Settle In with PBS News

California Gov. Gavin Newsom thinks Democrats took their eyes off the ball on state-level races. Now, he's campaigning across the South to drive turnout in states where Republicans have tried to redraw congressional maps. In this episode of "Settle In," recorded during a recent visit to South Carolina, Newsom talks to Amna Nawaz about what Democrats need to compete in rural America and what he's considering as he weighs a presidential campaign in 2028. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

Journalist Rozina Ali says the level of Islamophobia in America right now is the highest she's ever seen. In this episode of "Settle In," she talks with Amna Nawaz about her book, "Seasons of Fury," which explores how Islamophobia shaped the stories of four American families, from FBI surveillance in the 1960s to the post-9/11 era. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

Craig Fugate led the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) through record-breaking disaster years during the Obama administration. In the latest episode of "Settle In," he speaks with Amna Nawaz about how climate change has upended our models for disaster response, criticism that the agency has been politicized and how to prepare for hurricane season. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

Award-winning actress Poorna Jagannathan is known for her roles in the Netflix coming-of-age show "Never Have I Ever" and the Hulu comedy "Deli Boys." In the latest episode of "Settle In," she speaks to Amna Nawaz about her unexpected acting career and the power of later-in-life success. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

Sam Roberts has written 1,600 obituaries in his decadeslong career as a reporter for The New York Times. In this episode of "Settle In," he speaks to Geoff Bennett about his new book, "Are They Dead Yet?" and what he's learned about life. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

A weaponized biological pathogen could be "man's last invention' according to Annie Jacobsen, a Pulitzer Prize finalist and New York Times bestselling author. Jacobsen sits down with Geoff Bennett to discuss her latest book, Biological War: A Scenario - which examines how deadly pathogens that have been weaponized could lead to a civilization-ending event. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

Emilee Hackney grew up in small-town Appalachia in a church that taught her men were meant to lead. In this episode of Settle In, she spoke with Amna Nawaz about her debut memoir, "All That's Unseen: An Appalachian Memoir," the world she grew up in and reconciling it with everything she encountered since. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

Ben Wikler chaired the Democratic Party of Wisconsin for six years, leading to victories in numerous key contests in the battleground state. In this episode of Settle In, Wikler talks to Geoff Benett about his new book, "This is the Plan," which details his prescription for "saving" America's democracy. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

Simon Kuper is one of the few sports journalists who has now attended 10 World Cups. The author of "World Cup Fever: A Soccer Journey in Nine Tournaments" and co-author of "Soccernomics" joins Geoff Bennett to share the highs and lows of this year's World Cup. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

Historian and Smith College professor Elizabeth Pryor has spent much of her career studying the history of the N-word. Her father, legendary comedian Richard Pryor, made the word central to his work before renouncing it altogether. In this episode of "Settle In," Elizabeth Pryor sits down with Geoff Bennett to discuss her father's legacy and her new book, "Something We Said: Richard Pryor, a Notorious Word, and Me." PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

Dave Portnoy is the founder of Barstool Sports, a media goliath he started as a free gambling newsletter in the early 2000s. His new book, "Cancel Me If You Can," details his rise – and the controversies he's faced along the way. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

Tressie McMillan Cottom says the second Trump administration has revealed uncomfortable truths about power in America. Today, we're revisiting her episode of Settle In with Geoff Bennett about trust in institutions and how to keep your sense of purpose in an onslaught of news. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

We're revisiting our episode with comedian Dave Chappelle, who sat down with Amna Nawaz in Yellow Springs, Ohio, for a wide-ranging discussion on his concerns around free speech, the importance of local journalism and why he doesn't regret his controversial decision to perform last year in Saudi Arabia. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

We're revisiting our episode with award-winning journalist and writer Michael Harriot, who spoke with Geoff Bennett about his best-selling book, "Black AF History," and what we can learn from Black history today. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

Journalist Michael Edison Hayden spent years tracking extremism in America. His book, "Strange People on the Hill," is about what happened when a far-right group moved its headquarters to a small town in rural West Virginia. We're revisiting our conversation with Hayden, who spoke with Amna Nawaz about the story and what it can teach us about politics in the U.S. right now. Hayden also shared the personal toll this work has taken on his own mental health and relationships. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

Settle In is going on a brief summer break. We're gearing up to return later this summer with more of the candid interviews you've come to enjoy. Until then, here are five of our favorite moments from Settle In so far with Dave Chappelle, Tressie McMillan Cottom, Jon Meacham, Michael Harriot and Lena Dunham. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

Soman Chainani's young adult novel series, "The School for Good & Evil," has sold more than 4.5 million copies around the globe and became a hugely popular Netflix movie. In the latest episode of Settle In, he joins Amna Nawaz to talk about what's changing for young people right now — and how to engage them in both reading and the political process. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

It's not just your kids. Author and historian Helen Zoe Veit's latest book, , "Picky: How American Children Became the Fussiest Eaters in History," explores how U.S. culture has shaped selective palates. In this episode of Settle In, she sat down with Amna Nawaz to discuss what she's learned, including tips and tricks to parents hoping to teach their kids to learn to love more food. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

Douglas Stuart won the coveted Booker Prize in 2020 for his debut novel, "Shuggie Bain," about a boy in 1980s working-class Glasgow caring for his mother as she struggled with alcoholism. Geoff Bennett spoke to Stuart about his latest book, "John of John," which follows a young man as he returns to his home in the islands off the coast of Scotland. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

Journalist Michael Edison Hayden spent years tracking extremism in America. In this episode of Settle in, he talks with Amna Nawaz about his new book, "Strange People on the Hill," about what happened when a far-right group moved its headquarters to a small town in rural West Virginia – and what it says about U.S. politics right now. Note: This episode was recorded before the April 25 shooting at the White House Correspondents' Dinner. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy