The Night Light with Joshua Johnson

Today at a packed Senate hearing Mark Zuckerberg stood up and apologized to the families of children who have died after viewing online content. Why is it so hard to keep kids safe online? Swifties, assemble! Conservatives are targeting Taylor Swift, howling about the Super Bowl being allegedly rigged and her potential support of Joe Biden. This is an idiotic controversy, but perhaps not for the r...

The International Criminal Court ruled today that Israel must prevent genocide in Gaza as it fights Hamas. I’ll break down the ruling says and how Benjamin Netanyahu reacted. Alabama just executed a death row inmate with nitrogen. Is this the future of the death penalty? The RNC backed off a resolution to essentially skip the primaries and nominate Donald Trump now. How might Nikki Haley respond?...

Trump advisor Peter Navarro is heading to prison for stonewalling the House committee investigating January 6th. How far have we come in holding people accountable for that day? Alabama is about to execute a Death Row inmate in a new way: suffocating him with nitrogen. Why is lethal injection so much rarer now? Some news outlets are focusing this week on fighting misinformation and hoaxes. Why do...

Some are upset that Margot Robbie and Greta Gerwig didn’t get Oscar nominations for “Barbie”. Truth is, Robbie did get nominated, in a way that’s more important than you might realize. Donald Trump has a solid lead going into the South Carolina Republican Primary. I'll break down what former SC Governor Nikki Haley faces as she vows to fight on. Conservatives are pushing hard to end diversity,...

“Do your own research” is great advice… but where should you look? Keeping tabs on Congress is actually easier than you might think. I’ll show you how to keep an eye on your lawmakers and how to understand Congress the way its members do. Subscribe on YouTube & click the bell: @nightlightjoshua (https://www.youtube.com/@nightlightjoshua)"Gullible Ain't Sexy" shirt in merch store: shop now (https:/...

Nikki Haley remains adamant that America was never a racist country. That’s entirely false, but how do we know? I’ll show you and consider why her stance, though incorrect, might be politically shrewd. Subscribe on YouTube & click the bell: @nightlightjoshua (https://www.youtube.com/@nightlightjoshua)"Gullible Ain't Sexy" shirt in merch store: shop now (https://joshua-johnson-shop.fourthwall.com/?...

The New Hampshire primaries are this Tuesday: possibly a make-or-break moment for Haley and/or Ron DeSantis. Former Pres. Donald Trump is hoping to take his second state after a strong showing in Iowa. And Pres. Joe Biden isn't even on the ballot in the Granite State because of a shift in the Democratic primary calendar (a shift New Hampshire ignored). I’ll have what you need to know. Subscribe on...

The GOP presidential race has moved to New Hampshire after a very strong showing by former Pres. Donald Trump. What did we learn from the Iowa caucuses, and what can we expect in New Hampshire? Also, billionaire investor Bill Ackman is pushing for more changes at Harvard and at elite universities in general. Claudine Gay’s resignation as president was just the beginning. Who is Bill Ackman? What d...

George Carlin fans may have a lot to say about a new comedy special. He didn’t make it - an AI impersonator did. Also, two big elections are coming up: the GOP Iowa caucus on Monday, and Taiwan’s presidential election on Saturday. Taiwan’s vote could reshape America’s relationship with China. Plus, Israel makes its case against genocide charges brought by South Africa. A brief update from the Inte...

Chris Christie dropped out of the Republican race for President just before Govs. Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley debated in Iowa. Who’s got the edge in reaching Trump voters? They may have used their debate time well (partially, anyway), based on something I learned years ago about talking past people’s opposition. Also, South Africa is taking Israel to court on charges of genocide. Today the Intern...

An African plant might revolutionize America’s fight against opioids. A new Stanford study shows tremendous results in treating veterans with PTSD. Kentucky is already considering using this drug if it’s legalized for treatment. But are you ready to enter an uncontrollable dream state with your deepest thoughts? I’ll introduce you to this drug, ibogaine, and consider whether it could reshape the f...

Billionaire Harvard donor Bill Ackman helped lead the push to unseat Prof. Claudine Gay as the University’s president. The final straw was an accusation of plagiarism in Prof. Gay’s past. Now, Ackman’s wife Prof. Neri Oxman has apologized for issues with her own research. What difference will all this make in the fight over DEI initiatives? I explain who Neri Oxman is, how she responded to the pla...

Pope Francis sent a wave through the Catholic Church this week, giving priests permission to bless same-sex couples. What did he actually mean by that? A close reading of the documentation behind this decree shows this isn’t the embrace of the LGBTQ+ community you might think. Also, today the UN Security Council approved a resolution calling for more humanitarian aid in Gaza. What does it do, and...

The US House is accelerating its impeachment investigation of Pres. Biden, largely related to troubles surrounding his son Hunter. What are the accusations? Who is Hunter Biden? Are the claims valid? And what does this have to do with Donald Trump? I’ll break it down as clearly as I can (which ain’t easy).Also, AI continues to show up in new places, including a chatbot on X/Twitter. But there’s a...

The latest indicators suggest America’s economy is doing well overall. So why don’t we feel good about it? It all depends on what you mean by “economy”. Plus, AI is about to change life as we know it, but humans are fighting back. Besides, there’s something humans can do that AI absolutely cannot: something we can use to our advantage. I’ll give you my take. Liked this episode? Show your support a...

The United Nations COP28 climate change conference ended with a landmark agreement to transition away from fossil fuels. What would it take to succeed? How did OPEC make the deal happen (partly by opposing it)? And what does it mean for America’s fuel supplies? Also: Special Prosecutor Jack Smith is asking the Supreme Court to quickly rule on whether former President Trump can be criminally prosec...

Do you trust the media’s reporting on the war in Israel? One critic’s questionable claim got a number of journalists in Gaza in hot water… and in real danger. I’ve got a bone to pick with a group that’s upset over mainstream coverage of Israel. They basically accused (https://honestreporting.com/photographers-without-borders-ap-reuters-pictures-of-hamas-atrocities-raise-ethical-questions/) some ph...

We’re all struggling to talk about what’s happening in Israel, especially on college campuses. Universities are having a tough time… but they also have what they need to do this right. The University of California released a strongly worded statement (https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/press-room/university-california-statement-mideast-violence) after Hamas attacked Israel. That led to a stron...

Congress’s deadlock is broken… for now. Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) failed three times to become House Speaker. Republicans finally found someone they could unanimously support: Mike Johnson (R-LA). If you’re not familiar with him… you’re not alone. Here’s a good AP report (https://apnews.com/article/house-speaker-mike-johnson-conservatives-republicans-92b118abced14e4b221f3ab0daf4e757) that’ll bring yo...

College is a place to engage with ideas. Right now a lot of students are deep in their feelings, furious at their classmates' views on Israel. Some universities are struggling to rein in protests and shouting matches. People are facing off about Israel, Palestinians and Hamas. Recently two professors at UC Berkeley issued a joint statement urging civility… even though they disagree strongly on thi...

Some of us struggle to protect our sense of childlike wonder, especially in painful times like these. I never have, and I have Disney to thank/blame for that. This bonus episode wasn't something I expected to share today, but this is how I keep hopeful during very dark times like these. Feel free to share your thoughts: joshua@nightlightshow.com (mailto:joshua@nightlightshow.com).Read & share the...

Hamas. Who are they? What is it? How did it start? What do they want? And why have its followers resorted to such horrific acts of terrorism? If you're new to the conflict in Israel, or you have lots of basic questions, this episode is for you. OUR GUEST: Prof. Elie Rekhess, Northwestern UniversityAlso, some universities are under fire for pro-Palestinian comments their students have made, particu...

This weekend, Hamas attacked Israel, leaving the U.S. with limited options to show support. One reason is the vacant position at the House of Representatives. Last week Cong. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) led Republicans in removing Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) from that post. On top of the attack, federal funding is set to expire in a few weeks. Let's discuss these crises and what you should know about the...

True or False: journalism requires objectivity. The answer nowadays is... complicated. Critics of mainstream media have long since written us off as phonies, unable to live up to our own standards of being objective and unbiased. I have an idea for a new way forward: one that preserves objectivity in a more sustainable and defensible way. I call it Clinical Journalism. How does Clinical Journalism...

In this episode, I’m thinking about citizenship. September 17th is Constitution Day, marking its signing in 1787. This document is a constant source of debate – especially some of the amendments – but a lot of us really don’t know the Constitution very well. An Instagram video (https://www.instagram.com/reel/CxGbciArhYr/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==) about this ignorance made me want to laugh and cuss...