What's on the radio: Monday, Dec. 23

Here’s the MPR News programming plan for Monday, Dec. 23, on the radio and on the stream. Missed a live show? Follow the links below to find our show archives and podcast feeds. And for daily news updates straight to your inbox every weekday morning, sign up for the MPR News a.m. newsletter.

9 a.m. — MPR News with Angela Davis

Power Pair: ‘The Laundry Guy’ and the music critic 

What do you get when a music critic shares a home with a laundry and cleaning expert?   

Some cool playlists for cleaning house, for sure.    

Ross Raihala became the Pioneer Press pop music critic in 2004, just a year before he met his longtime partner Patric Richardson. Over the two last decades, Richardson went on to open a vintage designer clothing store and become the go-to expert for laundry dilemmas and stubborn stains. 

Coming up at 9 a.m. on Monday, a conversation with the couple who can turn house cleaning into a disco party. Raihala and Richardson talk about their careers, how they met and how they support each other. 

Guests:  

10 a.m. —1A with Jenn White

Discussing sex, rejecting shame, and unpacking the legacy of Dr. Ruth

If you were in New York City in the 1980s and you turned on a radio late at night, you’d most likely have heard a distinctive voice answering questions about sex. Dr. Ruth Westheimer was unassuming – a small woman with a friendly smile and an ever-present German accent. She died in July at the age of 96. She spent more than 50 of those years teaching America how to talk about sex, using straightforward medical terms and rejecting a sense of shame around the subject.

11 a.m. — 1A with Jenn White

Renee Elise Goldsberry on balancing motherhood, work, and art.

You may know award-winning actress Renee Elise Goldsberry from her role as Angelica Schuyler in Hamilton, one of the most popular Broadway musicals of all time. Lately, she’s made a comedic turn in Netflix’s “Girls5eva.” And in a recent documentary that follows her Hamilton journey from workshop to Broadway run, she tells us how she balances motherhood, work, and art.

Noon — Minnesota Now with Nina Moini

Monday on Minnesota Now, we have a special edition of the show, looking back over our reporting project Talking Sense. MPR News correspondent Catharine Richert explores the roots of polarization in communities, families and homes. We'll share stories from across the state of how people are having hard political conversations while preserving important relationships.

1 p.m. – On Point

Remembering Leonard Nimoy

Imagine growing up as the son of the most famous alien in the world. Adam Nimoy on his father Leonard Nimoy and what it was like growing up as the son of Mr. Spock – that's on the next On Point.