Episodes
Sunday Jun 25, 2017
Sunday Jun 25, 2017
This week, we're joined by political scientist Lee Drutman, the author of a new study that finds -- yet again -- that cultural divides between the parties are more consequential than differences over economics and other concrete policy disputes. But what might be a more controversial finding is that the supposed existential battle for the heart and soul of the Democratic Party is overblown, and those who supported Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton in last year's primaries are more similar ideologically than the conventional wisdom would suggest.
Then Joshua Holland takes a quick look at the politics of Senate Republicans' disastrous health care bill.
Last but certainly not least, we speak with Meighan Stone, a fellow at Harvard's Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy, about her new study looking empirically at how the mainstream press covers the Islamic community and refugees -- who speaks, what topics are selected and the overall tenor. What she found goes a long way toward explaining why large numbers of Americans' hold negative attitudes about the world's second largest religion.
Playlist:
Pauline Henry: "Feel Like Making Love"
Santiago y Luis Auserón: "Las Malas Lenguas"
Pluto Shervington: "Kung Fu Fighting"
Donald Fagen: "Snowbound"
Sunday Jun 18, 2017
Sunday Jun 18, 2017
This week, Joshua Holland takes a hard look at the right's unhinged reaction to an abhorent but thankfully rare instance of left-wing violence.
Then we welcome John Sides, a political scientist at George Washington University, to talk about his new study that finds, among other things, that those white working-class voters everyone's always talking about were already moving away from the Democrats and towards the Republicans before Donald Trump rode down that golden escalator.
Finally, we go back to the archives for a 2013 interview with UC Berkeley psychologist Paul Piff, whose research into the ethical standards of "high status individuals" tells us something about our Grifter-in-Chief.
Playlist:
Josh Ritter: "Getting Ready to Get Down"
Wax Tailor: "How I feel"
Serge Gainsbourg: "Je T'aime...Moi Non Plus"
Monday Jun 05, 2017
Monday Jun 05, 2017
This week, we kick things off with Ian Millhiser from the Center for American Progress -- he also edits ThinkProgress Law -- to talk about the mandate that former FBI head Robert Mueller has to investigate potential collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia. He'll also get us up to speed on a major development last week in a closely watched voting rights case.
Then we'll be joined by Kick-Ass Reporter Rebecca Leber from Mother Jones, who says that not only is Trump clearly ignorant about how the Paris Climate Accord works, he's also oblivious to the serious consequences that are likely to follow his decision to pull the United States out of it.
Finally, we'll speak with Soona Amhaz, an activist who, along with her co-curator Mark Mendoza, have published Crooked, a book of compelling photographs detailing the first months of the anti-Trump #resistance. All of the proceeds from the book will go to progressive organizations fighting Trump.
Playlist:
Sublime: "D.J.S."
Curtis Mayfield: "Superfly"
Imagine Dragons: "Believer"
Eek-a-Mouse: "Queen Elizabeth"