Episode 65: North Carolina, Pot Legalization, and Alabama Football

On this week's show, Natalia, Neil, and Niki debate the decline of democracy in North Carolina, the trend toward legalization of marijuana, and the dominance of Alabama football.

Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show:

• In a recent piece for U.S. News & World Report, Niki argued that North Carolina had become a “laboratory of illiberalism” because of recent measures to disenfranchise voters and strip power from elected officials. Natalia outlined North Carolina’s history as a state of “business progressivism.” Neil recommended Bill Chafe’s classic work, Civilities and Civil Rights, for how it complicates North Carolina’s legacy as a progressive state. 

• Eight states and DC have legalized marijuana in recent years. Niki noted pot had not been criminalized by the federal government until 1937. Natalia discussed how marijuana’s association with Mexico gave it racial dimensions in the U.S.  Neil recommended Patrick Radden Keefe’s 2013 New Yorker article that looked at how pot’s legalization in Colorado and Washington had affected those states. Niki noted how the 1936 film Reefer Madness had served as a warning about the drug’s effects only to become a camp classic by the 1960s and 70s as people saw pot use as a joke.

• The University of Alabama is playing for its 17th national championship in football. We discussed what has made the program so great and what it has meant historically.

In our regular closing feature, What’s Making History:

• Natalia commented on the death of pop superstar George Michael.

• Neil discussed the death of the third remaining Shaker.

• Niki talked about the history of tomboys.

Bonus Episode 3: Michelle Obama

In this week's episode, Niki, Neil, and Natalia debate the legacy of departing First Lady Michelle Obama.

Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show:

• As her time as First Lady comes to a close, Michelle Obama recently sat down for an interview with Oprah Winfrey. You can watch the interview here.

• Natalia noted a 2014 New Republic profile of Michelle Obama had criticized her for having exacting standards and an unambitious agenda as First Lady.

• Natalia observed the therapeutic features of Oprah’s interview with Michelle Obama which Neil contrasted with interviews of other First Ladies, such as Jackie Kennedy in 1962, which focused on their role as hostesses and caretakers of the White House. Natalia remembered Betty Ford’s 60 Minutes interview that bucked this trend because of Ford’s outspoken views. Niki commented that Barbara Walters’ interview of Ford had famously removed clips that would have shown the First Lady was drunk.

• Neil recommended Blanche Wiesen Cook’s biography of Eleanor Roosevelt.

Flashback! David Bowie, Muhammad Ali, and Phyllis Schlafly

In this week's end-of-the-year flashback episode, we revisit segments on three historical figures who died in 2016: David Bowie, Muhammad Ali, and Phyllis Schlafly. 

Episode 64: Aleppo, Japanese Internment, and Kwanzaa

In this week's episode, Niki, Natalia, and Neil debate US involvement in Syria, the legacy of Japanese-American internment, and the 50th anniversary of the first Kwanzaa. 

Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show:

• A cease-fire in Aleppo has brought a temporary halt to the assault on the city’s civilians by the Syrian government. Neil noted the Obama administration’s relative lack of involvement in Aleppo and compared it to FDR’s inattention to the Holocaust, as chronicled in Blanche Wiesen Cook’s recent biography of Eleanor Roosevelt. Niki observed how the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights establishment of new rules of war shaped modern ideas about the protection of civilians in military conflicts.

• Two recent reader letters in the Los Angeles Times defending Japanese interment during World War II have stoked controversy. Niki placed Japanese interment in a longer history of U.S. anti-Japanese policies, including the Gentlemen’s Agreement of 1907. Neil discussed how anti-Japanese propaganda, including cartoons drawn by the future Dr. Seuss, Theodor Geisel, shaped American attitudes and beliefs about Japanese as inhuman and menacing. Natalia shared the 1945 Frank Sinatra film The House I Live In which used the idea of the Japanese as enemies to unite Protestants, Catholics, and Jews in an American identity. Niki discussed the 1941 Life Magazine article, “How to Tell Japs from the Chinese.” She also commented on how the 1944 Supreme Court case Korematsu v. United States that upheld Japanese interment as constitutional might be used as precedent for a Muslim registry during a Trump administration.  

• 2016 marks the 50th anniversary of Kwanzaa, the African-American holiday that celebrates seven principles, including unity, self-determination, and collective economics.

In our regular closing feature, What’s Making History:

• Natalia commented on the This American Life episode 604, “20 Years Later.”

• Neil discussed the new book by Alexandra Zapruder, Twenty-Six Seconds.

• Niki talked about a Slate article that explained why stuffed animals are getting softer.

Episode 63: Taiwan, the Oakland Fire, and Black Santa

In this week's episode, Niki, Natalia, and Neil discuss the future of the One-China policy, the tragedy of the Oakland fire, and the Mall of America's first black Santa.

Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show:

• Donald Trump’s phone call with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-Wen last week set off a controversy in U.S.-China relations. Niki outlined the Cold War context of U.S.-China relations, and commented on President Nixon’s 1967 Foreign Affairs article “Asia After Viet Nam” that demonstrated his desire to understand how power operated around the world, as contrasted to Trump’s seeming disinterest in understanding the nuances of American foreign policy. Neil noted the deliberate approach the Obama administration took to dealing with China and that George W. Bush’s press secretary Ari Fleischer indicated how he always referred to it as the “government on Taiwan” instead of “of Taiwan.” Neil suggested the longer economic history of U.S.-China relations, rather than only a Cold War context, might help better understand Trump’s approach to China. Niki noted the 1937 book by Carl Crow, 400 Million Customers, encapsulated how the U.S. had long viewed China, and she recommended Elizabeth Ingleson’s recent dissertation that explores the history of U.S.-China economic relations.

• The Ghost Ship Warehouse fire in Oakland killed 36 people last week. Natalia saw historical echoes of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire of 1911 in the Oakland fire. Neil argued that fire tragedies, like the Iroquois Theater fire of 1903, had led to innovations of fireproofing technology and the introduction of fire code regulations. Niki commented on how the Great Chicago fire of 1871 had brought about the rise of skyscrapers.

• The Mall of America’s decision to hire an African-American man as the mall’s Santa has been met with racist outrage on the Internet. Niki compared that outrage to the response some had to the casting of an African-American actress to play the character Rue in the Hunger Games movies. Neil outlined the history of Santa in the American context, including how the 1822 poem, “Twas the Night Before Christmas,” established the character in the American imagination. Niki recommended the BackStory podcast’s recent interview of a black Santa. Natalia discussed the “Pancho Claus” character some California public schools invented in the 1960s that is pictured in her recent book Classroom Wars.

In our regular closing feature, What’s Making History:

• Natalia commented on the Texas elector Christopher Suprun’s New York Times article, “Why I Will Not Cast My Electoral Vote for Donald Trump.”

• Neil discussed a recent study that found that free Wi-Fi was now more common in hotel rooms than Bibles.

• Niki talked about the 75th anniversary of Pearl Harbor and Brian Rosenwald’s article on how Americans at the time received news of the attack.

Episode 62: Fidel Castro, Liberalism's Future, and Fake News

In this week's episode, Natalia, Neil, and Niki debate Fidel Castro's legacy, the future of liberalism, and the rise of fake news.

• Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show:

• Fidel Castro died at the age of 90, having ruled over Cuba for more than 50 years. Niki placed Castro’s rise to power in a longer history of US-Cuba relations, including the Platt Amendment of 1901. Neil cited a Daily Beast article on Castro’s horrible oppression of Cuban gay people and noted Cuba’s recent crackdown on religious freedom. Natalia recommended Public Book’s essay “Cuba’s Next Chapter” for thinking about the future of Cuba post-Castro.

• What Next for Liberalism, asks historian Daniel Rodgers in a recent issue of Democracy: A Journal of Ideas. Natalia pointed to Hillary Clinton’s 2.5 million popular vote lead over Donald Trump to suggest liberalism wasn’t as in decline as some have suggested. She also discussed Joan C. Williams’ Harvard Business Review article on the different ways the working class identity is interpreted by white voters. Neil recommended Jonathan Rieder’s Canarsie for understanding how white ethnic voters left the New Deal order in the 1980s. Niki commented on Mark Lilla’s New York Times essay that blamed identity politics for liberalism’s troubles. Natalia noted Laurie Penny’s Baffler essay that argued liberals tend to fetishize despair.

• Fake news stories proliferated throughout the 2016 campaign. Niki sketched how the decline of trust in American institutions, particularly media, allowed for the growth of fake news outlets. Neil discussed Facebook’s role in the spread of fake news stories, and commented on a recent CNN show where a woman repeatedly claimed she knew 3 million illegal voters had voted in the state of California even though she had no evidence to support the assertion. Neil noted the Left has a problem believing fake news too, a tendency that may increase during Trump’s presidency. Natalia mentioned an NPR interview with a fake news creator who talked about how lucrative his business was. She recommended a Wall Street Journal article that discussed how Stanford professor Sam Wineburg has developed a media studies curriculum to help teachers educate students about how they properly assess news sources they read.

In our regular closing feature, What’s Making History:

• Natalia commented on an Evening Standard profile of the feminist filmmaker Cassie Jaye.

• Neil discussed the wildfires that have ravaged east Tennessee.

• Niki talked about how Trump has assembled the wealthiest cabinet in modern American history.

Episode 61: Trump University, Pence and Hamilton, and Turkeys Gone Wild

In this week's episode, Neil, Natalia, and Niki debate the Trump University fraud settlement, Mike Pence's reception at Hamilton, and the wild turkey's distaste for the wild. 

Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show:

• Donald Trump’s lawyers reached a $25 million settlement in the lawsuits over Trump University. Natalia situated Trump U in the long history of for-profit colleges but also the history of self-help. Neil commented on the interviews with Trump University students who felt they had been defrauded. Niki noted the founder of the University of Phoenix, John Sperling, had created his for-profit college with democratizing aims, but it seemed to be another example of things that are more expensive for the poor. In that light, Natalia recommended two Barbara Ehrenreich books, Nickled and Dimed and Bright-Sided, for understanding this phenomenon more.

• The cast of Hamilton delivered a speech to Mike Pence at the conclusion of a recent performance of the hit Broadway musical he attended. Neil placed the event in the history of theater as a place of political protest, but suggested the speech was different. Natalia recommended Lawrence Levine’s classic Highbrow/Lowbrow for understanding the changing place of theater in American culture. Natalia compared Mike Pence’s calm response to the incident to President Obama’s cool demeanor in the face of constant attacks, as detailed in David Remnick’s recent profile of the president.

• We discussed Yoni Applebaum’s 2015 Atlantic article that examined how wildlife today, like the wild turkey, would prefer to live in human environments. Niki noted the persistence of American ideas about “civilization” and the “wilderness,” something shaped in part by Frederick Jackson Turner’s classic 1893 essay, “The Significance of the Frontier in American History.” Neil recommended Catherine McNeur’s book Taming Manhattan for how it details the history of wild animals in America’s largest metropolis.

In our regular closing feature, What’s Making History:

• Natalia recommended the movie Moonlight.

• Neil discussed what sounds were heard at the first Thanksgiving.

• Niki commented on Lester Bangs’ 1979 essay, “The White Noise Supremacists.”

Episode 60: International Adoption, Steve Bannon, and Safety-Pin Politics

In this week's episode, Natalia, Neil, and Niki debate the role of citizenship in international adoption, Steve Bannon's appointment as Trump's chief strategist, and the place of safety pins in sartorial politics. 

Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show:

• We discussed the case of Adam Crasper, a South Korean adoptee who is being deported. Natalia recommended Arissa Oh’s To Save the Children of Korea for understanding the Cold War context of international adoption. She also commented on the 1954 book The Family Nobody Wanted that told the story of how one American family adopted twelve children from different ethnic backgrounds.

• Donald Trump has tapped Steve Bannon to be his chief strategist in the White House. Niki outlined Bannon’s connection to the alt-right. (We discussed the alt-right on Episode 50.) Niki noted Bannon’s past as a filmmaker on Ronald Reagan and Sarah Palin. Natalia shared Joan C. Williams’ Harvard Business Review article on white working class voters and the 2016 election.

• Some Americans opposed to Trump’s victory have begun to wear safety pins to signal they are allies to vulnerable groups. Neil commented on why some have critiqued doing so as a type of white privilege or “slacktivism.”, but he argued that symbolic acts could lead to greater activism. Niki agreed, citing David Karpf’s book The MoveOn Effect which argues thin ties of solidarity can lead to thick ties. Neil compared the safety pins to the AIDS ribbons of the 1980s and 90s. Natalia recalled the controversy of Barack Obama not wearing a flag pin in the 2008 campaign and remembered Madeline Albright’s use of brooches to convey political messages as Secretary of State, something she detailed in her book Read My Pins.

In our regular closing feature, What’s Making History:

• Natalia discussed the rejection of a Mexican-American history textbook in Texas.

• Neil recommended the Netflix series The Crown.

• Niki commented on need for historical analysis in the Trump era. 

Episode 59: Second Redemption, Glass Ceilings, and Global Populism

In this week's special election episode, Niki, Neil, and Natalia debate the onset of the Second Redemption, the highest and hardest glass ceiling, and the place of Donald Trump in global populism.

Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show:

• We debated Jamelle Bouie’s argument that the 2016 election should be seen as a Second Redemption. Niki also recommended Michelle Alexander’s book The New Jim Crow.

• Why did Donald Trump receive support from 53 percent of white women? Natalia pointed to the works of Stephanie Coontz and Rebecca Traister to help explain. Natalia also recently documented 100 years of feminist history through the quotations of thirty women for the website Refinery 29.

• Trump’s victory should be seen in the context of a populist movement sweeping across the globe. Niki recommended John Judis’ recent book The Populist Explosion for better understanding this phenomenon.

In our regular closing feature, What’s Making History:

• Natalia talked about different responses to the 2016 election and recommended Laurie Penny’s article, “Life Hacks of the Poor and Aimless.”

• Neil read from Abraham Lincoln’s First Inaugural Address.

• Niki commented on the upcoming 100th anniversary of the American Civil Liberties Union.

Episode 58: Standing Rock, the FBI, and Political Pundits

In this week's episode, Natalia, Niki, and Neil debate the standoff at Standing Rock, the political role of the FBI, and the role of political pundits.

Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show:

• The Standing Rock Sioux and activists are protesting the possible construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline under the Missouri River, the primary water source for the Standing Rock Sioux. Natalia situated the controversy in a long history of broken treaties between the federal government and Native Americans going back to the Treaty of Fort Laramie in 1868. Niki situated Standing Rock in a history of Native American protest, including Alcatraz and Wounded Knee. Neil commented on how Americans were using Facebook to “check in” to Standing Rock. Natalia also recommended Jill Lepore’s The Name of War and Philip Deloria’s Playing Indian for how white Americans fetishized Native Americans as “Noble savages.”  

• FBI director James Comey has informed Congress that new emails found in an unrelated investigation might be related to the investigation of Hillary Clinton’s private server. Neil argued that both Republicans and Democrats were outraged with Comey’s letter because of their belief that the FBI is an apolitical agency, but history does not show that to be the case. Niki recommended a recent Backstory podcast interview with Beverly Gage who discussed the history of the FBI as a political institution. Natalia commented on the how the FBI had positioned its own history on the agency’s website.

• CNN has placed Donna Brazile on leave after it was revealed the political commentator had slipped the Clinton campaign team questions during the primary season town halls. Niki mentioned the Slate writer Ben Mathis-Lilley had argued all paid pundits should be removed from cable news, and she recommended David Greenberg’s book Republic of Spin.

In our regular closing feature, What’s Making History:

• Natalia discussed Jonathan Zimmerman’s op-ed, “The Other School Bathroom Issue That Nobody is Talking About.”

• Neil commented on Patient Zero.

• Niki talked about the book A Square Meal: A Culinary History of the Great Depression.

Episode 57: The World Series, Texting and Driving, and Vegas, Baby!

In this week's episode, Niki, Natalia, and Neil debate the history of the world series, texting while driving, and the history of Vegas. 

Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show:

• The presence of the Chicago Cubs and Cleveland Indians in the 2016 World Series is making history! Niki discussed Sterling HolyWhiteMountain’s essay for ESPN.com on what it meant to grow up on the Blackfeet Reservation as a fan of the Cleveland Indians. Natalia recommended Philip Deloria’s book Playing Indian for a history of how white Americans have appropriated Native American customs, dress, and habits.

• Distracted driving, especially while texting, has become the drunk driving of the 21st century. Natalia compared the movement to stop texting with driving to the efforts of Mothers Against Drunk Driving in the 1980s, while Neil pointed to the history of seat belt legislation as a model. Niki remembered the crash test dummies public service announcements of the 1980s that frightened Americans into using their seatbelts.

• Vegas, baby! It’s more than just gambling these days as the city’s economy has expanded and even the Strip has become family friendly. Natalia discussed how Michael Green’s history of Las Vegas shows organized crime’s connections to the founding of the city.  She also commented on how the Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh has poured millions into revitalizing downtown Las Vegas to attract new entrepreneurs to the city.

In our regular closing feature, What’s Making History:

• Natalia discussed Megan Daum’s Los Angeles Times op-ed, “All Trump gropes are bad, but they aren’t all equal or equally horrible.”

• Neil commented on the death of the fundamentalist cartoonist Jack Chick.

• Niki talked about the history of Election Cake.

Episode 56: Rigged Elections, Wikileaks, and Self-Care

In this week's episode, Neil, Natalia, and Niki debate the history of rigged elections, Wikileaks, and the importance of self-care.

Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show:

• Donald Trump has already declared the 2016 presidential race a rigged election. We discussed the history of claiming rigged elections.

• Wikileaks continues to dump Democratic Party emails as Election Day nears. In our discussion of the history of Wikileaks, Natalia cited Fred Turner’s history of hacking, From Counterculture to Cyberculture, for showing how hacking went from something perceived as bad to something praised for its ideological commitment to the freedom of information. Niki recommended Sam Lebovic’s book, Free Speech and Unfree News, which argues that increasing free speech protections exist alongside the expanding treatment of government information as classified. Natalia also read from the Hacker Manifesto (1986).

• “Self-care” has become the buzzword of 2016, but not everyone approves. Niki quoted from a Commentary article that criticized self-care for really being about selfishness. Natalia situated self-care in a longer history of self-help and wellness, noting Dan Rather’s 1979 report that described wellness as “a word you don’t hear every day.” Natalia also recommended William Davies’ The Happiness Industry for thinking about how businesses had brought self-care into corporate life. Niki noted a recent study of therapists found that the 2016 election had increased patients’ anxiety levels, prompting the increased attention to self-care this year.

In our regular closing feature, What’s Making History:

• Natalia discussed Oxygen.com’s profile of the deaf and blind activist Haben Girma.

• Neil commented on Covergirl’s selection of its first male spokesperson.

• Niki talked about the renewed popularity of Janet Jackson’s 1986 hit “Nasty” in light of Donald Trump’s comments about Hillary Clinton in the third debate. 

Episode 55: Sexual Harassment, Scary Clowns, and Pit Bull Bans

In this week's episode, Niki, Natalia, and Neil debate Donald Trump and sexual harassment and assault, the great clown scare of 2016, and pit bull bans.

Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show:

• A growing list of women have accused Donald Trump of sexual harassment. Natalia commented on the story from the People Magazine reporter who has accused Trump of physically attacking her in 2005. Niki pointed to how Amber Tamblyn’s recent Instagram post about sexual assault showed that women struggle with the shame in coming out about their abuse. Neil noted Eric Trump’s recent comments that his sister, Ivanka, “wouldn’t allow herself” to be sexually harassed in the workplace. Natalia recommended the Susan Faludi classic, Stiffed, for its examination of the backlash to feminism by young men. Natalia also commented on the work of Jennifer Baumgardner, including her book Manifesta and her documentary “It Was Rape.” Niki closed by commenting on Michelle Obama’s speech about the allegations against Trump.

• There’s a clown panic taking over the nation! But why are we so scared of clowns? Natalia sketched the history of clowning from ancient times, and Niki noted how Charles Dickens’ writings about the clown Grimaldi popularized the idea of the clown as a sad and troubled person.

• Montreal has passed a bylaw that bans pit bulls from the city. Neil discussed the changing reputation of pit bulls in the twentieth century, and Natalia commented on the frequent racist undertones of anti-pit bull sentiment.

In our regular closing feature, What’s Making History:

• Natalia discussed the U.N.’s naming of Wonder Woman as its ambassador for gender equality.

• Neil commented on the new reality TV show “Finding Prince Charming.”

• Niki talked about Bill Clinton’s 2015 remarks on the history of the presidency.

Episode 54: Transparent, Wells Fargo, and Cable News

In this week's episode, Neil, Niki, and Natalia debate the place of Transparent in the history of LGBTQ representation on television, fraud at Wells Fargo, and the 20th anniversary of Fox News. 

Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show:

• The third season of the hit show Transparent recently launched on Amazon. Natalia recommended the roundtable on Transparent held by Public Books. Neil sketched a history of LGBT television, starting with the controversial CBS documentary “The Homosexuals” from 1967. Niki remarked on the depiction of AIDS in the 1980s, including the movie “Philadelphia.” Neil remembered the controversy over Melrose Place’s same-sex kiss in 1994.

• Wells Fargo is under investigation for opening more than 2 million fraudulent accounts. Natalia outlined the history of Wells Fargo as a retail bank that had recently expanded to investment banking, and noted the bank’s promotion of their history as an institution that has served the American West. Niki sketched a history of banking scandal and the rise of twentieth-century banking regulations. Neil commented on Elizabeth Warren’s grilling of Wells Fargo’s CEO John Stumpf when he testified before the Senate Banking Committee.

• Both Fox News and MSNBC are celebrating their twentieth anniversaries this year. Niki has written about the history of Fox News for U.S. News & World Report.

In our regular closing feature, What’s Making History:

• Natalia discussed the Chapo Trap House podcast.

• Neil commented on the unmasking of the pseudonymous Italian novelist Elena Ferrante by the investigative journalist Claudio Gatti. 

• Niki talked about NPR’s Code Switch podcast.

Episode 53: Presidential Debates, Stop and Frisk, and Fat Shaming

In this week's episode, Niki, Natalia, and Neil discuss the presidential debates, the constitutionality of stop and frisk, and obesity and medical care.

Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show:

• Do presidential debates change election results? Natalia pointed to research that showed debates had only small electoral effects. Neil discussed how the Lincoln-Douglas Senate debates of 1858 set the model for political debates in the country. Niki commented on how moderators fact-checked candidates in the 1976 and 2012 debates. Natalia and Niki live tweeted the first presidential debate this year at #PSLive.

• Donald Trump defended the controversial stop-and-frisk police program in the presidential debate, and Rudy Giuliani followed with his own endorsement in the Wall Street Journal. Neil noted the controversy owed to how the policy was disproportionately directed at African-American males. Niki commented on the policy’s 1950s origins, noting that cities implemented it before crime rates rose in the late 1960s. Niki also commented on the 1968 Supreme Court case Terry v. Ohio that ruled stop and frisk constitutional.

• The New York Times recently reported that obese patients receive less medical care from their doctors. Neil remarked this resembled the inferior medical treatment African Americans receive, as demonstrated in the anthropologist Carolyn Rouse’s research. Natalia recommended the books the Fat Studies Reader, Fat Shame, and Fat Blame for recent works in the discipline of fat studies. Natalia also commented on the “Fat Liberation Manifesto” that declared fatness a category of oppression.

In our regular closing feature, What’s Making History:

• Natalia discussed the organization Athlete Ally.

• Neil commented on the life of Arnold Palmer.

• Niki talked about Nazi drug abuse in World War II.

Episode 52: Brangelina, EpiPens, and Dr. Oz

In this week's episode, Niki, Natalia, and Neil debate the dissolution of the Jolie-Pitt marriage, the price of EpiPens, and Dr. Oz and medical entertainment.

Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show:

• Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, famously known as Brangelina, have announced they are divorcing. Neil argued Angelina Jolie’s public remaking as mother and humanitarian repeated a common pattern for actresses in the history of Hollywood, like Loretta Young. Natalia remembered W Magazine’s 2005 issue that officially introduced the couple to the world with a photospread of them as members of an unhappy 1960s suburban family, and recommended the celebrity gossip historian Anne Helen Peterson’s writings on Brangelina. Niki responded to those who have argued Brangelina were the last great Hollywood couple.

• EpiPens now cost $600, an increase of more than 500% since 2009. Natalia noted some had argued during Congressional hearings on EpiPens that pharmaceuticals ought to be under price controls like utilities. Niki discussed a 1905-06 Collier’s Magazine article series, “The Great American Fraud,” that examined the patent medicine business and led to the creation of the Food and Drug Administration. Neil shared how EpiPen’s technology had military origins.

• Dr. Mehmet Oz has been called “America’s Doctor,” but his many critics call him a huckster and a quack. Natalia recommended the New Yorker’s 2013 profile of Dr. Oz. Niki connected Dr. Oz to the history of medical quackery.

In our regular closing feature, What’s Making History:

• Natalia discussed Out Magazine’s profile of Milo Yiannopoulous.

• Neil commented on the history and politics of pockets.

• Niki shared the new website historycommunication.com. 

Episode 51: Presidential Health, Free Pre-K, and Star Trek

In this week's episode, Natalia, Neil, and Niki debate secrecy and presidential health, New York City's universal pre-kindergarten, and the legacy of Star Trek.

Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show:

• Hillary Clinton’s team announced she has pneumonia after she fell ill at the 9/11 commemoration. Neil argued anxiety over Clinton’s health was really partisan politics, fueled by internet conspiracies like the “Hillary Clinton Parkinson’s” videos. Natalia responded the Hillary health stories didn’t operate only on the fringe, noting Sean Hannity has been pushing the rumors for weeks on his Fox News program. Niki contended that the long history of cover-ups regarding presidential health issues and illnesses meant that stories about Clinton’s health were really about the issue of trust, something she’s written about for U.S. News & World Report. Natalia pointed out the importance of the visual in shaping American ideas about the presidency, including photos of FDR in his wheelchair and JFK posing in Sports Illustrated to mask his own ailments. Neil raised the issue of mental health, citing a Politico article about the prevalence of mental illness among the presidents.

• for the city’s children. Natalia outlined the significant features of the program and distinguished it from the federal Head Start program launched in the 1960s. Niki remembered how a proposal for other universal childcare programs in the 1970s had been stopped by the Nixon administration.

• 2016 marks the fiftieth anniversary of Star Trek! Niki contended Star Trek reflected a certain progressivism in domestic politics – including one of the first televised interracial kisses – but also was notable for how it promoted a “universalism” on the foreign policy front during its Cold War era. Neil observed that Star Trek’s creator Gene Roddenberry had pitched the show to producers as a “space western,” a concept that spoke its Space Race-era setting but also the popularity of television westerns. Niki recommended the documentary Trekkies for understanding the show’s particular fandom.

In our regular closing feature, What’s Making History:

• Natalia commented on the new app Sit With Us.

• Neil discussed Christine Woodside’s new book, Libertarians on the Prairie. He also recommended Woodside’s Politico article, “How ‘Little House on the Prairie’ Built Modern Conservatism.”

• Niki shared Adam Davidson’s article, “The Unemployment-Rate Hoax,” from the New Yorker’s new series, “Trump and the Truth.”

Episode 50: Mother Teresa, the Alt-Right, and Taco Trucks

In this week's episode, Neil, Niki, and Natalia debate the canonization of Mother Teresa, the rise of the alt-right, and the menace of taco trucks.

Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show:

• Mother Teresa has been declared St. Teresa by Pope Francis. Natalia noted the controversy that has swirled around Mother Teresa, including Christopher Hitchens calling her a “fanatic, fundamentalist, and a fraud.” Niki detailed how Pope John Paul II changed the canonization process to benefit Mother Teresa. Neil discussed Mother Teresa’s political significance to the pro-life movement, including her anti-abortion speeches at her 1979 Nobel Peace Prize acceptance and at the 1994 National Prayer Breakfast.

• The alt-right has made its presence known in the 2016 presidential race. Niki outlined the rise of the alt-right, something she has written about for U.S. News & World Report. Natalia discussed how the alt-right fit in the larger world of conservatism, citing the influence of George Nash in her thinking. Niki discussed the alt-right’s intellectual self-identity as smarter than the “old-school racist skinheads,” as Milo Yiannopolous wrote in Breitbart News in 2016.

• The founder of Latinos for Trump warned there would soon be “taco trucks on every corner” if Donald Trump didn’t win the presidency. Natalia and Neil discussed whether this served as an effective political threat. Natalia shared how scholars of immigration have identified the lowest tolerance for immigrants as something called “contributionism,” where immigrants are appreciated only for what they contribute to American society. Niki placed the taco truck in a long history of food trucks, including chuck wagons and pushcarts. Natalia remembered the alarm when salsa recently outsold ketchup as America’s favorite condiment.

In our regular closing feature, What’s Making History:

• Natalia commented on the value of taking Phyllis Schlafly seriously.

• Neil talked about Jimmy Carter and grits.

• Niki recommended Matt Dallek’s book, Defenseless Under the Night.

Episode 49: Colin Kaepernick, Burkinis, and Crime at Walmart

In this week's episode, Natalia, Neil, and Niki debate Colin Kaepernick's protest against the national anthem, France's burkini ban, and Walmart's high crime rate.

Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show:

• San Francisco 49er quarterback Colin Kaepernick remained seated during a recent pre-game national anthem in protest against racial discrimination in the country. Neil argued Kaepernick likely chose that moment to lodge his protest in reference to other black athletes who have done the same, such as at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City. Natalia observed that non-political events like athletic competitions often provided useful moments to make a protest, like Beyonce’s 2016 Super Bowl performance that referenced the Black Panthers. Niki detailed the history of the Star-Spangled Banner and why some have called it a racist song. Natalia shared a Christianity Today article that detailed how the “Battle Hymn of the Republic” almost became the national anthem. Neil recommended listeners read John Stauffer and Benjamin Soskis’s book, The Battle Hymn of the Republic, for those interested in learning more about the song.  

• Towns along the French Riviera have attempted to ban the burkini from their beaches this summer. Natalia situated the controversy in France’s tradition of laïcité, a word that roughly translates to “secular ideal,” as the French philosopher Alain Finkielkraut has described it. Niki explained an Australian-Lebanese woman had created the burkini in 2006 as a form of modest beachwear. Natalia recommended the Public Books essay, “Saving Muslim Women,” for thinking more about the complicated responses of American feminists towards Muslim women.

• A recent Bloomberg article found that Walmart stores have become high crime locations. Niki recommended William Leach’s history of consumption, Land of Desire, for understanding how the rise of department stores encouraged shoplifting. Natalia added Elaine Abelson’s When the Ladies Go A-Thieving, as another history of shoplifting. Niki noted Jane Jacobs had argued that the physical design of cities increased crime rates in areas where there less eyes on the street. Natalia recommended a City Lab article on the history of the 24-hour convenience store.

In our regular closing feature, What’s Making History:

• Natalia discussed the documentary, “The Uncommon Yogi.”

• Neil shared the story of the Great Dismal Swamp.

• Niki commented on Donald Trump’s proposal for an ideological test as part of his immigration program and recommended Mae Ngai’s book, Impossible Subjects, as her favorite book on the history of immigration to the United States. 

Episode 48: Baton Rouge, Christian Intellectuals, and Teaching Trump

In this week's episode, Niki, Neil, and Natalia debate flood relief in Louisiana, the disappearance of Christian intellectuals, and teaching Trump in the classroom.

Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show:

• More than two feet of rain brought death and destruction to southern Louisiana recently. Natalia addressed the political dimensions of the Louisiana flood, including Donald Trump’s visit to the state and blaming President Obama for not going there. Niki argued the memory of George W. Bush’s bungling of Hurricane Katrina provided important context for the political meaning of the Louisiana flood. Neil situated the flood in a long history of flooding in Louisiana, including the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 as chronicled in John M. Barry’s classic book Rising Tide. Neil also commented on the history of federal relief for natural disaster, including the Federal Disaster Relief Act of 1950. Niki observed that suburban sprawl in Louisiana had worsened the destruction there as neighborhoods had expanded into the area’s 100-year floodplain.

• What became of the Christian intellectuals? This is the question of a provocative new essay in Harper’s from Alan Jacobs, a professor at Baylor University. Neil commented that Jacobs’ essay focused on the lack of prominent Christian public intellectuals, but wondered if any public intellectuals remained in our current moment. Niki observed that Jacobs’ references to Reinhold Niebuhr as a model Christian intellectual of an earlier age made sense as Niebuhr’s works, such as The Children of Light and the Children of Darkness, had highlighted the moral struggle of global events, like the Cold War. Natalia compared Jacobs’ thesis of Christian intellectuals’ retreat from public life with the argument of Christian marginalization made by other evangelical scholars such as Owen Strachan.

• On college campuses and in the nation’s primary and secondary schools, many educators are wondering how to teach Donald Trump. Niki worried this was a partisan question in itself. Natalia cited Jonathan Zimmerman’s essay in the Atlantic that argued classrooms needed to engage controversial and diverse opinions brought out by the Trump campaign, but she also shared Michael Gerson’s Washington Post editorial that noted the word Trump has come to be seen as a racial slur. Neil discussed the controversy over the Chronicle of Higher Education’s Trump Syllabus and the response by the African American Intellectual History Society to create the Trump 2.0 Syllabus published by Public Books.

In our regular closing feature, What’s Making History:

• Natalia talked about American Life episode 594 and a New York Times article about a veteran lifeguard who has refused to wear a Speedo.

• Neil discussed the history of the front crawl and butterfly swimming strokes.

• Niki shared the Miller Center of Public Affairs’ First Year Project.