Political historian Nicole Hemmer discusses the turn of the Republican party to the far right, the voices guiding it today, and what the platform now represents
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Child poverty has plummeted, but most people haven’t heard
Jason DeParle of The New York Times discusses the reasons why childhood poverty figures have plummeted.
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How politicians are using social to sidestep the media
Professor Elizabeth Losh discusses the realities of direct access to politicians through our devices – and the many ways Twitter, TikTok and other platforms can disrupt democracy.
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How Trump built up to the Big Lie
Filmmaker Michael Kirk discusses how fragile our democracy is when its legitimacy is called into question – and the politicians who rallied their bases around these claims.
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The unfinished work of Reconstruction
Peniel Joseph is the Barbara Jordan Chair in Political Values and Ethics at the LBJ School of Public Affairs. He joins us to assess the current push for racial equality – from the election of Barack Obama to Black Lives Matter.
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What does the census tell us about our democracy?
History professor Dan Bouk talks about his examination of the 1940 Census, which both set the stage for New Deal politics and divided the nation after World War II.
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Should America stop trying to rule the world?
Prof. Daniel Bessner joins guest host Courtney Collins to discuss if the U.S. should continue to try to rule the world through force – or if recent history suggests it’s time to back off.
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Everybody hates gerrymandering, but it’s here to stay
Professor Nick Seabrook joins guest host John McCaa to discuss the history of gerrymandering — even Abraham Lincoln was a victim — and why it’s not so easy to mitigate its effects today.
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Why we can trace today’s America to Reconstruction
Kermit Roosevelt III, a professor of Constitutional law, joins guest host John McCaa to talk about how Abraham Lincoln’s vision of America and the Reconstruction period that followed served as a course correction.
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The people who inspired the Founding Fathers
Historian Marilynne Robinson joins guest host John McCaa for a look at the people and events that shaped the Founding Fathers’ principles.
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The truth about the Trump administration’s family separation policy
Staff writer Caitlin Dickerson discusses her 18-month deep dive into the policies and after-effects of separating children from their families at the border.
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You’re tired of reading the news (and it’s not just you)
Amanda Ripley, host of the Slate podcast “How To!” talks with Krys Boyd about why many of us are tuning out the news, and offers solutions to make the news relevant again.
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