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Kai Ryssdal

Host and senior editor

SHORT BIO

I speak my native tongue into a microphone.

What was your first job?

Lifeguard. (Well, that and mowing lawns.)

What do you think is the hardest part of your job that no one knows?

Staying calm.

What advice do you wish someone had given you before you started this career?

Don't think — just talk.

In your next life, what would your career be?

Helicopter pilot.

Latest Stories (5,702)

The monumental task of measuring the GDP over and over again

Sep 28, 2023
The keepers of GDP continually update their calculations as more information becomes available.
Measuring the economy requires continually revising data as more data becomes available.
Stephane de Sakutin/AFP via Getty Images

Most millennials are homeowners now

Sep 28, 2023
Millennials have faced challenges to homeownership for years. Now, a slim majority of millennials own a home.
As of 2022, the majority of millennials now own homes.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Why does furniture fall apart so easily?

Sep 27, 2023
Furniture used to last a lifetime. Now, not so much. But how did we get here?
"A great place to buy long-lasting furniture is a vintage furniture store, right? The proof is in the pudding that it's well made because it's lasting long enough for you to be able to purchase it right now," said Washington Post reporter Rachel Kurzius.
jozzeppe/Getty Images

Twenty years on, pumpkin spice still has a hold on autumn (and America)

Sep 26, 2023
"It's just sort of become part of the fabric of our lives. It's now vanilla and chocolate and peppermint... and pumpkin spice," says food writer Emily Heil.
Unlike short-lived food fads, pumpkin spice has hung on for 20 years.
Edward Berthelot/Getty Images

Climate change means more extremes for Washington hops farmer

Sep 25, 2023
After a cold spring and unseasonably hot and dry summer, Patrick Smith of Yakima is seeing some abnormalities in when his crops mature.
"Overall, I'd say that the apple crop statewide is looking quite good," Washington farmer Patrick Smith says.
Matthew Cavanaugh/Getty Images

How the orange egg yolk trend was hatched

Sep 22, 2023
With eggs a more costly commodity, yolks of a richer color have come to signify luxury, writer Marian Bull observes.
Richer-hued yolks are a feast for the eyes to some. They may also signify luxury and "almost purity," says writer Marian Bull.
Brent Lewin/Getty Images

What a “de facto ban” on Airbnb means for New York City 

Sep 21, 2023
Will housing prices go down with fewer short-term renters around?
Airbnb has a long history in New York City. But New York's stance towards short-term rentals has just gone from one of the most relaxed policies out there, to one of the strictest.
Kena Betancur/AFP via Getty Images

Did Burger King tell a whopper? Why false advertising suits are on the rise

Sep 20, 2023
Rebecca Tushnet of Harvard Law School explains the incentive behind companies making vague promises to consumers.
A class-action lawsuit accuses Burger King of falsely advertising the size of its Whopper.
Anne-Christine Poujoulat/AFP via Getty Images

Where did all the G-rated blockbusters go?

A look at why PG is the new G for family movies in theaters this year.
Even this year's sequel to the "Trolls" movie didn't pass the G-rated test.
Daniel Leal/AFP via Getty Images

"People are feeling the pinch," Montana mall manager says

We check in with Alana Ferko, manager of the Butte Plaza Mall, who tells us about vacancy rates and a few special guests.
"People are very good at patronizing, and I appreciate that. But it's not enough," says Alana Ferko of the Butte Plaza Mall's vacancies. "I mean, they're gonna put out the energy to come to the mall, we want it to be worth it." Above, a mall in Florida.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images

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