Katie Couric

Abortion: The Body Politic started on the ground, visiting two abortion clinics 15 minutes away from each other in two very different states: Missouri and Illinois. On this last episode, we check back in with someone who works in those two clinics to understand the immediate impact the Supreme Court decision had on their patients. Then we consider, what now? Katie interviews Rep. Jayapal (D-WA) who has been a legislative leader in the fight for reproductive rights to understand what lawmakers can do to protect abortion now and in the future. Finally, we hear from a new generation of activists, actors (like Busy Phlipps), musicians (like MILCK and Amanda Shires), and TikTokers about how they are using their platforms, social media and art to not only normalize abortion but also share information (when that information could be criminalized), and, perhaps, change hearts and mind one person at a time.  More information on this episode’s guests and resources: Planned Parenthood National Advocates for Pregnant Wo

In Part 5 of Abortion: The Body Politic, Katie looks abroad for models of progress — and regress — when it comes to reproductive rights and abortion access. What are the trends and how does the U.S. now compare? We check in with the Center for Reproductive Rights to find out. Perhaps no region has seen more progress than Latin America. Human Rights lawyer and one of the founders of the Green Wave movement, Paula Ávila-Guillén, shares her experiences on the front lines of the decades-long fight for reproductive justice and what Americans can learn from our sisters to the South. We also hear from an activist in Mexico who is helping people across the border access abortion care they can no longer get in the United States. And academic, Lina-Maria Murillo gives us context for the unique relationship the United States and Mexico share when it comes to abortion access. There’s no denying the fact that many of the countries we are highlighting are largely conservative and Catholic. What does the progress these Cath

In Part 4 of Abortion: The Body Politic, Katie examines how abortion is explored and reflected in popular culture and Hollywood. Because whether we realize it or not, the movies we have loved and the TV shows we watch represent the collective imagination of our culture at particular moments in time. And for much of the past 50 years, that collective imagination was riddled with problematic abortion tropes that perpetuates stereotypes about the procedure and the people who seek it out. But the good news is that in the past decade, more showrunners and filmmakers — and even studios — telling more abortion stories and even taking some risks. Katie takes listeners to the front row of a new comedy show about abortion, aptly named, “Oh God A Show About Abortion,” from comedian Alison Leiby. Filmmakers Gillian Robespierre (“Obvious Child,” 2014), Rachel Lee Goldenberg (“Unpregnant,” 2020), and Dawn Porter (“Trapped,” 2016) share the origin stories of their narrative-busting movies and what more Hollywood and creativ

On Part 3 of Abortion: The Body Politic focuses on Roe and its unraveling. The last living Roe prosecutor, Linda Coffee, shares her recollections of that historic Supreme Court case and how she found out she had won. We learn of  the immediate failings of Roe, especially for Black women, and the birth of the Reproductive Justice movement. Experts trace the politicization of abortion, the belated moral-issue grab by evangelicals,  the violence that hit abortion doctors and clinics in the 1990s, and the anti-abortion strategy that forever altered American politics. We hear first-person experiences of long-time abortion doctors as well as fresh medical students who share why they felt inspired to join the cause. We also hear from two abortion storytellers about their experiences navigating a convoluted system that can be particularly apathetic to the needs of those seeking later abortions. More information on this episode’s guests and resources: Access Reproductive Justice Boulder Abortion Clinic The Bixby

In Part 2 of Abortion: The Body Politic, we step into the past, long before Roe, and trace the roots of today’s abortion’s debate to understand  — if abortions have always happened and the majority of Americans have always believed they should be legally accessible — why is abortion such a contentious, even volatile, issue in this country. In this journey, a new narrative of reproductive resistance comes to the surface. Women, particularly Black, brown and indigenous, have always made choices that are best for their bodies, families, and lives — no matter the obstacles men have placed before them. In these stories of resistance we also hear first-hand accounts of surprising allies in underground abortion access, courage in the face of limited reproductive choices, and a relentless push for bodily autonomy. The illegal period before Roe is a mirror to our impending, post-Roe future. It’s vital that we pay attention. More information on this episode’s guests and re

In Part 1 of Abortion: The Body Politic, we explore the current state of abortion access. Katie Couric visits two abortion clinics that straddle the Missouri-Illinois border. They are only 15 minutes but — because of Missouri’s state-imposed restrictions — worlds apart. We also find out what types of abortion are available today, how people access them, and what it is like to  get an abortion in today’s charged climate. We hear from abortion fund organizers, doctors in restrictive and progressive states, and people from all over the country, many of whom are already living in a post-Roe world. We also find out what is at stake for the upcoming Supreme Court decision that is expected to reverse the landmark 1973 decision that guaranteed the right to a safe and legal abortion.  More information on this episode’s guests and resources: Organizations: Guttmacher Institute ARC Southeast Physicians for Reproductive Health We Testify Advocates for Youth Books and more: You’re the Only One I’ve Told: The Stories Behin

Forty-nine years ago, the landmark Roe v Wade decision guaranteed women the right to a safe, legal abortion. This June, the Supreme Court is expected to gut that historic ruling, triggering restrictive abortion laws in at least 23 states. While the United States is on the precipice of stepping back this women’s health right, the rest of the world has seen a trend of liberalizing abortion laws over the past 25 years. In this limited, narrative series from Next Question with Katie Couric, we explore the history — and future — of abortion in this country. In this 6-episode series, Katie takes listeners inside abortion clinics, front row at an abortion comedy show, and shares intimate, first-person experiences of people — from the illegal period to now — who have had abortions and the stories of those who have cared for them. There’s never been a more urgent time to understand how we got here and how reproductive rights can apply to everyone.See omnystudio.com/listener for priv

Suddenly it feels like everyone is talking about the metaverse, doesn’t it? But what exactly is the metaverse? Wikipedia describes it as “a network of 3D virtual worlds focused on social connection,” but the only real consensus seems to be that it’s going to be, well, huge. Google, Apple, Snapchat, and Microsoft have all made major investments and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg even renamed his company, Meta. For this episode of Next Question, Katie decides to find out what all the fuss is about firsthand and takes a trip into the metaverse with Wall Street Journal tech columnist Joanna Stern. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You probably know Melissa Gilbert best from her time playing Laura Ingalls for nine seasons on the classic NBC television show, “Little House On the Prairie.” She’s done a lot since then – she’s continued to act, tried her hand at directing, served as the president of the Screen Actors Guild, and even briefly ran for Congress. But a dozen or so years ago, she left her native Los Angeles to live with her husband, the actor and director Timothy Busfield, in rural Michigan and eventually ended up settling in a rustic, fixer-upper cottage in the Catskills Mountains. It was a pretty radical lifestyle change for Melissa and it sparked a number of realizations about her old life – and the way she wants to live now. For this episode of Next Question, she sits down with Katie to talk about this new phase of her life, the challenges – and rewards – of growing older, and her new book, “Back to the Prairie.” See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informati

If you’ve been watching TV lately, you’ve probably noticed that Jean Smart is having something of a moment. While she’s been working steadily and building an enviable acting career for more than four decades, her recent one-two punch as washed up Las Vegas comedian Deborah Vance on the HBO Max Series, “Hacks,” and as Kate Winslet’s mother, Helen Fahey, in “Mare of Easttown,” has finally and fully awakened the world to the genius that is Jean. For this episode of “Next Question,” she sits down with Katie to talk about her long career, what it feels like to receive all this dizzying attention at 70 years old, the recent and sudden loss of her husband of more than thirty years - fellow actor, Richard Gilliland - and the upcoming second season of “Hacks.” See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Something major happened this week: A leaked draft opinion from the Supreme Court indicated the court will strike down Roe versus Wade. The landmark 1973 decision ruled that the Constitution protects a pregnant person’s liberty to choose to have an abortion without excessive government restriction. While that protection has been chipped away almost relentlessly for decades, resulting in abortion access that is very much dependent on your zip code, the overturning of Roe could be the most consequential opinion in decades. On this episode of Next Question with Katie Couric, Katie talks with abortion law expert Mary Ziegler about the leak, the draft’s damning language, and the impact of the conservative court on rights beyond abortion. Katie also takes the opportunity to tease an upcoming, in-depth and intimate series on abortion — something she has been working on for months in anticipation of the official ruling expected in late June. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You probably know Molly Shannon best from her iconic Saturday Night Live characters - quirky Catholic schoolgirl Mary Katherine Gallagher, proud (and limber!) 50-year old Sally O’Malley, and Delicious Dish co-host Terri Rialto. There’s so much more to her story though. From losing her mom and sister in a tragic car accident at the age of 4 and growing up with her adventurous, fun-loving dad to coming into her own as a comedian and actor and becoming a mother herself, her life is proof positive that humor and joy can comingle with pain and sorrow. She shares it all in her new memoir, “Hello, Molly!” and in this week’s episode of Next Question. It’s a candid, heartfelt – and yes – very funny conversation you don’t want to miss.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There have been some scary headlines going around about the climbing rates of alcohol use, particularly among women, during the pandemic. One study found that heavy drinking among women increased 41 percent! What’s behind these numbers and how do women find the help they need? On this episode of Next Question with Katie Couric, Katie invites her friend and award winning broadcast journalist Elizabeth Vargas to co-host and help find some understanding about why women are drinking more than ever, why women drink, and what recovery looks like.. Elizabeth knows about this first hand and wrote about her issues around alcohol, addiction and anxiety in her memoir, Between Breaths: A Memoir of Panic and Addiction. Elizabeth and Katie talk to two women — Khadi Oluwatoyin and Emily Paulson who hit their own rock bottoms and not only found their way out, but also made recovery spaces for people like them — Black Girls Sober Club and the Sober Mome Squad, respectively. Katie and Elizabeth also talk

If you’ve binged much TV this pandemic, you might have happened upon a new reality TV show on Netflix called “My Unorthodox Life.” The show is centered around Julia Haart, a high-powered CEO and fashion designer with a penchant for short skirts and sky-high heels. In between design meetings and runway shows, Julia is also seen managing her growing — and grown up — kids, in a straight-talking, cool-mom kind of way. Their lives appear glitzy, fashionable, busy, and champaign-filled. But it’s a far cry from the world Julia left in 2013. Until she was 40 years old, Julia lived in an extreme ultra Orthodox Jewish community in upstate New York. If you’ve ever watched the show and wondered how this all happened, Julia is finally sharing her full story in her memoir, Brazen, which is out now. On this episode of Next Question with Katie Couric, Katie finds out how Julia went from a communist Russian childhood, to married off at 19 and living under the strict rules of her Ortho

This week, Katie shares an intimate conversation with Mackenzie Fierceton, the 24-year-old subject of a lengthy, riveting and much-shared profile in the New Yorker written by Rachel Aviv. Mackenzie grew up as a star student in a St. Louis suburb where she lived with her mother, a prominent local radiologist. Behind the facade of her seemingly privileged life though, Mackenzie was allegedly being abused by her mother and her mother’s boyfriend. After one particularly violent episode, she ended up in the hospital for 22 days and was placed in foster care. Mackenzie eventually won a full scholarship to the University of Pennsylvania and a Rhodes Scholarship to study at Oxford…and that’s when her story took yet another turn. After facing accusations that her depiction of her past was inaccurate, Mackenzie lost her Rhodes scholarship and is now in the midst of a legal battle with Penn. Beyond the specifics of Mackenzie’s harrowing story though, her experience raises a lot of questions abou

For this bonus episode, I’m excited to share my conversation with New York Times journalist and The Daily co-host, Sabrina Tavernise. Sabrina recently spent three weeks in Ukraine and has delivered a series of dispatches offering a searing glimpse of what life is like there right now on the frontlines. Her time in the region actually extends all the way back to the 1990s when she first made her way to Russia as a freelance journalist and then as a foreign correspondent for the New York Times based in Moscow. So much of the coverage of the war in Ukraine concentrates on the day to day, but I really wanted to take advantage of Sabrina’s rich perspective and sophisticated understanding of the region. So, for this conversation, we dug deep and covered everything from what life was like in Russia just after the wall came down and Putin’s rise to power to how Russians today perceive this war and how things might play out in the months ahead. I hope you enjoy our talk as much as I did….(oh,

Adam Scott is a familiar face, having starred in some truly bingeable TV, including “Parks and Rec,” the cult-fave “Party Down,” “Big Little Lies,” and now the psychological thriller, “Severance” from Apple TV. Adam is one of those actors you feel like you know. But going into this conversation, Katie realized she didn’t really know anything about him. On this episode of Next Question with Katie Couric, Katie and Adam talk about his cuss-loving hippie mom, his fondness for forts, and his youthful, almost delusional, drive to become an actor. They dive into the uncanny timeliness of “Severance” and also go back to Adam’s youth and his Harrison Ford ah ha moment. No doubt, you’ll come away loving Adam Scott just as much as you thought you did.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We may be in the golden age of true crime television. Our latest obsession? The Silicon scammer. The bad entrepreneur. The failing founder. From “Super Pumped” (about Uber founder Travis Kalanick), to “We Crashed” (about WeWork founder Adam Neumann), to “The Dropout” (about Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes), it seems audiences can’t get enough of the heart-pounding rise and gut-punching fall of these brilliant, young, white, mostly male moguls. On this episode of Next Question with Katie Couric, Katie explores what it was like to become one of the more enigmatic tech billionaires, Elizabeth Holmes. “I got to go to work everyday and play this enigma and then go home to my family,” says Amanda Seyfried who stars as Holmes in the Hulu series, “The Dropout,” based on the podcast of the same name. Amanda and Katie talk about nailing the look, reaching the depths of Elizabeth’s voice, and how Amanda found ways to identify with the now-convicte

When Reshma Saujani started Girls Who Code in 2012, she was on a mission to close the gender gap in technology. Now, she’s on a new mission: to bridge the support gap for women and bring more moms back to the workforce. “Women are in crisis. And I think we realized that no one is coming to save us,” Reshma says. On this episode of Next Question with Katie Couric, Reshma Soujani talks about her new book, “Pay Up: The Future of Women and Work and Why It’s Different Than You Think.” They talk about the origin story of the book, the state of women’s professional progress, the impact the pandemic has had on their careers, mental health, and lives, and why there’s no time like the present to redesign the workplace. “Never waste a good crisis,” Reshma says. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In part 2 of Next Question’s deep dive into long COVID, Katie tries to get some answers. Why is the healthcare system so routinely dismissing the experiences of long COVID sufferers? Why is it so difficult to get care? What does the long COVID community need? And what is the government doing about it? On this episode of Next Question with Katie Couric, Katie unpacks the systemic issues that are impeding patients’ care and conveys the urgent needs of the long COVID community to elected officials.  More about the groups and resources mentioned in this episode: Survivor Corps Body Politic Mount Sinai Post COVID Care Center More about some of the guests mentioned in this episode: Yale Prof. Dr.  Akiko Iwasaki (Twitter) Yale Prof. Dr. Harlan Krumholz (Twitter) Chimére L. Smith Jeanine Hays and Bryan Mason, Aphro Chic ABOUT - AphroChic | Modern Soulful Style Diana Berrent, Survivor Corps More information on long COVID: The CARES for Long COVID Act Yale researchers unlock secrets th