Editor Nancy Updike tries to make sense of this current moment by talking to a master of dark comedy, Armando Ianucci. (19 minutes)

When Yousef Hammash left Gaza a year ago, his sisters decided to stay behind.

Editor Susan Burton reflects on the ramp-up to an era that comes for so many of us. (9 minutes)

Producer Aviva DeKornfeld looks into why comedian Daniel Sloss’s comedy special has been responsible for so many couples breaking up. (17 minutes)

We find someone brave enough to stand up and make a case FOR lying.

Seth Lind, our Operations Director, isn’t a crier.

Heather, the head of obstetric anesthesia at UI Health, gets up onstage and asks a ballroom full of hundreds of anesthesiologists to wrestle with the question of why patients are feeling pain during C-sections, and what they can do to solve it. (8 minutes)Follow The Retrievals: Season 2 wherever you get your podcasts to listen to the full season.

Ira Glass introduces Zach Mack’s story. (1 minute)

Ira talks to producer Emmanuel Dzotsi, who brings the first exhibit into the studio with him: a chunk of concrete with some yellow paint on it.

Chana gives a short update about Banias, a 9-year-old girl in Gaza she's been speaking with for months.

Zach’s mother and sister weigh in on the agreement. (28 minutes)

Parking in a big city can be a real pain. Producer Valerie Kipnis speaks with a man who has taken it upon himself to try to mitigate the weekly hassle.

Some people are great in a crisis. Others, not so much.

Writer Etgar Keret reads his story about a bus driver who refuses to open the doors for late passengers. (9 minutes)This story is from Etgar's book, The Bus Driver Who Wanted To Be God & Other Stories.

Short fiction from Bess Kalb about a groundhog named Susan, who has her own opinions about the holiday named after her species. (7 minutes)You can find more work from Bess at The Grudge Report on Substack.

Mika’s parents, Carissa Heavy Runner and Kevin Howard, share recordings of their interactions with law enforcement. (8 minutes)

David Kestenbaum tells the story of the suspicious disappearance of multiple shoes and a woman determined to explain it. (8 minutes)

Editor David Kestenbaum speaks with Jeff Permar, who is trapped in a Groundhog Day situation — with an actual groundhog! (9 minutes)See more videos of the groundhog Chunk on Jeff’s YouTube channel.

A hardened PI works the toughest case of his very young life. (18 minutes)ALL IN: COMEDY ABOUT LOVE is written by Simon Rich and stars John Mulaney, Richard Kind, Fred Armisen, and Chloe Fineman.

Guest host Aviva DeKornfeld tells Ira Glass about breaking into a community pool as a kid, and the split-second decision that has haunted her ever since.

Two college baseball teams with horrible losing streaks — a combined 141 games — are scheduled to play each other.

Ira Glass introduces the first episode of an inventive new podcast from longtime This American Life producer and editor Susan Burton.

Comedian Mike Birbiglia talks about the questions his daughter asks him and how trying to answer them showed him surprising reflections of himself.  (15 minutes) This is an excerpt from Mike Birbiglia’s special, “The Good Life.”