Current Affairs

Pete speaks to journalist Talia Lavin about her new book Culture Warlords: My Journey Into the Dark Web of White Supremacy. 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!

The team responds and reflects to the Biden win, ruminate on conservative octogenarians, and look forward to a vaccinated future. The panel this week is made up of associate editor Vanessa A. Bee, finance editor Sparky Abraham, managing editor Lyta Gold, and editor-in-chief Nathan J. Robinson. Your host is newsletter editor Nick Slater. This episode was edited by Dan Thorn of Pink Noise Studios in...

As the US prepares for its second ever Catholic president, Rennix is joined by Current Affairs contributor Daniel Walden for an in-depth discussion on Catholicism: its liberatory side, its troubling side, its complicated side, and the side that says the best gender is "sphere". This is a preview of an episode available in full to our $5 Patreon subscribers. To listen to the whole episode, as well...

Nathan and Oren discuss William B. Fu—sorry, William F. Buckley, the "most important conservative intellectual of the postwar era", and possessor of the second-most ridiculous mid-Atlantic accent in politics. 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 on...

Infrastructure enthusiast Sparky Abraham is joined by Dr. Magnus Jamieson, an expert in electrical power systems, to discuss the fire which destroyed the town of Paradise, California in November 2018—the most destructive wildfire in California's history, caused by a single faulty electrical line and a whole bunch of systemic problems. This is a preview of an episode available in full to our $5 Pat...

The team discusses the past, the present and the future. Along the way, they get distracted by their favorite election conspiracy theories and the mysteries of New Orleans politics. The panel this week is made up of administrative Cajun Kate Gauthreaux, poet-at-large Cate Root, legal editor Oren Nimni and editor-in-chief Nathan J. Robinson. Your temporary host is Aisling McCrea. Kate joined us cla...

Nathan speaks to Michael Moore about his thoughts on the 2020 election. This episode also has a transcript: https://www.currentaffairs.org/2020/11/17106

Nathan speaks to Michael Moore about his thoughts on the 2020 election. This is a preview of an episode available in full now, on early access, 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!

We accidentally recorded two Sorkin episodes in a row, sorry. This one's about his most recent picture, The Trial of the Chicago 7, and why the real-life event was funnier and better-scripted than the actual movie. 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 becom...

It's a Bad Faith/Michael & Us/Current Affairs megacrossover! Nathan Robinson is joined by certified West Wing expert Luke Savage and West Wing neophyte Briahna Joy Gray to watch...well, you can guess. 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...

This episode was originally released on the bonus feed, but we've released it to all of you for free today! If you enjoyed this and want to hear more like this, please consider subscribing to our Patreon. For just $5 a month, you'll get access to two Current Affairs episodes per week, and the warm fuzzy feeling that you're supporting our show and helping it get made! Nathan speaks to Wendell Potte...

The Rhode Island Political Cooperative is a grassroots organization that just ran a slate of 24 progressive candidates across Rhode Island's state legislature, of which two-thirds either won their primaries or ran unopposed. Even if you don't live in Rhode Island, their strategy provides an exciting blueprint for transforming state governments. To learn more, Pete interviews Cynthia Mendes, State...

Baked goods are foods made from dough or batter and cooked by baking. Salted meats are therefore not baked goods unless baked in a dough or batter.   Books mentioned in the revolution section include: The Gods Are Thirsty by Tanith Lee: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gods_Are_Thirsty_(Tanith_Lee)   The Structure of Scientific Revolutions by Thomas Kuhn: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Structu...

This episode was originally posted for Patreon subscribers only, but as the election draws closer, we are now releasing it to everyone. 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. (Please note this episode was...

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 f...

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 f...

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 obviou...

"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://enchantedlio...

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.

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!

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, pl...

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.

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.co...

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!

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...