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Apple News In Conversation

Apple News

Apple News In Conversation with Shumita Basu brings you interviews with some of the world’s best journalists and experts about the stories that impact our lives. Join us every week as we go behind the headlines.

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Think Again: How to master the art of doing nothing
Sep 10, 202219 min
This interview is part of a new series from <a href="https://apple.news/T9rjlxm95TtTn3RWUl4SFiw?subscribe=1">Apple News In Conversation</a> called Think Again — a guide to reimagining work, home, relationships, and more.  In this episode, In Conversation host Shumita Basu talks with Jenny Odell, an artist and the author of the book <a href="https://books.apple.com/us/book/how-to-do-nothing/id1412494317">How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy</a>. Odell provides strategies for training our attention away from devices and toward the world.
Think Again: Why Americans are so burned out — and how to fix your work-life balance
Sep 3, 202225 min
This is an episode from our archives. It’s re-airing as part of our new series, Think Again, a guide to reimagining work, home, relationships, and more. How’s your relationship to your job? For a lot of people, work-life balance has felt far from perfect for a while. <a href="https://apple.news/T9rjlxm95TtTn3RWUl4SFiw" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Apple News In Conversation</a> host Shumita Basu speaks with Anne Helen Petersen about her book <a href="https://books.apple.com/us/book/out-of-office/id1542798259" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Out of Office: The Big Problem and Bigger Promise of Working From Home</a>, coauthored with Charlie Warzel. It’s all about how we can adjust the role our jobs play in our lives and focus more time and energy on the things we care about the most. Below are excerpts from the interview.
Think Again: The health and wellness myths almost everyone falls for
Aug 27, 202229 min
This interview is part of a new series from <a href="https://apple.news/T9rjlxm95TtTn3RWUl4SFiw?subscribe=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Apple News In Conversation</a> called Think Again — a guide to reimagining work, home, relationships, and more. In this episode, In Conversation host Shumita Basu talks with Aubrey Gordon and Michael Hobbes, hosts of the <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/maintenance-phase/id1535408667" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Maintenance Phase</a> podcast, about how to outsmart the wellness industry, spot junk health science, and find information that will actually help you live healthier. Below are excerpts from the interview.
Think Again: Why relationships fall apart over dirty dishes — and how to avoid the trap
Aug 20, 202235 min
This interview is part of a new series from <a href="https://apple.news/T9rjlxm95TtTn3RWUl4SFiw?subscribe=1">Apple News In Conversation</a> called Think Again — a guide to reimagining work, home, relationships, and more.  In this episode, In Conversation host Shumita Basu talks with Kate Mangino, a gender expert and the author of the book <a href="https://books.apple.com/us/book/equal-partners/id1584661471">Equal Partners: Improving Gender Equality at Home</a>. Mangino points to research that shows women still take on the majority of household responsibilities in different-sex relationships — and she argues there’s a better way for partners to balance the mental and physical labor of running a home. Mangino offers strategies to bring more equity and fairness into our partnerships. Below are excerpts from the interview.
Think Again: Malcolm Gladwell’s tips for changing a stubborn mind
Aug 13, 202226 min
Think Again is a new series from <a href="https://apple.news/T9rjlxm95TtTn3RWUl4SFiw?subscribe=1">Apple News In Conversation</a>. It’s a guide to reimagining work, home, relationships, and more. In the first episode, In Conversation host Shumita Basu talks with Malcolm Gladwell about how to be more open-minded and rethink old ideas.
What it took to bring down R. Kelly
Aug 6, 202220 min
For decades, R. Kelly’s career flourished despite disturbing rumors of sexual assault. Now the singer is finally being held accountable. He was sentenced in June to 30 years in prison for sex trafficking and racketeering, and a second federal trial starts August 15. <a href="https://apple.news/AZ6oAY0TcTdmHhmO48cUCVQ" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Apple News In Conversation</a> host Shumita Basu spoke with journalist Jim DeRogatis, who broke the allegations against R. Kelly in 2000.
Inside the dark corners of the internet that breed mass shooters
Jul 30, 202225 min
There’s a common thread between the suspects behind the killing of 23 people at a Walmart in El Paso in 2019, the mass shooting in Buffalo in May, and the attack on a crowd in Highland Park on Independence Day: They were all radicalized online and left behind a trail of digital activity. NBC News reporter Ben Collins spoke with <a href="https://apple.news/T9rjlxm95TtTn3RWUl4SFiw">Apple News In Conversation</a> host Shumita Basu about how online spaces are leading to extremism and producing a generation of mass shooters. Below are excerpts from the interview.
Why air travel is such a mess — and what to know before your next flight
Jul 23, 202226 min
This was supposed to be the summer of revenge travel. Instead, air travelers have faced long lines, lost bags, and canceled flights. Scott McCartney has been covering the airline industry for more than two decades. He spoke with <a href="https://apple.news/T9rjlxm95TtTn3RWUl4SFiw">Apple News In Conversation</a> host Shumita Basu about how things got so bad — and what can we do about it. Below are excerpts from the interview.
Her son was briefly out of sight during a picnic. She was arrested for child abuse
Jul 16, 202222 min
Every year, hundreds of thousands of children in the U.S. are removed from their homes and placed in foster care by child-protective services. But is this the best way to protect our kids? <a href="https://apple.news/T9rjlxm95TtTn3RWUl4SFiw">Apple News In Conversation</a> host Shumita Basu spoke with Dorothy Roberts, author of the book ‘<a href="https://books.apple.com/us/book/torn-apart/id1579280807">Torn Apart</a>,’ who argues that America’s child-welfare system does more harm than good — and needs to be abolished.
Why the news is so broken, according to one of the first journalists to cover Trump’s campaign
Jul 9, 202227 min
Katy Tur’s parents were trailblazers in the journalism world. In the ’80s and ’90s, they revolutionized the breaking-news model, literally flying over the competition in their own chopper to capture Los Angeles’s biggest stories — from Madonna and Sean Penn’s wedding to the 1992 L.A. riots. Katy Tur grew up to be a journalist herself — she’s now an anchor on MSNBC — and she writes about her life in her new memoir, <a href="https://books.apple.com/us/book/rough-draft/id1551656569">Rough Draft</a>. In an interview with <a href="https://apple.news/T9rjlxm95TtTn3RWUl4SFiw">Apple New In Conversation</a> host Shumita Basu, Tur discusses her unusual childhood and the direct line from the model of journalism her parents created to the rise of Donald Trump.
Rebroadcast: Nikole Hannah-Jones on the 1619 Project and how the legacy of slavery shapes America
Jul 2, 202225 min
This is an episode from our archives. Nikole Hannah-Jones is a Pulitzer Prize–winning reporter for the New York Times Magazine and the creator of the 1619 Project. The initiative reframes America’s past around an important date that isn’t mentioned in many history books: 1619, the beginning of slavery in the U.S. Hannah-Jones has expanded on the idea and turned it into a book called <a href="https://books.apple.com/us/book/the-1619-project/id1556566008">The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story</a>. Below are excerpts from <a href="https://apple.news/T9rjlxm95TtTn3RWUl4SFiw">Apple News In Conversation</a> host Shumita Basu’s interview with Hannah-Jones about the project.
She had an illegal abortion in 1970 — and was charged with manslaughter
Jun 25, 202224 min
In 1971, Shirley Wheeler became the first woman to be criminally charged for having an abortion. She was convicted of manslaughter and faced up to 20 years in prison. In the latest season of the podcast <a class="c-link" tabindex="-1" href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/slow-burn/id1315040130?i=1000564733822" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-stringify-link="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/slow-burn/id1315040130?i=1000564733822" data-sk="tooltip_parent" data-remove-tab-index="true">Slow Burn</a>, host Susan Matthews explores what happened to Wheeler in the years leading up to the Roe v. Wade decision. <a class="c-link" tabindex="-1" href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/apple-news-in-conversation/id1577591053" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-stringify-link="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/apple-news-in-conversation/id1577591053" data-sk="tooltip_parent" data-remove-tab-index="true">Apple News In Conversation</a> host Shumita Basu spoke with Matthews about Wheeler’s story — and why Wheeler’s case is a warning of what’s to come after the recent overturning of Roe.
There’s a science to happiness. This Ivy League professor has cracked the code.
Jun 18, 202228 min
At Yale University, psychology professor Laurie Santos saw firsthand how so many college students were anxious or depressed. So she decided to teach a class on the science of happiness — and how to apply it in real life. It became the school’s most popular course ever. <a href="https://apple.news/T9rjlxm95TtTn3RWUl4SFiw">Apple News In Conversation</a> host Shumita Basu spoke with Santos about her podcast, <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-happiness-lab-with-dr-laurie-santos/id1474245040">The Happiness Lab</a>, and the evidence-based strategies that can help us improve our lives and outlook.
Are political insiders looking for a Biden backup plan?
Jun 11, 202228 min
Though he has yet to officially announce, President Biden has made it clear he’ll seek reelection in 2024. But given his age and approval ratings, a lot of Democrats are asking, “What’s the backup plan?” National correspondent for <a href="https://apple.news/A1p_jOFvNQqy3GMxoaZw15g">New York</a> magazine Gabriel Debenedetti spoke with Washington insiders about the lead-up to the next presidential election. <a href="https://apple.news/T9rjlxm95TtTn3RWUl4SFiw">Apple News In Conversation</a> host Shumita Basu spoke with Debenedetti about his reporting.
Why child suicide is on the rise
Jun 4, 202231 min
In April 2021, twelve-year-old Trevor Matthews took his own life. Andrew Solomon, a writer and clinical medical psychology professor, knew Matthews as the friend and former classmate of Solomon’s son, George. For the <a href="https://apple.news/AtqbzzXpiSJuCNHiUTMZ-qA">New Yorker</a>, Solomon writes about the alarmingly high rate of youth suicide, why it's on the rise, and why it’s so difficult to prevent. <a href="https://apple.news/T9rjlxm95TtTn3RWUl4SFiw">Apple News In Conversation</a> host Shumita Basu spoke with Solomon about this issue.   This episode is about suicide — and includes references to sexual abuse. If you or someone you know is thinking about suicide, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-talk (8255) or text talk to 741741.
The school shooting generation
May 28, 202220 min
In light of the recent shooting at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas, we’re bringing you an episode from our archives. In 1998, a student opened fire at a middle-school dance, killing one teacher and wounding another teacher and two students. Journalist Marin Cogan was a sixth grader there, and she recalls the shock and horror she and her classmates felt. Back then, school shootings were far more rare; kids and educators didn’t have the language or the tools to talk about — much less process — their trauma. For <a href="https://apple.news/ABOM0tG6MQqOWwwQxylcytg”>Vox</a>, Cogan connected with survivors of other school shootings that took place in the 1990s. She spoke with former <a href="https://apple.news/T9rjlxm95TtTn3RWUl4SFiw”>Apple News In Conversation</a> host Duarte Geraldino about coming of age in a world wholly unprepared to deal with the aftermath of mass school shootings.
The anatomy of Trump’s Big Lie
May 21, 202223 min
In November 2020, a group of Trump allies gathered together to try to prove the election had been stolen. The only problem: there was no evidence to support any of their claims. <a href="https://apple.news/Ap1vkEbYWQo-8hgNlzNNLYA">ProPublica</a>’s Doug Bock Clark reviewed internal documents and interviewed key participants in this effort to reveal how small untruths snowballed into Trump’s Big Lie. <a href="https://apple.news/T9rjlxm95TtTn3RWUl4SFiw">Apple News In Conversation</a> host Shumita Basu spoke with Clark about his findings.
What Queen Elizabeth is really like
May 14, 202230 min
This year’s Platinum Jubilee marks Queen Elizabeth’s 70-year anniversary on the throne. Journalist Tina Brown has been covering the Crown for decades, and in her latest book, <a href="https://books.apple.com/us/book/the-palace-papers/id1587270718">The Palace Papers: Inside the House of Windsor — Truth and Turmoil</a>, she chronicles the British royal family’s struggle to reinvent itself after the Diana years. Below are excerpts from <a href="https://apple.news/T9rjlxm95TtTn3RWUl4SFiw">Apple News In Conversation</a> host Shumita Basu’s interview with Brown.
How the abortion news threatens the Supreme Court’s credibility
May 7, 202230 min
A leaked draft opinion on a Mississippi abortion law suggests that the Supreme Court is ready to overturn Roe v. Wade, a nearly 50-year precedent that protects abortion as a federally guaranteed right. This comes at a time when the Supreme Court is already facing a lot of scrutiny. <a href="https://apple.news/T9rjlxm95TtTn3RWUl4SFiw">Apple News In Conversation</a> host Shumita Basu talks with <a href="https://apple.news/A1dovQr2LRzCwfWd5_NcyJA">Slate</a> writer and veteran court watcher Dahlia Lithwick about what this leaked opinion means for the future of abortion — and the future of the court itself.
The people who got rich off the pandemic
Apr 30, 202221 min
When COVID-19 hit the United States, some saw it as an opportunity to make a fortune. Individuals and companies with no experience in the production of personal protective equipment made wild claims about what they could provide — and were awarded lucrative government contracts. They never delivered on their promises. ProPublica reporter David McSwane dives into this world of fraudsters and opportunists who profited off of COVID-19 in his new book, <a href="https://books.apple.com/us/book/pandemic-inc/id1583587166">Pandemic, Inc.</a>
The network of activists preparing for a post-Roe future
Apr 23, 202222 min
The Supreme Court will soon announce a decision that could substantially weaken or even overturn Roe v. Wade. Jessica Bruder recently wrote for the <a href="https://apple.news/A8tch7BXORZu_mk7SH7BIYw">Atlantic</a> about the many groups of activists helping women get access to abortion, even if they have to work around the law. Bruder spoke with <a href="https://apple.news/T9rjlxm95TtTn3RWUl4SFiw">Apple News In Conversation</a> host Duarte Geraldino about how this network first formed and the ways activists are laying the groundwork for a country without Roe.
She thought she knew her family — until she took a DNA test
Apr 16, 202227 min
When Amber van Moessner was growing up, she never questioned whether the man who raised her was her biological father. But when she was in her late 20s, she took a 23andMe genetic test and discovered that she was conceived via a sperm donor. Van Moessner’s story kicks off the podcast series <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/biohacked-family-secrets/id1607121653">BioHacked: Family Secrets</a>, hosted by T.J. Raphael. Hear Shumita Basu’s interview with Raphael and van Moessner about the donor-conception industry.
The transgender swimmer whose success made her a target
Apr 9, 202217 min
University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas is the first openly transgender athlete to win an NCAA swimming championship, and the honor has put her at the center of the discussion about trans competitors. Sports writer Louisa Thomas (no relation) tells the swimmer’s story in the <a href="https://apple.news/AlZ-xOZc5SfC9r93F4gQadQ">New Yorker</a>. She spoke with Shumita Basu for the latest episode of Apple News In Conversation about the difficulty of creating fairness in sports when no two athletes’ bodies will ever be perfectly matched.
Elizabeth Holmes was found guilty. What about her COO?
Apr 2, 202222 min
When it came to light that the blood-testing technology behind the biotech startup Theranos didn’t work, the enigmatic founder, Elizabeth Holmes, became the subject of intense scrutiny. While Holmes has been in the spotlight, there’s another person at the center of this story: Ramesh “Sunny” Balwani. Balwani and Holmes dated in secret for more than a decade, and he eventually became COO of Theranos. Balwani’s trial is now underway. Apple News In Conversation’s Shumita Basu spoke with Rebecca Jarvis, host of ABC Audio’s podcast on Theranos, <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-dropout/id1449500734">The Dropout</a>, about what to expect in this latest court case.
What happened when a man made a chatbot of his dead fiancée
Mar 26, 20221h 36m
Joshua Barbeau lost his fiancée, Jessica, nearly a decade ago. For Joshua, getting over her death felt impossible. He was still grieving when he came across a website that allowed him to feel like he was communicating with Jessica again — by creating a customized, A.I.-powered chatbot. <a href="https://apple.news/AcQSVTR39So6scwwYJxmDJA">San Francisco Chronicle</a> journalist Jason Fagone spoke with Apple News In Conversation host Shumita Basu about how the Jessica bot helped Joshua process his grief.
Jon Stewart can’t fix America. But he knows people who can.
Mar 19, 202227 min
What’s the problem with America today? A lot of things, according to Jon Stewart. From the media to the way politics function to the fragility of democracy, Stewart is on a mission to look for solutions. That’s the premise of his show on Apple TV+, ‘<a href="https://tv.apple.com/us/show/the-problem-with-jon-stewart/umc.cmc.4fcexvzqezr25p9weks6sxpob">The Problem With Jon Stewart</a>.’ Stewart spoke with Shumita Basu for the latest episode of Apple News In Conversation.
Apple News In Conversation
Mar 14, 20221 min
Shumita Basu sits down with some of the most influential journalists, celebrities, and thought leaders about the stories shaping our culture, politics, and lives.
Uncovering slave-ship wrecks, a diver puts lost souls to rest
Mar 12, 202218 min
During the trans-Atlantic slave trade, an estimated 12.5 million people who were enslaved traveled from Africa to the Americas, on 36,000 voyages. Roughly a thousand of these vessels sank, but only a few have ever been found. National Geographic explorer and diver Tara Roberts spoke with “Apple News Today” host Duarte Geraldino about her experience identifying and documenting the remains of slave-ship wrecks — and how she’s hoping to honor the lives of these people who have been all but forgotten by history.
How real is the threat of nuclear war?
Mar 5, 202226 min
NATO member states have been clear they will not directly intervene in the Russian invasion of Ukraine. But many Ukrainians are calling on the West to do more. Apple News Today host Duarte Geraldino talks with Ukrainian activist Daria Kaleniuk, who is urging NATO allies to declare a no-fly zone over Ukraine. In response, cohost Shumita Basu speaks with Vox senior correspondent Zack Beauchamp, who says any type of military intervention by the West would be catastrophic and could trigger a nuclear attack from Russia.
David Remnick on Putin’s endgame
Feb 26, 202223 min
This week, Russia launched an unprovoked attack on Ukraine — beginning what could be the largest war in Europe in decades. Apple News Today host Shumita Basu spoke with <a href="https://apple.news/AL2th8IiwTVief248yjdZSw">New Yorker</a> editor David Remnick, a longtime expert on Russia, about how we got here and what this war means for the U.S. and the rest of the world.