Apple News In Conversation

Samantha King, a health scholar who studies how culture shapes diets, and Gavin Weedon, a sociologist tracing nutrition trends, unpack the protein boom. They explore protein’s historical rise, marketing and industry forces behind protein products, and how protein culture serves big business and status-seeking consumers.

Kate Conger, NYT technology reporter who covered Twitter’s turmoil. Ryan Mac, NYT technology reporter and co-author tracking Twitter’s transformation. They unpack Musk’s takeover, mass layoffs, major product and moderation shifts, the rise of Grok AI, and how platform choices reshaped who stays and how online conversations unfold.

Katey Rich, awards editor and entertainment journalist who covers the Oscars and awards strategy, pulls back the curtain on big-budget campaigning. She discusses how campaigns can dwarf production costs. She explains who votes, how targeted outreach and screenings sway nominations, and why awards season still boosts small films and L.A. workers.

Susan Glasser, New Yorker staff writer and coauthor of The Divider, breaks down Trump's foreign policy instincts and presidential power. She discusses the Iran strikes as a risky, map-driven push for legacy and territory. Conversation covers mixed messaging from officials, Israel's role, constraints on presidential action, and the conflict's immediate domestic and credibility consequences.

This is an episode from our archives.For more than a century, Johnson & Johnson has billed itself as one of the most trusted companies in American history. But, in a stunning investigation, journalist Gardiner Harris documents decades of misconduct and malfeasance by the health-care conglomerate. Harris’s book is called No More Tears: The Dark Secrets of Johnson & Johnson. He spoke with Apple News In Conversation host Shumita Basu about why he says the company has “knowingly contributed to the deaths and grievous injuries of millions” through products including baby powder, a fentanyl patch, and a cancer drug. Johnson & Johnson has denied many of these allegations.

Laura Mauldin, a disability scholar and author who turned her personal caregiving story into research, shares candid accounts of caring for a partner with leukemia and others facing sudden disability. The conversation highlights how U.S. health systems shift unpaid labor onto loved ones. Intimate stories reveal strain, creativity in adapting, and calls for systemic change.

Reeves Wiedeman, New York magazine features writer who profiled David Ellison, unpacks Hollywood’s consolidation drama. He explains why Ellison pursued big studio deals and how tech money is reshaping film and news power. The conversation covers financing, potential newsroom influence, and what massive mergers mean for viewers and industry workers.

Suzy Exposito, Los Angeles Times editor and longtime music journalist, has tracked Bad Bunny’s rise from Puerto Rico to global superstar. She recounts his SoundCloud breakthrough, genre-bending experiments, and his choice to sing in Spanish. She also highlights his cultural pride, political stances, and what headlining the Super Bowl means for Latino visibility.

Caitlin Dickerson, Pulitzer Prize winner and Atlantic staff writer known for deep reporting on immigration, discusses ICE's shift to aggressive interior enforcement. She covers rapid hiring, reduced oversight, expanded deportations, local police partnerships, and legal fights over warrantless entries. The conversation tracks how these changes play out on the ground and in courts.

Pulitzer Prize-winning science writer Elizabeth Kolbert discusses her extensive reporting on climate and environmental change. She shares insights from her journeys to spectacular ecosystems and the urgent need to catalog vanishing species like caterpillars. Kolbert explores innovative projects like AI decoding sperm whale communication and legal rights for nature. She emphasizes the importance of carbon removal efforts, reflects on U.S. climate policy, and encourages personal stewardship to foster local biodiversity.