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It's Been a Minute with Sam Sanders Each week, Sam Sanders interviews people in the culture who deserve your attention. Plus weekly wraps of the news with other journalists. Join Sam as he makes sense of the world through conversation.
It's Been a Minute with Sam Sanders

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It's Been a Minute with Sam Sanders

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Each week, Sam Sanders interviews people in the culture who deserve your attention. Plus weekly wraps of the news with other journalists. Join Sam as he makes sense of the world through conversation.

Most Recent Episodes

'The View' is cultural (and political) canon

Last year, after announcing he'd run for president, Joe Biden gave his first extended interview to ABC's The View. AP hide caption

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AP

'The View' is cultural (and political) canon

In an era when social media and streaming reign supreme, how has a daytime talk show on network television managed to stay relevant? With help from Ramin Setoodeh (author of the book Ladies Who Punch: The Explosive Inside Story of The View) and writer Amanda FitzSimons (who covered this for The New York Times Magazine), Sam explores why — and how — ABC's The View continues to trend on Twitter, regularly lands presidential candidates in the guest chair, and turns its Hot Topics roundtable into a microcosm of modern-day American politics. Here's looking at you, 2022 midterms!

'The View' is cultural (and political) canon

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Did that really happen this year?

Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez got back together this year after nearly two decades apart. AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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AFP via Getty Images

Did that really happen this year?

We take a look back on the year in news and pop culture... in quotes. For this special episode of It's Been a Minute, Sam is joined by NPR All Things Considered hosts Audie Cornish and Ari Shapiro to play a deluxe version of our favorite game, Who Said That.

Did that really happen this year?

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Presenting 'Alt.Latino': Elvis Costello, reimagined en español

From left: producer Sebastian Krys, vocalist Nina Diaz and musician Elvis Costello. They've reimagined Costello's classic 1978 album, This Year's Model. Courtesy of the Artist hide caption

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Courtesy of the Artist

Presenting 'Alt.Latino': Elvis Costello, reimagined en español

In this special episode from our friends at Alt. Latino, host Felix Contreras talks to Elvis Costello and Grammy-winning producer Sebastian Krys about Costello's classic 1978 album, This Year's Model. It was reimagined as Spanish Model this year by a score of Latin artists. And unlike its predecessor, all the songs are in Spanish.

Presenting 'Alt.Latino': Elvis Costello, reimagined en español

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What has Biden accomplished (or not) in 2021?

U.S. President Joe Biden at the White House on December 01, 2021 in Washington, DC. Getty Images hide caption

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What has Biden accomplished (or not) in 2021?

Now that we're nearly a year into Joe Biden's presidency (and out of Donald Trump's)... what has Biden actually achieved? What promises has he kept or not kept? Sam talks it out with Yamiche Alcindor, White House correspondent for PBS NewsHour and moderator of Washington Week, and Ayesha Rascoe, NPR White House correspondent, about the year of Biden. They also play Who Said That.

What has Biden accomplished (or not) in 2021?

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Working from home doesn't have to suck. Here's how 'Out Of Office' can be better

Chicago charter school teacher Angela McByrd poses for a photo before starting her day working remotely as a teacher in Chicago, on Sept. 24, 2020. AP hide caption

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Working from home doesn't have to suck. Here's how 'Out Of Office' can be better

Has working from home during the pandemic been frustrating for you? You're not alone. Charlie Warzel and Anne Helen Petersen's new book Out of Office: The Big Problem and Bigger Promise of Working from Home tackles how remote work can improve, no matter what industry you're in. They talk to Sam about how companies can create sustainable and flexible work environments, the history of workplace culture in the U.S., and how employees can maintain a healthy work-life balance.

Working from home doesn't have to suck. Here's how 'Out Of Office' can be better

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Was 2021 labor's year? Plus, 'Like a Virgin'

In August of 2021, more than 1,000 janitors with the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) rallied and marched in Los Angeles, California ahead of their as their contracts expiring. AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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AFP via Getty Images

Was 2021 labor's year? Plus, 'Like a Virgin'

Was 2021 the labor movement's year? It certainly felt like it — thousands of workers went on strike this year, at numbers considerably higher than in 2020. But in the context of American labor history, this year's organized strikes are small in comparison. Sam chats with author and labor historian at Georgetown University Lane Windham about why labor activism might be on the rise again. Plus, Rose Dommu and Fran Tirado chat about their new podcast, Like a Virgin, and how they bring their different cultural backgrounds and pop culture sensibilities together. They also play Who Said That?

Was 2021 labor's year? Plus, 'Like a Virgin'

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Presenting 'Pop Culture Happy Hour': is 'Ghostbusters: Afterlife' stuck in nostalgia?

A view of a Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man figurine at the GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE World Premiere on November 15, 2021. Getty Images for Sony Pictures hide caption

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Getty Images for Sony Pictures

Presenting 'Pop Culture Happy Hour': is 'Ghostbusters: Afterlife' stuck in nostalgia?

In this special episode from our friends at Pop Culture Happy Hour, guest host Ayesha Rascoe joins co-hosts Glen Weldon and Stephen Thompson as well as NPR contributor Cyrena Touros to talk about the new movie Ghostbusters: Afterlife. They discuss why it's hard to recapture the original Ghostbusters magic and if the latest installment of the franchise added more to its world — or not.

Presenting 'Pop Culture Happy Hour': is 'Ghostbusters: Afterlife' stuck in nostalgia?

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What people miss in the conversation about banned books

Many banned books lists include Raina Telgemeier's Drama, Brendan Kiely and Jason Reynolds's All American Boys, Alison Bechdel's Fun Home, Benjamin Alire Sáenz's Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, Ruby Bridge's This is Your Time, and Toni Morrison's Beloved. NPR hide caption

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What people miss in the conversation about banned books

Guest host Ayesha Rascoe is joined by NPR senior editor Barrie Hardymon and Traci Thomas, host of The Stacks podcast, to talk about banned books. They talk about why it's important for kids to discover books freely, even if that means starting a hard conversation with them. They also discuss their favorite — and least favorite — books that often show up on banned book lists.

What people miss in the conversation about banned books

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From Taylor Swift to Thanksgiving, Dear Prudence gives the gift of advice

Jenée Desmond-Harris gives advice as Slate's Dear Prudence columnist. Courtesy of Slate hide caption

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Courtesy of Slate

From Taylor Swift to Thanksgiving, Dear Prudence gives the gift of advice

What better gift to give this holiday season than the gift of... advice? And solicited advice at that! For this episode, Sam is joined by Jenée Desmond-Harris, Slate's Dear Prudence advice columnist, to help answer everything from how to deal with a partner's overbearing adult daughter to a boyfriend's recent conversion to becoming a Swiftie (read: a fan of Taylor Swift) to the group dynamics of the Thanksgiving prayer in an atheist household. Happy holidays, everybody.

From Taylor Swift to Thanksgiving, Dear Prudence gives the gift of advice

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The hidden costs of holiday consumerism

Buy now, pay later and online returns are just a couple of the hidden costs of holiday shopping. Getty Images hide caption

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The hidden costs of holiday consumerism

A lot of consumers are worried about supply chain delays this holiday season — but there are also other issues to watch out for when shopping. Guest host Ayesha Rascoe talks about the hidden costs of holiday consumption with The Atlantic staff writer Amanda Mull and The Washington Post retail reporter Abha Bhattarai. They discuss the potential downfalls of buy now, pay later services and where online shopping returns really go. Then, they play a game of Who Said That?

The hidden costs of holiday consumerism

Listen · 31:19
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It's Been a Minute with Sam Sanders

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