It’s September 19th. In 1986, the city of Cleveland decided to stage a charity event in which they released millions of balloons into the air. It went very, very poorly. Jody, Niki, and Kellie are joined by The New Yorker’s Clare Malone, a Cleveland native, to discuss why balloonfest went so wrong, and what to make of Cleveland’s many attempts at rehabilitating its image. Here’s a video of Balloonfest: https://youtu.be/n0CT8zrw6lw Be sure to check out Clare’s Ringer podcast series “ Just Like Us...
Sep 20, 2022•25 min•Transcript available on Metacast It’s September 17th. In 2012, durig the home stretch of the presidential election, a secretly-recorded tape of Mitt Romney at a fundraiser upended the race. The video showed him talking about “47% of Americans” who don’t pay taxes, expect to live off government largesse — and are not voters that Romney is concerned with. Jody, NIki, and Kellie are joined by David Corn, DC Bureau Chief for Mother Jones magazine, who broke the story of the leaked tape. They discuss how the tape came into David’s h...
Sep 18, 2022•37 min•Transcript available on Metacast It’s September 15th. This day in 1851, a dramatic showdown takes place in Christiana, Pennsylvania over four fugitive enslaved people who were hiding in a farmhouse near the Maryland border. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss the details of the showdown and how the incident at Christiana ratcheted tensions in the run-up to the Civil War. Sign up for our newsletter! Find out more at thisdaypod.com And don’t forget about Oprahdemics , hosted by Kellie, out now from Radiotopia. This Day In Esoteric Pol...
Sep 15, 2022•20 min•Transcript available on Metacast It’s September 13th. This day in 2016, comments from Hillary Clinton about how half of Trump supporters can be put into a “basket of deplorables” are going viral. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss the context of where Clinton made those comments, why her larger point was lost — and why it’s always a mistake for politicians to generalize about their opponent’s supporters. Sign up for our newsletter! Find out more at thisdaypod.com And don’t forget about Oprahdemics , hosted by Kellie, out now from R...
Sep 13, 2022•24 min•Transcript available on Metacast Nicole Hemmer has a new book out! It’s called “ Partisans: The Conservative Revolutionaries Who Remade American Politics in the 1990s .” All this week, she’s walking through some of her favorite stories from the book, which is available for purchase now. Today: conspiracy theories about the Clintons circulate through a viral VHS tape. Sign up for our newsletter! Find out more at thisdaypod.com And don’t forget about Oprahdemics , hosted by Kellie, out now from Radiotopia. This Day In Esoteric Po...
Sep 11, 2022•17 min•Transcript available on Metacast Nicole Hemmer has a new book out! It’s called “ Partisans: The Conservative Revolutionaries Who Remade American Politics in the 1990s .” All this week, she’s walking through some of her favorite stories from the book, which is available for purchase now. Today: a story about how Pat Buchanan carved out an extreme stance about the US-Mexico border, and immigration became a key GOP issue Sign up for our newsletter! Find out more at thisdaypod.com And don’t forget about Oprahdemics , hosted by Kell...
Sep 08, 2022•16 min•Transcript available on Metacast Nicole Hemmer has a new book out! It’s called “ Partisans: The Conservative Revolutionaries Who Remade American Politics in the 1990s .” All this week, she’s walking through some of her favorite stories from the book, which is available for purchase now. Today: a story about black helicopters, conspiracy theories, and radicalism in the Pacific Northwest. Sign up for our newsletter! Find out more at thisdaypod.com And don’t forget about Oprahdemics , hosted by Kellie, out now from Radiotopia. Thi...
Sep 06, 2022•17 min•Transcript available on Metacast It’s September 4th. In 1948, a heated Texas Senate primary comes down to a very mysterious box of ballots found in Jim Wells County — which conveniently put Lyndon Johnson ahead by just a few votes. Jody, NIki, and Kellie are joined by Mark Lawrence of the UT-Austin and the LBJ Library to discuss what we know and don’t know about the “Box 13” scandal — and whether it truly changed the trajectory of LBJ’s political career. Sign up for our newsletter! Find out more at thisdaypod.com And don’t forg...
Sep 04, 2022•30 min•Transcript available on Metacast It’s September 1st. In 2005, in the wake of the Hurricane Katrina disaster, George W Bush offered praise to the director of FEMA, Michael Brown, saying “Brownie, you’re doing a a heckuva job.” Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss why the phrase became such a flashpoint, and how it represented so much of what was wrong with the Katrina response and the Bush administration in general. Sign up for our newsletter! Find out more at thisdaypod.com And don’t forget about Oprahdemics , hosted by Kellie, out n...
Sep 01, 2022•19 min•Transcript available on Metacast It’s August 30th. This day in 1894, a man by the name of Thomas H “Boston” Corbett is presumed dead in a fire in Minnesota. Boston Corbett led a troubled life, particularly over the previous thirty years, during which he was best known as the man who killed John Wilkes Booth — the man who killed Abraham Lincoln. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss the circumstances under which Corbett killed Booth, the way in which he was treated as a hero, and the spiral Corbett’s life took as he embraced the role o...
Aug 30, 2022•17 min•Transcript available on Metacast It’s August 27th. This day in 1987, rumors are building that Joe Biden had plagiarized remarks from British politician Neil Kinnock. Soon, reporters would find evidence that Biden used lines directly from Kinnock’s remarks, without attribution, in a debate — and other instances of plagiarism would emerge in the coming weeks. Jody, NIki, and Kellie discuss how Biden’s plagiarism was uncovered, how it sank his 1988 presidential bid, and how his reputation for borrowing phrases has persisted. Sign ...
Aug 28, 2022•21 min•Transcript available on Metacast It’s August 25th. In 1944, a group of sailors at Port Chicago in California are facing mutiny charges, after refusing to work under dangerous conditions. Just under a month earlier, there had been a massive explosion at the same location, killing hundreds. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss why the sailors refused to work, the impact of the Port Chicago explosion, and the way in which the mostly-Black sailors were mistreated by the Navy and the U.S. government. Sign up for our newsletter! Find out m...
Aug 25, 2022•18 min•Transcript available on Metacast It’s August 22nd. Throughout the late summer of 1926, legendary journalist Ida Tarbell is publishing a series of flattering profiles of Benito Mussolini. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss why the muck-raking journalist is falling under the spell of the rising dictator, and why so many other Progressive voices seem to be doing the same. Sign up for our newsletter! Find out more at thisdaypod.com And don’t forget about Oprahdemics , hosted by Kellie, out now from Radiotopia. This Day In Esoteric Poli...
Aug 23, 2022•16 min•Transcript available on Metacast It’s August 19th. This day in 1922, a massive food relief program is underway, with tons of American supplies headed for Russia. Jody, Kellie, and Niki discuss why the United States was committed to aiding the Russian famine, and how Herbert Hoover built his reputation as a food administrator in the wake of WWI. Sign up for our newsletter! Find out more at thisdaypod.com And don’t forget about Oprahdemics , hosted by Kellie, out now from Radiotopia. This Day In Esoteric Political History is a pr...
Aug 21, 2022•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast It’s August 18th. This day in 1976, Alex Haley’s sprawling epic Roots hits the bookshelves. It quickly caused a sensation — and controversy. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss how Haley’s work came together, the enormous impact it had, and the mix of fact and fiction that somewhat clouded the work. Check out Reconsidering Roots , the book Kellie edited about Haley and the Roots television miniseries. Sign up for our newsletter! Find out more at thisdaypod.com And don’t forget about Oprahdemics , hos...
Aug 18, 2022•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast It’s August 16th. This day in 1975, a woman by the name of Joan Little was acquitted of murder — the first case in which a woman is acquitted of a murder committed in self-defense against sexual assault. Jody, Niki and Kellie discuss how Little became an unlikely public figure, how the civil rights movement of the time rallied around her case, and the legacy of her acquittal. Sign up for our newsletter! Find out more at thisdaypod.com And don’t forget about Oprahdemics , hosted by Kellie, out no...
Aug 16, 2022•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast It’s August 14th. In 2012, on August 16th, a State Department memo was sent regarding the security of the U.S. diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya. Less than a month later, the compound was attacked, and four Americans died, including Ambassador Chris Stevens. Jody, NIki, and Kellie are joined by Leon Neyfakh, host of FIASCO, to discuss the roots of the deep Benghazi attack — and how the politicization of the incident has completely muddied the waters of understanding why the tragedy occured....
Aug 14, 2022•26 min•Transcript available on Metacast It’s August 11th. This day in 1973, a group of Irish-Americans known as “The Fort Worth Five” are caught up in the court system, accused of running guns to Ireland to aid the independence movement. Jody, Niki, and Kellie are joined by Nate Lavey to discuss how regular Irish-Americans got involved in the freedom fight, and the long political and financial nexus between groups like NORAID in the United States and the IRA in Ireland. Nate is the host of the excellent new podcast “Foreign Agent,” wh...
Aug 11, 2022•32 min•Transcript available on Metacast Big news! Niki Hemmer is moving to Vanderbilt University to teach and found a center on the presidency. To help her get up to speed, she’s hosting “Tennessee Week” on the show with a few conversations around some key and fascinating moments in TN history. Today, Niki and Kellie are joined by Jane Carr, editor at CNN and Memphis native, to discuss the strange ties between Richard Nixon and two musical icons — Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash. They break down Nixon’s understanding of the role of pop ...
Aug 09, 2022•21 min•Transcript available on Metacast Big news! Niki Hemmer is moving to Vanderbilt University to teach and found a center on the presidency. To help her get up to speed, she’s hosting “Tennessee Week” on the show with a few conversations around some key and fascinating moments in TN history. Today, Niki and Kellie are joined by Jane Carr, editor at CNN and Memphis native, to discuss the “State of Franklin,” a short-lived breakaway republic in what is now eastern Tennessee. Sign up for our newsletter! Find out more at thisdaypod.com...
Aug 07, 2022•20 min•Transcript available on Metacast Big news! Niki Hemmer is moving to Vanderbilt University to teach and found a center on the presidency. To help her get up to speed, she’s hosting “Tennessee Week” on the show with a few conversations around some key and fascinating moments in TN history. Today, Niki and Kellie are joined by Jad Abumrad, founder of Radiolab, Nashville native, and host of “Dolly Parton’s America.” They discuss what Dolly Parton has meant to TN, and the country. Sign up for our newsletter! Find out more at thisday...
Aug 04, 2022•27 min•Transcript available on Metacast It’s July 31st, 2012. This day, on the campaign trail, a reporter shouts a question at Mitt Romney: “What about your gaffes?!” Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss how the question came to be asked and why it perfectly encapsulates everything wrong with modern political journalism. Plus, why the other questions asked that day weren’t that much better. Sign up for our newsletter! Find out more at thisdaypod.com And don’t forget about Oprahdemics , hosted by Kellie, out now from Radiotopia. This Day In ...
Aug 02, 2022•18 min•Transcript available on Metacast It’s July 31st. This day in 1985, two divers acting on behalf of the French government planted bombs on the Greenpeace ship The Rainbow Warrior, blowing a hole in the side of the hull and sinking the vessel, killing one person on board. Jody and Niki are joined by Adam McKay to discuss the incident, the reasons that the French government attacked a private ship, and the legacy of Greenpeace’s environmental activism. Sign up for our newsletter! Find out more at thisdaypod.com And don’t forget abo...
Jul 31, 2022•22 min•Transcript available on Metacast It’s July 28th. This day in 1992, “Morris The Cat,” the feline spokesperson for Nine Lives cat food, is in the heart of a stunt presidential campaign. Jody and Niki are joined by director and writer Adam McKay (Don’t Look Up, Vice, Anchorman) to talk about the campaign and how Adam’s career changed as a result. Sign up for our newsletter! Find out more at thisdaypod.com And don’t forget about Oprahdemics , hosted by Kellie, out now from Radiotopia. This Day In Esoteric Political History is a pro...
Jul 28, 2022•25 min•Transcript available on Metacast It’s July 26th. This day in 1995, former President George HW Bush gets stuck neck-deep in a Canadian bog while on a fishing trip. Jody, NIki, and Kellie discuss how exactly Bush got stuck, how he got out, and his deep love of fishing, as expressed in a letter to the editor of the Deh Cho Drum paper in Fort Simpson, N.W.T. Sign up for our newsletter! Find out more at thisdaypod.com And don’t forget about Oprahdemics , hosted by Kellie, out now from Radiotopia. This Day In Esoteric Political Histo...
Jul 26, 2022•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast It’s July 24th. This day in 1990, President George HW Bush signed the American with Disabilities Act, after decades of activism and political pressure from disabilities rights advocates. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss how the ADA transformed American life, not just for people with disabilities, and how the passage fits into Bush’s legacy. Sign up for our newsletter! Find out more at thisdaypod.com And don’t forget about Oprahdemics , hosted by Kellie, out now from Radiotopia. This Day In Esoteri...
Jul 24, 2022•16 min•Transcript available on Metacast It’s July 21st. This day in Washington, DC, racialized violence is sweeping the city, part of what is known as “Red Summer” around the country. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss why DC was a particular kind of powder keg for this kind of violence, given the city’s large and relatively upwardly mobile Black population, which sought to protect itself throughout the summer. Sign up for our newsletter! Find out more at thisdaypod.com And don’t forget about Oprahdemics , hosted by Kellie, out now from R...
Jul 21, 2022•18 min•Transcript available on Metacast It’s July 19th. This day in 1984, a gunman killed 21 people at a McDonald’s in San Isidro, California. It was one of the earliest public mass shootings in this country. Jody, Niki, and Kellie are joined by Cari Babitzke of Boston University to discuss the public and policy response to the event at the time — and the many lessons about mass shootings that we still haven’t learned today. Sign up for our newsletter! Find out more at thisdaypod.com And don’t forget about Oprahdemics , hosted by Kell...
Jul 19, 2022•20 min•Transcript available on Metacast It’s July 17th. This day in 1944, there are real questions about who will be the Vice Presidential nominee going into FDR’s run for office that fall. Henry Wallace was almost chosen instead of Harry Truman — and the course of the end of WWII and a consequential moment in history may have looked very different. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss the twists and turns of how Truman came to be nominated over Wallace, Wallace’s progressive “common man” politics, and what could have been. Sign up for our ...
Jul 17, 2022•18 min•Transcript available on Metacast It’s July 14th. This day in 1844, a formerly enslaved man by the name of Nelson Hackett is being sent back to the United States after having escaped to Canada. It would be the first — and last — time that the Canadian government would collaborate with the U.S. to return an escapee. Jody, NIki, and Kellie discuss Hackett’s journey north, the ad-hoc network of safe-houses and sympathetic institutions that carried people north, and why Canada sent Hackett back to Detroit. Here’s the KUAF podcast we...
Jul 14, 2022•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
