Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich is free in the largest East-West prisoner swap since the Cold War
The United States and Russia completed their biggest prisoner swap in post-Soviet history on Thursday, with Moscow releasing journalist Evan Gershkovich and fellow American Paul Whelan in a multinational deal that set some two dozen people free, according to officials in Turkey, where the exchange took place. The trade followed years of secretive back-channel negotiations despite relations between Washington and Moscow being at their lowest point since the Cold War after Russian President Vladimir Putin’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. President Joe Biden placed securing the release of Americans held wrongfully overseas at the top of his foreign policy agenda for the six months before he leaves office. Joining us today on AirTalk to share what we know about the swap is foreign policy reporter for The Hill, Laura Kelly and Danielle Gilbert, assistant professor of political science at Northwestern University.
With files from the Associated Press.
What a candidate’s choice in campaign song can tell us about themselves and their policies
The 2024 presidential campaigns are underway with former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris both attending rallies to drum up support and excitement for their presidential run. But, alongside inspiring speeches and policy promises, presidential campaigns put a heavy focus on the type of music each candidate chooses to represent themselves. Whether it's Harris’ choice of the song Freedom by Beyonce or Trump’s loyalty to Lee Greenwood’s signature song God Bless The USA for his third campaign in a row, for the election cycle the song can be the message.
Today on AirTalk, we talk about the history of campaign songs and how a candidate's choice of song can help or hinder their overall brand. Joining us to discuss is Dana Gorzelany-Mostak, associate professor of music at Georgia College and State University and author of “Tracks On The Trail: Popular Music, Race, and The U.S. Presidency”.
The history of soap operas. When they work and why we love them.
Over the past few decades, soap opera viewership has declined as more tv shows have become available on more platforms. But there was a time when soap operas ruled the small screen, and even our airwaves. Soap operas actually got their start on radio before transitioning to tv in the 1940s. Shows like All My Children, Guiding Light, and Passions have ended, but for decades they influenced our lives with their serialized stories and iconic characters. Many still hold a special place in our hearts. Joining us today on AirTalk to talk about the history of soap operas and why we love them so much is Ilana Emmett, lecturer of TV history at University of Chicago; she has published work on the history of soap operas.
Has homelessness changed in your neighborhood since Mayor Bass took office?
Homelessness continues to be a top concern for Angelenos, with nearly 30,000 people living outdoors across the city, according to the latest count. L.A. Mayor Karen Bass says addressing homelessness is her top priority. After hundreds of millions in new taxpayer spending, the latest official count showed a drop in the number of people living outside in the city of L.A. during roughly the first year of Bass’ administration. We want to hear from you about what you’re seeing in your area, a year-and-a-half into L.A. Mayor Karen Bass’ administration. What changes have you seen since she took office a year and a half ago? Do you feel like homelessness has increased or decreased in your neighborhood over the past year and a half? Joining us today on AirTalk to talk about their new LAist survey and the results they’ve seen so far is Nick Gerda, senior reporter at LAist focusing on unhoused communities and Brianna Lee, engagement producer, Civics & Democracy at LAist.
With files from LAist. You can find the survey and full story here.
Commander of NASA’s Mars simulation mission on lessons learned after a year inside
The crew of a NASA mission to Mars emerged from their craft after a yearlong voyage that never left Earth. The four volunteer crew members spent more than 12 months inside NASA’s first simulated Mars environment at Johnson Space Center in Houston, coming out of the artificial alien environment Saturday around 5 p.m. Kelly Haston, Anca Selariu, Ross Brockwell and Nathan Jones entered the 3D-printed habitat on June 25, 2023, as the maiden crew of the space agency’s Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog (CHAPEA) project. The quartet lived and worked inside the space of 1,700 square feet to simulate a mission to the red planet, the fourth from the sun and a frequent focus of discussion among scientists and sci-fi fans alike concerning a possible voyage taking humans beyond our moon. The first CHAPEA crew focused on establishing possible conditions for future Mars operations through simulated spacewalks, dubbed “Marswalks,” as well as growing and harvesting vegetables to supplement their provisions and maintaining the habitat and their equipment. They also worked through challenges a real Mars crew would be expected to experience including limited resources, isolation and delays in communication of up to 22 minutes with their home planet on the other side of the habitat’s walls, NASA said. Two additional CHAPEA missions are planned and crews will continue conducting simulated spacewalks and gathering data on factors related to physical and behavioral health and performance, NASA said.
Today on AirTalk, CHAPEA Mission Commander Kelly Haston is with us to share her experience inside the simulation, and what she and her crew learned about human survival on Mars.
TV Talk: ‘Unstable,’ ‘Omnivore,’ ‘Women in Blue’ and more
Have you felt completely overwhelmed when deciding what new show to watch these days? Us too. There’s just so much content out there between network TV and numerous streaming platforms. Each week, we will try to break through the noise with TV watchers who can point us to the must-sees and steer us clear of the shows that maybe don’t live up to the hype. This week, listeners will get the latest scoop on what’s worth watching with Angie Han, TV critic for The Hollywood Reporter, and Cristina Escobar, TV critic and co-founder of LatinaMedia.Co.
