Friday:

• Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is publicly sharing the process of freezing her eggs, all while people are speculating about her plans to run for higher office. Annie Karni, congressional correspondent for The New York Times and co-author (with Luke Broadwater) of Mad House: How Donald Trump, Maga Mean Girls, a Former Used Car Salesman, a Florida Nepo Baby and a Man with Rats in his Walls Broke Congress (Random House, 2025), talks about how women are reacting and how this might connect to her political future.
• Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman is running against incumbent Gov. Kathy Hochul for governor of New York, and a new poll shows the county executive is just ten points behind the governor. Jimmy Vielkind, New York State Issues reporter for WNYC and Gothamist, and Bahar Ostadan, Nassau County government reporter for Newsday, talk about the state of the race, including the role President Trump is taking as he and Blakeman are scheduled to attend an event together on Long Island.
• End-of-life doulas are becoming an increasingly common part of how Americans approach death, helping people to navigate the dying process outside of traditional medical care. Alexandra Schwartz, staff writer at The New Yorker and co-host of the Critics at Large podcast, talks about the rise of death doulas, what they actually do, and why more people are rethinking how they want to die. And Virginia Chang, Ph.D., end-of-life doula and author of Preparing For End of Life For Dummies (Wiley 2026), talks about her approach to her work.
• Summer's wrapping up, but if your PTO is high and your budget is low, you can still make the most of it here at home. Hannah Frishberg, culture reporter for WNYC/Gothamist, shares some of the best ways to have an epic staycation in New York City.

Brigid Bergin guest hosts today's show