On The Media

Rosanne's Cash's new album features 10 new songs, all written and co-written by Cash, that find her "speaking out and looking inward" ( The Boston Globe ) from a uniquely female perspective. It features contributions from Elvis Costello, Kris Kristofferson, Colin Meloy and Sam Phillips, plus three extra tracks that appear on the deluxe edition of the record. The album's title track was just named one of the Top 5 songs of 2018 by   The New York Times .  She sat down with Brooke for an evening of talk and music at WNYC's very own theater, The Greene Space. 

On Thursday, President Trump flew down to McAllen, Texas to push his pro-wall, anti-immigrant narrative. This week, On the Media examines how the community tells a more welcoming story about the border — and a dogged presidential fact-checker joins us to pick apart the Oval Office address. Plus, how some progressives used Russian election interference tactics against a right-wing senate campaign. Also, is everything online fake?  1. Lorenzo Zazueta [ . 2. Daniel Dale [ . 3. Scott Shane [ . 4. Matt Osborne [ . 5. Max Read [ .

Is it too ordinary to be afraid of your cat dying? Jeff VanderMeer is an author based in  Tallahassee, Florida.   This week he is the featured guest on the podcast "10 things that scare me: a tiny podcast about our biggest fears," produced by WNYC Studios. We spoke to Jeff a year ago about the impending climate change disaster for a show we called . His award-winning  Southern Reach  trilogy has been published in over 35 languages.  Join the  .

Just outside of Mobile, Alabama, sits the small community of Africatown, a town established by the last known slaves brought to America, illegally, in 1860. Decades after that last slave ship,   The   Clotilde , burned in the waters outside Mobile, Africatown residents are pushing back against the forces of industrial destruction and national amnesia. Local struggles over environmental justice, land ownership, and development could determine whether Africatown becomes an historical destination, a living monument to a lingering past — or whether shadows cast by highway overpasses and gasoline tanks will erase our country's hard-learned lessons.  Brooke spoke with   , and others about the past, present, and future of Africatown, Alabama.  **This episode was originally aired in May of 2018.** Songs: Death Have Mercy by Regina Carter Sacred Oracle by John Zorn and Bill Frisell Passing Time by John Renbourn The Thompson Fields by Maria Schneider Jazz Orchestra

Joe Frank -- the radio producer’s radio producer, the ultimate acquired taste -- died last January. He was 79. For over four decades Frank hosted   consider Frank a major influence on their own work. Brooke discussed Joe Frank's life, style and legacy with