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.

Early risers are in for a treat tomorrow – a tight triangle formed by the Moon, the planet Venus, and the star Spica. It’s in the east-southeast as dawn twilight paints the sky. But the group is quite low, so there’s not much time to look for it. And you’ll need a clear eastern horizon. The Moon is about as close to the Sun as it can get and still be visible. The Sun will light up only about three percent of the lunar hemisphere that faces our way. But you can see the rest of the lunar disk thanks to earthshine – sunlight reflected off of Earth. You should be able to make out many of its features with your eyes alone. But binoculars will really enhance the view. By Sunday morning, the Moon will be lost in the Sun’s glare as it heads toward “new” later in the day – the start of a new cycle of phases. It’ll return to view in the evening sky on Wednesday, also a thin crescent. Venus is the brilliant “morning star,” so it’s an easy target. It’s climbing away from the Sun and into better view day by day. It’ll be in good view well before twilight in a few days. Spica, the leading light of Virgo, is quite close to the left of Venus. It’s the faintest member of the dawn trio – about half a percent as bright as Venus. But its proximity to the morning star will help you pick it out – completing this beautiful treat in the early morning sky. We’ll talk about two other morning planets tomorrow.   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.

It’s the midterms! This week’s show is about people changing their minds and not changing their minds — and the people trying to do the persuading. Start a Life Partners free trial to watch our new video, A Night of Stories and Improv.(00:00:00) Prologue: In Detroit, Rose Johnson tries to convince other Black voters to vote for Abdul El-Sayed. Her friend isn’t having it. (7 minutes)(00:07:30) Act One: In Montana's Senate race this year, Democrats have been caught up in a messy cloak-and-dagger fight, with longtime big-name Democrats not endorsing their own nominee. So many people have been trying to persuade one candidate, Alani Bankhead, to do something she’s refused to do. Heather Tal Murphy reports. (27 minutes)(00:36:34) Act Two: While working as a car salesman, longtime All Things Considered host Noah Adams learned about a technique to supposedly close a deal. Ira remembers hearing the story decades ago and was thinking about it after Noah’s recent death. (9 minutes)(00:44:24) Act Three: Sam Negron has been working for years to bring Hispanic voters into the Republican Party. He was a part of the push two years ago that helped Trump win more of the Hispanic vote than any Republican. This year, every national poll predicts Republicans losing ground with those voters. But Sam says he is still seeing the exact opposite when he talks to people. He invited producer Ike Sriskandarajah to come to Allentown to see the red wave he is predicting. (11 minutes)Transcripts are available at thisamericanlife.org / This American Life privacy policy. / Learn more about sponsor message choices.