Odessa, Part 2: Friday Night Lights

For years, a debate has been simmering in Silicon Valley over the right way to build artificial intelligence. Should it be open and free for anyone to use, or should we tightly control how it’s made and who can access it? Mike Isaac, who covers technology for The New York Times, ...  Show more

This summer, wildfires have been raging across Europe. France and Spain have been hit particularly badly, with hundreds of thousands of acres incinerated and entire communities devastated. Chico Harlan, the global climate correspondent for The New York Times, and Mark Landler, th ...  Show more

In 1988, a high school football team in Odessa, Texas, was so good that it became the inspiration for a book, movie and, eventually, the television series “Friday Night Lights.” And in the decades since, as West Texas has weathered the unsettling undulations of the oil industry, ...  Show more

Odessa is a four-part audio documentary series about one West Texas high school reopening during the pandemic — and the teachers, students and nurses affected in the process.For the past six months, The New York Times has documented students’ return to class at Odessa High School ...  Show more

This episode contains references to mental health challenges, including eating disorders.Joanna Lopez, the high school senior we met in our first episode of Odessa, has turned inward: staying in her bedroom, ghosting friends and avoiding band practice. But playing with the marchi ...  Show more

Scott Porter & Zach Gilford chat with the author of "Friday Night Lights: a Town, a Team, and a Dream" - Buzz Bissinger! Buzz tells us about how he got his start in journalism, moving to Odessa, Texas to cover the Permian Panthers, his intimate relationship with the players, Boob ...  Show more