Margaret Sullivan

How To Hold The New York Times Accountable (w/ Margaret Sullivan)Margaret Sullivan is one of the country’s most astute media critics. During her time as Public Editor of the New York Times (essentially an ombudsman) Sullivan became widely respected for her willingness to call out the paper’s lapses, often to the considerable consternation of her Times colleagues. Sullivan criticized the paper’s reliance on anonymous government sources, its practice of allowing sources to approve their own quotes, its previous deference to the Bush administration's "national security" justifications for suppressing a story, its failure to adequately cover the Panama Papers, Chelsea Manning's trial, and the Flint Water Crisis, and even the paper’s habit of reporting nonexistent style trends as if they were real things (e.g., the supposed hip comeback of the monocle).Sullivan also spent much of her career in local journalism, serving as the managing editor of the Buffalo News. Her book Ghosting the News: Local Journalism and the Crisis of American Democracy is about the destruction of local newspapers and its consequences for the country. Her new memoir, Newsroom Confidential, discusses both her time running a city paper and her time as an in-house critic of The New York Times.Today, Margaret Sullivan joins to discuss why local news matters, why holding the media accountable is crucial to maintaining public trust in it, and how she tried to keep the New York Times trustworthy during her time there. Sadly, with the Times having eliminated the position Sullivan held, the paper is no longer conducting the same level of public self-scrutiny, which is unlikely to help it in the mission to rebuild public trust. Sullivan’s old Public Editor posts can be read here. Those interested in this subject should also listen to our interview with Victor Pickard, the author of Democracy Without Journalism?"I understand very, very well why they wanted to get rid of that position. ... The more powerful a media organization is, the more important some kind of oversight or accountability is." — Margaret Sullivan Audio note: Nathan sat too close to the microphone. Also someone started hammering in the background on Margaret's end toward the end. Apologies for these distractions. Subscribe to Current Affairs on Patreon to unlock all of our bonus episodes and get early access to new releases.

How To Hold The New York Times Accountable (w/ Margaret Sullivan)Margaret Sullivan is one of the country’s most astute media critics. During her time as Public Editor of the New York Times (essentially an ombudsman) Sullivan became <a href="https://www.niemanlab.org/2017/05/the-new-york-times-is-eliminating-the-position-of-public-editor-heres-the-sulzberger-memo/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">widely respected</a> for her willingness to call out the paper’s lapses, often to the considerable consternation of her Times colleagues. Sullivan criticized the paper’s <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/13/opinion/sunday/the-public-editor-the-disconnect-on-anonymous-sources.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">reliance on anonymous government sources</a>, its practice of allowing sources to <a href="https://archive.nytimes.com/publiceditor.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/09/20/in-new-policy-the-times-forbids-after-the-fact-quote-approval/?smid=tw-share" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">approve </a>their own quotes, its previous <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/10/public-editor/sullivan-lessons-in-a-surveillance-drama-redux.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">deference</a> to the Bush administration's "national security" justifications for suppressing a story, its <a href="https://archive.nytimes.com/publiceditor.blogs.nytimes.com/2016/04/15/five-things-i-wont-miss-at-the-times-and-seven-i-will/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">failure</a> to adequately cover the Panama Papers, Chelsea Manning's trial, and the Flint Water Crisis, and even the paper’s habit of reporting nonexistent style trends as if they were real things (e.g., the supposed hip <a href="https://archive.nytimes.com/publiceditor.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/11/18/from-the-makers-of-anonywatch-introducing-the-monocle-meter/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">comeback of the monocle</a>).Sullivan also spent much of her career in local journalism, serving as the managing editor of the Buffalo News. Her book <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Ghosting-News-Journalism-American-Democracy/dp/1733623787" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Ghosting the News: Local Journalism and the Crisis of American Democracy</a> is about the destruction of local newspapers and its consequences for the country. Her new memoir, <a href="https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250281906/newsroomconfidential" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Newsroom Confidential</a>, discusses both her time running a city paper and her time as an in-house critic of The New York Times.Today, Margaret Sullivan joins to discuss why local news matters, why holding the media accountable is crucial to maintaining public trust in it, and how she tried to keep the New York Times trustworthy during her time there. Sadly, with the Times having eliminated the position Sullivan held, the paper is no longer conducting the same level of public self-scrutiny, which is unlikely to help it in the mission to rebuild public trust. Sullivan’s old Public Editor posts can be read <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/by/margaret-sullivan" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>. Those interested in this subject should also listen to our <a href="https://www.patreon.com/posts/why-suppressing-62516317" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">interview with Victor Pickard</a>, the author of Democracy Without Journalism?<blockquote>"I understand very, very well why they wanted to get rid of that position. ... The more powerful a media organization is, the more important some kind of oversight or accountability is." — Margaret Sullivan </blockquote>Audio note: Nathan sat too close to the microphone. Also someone started hammering in the background on Margaret's end toward the end. Apologies for these distractions. Subscribe to Current Affairs on <a href="https://www.patreon.com/CurrentAffairs" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Patreon</a> to unlock all of our bonus episodes and get early access to new releases.

How To Hold The New York Times Accountable (w/ Margaret Sullivan)

“It’s not that hard to let yourself be led by something that doesn’t match up with your morals, when you’re desperate.” — Jennifer DinesJennifer Dines is a Boston-based schoolteacher, poet, and essayist who has written an article for Current Affairs called "The Quit-Lit Pseudoscience and Faulty Feminism of Women’s Sobriety Memoirs," which critiques the bestselling books targeted at women recovering from alcoholism. In her piece, Dines shows how these books often try to sell women on expensive courses so they can "buy their way to health," disparaging free alternatives like Alcoholics Anonymous in favor of unrealistically expensive lifestyle changes (e.g. yoga retreats).Dines also discusses how these books use the language of social justice to try to convince readers that their own self-care (and their purchase of the authors' products) advances broader feminist goals. In this conversation, we discuss how difficult it is to get accurate information and receive quality healthcare, and how hard it is for desperate people to tell quacks like Dr. Oz from those who truly have their best interests at heart."[T]op-selling books are not rigorously fact checked (a serious problem in the world of nonfiction books), and authors often mix discussions of legitimate science with quackery or unproven practices, which is outright dangerous for the non-discerning reader. Authors in this genre also tend to appropriate the language of social justice (rallying against capitalism, patriarchy, and so forth) to make readers think that tackling their alcohol problems (or doing self-care) equates to a larger project of social change. These writers cleverly create a trail of breadcrumbs that leads vulnerable readers to programs such as expensive online courses and coaching services and related products and services, many of which are offered by the authors themselves. Aspirational big-money lifestyles are highlighted while effective programs like Alcoholics Anonymous are trashed. Most dangerous of all, this consumptive approach to alcohol dependency treatment makes products a substitute for healthcare from a qualified mental health professional." — Jennifer DinesThe books Jennifer does recommend are The Recovering by Leslie Jamison and How to Murder Your Life by Cat Marnell. Lily refers to an article by Nathan about COVID-19, which can be found here. Lily’s own writing about bad healthcare is here.Subscribe to Current Affairs on Patreon to unlock all of our bonus episodes and get early access to new releases.

<blockquote>“It’s not that hard to let yourself be led by something that doesn’t match up with your morals, when you’re desperate.” — Jennifer Dines</blockquote><a href="https://twitter.com/dinesjennifer" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Jennifer Dines</a> is a Boston-based schoolteacher, poet, and essayist who has written an article for Current Affairs called "<a href="https://www.currentaffairs.org/2022/10/the-quit-lit-pseudoscience-and-faulty-feminism-of-womens-sobriety-memoirs" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Quit-Lit Pseudoscience and Faulty Feminism of Women’s Sobriety Memoirs</a>," which critiques the bestselling books targeted at women recovering from alcoholism. In her piece, Dines shows how these books often try to sell women on expensive courses so they can "buy their way to health," disparaging free alternatives like Alcoholics Anonymous in favor of unrealistically expensive lifestyle changes (e.g. yoga retreats).Dines also discusses how these books use the language of social justice to try to convince readers that their own self-care (and their purchase of the authors' products) advances broader feminist goals. In this conversation, we discuss how difficult it is to get accurate information and receive quality healthcare, and how hard it is for desperate people to tell quacks like Dr. Oz from those who truly have their best interests at heart.<blockquote>"[T]op-selling books are not rigorously fact checked (<a href="https://www.currentaffairs.org/2022/07/the-dangerous-populist-science-of-yuval-noah-harari" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">a serious problem</a> in the world of<a href="https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/books/a33577796/nonfiction-book-fact-checking-should-be-an-industry-standard/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> nonfiction</a> books), and authors often mix discussions of legitimate science with quackery or unproven practices, which is outright dangerous for the non-discerning reader. Authors in this genre also tend to appropriate the language of social justice (rallying against capitalism, patriarchy, and so forth) to make readers think that tackling their alcohol problems (or doing self-care) equates to a larger project of social change. These writers cleverly create a trail of breadcrumbs that leads vulnerable readers to programs such as expensive online courses and coaching services and related products and services, many of which are offered by the authors themselves. Aspirational big-money lifestyles are highlighted while effective programs like Alcoholics Anonymous are trashed. Most dangerous of all, this consumptive approach to alcohol dependency treatment makes products a substitute for healthcare from a qualified mental health professional." — Jennifer Dines</blockquote>The books Jennifer does recommend are<a href="http://www.lesliejamison.com/the-book-1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> The Recovering</a> by Leslie Jamison and<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26254947-how-to-murder-your-life" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> How to Murder Your Life</a> by Cat Marnell. Lily refers to an article by Nathan about COVID-19, which can be found<a href="https://www.currentaffairs.org/2022/09/biden-declared-the-pandemic-over-i-immediately-got-covid" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> here</a>. Lily’s own writing about bad healthcare is<a href="https://www.currentaffairs.org/2022/04/we-deserve-better-than-zombie-healthcare" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> here</a>.Subscribe to Current Affairs on <a href="https://www.patreon.com/CurrentAffairs" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Patreon</a> to unlock all of our bonus episodes and get early access to new releases.

The Pseudoscience and Faux Feminism of Sobriety Memoirs (w/ Jennifer Dines)

Thomas Geoghegan is a labor lawyer and writer whose latest book is The History of Democracy Has Yet To Be Written: How We Have to Learn to Govern All Over Again. MSNBC's Chris Hayes says of the book: "This book made me laugh out loud and also gave me glimpses of an entire horizon of possibility I hadn't seen before.” Indeed, while Tom's book examines the hopeless dysfunction of our political system (including amusingly describing his own effort to run for Congress), it's also a look at how we could make a much, much better system of government if we were committed to getting rid of the filibuster, making voting mandatory, restructuring congress, and passing the PRO Act. Even though we often assume that we stand on the cusp of an authoritarian end to democracy, we actually have within our grasp the possibility of making it far more stable and having a Congress that actually represents the people of the country. Today, Tom joins to discuss his book, telling us what it's like to run for Congress in Chicago in a freezing winter (not fun) and why democracy depends on making the labor movement flourish again."The labor movement is necessary to pull people into the political process. If it's the right kind of labor movement, it's going to have the goal of all true republican government: to help people govern themselves, to increase people's capacity to be citizens, to increase people's capacity to rule and take responsibility for all aspects of their lives." — Tom GeogheganSubscribe to Current Affairs on Patreon to unlock all of our bonus episodes and get early access to new releases.

Thomas Geoghegan is a labor lawyer and writer whose latest book is <a href="https://beltpublishing.com/products/the-history-of-democracy-has-yet-to-be-written" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The History of Democracy Has Yet To Be Written: How We Have to Learn to Govern All Over Again</a>. MSNBC's Chris Hayes says of the book: "This book made me laugh out loud and also gave me glimpses of an entire horizon of possibility I hadn't seen before.” Indeed, while Tom's book examines the hopeless dysfunction of our political system (including amusingly describing his own effort to run for Congress), it's also a look at how we could make a much, much better system of government if we were committed to getting rid of the filibuster, making voting mandatory, restructuring congress, and passing the PRO Act. Even though we often assume that we stand on the cusp of an authoritarian end to democracy, we actually have within our grasp the possibility of making it far more stable and having a Congress that actually represents the people of the country. Today, Tom joins to discuss his book, telling us what it's like to run for Congress in Chicago in a freezing winter (not fun) and why democracy depends on making the labor movement flourish again.<blockquote>"The labor movement is necessary to pull people into the political process. If it's the right kind of labor movement, it's going to have the goal of all true republican government: to help people govern themselves, to increase people's capacity to be citizens, to increase people's capacity to rule and take responsibility for all aspects of their lives." — Tom Geoghegan</blockquote>Subscribe to Current Affairs on <a href="https://www.patreon.com/CurrentAffairs" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Patreon</a> to unlock all of our bonus episodes and get early access to new releases.

The Dysfunctions of Our "Democracy" and How To Fix Them (w/ Tom Geoghegan)

Samuel James

“There’s an old adage ‘He who forgets history is condemned to repeat it.’ But what’s missing in that phrase is that there are the people who are in charge of keeping your history. And they can make you forget it. They can keep it from you. And then you’re doomed to repeat something that they want you to repeat.” — Samuel JamesSamuel James is a musician and storyteller from Portland, Maine, who specializes in blues and roots music. Samuel has a deep knowledge of American musical history and recently wrote a column in the Mainer magazine about the origins of the phrase “stay woke,” first heard on a Lead Belly record about the Scottsboro Boys. He shows that when we see attacks on “wokeness” like Ron DeSantis’ “Stop WOKE Act,” we should remember that it’s “an old, Black phrase being weaponized against the very people who created it.”Today, Samuel joins to explain how listening to the words of early 20th century Black songs provides critical context for understanding America today. From commentary on the prison system in the words of “Midnight Special” to Mississippi John Hurt’s unique twist on the “John Henry” legend, Samuel James offers a course in how to listen closely to appreciate both the rich diversity of the music lumped together as folk blues, and how to hear the warnings that the early singers passed down to Black Americans today. It’s a very special hour featuring some of the greatest music ever written, played live by one of its most talented contemporary interpreters.Nathan’s article on Charles Murray is here, and one on Joe Rogan is here. A Current Affairs article about John Henry songs is here. Beyond Mississippi John Hurt and Lead Belly, artists mentioned by Samuel James include Gus Cannon, the Mississippi Sheiks, Charley Patton, Skip James, and Furry Lewis. More information about the St. Louis chemical spraying is here. Follow Samuel James on Twitter here. His 99 Years podcast is here. Nathan mentions the “Voyager Golden Record” that went into space, which did in fact include a classic blues song.“This is the hammer that killed John HenryBut it won't kill me, but it won't kill me, but it won't kill me”— Mississippi John HurtNOTE: The n-word is heard several times in this episode, spoken by Samuel James, and in recordings by Lead Belly and Ice Cube.Subscribe to Current Affairs on Patreon to unlock all of our bonus episodes and get early access to new releases.

<blockquote>“There’s an old adage ‘He who forgets history is condemned to repeat it.’ But what’s missing in that phrase is that there are the people who are in charge of keeping your history. And they can make you forget it. They can keep it from you. And then you’re doomed to repeat something that they want you to repeat.” — Samuel James</blockquote><a href="https://www.therealsamueljames.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Samuel James </a>is a musician and storyteller from Portland, Maine, who specializes in blues and roots music. Samuel has a deep knowledge of American musical history and recently wrote a <a href="https://twitter.com/NathanJRobinson/status/1623022776549314564" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">column in the Mainer magazine</a> about the origins of the phrase “stay woke,” first heard on a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrXfkPViFIE" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Lead Belly record</a> about the Scottsboro Boys. He shows that when we see attacks on “wokeness” like Ron DeSantis’ “Stop WOKE Act,” we should remember that it’s “an old, Black phrase being weaponized against the very people who created it.”Today, Samuel joins to explain how listening to the words of early 20th century Black songs provides critical context for understanding America today. From commentary on the prison system in the words of “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6IjPmIEgeIU" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Midnight Special</a>” to Mississippi John Hurt’s unique twist on the “John Henry” legend, Samuel James offers a course in how to listen closely to appreciate both the rich diversity of the music lumped together as folk blues, and how to hear the warnings that the early singers passed down to Black Americans today. It’s a very special hour featuring some of the greatest music ever written, played live by one of its most talented contemporary interpreters.Nathan’s article on Charles Murray is <a href="https://www.currentaffairs.org/2017/07/why-is-charles-murray-odious" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>, and one on Joe Rogan is <a href="https://www.currentaffairs.org/2022/02/on-experiencing-joe-rogan" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>. A Current Affairs article about John Henry songs is <a href="https://www.currentaffairs.org/2021/07/john-henry-and-the-divinity-of-labor" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>. Beyond Mississippi John Hurt and Lead Belly, artists mentioned by Samuel James include <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gus_Cannon" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Gus Cannon</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mississippi_Sheiks" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">the Mississippi Sheiks</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charley_Patton" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Charley Patton</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skip_James" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Skip James</a>, and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Furry_Lewis" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Furry Lewis</a>. More information about the St. Louis chemical spraying is <a href="https://news.stlpublicradio.org/arts/2021-11-11/survivors-of-cold-war-era-experiments-on-black-st-louisans-speak-out-in-documentary" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>. Follow Samuel James on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/therealsjames" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>. His 99 Years podcast is <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/99-years-podcast/id1648848050" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>. Nathan mentions the “<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voyager_Golden_Record" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Voyager Golden Record</a>” that went into space, which did in fact include a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNj2BXW852g" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">classic blues song</a>.<blockquote>“This is the hammer that killed John Henry But it won't kill me, but it won't kill me, but it won't kill me” — Mississippi John Hurt</blockquote>NOTE: The n-word is heard several times in this episode, spoken by Samuel James, and in recordings by Lead Belly and Ice Cube.Subscribe to Current Affairs on <a href="https://www.patreon.com/CurrentAffairs" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Patreon</a> to unlock all of our bonus episodes and get early access to new releases.

STAY WOKE: Vital Lessons From Black Musical History (w/ Samuel James)

One of the world's largest cryptocurrency exchanges, FTX, recently imploded spectacularly. Its CEO, Sam Bankman-Fried, had been called "the next Warren Buffett" and was a Democratic megadonor as well as a major funder of the "Effective Altruism" movement. Overnight, Bankman-Fried saw his fortune and his company wiped out, and he is now under criminal investigation. To explain what happened, and why we keep seeing spectacular frauds in the crypto industry, we are joined today by Stephen Diehl, a longtime critic of crypto who has been warning for years that crypto assets can suddenly implode and that unregulated crypto exchanges like FTX are a terrible place to keep your money. Diehl is the co-author of the new book Popping the Crypto Bubble, an accessible explanation of how cryptocurrency works and why it's a terrible idea. He and his co-authors show how the history of financial bubbles and manias helps us understand crypto-hype today. In this episode, Stephen discusses the credulity that allows con artists like Bankman-Fried to flourish in the crypto industry, and that dupes supposedly savvy investors into believing in the digital equivalent of magic beans. We also discuss the complicity of financial journalists in promoting con artists as altruistic geniuses who can be entrusted with one's retirement savings. "To anyone who does due diligence, this thing [FTX] is papered in red flags. It’s a Bahamanian shell company set up in the least regulated environment on the planet, with no board of directors, no governance, completely opaque financials set up by a 28-year-old and apparently staffed by 17 kids all living in a frat house in the Bahamas. But the investors in this thing were some of the most sophisticated funds on the planet! … Apparently none of them did any due diligence on this thing." — Stephen DiehlThe FTX Super Bowl commercial with Larry David is here. The Bloomberg interview in which Bankman-Fried seemingly admits he is “in the Ponzi business” is here. For more on the subject, read our interviews with Molly White and Nicholas Weaver, or read "Why Cryptocurrency is a Giant Fraud." A delightful 1901 illustration of financial speculators being tormented in Hell can be viewed here.

One of the world's largest cryptocurrency exchanges, FTX, recently<a href="https://www.wired.com/story/ftx-collapse-binance-crypto-deal/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> imploded spectacularly</a>. Its CEO, Sam Bankman-Fried, had been called "the next Warren Buffett" and was a Democratic megadonor as well as a major funder of the "<a href="https://www.currentaffairs.org/2022/09/defective-altruism" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Effective Altruism</a>" movement. Overnight, Bankman-Fried saw his fortune and his company wiped out, and he is now<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/13/business/ftx-bahamas-criminal-investigation/index.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> under criminal investigation</a>. To explain what happened, and why we keep seeing spectacular frauds in the crypto industry, we are joined today by <a href="https://www.stephendiehl.com/blog.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Stephen Diehl</a>, a longtime critic of crypto who has been warning for years that crypto assets can suddenly implode and that unregulated crypto exchanges like FTX are a terrible place to keep your money. Diehl is the co-author of the new book<a href="https://poppingthecryptobubble.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Popping the Crypto Bubble</a>, an accessible explanation of how cryptocurrency works and why it's a terrible idea. He and his co-authors show how the history of financial bubbles and manias helps us understand crypto-hype today. In this episode, Stephen discusses the credulity that allows con artists like Bankman-Fried to flourish in the crypto industry, and that dupes supposedly savvy investors into believing in the digital equivalent of magic beans. We also discuss the complicity of financial journalists in promoting con artists as altruistic geniuses who can be entrusted with one's retirement savings. <blockquote>"To anyone who does due diligence, this thing [FTX] is papered in red flags. It’s a Bahamanian shell company set up in the least regulated environment on the planet, with no board of directors, no governance, completely opaque financials set up by a 28-year-old and apparently staffed by 17 kids all living in a frat house in the Bahamas. But the investors in this thing were some of the most sophisticated funds on the planet! … Apparently none of them did any due diligence on this thing." — Stephen Diehl</blockquote>The FTX Super Bowl commercial with Larry David is<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BH5-rSxilxo" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> here</a>. The Bloomberg interview in which Bankman-Fried seemingly admits he is “in the Ponzi business” is <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-04-25/sam-bankman-fried-described-yield-farming-and-left-matt-levine-stunned" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>. For more on the subject, read our interviews with <a href="https://www.patreon.com/posts/why-web3-is-just-67986830" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Molly White</a> and <a href="https://www.patreon.com/posts/why-this-says-in-66545310" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Nicholas Weaver</a>, or read "<a href="https://www.currentaffairs.org/2021/04/why-cryptocurrency-is-a-giant-fraud" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Why Cryptocurrency is a Giant Fraud</a>." A delightful 1901 illustration of financial speculators being tormented in Hell can be viewed <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bucket_shop_(stock_market)#/media/File:Through_hell_with_Hiprah_Hunt;_a_series_of_pictures_and_notes_of_travel_illustrating_the_adventures_of_a_modern_Dante_in_the_infernal_regions;_also_other_pictures_of_the_same_subterranean_world_(1901)_(14587641618).jpg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>.

The Entirely Predictable Collapse of FTX and the Future of Crypto Cons (w/ Stephen Diehl)

Shon Faye is the author of the book The Transgender Issue: Trans Justice is Justice For All, available from Verso. The title of the book is meant slightly ironically, because part of Faye's argument is directed against talking about a "transgender issue" in the first place. Faye's book is a manifesto for a specifically socialist form of trans liberation, which she contrasts with the politics of liberal inclusion, which is often "inclusion within deeply unequal at best and at worse quite oppressive systems." Faye argues that the things that make trans people's lives difficult (lack of housing and healthcare, incarceration) often oppress others as well and that we do not just need representation/diversity at the top but a caring society in which everyone has what they need. Faye prefers the language of "liberation" over "rights" and "equality" (though rights and equality are important), and argues that "the liberation of trans people would benefit the lives of everyone in our society." In this conversation, we discuss Faye's ideas as well as the difference between US and UK feminism's approaches to trans issues, how the right has tried to push a moral panic around one of the most marginalized groups of people, and what it really means to live in a "cisnormative society." We also discuss the British tabloid press, the BBC, the limits of debate, and "the Harry Potter Lady." “You tell people at JP Morgan to put ‘nonbinary’ on the job application form. Sure, that’s great. Who is applying for jobs at JP Morgan? College graduates who are white, middle-class, rich. This idea of liberal trans inclusion favors a certain kind of trans person on the grounds of class, ethnicity, citizenship. So for me it’s not a liberation movement if it’s only including really small echelons of an already-tiny community.” — Shon FayeThe Current Affairs article "Inclusion in the Atrocious" offers further discussion of the point about inclusion within inherently unjust institutions. We also have articles about both Matt Walsh and the "Harry Potter Lady." The U.S. politicians Shon mentions are Sarah McBride and Danica Roem. The internal clash in the Guardian can be seen here. 

Shon Faye is the author of the book <a href="https://www.versobooks.com/books/4061-the-transgender-issue" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Transgender Issue: Trans Justice is Justice For All</a>, available from Verso. The title of the book is meant slightly ironically, because part of Faye's argument is directed against talking about a "transgender issue" in the first place. Faye's book is a manifesto for a specifically socialist form of trans liberation, which she contrasts with the politics of liberal inclusion, which is often "inclusion within deeply unequal at best and at worse quite oppressive systems." Faye argues that the things that make trans people's lives difficult (lack of housing and healthcare, incarceration) often oppress others as well and that we do not just need representation/diversity at the top but a caring society in which everyone has what they need. Faye prefers the language of "liberation" over "rights" and "equality" (though rights and equality are important), and argues that "the liberation of trans people would benefit the lives of everyone in our society." In this conversation, we discuss Faye's ideas as well as the difference between US and UK feminism's approaches to trans issues, how the right has tried to push a moral panic around one of the most marginalized groups of people, and what it really means to live in a "cisnormative society." We also discuss the British tabloid press, the BBC, the limits of debate, and "the Harry Potter Lady." <blockquote>“You tell people at JP Morgan to put ‘nonbinary’ on the job application form. Sure, that’s great. Who is applying for jobs at JP Morgan? College graduates who are white, middle-class, rich. This idea of liberal trans inclusion favors a certain kind of trans person on the grounds of class, ethnicity, citizenship. So for me it’s not a liberation movement if it’s only including really small echelons of an already-tiny community.” — Shon Faye</blockquote>The Current Affairs article "<a href="https://www.currentaffairs.org/2018/03/inclusion-in-the-atrocious" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Inclusion in the Atrocious</a>" offers further discussion of the point about inclusion within inherently unjust institutions. We also have articles about both <a href="https://www.currentaffairs.org/2022/06/what-is-a-woman-is-a-feature-length-exploration-of-conservative-ignorance-and-prejudice" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Matt Walsh</a> and the "<a href="https://www.currentaffairs.org/2020/07/jk-rowling-and-the-limits-of-imagination" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Harry Potter Lady</a>." The U.S. politicians Shon mentions are <a href="http://%20https//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_McBride" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Sarah McBride</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danica_Roem" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Danica Roem</a>. The internal clash in the Guardian can be seen <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/nov/02/guardian-editorial-response-transgender-rights-uk" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>.

Why Socialism and Trans Liberation Need Each Other (w/ Shon Faye)

Jeremy Rubin

Lyle Jeremy Rubin is a veteran of the U.S. Marines who served in Afghanistan. He is the author of the new memoir Pain is Weakness Leaving the Body: A Marine’s Unbecoming, which documents his evolution from a Young Republican patriot into a socialist critic of U.S. empire through direct exposure to the front-line realities of the U.S. “war on terror.” He shows how the “politics of overcompensation” convinces young men who want to feel secure and masculine to submit to oppressive hierarchical systems and is astute in showing the connection between toxic masculinity and U.S. foreign policy.“At the time I told myself there were purely rational intellectual reasons for why I was being drawn to these certain types of politics but in retrospect I think it’s clear that there was a deeper need to no longer feel defenseless, to feel strong, to feel secure … While I was talking to my friends and family members and others about this kind of neoconservative vision of humanitarian intervention, it was clear when I was being honest with myself that I wasn’t all that dissimilar to a lot of my comrades-in-arms who just wanted to see action and feel like a man.” — Lyle Jeremy RubinShorter writings from Lyle on some of the subjects discussed in the book can be found in The Guardian and The Nation. (He has also written for Current Affairs.) The books Lyle mentions are Bring the War Home: The White Power Movement and Paramilitary America by Kathleen Belew and Reign of Terror: How the 9/11 Era Destabilized America and Produced Trump by Spencer Ackerman. The song is, of course, the Bush-era classic “Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue” by Toby Keith.This interview pairs well with our recent interviews with W.D. Ehrhart (about Vietnam), Yasmin Nair (about Western views of Afghanistan), Craig Whitlock (about the Afghanistan war), and Chris Hedges (about war in general).“If you’re an occupying power, there’s no way you can really win the hearts and minds of the people. You are by definition a force of domination, an oppressive force. You’re an outsider force that is doing things without the express permission of the people there and the people themselves in one way or another have to submit to whatever your whim at any given moment is. ... The counterinsurgency ideal itself is an impossible ideal. This quickly becomes clear to front line troops. … Violence is guaranteed and required to ensure the maintenance of an occupying regime no matter how culturally sensitive it is.” — Lyle Jeremy Rubin

<a href="https://www.lylejeremyrubin.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Lyle Jeremy Rubin</a> is a veteran of the U.S. Marines who served in Afghanistan. He is the author of the new memoir <a href="https://www.boldtypebooks.com/titles/lyle-jeremy-rubin/pain-is-weakness-leaving-the-body/9781645037095/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Pain is Weakness Leaving the Body: A Marine’s Unbecoming</a>, which documents his evolution from a Young Republican patriot into a socialist critic of U.S. empire through direct exposure to the front-line realities of the U.S. “war on terror.” He shows how the “politics of overcompensation” convinces young men who want to feel secure and masculine to submit to oppressive hierarchical systems and is astute in showing the connection between toxic masculinity and U.S. foreign policy.<blockquote>“At the time I told myself there were purely rational intellectual reasons for why I was being drawn to these certain types of politics but in retrospect I think it’s clear that there was a deeper need to no longer feel defenseless, to feel strong, to feel secure … While I was talking to my friends and family members and others about this kind of neoconservative vision of humanitarian intervention, it was clear when I was being honest with myself that I wasn’t all that dissimilar to a lot of my comrades-in-arms who just wanted to see action and feel like a man.” — Lyle Jeremy Rubin</blockquote>Shorter writings from Lyle on some of the subjects discussed in the book can be found in <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/news/2018/dec/18/torrent-of-ghastly-revelations-what-military-service-taught-me-about-america-us-marine-corps-afghanistan" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Guardian</a> and <a href="https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/my-experience-of-americas-war-making-haunts-me-it-should-haunt-our-politicians-too/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Nation</a>. (He has also <a href="https://www.currentaffairs.org/2018/07/its-time-for-a-little-perspective-on-russia" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">written</a> for Current Affairs.) The books Lyle mentions are <a href="https://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674237698" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Bring the War Home: The White Power Movement and Paramilitary America</a> by Kathleen Belew and <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/622555/reign-of-terror-by-spencer-ackerman/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Reign of Terror: How the 9/11 Era Destabilized America and Produced Trump</a> by Spencer Ackerman. The song is, of course, the Bush-era classic “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rISBvoXAVKc" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue</a>” by Toby Keith.This interview pairs well with our recent interviews with <a href="https://www.patreon.com/posts/vietnam-veteran-72030440" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">W.D. Ehrhart</a> (about Vietnam), <a href="https://www.patreon.com/posts/afghanistan-eyes-70436863" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Yasmin Nair </a>(about Western views of Afghanistan), <a href="https://www.patreon.com/posts/20-year-of-war-67868070" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Craig Whitlock</a> (about the Afghanistan war), and <a href="https://www.patreon.com/posts/why-our-wars-end-73869098" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Chris Hedges</a> (about war in general).<blockquote>“If you’re an occupying power, there’s no way you can really win the hearts and minds of the people. You are by definition a force of domination, an oppressive force. You’re an outsider force that is doing things without the express permission of the people there and the people themselves in one way or another have to submit to whatever your whim at any given moment is. ... The counterinsurgency ideal itself is an impossible ideal. This quickly becomes clear to front line troops. … Violence is guaranteed and required to ensure the maintenance of an occupying regime no matter how culturally sensitive it is.” — Lyle Jeremy Rubin</blockquote>

How a Marine Became a Critic of U.S. Imperialism (w/ Lyle Jeremy Rubin)

Nomi Prins

Nomi Prins is one of the country's leading financial journalists, who has gone from working on Wall Street to exposing the inner workings of the economy and how it is rigged in favor of the powerful. Her books include Other People's Money: The Corporate Mugging of America, Collusion: How Central Bankers Rigged the World, and most recently Permanent Distortion: How Financial Markets Abandoned the Real Economy Forever. Today Nomi joins Nathan to explain how the financial markets and the "real economy" became so disconnected and why the actions of central banks make such a difference to our lives. She also talks about the real causes of inflation and what we need to do to avoid a future of unending economic and political crises. Last week we only released one episode instead of two, so this week we're putting out three to make up for it. 

<a href="https://nomiprins.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Nomi Prins</a> is one of the country's leading financial journalists, who has gone from working on Wall Street to exposing the inner workings of the economy and how it is rigged in favor of the powerful. Her books include Other People's Money: The Corporate Mugging of America, Collusion: How Central Bankers Rigged the World, and most recently Permanent Distortion: How Financial Markets Abandoned the Real Economy Forever. Today Nomi joins Nathan to explain how the financial markets and the "real economy" became so disconnected and why the actions of central banks make such a difference to our lives. She also talks about the real causes of inflation and what we need to do to avoid a future of unending economic and political crises. Last week we only released one episode instead of two, so this week we're putting out three to make up for it.

Why The Market Is Not The Economy (w/ Nomi Prins)

McKinsey &amp; Co. is the world's leading consulting company. But it also does a lot of work that's, well, pretty downright sinister, and it's very secretive about that work. But in the new book When McKinsey Comes To Town: The Hidden Influence of the World's Most Powerful Consulting Firm,Walt Bogdanich and Michael Forsythe of the New York Times expose the hidden hand of McKinsey across the world. McKinsey has assisted opioid manufacturers, tobacco companies, fossil fuel companies, ICE, and authoritarian governments, and in each case has covered up its footprints. Bogdanich and Forsythe show that the firm often advises both the companies that create problems and the governments that are trying to solve them, "playing both sides" and making a tidy sum in the process. In this episode we discuss how McKinsey recruits young elites with promises of doing socially useful work but then tells them that their job is "execution, not policy," meaning that they aren't to question the underlying values of the institutions they're consulting for. This has helped them justify working for the shadiest of shady clients. And even when McKinsey consults for companies that aren't wrecking the earth or killing their customers, it often advises them on how to maximize profits in ways that do real harm. Again and again, McKinsey has come to town and left people worse off. Bogdanich and Forsythe show that many of the worst problems we face today have had McKinsey's hand in them—but of course, McKinsey stands to profit handsomely from advising governments on how to fix those problems. A Current Affairs article about McKinsey by a former McKinsey consultant is here. The New York Times reporting on the hospital that McKinsey advised to juice profits by stealing from sick poor people is here, and was written up in Current Affairs here. An article that partly discusses McKinsey’s role in the opioid crisis appears in the September-October print issue of Current Affairs. Nathan's article about famous ex-McKinseyite Pete Buttigieg is here and some speculation about what Pete did at the firm is here. “They advise almost all of the pharmaceutical companies around the world, making tens of millions of dollars in profits, at the same time as they also advise the Food and Drug Administration that is supposed to be regulating them.” — Walt Bogdanich “Yes, they do a lot of laughable things and silly PowerPoint slides that don’t really tell you anything, but they also do things that really make a difference, and sometimes a very malign difference." — Michael Forsythe

McKinsey &amp; Co. is the world's leading consulting company. But it also does a lot of work that's, well, pretty downright sinister, and it's very secretive about that work. But in the new book <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/634029/when-mckinsey-comes-to-town-by-walt-bogdanich-and-michael-forsythe/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">When McKinsey Comes To Town: The Hidden Influence of the World's Most Powerful Consulting Firm</a>,Walt Bogdanich and Michael Forsythe of the New York Times expose the hidden hand of McKinsey across the world. McKinsey has assisted opioid manufacturers, tobacco companies, fossil fuel companies, ICE, and authoritarian governments, and in each case has covered up its footprints. Bogdanich and Forsythe show that the firm often advises both the companies that create problems and the governments that are trying to solve them, "playing both sides" and making a tidy sum in the process. In this episode we discuss how McKinsey recruits young elites with promises of doing socially useful work but then tells them that their job is "execution, not policy," meaning that they aren't to question the underlying values of the institutions they're consulting for. This has helped them justify working for the shadiest of shady clients. And even when McKinsey consults for companies that aren't wrecking the earth or killing their customers, it often advises them on how to maximize profits in ways that do real harm. Again and again, McKinsey has come to town and left people worse off. Bogdanich and Forsythe show that many of the worst problems we face today have had McKinsey's hand in them—but of course, McKinsey stands to profit handsomely from advising governments on how to fix those problems. A Current Affairs article about McKinsey by a former McKinsey consultant is <a href="https://www.currentaffairs.org/2019/02/mckinsey-company-capitals-willing-executioners" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>. The New York Times reporting on the hospital that McKinsey advised to juice profits by stealing from sick poor people is <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/24/business/nonprofit-hospitals-poor-patients.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>, and was written up in Current Affairs <a href="https://www.currentaffairs.org/2022/10/is-there-anyone-worse-than-a-for-profit-hospital-operator" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>. An article that partly discusses McKinsey’s role in the opioid crisis appears in the September-October <a href="http://currentaffairs.org/subscribe" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">print issue</a> of Current Affairs. Nathan's article about famous ex-McKinseyite Pete Buttigieg is <a href="https://www.currentaffairs.org/2019/03/all-about-pete" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a> and some speculation about what Pete did at the firm is <a href="https://www.currentaffairs.org/2019/12/some-guesses-as-to-what-pete-buttigieg-got-up-to-at-mckinsey" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>. <blockquote>“They advise almost all of the pharmaceutical companies around the world, making tens of millions of dollars in profits, at the same time as they also advise the Food and Drug Administration that is supposed to be regulating them.” — Walt Bogdanich </blockquote><blockquote>“Yes, they do a lot of laughable things and silly PowerPoint slides that don’t really tell you anything, but they also do things that really make a difference, and sometimes a very malign difference." — Michael Forsythe</blockquote>

What Happens When McKinsey Shows Up?

Anna Wintour

The editorial team of Current Affairs is fascinated by the online learning platform MasterClass, on which A-list celebrities offer “classes” that are sometimes very cool but frequently of dubious educational value. We have previously taken and discussed the MasterClasses of Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton. (We have not yet mustered the fortitude to sit through the Leadership Lessons From George W. Bush MasterClass.) Today we take and discuss the class offered by longtime Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour, who offers an introduction to the fashion world and lessons on "How To Be A Boss." We talk about the economic structure of the fashion industry, how fashion is made into something exclusive rather than universal, and the mountain of cruelty (to both people and animals) that sustain this bizarre self-contained world. We are particularly interested in the inner workings of Vogue because it’s a such an entirely different part of the magazine industry to the world of Current Affairs. So enjoy as Yasmin, Lily, and Nathan discuss how you, too, can become a famous fashion mogul.Read “The Socialist Case for Fashion” in Current Affairs here. The documentary about Wintour and Vogue, The September Issue, can be watched here. The “cerulean” scene of The Devil Wears Prada is here.

The editorial team of Current Affairs is fascinated by the online learning platform MasterClass, on which A-list celebrities offer “classes” that are sometimes very cool but frequently of dubious educational value. We have previously taken and discussed the MasterClasses of <a href="https://www.patreon.com/posts/leadership-from-60725426" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Bill Clinton</a> and <a href="https://www.patreon.com/posts/we-took-hillary-60009443" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Hillary Clinton</a>. (We have not yet mustered the fortitude to sit through the <a href="https://www.masterclass.com/classes/president-george-w-bush-teaches-authentic-leadership" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Leadership Lessons From George W. Bush</a> MasterClass.) Today we take and discuss the class offered by longtime Vogue editor-in-chief <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_Wintour" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Anna Wintour</a>, who offers an introduction to the fashion world and lessons on "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgFKJwIbJr8" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">How To Be A Boss</a>." We talk about the economic structure of the fashion industry, how fashion is made into something exclusive rather than universal, and the mountain of cruelty (to both people and animals) that sustain this bizarre self-contained world. We are particularly interested in the inner workings of Vogue because it’s a such an entirely different part of the magazine industry to the world of Current Affairs. So enjoy as Yasmin, Lily, and Nathan discuss how you, too, can become a famous fashion mogul.Read “The Socialist Case for Fashion” in Current Affairs <a href="https://www.currentaffairs.org/2021/03/the-socialist-case-for-fashion" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>. The documentary about Wintour and Vogue, The September Issue, can be watched <a href="https://www.amazon.com/September-Issue-Anna-Wintour/dp/B002QQ8HAG" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>. The “cerulean” scene of The Devil Wears Prada is <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjiJ-aeBj9Y" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>.

The Editors Take a MasterClass: Anna Wintour Edition

A podcast of politics and culture, from the editors of Current Affairs magazine.

They don’t really know history, seem sorta pretentious. There’s a good episode now and again. Used to be more important but now there are more good leftist podcasts which are actually funny and stick to their values

Witty and well-informed

Current Affairs

"You have a grandfather clock, you bastard!"In this jam-packed episode, the panel investigates The Atlantic's hatred of democracy, shares their most recent revelations, and Aisling invites the team to participate in Ritual Shaming. In a corny postscript, everyone shares a thing that they are thankful for.The panel this week was senior editor Brianna Rennix, editor-in-chief Nathan J. Robinson, contributing editor Eli Massey, finance editor Sparky Abraham, podmaster-general Aisling McCrea, and your host is Pete Davis.'Too Much Democracy Is Bad For Democracy':  https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2019/12/too-much-democracy-is-bad-for-democracy/600766/ Desert Oracle:  https://www.desertoracle.com/ Frogge:  https://incubator.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wp/enm/Frogge This episode was edited by Dan Thorn of Pink Noise Studios in Somerville, MA. Music: 'The Show Must Be Go' - Kevin MacLeod

"You have a grandfather clock, you bastard!" In this jam-packed episode, the panel investigates The Atlantic's hatred of democracy, shares their most recent revelations, and Aisling invites the team to participate in Ritual Shaming. In a corny postscript, everyone shares a thing that they are thankful for. The panel this week was senior editor Brianna Rennix, editor-in-chief Nathan J. Robinson, contributing editor Eli Massey, finance editor Sparky Abraham, podmaster-general Aisling McCrea, and your host is Pete Davis. 'Too Much Democracy Is Bad For Democracy': <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2019/12/too-much-democracy-is-bad-for-democracy/600766/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2019/12/too-much-democracy-is-bad-for-democracy/600766/</a> Desert Oracle: <a href="https://www.desertoracle.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.desertoracle.com/</a> Frogge: <a href="https://incubator.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wp/enm/Frogge" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://incubator.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wp/enm/Frogge</a> This episode was edited by Dan Thorn of Pink Noise Studios in Somerville, MA. Music: 'The Show Must Be Go' - Kevin MacLeod

Episode #39: The Durian Of Power

The entire Current Affairs team comes together to brief listeners on as many of the Democratic presidential candidates as they can in two hours (spoiler alert: we only could get through half!) The Panel:  Briahna Joy Gray, contributing editor Vanessa A. Bee, social media editor Brianna Rennix, senior editor Sparky Abraham, finance editor Oren Nimni, legal editor Nick Slater, newsletter editor Lyta Gold, amusements eidtor Nathan J. Robinson, editor-in-chief Pete Davis, host  Candidates discussed:  Joe Biden (read about his feud with Elizabeth Warren over banks here) Marianne Williamson (read about the debate over 2020 and reparations here) Amy Klobuchar (read Elizabeth Bruenig on feminism and her workplace abuse here) Bernie Sanders (listen to his folk album here; watch his Debs documentary here) Julian Castro (read about the HUD Mortgage Sale scandal here) Elizabeth Warren (read about her groundbreaking Two-Income Trap book here) Andrew Yang (read about the "Yang Gang"'s meme problem here) Tulsi Gabbard (read about the mystery of Gabbard's values here) Howard Schultz (read a profile of his feuds with the city of Seattle here)  Support Current Affairs — and gain access to the Bird Feed of bonus episodes — by becoming a patron at our Patreon page. Many thanks to Dan Thorn, at Pink Noise Studios, for editing this episode.

The entire Current Affairs team comes together to brief listeners on as many of the Democratic presidential candidates as they can in two hours (spoiler alert: we only could get through half!) The Panel: <ul> <li><a href="http://twitter.com/briebriejoy" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Briahna Joy Gray</a>, contributing editor</li> <li><a href="http://twitter.com/dolladollabille" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Vanessa A. Bee</a>, social media editor</li> <li><a href="http://twitter.com/berennix" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Brianna Rennix</a>, senior editor</li> <li><a href="http://twitter.com/sparkyabraham" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Sparky Abraham</a>, finance editor</li> <li><a href="http://twitter.com/orennimni" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Oren Nimni</a>, legal editor</li> <li><a href="http://twitter.com/nislatr" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Nick Slater</a>, newsletter editor</li> <li><a href="http://twitter.com/fluttersnipe" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Lyta Gold</a>, amusements eidtor</li> <li><a href="http://twitter.com/nathanjrobinson" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Nathan J. Robinson</a>, editor-in-chief</li> <li><a href="http://twitter.com/peteddavis" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Pete Davis</a>, host</li> </ul> Candidates discussed: <ul> <li>Joe Biden (read about his feud with Elizabeth Warren over banks <a href="https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2019/03/12/biden-vs-warren-2020-democratic-primaries-bankruptcy-bill-225728" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>)</li> <li>Marianne Williamson (read about the debate over 2020 and reparations <a href="https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2019/3/11/18246741/reparations-democrats-2020-inequality-warren-harris-castro" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>)</li> <li>Amy Klobuchar (read Elizabeth Bruenig on feminism and her workplace abuse <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/amy-klobuchars-defenders-mistake-the-promise-of-feminism/2019/02/25/85a3dae4-3943-11e9-a06c-3ec8ed509d15_story.html?utm_term=.138020bee958" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>)</li> <li>Bernie Sanders (listen to his folk album <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/the-untold-story-of-bernie-sanders-1987-folk-album-61301/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>; watch his Debs documentary <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4i054Ylips" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>)</li> <li>Julian Castro (read about the HUD Mortgage Sale scandal <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/18/business/dealbook/housing-agency-plans-mortgage-sale-reforms-after-criticism.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>)</li> <li>Elizabeth Warren (read about her groundbreaking Two-Income Trap book <a href="https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2019/1/23/18183091/two-income-trap-elizabeth-warren-book" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>)</li> <li>Andrew Yang (read about the "Yang Gang"'s meme problem <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2019/3/9/18256622/andrew-yang-2020-president-meme-yanggang" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>)</li> <li>Tulsi Gabbard (read about the mystery of Gabbard's values <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/11/06/what-does-tulsi-gabbard-believe" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>)</li> <li>Howard Schultz (read a profile of his feuds with the city of Seattle <a href="https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2019/02/08/howard-schultz-president-starbucks-profile-2020-224823" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>)</li> </ul> Support Current Affairs — and gain access to the Bird Feed of bonus episodes — by becoming a patron at our <a href="http://patreon.com/currentaffairs" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Patreon page</a>. Many thanks to Dan Thorn, at Pink Noise Studios, for editing this episode.

#21: Meet the Candidates! (Part 1)

The Current Affairs panel discuss whether demanding that opponents be fired is good strategy, hear a dispatch from Nathan about the Abdul for Governor campaign, and each share their most conservative opinions. The Panel:  Briahna Joy Gray, contributing editor Oren Nimni, legal editor Lyta Gold, amusements editor Sparky Abraham, finance editor Nathan J. Robinson, editor-in-chief Pete Davis, host  Read Nathan's original essay on Abdul here and his essay on Abdul's single payer plan here. Learn more about Shri Thanedar's insincere campaign here. Human Scale by Kirkpatrick Sale is available here and you can learn more about lefty architect Christopher Alexander here. Support Current Affairs by becoming a patron on our Patreon page. For the written form of Current Affairs — and to subscribe to the beautiful print magazine — visit: Current Affairs.org. To join the conversation, leave us a voicemail at 504-867-8851.

The Current Affairs panel discuss whether demanding that opponents be fired is good strategy, hear a dispatch from Nathan about the Abdul for Governor campaign, and each share their most conservative opinions. The Panel: <ul> <li><a href="https://twitter.com/briebriejoy" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Briahna Joy Gray</a>, contributing editor</li> <li><a href="http://twitter.com/orennimni" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Oren Nimni</a>, legal editor</li> <li><a href="https://twitter.com/fluttersnipe" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Lyta Gold</a>, amusements editor</li> <li><a href="http://twitter.com/sparkyabraham" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Sparky Abraham</a>, finance editor</li> <li><a href="http://twitter.com/nathanjrobinson" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Nathan J. Robinson</a>, editor-in-chief</li> <li><a href="https://twitter.com/PeteDDavis" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Pete Davis</a>, host</li> </ul> Read Nathan's original essay on Abdul <a href="https://www.currentaffairs.org/2018/02/could-abdul-el-sayed-be-the-real-deal" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a> and his essay on Abdul's single payer plan <a href="https://www.currentaffairs.org/2018/07/the-incredible-state-level-single-payer-plan-that-everyone-should-be-talking-about" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>. Learn more about Shri Thanedar's insincere campaign <a href="https://theintercept.com/2018/04/06/shri-thanedar-michigan-millionaire-bernie-sanders-republican/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>. Human Scale by Kirkpatrick Sale is available <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Human-Scale-Kirkpatrick-Sale/dp/1897408064" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a> and you can learn more about lefty architect Christopher Alexander <a href="http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/architecture/2009/12/do_you_see_a_pattern.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>. Support Current Affairs by becoming a patron on our <a href="https://www.patreon.com/currentaffairs" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Patreon page</a>. For the written form of Current Affairs — and to subscribe to the beautiful print magazine — visit: <a href="https://www.currentaffairs.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Current Affairs.org</a>. To join the conversation, leave us a voicemail at 504-867-8851.

#7: Pink Slips, Blue Lakes, Red Takes

The People's Policy Project's Matt Bruenig enters the Lefty Shark Tank to pitch a social wealth fund and modern day trustbusters Lina Khan and Sandeep Vaheesan stop by to explain antitrust. (Plus, in between, the debut of the official Current Affairs Ben Shapiro diss track). Read the People's Policy Projects full report on social wealth funds here. Read Matt's pitch for one in the New York Times here. Vanessa's recent article on monopoly is here. Lina's groundbreaking Yale Law Review article on Amazon is here. Sandeep on worker power and monopoly is here. Barry Lynn's monopoly primer is here. Lina and Sandeep are out of the Open Markets Institute. Support Current Affairs by becoming a patron on our Patreon page. For the written form of Current Affairs — and to subscribe to the beautiful print magazine — visit: CurrentAffairs.org. To join the conversation, leave us a voicemail at 504-867-8851.

<a href="https://www.peoplespolicyproject.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The People's Policy Project</a>'s Matt Bruenig enters the Lefty Shark Tank to pitch a social wealth fund and modern day trustbusters Lina Khan and Sandeep Vaheesan stop by to explain antitrust. (Plus, in between, the debut of the official Current Affairs Ben Shapiro diss track). Read the People's Policy Projects full report on social wealth funds <a href="https://www.peoplespolicyproject.org/projects/social-wealth-fund/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>. Read Matt's pitch for one in the New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/30/opinion/inequality-social-wealth-fund.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>. Vanessa's recent article on monopoly is <a href="https://www.currentaffairs.org/2018/08/the-rules-of-monopoly" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>. Lina's groundbreaking Yale Law Review article on Amazon is <a href="https://www.yalelawjournal.org/note/amazons-antitrust-paradox" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>. Sandeep on worker power and monopoly is <a href="https://lpeblog.org/2018/07/19/how-contemporary-antitrust-robs-workers-of-power/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>. Barry Lynn's monopoly primer is <a href="https://washingtonmonthly.com/magazine/junejulyaug-2016/populism-with-a-brain/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>. Lina and Sandeep are out of the <a href="https://openmarketsinstitute.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Open Markets Institute</a>. Support Current Affairs by becoming a patron on our <a href="https://www.patreon.com/currentaffairs" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Patreon page</a>. For the written form of Current Affairs — and to subscribe to the beautiful print magazine — visit: <a href="http://www.currentaffairs.org" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">CurrentAffairs.org</a>. To join the conversation, leave us a voicemail at 504-867-8851.

#9: Do Not Pass Go, Do Not Collect Your Social Wealth Dividend

The Current Affairs panel discusses the latest flare-ups in the left-liberal divide (civility, Ocasio-Cortez, and more), hears Pete's Lefty Shark Tank pitch for a universal government login, and share their favorite silver bullets for solving many problems in one fell swoop. The Panel:  Briahna Joy Gray, contributing editor Vanessa A. Bee, social media editor Sparky Abraham, finance editor Nathan J. Robinson, editor-in-chief Pete Davis, host  Further reading on the left-liberal divide Both Nathan and Pete have pieces on the left-liberal divide here and here. You can read Nathan's post-Ocasio take here and Brie's recent take on identity politics and the Democrats here. Further reading on a universal government login Read about Estonia's online voting here and the U.K.'s verification system here. To join up with tech-minded lefties, check out the Progressive Coders Network. Further reading on our silver bullets For one of the heroes of the caring economy, check out National Domestic Workers Alliance director Ai-Jen Poo.  The Bruenigs have also written widely on pro-family economic policies. Democracy Journal had a roundup on national service in 2014. The People's Policy Project put out a recent report on incarcerated voter enfranchisement. Miscellany Here's some more information on what it means to be bi-dialectical.** Support Current Affairs by becoming a patron on our Patreon page. For the written form of Current Affairs — and to subscribe to the beautiful print magazine — visit: Current Affairs.org. To join the conversation, leave us a voicemail at 504-867-8851.

The Current Affairs panel discusses the latest flare-ups in the left-liberal divide (civility, Ocasio-Cortez, and more), hears Pete's Lefty Shark Tank pitch for a universal government login, and share their favorite silver bullets for solving many problems in one fell swoop. The Panel: <ul> <li><a href="https://twitter.com/briebriejoy" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Briahna Joy Gray</a>, contributing editor</li> <li><a href="https://twitter.com/dolladollabille" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Vanessa A. Bee</a>, social media editor</li> <li><a href="https://twitter.com/sparkyabraham" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Sparky Abraham</a>, finance editor</li> <li><a href="http://twitter.com/nathanjrobinson" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Nathan J. Robinson</a>, editor-in-chief</li> <li><a href="https://twitter.com/PeteDDavis" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Pete Davis</a>, host</li> </ul> Further reading on the left-liberal divide Both Nathan and Pete have pieces on the left-liberal divide <a href="https://www.currentaffairs.org/2017/06/the-difference-between-liberalism-and-leftism" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a> and <a href="https://www.currentaffairs.org/2017/10/how-to-heal-the-left-liberal-divide" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>. You can read Nathan's post-Ocasio take <a href="https://www.currentaffairs.org/2018/06/incredible-things-can-be-accomplished" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a> and Brie's recent take on identity politics and the Democrats <a href="https://theintercept.com/2018/06/18/2020-presidential-election-democratic-party/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>. Further reading on a universal government login Read about Estonia's online voting <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_voting_in_Estonia?oldformat=true" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a> and the U.K.'s verification system <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/nov/06/govuk-quietly-disrupts-the-problem-of-online-identity-login" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>. To join up with tech-minded lefties, check out the <a href="https://www.progcode.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Progressive Coders Network</a>. Further reading on our silver bullets For one of the heroes of the caring economy, check out National Domestic Workers Alliance director <a href="https://caringacross.org/ai-jen-poo-future-work-isnt-robots-caring-humans/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Ai-Jen Poo</a>. The Bruenigs have also <a href="https://medium.com/@ebruenig/the-bruenig-child-allowance-masterpost-8a1dbe898394" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">written widely</a> on pro-family economic policies. Democracy Journal had a <a href="https://democracyjournal.org/magazine/33/a-nation-in-service/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">roundup</a> on national service in 2014. The People's Policy Project put out a recent report on <a href="http://peoplespolicyproject.org/projects/prisoner-voting/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">incarcerated voter enfranchisement</a>. Miscellany <a href="https://ali.usc.edu/blog/growing-up-bi-dialectal-and-bi-accented/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Here</a>'s some more information on what it means to be bi-dialectical.** Support Current Affairs by becoming a patron on our <a href="https://www.patreon.com/currentaffairs" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Patreon page</a>. For the written form of Current Affairs — and to subscribe to the beautiful print magazine — visit: <a href="https://www.currentaffairs.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Current Affairs.org</a>. To join the conversation, leave us a voicemail at 504-867-8851.

#5: Out of Left Field

The Current Affairs panel discusses whether the political is personal, Nathan waxes poetic about Wikipedia, and we all share something that is trending in the right direction. The Panel:  Briahna Joy Gray, contributing editor Oren Nimni, legal editor Lyta Gold, amusements editor Nathan J. Robinson, editor in chief Pete Davis, host  Further reading on Wikipedia: Here's more on Wikipedia's government structure. Here's The Guardian waxing poetic about Wikipedia. Here's a relatively recent profile of Jimmy Wales. Here's the Wikipedia page on gender bias on the site. Here's a group working to increase black representation among Wikipedia's articles and editors. Many thanks to Dan Thorn for editing help. Support Current Affairs by becoming a patron on our Patreon page. For the written form of Current Affairs — and to subscribe to the beautiful print magazine — visit: CurrentAffairs.org. To join the conversation, leave us a voicemail at 504-867-8851.

The Current Affairs panel discusses whether the political is personal, Nathan waxes poetic about Wikipedia, and we all share something that is trending in the right direction. The Panel: <ul> <li><a href="https://twitter.com/briebriejoy" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Briahna Joy Gray</a>, contributing editor</li> <li><a href="http://twitter.com/orennimni" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Oren Nimni</a>, legal editor</li> <li><a href="https://twitter.com/fluttersnipe" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Lyta Gold</a>, amusements editor</li> <li><a href="https://twitter.com/nathanjrobinson" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Nathan J. Robinson</a>, editor in chief</li> <li><a href="https://twitter.com/peteDDavis" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Pete Davis</a>, host</li> </ul> Further reading on Wikipedia: <a href="https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01580964/document" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Here</a>'s more on Wikipedia's government structure. <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/aug/10/wikipedia-isnt-perfect-model-channel-4-government" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Here</a>'s The Guardian waxing poetic about Wikipedia. <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/30/magazine/jimmy-wales-is-not-an-internet-billionaire.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Here</a>'s a relatively recent profile of Jimmy Wales. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gender_bias_on_Wikipedia" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Here</a>'s the Wikipedia page on gender bias on the site. <a href="http://afrocrowd.org" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Here</a>'s a group working to increase black representation among Wikipedia's articles and editors. Many thanks to Dan Thorn for editing help. Support Current Affairs by becoming a patron on our <a href="https://patreon.com/currentaffairs" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Patreon page</a>. For the written form of Current Affairs — and to subscribe to the beautiful print magazine — visit: <a href="https://currentaffairs.org" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">CurrentAffairs.org</a>. To join the conversation, leave us a voicemail at 504-867-8851.

#11: The Fault in Our Barnstars

Noam Chomsky

Yes, you read right. Current Affairs editor-in-chief Nathan J. Robinson sits down with the Patron Saint of Current Affairs, himself: Noam Chomsky! Topics discussed include: consciousness, the limits of human knowledge, Steven Pinker, Jordan Peterson, academia, artificial intelligence and more. Read Nathan's tribute to Chomsky here. Support Current Affairs by becoming a patron at our patreon page.

Yes, you read right. Current Affairs editor-in-chief Nathan J. Robinson sits down with the Patron Saint of Current Affairs, himself: Noam Chomsky! Topics discussed include: consciousness, the limits of human knowledge, Steven Pinker, Jordan Peterson, academia, artificial intelligence and more. Read Nathan's tribute to Chomsky <a href="https://www.currentaffairs.org/2018/12/lessons-from-chomsky" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>. Support Current Affairs by becoming a patron at our <a href="http://patreon.com/currentaffairs" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">patreon page</a>.

#19: The Chomsky Drop (ft. Noam Chomsky)

Ezra Klein

Originally available only to Patreon subscribers, this episode has been unlocked for all listeners! Current Affairs editor-in-chief Nathan J. Robinson sits down with founder and editor-at-large of Vox, Ezra Klein. Together, they debate (in a very friendly manner) the successes and failures of the Bernie Sanders campaign, incremental change versus radical change, and whether Nathan was justified in writing mean things about Vox in 2016.

UNLOCKED: A Very Nice and Polite Argument with Ezra Klein

The panel debates debate, pours their heart out about the Heartland, and gives each other teeny tiny spiels on teeny tiny policies. The panel debates debate, pours their heart out about the Heartland, and gives each other teeny tiny spiels on teeny tiny policies. Plus, tune in to hear about the hot new show claiming to be the number one musical in Iowa...The panel this week was contributing editor Eli Massey, finance editor Sparky Abraham, amusements editor Lyta Gold, legal editor Oren Nimni, podmaster-general Aisling McCrea, and editor-in-chief Nathan J. Robinson. Your host is Pete Davis.Music by Danny Bradley:  https://dannybradleymusic.com/ This episode was edited by Dan Thorn of Pink Noise Studios in Somerville, MA.

The panel debates debate, pours their heart out about the Heartland, and gives each other teeny tiny spiels on teeny tiny policies. The panel debates debate, pours their heart out about the Heartland, and gives each other teeny tiny spiels on teeny tiny policies. Plus, tune in to hear about the hot new show claiming to be the number one musical in Iowa... The panel this week was contributing editor Eli Massey, finance editor Sparky Abraham, amusements editor Lyta Gold, legal editor Oren Nimni, podmaster-general Aisling McCrea, and editor-in-chief Nathan J. Robinson. Your host is Pete Davis. Music by Danny Bradley: <a href="https://dannybradleymusic.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://dannybradleymusic.com/</a> This episode was edited by Dan Thorn of Pink Noise Studios in Somerville, MA.

#42: BUTTIGIEG!

In our unlucky 13th episode, the Current Affairs panel gets into the Halloween spirit: we investigate the murder of American democracy, Pete makes the case that Halloween is the best holiday, and we all share our favorite unsolved mysteries. The Death Panel:  Brianna Rennix, senior editor Oren Nimni, legal editor Lyta Gold, amusements editor Nathan J. Robinson, editor-in-chief Pete Davis, host  Miscellaneous Reading: The books Pete referenced in segment one are Democracy's Discontent by Michael Sandel and The Cultural Contradictions of Capitalism by Daniel Bell. A James Joyce halloween costume is here and a sultry Edgar Allen Poe costume is here. Nathan's writing on the joy of Mardi Gras is here. More on the sinister Countess Báthory is here. More on Ireland's Land War is here. More on Carlo Tresca is here. Support Current Affairs by becoming a patron on our Patreon page. For the written form of Current Affairs — and to subscribe to the beautiful print magazine — visit: CurrentAffairs.org. To join the conversation, leave us a voicemail at 504-867-8851.

In our unlucky 13th episode, the Current Affairs panel gets into the Halloween spirit: we investigate the murder of American democracy, Pete makes the case that Halloween is the best holiday, and we all share our favorite unsolved mysteries. The Death Panel: <ul> <li><a href="https://twitter.com/berennix" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Brianna Rennix</a>, senior editor</li> <li><a href="http://twitter.com/orennnimni" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Oren Nimni</a>, legal editor</li> <li><a href="http://twitter.com/fluttersnipe" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Lyta Gold</a>, amusements editor</li> <li><a href="http://twitter.com/nathanjrobinson" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Nathan J. Robinson</a>, editor-in-chief</li> <li><a href="http://twitter.com/peteddavis" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Pete Davis</a>, host</li> </ul> Miscellaneous Reading: The books Pete referenced in segment one are <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Democracys-Discontent-America-Search-Philosophy/dp/0674197453" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Democracy's Discontent</a> by Michael Sandel and <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Cultural-Contradictions-Capitalism-20th-Anniversary/dp/0465014992/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1540319970&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=The%20Cultural%20Contradictions%20of%20Capitalism" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Cultural Contradictions of Capitalism</a> by Daniel Bell. A James Joyce halloween costume is <a href="https://imgur.com/5SG0p" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a> and a sultry Edgar Allen Poe costume is <a href="https://knowyourmeme.com/photos/634057-halloween" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>. Nathan's writing on the joy of Mardi Gras is <a href="https://www.currentaffairs.org/2018/06/mardi-gras-in-theory-and-practice" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>. More on the sinister Countess Báthory is <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_B%C3%A1thory?oldformat=true" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>. More on Ireland's Land War is <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Land_War?oldformat=true" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>. More on Carlo Tresca is <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlo_Tresca?oldformat=true" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>. Support Current Affairs by becoming a patron on our <a href="http://www.patreon.com/currentaffairs" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Patreon page</a>. For the written form of Current Affairs — and to subscribe to the beautiful print magazine — visit: <a href="http://www.currentaffairs.org" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">CurrentAffairs.org</a>. To join the conversation, leave us a voicemail at 504-867-8851.

#13: Spooky Affairs

Ryan Grim

We've unlocked a bonus episode from the Patreon feed! In this episode, Current Affairs host Pete Davis sits down with Ryan Grim, author and DC bureau chief for The Intercept. Ryan shares his experiences as one of the few progressive reporters in Capitol Hill in the 2000s, and gives the inside scoop on Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, and Nancy Pelosi, among others.Ryan's book We’ve Got People: From Jesse Jackson to AOC, the End of Big Money and the Rise of a Movement is available here:  https://strongarmpress.com/catalog/weve-got-people/ This episode was edited by Dan Thorn of Pink Noise Studios in Somerville, MA.

We've unlocked a bonus episode from the Patreon feed! In this episode, Current Affairs host Pete Davis sits down with Ryan Grim, author and DC bureau chief for The Intercept. Ryan shares his experiences as one of the few progressive reporters in Capitol Hill in the 2000s, and gives the inside scoop on Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, and Nancy Pelosi, among others. Ryan's book We’ve Got People: From Jesse Jackson to AOC, the End of Big Money and the Rise of a Movement is available here: <a href="https://strongarmpress.com/catalog/weve-got-people/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://strongarmpress.com/catalog/weve-got-people/</a> This episode was edited by Dan Thorn of Pink Noise Studios in Somerville, MA.

UNLOCKED! Ryan Grim on following Sanders and Warren since the 2000s

The Current Affairs panel discusses what the end of racism and sexism might look like, legal star Ian Samuel enters the Lefty Shark Tank to pitch Supreme Court packing, and we all share our favorite historical what-ifs. (Plus, the segment breaks are haunted by disturbing 20th century ghosts!) Further reading on racial and gender utopias: Matt Bruenig and Economic Policy Institute have good data on the racial wealth gap here and here. The New York Times Magazine had a report this past spring on the crisis in black maternal health. Data on the gender gap in government is here and gender and racial  pay gap information is here. We also read two conservatives in preparation for this episode: Michael Lind on the melting pot and John McWhorter on identity politics. The question that inspired this segment was asked by Harvard Law professor Randall Kennedy, who wrote about it here. Further reading on Supreme Court packing: Ian's original tweet is here. His Tucker clip is here. National Review responds to his proposal here. Dylan Matthews has a court packing Voxplainer here. Oren and Brianna's Current Affairs take on the whole idea of judges is here. Further reading on our historical what-ifs: Read Ho Chi Minh's Declaration of Independence here. History of Science is a really interesting discipline — read its wiki page here. Read more about free labor in Michael Sandel's Democracy's Discontent and Eric Foner's Free Soil, Free Labor, Free Men. Read about one type of hierarchy organization here. Inside Job is here and Too Big to Fail is here. Joseph Singer's law review article on the Youngstown factory closing case is here. Support Current Affairs by becoming a patron on our Patreon page. For the written form of Current Affairs — and to subscribe to the beautiful print magazine — visit: CurrentAffairs.org. To join the conversation, leave us a voicemail at 504-867-8851.

The Current Affairs panel discusses what the end of racism and sexism might look like, legal star Ian Samuel enters the Lefty Shark Tank to pitch Supreme Court packing, and we all share our favorite historical what-ifs. (Plus, the segment breaks are haunted by disturbing 20th century ghosts!) Further reading on racial and gender utopias: Matt Bruenig and Economic Policy Institute have good data on the racial wealth gap <a href="https://www.peoplespolicyproject.org/2017/09/29/the-best-way-to-represent-the-overall-racial-wealth-gap/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a> and <a href="https://www.epi.org/blog/the-racial-wealth-gap-how-african-americans-have-been-shortchanged-out-of-the-materials-to-build-wealth/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>. The New York Times Magazine had a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/11/magazine/black-mothers-babies-death-maternal-mortality.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">report</a> this past spring on the crisis in black maternal health. Data on the gender gap in government is <a href="http://www.cawp.rutgers.edu/current-numbers" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a> and gender and racial pay gap information is <a href="https://www.vox.com/identities/2018/8/7/17657416/black-womens-equal-pay-day-gender-racial-pay-gap" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>. We also read two conservatives in preparation for this episode: <a href="https://newrepublic.com/article/104783/new-nationalism" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Michael Lind</a> on the melting pot and <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/antiracism-our-flawed-new-religion" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">John McWhorter</a> on identity politics. The question that inspired this segment was asked by Harvard Law professor Randall Kennedy, who wrote about it <a href="http://prospect.org/article/black-americas-promised-land-why-i-am-still-racial-optimist" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>. Further reading on Supreme Court packing: Ian's original tweet is <a href="https://twitter.com/isamuel/status/1012036933176840192" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>. His Tucker clip is <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUyjj_TgVFs" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>. National Review responds to his proposal <a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/supreme-court-packing-plan-fringe-fantasy/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>. Dylan Matthews has a court packing Voxplainer <a href="https://www.vox.com/2018/7/2/17513520/court-packing-explained-fdr-roosevelt-new-deal-democrats-supreme-court" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>. Oren and Brianna's Current Affairs take on the whole idea of judges is <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=judge%20the%20judges%20current%20affairs&amp;rlz=1C5CHFA_enUS724US724&amp;oq=judge%20the%20judges%20current%20affairs&amp;aqs=chrome..69i57j69i60.4895j0j1&amp;sourceid=chrome&amp;ie=UTF-8" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>. Further reading on our historical what-ifs: Read Ho Chi Minh's Declaration of Independence <a href="http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5139/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>. History of Science is a really interesting discipline — read its wiki page <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_science?oldformat=true" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>. Read more about free labor in Michael Sandel's <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Democracys-Discontent-America-Search-Philosophy/dp/0674197453" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Democracy's Discontent</a> and Eric Foner's <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Free-Soil-Labor-Men-Republican/dp/0195094972" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Free Soil, Free Labor, Free Men</a>. Read about one type of hierarchy organization <a href="https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Holacracy" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>. Inside Job is <a href="https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Inside_Job_%282010_film%29" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a> and Too Big to Fail is <a href="https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Too_Big_to_Fail_%28film%29" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>. Joseph Singer's law review article on the Youngstown factory closing case is <a href="https://dash.harvard.edu/bitstream/handle/1/8667391/Singer_The-Reliance-Interest-in-Property-Revisited.pdf?sequence=1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>. Support Current Affairs by becoming a patron on our <a href="https://www.patreon.com/currentaffairs" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Patreon page</a>. For the written form of Current Affairs — and to subscribe to the beautiful print magazine — visit: <a href="https://www.currentaffairs.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">CurrentAffairs.org</a>. To join the conversation, leave us a voicemail at 504-867-8851.

#8: Dreams, Schemes & Time Machines

The Current Affairs panel discusses how they are approaching the 2020 Presidential campaign, we decide whether money is speech, and we all share what we think is the most important lesson that the left can learn from the right. Tickets for the live show on January 26th at the Rock &amp; Roll Hotel in Washington, D.C. are HERE. The Panel  Lyta Gold, amusements editor Oren Nimni, legal editor Sparky Abraham, finance editor Nathan J. Robinson, editor in chief Pete Davis, host  Tickets for the live show on January 26th at the Rock &amp; Roll Hotel in Washington, D.C. are HERE. Miscellany Nicholas Carnes' White Collar Government book is here. Nathan's Jacobin article on money and speech is here. Corey Robin's facebook post on money and speech is here. Information on the Seattle Democracy Voucher program is here. Tickets for the live show on January 26th at the Rock &amp; Roll Hotel in Washington, D.C. are HERE. Support Current Affairs by becoming a patron on our Patreon page. For the written form of Current Affairs — and to subscribe to the beautiful print magazine — visit: CurrentAffairs.org. To join the conversation, leave us a voicemail at 504-867-8851. Did we mention that tickets for the live show on January 26th at the Rock &amp; Roll Hotel in Washington, D.C. are HERE.

The Current Affairs panel discusses how they are approaching the 2020 Presidential campaign, we decide whether money is speech, and we all share what we think is the most important lesson that the left can learn from the right. Tickets for the live show on January 26th at the Rock &amp; Roll Hotel in Washington, D.C. are <a href="http://www.rockandrollhoteldc.com/calendar/the-current-affairs-podcast-live/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">HERE</a>. The Panel <ul> <li><a href="http://twitter.com/fluttersnipe" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Lyta Gold</a>, amusements editor</li> <li><a href="http://twitter.com/orennimni" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Oren Nimni</a>, legal editor</li> <li><a href="http://twitter.com/sparkyabraham" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Sparky Abraham</a>, finance editor</li> <li><a href="http://twitter.com/nathanjrobinson" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Nathan J. Robinson</a>, editor in chief</li> <li><a href="http://twitter.com/peteddavis" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Pete Davis</a>, host</li> </ul> Tickets for the live show on January 26th at the Rock &amp; Roll Hotel in Washington, D.C. are <a href="http://www.rockandrollhoteldc.com/calendar/the-current-affairs-podcast-live/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">HERE</a>. Miscellany Nicholas Carnes' White Collar Government book is <a href="https://www.amazon.com/White-Collar-Government-Economic-American-Politics/dp/022608714X" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>. Nathan's Jacobin article on money and speech is <a href="https://www.jacobinmag.com/2015/01/capitalism-democracy-citizens-united/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>. Corey Robin's facebook post on money and speech is <a href="https://www.facebook.com/corey.robin1/posts/1961324863933225" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>. Information on the Seattle Democracy Voucher program is <a href="https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/data/do-seattles-democracy-vouchers-work-new-analysis-says-yes/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>. Tickets for the live show on January 26th at the Rock &amp; Roll Hotel in Washington, D.C. are <a href="http://www.rockandrollhoteldc.com/calendar/the-current-affairs-podcast-live/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">HERE</a>. Support <a href="http://currentaffairs.org" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Current Affairs</a> by becoming a patron on our <a href="http://patreon.com/currentaffairs" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Patreon page</a>. For the written form of Current Affairs — and to subscribe to the beautiful print magazine — visit: <a href="http://currentaffairs.org" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">CurrentAffairs.org</a>. To join the conversation, leave us a voicemail at 504-867-8851. Did we mention that tickets for the live show on January 26th at the Rock &amp; Roll Hotel in Washington, D.C. are <a href="http://www.rockandrollhoteldc.com/calendar/the-current-affairs-podcast-live/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">HERE</a>.

#16: 2020 Visions

Virgil Texas

UNLOCKED FROM THE PATREON BIRD FEED: Current Affairs host Pete Davis talks with Virgil Texas about his hit podcast, Chapo Trap House: its origins, its philosophy, its style, its future. Read Virgil's old Carl Diggler dispatches here. This episode was edited by Dan Thorn at Pink Noise Studios in Somerville, MA. To listen to Bird Feed episodes right when they come out, become a patron at our Patreon page: Patreon.com/CurrentAffairs.

UNLOCKED FROM THE <a href="patreon.com/currentaffairs" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">PATREON</a> BIRD FEED: Current Affairs host <a href="twitter.com/peteddavis" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Pete Davis</a> talks with <a href="twitter.com/virgiltexas" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Virgil Texas</a> about his hit podcast, Chapo Trap House: its origins, its philosophy, its style, its future. Read Virgil's old Carl Diggler dispatches <a href="https://www.cafe.com/tag/carl-diggler/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>. This episode was edited by Dan Thorn at Pink Noise Studios in Somerville, MA. To listen to Bird Feed episodes right when they come out, become a patron at our <a href="patreon.com/currentaffairs" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Patreon</a> page: <a href="http://Patreon.com/CurrentAffairs" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Patreon.com/CurrentAffairs</a>.

UNLOCKED: Virgil Texas on the Chapo Trap House phenomenon

A Current Affairs megapanel opens up the Current Affairs voicemailbag again to answer listener questions on topics ranging from separation of powers to policy prioritization to workplace democracy to the lack of a recent Chomsky drop...and more. The Panel:  Briahna Joy Gray, contributing editor Oren Nimni, legal editor Lyta Gold, amusements editor Sparky Abraham, finance editor Brianna Rennix, finance editor Nathan J. Robinson, editor-in-chief Pete Davis, host  Miscellany: Nathan's prison abolition article is here. Brianna's open borders essay is here. Brie's race reductionism essay is here. Support Current Affairs by becoming a patron on our Patreon page. For the written form of Current Affairs — and to subscribe to the beautiful print magazine — visit: Current Affairs.org. To join the conversation, leave us a voicemail at 504-867-8851.

A Current Affairs megapanel opens up the Current Affairs voicemailbag again to answer listener questions on topics ranging from separation of powers to policy prioritization to workplace democracy to the lack of a recent Chomsky drop...and more. The Panel: <ul> <li><a href="https://twitter.com/briebriejoy" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Briahna Joy Gray</a>, contributing editor</li> <li><a href="http://twitter.com/orennimni" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Oren Nimni</a>, legal editor</li> <li><a href="https://twitter.com/fluttersnipe" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Lyta Gold</a>, amusements editor</li> <li><a href="http://twitter.com/sparkyabraham" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Sparky Abraham</a>, finance editor</li> <li><a href="http://twitter.com/berennix" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Brianna Rennix</a>, finance editor</li> <li><a href="http://twitter.com/nathanjrobinson" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Nathan J. Robinson</a>, editor-in-chief</li> <li><a href="http://twitter.com/peteddavis" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Pete Davis</a>, host</li> </ul> Miscellany: Nathan's prison abolition article is <a href="https://www.currentaffairs.org/2017/08/can-prison-abolition-ever-be-pragmatic" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>. Brianna's open borders essay is <a href="https://www.currentaffairs.org/2017/12/what-would-humane-immigration-policy-actually-look-like" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>. Brie's race reductionism essay is <a href="https://theintercept.com/2018/08/26/beware-the-race-reductionist/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>. Support Current Affairs by becoming a patron on our <a href="https://www.patreon.com/currentaffairs" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Patreon page</a>. For the written form of Current Affairs — and to subscribe to the beautiful print magazine — visit: <a href="http://currentaffairs.org" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Current Affairs.org</a>. To join the conversation, leave us a voicemail at 504-867-8851.

#10: The Voicemailbag II

The Current Affairs panel sits down to discuss AOC's first year in office, proposes an innovative new way of dividing up the United States, and shares the transcendental experiences they've had with animals.The panel this week is finance editor Sparky Abraham, legal editor Oren Nimni, associate editor Vanessa A. Bee, editor-in-chief Nathan J. Robinson, and your host is Pete Davis. Many thanks to our newsletter editor, Nick Slater, for getting us exclusive access to the secret Beto O'Rourke tapes.This episode was edited by Dan Thorn of Pink Noise Studios in Somerville, MA.

The Current Affairs panel sits down to discuss AOC's first year in office, proposes an innovative new way of dividing up the United States, and shares the transcendental experiences they've had with animals. The panel this week is finance editor Sparky Abraham, legal editor Oren Nimni, associate editor Vanessa A. Bee, editor-in-chief Nathan J. Robinson, and your host is Pete Davis. Many thanks to our newsletter editor, Nick Slater, for getting us exclusive access to the secret Beto O'Rourke tapes. This episode was edited by Dan Thorn of Pink Noise Studios in Somerville, MA.

Episode #31: The Pigeon Vortex

The Current Affairs panel learns about the Green New Deal, discusses the American loneliness epidemic, and share what we think is the worst example of American political amnesia. The Panel:  Brianna Rennix, senior editor Briahna Joy Gray, contributing editor Vanessa A. Bee, social media editor Nathan J. Robinson, editor-in-chief Pete Davis, host  Tickets for the live show on January 26th at the Rock &amp; Roll Hotel in Washington, D.C. are HERE. Further reading on the Green New Deal: Here is Kate Aranoff with a great GND explainer. Here's Eric Levitz on what type of political action will be needed to make a GND happen. Here's Robinson Meyer on why a GND is exciting. Here's Vice on why a Green New Deal could destroy the GOP once and for all. Further reading on American loneliness: Here's a New York Times piece on why social isolation is killing us. Here's a Wall Street Journal piece on aging alone. And here's a loneliness epidemic story in the Atlanta Journal Constitution. Brianna's essay about working at a suicide hotline is here. The national suicide hotline number is: 1-800-273-8255. Miscellany: Here's Vanessa's essay on why every American deserves a nanny state. Tickets for the live show on January 26th at the Rock &amp; Roll Hotel in Washington, D.C. are HERE. Support Current Affairs by becoming a patron on our Patreon page. For the written form of Current Affairs — and to subscribe to the beautiful print magazine — visit: CurrentAffairs.org. To join the conversation, leave us a voicemail at 504-867-8851. Did we mention that tickets for the live show on January 26th at the Rock &amp; Roll Hotel in Washington, D.C. are HERE.

The Current Affairs panel learns about the Green New Deal, discusses the American loneliness epidemic, and share what we think is the worst example of American political amnesia. The Panel: <ul> <li><a href="http://twitter.com/berennix" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Brianna Rennix</a>, senior editor</li> <li><a href="http://twitter.com/briebriejoy" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Briahna Joy Gray</a>, contributing editor</li> <li><a href="http://twitter.com/dolladollabile" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Vanessa A. Bee</a>, social media editor</li> <li><a href="http://twitter.com/nathanjrobinson" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Nathan J. Robinson</a>, editor-in-chief</li> <li><a href="http://twitter.com/peteddavis" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Pete Davis</a>, host</li> </ul> Tickets for the live show on January 26th at the Rock &amp; Roll Hotel in Washington, D.C. are <a href="http://www.rockandrollhoteldc.com/calendar/the-current-affairs-podcast-live/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">HERE</a>. Further reading on the Green New Deal: <a href="https://theintercept.com/2018/12/05/green-new-deal-proposal-impacts/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Here</a> is Kate Aranoff with a great GND explainer. <a href="http://nymag.com/intelligencer/2018/12/what-is-the-green-new-deal-explained-revolution.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Here</a>'s Eric Levitz on what type of political action will be needed to make a GND happen. <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2018/12/ocasio-cortez-green-new-deal-winning-climate-strategy/576514/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Here</a>'s Robinson Meyer on why a GND is exciting. <a href="https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/4397ap/the-left-thinks-a-green-new-deal-could-save-earth-and-destroy-the-gop" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Here</a>'s Vice on why a Green New Deal could destroy the GOP once and for all. Further reading on American loneliness: <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/22/upshot/how-social-isolation-is-killing-us.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Here</a>'s a New York Times piece on why social isolation is killing us. <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-loneliest-generation-americans-more-than-ever-are-aging-alone-11544541134" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Here</a>'s a Wall Street Journal piece on aging alone. And <a href="https://www.ajc.com/news/health-med-fit-science/why-are-americans-lonely-massive-study-finds-nearly-half-feels-alone-young-adults-most-all/bbIKsU2Rr3qZI8WlukHfpK/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>'s a loneliness epidemic story in the Atlanta Journal Constitution. Brianna's essay about working at a suicide hotline is <a href="https://www.currentaffairs.org/2017/06/speaking-of-despair" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>. The national suicide hotline number is: 1-800-273-8255. Miscellany: <a href="https://www.currentaffairs.org/2017/12/every-parent-deserves-a-nanny-state" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Here</a>'s Vanessa's essay on why every American deserves a nanny state. Tickets for the live show on January 26th at the Rock &amp; Roll Hotel in Washington, D.C. are <a href="http://www.rockandrollhoteldc.com/calendar/the-current-affairs-podcast-live/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">HERE</a>. Support <a href="http://patreon.com/currentaffairs" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Current Affairs</a> by becoming a patron on our <a href="http://patreon.com/currentaffairs" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Patreon page</a>. For the written form of Current Affairs — and to subscribe to the beautiful print magazine — visit: <a href="http://currentaffairs.org" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">CurrentAffairs.org</a>. To join the conversation, leave us a voicemail at 504-867-8851. Did we mention that tickets for the live show on January 26th at the Rock &amp; Roll Hotel in Washington, D.C. are <a href="http://www.rockandrollhoteldc.com/calendar/the-current-affairs-podcast-live/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">HERE</a>.

#17: The Green Big Deal

Natalie Wynn

Current Affairs editor-in-chief Nathan J. Robinson and contributing editor Aisling McCrea sits down with left-wing Youtube superstar Natalie Wynn (aka Contrapoints) to talk about her work making unforgettable left-wing videos in the Age of Reactionary-Occupied Youtube.This episode was edited by Dan Thorn of Pink Noise Studios in Somerville, Massachusetts.

Current Affairs editor-in-chief Nathan J. Robinson and contributing editor Aisling McCrea sits down with left-wing Youtube superstar Natalie Wynn (aka Contrapoints) to talk about her work making unforgettable left-wing videos in the Age of Reactionary-Occupied Youtube. This episode was edited by Dan Thorn of Pink Noise Studios in Somerville, Massachusetts.

UNLOCKED: In conversation: Natalie Wynn on Seizing Ground in Reactionary-Occupied Youtube

Daniel Walden

We were busy preparing our live show this past weekend, so we took a brief hiatus from making new main episodes. However, to ensure your Current Affairs fix was satisfied, we wanted to unlock one bonus episode each week. We will be back with regularly scheduled main episodes next week! This week, unlocked from the patreon bird feed, to the main feed: Amusements editor Lyta Gold and senior editor Brianna Rennix discuss myths with Classics scholar Daniel Walden, who recently wrote in the magazine about how the whole concept of “Western civilization" is a myth. Tune in to learn about why the myth of dragons may be a lefty one, why Jordan Peterson is confused about myths, what an anti-pope is, what myths can teach us about national origin stories, the purpose of trickster gods, and more. Also, read Brianna's recent essay on the myth of the death of Europe. Many thanks to Harrison Montgomery (@AugmentFourth) for help with edits and audio gags. Factual correction from early point in the conversation, according to Nathan, our resident Louisianan: "Louisiana law is not actually based on the Napoleonic Code! This itself is a myth. The Louisiana Purchase in 1803 and the Napoleonic Code doesn't come into effect in 1804. We are still based on weird old French civil law. Even though every single local says Louisiana's based on the Napoleonic Code, technically we are based on whatever it was that existed in France before Napoleon fixed it." To listen to interviews when they first come out — and gain access to our patrons' "Bird Feed" — consider becoming a monthly patron at our Patreon page. Call into Current Affairs anytime at (504) 867-8851.

We were busy preparing our live show this past weekend, so we took a brief hiatus from making new main episodes. However, to ensure your Current Affairs fix was satisfied, we wanted to unlock one bonus episode each week. We will be back with regularly scheduled main episodes next week! This week, unlocked from <a href="http://patreon.com/currentaffairs" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">the patreon bird feed</a>, to the main feed: Amusements editor Lyta Gold and senior editor Brianna Rennix discuss myths with Classics scholar Daniel Walden, who recently <a href="https://www.currentaffairs.org/author/danielwalden" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">wrote in the magazine</a> about how the whole concept of “Western civilization" is a myth. Tune in to learn about why the myth of dragons may be a lefty one, why Jordan Peterson is confused about myths, what an anti-pope is, what myths can teach us about national origin stories, the purpose of trickster gods, and more. Also, read Brianna's <a href="https://www.currentaffairs.org/2019/01/the-death-of-europe-has-been-greatly-exaggerated" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">recent essay</a> on the myth of the death of Europe. Many thanks to Harrison Montgomery (<a href="https://twitter.com/Augmentfourth" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@AugmentFourth</a>) for help with edits and audio gags. Factual correction from early point in the conversation, according to Nathan, our resident Louisianan: "Louisiana law is not actually based on the Napoleonic Code! This itself is a myth. The Louisiana Purchase in 1803 and the Napoleonic Code doesn't come into effect in 1804. We are still based on weird old French civil law. Even though every single local says Louisiana's based on the Napoleonic Code, technically we are based on whatever it was that existed in France before Napoleon fixed it." To listen to interviews when they first come out — and gain access to our patrons' "Bird Feed" — consider becoming a monthly patron at our <a href="http://patreon.com/currentaffairs" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Patreon page</a>. Call into <a href="http://currentaffairs.org" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Current Affairs</a> anytime at (504) 867-8851.

UNLOCKED: "The West" and Other Myths with Daniel Walden

The entire Current Affairs team comes together (again!) to finish briefing listeners on as many of the Democratic presidential candidates as they can in two hours. The Panel:  Vanessa A. Bee, social media editor Brianna Rennix, senior editor Sparky Abraham, finance editor Oren Nimni, legal editor Nick Slater, newsletter editor Eli Massey, business manager Lyta Gold, amusements editor Nathan J. Robinson, editor-in-chief Pete Davis, host  Candidates discussed:  Pete Buttigieg Beto  O'Rourke Jay Inslee Kirsten Gillibrand Bill Weld John Delaney Kamala Harris Cory Booker John Hickenlooper Mike Gravel  Mike Gravel's 2008 video, "rock," is here. Support Current Affairs — and gain access to the Bird Feed of bonus episodes — by becoming a patron at our Patreon page. Many thanks to Dan Thorn, at Pink Noise Studios, for editing this episode.

The entire Current Affairs team comes together (again!) to finish briefing listeners on as many of the Democratic presidential candidates as they can in two hours. The Panel: <ul> <li><a href="https://twitter.com/dolladollabille" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Vanessa A. Bee</a>, social media editor</li> <li><a href="https://twitter.com/berennix" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Brianna Rennix</a>, senior editor</li> <li><a href="https://twitter.com/sparkyabraham" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Sparky Abraham</a>, finance editor</li> <li><a href="https://twitter.com/orennimni" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Oren Nimni</a>, legal editor</li> <li><a href="https://twitter.com/nislatr" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Nick Slater</a>, newsletter editor</li> <li><a href="https://twitter.com/EliJMassey" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Eli Massey</a>, business manager</li> <li><a href="https://twitter.com/Fluttersnipe" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Lyta Gold</a>, amusements editor</li> <li><a href="https://twitter.com/NathanJRobinson" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Nathan J. Robinson</a>, editor-in-chief</li> <li><a href="https://twitter.com/PeteDDavis" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Pete Davis</a>, host</li> </ul> Candidates discussed: <ul> <li>Pete Buttigieg</li> <li>Beto O'Rourke</li> <li>Jay Inslee</li> <li>Kirsten Gillibrand</li> <li>Bill Weld</li> <li>John Delaney</li> <li>Kamala Harris</li> <li>Cory Booker</li> <li>John Hickenlooper</li> <li>Mike Gravel</li> </ul> Mike Gravel's 2008 video, "rock," is <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0rZdAB4V_j8" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>. Support Current Affairs — and gain access to the Bird Feed of bonus episodes — by becoming a patron at our <a href="http://www.patreon.com/currentaffairs" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Patreon page</a>. Many thanks to Dan Thorn, at Pink Noise Studios, for editing this episode.

#22: Meet the Candidates! (Part 2)

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