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The Cornell case exposes a dark reality about college culture Oct 08, 2026

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A lawsuit filed by a former Cornell student that alleges she was sexually assaulted by seven fraternity members in 2024 has sparked an outpouring of women sharing their own stories of campus assault. While the case reflects dynamics that researchers have tracked since the 1980s, it also reveals something distinctly modern: how fraternity culture and online misogyny now collide in unchecked digital spaces. Sophie Gilbert, a staff writer at The Atlantic, joins Apple News In Conversation host Shumita Basu to talk about why reports of campus assault keep rising, what we know about the role of fraternities, and what meaningful change could look like.

Americans want more kids. Here’s what’s stopping them.  Oct 01, 2026

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Fewer people around the world are having kids — the global birth rate has been falling steadily since the 1970s — but, for many, it’s not because they don’t want to become parents. A deep sense of uncertainty about money, relationships, and the future has made starting a family feel harder than ever. Anna Louie Sussman, author of the new book Inconceivable: The Impossibility of Family in an Age of Uncertainty, joins Apple News In Conversation host Shumita Basu to discuss what’s really standing in the way and what it would take to close that gap.

The hidden tax Americans pay constantly — and how we can avoid it Sep 24, 2026

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Americans spend billions of hours a year navigating government bureaucracy, whether filling out forms, waiting on hold, or standing in endless lines. Researchers call this hidden burden the “time tax.” In her new book, The Time Tax: How the Government Wastes Our Time — and How to Fix It, Atlantic staff writer Annie Lowrey argues all of this red tape is more than just annoying — it has real, lasting consequences for the country. Lowrey joins Apple News In Conversation host Shumita Basu to talk about who pays a disproportionate share of the time tax, why the system was designed to wear us down, and her ideas for how to fix it.

The AI warnings are getting louder. Here’s what you need to know. Sep 17, 2026

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Unsettling headlines about AI are dominating the news. In the past few weeks, an Anthropic researcher quit his job out of fear that the technology could “kill us all,” OpenAI revealed that its models have demonstrated “concerning behavior,” and four tech CEOs made an unprecedented call for a slowdown. Nilay Patel, editor in chief of The Verge and host of the Decoder podcast, last joined Apple News In Conversation in 2023, as ChatGPT exploded in popularity. He returns to the show to discuss what’s changed, what this technology can and can’t do, and why company rivals are asking the government for help.

The dark side of America’s obsession with the Lindsay Clancy trial Sep 10, 2026

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Warning: This episode includes descriptions of violence against children, adult language, and mentions of suicide. If you or someone you know is struggling, contact the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988.

The trial of Lindsay Clancy — the Massachusetts mother accused of murdering her three young children in 2023 — ended this month in a mistrial. Her defense didn’t dispute the killings but argued that Clancy wasn’t criminally responsible because she was suffering from severe postpartum psychosis and overmedication. The trial was live streamed and picked apart by people across the country. The New Yorker’s Jessica Winter has followed this case since the beginning, and she joins Apple News In Conversation host Shumita Basu to unpack why it became a national obsession — and what the fractured public response reveals about America.

Forever chemicals are hiding everywhere. These five habits can help you avoid them. (From the archives) Sep 03, 2026

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This is an episode from our archives. It originally aired in May 2025.

Forever chemicals, also known as PFAS, are found in virtually every corner of the world, including in most people’s bodies. These synthetic compounds have been linked to a wide range of health issues — from infertility to cancer to neurological problems — even at low levels of exposure. In a new book, They Poisoned the World: Life and Death in the Age of Forever Chemicals, investigative journalist Mariah Blake lays out how these toxic chemicals became so ubiquitous. Blake spoke with Apple News In Conversation host Shumita Basu about a group of unlikely activists fighting back against those responsible and offers practical tips to protect yourself.

The real reason so many Americans are convinced sunscreen is dangerous Aug 27, 2026

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For the past few years, a campaign against sunscreen has been building — with social-media influencers claiming that sunscreen itself, rather than the sun, is damaging people’s skin and harming their health. The misinformation is working: More than 16 million adults have cut back or stopped using sunscreen because of it. Meanwhile, skin-cancer rates continue to rise. Brian Underwood, beauty and grooming director at Men’s Health and Women’s Health, joins Apple News In Conversation guest host David Greene to share his reporting on who’s driving this movement, the confusing FDA report that helped fuel it, and what it will take to restore trust in sunscreen.

Why men are suddenly so worried about their testosterone levels Aug 20, 2026

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Testosterone prescriptions are at an all-time high in the U.S., and according to a survey by Men’s Health, 70% of men say their levels of the hormone are important to them. This increased attention to T has even reached the Pentagon, which announced mandatory testosterone screenings for troops over the age of 30. Michael Andor Brodeur, a Men’s Health contributor and author of the book Swole, joins Apple News In Conversation guest host David Greene to explain how testosterone transformed from solely a medical treatment into a cultural obsession — and what that shift reveals about the pressures American men face today.

The uncomfortable reasons human waste keeps turning up in your lettuce Aug 13, 2026

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This summer, the U.S. saw its largest cyclospora outbreak on record — with more than 22,000 suspected cases linked to contaminated iceberg lettuce, alongside a wave of other foodborne illnesses. Timothy D. Lytton, a law professor at Georgia State University and author of Outbreak: Foodborne Illness and the Struggle for Food Safety, joins Apple News In Conversation host David Greene to explain how America’s food-safety system actually works, how the system evolved, and what recent outbreaks reveal about the changes needed to make us all safer.

This tick can give you a life-threatening allergy. It’s spreading across the U.S. Aug 06, 2026

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Peak tick season is here — and the fastest-growing tick-borne illness in the country is alpha-gal syndrome, a condition that causes an often-severe allergy to red meat and other animal products. It’s primarily spread by lone-star ticks, once confined to the Southeast but now found as far north as Maine and Michigan. The syndrome can trigger a range of reactions — from hives to anaphylaxis — and at least one death has been attributed to it. New Yorker staff writer Burkhard Bilger, who has reported on the syndrome’s rise, joins Apple News In Conversation guest host David Greene to explain how it was discovered, why it can take years to diagnose, and how it’s reshaping the way people eat, work, and spend time outdoors.

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