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It's Been a Minute with Sam Sanders Each week, Sam Sanders interviews people in the culture who deserve your attention. Plus weekly wraps of the news with other journalists. Join Sam as he makes sense of the world through conversation.
It's Been a Minute with Sam Sanders

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It's Been a Minute with Sam Sanders

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Each week, Sam Sanders interviews people in the culture who deserve your attention. Plus weekly wraps of the news with other journalists. Join Sam as he makes sense of the world through conversation.

Most Recent Episodes

Presenting 'Throughline': Nikole Hannah-Jones and the war over history

Nikole Hannah-Jones, creator and author of the 1619 Project. The New York Times hide caption

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The New York Times

Presenting 'Throughline': Nikole Hannah-Jones and the war over history

In this special episode from our friends at Throughline, co-hosts Rund Abdelfatah and Ramtin Arablouei explore the war over history with Nikole Hannah-Jones, an investigative journalist at The New York Times and the creator of the 1619 Project. They discuss how the 1619 Project became one of the most dramatic battlegrounds in the fight over our country's historical narratives — and whether an agreed upon history could ever exist.

Presenting 'Throughline': Nikole Hannah-Jones and the war over history

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Looking back at Whitney Houston's 1991 national anthem

Whitney Houston sings the National Anthem prior to Super Bowl XXV on January 27, 1991. Getty Images hide caption

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Getty Images

Looking back at Whitney Houston's 1991 national anthem

Happy New Year's Eve, y'all! Before we officially end 2021, we're revisiting on one of our favorite episodes of the year — our deep dive into Whitney Houston's 1991 national anthem. Sam chats with Danyel Smith, host of Black Girl Songbook, about how Whitney Houston captivated the entire nation with her rendition of the national anthem that year and why it still matters more than 30 years later.

Looking back at Whitney Houston's 1991 national anthem

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2021 in music with 'Switched on Pop'

Charlie Harding and Nate Sloan host the podcast Switched On Pop and are co-authors of the book Switched On Pop: How Popular Music Works, and Why it Matters. Switched On Pop hide caption

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Switched On Pop

2021 in music with 'Switched on Pop'

Sam chats with Charlie Harding and Nate Sloan, the two co-hosts of the podcast Switched on Pop, about the year in music. They discuss how TikTok and streaming continue to change the pop landscape and share their favorite albums of 2021.

2021 in music with 'Switched on Pop'

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The holiday movie machine

Vanessa Hudgens, Vanessa Hudgens, and Vanessa Hudgens starring in The Princess Switch 3: Romancing the Star. Mark Mainz/NETFLIX © 2021 hide caption

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Mark Mainz/NETFLIX © 2021

The holiday movie machine

Do holiday movies actually make money for networks like Hallmark and Netflix? How many Vanessa Hudgens characters is too many Vanessa Hudgens characters? Sam is joined by Pop Culture Happy Hour co-host Linda Holmes and author Kat Chow to discuss the best and worst 2021 holiday movies on TV and talk about the business behind them.

The holiday movie machine

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'The View' is cultural (and political) canon

Last year, after announcing he'd run for president, Joe Biden gave his first extended interview to ABC's The View. AP hide caption

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AP

'The View' is cultural (and political) canon

In an era when social media and streaming reign supreme, how has a daytime talk show on network television managed to stay relevant? With help from Ramin Setoodeh (author of the book Ladies Who Punch: The Explosive Inside Story of The View) and writer Amanda FitzSimons (who covered this for The New York Times Magazine), Sam explores why — and how — ABC's The View continues to trend on Twitter, regularly lands presidential candidates in the guest chair, and turns its Hot Topics roundtable into a microcosm of modern-day American politics. Here's looking at you, 2022 midterms!

'The View' is cultural (and political) canon

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Did that really happen this year?

Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez got back together this year after nearly two decades apart. AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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AFP via Getty Images

Did that really happen this year?

We take a look back on the year in news and pop culture... in quotes. For this special episode of It's Been a Minute, Sam is joined by NPR All Things Considered hosts Audie Cornish and Ari Shapiro to play a deluxe version of our favorite game, Who Said That.

Did that really happen this year?

Listen · 25:06
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Presenting 'Alt.Latino': Elvis Costello, reimagined en español

From left: producer Sebastian Krys, vocalist Nina Diaz and musician Elvis Costello. They've reimagined Costello's classic 1978 album, This Year's Model. Courtesy of the Artist hide caption

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Courtesy of the Artist

Presenting 'Alt.Latino': Elvis Costello, reimagined en español

In this special episode from our friends at Alt. Latino, host Felix Contreras talks to Elvis Costello and Grammy-winning producer Sebastian Krys about Costello's classic 1978 album, This Year's Model. It was reimagined as Spanish Model this year by a score of Latin artists. And unlike its predecessor, all the songs are in Spanish.

Presenting 'Alt.Latino': Elvis Costello, reimagined en español

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What has Biden accomplished (or not) in 2021?

U.S. President Joe Biden at the White House on December 01, 2021 in Washington, DC. Getty Images hide caption

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Getty Images

What has Biden accomplished (or not) in 2021?

Now that we're nearly a year into Joe Biden's presidency (and out of Donald Trump's)... what has Biden actually achieved? What promises has he kept or not kept? Sam talks it out with Yamiche Alcindor, White House correspondent for PBS NewsHour and moderator of Washington Week, and Ayesha Rascoe, NPR White House correspondent, about the year of Biden. They also play Who Said That.

What has Biden accomplished (or not) in 2021?

Listen · 40:00
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Working from home doesn't have to suck. Here's how 'Out Of Office' can be better

Chicago charter school teacher Angela McByrd poses for a photo before starting her day working remotely as a teacher in Chicago, on Sept. 24, 2020. AP hide caption

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AP

Working from home doesn't have to suck. Here's how 'Out Of Office' can be better

Has working from home during the pandemic been frustrating for you? You're not alone. Charlie Warzel and Anne Helen Petersen's new book Out of Office: The Big Problem and Bigger Promise of Working from Home tackles how remote work can improve, no matter what industry you're in. They talk to Sam about how companies can create sustainable and flexible work environments, the history of workplace culture in the U.S., and how employees can maintain a healthy work-life balance.

Working from home doesn't have to suck. Here's how 'Out Of Office' can be better

Listen · 32:34
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Was 2021 labor's year? Plus, 'Like a Virgin'

In August of 2021, more than 1,000 janitors with the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) rallied and marched in Los Angeles, California ahead of their as their contracts expiring. AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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AFP via Getty Images

Was 2021 labor's year? Plus, 'Like a Virgin'

Was 2021 the labor movement's year? It certainly felt like it — thousands of workers went on strike this year, at numbers considerably higher than in 2020. But in the context of American labor history, this year's organized strikes are small in comparison. Sam chats with author and labor historian at Georgetown University Lane Windham about why labor activism might be on the rise again. Plus, Rose Dommu and Fran Tirado chat about their new podcast, Like a Virgin, and how they bring their different cultural backgrounds and pop culture sensibilities together. They also play Who Said That?

Was 2021 labor's year? Plus, 'Like a Virgin'

Listen · 38:46
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