Programs

This episode was recorded on September 13th, 2026 at the Culture Center Theater in Charleston, WV. The lineup includes Margo Price, John Jorgenson Bluegrass Band (J2B2), Tommy Prine, Jake Blount. https://bit.ly/4kuJR5u

This week, we’re replaying the inaugural episode of More Perfect (first aired in 2016) we explore three little words embedded in the 8th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution: “cruel and unusual.” America has long wrestled with this concept in the context of our strongest punishment, the death penalty. A majority of “we the people” (61 percent, to be exact) are in favor of having it, but inside the Supreme Court, opinions have evolved over time in surprising ways.And outside of the court, the debate drove one woman in the UK to take on the U.S. death penalty system from Europe. It also caused states to resuscitate old methods used for executing prisoners on death row. And perhaps more than anything, it forced a conversation on what constitutes cruel and unusual punishment.In this episode, we also include a new conversation with Harvard law professor Carol Steiker and former death-row inmate Damien Nichols about the moment the death penalty finds itself in now. After the botched execution of Christa Pike, and with the government considering livestreaming a firing squad execution, how do we understand the death penalty in 2026?Special thanks to Claire Phillips, Nina Perry, Stephanie Jenkins, Ralph Dellapiana, Byrd Pinkerton, Elisabeth Semel, Christina Spaulding, Carol Steiker, Damien Nichols, and The Marshall Project EPISODE CREDITS: Update Reported by – Karen DuffinUpdate Produced by – Mona Madgavkar, and Matt Kieltywith mixing help from – Jeremy Bloom and Arianne WackFact-checking by – Hilary ElkinsSignup for our newsletter!! It includes short essays, recommendations, and details about other ways to interact with the show. Sign up (https://radiolab.org/newsletter)!Radiolab is supported by listeners like you. Support Radiolab by becoming a member of The Lab (https://members.radiolab.org/) today.Follow our show on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook @radiolab, and share your thoughts with us by emailing radiolab@wnyc.org.Leadership support for Radiolab’s science programming is provided by the Simons Foundation and the John Templeton Foundation. Foundational support for Radiolab was provided by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

It’s been 50 years since Stevie Wonder released his masterpiece "Songs in the Key of Life." This week, hosts Jim DeRogatis and Greg Kot revisit their dissection of the double album and EP, plus they discuss four newly released tracks and whether "Songs in the Key of Life" is Stevie Wonder’s best album. They’ll also hear from some listeners.Join our Facebook Group: https://bit.ly/3sivr9TBecome a member on Patreon: https://bit.ly/3slWZvcSign up for our newsletter: https://bit.ly/4frcVZoMake a donation via PayPal: https://bit.ly/3dmt9lUSend us a Voice Memo: Desktop: bit.ly/2RyD5Ah  Mobile: sayhi.chat/soundops Featured Songs:Stevie Wonder, "Sir Duke," Songs in the Key Of Life, Tamla, 1976The Beatles, "With A Little Help From My Friends," Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, Parlophone, 1967Stevie Wonder, "Knocks Me Off My Feet," Songs in the Key Of Life, Tamla, 1976Stevie Wonder, "Saturn," Songs in the Key Of Life, Tamla, 1976Stevie Wonder, "Isn't She Lovely," Songs in the Key Of Life, Tamla, 1976Stevie Wonder, "Joy Inside My Tears," Songs in the Key Of Life, Tamla, 1976Stevie Wonder, "Contusion," Songs in the Key Of Life, Tamla, 1976Stevie Wonder, "Black Man," Songs in the Key Of Life, Tamla, 1976Stevie Wonder, "Pastime Paradise," Songs in the Key Of Life, Tamla, 1976Stevie Wonder, "As," Songs in the Key Of Life, Tamla, 1976Stevie Wonder, "I Can See The Sun In Late December," Songs in the Key of Life – The EP, Motown, 2026Stevie Wonder, "It's Easier," Songs in the Key of Life – The EP, Motown, 2026Stevie Wonder, "My Life Story Of Love," Songs in the Key of Life – The EP, Motown, 2026Stevie Wonder, "I'm Into Livin'," Songs in the Key of Life – The EP, Motown, 2026Stevie Wonder, "Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I'm Yours)," Signed, Sealed & Delivered, Tamla, 1970Stevie Wonder, "Outside My Window," Stevie Wonder's Journey Through "The Secret Life of Plants", Tamla, 1979Stevie Wonder, "Venus' Flytrap and the Bug," Stevie Wonder's Journey Through "The Secret Life of Plants", Tamla, 1979Stevie Wonder, "Higher Ground," Innervisions, Tamla, 1973Stevie Wonder, "All In Love Is Fair," Innervisions, Tamla, 1973Stevie Wonder, "Living For the City," Innervisions, Tamla, 1973Ren, "Seven Sins," Sick Boi, The Other Songs, 2023Kim Petras, "Close Your Eyes," Turn Off the Light, Vol. 1 , Bunhead, 2018Teen Mortgage, "Devil Ultrasonic Dream," Devil Ultrasonic Dream, Roadrunner, 2025Elliott Smith, "Say Yes," Either/Or, Kill Rock Stars, 1997See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Two planetary siblings are headed for a family reunion. They’re moving toward one another, and will be at their closest in a little more than a week. And they’re both bright, so you can follow their progress day by day. Jupiter and Mars climb into good view in the east by about 1:30 or 2. They’re high in the sky at dawn. Jupiter is the brightest object in the night sky after the Moon and Venus, so it’s an especially easy target. Mars rises close above it. It’s only a few percent as bright as Jupiter, but it’s brighter than most of the true stars. And it has a definite orange tint, helping it stand out. The planets are appearing close together because of their orbits around the Sun. Mars is only about a third as far as Jupiter, so its orbital speed is much higher. And it’s closer to Earth, which makes it appear to move even faster. So as it slides eastward against the background of stars, Mars will overtake its brighter and bigger sibling. The two planets will be especially close on the mornings of the 15th through the 18th. They’ll be separated by about one degree – the width of a pencil held at arm’s length. As a bonus, the star Regulus – the heart of the lion – tags along behind them. Mars will pass by it later in the month. So keep an eye on Mars as it stages two beautiful encounters in the early morning sky. Script by Damond Benningfield

We spotlight some of our favorite artists' career high points, those creative peaks that create enduring musical legacies. Featured artists include Los Lobos, Babasonicos, Julieta Venegas, Bebel Gilberto, Kinky, Jose Jose & more.

The doomed project of trying to translate what’s in your head into someone else’s head. Start a Life Partners free trial to watch our new video, A Night of Stories and Improv.(00:00:00) Prologue: A while back, Ira woke up with double vision and learned that he had cataracts. After his cataract surgery, he realized the color blue looked very different to him. Now he always wonders: does everyone see the same blue as I do, or is their blue different? (3 minutes)(00:03:26) Act One: Shaun Bengson has known since he was a kid that he’d very likely lose his hearing as he got older and develop tinnitus. And even after it started, he didn’t do the sensible things that would slow its progression. Shaun and his wife, Abigail, discuss their decisions — and non-decisions — with Ira. And Shaun plays a simulation of what the world now sounds like to him. (27 minutes)(00:32:50) Act Two: Cluster headaches are sometimes called the most painful medical condition. Researchers who study them wanted to know if that was actually true. They asked cluster patients to compare their headaches to other famously painful conditions. Producer Ike Sriskandarajah, who gets these headaches, was excited to read the findings. But should he tell his pregnant wife? (14 minutes)(00:46:35) Act Three: Molly’s mom died suddenly last fall, and it flipped the axis of her world. But one day, a friend told her about a special object that really helped him cope with his own father’s death. Molly decides to track this object down. (8 minutes)Transcripts are available at thisamericanlife.org / This American Life privacy policy. / Learn more about sponsor message choices.