Category: Podcasts

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1. Feeling anxious in chaotic times? Embracing life’s unpredictability can build resilience. Jeff Schechtman and politics professor Brian Klass explore a new framework for thriving in uncertainty on this week’s podcast.

2. This week on the WhoWhatWhy podcast, author David Daley joins Jeff Schechtman to discuss why the six weeks after Election Day 2024 could be more crucial than the entire campaign season.

3. Jeff Schechtman, joined by Brown University law professor Corey Brettschneider, examines how a Supreme Court decision on presidential immunity poses a threat to democracy.

4. On this week’s podcast, Jeff Schechtman and journalist/legal expert Jessica Pishko discuss how sheriffs — most of whom are white– believe their authority supersedes federal and state laws, a trend gaining traction in rural America.

5. Jeff Schechtman, with guests Nancy Rosenblum and Russell Muirhead, explores the concept of “ungoverning,” a strategy more radical than simply reducing taxes and regulations.

6. This week, Jeff Schechtman speaks with filmmaker Jon Long, offering a provocative, unfiltered look at the events of January 6th and the evolution of the Stop the Steal movement.

7. Jeff Schechtman and economist Amy Finkelstein discuss why America’s healthcare system fails to work effectively, tracing its design flaws from inception to today.

8. On this week’s podcast, Jeff Schechtman and Washington correspondent Amanda Becker examine post-Roe America, reproductive rights, and the historic nature of Kamala Harris’s candidacy.

9. Jeff Schechtman discusses with veteran journalist Sasha Abramsky a striking paradox: Progressives, once suspicious of states’ rights, are now embracing state power to counter growing authoritarianism.

10. Marion Messmer, senior research fellow at London’s Chatham House International Security Program, joins Jeff Schechtman to explain the real challenges behind space-based defense systems.

11. Journalist and author Chris Lehman joins Jeff Schechtman to explain why the U.S. may be rewinding toward the Gilded Age rather than facing authoritarian collapse.

12. Gregory Pierce, director of UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation, delivers a masterclass on how urban water systems were never built to handle wildfires of this scale.

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 Category: International

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1. Unease looms over Africa after Gabon’s presidential election and subsequent military coup. While citizens reacted with discontent, responses sharply differ from last month’s Niger coup. What drives these differing reactions?

2. Apple is the first company likely in breach of the EU Digital Market Act. If found guilty, the company could face fines up to $38 billion. Updates are ongoing.

3. The stereotype of the British prime minister being an elite from private boarding schools, surrounded by like-minded cronies, and attending Oxford or Cambridge holds surprisingly true.

4. France mourns the passing of right-wing populist Jean-Marie Le Pen at 96. Le Pen began his political career in 1956 as one of the youngest deputies in the National Assembly.

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Category: War Coverage

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1. As events unfold in Gaza and Israel, Hunter Williamson reports from southern Lebanon, capturing the uncertain lives of citizens, refugees, and Hezbollah members.

2. Israel is moving quickly to inflict maximum damage against Hamas in Gaza before public opinion pressures a ceasefire, William Dowell writes.

3. With Houthi rebels threatening the Suez Canal, Yemen is staking out a larger role in Middle East turmoil, reports William Dowell.

4. From convict to soldier, Victor is one of thousands fighting for Ukraine’s future. His story illustrates the courage and sacrifice of Ukrainians defending their homeland.

5. Steve Witkoff, Trump’s special envoy to Russia and Ukraine, sparks controversy after siding with the Kremlin and being linked to Russia’s mafia. What does this mean for U.S. foreign policy?

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Category: Environment 

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1. Baby steps will not avert climate catastrophe, warns U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres: “The world is failing to get a grip on the climate crisis.”

2. COP28 concluded in Dubai. Does this mark the beginning of the end for the fossil fuel era? Jake Johnson reports.

3. Researchers warn that the Paris Agreement’s 1.5°C target has been surpassed, and we could hit 2°C by 2030. Urgent action is needed.

4. For 40 years, plastic and petrochemical companies promoted recycling while knowing it would never truly work.

5. Suspicion around Harris’s stance on fossil fuels stems from her shifting position on fracking– she vowed to ban it in 2020 but now opposes such a ban.

6. Names matter. Fear makes it psychologically easier to withhold empathy, or worse, harm others.

7. Rep. Ro Khanna is reintroducing legislation to stop taxpayer dollars from funding companies that use captured CO₂ to extract more oil.

8. Brazil’s Belém will host COP30 in 2025, highlighting the Amazon’s role in combating climate change amid infrastructure and Indigenous challenges.

9. At CPAC 2025, Trump and conservative leaders doubled down on fossil fuel deregulation and climate denial, prioritizing profits over science.

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 Category: US Politics & 2024 Election​

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1. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis may see Hurricane Idalia as a political opportunity. Klaus Marre explores its potential impact on his presidential aspirations.

2. With over half the world holding elections in 2024, Azerbaijan falls somewhere in the middle in terms of free and fair elections.

3. Americans remain divided on the Assange deal, yet some issues transcend party lines.

4. Now that the two conventions are complete, it’s a good time to take stock of the major parties and their futures.

5. Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally erupted into a barrage of racist, sexist, and xenophobic rhetoric.

6. President Biden marked a significant foreign policy achievement by brokering a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

7. Courts have no armies, but their powers remain influential, writes Joyce Vance.

8. Data shows Trump’s policies have negative consequences both domestically and internationally.