Spectrum
PROFILE
Apoorva Mandavilli
Guest
FROM Apoorva Mandavilli
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
How electroconvulsive therapy is saving autistic kids You usually can’t talk about “electric shock therapy” without mentioning “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.” In the 1975 film, Jack Nicholson’s character gets an electric shock that sends him into a seizure. But the real procedure, called electroconvulsive therapy, doesn’t look like it did in the movie, and it works well for people with severe depression and bipolar disorder. Now it’s being used for special cases of children with autism.
Recommended
UnFictional
The Other Man Stories of two men who meet by chance and emerge indelibly changed – or at least, one of them does.
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Accusations of lying fly between James Comey and White House During his testimony Thursday, former FBI Director James Comey accused President Trump and other White House officials of lying when they said the FBI was in disarray and its staff had lost confidence in him. President Trump’s lawyer said Comey was wrong -- that the president never asked for his loyalty, and never asked him to back off the investigation into former NSA director Michael Flynn.
Good Food
Shaking up the USDA, 'The Beef Cookbook' and 'Tartine All Day' Peggy Lowe explains why Trump’s pick for USDA Secretary is rattling rural America. Dario Cecchini talks future plans for Chianti ramen, and Richard Turner shares cuts from “PRIME: The Beef Cookbook.” Writer Matthew Sedacca looks at the controversy behind liquid smoke. Jonathan Gold tries Chengdu-style dishes, and Elisabeth Prueitt of Tartine fills us in on the latest. Plus, chef Michael Beckman shares a recipe for cactus confit.
The Business
Revisiting showrunner Steven Bochco on his memoir Steven Bochco, the writer-producer behind record-breaking Emmy winners Hill Street Blues, LA Law and NYPD Blue, fought battles with everyone from out-of-control actors to network censors in his long career. He isn’t afraid to tell those tales in his memoir, Truth Is a Total Defense. This week we revisit the conversation where he shared some of his favorite stories with us.