Latest Episodes

More than 130 rural hospitals across the U.S. have closed since 2010, while even more have cut back on services. WSJ's Brian Spegele shares the story of one Wyoming community where residents are fighting a decline in services at their local hospital by doing something drastic: creating a hospital of their own.

They've spent their whole lives in careers that made promises it could not keep. They are fashion models, both scouted as teenagers. Now one fights to let go, the other to find a better way to stay.

A small town in Minnesota has an identity crisis: Should they embrace their beautiful lakes for tourism, or Judy Garland, the troubled movie star who was born there? When a big crime hits their small town, the decision is no longer theirs.

Dr. Özlem Türeci is the chief medical officer of BioNTech, which created the first Covid-19 vaccine to be authorized in the U.S. We speak with Dr. Türeci about the technology behind the vaccine and the promise it holds for treating other diseases.

Terriers have won Best in Show at the Westminster Kennel Club dog show 48 times. Dachshunds? Never. Listener Yona wants to know why terriers triumph but dachshunds don’t get their due. Dog show judge Laurie Williams and dachshund-diehard Kim McCalmont take us behind the scenes of the dog show world.

The story of what happened to Jermain Charlo began long before she disappeared. And her legacy goes on long after.

Bernie Madoff died this week in prison while serving a 150-year sentence for masterminding one of the biggest financial frauds. We speak with one of his victims, and WSJ's Jamie Heller explains how Madoff stole millions of dollars from his clients in his notorious Ponzi scheme.

This week, we’re talking about oil pipelines. From the fight against Keystone XL to Standing Rock, pipeline protests have been central to the climate movement in the U.S. But they’ve always been about more than just the climate -- they’ve also been a battle for Indigenous rights, demanding that Native American people and Tribes should have a say over what happens in their historic territories. . Th...

Ghost guns are homemade, untraceable guns. The Biden administration is proposing new gun control measures to regulate their sales. WSJ's Zusha Elinson explains how these guns have been on the rise and under the radar.

For more from the Story Pirates, visit storypirates.com/news

Six cases of a rare blood clotting disorder have led U.S. health officials to pause the use of Johnson & Johnson's Covid-19 vaccine. Though it's not known if the vaccine is behind the blood clotting, WSJ's Jonathan D. Rockoff says the pause could impact efforts to vaccinate the country.

An iconic image of a Black teenager drinking at a whites only water fountain inspired us to celebrate daring people who push through their fear, go up against the odds and look damn good doing it.

As the country watches the trial of the police officer charged with the murder of George Floyd, Minneapolis is reeling from the killing of another unarmed Black man by police in a nearby suburb. WSJ's Erin Ailworth describes the tension on the ground.

Two lobbyists whose fight for racial equality ended up dividing them. With Esther they revisit the circumstances that lead to their decision to split up and confront the subjects at the center of it all: race, gender, sexual harassment and money.

With the launch of her latest investment fund, Cathie Wood is betting big on outer space. But it's not the first time she's backed a nascent industry. WSJ's Michael Wursthorn says she's become a star investor by backing innovative companies, delighting investors and attracting critics along the way.

Listener Diksha wants to know: when an animal species is endangered, how do we know when it’s really gone? Professional frog counter and disease ecologist Jamie Voyles has answers.

As the story goes, one night in June of 2018, Jermain Charlo vanished without a trace. Except no one disappears without leaving a trail.

China has been testing a digital yuan for the past year. WSJ's James T. Areddy says digital currency is the future of money and that China's head start could threaten the U.S. dollar's dominance.

President Biden made restoring the 2015 Iran nuclear deal a key piece of his foreign policy. WSJ's Sune Rasmussen reports from Vienna, where indirect talks began this week, about the tricky path to reviving the deal.

This week, we’re sharing a Spotify Exclusive from another Gimlet podcast, Stolen: The Search for Jermain. In 2018, a young Indigenous mother named Jermain Charlo left a bar in Missoula, Montana, and was never seen again. After two years and thousands of hours of investigative work, police believe they are close to solving the mystery of what happened to her. Stolen goes inside the investigation, tr...

REBROADCAST: This episode looks at how one of the worst ideas in science got a big push from a bad study… and intellectuals of the day lapped it up. We speak to science writer Carl Zimmer and Prof. J. David Smith, whose research helped get to the bottom of this messed-up story.

For more from the Story Pirates, visit storypirates.com/news

In the 1980s, Ronald Reagan ushered in an era of limited government that lasted for decades. President Biden's new plans and proposals set out to change that. WSJ's Jacob M. Schlesinger traces the history of how big government became taboo in Washington and explains why Biden wants to take a new approach.

It’s the end of the season, but it’s not the end of the story. Natalia is joined by fellow historians and co-producers Nicole Hemmer and Neil J. Young for a discussion of the things that fascinated them most about exploring Chippendales history. You’ll hear from the women who went to the club over the years, the dancers on what it feels like to age as professional hot people, and the specific ways ...