Episode 141: Sacha Baron Cohen, the Yoga Vote, and Middle Children

In this episode, Niki, Natalia, and Neil debate Sacha Baron Cohen’s new show, the viability of a “yoga vote,” and the demographic shift bringing about the disappearance of the middle child.

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

• British prankster and social critic Sacha Baron Cohen has a new show, “Who Is America?” Niki recommended this New York Times article comparing the tactics of conservative James O’Keefe to those employed by Baron Cohen. She also referred to this Smithsonian magazine article about turn-of-the-century undercover women reporters.
• Congressman Tim Ryan of Ohio told The Intercept he would court “the yoga vote” should he run for president in 2020. Natalia referred to a conversation on the 538 Blog that dismissed “the yoga vote” as today’s “soccer mom.” Natalia also recommended Michelle Goldberg’s book The Goddess Pose: The Audacious Life of Indra Devi and the “Bikram” series produced by ESPN’s “30 For 30” podcast.
• The middle child “is going extinct,” announced The Cut recently. Niki recalled Paul Ehrlich’s 1968 book, The Population Bomb, while Natalia recommended Julia Belluz’ Vox article that contextualized these findings in broader demographic shifts.

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

• Natalia shared Brian Feldman’s New York magazine article, “The Most Important Video Game on The Planet.”
• Neil discussed the miniseries “A Very English Scandal.”
• Niki recommended Alexis Madrigal’s Atlantic article, “Why No One Answers Their Phone Anymore.”

Episode 140: Treason, Accents, and Outdoor Play

In this episode, Natalia, Neil, and Niki debate the definition of treason, the significance of linguistic accents, and a new practice of prescribing outdoor play.

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

• President Trump’s behavior at his joint press conference with Vladimir Putin has earned him the epithet of “traitor” by many critics. Niki referenced this article at the Washington Post’s “Made By History” by Gail Savage.
• Roberto Rey Agudo’s New York Times op-ed made the provocative case that “Everyone Has an Accent.” Natalia referred to this Bustle article about “the chameleon effect,” and Neil cited this Chicago Reader article about the Chicago accent. Natalia recommended this New York Times article about Hollywood dialect coaches and the rise of accuracy in portraying regional accents onscreen.
• Some doctors are writing prescriptions for children to engage in outdoor play.

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

• Natalia shared about the launch of the new feminist press, Dottir, and one of its first titles, a children’s book called Not My Idea.
• Neil discussed the history of double negatives.
• Niki commented on the death of John Stormer who she wrote about in her Washington Post “Made By History” article, “How The Right Became Addicted to Conspiracies.”

Episode 139: Thai Cave Rescue, Breastfeeding, and Fleece Vests

In this episode, Neil, Natalia, and Niki discuss the children rescued from a Thai cave, the Trump administration’s approach to breastfeeding policy, and the fleece vests that have become a staple uniform of the finance industry.

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

• A Thai boys’ soccer team was rescued from a flooded cave as the world watched. Niki referred to comedian Stephen Colbert linking the rescue to the Trump administration’s family separation policy. She also commented on the longstanding media fascination with stories of being trapped underground; Natalia commented on how the trope shows up in literature, such as Edgar Allan Poe’s 1846 story, “The Cask of Amontillado,” and Neil mentioned it as a theme of the Netflix show, “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt,” a program we discussed on Episode 30.
• The Trump administration shocked many when it moved to weaken an international breastfeeding resolution. Natalia recommended Suzanne Barston’s book Bottled Up: How the Way We Feed Babies Has Come to Define Motherhood, and It Shouldn’t, historian Jessica Martucci’s Back to the Breast: Natural Motherhood and Breastfeeding in America, and her own article at the Society for U.S. Intellectual History Blog.
• The Instagram parody account @midtownuniform has brought attention to a new sartorial staple of the Wall Street set: the fleece vest. Natalia cited this Wall Street Journal article on the finance-industry fashion of the show Billions.

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

• Natalia recommended Dan Nosowitz’s Atlas Obscura article, “Why Are There Palm Trees in Los Angeles?”
• Neil discussed the origins of 911 telephone service and its racist misuses which he wrote about for the Huffington Post.
• Niki spoke about Joe Heim’s Washington Post article, “Sacred Ground: Now Reclaimed: A Charlottesville Story.”

Episode 138: Democratic Socialists, Court Packing, and Audiobooks

In this episode, Niki, Neil, and Natalia debate the rise of Democratic Socialists, plans for packing the Supreme Court, and the increasing popularity of audiobooks.

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

• Thanks to the recent upset victory of Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez in a New York Democratic primary, socialism appears to be having a new moment in American politics.
• Justice Anthony Kennedy has stepped down, prompting a conversation about whether “packing” the Supreme Court is an advisable strategy for progressives. Natalia cited historian William Leuchtenberg’s Smithsonian Magazine article on Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s attempt to pack the Supreme Court.
• The popularity of the audiobook is challenging publishers to think differently about how people consume literature.

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

• Natalia recommended Judith Newman’s New York Times essay, “He’s Going Back to His Former Wife. Sort Of.”
• Neil discussed the cultural significance of the “Trumpy Bear” toy.
• Niki recommended Jessica Gingrich’s Gastro Obscura article, “The Ornate Ice Cream Saloons That Served Unchaperoned Women.”

Episode 137: Civility, Gays and Gyms, and Mr. Rogers

In this episode, Natalia, Niki, and Neil debate recent claims that the Left is destroying civility in politics, the LGBTQ+ history of American gym culture, and a half-century of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.

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

• When White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders was asked to leave the Red Hen restaurant by its owner, many decried the incident as evidence of a decline in civility. Natalia cited historian William Chafe’s book Civilities and Civil Rights. At Vox, Niki wrote about Martin Luther King, Jr.’s own history of being called “uncivil.”  
• An Indianapolis CrossFit location recently canceled a workout intended to celebrate Pride Month, and backlash was swift. Natalia wrote about the history of LGBTQ+ culture and American gyms for Slate and also cited historian David K. Johnson’s Journal of Social History article on male physique magazines. She talked more about the issue recently on the All About Fitness with Pete McCall podcast. Neil noted recent Past Present episodes on the “gayborhood” and the “twink” were relevant to this segment’s discussion.
• A new documentary takes a retrospective look at Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood fifty years after its release. Natalia cited Aisha Harris’ review in Slate.

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

• Natalia talked about Brooke Hauser’s biography of Helen Gurley Brown, Enter Helen: The Invention of Helen Gurley Brown and the Rise of the Modern Single Woman.
• Neil discussed the life and legacy of Koko the Gorilla, who recently died at 46.
• Niki recommended Anne Ewbank’s Atlas Obscura article, “The Tragic Roots of America’s Favorite Cherry.”

Episode 136: Anthony Bourdain, Family Values, and Ageism

In this week's episode, Neil, Niki, and Natalia debate the legacy of Anthony Bourdain, the end of “family values” conservatism, and ageism as a form of discrimination.

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

• The late Anthony Bourdain helped define the now familiar figure of the “celebrity chef.” Niki referred to Bourdain’s books Kitchen Confidential and Medium Raw as reshaping the genre of food writing. Natalia cited Eric Schlosser’s Fast Food Nation and Michael Pollan’s In Defense of Food as other works that helped Americans conceive of food as a lens on politics and society.
• "Family values,” long a familiar trope of conservative American politics, appears under threat in the Trump era. Neil wrote in Slate about how and why this era has come to an end. Neil recommended historian Seth Dowland’s book, Family Values and the Rise of the Christian Right. Natalia cited her own book, Classroom Wars: Language, Sex, and the Making of Modern Political Culture, on how family values politics have always been racialized.
• Ageism is an often under-acknowledged cause of discrimination. Natalia commented on how the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (1967) barred workplace age discrimination and cited a recent Atlantic interview with a man who was laid off in his fifties. Natalia also recommended Ashton Applewhite’s writing on age and ageism at the This Chair Rocks Blog.

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

• Natalia talked about Jesse Singal’s controversial Atlantic article, “When Children Say They’re Trans.”
• Neil recommended Pose, a new show on the FX Network.
• Niki discussed Nathan Truesdell’s Atlantic video, “The Balloonfest That Went Horribly Wrong.”

Episode 135: U.S.-Canada Relations, Kate Spade, and A.P. History

In this episode, Niki, Natalia, and Neil debate the historical relationship between Canada and the United States, the legacy of the late designer Kate Spade, and the controversy over proposed changes to an Advanced Placement history course.

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

• Relations between longtime allies the United States and Canada appear to be souring after the G7 summit. Natalia cited this article describing the last such tension during Richard Nixon’s presidency.
• Designer Kate Spade’s suicide prompted an outpouring of grief among those who remember the black bags that made her famous as a totem of life in the 1990s. Natalia cited this Racked article about the success of the brand as well as this Columbia Journalism Review article about the class myopia of the New York Times’ coverage of Spade’s life and influence.
• Many history teachers are angry about changes to an Advanced Placement world history course.

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

• Natalia talked about a homophobia scandal at Crossfit.
• Neil discussed the new film RBG.
• Niki recommended the new database Women Also Know History.

Episode 134: Masterpiece Cakeshop, Presidential Pardons, and Separated Families

In this episode, Natalia, Neil, and Niki debate the Supreme Court’s ruling on the Masterpiece Cakeshop case, Donald Trump’s use of the presidential pardon, and the American tradition of separating families.

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

• The Supreme Court has ruled in favor of the baker who refused to make a wedding cake for a gay couple in the Masterpiece Cakeshop case. Neil referred to Tisa Wenger’s book Religious Freedom: The Contested History of An American Ideal and Sarah Posner’s Nation article about the conservative Christian advocacy group Alliance Defending Freedom.
• President Trump has legal scholars thinking about whether a president is legally permitted to pardon himself. Natalia cited this Washington Post article by Laurence Tribe, Richard Painter, and Norman Eisen arguing a president cannot pardon himself. Niki cited Bob Bauer’s Lawfare article about the larger demagogic nature of Trump’s presidency.
• The Trump administration has intensified a policy separating families at the U.S.-Mexico border. Niki cited historian Martha Jones’ Medium slideshow about the history of separating enslaved families. Natalia cited historian Walter Johnson’s book Soul by Soul: Life Inside the Antebellum Slave Market and Niki recommended historian Heather A. Williams’ Help Me to Find My People: The African American Search for Family Lost in Slavery.

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

• Natalia talked about Hilary Levey Friedman’s USA Today article, “Good Riddance to the Miss America Pageant, But Did We Have to Lose Fitness Too?”
• Neil discussed the German TV show Deutschland 83, now available on Hulu.
• Niki recommended Yoni Appelbaum’s Atlantic article, “Which America Is Trump Celebrating?”

Episode 133: Twinks, a Manhattan Con Artist, and the Ford Mustang

In this episode, Neil, Natalia, and Niki debate the rise of the “twink” aesthetic, Manhattan con artist Anna Sorokin/Delvey, and the cultural endurance of the Ford Mustang.

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

• The New York Times has declared “the age of the twink.” Neil referred to this 2003 New York Times article on the “metrosexual.” Natalia recommended this Slate article on the continued relevance of the notion of a gay aesthetic.
• The long con of Anna Delvey, who duped the downtown Manhattan set, has readers rapt. Natalia referred to this Vanity Fair article by one of her dupes. Niki cited Maria Konnikova’s book The Confidence Game: Why We Fall For It Every Time and Natalia cited Barbara Ehrenreich’s book Nickel and Dimed.
• Ford Motors is phasing out passenger cars, save for its iconic Mustang. Natalia recommended this WIRED article on the history of America’s favorite sports car.

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

• Neil discussed Matt Lebovic’s Times of Israel article, “Who Was Anne Frank’s Gay Uncle Walter?”
• Natalia talked about the Netflix documentary One of Us.
• Niki shared the site African American Historic Sites Database.

Episode 132: Incels, Mormonism and Race, and Millennials and Personal Finance

In this episode, Niki, Natalia, and Neil debate the “incel” community, the role of race in Mormon history, and the thrift-shaming of millennials.

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

• In the wake of a Toronto terrorist attack, “incels,” or involuntary celibates, are gaining attention. Niki referred to this New York Times article about Jordan Peterson. Natalia cited Jia Tolentino’s New Yorker article on the origins of incel rage, Ross Douthat’s New York Times op-ed raising the possibility of the redistribution of sex, and this Washington Post column by historian Melissa J. Gismondi. Niki referred to this paper by Betsey Stevenson and Justin Wolfers.
• A hoax letter claiming the LDS Church was apologizing for its history of racism upset many. Natalia cited historian Sarah Barringer Gordon’s book The Mormon Question: Polygamy and Constitutional Conflict in Nineteenth Century America as well as historian Max Perry Mueller’s book Race and the Making of the Mormon People, which he discussed in an interview in The Atlantic. Neil referred to Linda Sillitoe’s book Salamander: The Story of the Mormon Forgery Murders.
• Financial planning recommendations to millennials are increasingly met with internet outrage. Natalia cited Rebecca Onion’s Slate article on the history of the thrift education movement, and Niki referred to historian Louis Hyman’s book Debtor Nation.

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

• Neil discussed the Guardian article, “Anne Frank’s ‘Dirty’ Jokes Found on Diary Pages She Covered Over.”
• Natalia talked about Historians on Hamilton: How a Blockbuster Musical is Restaging America’s Past, a new book edited by Claire Potter and Renée Romano.
• Niki shared this history of commercial flight in the 1930s and this WBUR segment on “What Happens When Someone on Your Flight Has a Medical Emergency.”

Episode 131: The Israeli Embassy, Tom Wolfe, and Sports Gambling

In this episode, Natalia, Niki, and Neil debate the movement of the U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, the life and legacy of the late author Tom Wolfe, and the legalization of sports gambling.

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

• President Trump officially moved the U.S. Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, and violence in Gaza ensued. Neil wrote about Trump’s stance in his Huffington Post column this week. Natalia recommended this Tablet article breaking down the context for the violence in Gaza.
• “New Journalism” pioneer Tom Wolfe died this week. Natalia cited two of her favorite Wolfe works, Radical Chic and Mau-Mauing the Flak Catchers and Bonfire of the Vanities and recommended this Atlantic piece chronicling the neologisms Wolfe has coined.
• A Supreme Court ruling has lifted a ban on sports betting. Neil cited this NPR piece on the potential implications of the decision for college and amateur athletes.

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

• Neil discussed the news that the Salt Lake Tribune has laid off a third of its newsroom.
• Natalia talked about the show “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” and Laura Ansley’s analytical essay at Nursing Clio, “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend: Feminism, Mental Health, and Musicals Meet on the Boob Tube.”
• Niki shared Diane Peters’ JSTOR Daily article, “Treadmills Were Meant to be Atonement Machines.”

Episode 130: "This is America," NRATV, and Instagramming Museums

In this episode, Neil, Niki, and Natalia debate Childish Gambino’s viral video “This is America,” the launching of NRATV, and how Instagram is changing museums.

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

• Donald Glover, aka Childish Gambino, generated major buzz with the release of the song and video “This is America.” Natalia referred to the various articles including this Washington Post piece that attempt to decode the richly allusive video. Contextualizing this work in the recent comments by Kanye West that “slavery was a choice,” Niki recommended this Washington Post piece by historian Leah Wright Rigueur and Natalia referenced this New York Times article by activist dream hampton as well as this GQ article.
• The National Rifle Association now has a television presence, NRATV, which promotes a pro-Trump politics and worldview.
• The popularity of sites like the Museum of Ice Cream shows how Instagram is changing how we consume culture. Natalia referred to historian Lawrence Levine’s classic book Highbrow, Lowbrow, Amanda Mull’s Eater article on Instagram’s effect on food consumption, and Will Storr’s book Selfie on the narcissistic currents that inspire our moment.

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

• Neil commented on the brewing controversy in the Southern Baptist Convention about Paige Patterson’s statements about women.
• Natalia shared Britni de la Cretaz’ Racked article, “’Honoring’ Female Baseball Players with the Lipstick They Were Required to Wear.”
• Niki recommended Alan Taylor’s photographic essay in the Atlantic, “A Look Back at Kilauea's Spectacular 1969 to 1974 Mauna Ulu Eruption.”

Episode 129: the White House Correspondents' Dinner, the Golden State Killer, and Remembering the Holocaust

In this episode, Niki, Neil, and Natalia debate the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, the Golden State Killer, and the news that Americans are forgetting the Holocaust. 

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

• At this year’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner, comedian Michelle Wolf caused controversy. You can watch Wolf’s full performance here. Niki referenced Megan Garber’s Atlantic article, “The Slow, Awkward Death of the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.” Natalia cited this Columbia Journalism Review article noting that some members of the WHCA are opting to bring journalism students rather than celebrities to the event.
• The Golden State Killer, who claimed fifty victims in the 1970s and 80s, has been apprehended thanks to DNA evidence. Neil recommended Sarah Zhang’s Atlantic article explaining how police investigators used genealogy websites to find the killer. (We discussed genetic testing websites on Episode 90.) Niki referred to Michelle McNamara’s posthumously published I’ll Be Gone in the Dark that helped solve the crime, and Neil referenced McNamara’s Los Angeles magazine article about how the serial killer terrorized California. Natalia recommended the Atlanta Monster podcast that chronicles a serial killer who victimized that city.
• A troubling report suggests Americans are decreasingly aware of the scale of the Holocaust. Natalia discussed Rebecca Onion’s Slate article historicizing this apparent illiteracy. Niki cited this Atlantic article considering Poland’s relationship to its role in the Holocaust along with Timothy Snyder’s Bloodlands and Jan Gross’ Neighbors.

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

• Neil shared Dana Goldstein’s New York Times article, “Teacher Pay is So Low in Some U.S. School Districts That They Are Recruiting Overseas.”
• Natalia discussed Kyle Swenson’s Washington Post article, “Harold Bornstein: Exiled from Trumpland, Doctor Now ‘Frightened and Sad’.”
• Niki discussed Pamela Burger’s JSTOR Daily article, “The Bloody History of the True Crime Genre.”

Episode 128: Sean Hannity, Gayborhoods, and Running Tutus

In this episode, Natalia, Neil, and Niki debate the Sean Hannity phenomenon, battles over the “gayborhood,” and the popularity of running tutus.

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

• Conservative media personality Sean Hannity has attained new fame thanks to his proximity to President Trump. Niki referred to her Washington Post piece arguing Hannity is more a promoter rather than a kingmaker and to Neil’s Huffington Post article arguing that Hannity is not a journalist. Natalia recommended a 2015 Chapo Trap House episode about Hannity’s persona.
• As “gayborhoods” have become bellwethers of gentrification, they have also resulted in turf wars. Niki cited George Chauncey’s classic work Gay New York as well as Margot Canaday’s The Straight State. We all commented on the findings of Adriana Brozyn and Amin Ghaziani’s study on “performative progressiveness” in Chicago gayborhoods.
• Tutus have become a surprisingly common running accessory at amateur road races. Niki referred to Natalia’s Well+Good article on the gendered history of jogging, and Natalia cited “turkey trots” as early examples of casual, and often costumed, road races.

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

• Neil shared Mark Rudd’s New York Times article “The Missing History of the Columbia ’68 Protests.”
• Natalia discussed her recent visit to the Greek island and former leper colony of Spinalonga and recommended Victoria Hislop’s novel The Island set there.
• Niki commented on Sarah Seo’s Washington Post piece “Why Our Response to the Starbucks Arrests Must Go Beyond Race.”

Episode 127: Barbara Bush, Starbucks, and the U.S. Census

In this episode, Neil, Natalia, and Niki debate the life and legacy of Barbara Bush, Starbucks’ race problem, and the U.S. Census.

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

• Former First Lady Barbara Bush has died at 92. Natalia referenced historian Barbara Perry’s Washington Post article about how she transformed the Office of the First Lady.
• Starbucks has come under fire for an employee who called the police on two black men at one of its Philadelphia stores. Natalia cited sociologist Elijah Anderson’s Vox article on the association of black people with inner cities; Niki referenced Jamelle Bouie’s Slate article on how “white spaces” are constructed and policed as well as Emily Bazelon’s 2014 Slate article “Why I Don’t Call the Police.”
• President Donald Trump’s decision to include a question about citizenship status on the U.S. Census for the first time since 1950 has inspired strong opposition. Natalia referred to Ari Berman’s Mother Jones article on the pervasive problem of undercounting minorities.

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

• Neil commented on Dan Piepenbring’s New Yorker article “Chick-Fil-A’s Creepy Infiltration of New York City.”
• Natalia shared Carson Bear’s article “Are Mobile Homes a Forgotten Historic Resource?” on SavingPlaces.org.
• Niki discussed Kathleen Belew’s new book Bring the War Home: The White Power Movement and Paramilitary America.

Episode 126: Sinclair Broadcasting, Tony Robbins, and Early Admissions

In this episode, Niki, Neil, and Natalia debate the rise of Sinclair Broadcasting, life coach Tony Robbins’ dismissal of the #MeToo movement, and the fraught history of college early admissions.

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

• Conservative media giant Sinclair Broadcasting Group inspired outrage when a viral video showed anchors reading a prepared script bashing the media. Natalia cited Niki’s U.S. News article on the role of the FCC in preventing the kind of domination to which Sinclair aspires.
• Self-help guru Tony Robbins enraged the internet when he maligned the #MeToo movement at one of his stadium-sized seminars. You can watch the full video of his interaction with Nanine McCool here. Natalia cited two classic historical works to understand the history of self-help: Richard Hofstadter’s Anti-Intellectualism in American Life and Christopher Lasch’s The Culture of Narcissism. Natalia also recommended William Davies’ The Happiness Industry and the HBO show “Enlightened.” Natalia recently wrote about how Tony Robbins and other self-help gurus have often stood in the way of social change in a piece for the Washington Post.
• The Justice Department has launched a probe into colleges offering early admissions. Natalia cited two historians’ book-length works: Jerome Karabel’s The Chosen and Nancy Malkiel’s Keep the Damned Women Out!

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

• Neil discussed the new Little League documentary, Long Time Coming.
• Natalia discussed Ivanka Trump’s curiously uninformed comments about youth fitness. As a companion piece to Natalia’s What’s Making History, Niki recommended Anastasia Day’s Made by History article, “How the White House Garden Became a Political Football.”
• Niki discussed two new books on the 14th Amendment by historians, Carrie Hyde’s Civic Longing: The Speculative Origins of U.S. Citizenship and Martha Jones’ Birthright Citizens: A History of Race and Rights in Antebellum America.

Episode 125: Roseanne, NFL Cheerleaders, and Instant Pot

In this episode, Natalia, Niki, and Neil debate the return of the television series Roseanne, the unfair treatment of NFL cheerleaders, and the sudden popularity of the Instant Pot.

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

• Nineties TV sitcom Roseanne is back, and remade for the Trump age. Niki referenced Oscar Winberg’s Washington Post article about the political ambitions of the series.
• New Orleans Saints cheerleader Bailey Davis was fired for violating the team’s social media policy; now she’s suing and bringing attention to the unjust treatment of cheerleaders across the industry. Natalia referenced this Mother Jones historical timeline of cheerleading as well as two works by historians: Helen Lefkowitz Horowitz’ Campus Life and Paula Fass’ The Damned and the Beautiful.
• The Instant Pot is officially a culinary craze. Natalia referenced this Curbed article about the gendered history of kitchen design.

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

• Neil discussed John Elgion’s New York Times article, “A Black Evangelist Who Opposed Dr. King,” and Lerone Martin’s research article on which it draws.
• Natalia discussed Matthew Remski’s Facebook response to the new Netflix documentary, Wild, Wild Country.
• Niki discussed Peter Canellos’ POLITICO article, “’Chappaquiddick’: The Trial of Ted Kennedy.”

Bonus Episode 5: Stormy Daniels

In this week's episode, Niki and Natalia debate the Stormy Daniels scandal.

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

• Stormy Daniels gave a much awaited interview to Anderson Cooper on 60 Minutes last week. Natalia referred to Michelle Goldberg’s New York Times op-ed and this Atlantic article about the similarities between the Daniels affair and the Harvey Weinstein case.

Episode 124: Cambridge Analytica, the Austin Serial Bomber, and Stanford's "Manel"

In this week's episode, Neil, Natalia, and Niki debate the historical significance of Cambridge Analytica and its relationship with Facebook, a serial bomber in Austin, and an all-white, all-male history conference at Stanford.

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

• Cambridge Analytica is suddenly a household name for its troubling use of Facebook data to influence the 2016 election. Niki referred to Siva Vaidhyanathan’s forthcoming book, Antisocial Media, about the social costs of the rise of Facebook.
• After terrorizing Austin for several weeks, serial bombing suspect Mark Conditt is dead. Niki referenced this Rolling Stone article about the impact of the Son of Sam serial murders on tabloid journalism. Natalia cited this NPR article on recollections of Conditt.
• Stanford University’s Hoover Institution hosted a conference comprised entirely of white men. Niki referred to this Washington Post article about the long relationship between the Hoover Institution and Stanford.

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

• Neil discussed Jackie Mansky’s Smithsonian article, “How Smithsonian Helped Solve the Twitter Mystery of the Unknown Woman Scientist.”
• Natalia commented on Joanna Rothkopf’s Jezebel article, “Inside the Convoluted ‘Battle for the Heart and Soul of Yoga’ That Resulted in Alo Yoga Suing a Body-Positive Influencer.”
• Niki shared Michael S. Rosenwald’s Washington Post article, “Toys R Us Founder Charles Lazarus Has Died. Here’s How He Built – And Lost – An Empire.”

Episode 123: Rex Tillerson, Women's Obituaries, and National Geographic

In this episode, Niki, Natalia, and Neil debate Donald Trump’s firing of Rex Tillerson, the New York Times publishing obituaries for women it overlooked historically, and National Geographic’s self-study of its past racist coverage.

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

• Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is the latest White House official President Trump has fired by tweet. Natalia referenced this New Yorker article highlighting the origins of Tillerson’s leadership style.
• “Overlooked” is the name of a New York Times initiative to acknowledge the fact that since 1851, the paper’s obituaries have been dominated by white men. Natalia referred to Amanda Hess’s coverage of this issue at Slate. We all referred to this NPR interview with former Times obituary writers featured in the documentary Obit.
• National Geographic’s latest issue reckons with the magazine’s treatment of race throughout the publication’s history. Niki referred to historian George Fredrickson’s notion of “scientistic racism.” Natalia shared Rebecca Onion’s interview for Slate of the historian John Edwin Mason who conducted the study for ­National Geographic.

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

• Neil shared Olivia B. Waxman’s TIME article, “The Surprisingly Poetic Origins of the Phrase ‘March Madness’.”
• Natalia commented on Jason LeMiere’s Newsweek article, “Barron Trump’s School Signs Open Letter Asking His Dad to Act on Gun Violence, Oppose Arming Teachers.”
• Niki discussed Rebecca Onion’s Slate article, “The Teacher Would Suddenly Yell ‘Drop!’.”