Frank Buckley Interviews

Mary Roach is an author that specializes in science and humor. She has been called "America's funniest science writer." Her new book, "Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law," focuses on the unpredictable world where animals and humans meet and the curious science of human-wildlife conflict. In this podcast, Roach discusses some of the wildest encounters she found in her investigations. She also shares some of her thoughts on wildlife encounters that may be common in Los Angeles, like what to do should you encounter a bear or mountain lion.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

53 years ago on July 20th, 1969, Neil Armstrong became the first man on the moon. He was the first of only 12 human beings to ever step on the surface of the moon. Among those 12 men is Charles Duke. Duke was an astronaut on Apollo 16, and the youngest person to ever walk on the lunar surface at the age of 36. During the first mission to the moon, Apollo 11, Charlie Duke was the voice of Houston's Mission Control, serving as CAPCOM. His was the first voice from earth to reach the moon after the Eagle had landed at Tranquility Base. Charlie shares the tense moments leading up to that first moon landing, and also recalls his own experiences on the lunar surface for Apollo 16.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Frances Haugen is a data scientist and technologist. She is also an advocate for accountability & transparency in social media. In 2021, Haugen disclosed tens of thousands of Facebook's internal documents to the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Wall Street Journal. The WSJ's investigation included examination of exemptions for high-profile users, impacts on youth, the impacts of its 2018 algorithm changes, weaknesses in the response to human trafficking and drug cartels, vaccine misinformation, and more. After disclosing her identity as the Facebook whistleblower on 60 Minutes, Haugen discussed the Facebook program known as Civic Integrity, which was intended to curb misinformation and other threats to election security. Haugen has said that many of the things she repeatedly saw at Facebook were "conflicts of interest between what was good for the public and what was good for Facebook." In this podcast, Frances Haugen explains why she decided to blow the whistle on Facebook. She details the

Giller Prize, and Station Eleven, a finalist for a National Book Award and the PEN/Faulkner Award. It won the 2015 Arthur C. Clarke Award and was adapted as a limited series for HBO Max. Her new book is Sea of Tranquility.During this podcast, Emily St. John Mandel discusses her approach to writing, her friendship and collaboration with TV showrunner Patrick Somerville on Station 11 (including how they met as young authors years before at a reading of their novels attended by four people), and her personal view on themes she explores in her books like time travel. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Patrick Somerville is a writer and author who is the showrunner for the HBO Max TV series "Station Eleven." The series is based on the novel by Emily St. Jean Mandel about a group of survivors of a devastating pandemic.During this podcast, Somerville discusses the challenges of making a TV series about a global pandemic during a global pandemic and how the book and series were published and conceived long before Covid-19 was discovered. He also takes listeners behind the scenes of the production and how it was written and produced, and reveals how he met the author of "Station Eleven" Ms. Mandel years before this collaboration when they were both up and coming writers.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Richie Stephens became an alcoholic and a petty criminal as a teenager growing up in Ireland. He became a drug addict and then a drug trafficker as his life spiraled out of control. The Irishman eventually ended up in San Francisco where he joined a Chinese gang. He nearly ended his own life before realizing that his addiction was at the heart of his self-destructive ways. A journey to sobriety and a trip down the state of California to Hollywood led to Richie Stephens becoming an actor where today (of course) he often plays criminals. Stephens tells the incredible story of his life with co-authors John Altschuler and Dave Krinsky in the new book "The Gangster's Guide to Sobriety: My Life in 12 Steps."The coming together of the authors and the writing of the book is an incredible story in and of itself. It's now being developed as a TV series. That's because Altschuler and Krinsky are successful Hollywood writers and producers known for creating and running high-profile TV shows including creating the success

The Human Trial is a documentary from filmmakers Lisa Hepner and Guy Mossman that follows a human clinical trial using embryonic stem cells over the course of seven years as researchers and patient volunteers work on a cure for type 1 diabetes. The filmmakers gained unprecedented access to the San Diego biotech start-up ViaCyte which has developed an implantable pouch that holds stem cells programmed to create the kind of insulin-producing pancreatic islet cells destroyed by type 1 diabetes. It is considered one of the most promising paths to a functional cure for the disease.During this podcast, Lisa Hepner, who has type 1 diabetes, discusses what she learned during the filming of the documentary. She talks about the process of gaining the trust of both researchers and patients as they experience elation and disappointment. And she reveals her view on if and when researchers will develop a cure for type 1 diabetes.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.

MIchio Kaku is a renowned theoretical physicist, and professor of theoretical physics at the City University of New York. Kakue is the co-founder of string field theory, and the author of several widely acclaimed science books.Kaku is now author of the new book, "The God Equation: The Quest for a Theory of Everything." The epic story explains the greatest quest in all of science—the holy grail of physics that would explain the creation of the universe.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Marcus Yam is a roving Los Angeles Times foreign correspondent and staff photographer. In 2019, Marcus was awarded the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Journalism Award for his unflinching and intimate body of work documenting the everyday plight of Gazans during deadly clashes in the Gaza Strip. Marcus was part of two Pulitzer Prize winning breaking news teams that covered the tragic San Bernardino terrorist attacks in 2015 for the Los Angeles Times, and the deadly landslide in Oso, Washington for the Seattle Times. In 2022, Marcus was awarded the 2022 Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Photography for his compelling coverage of the fall of Afghanistan to the Taliban. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor is a neuroscientist, former member of the Time Magazine "100 Most Influential People in the World" list, and the New York Times best-selling author of "My Stroke of Insight" which documented the devastating stroke she suffered in 1996 along with her eight-year-long recovery to regain the ability to speak, read, write, and walk. Her new book is "Whole Brain Living: The Anatomy of Choice and the Four Characters that Drive Our Life."During this podcast, Dr. Bolte Taylor goes beyond the concept of the "rational left brain and emotional right brain" to argue that the brain actually has four distinct "characters" living in it and that by understanding them, one can better choose thoughts, feelings and behaviors.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Steven Van Zandt is musician, actor, and activist best known for his decades long collaboration with Bruce Springsteen as a member of the E Street Band. As an actor, he starred in The Sopranos as Silvio Dante and as Frank Tagliano on the Netflix show Lilyhammer. His activism in the 1980s and 1990s included forming the group Artists Against Apartheid and producing the record Sun City.During this podcast, Van Zandt discusses his life and career and his new book "Unrequited Infatuations." He takes listeners back to the origins of the E Street Band and his work with Bruce Springsteen. Van Zandt also talks about why he left the band and then returned. He also reveals how despite a lack of acting experience or training, he was able to so effectively play the role of Silvio Dante in The Sopranos.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

J. David McSwane is an investigative reporter with the non-profit news organization ProPublica. He is the author of the new book "Pandemic, Inc.: Chasing the Capitalists and Thieves Who Got Rich While We Got Sick."During this podcast, McSwane reveals who profited from the pandemic and how taxpayers funded untested and incompetent contractors. He details the U.S. government's rush to protect Americans from the Covid-19 virus as it spread across the globe, and he discusses the government's lack of preparation that left it vulnerable to profiteers who in some cases had no ability to deliver on the multi-million dollar contracts they received.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jon Marshall is an associate professor in the journalism program at Northwestern University's Medill School. He is the author of "Watergate's Legacy and the Press: The Investigative Impulse," and the new book "Clash: Presidents and the Press in Times of Crisis." His has written for the New York Times, the Christian Science Monitor, the Tampa Tribune, and many other publications. During this podcast, Marshall discusses the history of tension between journalists and presidents from founding father John Adams to Abraham Lincoln to Barack Obama, Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush, and Donald Trump. He reveals how former President Trump's efforts to attack journalists are only the latest attempt to discredit reporters and to blunt criticism of policies and a presidency.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Tristan Harris is a former Google Design Ethicist who was featured in the Netflix Original Documentary "The Social Dilemma." Tristan is the co-founder and president of the Center for Humane Technology "whose mission is to reverse ‘human downgrading’ and re-align technology with humanity," according to its website. The Atlantic Magazine once described Tristan as "the closest thing Silicon Valley has to a conscience." During this podcast, Tristan discusses "The Social Dilemma," the dangers of persuasive technology, and what all of us can do to better protect ourselves and our families from the  negative and sometimes harmful effects of social media use.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Author and journalist Mark Follman details the work of psychologists, FBI agents, and others working in the field of behavioral threat assessment who are working to stop mass shootings before they happen in the new book "Trigger Points: Inside the Mission to Stop Mass Shootings in America." During this podcast, Follman reveals the ways in which some mass shootings have been prevented. He takes us to a community that is successfully employing the lessons learned over decades of mass shootings in America to make their schools and community less susceptible to mass shootings. Follman also talks about what will be required to scale these programs across the U.S.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Eric Nusbaum is the author of the award-winning book, “Stealing Home: Los Angeles, the Dodgers, and the Lives Caught in Between.” Dodger Stadium is an American icon. But the story of how it came to be goes far beyond baseball. The hills that cradle the stadium were once home to three vibrant Mexican American communities. In the early 1950s, those communities were condemned to make way for a utopian public housing project. Then, in a remarkable turn, public housing in the city was defeated amidst a Red Scare conspiracy.Instead of getting their homes back, the remaining residents saw the city sell their land to Walter O’Malley, the owner of the Brooklyn Dodgers. Now LA would be getting a different sort of utopian fantasy — a glittering, ultra-modern stadium. But before Dodger Stadium could be built, the city would have to face down the neighborhood’s families — including one, the Aréchigas, who refused to yield their home. The ensuing confrontation captivated the nation – and the divisive outcome still echoes t

This week marks the 73rd anniversary of the Kathy Fiscus tragdedy. Kathy Fiscus was a three-year-old girl who fell into a well in San Marino, California in April 1949. The multi-day rescue effort was heartbreaking and became the focus of the first live breaking news event in the history of television news. KTLA’s coverage brought thousands of people to the scene in a desperate attempt to save Kathy.In the new book “Kathy Fiscus: A Tragedy that Transfixed the Nation,” William Deverell, professor of history and director of the Huntington-USC Institute on California and the West, takes readers inside the incident and provides the definitive history of it. During this podcast, Professor Deverell reveals how the rescue effort unfolded, explains KTLA’s role in the spectacle, and discusses the lasting impacts of the event.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Peter Goodman is the global economics correspondent for The New York Times. He is the author of the new book "Davos Man: How the Billionaires Devoured the World." Before joining the Times, Goodman was with The Washington Post in Shanghai as the newspaper's bureau chief and Asian economic correspondent.During this podcast, Goodman takes us behind the scenes at the Davos World Economic Forum to reveal what really happens when billionaires and policymakers gather behind closed doors and how those decisions affect all of us. He also tells us why he focuses on billionaires Jeff Bezos (Amazon), Jamie Dimon (JPMorgan Chase), Marc Benioff (Salesforce), Steven Schwarzman (Blackstone), and Larry Fink (BlackRock) in his book.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ali Noorani is the executive director of the non-partisan National Immigration Forum which describes itself as bringing together “moderate and conservative faith, law enforcement and business leaders…in support of practical and common sense immigration, citizenship and integration policies.” Ali is also the author of the book “Crossing Borders: The Reconciliation of a Nation of Immigrants.” During this podcast, Ali explains the responsibility the United States and other countries have to help refugees escaping war-torn Ukraine. He also explains the complexities of migration in the United States, through the stories of families fleeing violence and poverty, the government and nongovernmental organizations helping or hindering their progress, and the American communities receiving them. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Brad Meltzer is the New York Times Best Selling author of a dozen thrillers including his newest one "The Lightning Rod." The prolific author also writes the "Ordinary People Change the World" series of children's books and is the author of several non-fiction books such as The First Conspiracy and The Lincoln Conspiracy along with several comic books. Meltzer is also the host of Brad Meltzer's Decoded and Brad Meltzer's Lost History on the History Channel. Meltzer was previously on Frank Buckley Interviews in 2018.During this podcast, Meltzer discusses the research and true-life inspirations that spawned the characters in The Lightning Rod. He reveals how rejection early in his writing career both haunts him and drives him to work to succeed. Brad also takes listeners behind the scenes of his writing process and into his childhood to help his readers to understand why he chooses to write about certain subjects.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/