A history of the brief mayoral career of Harold Washington and its lessons for Black and white America, as told by people close to him. (39 minutes)Harold Washington died on November 25, 1987.  This show was first broadcast ten years later, in 1997.

Producer Aviva DeKornfeld talks to Ranjani Srinivasan, who tells the story of how her life was transformed over five days via a series of events that started out confusing and escalated to frightening. (25 minutes)

With the year coming to an end, someone is going to have to say, “You were right, and I was wrong.” Will it change anything? (16 minutes)This story is a collaboration with NPR's Embedded podcast, which released a three-part series about Zach and his father.

Ira joins Hamed on his Monday commute. He has to navigate a constantly changing series of checkpoints and roadblocks to get to work each day.

USAID was founded in 1961. Since then, it has spent hundreds of billions of dollars all over the world.

Jad Abumrad tells the story of the "ideological genealogy” of Fela Kuti’s anti-colonial politics–his mother. In late 1940s Nigeria, Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti found herself at the center of a big, historical moment: an uprising led by thousands of women selling goods in Nigeria’s markets.

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

As President Trump prepares to return to the Oval Office, producer Valerie Kipnis talks to Ukrainian soldiers on the front line who wonder about what his administration could mean for them. (14 minutes)

Just one box of a specially enriched peanut butter paste can save the life of a severely malnourished child.

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

A sixteen-year-old plans out a prank, and a complete stranger from Honduras ends up in a million-dollar deal. What could go wrong? (25 minutes)By Pablo Torre, adapted from his podcast Pablo Torre Finds Out.

The judges walk us through how different their jobs have become in just the past few months, because of sweeping policy changes by Trump’s Department of Justice.

In every house, behind every closed door, a private drama is unfolding. In the Rivera house, the drama comes in the form of a question: should they stay or should they go? This question winds its way around the house until someone finally answers it.

Zoe Chace gives an eyewitness account of what has been happening at 26 Federal Plaza, an immigration courthouse in New York City.

Two people see one of President Trump’s first executive orders and get excited, and then get to work. (46 minutes)

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.

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

Emmanuel Dzotsi explores the phenomenon of people lying on first dates to project a better version of themselves.

Host Ira Glass talks with M. Gessen about a lie they've been seeing out in the world a lot recently — the “bully lie.” (15 minutes)M.

Clara’s anesthesia is not working.

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

A scientist who is used to organizing data starts tracking scientific meetings that seem to exist only on paper—meetings that might decide the fate of years of research. The NIH website shows one reality; the empty conference rooms tell another story.

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

Brittany’s job is to answer anonymous calls and texts from people in the military. This year, she’s gotten more than usual–most of them are wondering about what to do with orders they’ve been given.