The government shuts down, and Flake tries to get the senate to ignore what the White House wants. Unsuccessfully.

Host Ira Glass goes to Tijuana, Mexico where people trying to come to the U.S. asking for asylum have devised a new way to keep track of their place in line.  (11 minutes)Cindy Carcamo first wrote about this story for the Los Angeles Times.

The bizarre experience of being a guest in museum dedicated to the worst day of your life.

Ben Calhoun spent months following some key leaders in the Democratic Party, to find out the party’s best strategy for the future. He got some answers.

Jonathan Goldstein talks to Sven Berger, a juror still hung up over an assignment he served ten years ago. Jonathan is the host of Heavyweight from Gimlet Media, which just began its third season.

Since losing their daughter in the Aurora, Colorado shooting, Sandy and Lonnie Phillips have gone to the locations of many mass shootings. They know lots about the challenges grieving families face, and have information only people who have lost someone to a shooting can know.

Anita was separated from her son at the border a month ago. Jeremy Raff and Nadia Reiman follow her as she tries to get him back.

Zoe Chace goes to a conference hosted by Turning Point USA, where college students get trained to fight political battles.

Reporter Eric Mennel introduces Host Ira Glass to church planters, a group of evangelical Christians who apply the lessons of Silicon Valley to their goals of building new churches and growing their flock. (9 ½ minutes)

Actor Matt Malloy reads a short story by Aimee Bender, from her book “The Girl in the Flammable Skirt," about what can be and cannot be recovered from a crime scene, or from anywhere.

David Kestenbaum retraces the steps of Steve Snyder, a man who found himself running for love.

Cody's parents try to get him to unlearn some of what AJ taught him—and it's difficult.

Senator Jeff Flake goes to the White House and discovers a president who seems to be very open to doing whatever immigration deal the senate brings him. He spends an optimistic 24 hours writing a bill with his bipartisan partners.

Zoe Chace gives us a peek at what Senator Jeff Flake was up to in the days before and after deciding to delay Judge Kavanaugh's confirmation vote.

Edwin's life in a rarified world of flutes and feathers.

When Onnesha asks Don for a raise, he asks her a weird question.

As a teenager he saw himself as an historical figure, then that ended up becoming true. Producer Zoe Chace tells the story of Newt Gingrich, the man who either reinvented politics or broke it.

Senator Jeff Flake tries use his newfound leverage to get a commitment to bring DACA to the Senate floor in exchange for his vote for the Republican tax bill. Things change at the last minute.

Veronica Chater explains the conflict in her house between her love for her pet macaw—a kind of parrot—and her love for her husband and three kids. The macaw wreaks a sort of low-level chaos in the house, because it wants Veronica all to itself.

Miki Meek tells the story of an unlikely alliance between an ICE agent and a group of undocumented immigrants. (34 minutes)