Unafraid of volatile subjects, the Russian journalist M. Gessen has built a career covering such topics as LGBT rights, Russia, and totalitarianism. Having profiled Vladimir Putin for Vanity Fair in 2008, Gessen, who uses they/them pronouns, has since become a target in their home country, accused of spreading misinformation about the army’s actions in Ukraine. For their latest project, The New York Times Opinion columnist has moved from international politics to a more personal subject: cousin Allen. Gessen always disliked this cousin, yet when Allen was arrested for trying to kill his ex-wife, Gessen attempted to understand him. In this podcast, listen as one of today’s eminent journalists dissects the limits of familial compassion. —Maggie Turner