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

Past Present

Virginity Tests, International Achievement Tests, and the End of the 2010s

Episode 207

December 10, 2019 • by Natalia Mehlman Petrzela, Nicole Hemmer and Neil J. Young

Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show: The rapper T.I. caused controversy when he said he subjects his daughter to a virginity test every year. Natalia referred to historian Hanne Blank’s book Virgin: The Untouched History. Niki cited our discussion of the evangelical purity movement on Episode 190.Children around the world took the ...

Podcast

War Crimes, Controversial Food Takes, Indigenous Land Acknowledgments

Episode 206

December 3, 2019 • by Natalia Mehlman Petrzela, Nicole Hemmer and Neil J. Young

Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show: President Trump recently pardoned three American servicemen convicted of war crimes. Natalia referred to Adam Serwer’s Atlantic piece “The Cruelty is the Point” and this New Yorker article about the 19th-century origins of the military court system. Niki recommended reading up on the case of Eddie Gallagher to understand ...

Podcast

Pete Buttigieg, Groypers, and Sesame Street’s 50th Anniversary

Episode 205

November 26, 2019 • by Natalia Mehlman Petrzela, Nicole Hemmer and Neil J. Young

Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show: “Mayor Pete,” once a long-shot candidate, is increasingly a serious contender for the Democratic presidential nomination. Natalia referred to Michael Kruse’s POLITICO piece about the electoral viability of a gay candidate. Neil noted Buttigieg had won the 2000 Profile in Courage Essay Contest for an ...

Podcast

LIVE! With Emily Bazelon, Author of Charged: The New Movement to Transform American Prosecution and End Mass Incarceration

Episode 204

November 19, 2019 • by Natalia Mehlman Petrzela, Nicole Hemmer and Neil J. Young

In our regular closing feature, What’s Making History: Natalia recommended the work of New York Times editor Lindsay Crouse, particularly her latest feature, “I Was the Fastest Girl in America, Until I Joined Nike,” by Mary Cain.Neil shared Rebecca Makkai’s book, The Great Believers.Niki discussed Adele Peters’ Fast Company article, “How Memphis Transformed its Parks Named for Confederate Generals into ...

Podcast

Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, Rep. Katie Hill, and Booing

Episode 203

November 5, 2019 • by Natalia Mehlman Petrzela, Nicole Hemmer and Neil J. Young

Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show: ISIS leader Abu al-Baghdadi has been assassinated by United States forces. Niki referred to this piece at The Daily Beast. Neil noted the emergence of viral videos showing a side-by-side comparison of Trump’s announcement of al-Baghdadi’s death and Obama’s announcement about the killing of Osama bin Laden.U.S. ...

Past Present

Elijah Cummings, Homelessness, and Amusement Parks

Episode 202

October 29, 2019 • by Natalia Mehlman Petrzela, Nicole Hemmer and Neil J. Young

Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show: U.S. Representative Elijah Cummings has died. Niki referenced this Atlantic article about Cummings’ reluctant partisanship.Homelessness is on the rise, especially visible in Los Angeles. Natalia referred to this Washington Post article about the rise of “business improvement districts” and to ...

Podcast

Automation, Male Baldness, and Paula White

Episode 201

October 22, 2019 • by Natalia Mehlman Petrzela, Nicole Hemmer and Neil J. Young

Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show: Automation and its effect on American jobs was a core theme at this month’s Democratic debate. Natalia referred to Rick Wartzman’s book The End of Loyalty: The Rise and Fall of Good Jobs in America, excerpted in POLITICO. Natalia also referenced this timeline chronicling fears of automation, at Medium.A ...

Podcast

Rudy Giuliani, Greta Thunberg, and Vaping

Episode 200

October 15, 2019 • by Natalia Mehlman Petrzela, Nicole Hemmer and Neil J. Young

Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show: Rudy Giuliani is most prominent today as a Trump surrogate, but after 9/11 he was known as “America’s Mayor.” Natalia recommended Ken Frydman’s New York Times op-ed about working for Giuliani and Matthew Yglesias’ Vox piece about his disregard for the rule of law.Scandinavian climate ...

Past Present

Whistleblowers, Church Arsons, and Co-Working Spaces

Episode 199

October 8, 2019 • by Natalia Mehlman Petrzela, Nicole Hemmer and Neil J. Young

Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show: An intelligence officer has filed a complaint regarding Donald Trump’s interactions with the president of Ukraine. We discussed the history of whistleblowing and Niki noted the role of Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon papers in shaping contemporary ideas about whistleblowing. Natalia referenced the founding fathers’ ...

Podcast

Ukraine, Declining Bird Populations, and Luxury Parking

Past Present Episode 198

October 2, 2019 • by Natalia Mehlman Petrzela, Nicole Hemmer and Neil J. Young

Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show: Ukraine is at the center of the impeachment probe against the president. Niki referred to Peter Schweizer’s book Clinton Cash: The Untold Story of How Foreign Governments and Businesses Helped Make Bill and Hillary Rich and to Zack Beauchamp’s Vox piece about how the Ukraine scandal changed his ...

Feature

Shane Gillis and Saturday Night Live, Saudi Arabia, and Telephone Calls

Past Present Episode 197

September 24, 2019 • by Natalia Mehlman Petrzela, Nicole Hemmer and Neil J. Young

Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show: Saturday Night Live hired comedian Shane Gillis and then promptly fired him when video of his racist remarks about Asian Americans and others surfaced. Niki referred to Ellen D. Wu’s book The Color of Success: Asian Americans and the Origins of the Model Minority. Natalia ...

Feature

FBI on College Campuses, John Bolton, and Technology and Women’s Voices

Past Present Episode 196

September 17, 2019 • by Natalia Mehlman Petrzela, Nicole Hemmer and Neil J. Young

Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show: The FBI has urged U.S. universities to monitor certain students and scholars visiting from China. Natalia referred to this history of spying on campus from the Harvard Crimson.National security adviser John Bolton is the latest Trump appointee to have left the administration. Neil referred to this New Yorker profile of Mike ...