In 2002, Jad Abumrad began tinkering with an idea for a new kind of radio program, an open-ended radio “laboratory” that would explore science, philosophy, and human experience. He created Radiolab, which has since evolved into one of public radio’s most popular programs. In 2016, Abumrad launched the podcast More Perfect, a series about how the Supreme Court shapes everything from marriage and money to public safety and sex. More Perfect connects listeners to the decisions made inside the court, and explains what those rulings mean for us. As described by The New Yorker, “the show is often subtly astonishing. It’s both sobering in its thoughtful investigations of the United States government’s unfairness to many of its own citizens and quietly optimistic in its desire to make us understand.”
Alexis Madrigal is a staff writer at The Atlantic and the author of Powering the Dream: The History and Promise of Green Technology. He created and hosted Containers, a podcast about the machinery of global capitalism and the city of Oakland.