In an age of constant breaking news, it can be hard to tell what matters and what’s just noise. This week, a look at what we’ve learned from recent coverage of the Russia investigation, and what we’ve missed everywhere else — particularly in West Virginia, where a recent teachers’ strike made history. Plus, a dive into the complicated history of country music and why we so often get it wrong.

1. Marcy Wheeler [@emptywheel], independent investigative reporter, on decontextualized Mueller scooplets. Listen.

2. Farhad Manjoo [@fmanjoo], columnist at the New York Times, on his month of print-only news. Listen.

3. Sarah Jaffe [@sarahljaffe], journalist and co-host of the podcast Belabored, on the teachers’ strike in West Virginia, and Elizabeth Catte [@elizabethcatte], historian and writer, on the news media’s narratives regarding Appalachia. Listen.

4. J. Lester Feder [@jlfeder], world correspondent for Buzzfeed News, on the political history of country music. Listen.

5. Nadine Hubbs [@nadinehubbs], author of Rednecks, Queers and Country Music, on our assumptions about the working class. Listen.