A series of recent reports have pulled back the curtains on possible ethics violations by Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.

It started with an investigation by ProPublica that revealed the depth of a relationship between Thomas and a Republican mega-donor. This included decades of lavish gifts and paid vacations – none of which were disclosed.

Then came revelations of undercover real estate deals and continued claims of income from a company that had not existed for years.

Slate’s Mark Joseph Stern says this fits a pattern of behavior by Thomas, who most recently raised eyebrows when he refused to recuse himself from a January 6th case despite his wife Ginni Thomas’s participation in the “Stop the Steal” rally that day. “This isn’t a conservative problem, this isn’t a liberal problem, this is a Clarence Thomas problem,” Stern tells Diane. He is among a growing number of Court watchers who see this not only as a crisis for Justice Thomas, but for the legitimacy of the Supreme Court itself.

A 330 mile-walk from Washington, D.C. to New York City. That’s what journalist Neil King decided to embark on in the spring of 2021.

The idea started as a whim – but developed into an obsession. Recently recovered from a long bout with esophageal cancer and having watched the country become increasingly divided, King came to see the journey as a pilgrimage of sorts – a tour through our country’s past and present, and an opportunity for him to reconnect with what matters in life.

He documented his trip in a new book titled, “American Ramble: A Walk Of Memory And Renewal.”

Voters in Wisconsin went to the ballot box Tuesday in what many have called the most important election of the year. The results of the contest flipped the ideological make-up of the state’s supreme court, sending liberal judge Janet Protasiewicz to the bench.

Underscoring the race’s importance, it became the most expensive judicial election in American history, with money flooding in from around the country.

Dan Kaufman is the author of the 2019 best-selling book, “The Fall of Wisconsin,” and wrote about the importance of this election in a recent edition of The New Yorker. He joins Diane to explain why all eyes were on Wisconsin this week, and what the results mean for the future of the state – and the nation.

This week an assailant entered a church school in Nashville and shot and killed six people. This is just one of more than 130 mass shootings recorded in this country so far this year.

Meanwhile, the response in Washington has been predictable -- Democrats have called for an assault weapons ban, Republicans say we need more police.

Daniel Webster of the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions has been studying the issue for more than 30 years. He joined Diane for a conversation that moves beyond the gridlock to talk about what a public health approach to the issue might look like.

Diane also talks to Christina Caron, reporter for the Well section at The New York Times, covering mental health and the intersection of culture and health care. They discuss her project on how the prevalence of gun violence has changed us.

There will be nopending-indictment.html"> “perp walk” for Donald Trump this week.

All eyes have been on a Manhattan grand jury since Trump signaled on Saturday an indictment was imminent and forecast his own arrest. Republican leaders came to his defense, complaining the case involving alleged hush money paid to former porn star Stormy Daniels was politically motivated.

Meanwhile, the media has plastered the airwaves with speculation about exactly when the indictment would be issued.

The New Yorker’s Susan Glasser says this is exactly what Trump wanted – and proves he remains at the center of the fight for the presidency as we move toward the 2024 election.

In  honor of Women’s History Month, today’s episode of On My Mind is a conversation from the archives with legendary broadcaster Barbara Walters. She died in December at age 93.

Walters joined Diane in the studio in 2008, shortly after the release of her memoir, “Audition.” She talked about the challenges of her childhood and her status as a pioneer in the television news industry.

Walters told Diane that she was not deliberately “paving the way,” but rather when faced with unfair treatment was simply saying: “You cannot do this to me because I’m a woman.”

Former President Jimmy Carter joined Diane as a guest on The Diane Rehm Show 12 times over the years.

Their first interview took place in January 1993. Bill Clinton was about to take office and Carter had just published his seventh book, “Turning Point,” chronicling his first campaign for elected office.

That day, Diane and Carter covered how he got his start in politics, his relationship with the press, and why he says it sometimes takes more courage to maintain peace than to send troops into battle.

Now, with Jimmy Carter receiving hospice care at his home in Georgia, Diane recalled her many conversations with Carter and what made him one of her favorite guests:

Over the years I had the chance to interview President Jimmy Carter more than 10 times. We talked about his faith, his rural childhood, his triumphs and challenges as president, and his work as a global humanitarian after his years in the White House.

He was always kind, warm, gracious, funny and thoughtful. But what made him such an interesting person to talk to was that he never stopped learning, never stopped evolving. You could see this in how he approached the issues he cared about: housing and homelessness, the peace process in the Middle East, and international health, to name a few.

We are happy to share an edited version of their 1993 conversation as this week’s episode of On My Mind. You can find more of his appearances on The Diane Rehm Show here.

Last week marked the one-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. President Biden traveled to Kyiv, rededicating his support for President Zelensky and the Ukrainian people.

But the Biden administration’s focus on the conflict did not end there. This week, U.S. officials told China to stay out of it and warned of sanctions if the Chinese government sent weapons to the Russian army. Meanwhile, at the G-20 summit in India, high-level Russian and American diplomats met briefly for the first time since the war started.

David Rothkopf is a foreign policy expert who has worked on international affairs inside and outside of government. On this week’s episode of On My Mind, he talked to Diane about the U.S. role in Ukraine, and how the war is affecting our relationship with China.

Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel is someone who understands how medicine can both save lives and improve the quality of it. That’s why it came as a shock to many when he wrote in 2014 that he would decline all medical treatment after age 75. He explained that here in the U.S., we chase longevity without asking whether those extra years are worth it.

“Here is a simple truth that many of us seem to resist: living too long is also a loss,” he said at the time. “It renders many of us, if not disabled, then faltering and declining, a state that may not be worse than death but is nonetheless deprived.”

Right now, Dr. Emanuel is 65. He talked to Diane on this week’s episode of On My Mind to revisit his essay – and also debate a topic close to Diane’s heart – medical aid in dying.

Last month, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced his state would opt out of the new Advanced Placement class in African American studies. DeSantis claimed the class violated a Florida law that limits what a public school can teach about race and diversity.

He took this action in spite of the fact the College Board, which designs A.P. classes, seemingly altered the curriculum based on previous DeSantis criticisms.

The move is “dangerous,” according to Basil Smikle. Smikle is the director of the public policy program at Hunter College and expert on civil rights and education policy. He joined Diane on this week’s episode of On My Mind to explain why education finds itself yet again at the center of national politics.