01. Questions Linger About Operation Epic Fury
02. Medicare Fraud Alert: 1.3 Million Americans Are Getting New Cards—What You Need to Know
03. ‘AI Brain Fry’ is Changing How We Think
04. What Your 2-Day Shipping Costs the Environment
05. How the Songs That Transport You Change Your Brain
06. Longtime Activist: How to Make a Difference in the World and Yourself
07. Why Are So Many Female Leaders Bowing Out?
08. How to Talk Across Differences Without Burning Out or Blowing Up
09. Is There a Way to Repair Slavery’s Lasting Wounds?
10. The Protein Myth That’s Keeping You Sick
11. How to Raise Emotionally Healthy Sons
12. Reduce Test Anxiety by Changing How Kids Think
13. It’s Time to Spring Clean Your Relationships
14. Stop Saying Everything’s OK When it’s Not
15. Is "Good Vibes Only" Making Your Audience Worse Off?
1. ==> Administration Lingering Questions About Operation Epic Fury
Poll after poll shows that Americans remain deeply skeptical about the Iran war’s merits and likely consequences. That skepticism has persisted despite the administration’s insistence that Operation Epic Fury is substantially degrading Iran’s military capabilities and will soon end. James Lindsay of the Council on Foreign Relations says that’s because of the many lingering questions, including: Can the United States keep Iran’s military capabilities degraded? If the United States has substantially degraded Iran’s ability to project power, why has Iran been able to close the Strait of Hormuz? And how will Trump square bombing Iran “back to the Stone Ages” and letting others re-open the Strait of Hormuz with his promise not to let U.S. Gulf allies “get hurt or fail in any way, shape, or form”? Lindsay says, “Until Trump and his advisers can answer these questions, it is hard to see how the Iran War will advance U.S. interests rather than set them back.” James Lindsay has written widely on various aspects of American foreign policy and international relations and he hosts the weekly podcast, The President’s Inbox, which examines the foreign policy challenges facing the United States. Contact him at jlindsay@cfr.org; @JamesMLindsay
2. ==> Medicare Fraud Alert: 1.3 Million Americans Getting New Cards—What You Need to Know
Medicare fraud is surging nationwide, and more than 1.3 million Americans are now being issued new Medicare card numbers after their information was compromised. This fast-moving story has major implications for seniors and their families, many of whom may not even realize they’ve been affected. Medicare expert Toni King is sounding the alarm after seeing fraud firsthand, including over $9,000 in false medical claims tied to a single beneficiary. She explains how these scams are happening, why many victims don’t discover them until it’s too late, and what immediate steps people should take to protect themselves. On your show, Toni reveals how to spot red flags on Medicare statements, what to do if your number is compromised, and why even a small oversight can trigger major financial and healthcare consequences. She also shares simple, actionable steps listeners can take today to safeguard their coverage. Contact Toni King at (281) 677-3736 or tking@rtirguests.com
3. ==> ‘AI Brain Fry’ is Changing How We Think
Consultants at Boston Consulting Group (BCG) have dubbed the phenomenon "AI brain fry," a state of mental exhaustion stemming "from the excessive use or supervision of artificial intelligence tools, pushed beyond our cognitive limits." These AI agents put users in the position of managing smart, fast digital workers rather than having to grind through jobs themselves. Psychologist Stephanie Johnson says, “In regards to AI, it’s just like the smartphones, right? You think smartphones would make people smarter. It’s not happening. Actually, the reverse is happening, right, because we’re leaning too much into somebody else just giving a quick answer and we’re not actually masterfully learning the information.” Ask her: If a person is engaging AI or a highly stimulated environment for 10 to 12 hours, are they actually learning? What is your recommendation for people who use AI? Are there certain hours of the day when the brain is in a better position to handle stimulation? Stephanie Johnson, PsyD, MSCP, is a licensed clinical psychologist with more than 17 years of experience and serves as CEO and chief psychologist of Summit Psychological Services in California. Contact Ryan McCormick at Ryan@goldmanmccormick.com
4. ==> What Your 2-Day Shipping Costs the Environment
It’s great to place an online order and receive it the next day, but what most people don’t consider is the climate impact of that convenience. “If you have expedited shipping, then you are not actually able to consolidate packages,” says Dr. Sreedevi Rajagopalan, director of the MIT Sustainable Supply Chain Lab. “As a result, you end up delivering less goods in a short period. You also end up visiting the same route, maybe multiple times the same day or consecutive days. So that actually results in very high emissions.” Rajagopalan, says how you order online can make a difference. “If the option is available, avoid same or next day delivery. Delaying a delivery by three to four days can reduce emissions from anywhere from 40% to 56%.” As she puts it: “It's important for us as consumers to sit back and think, ‘Do I really need this product tomorrow?’” Another smart shopping tip: Instead of placing small orders throughout the week or month, take time to consider your purchases and make them all at once. Sreedevi Rajagopalan is a research scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Center for Transportation and Logistics. Contact her at (617) 253-5768; sreedevi@mit.edu
5. ==> How the Songs That Transport You Change Your Brain
What if the moments when music “takes you somewhere” aren’t just emotional, but measurable brain events? A Princeton professor’s research reveals that songs can trigger more vivid and detailed memories than faces, food, or even television, and can pull listeners into shared imaginative experiences that feel deeply personal but are often patterned across people. Invite Elizabeth Hellmuth Margulis, PhD, to explain how music doesn’t just accompany our thoughts; it actively shapes them. As director of Princeton’s Music Cognition Lab, her work bridges music, psychology, and neuroscience, using experiments and listening studies to track how people respond to sound, what they remember, how their attention shifts, and how music reshapes emotional experience in real time. Her research has been featured by NPR, the BBC, and on Netflix’s “Explained,” where she appears on camera explaining how music shapes memory, emotion, and perception for a broad audience. Her latest book is “Transported: The Everyday Magic of Musical Daydreams.” Contact Johanna Ramos-Boyer at (703) 646-5137 (office); (703) 400-1099 (cell) or Erin Bolden at (703) 980-2705
6. ==> Longtime Activist: How to Make a Difference in the World and Yourself
Are you fed up with dysfunctional government? Tired of watching Congressional gridlock and partisan politics while your day-to-day life just keeps getting harder and more expensive? For the past 40 years, Sam Daley-Harris has been quietly leading a revolution in how ordinary citizens engage with democracy. Daley-Harris teaches transformational advocacy as opposed to transactional advocacy, which might involve signing a petition or writing a check. Instead, his method trains you to step outside your box and do things like meet with a member of Congress about an issue. As a result, you see yourself differently. That's the transformation! “I want to show people a way out of their cynicism and hopelessness and a path toward making a difference beyond their wildest dreams. I want people to see that they don't have to give up and how to find organizations that will really empower them and don't just leave them signing meaningless petitions.” Listeners who are disgusted by the current state of affairs in government will feel empowered as Daley-Harris offers them practical tools to move from anxiety to agency. Sam Daley-Harris founded the anti-poverty lobby RESULTS which has played a key advocacy role in reducing global child deaths by 66% over the last 40 years saving some 10 million lives a year. He is the author of “Reclaiming Our Democracy: Every Citizen's Guide to Transformational Advocacy.” Contact Sam Daley-Harris at (202) 804-2504; Sdaley@rtirguests.com
7. ==> Why Are So Many Female Leaders Bowing Out?
For decades, women were told to lean in, speak up, and push harder. Yet women in tech, finance, and other demanding fields are burning out and leaving leadership roles at record rates, with 43% of women leaders reporting burnout, compared to 31% of men. Master life coach and former banking executive Amanda Christian says the problem isn’t ambition. It’s the “translation tax” women pay in male-dominated workplaces when they’re constantly adjusting how they speak, lead, and make decisions in order to be taken seriously. Her book “The Skeptical Executive” outlines a research-backed alternative leadership approach that integrates mind, body, heart, and soul so high-achieving women can lead without burning out. Book her for a segment that shows why “lean in” backfired and what women and companies can do right now to stop losing their best female leaders. Contact Amanda Christian at (704) 610-1637; achristian@rtirguests.com
8. ==> How to Talk Across Differences Without Burning Out or Blowing Up
Americans are talking more than ever, yet we are understanding each other less. Differences in politics, faith, and values are making even simple conversations feel risky. National Muslim leader and peacebuilding expert Daisy Khan explains that many well-meaning attempts to bridge differences actually make conflict worse. She’ll explain why facts alone rarely change minds, how silence and cancel culture fuel division, and how simple language shifts can de-escalate conflict in real time. Drawing on her work training schools, workplaces, and communities, Khan will reveal practical tools for confronting bias without escalating conflict and share insights from her book “30 Rights of Muslim Women,” which challenges common assumptions about faith, identity, and equality. Contact Daisy Khan at (917) 905-7829; dkhan@rtirguests.com
9. ==> Is There a Way to Repair Slavery’s Lasting Wounds?
Lauraine White warns America’s reckoning with slavery can’t wait another generation. As President Trump’s non-inclusive politics fuel new battles over DEI, history standards and voting rights, she says the time for denial is over. With both enslaved and Confederate blood in her family line, White argues that real healing requires more than apologies. Her Freedom Wealth Fund lays out measurable steps that include erasing student-loan debt for descendants of slaves, free education, and rewriting U.S. history curricula to tell the full truth about the transatlantic slave trade. White insists this isn’t about relitigating the past—it’s a practical blueprint for a just future. With nearly 60% of Americans saying slavery still affects Black people’s position in society today (Pew Research), her plan will spark headlines, debate and the uncomfortable, but necessary, conversation America keeps postponing. Sample questions: Can a Confederate descendant credibly lead the call for reparations, or is that exactly why she should? Is student-debt forgiveness for descendants a fair, targeted form of reparations that taxpayers can accept? Contact lwhite@rtirguests.com (email preferred) or (770) 525-8743
10. ==> The Protein Myth That’s Keeping You Sick
A heart attack at age 70 forced Dorothy Greet to rethink everything she believed about nutrition, especially protein. After she and her 80-year-old husband ditched all animal products, their results were dramatic: normalized blood pressure and cholesterol, effortless weight loss, and energy levels they hadn't felt in decades. Now at 85, Greet is credentialed in plant-based nutrition from Cornell and ready to debunk the protein myth keeping millions sick. In interviews, Greet will reveal how Americans have been misled about protein requirements and why plant foods provide all the protein needed for optimal health. Drawing from her book “Go Veg with Class,” she'll share how two lifelong carnivores reversed heart disease through dietary change alone—and why it's never too late. Listeners will learn simple swaps to "ditch dairy" and "remove meat" while discovering how this shift could eliminate up to 80% of chronic diseases. Ask her: Where do you actually get your protein on a plant-based diet? You reversed heart disease at 70—what happened to your health markers? Why don't doctors tell patients about the power of dietary change? Contact Dorothy Greet at (302) 314-6010; dgreet@rtirguests.com
11. ==> How to Raise Emotionally Healthy Sons
In a world where boys are often taught to suppress their feelings, parenting expert and author C. Lynn Williams is changing the conversation. She offers practical, compassionate guidance for raising sons who are emotionally aware, resilient, and confident. “We need to focus on challenging outdated myths about masculinity and replace fear-based parenting with connection, communication, and trust,” she says. “When boys are given permission to feel, communicate, and be understood, they grow into healthier men and create stronger families and communities.” C. Lynn is the author of five parenting books including “Trying to Stay Sane While Raising Your Teen.” She’s an educator, speaker, and family dynamics strategist. Ask her: What challenges do boys face in modern society? How can parents raise sons who are strong without being aggressive? Contact C. Lynn Williams at (224) 357-6315; Cwilliams@rtirguests.com
12. ==> Reduce Test Anxiety by Changing How Kids Think
Most parents try to reduce test anxiety by pushing kids to study harder. Sharon Emily says that approach often backfires. When children feel pressured to perform, their brains shift into fear mode, which actually makes learning harder. A former counselor, Franklin Covey-trained facilitator, and educator, Sharon helps families understand how thoughts quietly shape behavior, confidence, and results. She teaches why creativity, repetition, and imagination can be more effective than checklists, rewards, or threats. Her book “Mirror of Myself” grew out of a simple insight: when kids learn to focus on possibility instead of fear, their choices change naturally. Sharon explains why positive thinking is not about ignoring reality, why mistakes can build confidence faster than success, and how the same mindset tools work across parenting, school, and life. Her approach gives families practical ways to calm anxiety and improve performance during high-stakes testing seasons. Contact Sharon Emily at (480) 470-3893 or semily@rtirguests.com
13. ==> It’s Time to Spring Clean Your Relationships
Every spring we declutter our homes, but what about our relationships and the emotional patterns we keep carrying? Many people swear, “This time will be different,” only to end up in the same kind of relationship. Sabrina Ciceri, author of “If It’s Not One Thing, It’s a Mother,” says partner choice is often driven by childhood conditioning, not logic. After growing up in deep family dysfunction (including her mother running off with her teenage boyfriend) Sabrina made a conscious decision to break the cycle. On-air, she explains why we’re drawn to what feels familiar (even when it hurts), how to recognize inherited relationship scripts, and the practical steps to choose differently. Contact Sabrina Ciceri at (352) 308-1596; sciceri@rtirguests.com
14. ==> Stop Saying Everything’s OK When it’s Not
Most people want the world to believe they’re strong—that they can push through, hold it together, and smile, completely unfazed by the weight they carry. But the truth is far more human. Many are terrified, overwhelmed, and quietly collapsing on the inside. For most of her adult life, author Kat Perkins lived this way too. She would always say, “It’s all good.” But after losing her mother at nine, surviving foster care, and later facing breast cancer, things were anything but “all good.” One day, a friend told her, “You need to stop saying it’s all good. It’s not. And it’s okay to feel what you feel.” That moment something cracked open. Kat learned what no one teaches us: you cannot rewrite the meaning of your pain until you understand it—not avoid it, outrun it, or dress it up in strength. You have to face it. Drawing from her memoir, “Girls with Pearls Have Power,” Kat now teaches women how to turn setbacks into turning points, reclaim authorship of their stories, and rise with clarity and courage rather than fear or pretending. Contact Kat Perkins at (404) 800-3916; kperkins@rtirguests.com
15. ==> Is "Good Vibes Only" Making Your Audience Worse Off?
As the season of renewal kicks off, millions of people are setting fresh intentions with vision boards in hand, but what if that relentless optimism is actually working against them? Author Lydia Samaniego is the guest your audience didn't know they needed. She brings a rare, refreshing honesty to a conversation that's long overdue: why positive thinking culture can quietly disconnect people from their own inner truth, and what to do instead. Spring is the perfect time to explore this. Audiences are already asking, "Why isn't this working for me?" Lydia helps them understand that real transformation isn't about thinking harder or "manifesting more." It's about listening to the quiet conflict between the mind and the heart, shedding inherited beliefs that no longer fit, and building an inside-out life. Contact Lydia Samaniego at (530) 443-5826; lsamaniego@rtirguests.com
