News pods had a big, heavy week (as usual) with immigration, border separations, shootings, the Supreme Court and more. But there’s still room for a little levity in TWIP. Let’s go.

7 Pod Takes

1) “The exercise of curiosity requires a risk, a sacrifice, a commitment.”

Listen: Revisionist History: Malcolm Gladwell’s 12 Rules for Life (2:15)

That’s Gladwell on why he loves one of Megan McArdle’s rules for life: “Always order one extra dish at a restaurant, an unfamiliar one.”
Gladwell’s pod is a bait and switch — he doesn’t offer his own 12 rules — but it’s a great bait and switch.
Gladwell puts forth one rule: Pull the goalie. Gladwell explains it in a typically Gladwellian way, circling through hockey strategy, home invasions, stand your ground laws and Wall Street quants for 45 minutes before getting to his point.
That point: In life, don’t do the easy and agreeable thing.

2) “I think that’s the defining question of our time, not just in the United States but in Europe as well.”

Listen: The Daily: What Migrants Are Fleeing (21:18)

So says Azam Ahmed, reacting to host Michael Barbaro’s articulation of “an incredibly complicated question for the United States.”
The question: “If almost everyone in a country is living in fear and can make an argument that they need to come to the United States, what is the U.S. to do? It couldn’t possibly absorb an entire nation.”
My take: A typically sober, insightful Daily pod about what’s driving migrants to the United States’ southern border and the towering challenges involved all around.

3) “It leaves truth telling no place to stand.”

Listen: Hidden Brain: Fake News: An Origin Story (22:14)

That’s Andie Tucher, a professor at Columbia University, on Trump’s war on truth via assertions of “fake news.”
She adds: “I find that really dangerous to the idea of a democracy.”
Tucher and host Shankar Vedantam put the current cries of “fake news” into historical perspective, highlighting how what’s happening now differs from earlier cries of “fake news” in the U.S.
My take: Tucher’s take’s on the money.

4) “Crumbs aren’t good in microgravity.”

Listen: The Kitchen Sisters Present: Give Space a Chance: Gastrodiplomacy in Orbit (4:43)

So says Vickie Kloeris, manager of the International Space Station food system at the Johnson Space Center, in an excellent pod about food in space.
It’s all about tortillas, she says. They offer a taste of Texas, where astronauts train. They also don’t shed crumbs that can peskily float into electronics.
Spoiler: In space, people often crave spicy food.

5) “There’s gotta be a Ronaldo in there somewhere.”

Listen: The Indicator from Planet Money: The Beautiful Indicator (2:50)

That’s Robert Smith, articulating the logic of Chinese leaders intent on turning their country into a world football/soccer superpower.
China’s goal: to host and win the World Cup by 2050.
The first steps: Build 20,000 training centers, 60,000 new fields and recruit 50 million players/potential Ronaldos.

6) “He just wanted to be the first cop in Middleboro to arrest a clown.”

Listen: Decoder Ring: Clown Panic (1:40)

That’s Jonathan A. Martin, who was arrested in Kentucky in 2016 for wearing a creepy clown costume, on the motivation of his apprehending officer.
Martin’s anecdote kicks off a terrific pod exploring the rise of creepy clowns in pop culture.
Host Willa Paskin asks: “Why does an archetype that for hundreds of years made us laugh start to scare the bejesus out of us?”

7) “Cracker Jack are the coleslaw of candy.”

Listen: Pardon My Take: Vince Carter + Mt. Rushmore of Stadium Foods (14:44)

The PMT guys stir up controversy around an early pick for the Mt. Rushmore of stadium foods.
Spoiler: The hot dog earns George Washington’s spot.

Go Deep

1) The Supreme Court

Listen: Political Gabfest, Hysteria, Fake the Nation, Up First, NPR Politics, The Daily, 538 Politics

The retirement of Justice Anthony Kennedy and the court’s (awful) decision to uphold President Trump’s travel ban dominated the news and politics pods. Among the highlights:
Pod Save America: “It seems very likely that John Roberts is the swing vote on the court now,” says Jon Lovett.
Trumpcast: Jacob Weisberg talks to UC Irvine Law and Poli Sci professor Rick Hasen.
More Perfect: Reprises its episode on Korematsu v. United States, the case that upheld the internment of Americans of Japanese heritage during World War II.

2) The Islamic State

Listen: Caliphate

The acclaimed New York Times pod about the Islamic State and the fall of Mosul finished up late last week, with the 10th and final episode trickling into The Daily’s pod feed over the weekend.
Translation: Caliphate finished last week but I missed the last episode in my feed. I’m including it this week because it’s too powerful to skip. All 12 episodes are now available.
Binge time: 5 hours, 25 minutes

3) WTF is Up with Kanye West?

Listen: Popcast

The pod asks and answers important questions about Yeezy for 1 hour, 24 minutes.

4) Yellow Journalism

Listen: Business Wars: Hearst vs. Pulitzer

A seven-part deep-dive into the rivalry that shaped American journalism for a generation.
Binge time: 2 hours, 57 minutes

5) Pregnancy Discrimination

Listen: The Daily

The 44-minute, two-part pod investigates “systematic and pervasive” discrimination against pregnant women inside large American companies.

6) “The Star-Spangled Banner”

Listen: Punch Up the Jam

The pod AV Club deemed one of the best of 2018 so far goes deep on the U.S. national anthem for 1 hour, 12 minutes.

Guest Appearances By…

Abrams, Stephanie Weather Geeks

Convo with the meteorologist.

Anderson, Louie The Treatment

Apatow, Judd The New Yorker Radio Hour

In conversation with Molly Ringwald about John Hughes movies and shifting cultural standards, Apatow asks, “How are we supposed to feel about jokes that we wouldn’t do now?”

Balaban, Bob I Think You’re Interesting

Bell, Kristen The Good Place: The Podcast

Bercovici, Jeff The Outside Podcast

Author of “Play On” talks about being an athlete into your golden years.

Bialik, Mayim Anna Faris is Unqualified

Bloom, Rachel Amy Schumer Presents 3 Girls, 1 Keith

Boom, Steve The Bob Lefsetz Podcast

The VP of Amazon Music on how Alexa and music. Says host Lefsetz about Amazon Music: The service might get little ink, but it’s a powerhouse.

Chesky, Brian Recode Decode

Airbnb CEO on being on the wrong side of Trump, politics in tech.

Danes, Claire Remote Controller

De Laurentiis, Giada How to Be Amazing with Michael Ian Black

Garcetti, Eric The Ezra Klein Show

Gunn, James Inside of You with Michael Rosenbaum

Convo with the director of “Guardians of the Galaxy.”

Hoppins, Pete Planet Futbol with Grant Wahl

Convo about Nigeria’s unis with Nike’s senior design director.

Howery, Lil Rey WTF with Marc Maron

Hyden, Steven Deviate With Rolf Potts

Podcast host and author or “Twilight of the Gods” on rock as an aging art.

Kondabolu, Hari But That’s Another Story

Klein, Ezra Why is This Happening? With Chris Hayes

Meyers, Seth Remote Controller

Nugent, Ted The Joe Rogan Experience

Pesca, Mike Larry Wilmore: Black on the Air, The Sporkful

The Gist host on politics, sports what-ifs and nachos.

Peterson, Jordan Remade in America with Bassem Youssef

Convo with Canadian professor about Ukrainian farmers, white privilege.

Ringwald, Molly The New Yorker Radio Hour

In conversation with Judd Apatow, she talks about her shifting feelings towards her work with John Hughes, which she wrote about for The New Yorker.

Rubio, Marco The Axe Files

Convo with the U.S. Senator from Florida.

Shriver, Maria Oprah’s SuperSoul Conversations

Willner, Charlotte and Dave Recode Decode

Convo with the creators of Facebook campaign “Reunite an immigrant parent with their child.”

Yang, Alan The Dave Chang Show

Co-creator of “Master of None” on transitioning from studying biology to doing comedy.

Yankovic, Weird Al Comedy Bang! Bang!

Post-”Ridiculously Self-Indulgent, Ill-Advised Vanity Tour” debrief from the musical comedy legend.

Zimmer, John How I Built This with Guy Raz

Convo with co-founder of Lyft.

Notable New Podcasts

1) Hysteria

Erin Ryan hosts “a bicoastal squad of opinionated, mouthy women to discuss news, politics, and cultural stories that affect women’s lives, from serious to absurd.”

2) Inside Jaws

Hosted by Mark Ramsey, it’s a “story of one man, a fresh-faced, inexperienced director who nearly wrecked his promising career and became the most important filmmaker of our era.”

3) Cher and Retweet

Comedians Andy Balloch and Justin Porter take a “comedic journey down the rabbit hole that is Cher’s twitter feed.”

4) The Control Group

It’s a 10-part “historical fiction” pod. The gist: “Encouraged by a private research group, a doctor at a mental ward sheds his ethical restraints in an effort to pioneer a new form of mental cleansing.”

5) At Liberty

The weekly ACLU pod “explores the biggest civil rights and civil liberties issues.”