Becca Heller - Summer Staff Picks

2026-07-21 · 46 min · 15 entities

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→ discusses Arts concept

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→ references refugeerights.org website

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Link in episode "Becca Heller - Summer Staff Picks": https://refugeerights.org/

Entities found in this episode

concepts 11

mentioned Arts concept

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evidence rules-v5
Feed category: Arts
mentioned TV & Film concept

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evidence rules-v5
Feed category: TV & Film
mentioned Performing Arts concept

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evidence rules-v5
Feed category: Performing Arts
mentioned Music Interviews concept

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evidence rules-v5
Feed category: Music Interviews
mentioned Film Interviews concept

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evidence rules-v5
Feed category: Film Interviews
discusses Arts concept

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evidence rules-v5
Feed category: Arts
discusses TV & Film concept

0.40

evidence rules-v5
Feed category: TV & Film
discusses Music concept

0.40

evidence rules-v5
Feed category: Music
discusses Performing Arts concept

0.40

evidence rules-v5
Feed category: Performing Arts
discusses Music Interviews concept

0.40

evidence rules-v5
Feed category: Music Interviews
discusses Film Interviews concept

0.40

evidence rules-v5
Feed category: Film Interviews

companys 2

mentioned iHeartPodcasts company

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Feed author/publisher: iHeartPodcasts
hosted by iHeartPodcasts company

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evidence rules-v5
Feed author/publisher: iHeartPodcasts

websites 2

mentioned refugeerights.org website

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evidence rules-v5
Link in episode "Becca Heller - Summer Staff Picks": https://refugeerights.org/
references refugeerights.org website

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evidence rules-v5
Link in episode "Becca Heller - Summer Staff Picks": https://refugeerights.org/

Episode description as stored

Our summer tradition at Here’s the Thing continues, as staff members choose their favorite conversations from the archives for our Summer Staff Pick series. This week, we revisit Alec’s conversation with Becca Heller. On January 27th, 2017, Donald Trump issued the travel ban barring visitors and migrants from seven predominantly Muslim countries. Becca Heller, founder of the International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP), had seen it coming. She foresaw that it would catch people in planes, turning passengers into undocumented immigrants midair. She prepared by setting up a network of volunteer lawyers who would show up at airports to help travelers being held there. On the 27th, the lawyers came, followed by thousands of protesters. The Trump administration, facing legal losses and "chaos at the airports," gave up enforcing the ban until officials could draft a new version. For a while, the good guys had won. Two years later, with a MacArthur "genius" grant under her belt, the 37-year-old Heller is strategizing about where to take refugee-advocacy next. Serious stuff, but she's still one of the funniest people ever to come on Here's the Thing . The International Refugee Assistance Project is at https://refugeerights.org/ . See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.