Terry Gross

Historian Daniel Immerwahr shares surprising stories of U.S. territorial expansion, including how the desire for bird guano compelled the seizure of remote islands. His book is How to Hide an Empire.

Atlantic journalist Franklin Foer says American real estate became a "giant magnet" for Russia's kleptocratic fortunes after lobbyists pushed to allow anonymous shell companies to buy properties.

Neuroscientist Judith Grisel studies how addictive drugs work on the brain and why they're so hard to give up - whether they're illicit drugs like heroin and cocaine, or prescription drugs like opiates and certain anti anxiety and insomnia medications. She is also a recovering addict -- 30 years sober.