Classical Statues, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” and Oklahoma Land Rights

Past Present Episode 159

In this episode, Neil, Niki, and Natalia discuss the disputed whiteness of classical statues, the Emmy Award-winning show The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, and Native American claims to land rights in Oklahoma. Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show: A small cadre of archaeologists and art historians are ...
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Classical Statues, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” and Oklahoma Land Rights

George H.W. Bush, Exorcisms, and the Squatty Potty

Past Present Episode 158

In this episode, Niki, Natalia, and Neil discuss the death of President George Herbert Walker Bush, the resurgence of exorcisms, and the viral popularity of the Squatty Potty. Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show: Forty-first president George H.W. Bush died recently at age 94. Niki mentioned ...
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George H.W. Bush, Exorcisms, and the Squatty Potty

Inmate Firefighters, China’s Social Credit System, and Chanukah

Past Present Episode 157

In this episode, Natalia, Neil, and Niki discuss convict firefighters, China’s new social credit system, and the history of Chanukah. Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show:  California’s latest wave of forest fires is being battled in part by inmates in the state’s prisons through a ...
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Inmate Firefighters, China’s Social Credit System, and Chanukah

Segregation Academies, the Death of an American Missionary, and Victoria’s Secret

Past Present Episode 156

In this episode, Neil, Natalia, and Niki discuss segregation academies, the death of an American missionary, and the declining market share of lingerie giant Victoria’s Secret. Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show:  Mississippi Republican Cindy Hyde-Smith, who is in a runoff contest to hold on ...
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Segregation Academies, the Death of an American Missionary, and Victoria’s Secret

The 2018 Recounts, Jim Acosta, and Bedtime Stories

Past Present Episode 155

In this episode, Niki, Neil, and Natalia discuss the aftermath of the midterm elections with special guest, Slate senior political correspondent Jamelle Bouie, the revocation of CNN journalist Jim Acosta’s “hard pass” to the White House, and the supposed radicalization of children’s literature. Here are some links and references mentioned ...
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The 2018 Recounts, Jim Acosta, and Bedtime Stories

Tempest Tossed Episode 9

Tempest Tossed Pre-Election Edition: All Trump all the time— a conversation with Roberto Suro, professor of journalism and public policy at the University of Southern California

President Trump has dominated the pre-election news by returning to a theme that probably brought him the Presidency -- immigration. Roberto Suro discusses the politics of the Trump strategy, the failure of an effective response from the Democrats, and how older narratives of immigration may not work for the current ...
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Tempest Tossed Episode 8

Inciting Fear: Trump and the ‘Caravan’–a conversation with Doris Meissner, Senior Fellow at the Migration Policy Institute

According to Donald Trump, a group of several thousand Hondurans fleeing violence and poverty who are on foot and 1000 miles from the US border are a threat to US national security and sovereignty. Who is part of the "caravan"? Why have they left Honduras? What are their prospects for ...
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Protect Mueller

Demonstrations in Washington show unwavering support for Special Counsel Robert Mueller

Progressive groups called for protests throughout the nation to demand that President Trump not interfere with the investigation of Special Counsel Robert Mueller into Russian attempts to affect US elections.​ ​The effort to SAVE MUELLER was prompted by the forced resignation of Attorney General Jeff Sessions on November 7, the day ...
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Protect Mueller

The 2018 Midterm Elections, Gab, and Movember

Past Present Episode 154

In this episode, Natalia, Niki, and Neil discuss the midterm elections, the alt-right social media platform Gab, and Movember. Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show: We discussed whether the midterm elections resulted in the “blue wave” Democrats anticipated. Gab, launched as a “free-speech Twitter,” has ...
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The 2018 Midterm Elections, Gab, and Movember

The Pittsburgh Synagogue Shooting, the Closing of Rural Hospitals, and the Political Mobilization of Orange County Women

Past Present Episode 153

In this episode, Neil, Niki, and Natalia discuss the massacre of Jews at Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life Synagogue, the closing of rural hospitals, and the political reawakening of women in Orange County, California. Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show: The largest murder of Jews in the ...
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The Pittsburgh Synagogue Shooting, the Closing of Rural Hospitals, and the Political Mobilization of Orange County Women

U.S.-Saudi Relations, Trans Americans, and Horror Movies

Past Present Episode 152

In this episode, Niki, Natalia, and Neil discuss the history of U.S.-Saudi relations in light of the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, the Trump administration’s policies toward transgender people, and the continued popularity of horror movies. Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show: The brutal death of ...
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U.S.-Saudi Relations, Trans Americans, and Horror Movies

Tempest Tossed

Is the US a ‘safe country’ for asylum-seekers?: A conversation with Professor Sean Rehaag on new challenges to the US-Canada

Under an agreement signed in 2002, Canada can return asylum-seekers to the US if they have traveled through the US or lived there prior to arriving in Canada. Recent policies north and south of the US-Canadian border pose new challenges to the agreement, as Sean Rehaag, professor at Osgoode Hall ...
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