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This episode was recorded on May 17th, 2026 at the Culture Center Theater in Charleston, WV. The lineup includes Paul Thorn, Ray Benson, Sunny Sweeney, Andy Friedman. https://bit.ly/4afWiMG⁠

When no one seems to be listening, how far do you go to be heard? In December 2008, George W. Bush made a surprise visit to Baghdad for a press conference. And at the very end of his remarks, a shoe came flying past his head.  It was “the shoe heard around the world,” and countless jokes and memes ensued.  But in the pandemonium, many missed the story of the man at the center: Muntadhar Al-Zaidi, a weary journalist trying to get the world to see the Iraq War in a different light. Even fewer people know what happened to him after.  Nearly two decades later, Radiolab reporter Sarah Qari tracked Al-Zaidi down to learn the story of his life. What she found was a story about grief, anger, and the line where journalism ends and protest begins. Special thanks to Azmat Khan and Mustafa Salim. EPISODE CREDITS: Reported by Sarah Qari, with help from Mariam Dwedar Translation by Mais Al-Bayaa and Mariam Dwedar Produced by Sarah Qari Sound design contributed by  Sarah Qari  Mixed by Jeremy Bloom Editing help from Annie McEwen Fact-checking by Emily Krieger and Heba ElorbanyLATERAL CUTS: If you liked this episode and want to hear more fascinating deep dives we’ve done on The War on Terror, check out our episode: 60 Words (https://radiolab.org/podcast/60-words), or our series The Other Latif (https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/other-latif) EPISODE CITATIONS:Collaborator’s Work –  Mariam Dwedar (https://www.mariamdwedar.com/) Made in Palestine (https://zpr.io/JBAuqi5zyZMT) – a documentary short @mariamdwedar – Instagram handle Mais Al-Bayaa Iraq Uncovered (https://zpr.io/ebuUcjSFcUJp) – documentary Iraq’s Secret Sex Trade (https://zpr.io/u9HnCWmnQggG) – documentary Go Back to Where You Came From (https://zpr.io/J8rxafGCCgUA) – documentary @maisalbayaa – Instagram Journal Articles _ The Art of Shoe-Throwing: Shoes as a Symbol of Protest and Popular Imagination (https://zpr.io/6gmuuavLWuHu),  by Yasmin Ibrahim Films –  The President’s Cake (https://zpr.io/bjFeNa2qFYvD) – A story of life in Iraq under sanctions during the 1990s. Inspired by the shoe throw –  Photos of shoe protests around the world (https://zpr.io/QsMGyWeK8MRR) This music video (https://zpr.io/Xi5XhHYmWFHv) This Halloween costume (https://zpr.io/fH97iB4fjL9U) This play (https://zpr.io/Naj7vWaYfzpv) If you want more fun facts that didn’t make it into the story, follow Sarah at @bysarahqari on Instagram, where she’ll be sharing more in the coming weeks. Sign up for our newsletter!! It includes short essays, recommendations, and details about other ways to interact with the show. Signup (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.

This week, hosts Jim DeRogatis and Greg Kot dig into a record review roundup full of summertime releases. The hosts discuss new albums from Olivia Rodrigo, Jack White, Margo Price, Robyn Hitchcock, and Swamp Dogg.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:Robyn Hitchcock, "Yesterday's Rain," The Confuser, TINY GHOST, 2026The Beatles, "With a Little Help from My Friends," Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, Parlophone, 1967Olivia Rodrigo, "Drop Dead," You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love, Geffen, 2026Olivia Rodrigo, "Purple," You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love, Geffen, 2026Olivia Rodrigo, "What's Wrong with Me," You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love, Geffen, 2026Jack White, "G.O.D. and the Broken Ribs," Frozen Charlotte, Third Man, 2026Jack White, "Neighbors Blues," Frozen Charlotte, Third Man, 2026Jack White, "Derecho Demonico," Frozen Charlotte, Third Man, 2026Jack White, "Dollar Bill," Frozen Charlotte, Third Man, 2026Margo Price, "San Marcos," Days of Unrest, Loma Vista, 2026Margo Price, "Oval Room," Days of Unrest, Loma Vista, 2026Margo Price, "Long Haired Country Girl (featuring Billy Swan)," Days of Unrest, Loma Vista, 2026Margo Price, "Deportee (Plane Wreck at Los Gatos) (featuring Joan Baez & Memphis Mariachi)," Days of Unrest, Loma Vista, 2026Robyn Hitchcock, "I Am This Thing," The Confuser, Tiny Ghost, 2026Robyn Hitchcock, "Building From The Ruins," The Confuser, Tiny Ghost, 2026Robyn Hitchcock, "My Dead Astronaut," The Confuser, Tiny Ghost, 2026Robyn Hitchcock, "Breathless," The Confuser, Tiny Ghost, 2026Swamp Dogg, "Waka Waka Waka (feat. Gary U.S. Bonds)," Swamp Dogg Contemplates the Afterlife, S-Curve, 2026Swamp Dogg, "Searching For Heaven," Swamp Dogg Contemplates the Afterlife, S-Curve, 2026Swamp Dogg, "Please Don't Bury Me," Swamp Dogg Contemplates the Afterlife, S-Curve, 2026The Feelies, "Slipping (Into Something)," The Good Earth, Rough Trade, 1986The Feelies, "Slipping (Into Something) (Live at 40 Watt Club, Athen, GA)," The Good Earth, Rough Trade, 1986Texas Tornados, "(Hey Baby) Que Pasó," Texas Tornados, Reprise, 1990Neil Young, "Old Man," Harvest, Reprise, 1972Tom Petty, "I Won't Back Down," Full Moon Fever, MCA, 1989See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The formal name for a planet almost 50 light-years from Earth is Kua’Kua – a Costa Rican name that means “butterfly.” But there’s nothing beautiful or delicate about this world. Its surface is a desolate landscape of volcanic rock. The planet is in the system LHS 3844. Its star is a cool, faint ember known as a red dwarf. Kua’Kua – LHS 3844 b – is a super-Earth. It’s bigger and heavier than Earth, and it’s made of rock and metal. The planet is only about half a million miles from the star, and the same hemisphere always faces the star. So the dayside sizzles at more than 1300 degrees Fahrenheit. Every 11 hours, the planet passes behind the star as seen from Earth. Astronomers have watched several passages with Webb Space Telescope. Watching before and after a passage revealed the combined make-up of the star and planet. But when the planet disappeared, that left only the star in view. Comparing the readings revealed details about the surface of the planet. In fact, it’s the first “exoplanet” for which we have such a close look. The surface appears to be made of dark volcanic rock that could have been deposited recently, making it fairly smooth and unbroken. But the surface also could be much older. In that case, a constant pounding by radiation and meteorites could have pulverized the surface. Either way, Kua’Kua is not a good place to go hunting for butterflies. Script by Damond Benningfield

It's a special rarities episode featuring deep cuts and unreleased gems. Featured artists include Julieta Venegas, Beastie Boys, Ana Tijoux, Kinky, Juana Molina, Mexican Institute of Sound and more.

People dealing with new, glaring, massive changes happening right where they live. Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners to sign up for our premium subscription.(00:00:00) Prologue: Rick Cole, a city councilmember in Pasadena, CA, talks to Ira about how he responded to a surprise nighttime military exercise in his neighborhood this June – complete with helicopters, gunfire, and flash bangs. (5 minutes)(00:05:30) Act One: A doctor trained as a midwife tells the eye-popping story of how she and others came together to save a baby during a birth that suddenly went wrong, in a part of rural Maine where the local labor and delivery unit had closed less than a month before. (26 minutes)(00:34:17) Act Two: Producer Valerie Kipnis never felt like an insider in the jokes and stories her family told about growing up in the Soviet Union until she saw this year's Oscar-winning documentary, Mr. Nobody Against Putin. The film follows the changes unfolding in one school as Russia rolled out a nationwide propaganda push after its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Valerie interviewed the young teacher at the center of the documentary and learned things that never made it into the film. (21 minutes)Transcripts are available at thisamericanlife.org / This American Life privacy policy. / Learn more about sponsor message choices.