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To the Best of our Knowledge

To the Best of Our Knowledge

If ideas are entertainment for public radio listeners, then To the Best of Our Knowledge is here to deliver.

Remembering Nobel laureate Wangari Maathai in her words

Wangari Maathai, the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize, died of cancer on Sunday — in this 2007 interview, Maathai describes her life in environmental activism.

Trump

Even Trump’s most loyal fans say he can be abrasive and rude. Is it part of his success?

Conflict
Jeanne Safer and Richard Brookhiser are happily married despite decades of political difference.

How a couple political opposites have made their relationship endure

Global Politics
A supporter of Republican US presidential nominee Donald Trump

Furious political rhetoric is as American as Thomas Jefferson

Global Politics

Information overload existed for millennia says historian

Environment
Hillary Clinton at graduation

Clinton’s first speech: In just-released 1969 audio, she reveals ‘blueprint for her future’

Election 2016

At age 21, Hillary Rodham became the first student to speak at a Wellesley College commencement. The college just released the full audio.

Man kneels in front of make-shift memorial with head in hands

For ‘lone wolf’ terrorists, the motivation for violence isn’t always hate

Culture

A social psychologist studied terrorism case histories and reached a surprising conclusion. Some lone wolf terrorists are motivated not by hate, but by love.

group of protesters, with signs "Jesus doesn't build walls" and "Faith over fear"

Trump chooses Pence, but should Evangelical Christians choose Trump?

Global Politics

In June, hundreds of Evangelical leaders met with Donald Trump. One prominent Evangelical leader did not attend. Here’s why.

Saah Exco was found alone on a beach in Monrovia, Liberia, naked and abandoned.

Is the risk of photojournalism worth it?

Media

Before NPR journalist David Gilkey died in Afghanistan, he often spoke about the dilemmas he faced in covering conflict.

The Aesthetic Beauty of War Photography

There are moral and ethical issues that come up around war photography. Writer David Shields charged the New York Times with glamorizing war in photographs.  Shields analyzed 100’s of pictures published on the front page of the Times and last year he wrote a book accusing the paper of making war beautiful.  Charles Monroe-Kane sat […]