Sometimes you meet someone who is so dedicated, so inspired by an idea that it practically knocks you over. In the 1960s, Alice Waters got inspired by organic food and the farmers who grow it when she opened her iconic Chez Panisse restaurant in Berkeley, California. Known as a pioneer of the farm to table movement, Waters   dreamed of serving Bill Clinton the perfect peach and she inspired Michelle Obama to plant the White House garden. I talk to Alice Waters about why she believes that food and eating is a political act. “Now What?” is produced with the help of Gabe Zimmer, Steve Zimmer and Stephanie Marie Horton. Audio production is by Nick Ciavatta.

Carl Reiner was 98 when he died. I’ll never forget the hours I spent with him sitting in his Beverly Hills home in the same chair that his best friend Mel Brooks always used when he visited. Reiner was 94 on that summer afternoon when I spoke to him about his long career in television and film, his 65-year marriage to his wife Estelle and why he’d always wanted to be an Irish tenor. Then Carl Reiner burst into song. That’s all on this episode of “Now What?” which is produced with the help of Stephen Colon, Gabe Zimmer and Steve Zimmer. Audio production is by Nick Ciavatta. 

With the world in turmoil, we could all use a little inspiration. That’s why I wanted to talk to Robert Reich. Reich is an economist, a Professor of Public Policy at UC Berkeley, a former Secretary of Labor in the Clinton Administration and the author of 19 books including his latest, “The System: Who Rigged it, How We Fix it. You won’t want to miss our conversation about other tough periods in American history and how the U.S.  managed to move on to better times. “Now What?” is produced with the help of Gabe Zimmer, Steve Zimmer and Stephanie Ann Horton. Audio production is by Nick Ciavatta.