Programs

This episode was recorded on March 22nd, 2026 at the Culture Center Theater in Charleston, WV. The lineup includes Patrick Watson, John Gorka, Anna Tivel, Shelby Means, and Liza Lo. https://bit.ly/4vsZEnH

One morning, Oliver Sipple went out for a walk. A couple hours later, to his own surprise, he saved the life of the President of the United States. In a story we reported back in 2017, we explain how in the days that followed, Sipple’s split-second act of heroism turned into a rationale for making his personal life into political opportunity. What happens next makes us wonder what a moment, or a movement, or a whole society can demand of one person. And how much is too much?  Through newly unearthed archival tape, we hear Sipple himself grapple with some of the most vexing topics of his day and ours – privacy, identity, the freedom of the press – not to mention the bonds of family and friendship.  Special thanks to Jerry Pritikin, Michael Yamashita, Stan Smith, Duffy Jennings; Ann Dolan, Megan Filly and Ginale Harris at the Superior Court of San Francisco; Leah Gracik, Karyn Hunt, Jesse Hamlin, The San Francisco Bay Area Television Archive, Mike Amico, Jennifer Vanasco and Joey Plaster.EPISODE CREDITS: Reported by – Reported by Latif Nasser and Tracie Hunte Produced by – Produced by Matt Kielty, Annie McEwen, Latif Nasser and Tracie Hunte. 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 are digging into the Sound Opinions archives to share some rare tracks recorded in live sessions for past episodes. They'll share songs by Sleater Kinney, Courtney Barnett, Drive-By Truckers and more. The hosts will also review the new album from JPEGMAFIA.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:Courtney Barnett, "Scott Says (Live on Sound Opinions)," Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit, Mom + Pop Music, 2015JPEGMAFIA, "babygirl," Experimental Rap, AWAL, 2026JPEGMAFIA, "The Ghost of Emmett Till," Experimental Rap, AWAL, 2026Mudhoney, "1995 (Live on Sound Opinions)," My Brother the Cow, Reprise, 1995Hüsker Dü, "Diane," Metal Circus, SST, 1983Zola Jesus, "Hunger (Live on Sound Opinions)," Taiga, Mute, 2014Sleater-Kinney, "Get Up (Live on Sound Opinions)," The Hot Rock, Kill Rock Stars, 1999Torres, "Ferris Wheel (Live on Sound Opinions)," Sprinter, Partisan, 2015Hüsker Dü, "Pink Turns to Blue," Zen Arcade, SST, 1984Drive-By Truckers, "What It Means (Live on Sound Opinions)," American Band, ATO, 2016Against Me!, "True Trans Soul Rebel (Live on Sound Opinions)," Transgender Dysphoria Blues, Total Treble, 2014Diana Ross, "I'm Coming Out," Diana, Motown, 1980See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Any residents of a galaxy in the constellation Serpens have a big problem: They’re being blasted by a death ray from a black hole. The galaxy is a companion to a bigger galaxy, known as 3C321. They’re more than a billion light-years away. A supermassive black hole inhabits the heart of the larger galaxy. It’s surrounded by a giant disk of gas that’s heated to millions of degrees. Powerful magnetic fields funnel charged particles from the disk into jets. They squirt away from the poles of the black hole at almost the speed of light. One of those jets is firing toward the companion galaxy, which is just 20,000 light-years away. Observations by telescopes on the ground and in space show that the jet is hitting the edge of the companion, creating a hotspot. The encounter deflects the beam off its original course, but the beam continues for hundreds of thousands of light-years. The particles and radiation in the beam could destroy the ozone layer of any planet the beam hits. That would leave the planet exposed to radiation from the beam itself, and from other cosmic sources. So anything living on the planet would be in danger. And the situation is getting even worse. The smaller galaxy appears to be just entering the black-hole jet. Over time, more of the galaxy will pass through the jet – possibly exposing even more planets to this “death ray” from another galaxy. Script by Damond Benningfield

This week is an exploration of Blues music, Latino style.  Featured artists include Santana, Los Lonely Boys, Diamante Electrico, Bunbury, Andres Calamaro and many more.

Regular people trapped inside Greek myths. Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners to sign up for our premium subscription.Prologue: When a mysterious, ripped-open package arrives on Pablo's doorstep, he takes it as a sign. (4 minutes)Act One: Pablo flies closer to the sun. (14 minutes)Act Two: In Greek mythology, there's Hades, where everyone goes when they die. You have to cross the river Styx to get there, and there’s a gate with this three-headed dog. He’s guarding the entrance and he’s supposed to make sure only actual dead people enter. This story is about a real person in America who stood at those very gates. Which is not the easiest job it turns out, at least not right now. (24 minutes)Act Three: A mortal gets the assignment of a lifetime — to go interview an actual god who is living on earth, traveling under the name of Lionel Messi. (11 minutes)Transcripts are available at thisamericanlife.orgThis American Life privacy policy.Learn more about sponsor message choices.