Podcast Episodes

'A Man on the Inside' is a sweet, intergenerational comedy

Episode 825

Today's story: Ted Danson stars in *Man on the Inside*, a warm, thoughtful comedy about a retired professor who becomes a private investigator. The s…

8 months, 1 week ago

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All about live Christmas trees

Episode 824

Today's story: Though most Christmas trees are plastic, millions of families like to get live Christmas trees every year. Real trees are grown at spe…

8 months, 1 week ago

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Tracking monarch butterflies as they migrate

Episode 823

Today's story: Scientists used to rely on stickers to track monarch butterfly migration—but that only showed where a butterfly started and ended. Now…

8 months, 2 weeks ago

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The world’s biggest butterfly migration

Episode 822

Today's story: Monarch butterflies migrate thousands of kilometers from across the U.S. and Canada to just a few mountain forests in central Mexico. …

8 months, 2 weeks ago

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America has minted its last penny

Episode 821

Today's story: The United States Mint struck its final penny in November 2025, ending a 232-year run of producing the one-cent coin. The decision fol…

8 months, 3 weeks ago

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The zipper is getting an upgrade

Episode 820

Today's story: Zippers are everywhere: on clothes, bags, and accessories. But the basic design of a zipper hasn't changed in a century. Now, though, …

8 months, 3 weeks ago

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Is 'premium economy' worth it? [archive]

Episode 223

We're opening up the archives to repeat episode 223 from January 2020, just before COVID-19 halted air travel. Enjoy!

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In between economy class (in t…

8 months, 4 weeks ago

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💰 Black Friday: Get 2 free months of Plain English

Black Friday is here, and Plain English is ready to support your English learning with a great introductory offer:

Join Plain English Plus+ today and …

8 months, 4 weeks ago

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The hot new trend is an ice-cold bath [archive]

Episode 583

Today's episode is one from the archives, originally number 583. Enjoy!

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Cold plunges are the new health trend championed by high-fliers and ordinary…

9 months ago

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Parkrun is the world’s free running club

Episode 819

Today's story: Parkrun is a free, volunteer-run event that takes place every Saturday morning in parks around the world. Participants run, jog, or wa…

9 months ago

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