With the Supreme Court very much in the news cycle, Oren speaks to Yale professor of law and history, Samuel Moyn, about why we should not "pack the court", as many leftists call for, but instead end the court as we know it. Sam Moyn's article in The New Republic: https://newrepublic.com/article/159710/supreme-court-reform-court-packing-diminish-power This is a preview of an episode available in full to our $5 Patreon subscribers. To listen to the whole episode, as well as lots of other brillian...
Oct 16, 2020•2 min
Back in April, we interviewed animal rights lawyer Asher Smith about his battles against notorious animal collector Joe Exotic. Six months later, a lot has happened. Sparky, Allegra and Nick catch up with Asher on what's new in the world of private zoos, and what happens when you try and take lions away from someone who really wants to keep the lions. This is a preview of an episode available in full to our $5 Patreon subscribers. To listen to the whole episode, as well as lots of other brillian...
Oct 15, 2020•2 min
It's a Supreme Court special, and also a dudes special—for the first time in CA history, we accidentally ended up with a panel that's 100% men. Talk about cars, muscles and David Foster Wallace emphatically does not ensue. Instead, the team talks about Ruth Bader Ginsburg, abolishing the court, and what makes a 'good' Supreme Court Justice. This was recorded before Trump got Covid, which is obvious because we aren't constantly talking about it. Trotsky is Lyta's cat, seen here hard at his legal ...
Oct 06, 2020•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 59
"If You Give A Mouse A Cookie? Could've been written by Ayn Rand." Eli and Nathan speak to author Jacob Kramer and illustrator K-Fai Steele about their new book Okapi Tale, a book about ownership and justice for children. We had a little audio trouble with some of this episode, but we're changing our systems so we can improve the listening experience for all of you! Book here: https://enchantedlion.com/all-books/okapi-tale This episode was edited by Dan Thorn of Pink Noise Studios in Somerville,...
Oct 05, 2020•32 min
Yasmin Nair and Lyta Gold talk publishing scandals, "authenticity", cultural appropriation, feminism and more. This episode was recorded a little while back, but it doesn't devalue the conversation because variations on the specific events they describe occur over and over again, on a weekly basis, forever. This episode was edited by Dan Thorn of Pink Noise Studios in Somerville, MA.
Oct 03, 2020•1 hr 12 min
Lyta Gold speaks to two New York-based doctors (@DrOni Bee and @AndrewMakeTweet) about how the pandemic has been handled in the city. This is a preview of an episode available in full to our $5 Patreon subscribers. To listen to the whole episode, as well as lots of other brilliant bonus episodes, please consider becoming one of our subscribers at www.patreon.com/CurrentAffairs!
Sep 29, 2020•6 min
Current Affairs editor Nathan Robinson is in favour of voting for Biden. Current Affairs contributor Benjamin Studebaker is against voting for Biden. Together, they debate what the left should do at the ballot box come November 2020. This is a preview of an episode available in full to our $5 Patreon subscribers. To listen to the whole episode, as well as lots of other brilliant bonus episodes, please consider becoming one of our subscribers at www.patreon.com/CurrentAffairs!
Sep 24, 2020•3 min
The panel attempts to understand TikTok comedy, give an update on what's going on with immigration, and explore the division of "highbrow" versus "lowbrow". Online things that were referenced: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXbj2fE2mMI https://mooncrew.substack.com/p/the-story-of-a-tree-falling-in-houston This episode was edited by Dan Thorn of Pink Noise Studios in Somerville, MA.
Sep 22, 2020•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 58
The Brick House Cooperative is a new cooperative owned and operated by journalists and artists. Their Kickstarter ends September 24th and they're so close to reaching their goal, so please support them if you can! Nathan and Allegra speak to Maria Bustillos and Jason Adam Katzenstein about their plans for this fantastic new project and what YOU can do to help! Page here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1478924964/the-brick-house-cooperative
Sep 21, 2020•33 min
Sparky, Aisling and Brianna take some time out from raging wildfires and immigration hell to have a relaxed chat about monks. This is a preview of an episode available in full to our $5 Patreon subscribers. To listen to the whole episode, as well as lots of other brilliant bonus episodes, please consider becoming one of our subscribers at www.patreon.com/CurrentAffairs!
Sep 17, 2020•3 min
Continuing their long-running legal series, Vanessa and Oren speak to Jack Jackson, lawyer and professor of politics at Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington. Together they discuss the legacy of Bush v Gore, Guantanamo, whether what's happening in Portland is 'colonialism brought home', and more. This is a preview of an episode available in full to our $5 Patreon subscribers. To listen to the whole episode, as well as lots of other brilliant bonus episodes, please consider becoming one of o...
Sep 15, 2020•6 min
Nick Slater speaks to mental health writer Colette Shade (@MsShade) on the recent acceleration in the mental health crisis, why it affects some groups more than others, and how we can try to find solace in community and solidarity. Full episode here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/41427919/ This is a preview of an episode available in full to our $5 Patreon subscribers. To listen to the whole episode, as well as lots of other brilliant bonus episodes, please consider becoming one of our subscribe...
Sep 10, 2020•5 min
The team shares their thoughts on "the college experience", the recent failed NBA strike, and how we feel about Covid six months in. The panel this week was associate editor Vanessa A. Bee, finance editor Sparky Abraham, lieutenant editor Brianna Rennix, and editor-in-chief Nathan J. Robinson. Your host this week was Nick Slater. Nick's article on the UCSC strike: https://www.currentaffairs.org/2020/02/why-should-you-care-about-the-ucsc-strike Current Affairs Patreon: www.patreon.com/CurrentAffa...
Sep 08, 2020•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 57
The team pays tribute to anarchist anthropologist David Graeber, who passed away on September 2nd. "What's the Point If We Can't Have Fun?": https://thebaffler.com/salvos/whats-the-point-if-we-cant-have-fun Fetishism as social creativity: https://www.sduk.us/money/graeber_fetishism_as_social_creativity_or.pdf
Sep 04, 2020•1 hr 14 min
In this super-special episode, Nathan and Oren speak to Lee Weiner, defendant in one of the most notorious trials of the 1960s—the trial of the Chicago Seven. Lee speaks about his childhood as a red diaper baby, becoming involved with radical anti-war politics, and being put on mass-televised trial for conspiracy and inciting to riot outside the 1968 Democratic National Convention. This episode was originally aired on our Patreon bonus feed, but we're making it available to everyone now! Lee's m...
Sep 02, 2020•57 min
Sparky and Pete discuss what it means to love a place, to be from a place, and to center our organizing around smaller places. This is a preview of an episode available in full to our $5 Patreon subscribers. To listen to the whole episode, as well as lots of other brilliant bonus episodes, please consider becoming one of our subscribers at www.patreon.com/CurrentAffairs! Full episode here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/41065491
Sep 01, 2020•9 min
Nathan and Sparky speak to Ryan Cooper (@ryanlcooper) of The Week and the Left Anchor podcast about 'truck bloat'—the phenomenon of increasingly big, dangerous trucks and SUVs, the environmental damage they cause, and their role in the violent fantasies that bubble under the surface of the culture wars. This is a preview of an episode available in full to our $5 Patreon subscribers. To listen to the whole episode, as well as lots of other brilliant bonus episodes, please consider becoming one of...
Aug 28, 2020•10 min
The panel discusses "The Tyranny of Structurelessness" by Jo Freeman, taking over politicians' houses, and how political movements become appealing. The print magazine is real, and it's good. Subscribe at https://www.currentaffairs.org/subscribe or, if you're already a Patreon subscriber, you can upgrade to the $10 tier for access to the print magazine, the digital magazine AND the podcast bonus episodes. "The Tyranny of Structurelessness" can be read here: https://www.jofreeman.com/joreen/tyran...
Aug 25, 2020•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 56
In this super-special episode, Nathan and Oren speak to Lee Weiner, defendant in one of the most notorious trials of the 1960s—the trial of the Chicago Seven . Lee speaks about his childhood as a red diaper baby, becoming involved with radical anti-war politics, and being put on mass-televised trial for conspiracy and inciting to riot outside the 1968 Democratic National Convention. This is a preview of an episode now available in full to our $5 Patreon subscribers. To listen to the whole episod...
Aug 20, 2020•8 min
"When it comes to jokes, The Simpsons uses every part of the animal." Current Affairs newsletter editor Nick Slater, amusements editor Lyta Gold and editor-in-chief Nathan J. Robinson discuss the most iconic sitcom of all time, why it's lodged so powerfully in our minds, and how it portrays bosses, government, schools and everything else. This is a preview of an episode available in full to our $5 Patreon subscribers. To listen to the whole episode, as well as lots of other brilliant bonus episo...
Aug 18, 2020•5 min
The team answers your questions! Topics include crowdfunding, teachers' strikes, Trump removal, cats versus dogs, positivity versus negativity, and the FBI. No-one asked a question about stamps, but the team talks about stamps anyway. The panel this week was finance editor Sparky "Spiky" Abraham, poet-at-large Cate Root, associate editor Vanessa A. Bee, and business manager Allegra Silcox. Your host this week was Nathan J. Robinson. New Orleans story where the guy says "neighborhoods are busines...
Aug 12, 2020•1 hr•Ep. 55
Brianna Rennix, Lyta Gold and Allegra Silcox discuss the online culture of writing erotic stories about fictional characters, the portrayal of romance and sexuality in media, and what it means to remake a story according to our own desires. This is a preview of an episode available in full to our $5 Patreon subscribers. To listen to the whole episode, as well as lots of other brilliant bonus episodes, please consider becoming one of our subscribers at www.patreon.com/CurrentAffairs!
Aug 07, 2020•12 min
Nathan speaks to Adam F. Naughton (@adamfnaughton), a disabled activist in South Carolina and founder of www.notyourinspiration.org, about the differences between the medical and social models of disability, "inspiration porn", the barriers that keep disabled people marginalized, and more. This episode was previously released on our Patreon bonus feed, but is now free for all to listen to! This episode was edited by Dan Thorn of Pink Noise Studios in Somerville, MA.
Aug 05, 2020•1 hr 21 min
Nathan speaks to Samuel Miller McDonald, Current Affairs contributor and researcher at Oxford's school of geography and environment. Together, they discuss the factors and forces that steer the course of life on Earth. As you might imagine, this results in a very wide-ranging conversation, which covers everything from coal to anarcho-syndicalist peasants to sloths. This is a preview of an episode available in full to our $5 Patreon subscribers. To listen to the whole episode, as well as lots of ...
Aug 04, 2020•12 min
The panel ponder the demise of anti-consumerist politics, debate a future with no cars, and reveal their weirdest hobby-horses. The panel this week was associate editor Vanessa A. Bee, legal editor Oren Nimni, finance editor Sparky Abraham, and podmaster-general Aisling McCrea. Your host is Pete Davis. This episode was edited by Dan Thorn of Pink Noise Studios in Somerville, MA. Music for 'Find the Cat' by Bensound.
Jul 28, 2020•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 54
Nathan and Sparky speak to Stephanie Kelton, professor of public policy and economics at Stony Brook University and one of the world's foremost experts on modern monetary theory. Stephanie elaborates on the theory behind her book, The Deficit Myth, and why the way we think of federal spending and budgeting is so wrongheaded. This is a preview of an episode available in full to our $5 Patreon subscribers. To listen to the whole episode, as well as lots of other brilliant bonus episodes, please co...
Jul 24, 2020•10 min
Nathan pays tribute to Michael Brooks, who passed away unexpectedly on Monday.
Jul 23, 2020•9 min
Briahna returns to the Current Affairs Arena to discuss her latest article, "In Defense of Litmus Tests". This is a preview of an episode available in full to our $5 Patreon subscribers. To listen to the whole episode, as well as lots of other brilliant bonus episodes, please consider becoming one of our subscribers at www.patreon.com/CurrentAffairs!
Jul 22, 2020•11 min
Aisling McCrea and Oren Nimni discuss that time the American police firebombed Philadelphia, in order to destroy an imperfect yet interesting offshoot of the black liberation movement. Along the way they discuss the stigma against communal living, death row, the military-to-police pipeline, and the way the left deals with the more problematic aspects of its past. This is a preview of an episode available in full to our $5 Patreon subscribers. To listen to the whole episode, as well as lots of ot...
Jul 18, 2020•9 min•Ep. 54
Nathan speaks to finance editor and infrastructure evangelist Sparky Abraham about the physical infrastructure behind the internet, and the complex relationship of owners and renters who control it. This episode is available in full to our subscribers on Patreon. To gain full access to this episode, as well as lots of other brilliant bonus content, please consider becoming one of our subscribers at www.patreon.com/CurrentAffairs!
Jul 16, 2020•6 min
