886: Blackout
This American Life
05/04/26
•54m
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Since the war began in Iran, we've heard very little from people inside the country — and there's a reason for that. The entire country has been under an internet blackout. We worked with reporters Roxana Saberi and Fatemeh Jamalpour to get voice memos out of the country. Even though it was dangerous and difficult, people wanted to be heard.
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(00:00:00) Prologue: Shirin's parents suddenly disappear into the blackout. (5 minutes)
(00:06:37) Act One: It’s a war and a blackout. People want to talk about both. (17 minutes)
(00:16:26) Act Two: What happened before America and Israel went to war with Iran. (9 minutes)
(00:26:48) Act Three: Iranians have many opinions about the war, and about each other. (12 minutes)
(00:37:25) Act Four: What happened inside Iran the night President Trump threatened that "a whole civilization could die." And a clue about where the internet blackout is headed. (19 minutes)
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318: With Great Power
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•60m
People who end up with far more power than they bargained for, and everything that comes with it.
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- Prologue: Ira tells the story of two friends who had this incredible power to save someone. And with that great power came great responsibility. (4 minutes)
- Act One: Alex Kotlowitz reports on a woman with the power to change two people's lives — and at the height of her power, she doesn't even know she has it. (25 minutes)
- Act Two: Ira Glass talks with a mother and daughter who spent years watching their neighbor do things they found shocking and felt powerless to stop. Then, suddenly, they get the power to decisively change things permanently. And they have to decide if they will. (14 minutes)
- Act Three: When you're powerless, you spend a lot of time thinking about the people above you — what they want, why they do what they do, whether they'll ever come through. Shalom Auslander has a story about that relationship. (11 minutes)
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