Latest Episodes

Video game consoles were super boring in the early days: you could only switch between a few basic, built-in games — no Super Mario Bros, Sonic the Hedgehog or Legend of Zelda. But that all changed thanks to the contributions of a man named Jerry Lawson. Brittany tells Eric the story of the man who helped make video gaming way more fun, paving the way for the video game industry as we know it today...

Every year the TSA confiscates millions of pounds of pocket knives, sunscreen and snow globes from airport travelers. Where does it all go? ELT investigates. Plus, tips for sneaking your weed onboard from a former TSA agent.

As a Democrat from a red state, Senator Heidi Heitkamp built a reputation for her willingness to buck party pressure and reach across the aisle. But when Brett Kavanaugh was nominated to the Supreme Court, she found herself facing a decision between her principles and her political fate.

With all of the new technology that employees use at the office, companies have a lot more data on what their workers are doing. It is now cheaper and easier than ever for employers to spy on them. Sarah Krouse explains what's happening, and why there's little you can do about it.

Who the hell was Edward Wayne Edwards anyway?

Listen to the first episode of this new true crime podcast from Pineapple Street Media and Gimlet.

April reads a news story and everything changes.

Some investors say that for Uber to truly succeed, it needs to eliminate its competition. After two disappointing listings, can Uber and Lyft co-exist? Maureen Farrell has been covering Uber and Lyft's IPOs. Plus, a boss gets a major shock when he tries to help a sick employee.

Listen to the first two episodes of The Clearing starting July 18. 

When he came on the show two years ago, Amado Guloy said his startup would change the business of animal agriculture. And the investors bought it! But since then, Amado has found himself at a crossroads between his own health and the health of Rex. 

Brittany Packnett is an activist who rose to prominence after she became a leader of the protests in Ferguson back in 2014. Since then, she’s worked with leaders on the federal and state level on ending police brutality, and was appointed to President Obama’s task force on 21st century policing. Brittany talks with Stella Bugbee about how she gets it all done, including how she decompresses from de...

Eric talks with Ed O’Bannon, a former professional basketball player whose landmark lawsuit forced a national conversation on whether the NCAA should pay college athletes. It’s a conversation with massive implications for the thousands of unpaid Black athletes whose work makes millions of dollars for their colleges. Strangely, it all started with a video game.

ELT answers an age-old question: When you have to use a public toilet, should you sit on the seat? A team of microbiologists weigh in. Plus, the rise, fall, and re-rise of cargo shorts.

When Elaine Welteroth was appointed editor in chief of Teen Vogue in 2015, she was the youngest and first black editor in the publication’s history. She set out to transform Teen Vogue into something more than just a fashion magazine...but Elaine had taken the helm of a publication in crisis.

One company set out to make a new shoe entirely in the United States and learned it is much more complex than making a grilled cheese sandwich. Ruth Simon talks about her recent trip to a boot manufacturer in Red Wing, Minnesota.

More than 20 years after she last lived with her father, April Balascio discovered new information that confirmed something she’d desperately hoped was not true. Her father, Edward Wayne Edwards, was a murderer. The Clearing is about what came after April called a detective in 2009 to tell him about her suspicions — a call that led to her father’s arrest and eventual conviction on multiple murders ...

Carlos Maza started posting videos on YouTube, and ran afoul of a guy who reminded him of his high school bullies. He asked YouTube to intervene, and then things got extremely complicated.

The exurbs, the regions far beyond a city center, are back. Home building and sales are rising. But the housing rebound in these areas comes as the rest of the housing market has slowed. WSJ's Laura Kusisto explains what it could mean.

Alison Roman is a cookbook author, New York Times and Bon Appetit columnist, and she’s also the brain behind The Cookies and The Stew, those chocolate chip cookies and chickpea stew that you’ve likely seen in your Instagram feed. This week, Alison sat down with Stella Bugbee to talk about how she gets it all done, including how she develops her recipes, deals with online critics, and embraces her i...

When did organ music and baseball become an item? ELT talks to some pro organ players to find out how organs and ballparks got together. Plus, meet Nancy Faust — the legendary organist who brought trolling to modern baseball music.

Jerry Colonna was a high-flying venture capitalist in New York City at the height of the dot-com boom. He looked like the picture of success—but as time wore on, he felt more and more like a fraud. And when the boom went bust, it all began to unravel for him. Alex talks to Jerry about that struggle, and about how it led him to his current life as one of the most in-demand executive coaches—who just...

One company was responsible for some of the biggest wildfires that have swept through California in the past few years, killing more than 100 people. That company? PG&E Corp., California's largest electric utility. As the state enters wildfire season, WSJ U.S. Energy Editor Miguel Bustillo talks about the company and what's in store.

Got a burst pipe or a broken down car? That plumber or mechanic you found on Google Maps might not be where they say they are. Or they might not be anywhere at all. Reporters Rob Copeland and Katie Bindley have found that hundreds of thousands of the listings on Google Maps aren't what they claim to be.

When Hannah was a kid, everyone knew she was dying. All over town, donation cans showed a picture of her: a sweet little girl with cancer who needed help. But it turned out that Hannah's story wasn't so simple—in fact, she still doesn't understand everything that happened to her as a kid, and all the lies she was told. In this episode, Hannah gets a chance to talk to someone who can help her figure...