Journalist and author Jacob Soboroff (MS Now) has spent the better part of a decade reporting from inside America’s fractured immigration system. He joins us this week, fresh off the plane from Minneapolis, where he’s been on the ground covering the ICE raids that continue to sweep across the city (and the nation).

We discuss the evolving operations (3:00) and protests on the ground (6:00), the gulf between conservative media’s portrayals of unrest and the reality he’s witnessed (14:00), and the potential for accountability in the shootings of Renée Nicole Good and Alex Pretti (23:00).

Soboroff then offers an abridged history of immigration enforcement (31:00), dispatches from his 2018 visit to a family separation facility in Texas (38:00), and insights on ICE’s online recruitment campaign (46:00). To close, we unpack the next phase of ICE (1:01:00), Jacob’s reporting on the LA wildfires in his new book Firestorm (1:05:00), and whether Bad Bunny’s call for unity will be heard (1:11:00).

As always, our email— talkeasypod@gmail.com.

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Musician Anderson .Paak has always marched to the beat of his own drum. Whether he’s on the church circuit in Oxnard, center stage at the Grammys, or as one half of groups like NxWorries and Silk Sonic, Anderson is joyfully, defiantly, himself.

Watch this conversation on YouTube.

The versatile singer-songwriter joins us this week to discuss his directorial debut, K-Pops! (3:31), the music—Frankie Beverly & Maze, Earth, Wind & Fire, Stevie Wonder—that shaped his upbringing in Oxnard, CA (14:05), and the life-changing afternoon that eventually inspired the track “Battlefield” (16:00). Then, Anderson reflects on discovering the drums in middle school (21:15), his winding road to becoming a professional musician (27:35), and how his SoundCloud hit “Suede” stopped Dr. Dre in his tracks (42:20).

On the back-half, we dive into the whirlwind decade following the release of “Malibu”: featuring a lesson in presence from Snoop Dogg (58:00), tour life (1:00:15), the spirit of James Brown (1:02:08), collaborating with Smokey Robinson on the instant classic “Make it Better” (1:07:15), his next record (1:16:00), and how he hopes the music continues to evolve in the years ahead (1:19:00).

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See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

George Saunders has long been hailed as one of the great short story writers of our time. Of his 1996 debut CivilWarLand in Bad Decline, Zadie Smith called Saunders “a prophecy and the voice of the American berserk.” Thirty years later, Saunders is still turning to the page in search of answers.

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We sit today to discuss his latest novel, Vigil (6:25), why he felt drawn to this story circling the afterlife (9:55), and his own brush with death in the early 2000s (12:40). Then, Saunders reflects on a life-changing moment in Singapore (20:45), his instinct toward peacemaking (25:00), and what he makes of this fraught moment in America (27:00).

On the back-half, we talk about his 2016 reporting for The New Yorker (40:00), the formation of Saunders’ signature literary style (43:00), and the idea of inevitable occurrences (52:00). To close, Saunders revisits his 2020 short story “Love Letter” (1:11:00), looks toward the future (1:15:00), and shares a tribute to his wife, Paula (1:17:00).

Thoughts or future guest ideas? Email us at talkeasypod@gmail.com.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.