Next Question with Katie Couric

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Silicon Valley's Toxic Bro Culture May 10, 2018

Show notes

It's no secret that Silicon Valley has a problem with women. In her new book, Brotopia: Breaking Up the Boys' Club of Silicon Valley, journalist Emily Chang explores what the tech industry has been getting wrong when it comes to sexism and workplace bias. Her findings are grisly: from business meetings in strip clubs to drug-laden sex parties. Emily joins Katie and Brian to discuss her findings and consider how the tech industry can do better when it comes to addressing gender parity, pay inequity and implicit bias. Plus, Katie shares insights from her reporting on workplace gender inequality for The Revolt, her latest National Geographic documentary hour.

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Your Brain on Tech May 03, 2018

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Social media is much more than a way to stay in touch with friends. According to today's guest, Tristan Harris, Facebook and platforms like it are actually manipulating billions of people's minds. Tristan joins Katie and Brian to explain how tech companies are creating addictions, steering elections and making many of us lonely. He would know: After selling a startup to Google in his twenties, Tristan worked there as an in-house design ethicist, where he studied how tech affects people's attention, well-being, and behavior. Now, as a founder of the Center for Humane Technology, Tristan is on a mission to reform the tech industry. Plus, he offers up some tips on how to track and curb your smartphone addiction.

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Mr. Jones Goes to Washington Apr 26, 2018

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In December, Doug Jones became the first Democrat to win a Senate seat in ruby-red Alabama in 25 years. This week, Katie and Brian make their way to Washington, D.C. for an extended interview with Senator Jones in his new office. They talk about the ongoing dysfunction in the Senate, Jones' upset victory over his embattled Republican opponent Roy Moore, and they dig into a grab-bag of current events. Plus, they delve into Jones' life story, from his teen years in Alabama's newly-integrated public schools to his role in prosecuting two KKK members for a 1963 church bombing that killed four African American girls.

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The Muslim Next Door Apr 19, 2018

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Half of Americans say they have never met a Muslim. What’s it like to be Muslim in America today? Katie and Brian take to the stage at South by Southwest for a live podcast taping with guests Wajahat Ali, a New York Times contributing op-ed writer, and Mona Haydar, a Syrian-American rapper and activist. They have a frank conversation about the joys and pressures of being American Muslims, misconceptions about Islam, and how US media coverage plays into all of the above. Plus, they dig into the controversy surrounding Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan.

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Bryan Stevenson: Re-Righting History Apr 12, 2018

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The first episode of Katie's National Geographic documentary series, America Inside Out, is out now! To mark the occasion, Katie and Brian welcome Bryan Stevenson of the Equal Justice Initiative. After graduating from Harvard Law School, Bryan could have gone anywhere—he chose to move to Alabama to help confront racial disparities and reform the criminal justice system. On the pod, they discuss Bryan’s childhood experiences with school segregation, the problem with Confederate monuments, and shining a light on one of the darkest chapters in American history: the post-Civil War period of Jim Crow and lynching.

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Cecile Richards: Planned Parenthood Boss on Making Trouble Apr 05, 2018

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Cecile Richards has been president of Planned Parenthood for over a decade, but her interest in women's issues started before she could vote. As a teenager, she helped her mother, Ann Richards— who would go on to be governor of Texas— work on political campaigns for female candidates. Cecile joins Katie and Brian to discuss her trailblazing mom, her new memoir, and her decision to step down from her role at Planned Parenthood. Plus, she opens up about her meeting last year with Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, and clarifies some common misconceptions about Planned Parenthood.

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Processing Parkland Mar 22, 2018

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Aly Sheehy is a senior at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School, where 17 people were killed in a mass shooting last month. She joins Katie and Brian for an emotional account of how she and her classmates in Parkland, Florida have coped with the tragedy's aftermath and why they are now pushing for change. Katie and Brian also speak with Shannon Watts, the founder of Moms Demand Action, about state and local gun law reforms— and taking on the NRA.

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55.5 Ava DuVernay: Groundbreaker Mar 15, 2018

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Katie and Brian revisit the time they interviewed Ava DuVernay at Disney's studios in Burbank, California. They talk with the inimitable director of Selma and 13th about everything from A Wrinkle In Time to her relationship with Oprah. They also discuss #OscarsSoWhite, criminal justice and the AvaDuVernayBarbie doll. Plus, how Ava made the leap from publicizing movies to directing them.

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Wonder Woman: Diane von Furstenberg Mar 08, 2018

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For the final installment in the Wonder Women series, Diane von Fürstenberg—the woman behind the iconic fashion line—welcomes Katie and Brian to her company's Manhattan headquarters for a conversation about her full and colorful life. They discuss her wide-ranging philanthropy, her famous husbands, and how her brand has evolved since she appeared on the cover of Newsweek at age 29. She also tells the story of her mother, a Holocaust survivor, and how she inspired Diane’s determination to be independent. Plus, DVF explains why she believes the most important relationship in life is the one you have with yourself: “If you have that, any other relationship is a plus and not a must."

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Wonder Woman: Kara Swisher Mar 01, 2018

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Kara Swisher is perhaps the most feared—and effective—journalist in tech. She first made a splash covering AOL in the 1990s and she's continued to scoop Silicon Valley players ever since. In this crossover episode with Kara’s podcast, Katie and Kara discuss the competition between Instagram and Snapchat, and why Facebook executives have been slow to acknowledge the site's role in the 2016 election. “They don’t want to take responsibility for the fact that their platform was used by a malevolent power to create discord in our country," Kara says. She and Katie also delve into tech addiction in kids, the effect of automation on jobs, and their long careers in journalism. Plus, Kara turns the mic around and asks Katie about her time at Yahoo, and what she'd like to do next.

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