Your Friday Five: 01.26.26
I haven't put out Friday + Five in a minute, so what better way to begin 2026 *gasp* than with some podcast suggestions that might help you learn stuff this year.
If you are like me, you do much of your learning via audiobooks and podcasts. I have my fun stuff like Sherlock and Co and Midnight Burger, but honestly, I spend most of my podcast time listening to news, politics, and current events shows.
Below are the ones that I find myself gravitating to the most along with a favorite episode. The images and episodes are linked to Spotify as that is where I listen to podcasts (I know, I know, don't woke shame me), but they can be found everywhere.
ONE || The Global Story from BBC World Service is a 30-40-minute show that focuses on a single global story at a time. Some of you will recognize one of the hosts, Asma Khalid from NPR. She is one of my favorite hosts, so I was glad to find her land here after leaving NPR.
Here is a great episode.
TWO || The Daily Beans is a daily podcast, yes DAILY podcast hosted by AG and Dana Goldberg according to their website, "The Daily Beans is a women-owned and operated progressive news podcast for your morning commute brought to you by the webby award-winning hosts of Mueller, She Wrote. Get your social justice and political news with just the right amount of snark." I don't listen every day, but when I do, it is highly entertaining and informative. Fair warning, depending on your swearing culture, there us much :-)
Here is a recent episode with a good representation.
THREE || Sources & Methods is from NPR and hosted by Mary Louise Kelly. It is a nerdy national security podcast and seems particularly important during these times when the Trump administration has thrown our international relations into chaos. These shows have guests who bring a wealth of knowledge and experience.
Only the last four episodes are available to non-npr+ folks, so here is the most recent episode.
FOUR || NPR Politics Podcast is a quick episode on a current political event. Because of NPR's large number of correspondents, it can cover a wide range of topics with depth that other shows cannot. The vibe is serious and accessible.
Here is the year-end recap of Trump's foreign policy episode
FIVE || Rania Khalek Dispatches is a podcast that gives a solid leftist perspective around most things. I appreciate Rania's honesty and intellect around issues that I am still learning about. Episodes aren't very consistent, so be sure to turn on notifications.
Here is the episode immediately following the election of Zohran Mamdani as mayor of New York city.
Peace,
From the Camera Roll: Happy Holidays from our family to yours. This year we were down our eldest child, so after our extended family extravaganza on Christmas Eve, we spent a pretty quiet Christmas Day with just the four of us.
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