Opinion writer at The Week and co-host of the history podcast Past Present

Past Present

Nursing Homes During Coronavirus

Past Present Podcast, Episode 231

June 2, 2020 • by Nicole Hemmer, Natalia Mehlman Petrzela and Neil J. Young

Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show: Nursing home residents are especially afflicted by the coronavirus. Natalia recommended this article in Washington Monthly about the politics of elder care. Niki referred to this history of the nursing home industry. In our regular closing feature, What’s Making History: Natalia discussed ...

Past Present

The Inspectors General Firings

Past Present Podcast, Episode 230

May 27, 2020 • by Nicole Hemmer, Natalia Mehlman Petrzela and Neil J. Young

Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show: President Trump has been on a spree of castigating, and dismissing, Inspectors General. Neil referred to this NPR article about the historical function of the Inspector General in American history. He also wrote about the firings in his column for ...

Past Present

Little Richard

Past Present Podcast, Episode 229

May 20, 2020 • by Natalia Mehlman Petrzela, Neil J. Young and Nicole Hemmer

Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show: Musical legend Little Richard died this month of bone cancer. Niki referred to Margot Canaday’s book, The Straight State: Sexuality and Citizenship in Twentieth-Century America, and George Chauncey’s book, Gay New York: Gender, Urban Culture, and the Making of the ...

Past Present

Ahmaud Arbery

Past Present Podcast, Episode 228

May 12, 2020 • by Nicole Hemmer, Natalia Mehlman Petrzela and Neil J. Young

Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show: Twenty-five-year-old Ahmaud Arbery was murdered while running in Satilla Shores, Georgia. Natalia cited this piece at The Conversation by sociologist Rashawn Ray and tweeted this thread about the racialized history of running. Neil referenced the history of Stand Your Ground ...

Labor

Meatpacking Plants and the Defense Production Act

Past Present, Episode 227

May 5, 2020 • by Nicole Hemmer, Natalia Mehlman Petrzela and Neil J. Young

Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show: President Trump has used the Defense Production Act to order meatpacking plants to stay open, even as these factories have become hotspots for coronavirus infection. Niki commented on how Upton Sinclair’s classic novel, The Jungle, exposed the horrible ...

Past Present

The Lockdown Protests

Past Present Podcast, Episode 226

April 29, 2020 • by Nicole Hemmer, Natalia Mehlman Petrzela and Neil J. Young

Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show: Protestors against national lockdown orders have been demonstrating across the country. Niki referred to this Vox piece in distinguishing these protests from the Tea Party Movement and to this Twitter thread about the Anti-Mask League of 1918-19. Natalia ...

Past Present

Vote-by-Mail and USPS

Past Present Podcast, Episode 225

April 21, 2020 • by Nicole Hemmer, Natalia Mehlman Petrzela and Neil J. Young

Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show: Earlier this month in Wisconsin, voters had to choose between civic participation and public health. Questions over mail-in voting have reignited a debate over federal funding for the post office, as discussed in this Vox piece. Niki explained ...

Past Present

Hydroxychloroquine

Past Present Podcast, Episode 224

April 14, 2020 • by Nicole Hemmer, Natalia Mehlman Petrzela and Neil J. Young

Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show: As COVID-19 continues to claim American lives, President Trump has spoken of anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine as a potential cure, despite scant medical evidence supporting this claim. Niki referred to Tom Nichols’ book The Death of Expertise: The Campaign Against Established ...

Past Present

Tiger King

Past Present Podcast, Episode 223

April 6, 2020 • by Nicole Hemmer, Natalia Mehlman Petrzela and Neil J. Young

Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show: Tiger King is a runaway hit as social distancing has increased appetite for binge-watching. Niki referred to this Mother Jones article about the connection between coronavirus and the wild animal trade. Natalia referenced this New York magazine article by Robert ...

Past Present

School Closings

Past Present Podcast, Episode 222

March 31, 2020 • by Natalia Mehlman Petrzela, Nicole Hemmer and Neil J. Young

Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show: Schools all over the United States are closed for weeks, perhaps months, in an effort to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus. Natalia referenced this New York Times article about the particular challenges faced by homeless students. ...

Past Present

Cabin Fever

Past Present Podcast, Episode 221

March 23, 2020 • by Nicole Hemmer, Natalia Mehlman Petrzela and Neil J. Young

Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show: As social distancing becomes the new norm for many Americans, so too does the stress and anxiety of being cooped up, also known as “cabin fever.” Natalia mentioned Jonathan Zimmerman’s Chronicle of Higher Education article about online learning. Neil referred ...

Past Present

Quarantines

Past Present Podcast, Episode 220

March 17, 2020 • by Natalia Mehlman Petrzela, Nicole Hemmer and Neil J. Young

Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show: As the coronavirus pandemic spreads, quarantining is becoming a fact of life. Natalia referred to Anne Helen Petersen’s essay on selflessness and social isolation and recommended historian Howard Markel’s New York Times opinion piece. In our regular closing feature, What’s Making History: Natalia discussed the Netflix show, Love ...