The Open Mind

The Open Mind, hosted weekly by Alexander Heffner, is a thoughtful excursion into the world of ideas across politics, media, science, technology, the arts, and all realms of civic life.

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Episode 53, Season 2024
Ending Mass Incarceration on the Back End

Sentencing Project research director Nazgol Ghandnoosh discusses mass incarceration data.

28:58
Episode 52, Season 2024
Tree Policy

Scientist Lauren Oakes discusses environmental conservation.

28:55
Episode 51, Season 2024
The State of American Justice

Equal Justice Initiative founder Bryan Stevenson discusses his prescriptions for reform.

28:49
Episode 50, Season 2024
What’s Next for America?

“The West Wing” actress Melissa Fitzgerald discusses President Bartlet-inspired activism.

27:43
Episode 49, Season 2024
Generation Refrigerant

Gastropod host Nicola Twilley discusses her new book “Frostbite.”

28:21
Episode 48, Season 2024
Wikipedia's Survival and Resilience

Wikimedia leader Rebecca MacKinnon discusses the future of the encyclopedia platform.

28:19
Episode 47, Season 2024
Peace Policies

Win Without War director Sara Haghdoosti discusses strategies for counterproliferation.

28:15
Episode 46, Season 2024
The Great Buildup

Carnegie Endowment fellow Tong Zhao discusses central and rogue nuclear powers of Asia.

28:47
Episode 45, Season 2024
Unwinding the Doomsday Clock

Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists CEO Rachel Bronson discusses a potential nuclear event.

28:31
Episode 44, Season 2024
Counterproliferation and De-escalation in the Middle East

Arms Control Association nonproliferation policy director Kelsey Davenport discusses Iran.

28:51
Episode 43, Season 2024
The Reverend Senator

In Savannah, Senator Raphael Warnock and Alexander break bread over chicken and waffles.

28:38
Episode 42, Season 2024
In the Land of Eisenhower

In Hays, Kansas, Senator Jerry Moran and Alexander break bread over chili and milkshakes.

28:45
Episode 41, Season 2024
Dreams of Aloha

At a local restaurant, Senator Mazie Hirono and Alexander break bread over Japanese fare.

28:44
Episode 40, Season 2024
Fiesta in Pueblo

At a Pueblo food court, Governor Jared Polis and Alexander break bread over a smorgasbord.

28:41
Episode 39, Season 2024
The Pursuit of Tranquility: How Many Times Do You Need To Blow Up The World?

American fighter pilot Amy McGrath discusses U.S. security policies.

28:53
Episode 38, Season 2024
Accountability and Disarmament

Project on Managing the Atom researcher Mariana Budjeryn discusses the Russia-Ukraine war.

28:46
Episode 33, Season 2024
Energy to Peace

Oppenheimer Project founder Charles Oppenheimer discusses nuclear counterproliferation.

28:56
Episode 35, Season 2024
The Doctor Governor

At Kualoa Ranch, Hawaii Governor Josh Green and Alexander break bread over poke.

28:40
Episode 34, Season 2024
The City of Orioles

At Camden Yards, Governor Wes Moore and Alexander break bread over stadium concessions.

28:40
Episode 36, Season 2024
History in Boston Harbor

On the harbor, Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey and Alexander break bread over oysters.

28:57
Episode 37, Season 2024
Pigs and Pistols

At his farm, Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen and Alexander break bread over pork sandwiches.

28:53
Episode 28, Season 2024
The Future of Reproductive Freedom

University of Oregon sociologist Krystale Littlejohn discusses the post-Roe climate.

28:10
Episode 32, Season 2024
Cheeseheads and Milkpeople

In rural Wisconsin, Senator Tammy Baldwin and Alexander break bread at a family farm.

28:50
Episode 31, Season 2024
The City of Orioles

At Camden Yards, Governor Wes Moore and Alexander break bread over stadium concessions.

28:40
Episode 25, Season 2024
Ranchers for America

In Buffalo, WY, Governor Mark Gordon and Alexander break bread over steak and potatoes.

28:55
Episode 24, Season 2024
A Bridge from Alaska to the Nation

In Chena Hot Springs, Senator Lisa Murkowski and Alexander break bread over salmon.

28:57
Episode 23, Season 2024
Courage in Flight

Senator Mark Kelly and Alexander break bread over Sonoran hot dogs; then fly over desert.

28:12
Episode 19, Season 2024
God and Thai in Utah

God and Thai in Utah

49:51
Episode 14, Season 2024
Baskets and Burgers

Senator John Thune and Alexander play basketball and then break bread over cheeseburgers.

47:35
Episode 17, Season 2024
Country Pancakes and Country Roads

Senator Shelley Moore Capito and Alexander break bread over flapjacks.

47:34
Episode 15, Season 2024
Christmas Every Morning

Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham and Alexander break bread over enchiladas.

44:11
Episode 13, Season 2024
A Mexican Restaurant in Oklahoma

Governor Kevin Stitt and Alexander break bread over carne asada tacos.

34:20
Episode 22, Season 2024
Where Theodore Roosevelt Lives

Governor Doug Burgum and Alexander break bread over homegrown bison and potatoes.

46:00
Episode 21, Season 2024
The Soul of New Jersey

Senator Cory Booker and Alexander break bread over vegan chicken and waffles.

49:50
Episode 20, Season 2024
Governing and BBQ

Governor Roy Cooper and Alexander break bread over pulled pork plates and banana pudding.

46:50
Episode 18, Season 2024
Elk Fajitas in the Desert

Senator Martin Heinrich and Alexander break bread over homemade elk fajitas.

36:32
Episode 16, Season 2024
Cooking in the House of Blaine

Maine Governor Janet Mills and Alexander break bread over homemade chicken a l'orange.

43:19
Episode 30, Season 2024
Gaming the Future

Neuroscientist Kelly Clancy discusses her new book Playing with Reality.

28:32
Episode 29, Season 2024
Words to Preserve Democracy

Planet Word founder Ann Friedman and director Nikki Sertsu discuss their DC museum.

28:19
Episode 27, Season 2024
Campus on Edge...Civics to the Rescue

University leaders Jeremy Haefner and Jonathan Holloway discuss speech and protest.

28:28
Episode 26, Season 2024
The Science of Storytelling

University of Nevada scholar Emma Bloomfield discusses strategies for storytelling.

28:52
Episode 12, Season 2024
The Alternative of Indigenous Economics

University of Arizona economist Ronald Trosper discusses the Native American tradition.

28:49
Episode 11, Season 2024
Peacekeeping at Home

Civic leader David McCullough III discusses the mission of the American Exchange Project.

28:46
Episode 10, Season 2024
Surveillance, Truckers, and You

Privacy expert Karen Levy discusses the future of workplace surveillance.

28:56
Episode 9, Season 2024
Decency in Decline

Author Alexandra Hudson discusses her new book "The Soul of Civility."

28:54
Episode 8, Season 2024
American Amnesia

Documentarian David France discusses his HBO documentary "How to Survive a Pandemic."

28:46
Episode 7, Season 2024
The Origin of the FDA Mandate

Novelist Jennifer Vanderbes discusses the secret history of thalidomide in America.

28:57
Episode 6, Season 2024
Optimizing Ourselves to Death

Mathematician Coco Krumme discusses her book "Optimal Illusions"

28:37
Episode 5, Season 2024
Brain on Brain

Science writer Benjamin Ehrlich discusses his new book "The Brain in Search of Itself.”

28:11
Episode 4, Season 2024
Chips, AI, and WWIII

Author Chris Miller talks about the intersection of chipmakers and geopolitical crises.

22:30
Episode 3, Season 2024
What Fungi Means for Humanity

Mycologist Keith Seifert discusses what could be responsible for the next pandemic.

27:48
Episode 2, Season 2024
The Next Hub of American Innovation

Tech journalist Robert Buderi discusses his new book "Where Futures Converge."

28:26
Episode 1, Season 2024
The Persistence of Eugenics

Undark magazine editor Ashley Smart discusses the intersection of science and society.

27:51

The Open Mind

Episodes