Disinformation and propaganda works differently in Putin’s Russia than it did during the Soviet Union. Instead of tamping down the opposition, the Russian government works to control the opposition.

Senior Editor David Kestenbaum talks with a different kind of advocacy group: animal scientists doing their best to save a particular species before it winks out of existence. (16 minutes)

Doctors say one effect of the new bans is people seeking abortions much later into their second trimesters. Caroline got interested in a girl like that in Oklahoma.

Where do parents go when they’re deported? For some, the answer is: as close as possible to their kids. That often means Nogales, Mexico.

"Thug" is a very imprecise word. And as producer Nancy Updike explains, the subjectivity of its meaning has been particularly apparent during the recent revolution in Egypt.

Producer Chana Joffe-Walt talks to her 13 year old sister Maya about Maya’s most important friendship to date. In fact, it’s her first real friendship.

Susan’s investigation continues, and she tells the story of a third person who was close to Ibragim Todashev who was whisked out of the United States after actions by the FBI.

Producer Miki Meek takes Ira back to her old high school in a town called Payson, Utah. They meet up with students who go above and beyond when asking dates out to school dances.

Sandy Allen tells the story of learning to play an instrument that suddenly sounds very different — his own voice.

The story from the prologue continues. Eleanor tries to persuade Zack and Mike not to catcall or accost women in the streets of King’s Cross.

At the start of the year, Warren Carpenter was a Kristina Karamo supporter; helped her get elected.

Most of the This American Life production staff spent the weekend at Penn State, and found that drinking is the great unifier at the school. Ira Glass, Sarah Koenig, Lisa Pollak and Jane Feltes report on tailgating parties, frat parties, an article of clothing known as a "fracket," and a surprising and common drunken crime.

A man finds himself sucked into an intense head-to-head running competition against a perfect rival – all for free burritos from Chipotle. (18 minutes)

Comedian Jillian Welsh tells Diane Wu about one of the most romantic—and stressful—nights of her life, a night that paralleled the plot of a rom-com in several ways. (16 minutes)A version of this story first appeared on the Risk! podcast.

Producer Nancy Updike reveals to Ira the staff’s concern about his dog, Piney.

When he was just a kid, Davy Rothbart and his family visited the most famous neighbor in America—Mr. Rogers—at his summer cottage on Nantucket.

Mohamedou talks with Sydney, who still thinks he was a major player in Al Qaeda. She was an intelligence analyst, who spent weeks at Guantanamo, questioning him.

There are the birds who exist, and then there are the birds who may as well exist. Producer Sean Cole explains.

Kids are everywhere in the camps, they’re a third of the refugees. You see them around, improvising stuff to play with.

Mark Oppenheimer reports on agunah in the Orthodox Jewish community. An agunah is a woman whose husband refuses to give her a divorce – in Hebrew it means "chained wife." If you're an Orthodox Jew, strictly following Jewish law, the only real way to get divorced is if your husband agrees to hand you a piece of paper called a get.

Two adult sisters revisit old rivalries when they compete for a world record in typing with their pinkies. (16 minutes)

Some of the best improv actors in the country join us for a special Christmas themed performance recorded live at the Bellhouse in Brooklyn. Scott Adsit, Mike Birbiglia, Aidy Bryant, Chris Gethard, Tami Sagher, and Sasheer Zamata dream up a magical world on stage that’s only possible at Christmas.

Last Summer, Alabama passed HB56, the most sweeping immigration bill in the country. It's an example of a strategy called "attrition through enforcement" or, more colloquially, "self-deportation"--making life so hard on undocumented immigrants that they choose to leave the country.

Sam Slaven is an Iraq War veteran who came home from the War plagued by feelings of hate and anger toward Muslims. TAL producer Lisa Pollak tells the story of the unusual action Sam took to change himself, and the Muslim students who helped him do it.