts are accurate and the data is safe? Derek Tisler, counsel in the elections and government program at the nonpartisan Brennan Center, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss election tabulation and security, why we might not know the official winner on election night, and what makes new technology so effective in counting votes.

Helen Phillips a recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship and a Rona Jaffe Foundation Writers’ Award. She joins host Krys Boyd to discuss her novel about a near-future techno-dystopia, where escaping to nature is the only way to heal – and how her characters make difficult decisions to find solace away from looming technology. The novel is called “Hum.”

Elizabeth Stokoe, a Professor of social interaction at Loughborough University, delves into the art of navigating tough conversations. She emphasizes the importance of creating safe spaces for dialogue, highlighting techniques like active listening and validation. The discussion explores the dynamics of communication, including how subtle language choices can shape responses in professional settings. Stokoe also reveals how effective small talk can be a powerful tool, even in crisis situations, transforming difficult interactions into opportunities for understanding.

From the famous “Psycho” shower scene to “Poltergeist” and Chucky, America has a fascination with horror. Jeremy Dauber, professor of Jewish literature and American studies at Columbia University, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how horror reflects worries of a collective culture, how the genre helped the fight against slavery and how changing gender roles spark new creations. His book is “American Scary: A History of Horror, from Salem to Stephen King and Beyond.”

 To root out inefficiency and corruption in government, we turn to inspectors general. Glenn A. Fine served as the Inspector General of the Department of Justice and the Acting Inspector General of the Department of Defense. He’s now a non-resident fellow at the Brookings Institution, an adjunct professor at Georgetown Law School and has taught at Stanford Law School and he joins host Krys Boyd to discuss what IGs do, why they are vital for a healthy government – and why he says the Supreme Court needs an Inspector General, too. His book is “Watchdogs: Inspectors General and the Battle for Honest and Accountable Government.” 

The history of sexuality in America is not as straightforward as it might seem. Rebecca L. Davis, professor of history at the University of Delaware, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how gender has determined roles regardless of someone’s sexuality, why the Puritans weren’t so prude, and how our views changed in the 21st Century. Her book is “Fierce Desires: A New History of Sex and Sexuality in America.”

Vladimir Kara-Murza is so dedicated to bringing democracy to Russia that it’s nearly cost him his life on multiple occasions. Kara-Murza was sentenced to 25 years in a Siberian prison colony for disparaging the invasion of Ukraine but was released as part of this summer’s historic prisoner swap that also freed Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and former U.S. marine Paul Whelan. Host Krys Boyd talks with him and his wife, human rights activist Evengia Kara-Murza, about their ongoing work to free their homeland from Vladimir Putin’s grip.

Ronald Reagan is an icon for conservative thought in America — but he didn’t always deliver on his lofty ideals. Max Boot is a historian and foreign-policy analyst, a senior fellow for national security studies at the Council on Foreign Relations and a columnist for the Washington Post. And he’s a lifelong conservative. He joins guest host John McCaa to discuss why Reagan’s policies weren’t always right-of-center as his legacy claims, and the lessons we can learn from his presidency decades later. His book is “Reagan: His Life and Legend.”

Author John Grisham is known for his legal thrillers – but he’s recently turned his attention to real-life stories of justice that are often just as gripping. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss cases of wrongful convictions, miscarriages of justice and common oversights that permeate the justice system. His book, co-written with Jim McCloskey, is “Framed: Astonishing True Stories of Wrongful Convictions.”

The zoning debate between NIMBYs and YIMBYs is fueling a housing crisis felt nationwide. Jerusalem Demsas, staff writer at The Atlantic, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why she feels decisions about land need to be accountable to the public, why zoning boards and preservationists are hurting home affordability, and why the buck should stop at elected officials. Her book is “On the Housing Crisis: Land, Development, Democracy.”