Episodes
Sunday Jan 29, 2017
Sunday Jan 29, 2017
This week, we'll play an excerpt from a previous interview with Rebecca Hamlin, an assistant professor of legal studies at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and an expert on refugee resettlement. She shoots down the very premise of Trump's hamfisted and likely unconstitutional "Muslim ban."
Then we'll be joined by Ryan Cooper from The Week to discuss the flurry of outrageous executive orders that have come out of the Trump White House during the first week of his regime.
Finally, we'll speak to Salon columnist Amanda Marcotte about Trump's move to reinstate the global "gag rule" for information on abortion, a new fetal heartbeat bill making its way through Congress and Texas wingnuts following North Carolina's bold adventure in potty-politics with its own "bathroom bill."
Playlist:
Rolling Stones: "She Smiled Sweetly"
Guns 'N' Roses: "Live and Let Die"
John Lee Hooker: "Baby Lee"
Sunday Jan 22, 2017
Sunday Jan 22, 2017
To kick off this week's show, Joshua Holland lays out an entirely plausible scenario in which Trump -- and unified GOP control of government -- results in only manageable damage to the republic. It's not a prediction, which would be pollyannish, but it could work out this way if decent people stand up against what's coming.
Then we'll speak with Yascha Mounk, a lecturer at Harvard, who argues that it's easier than most people believe for even established democracies to slide into authoritarianism.
Picking up on that theme, Cornell's Tom Pepinsky relays some lessons from Malaysia. He says that today's authoritarian governments bear little resemblance to the totalitarian dystopias of our collective imagination -- and argues that the popular image of authoritarian rule is problematic in the age of Trump.
Finally, Heather Hurlburt from New America offers a sober view of Barack Obama's foreign policy legacy.
Playlist:
Moby: "Run On"
Grandmaster Flash: "It's a Shame"
Gnarls Barkley: "A Little Bit Better"
The Band: "We Can Talk"
Sunday Jan 15, 2017
January 14, 2017: The Crimes of Seal Team Six; Trump, Russia and the Left
Sunday Jan 15, 2017
Sunday Jan 15, 2017
Seal Team Six-- the highly trained "tip of the spear" widely hailed for killing Osama Bin Laden -- has taken on legendary status in the American imagination. But this week, Matthew Cole offered a painstakingly reported look at the darker side of the vaunted special operations group for The Intercept. We'll be joined by Cole to discuss the abuses he uncovered, and the failures of command that enabled them.
Then we'll speak with Yale political scientist John Stoehr about the US intelligence community's conclusion that Russians hacked the 2016 election, and how on the left the issue has become intertwined with hostility toward Hillary Clinton and resentments lingering from the Democratic primaries.
Playlist:
Junior Parker: "Tax Man"
Blackalicious: "Alphabet Aerobics"
Ricky Nelson: "Lonesome Town"
Sunday Jan 08, 2017
Sunday Jan 08, 2017
It's our first show since the holidays, and we want to wish everyone a happy New Year! Hopefully 2017 will suck less than last year.
This week, we'll be joined by progressive organizer extraordinaire Billy Wimsatt to talk about the emerging resistance to the Trump regime, and the white nationalist movement that put it into office.
Then we'll be joined by Harold Pollack, a moderate, temperate scholar at the University of Chicago who's been thinking about the need for civil disobedience to counter Trump's attempt to trample on the kinds of norms that have long been central to keeping our pluralistic society together.
Playlist:
Coco Robicheaux: "Walk With the Spirit"
Postmodern Jukebox: "Bad Romance"
De La Soul: "Transmitting Live From Mars"