Deep Dive with Shawn

Send us Fan Mail One month into Trump's second term and his actions, thus far, have been described as chaotic, anarchic, cruel, mercurial, authoritarianian, etc. At minimum, it's clear that Trump is single-mindedly focused on systematically dismantling the very institutions designed to uphold democracy. Our guest this week, Dr. Russell Muirhead , professor of Democracy and Politics at Da...

Send us Fan Mail Can rising insurance premiums finally make climate change a reality for everyone? And, what does it mean for the world that climate change denier Donald Trump has returned to the American presidency? Jonathan Mingle , journalist and author of " Fire and Ice ," joins the podcast to explore the tangible impacts of climate change on everyday life. We discuss the disturbing...

Send us Fan Mail What if the United States could peacefully resolve its deep political rifts through secession? Dr. Jason Sorens , a leading expert on secessionism and author of the book Secessionism , joins the pod to discuss the legal, historical, and cultural dimensions of secession in America. The contentious idea has gained renewed interest following Donald Trump's re-election in 2024, a...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Dr. Sandro Galea - physician, epidemiologist, and author of numerous books including The Turning Point: Reflections on a Pandemic - joins the pod to discuss the hidden physical and mental health costs of political division and harmful policies. We talk about how social polarization affects individual and collective wellbeing, and Dr. Galea shares some strategies f...

Send us Fan Mail Donald Trump's second presidential term is less than a week old and everything already seems to be coming undone. American democracy might be at a breaking point. How did the far-right militia groups like the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers gain influence with the help of government allies, posing a grave threat to national stability? Author and journalist David Neiwert joins the...

Send us Fan Mail In this special episode of Deep Dive on this Trump Inauguration Day, we revisit the final episode of our limited series "After America" and ask - how does a nation rebuild itself after falling under authoritarian rule? In the series finale of After America, we take you through the harrowing aftermath of an imagined Trump's second presidential term, where democratic...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Deep Dive, we examine the growing educational divide driving polarization in American politics and its implications for democracy. Dr. David Hopkins , co-author of the book Polarized by Degrees: How the Diploma Divide and the Culture War Transformed American Politics , joins the pod to explain how college attainment correlates with political alignment and explor...

Send us Fan Mail Lainey Newman , co-author of Rust Belt Union Blues , joins the pod to shed light on how deindustrialization and globalization have weakened organized labor, particularly in regions like the Rust Belt. We discuss how these changes have left a void filled by conservative organizations and cultural movements, leading to a significant realignment of working-class voters towards the Re...

Send us Fan Mail We all, conservatives and progressives, are liberals. And, we are living liberal lives. Dr. Alexandre Lefebvre, a renowned professor of politics and philosophy, and author of the book Liberalism as a Way of Life , joins the pod to explain the complex and often misunderstood concept of liberalism, and how liberalism is more than just a political label—it is a framework built on the...

Send us Fan Mail It's the end of the year, and that means our annual State of the Union episode is here! In this episode, I'm joined by judicial scholar Dr. Sara Benesh , historian and expert on the fall of Rome, Dr. Edward Watts , and scholar of political violence, Dr. James Hawdon . We draw striking parallels between Rome's transition from a republic to an autocracy and the curren...

Send us Fan Mail The second annual Few of Our Favorite Things episode has arrived! Friend of the Pod Justin Hentges returns, and we share personal stories and reflections on our cherished books, movies, music, and experiences from the past year. We aren't just highlighting new releases, but the gems that have brought us joy and comfort regardless of their release date. We also bring you a hea...

Send us Fan Mail Deep Dive is on vacation this week, so we are re-running our most listened to After America episode. We'll be back next week with an all new holiday episode of Deep Dive. ---- Can Christian nationalism coexist with American democracy, or is it a threat to the very foundation of our nation? This episode kicks off with an in-depth analysis of Mike Johnson's rise to Speaker...

Send us Fan Mail Dr. Rachel Blum , an expert on political parties and factions, and author of the book How the Tea Party Captured the GOP: Insurgent Factions in American Politics , joins the pod to explore a bold transformation within the Republican Party. Can the rise of the MAGA movement be understood as a mere political shift, or does it signify a deeper change in American democracy? We discuss...

Send us Fan Mail What drives the deepening political divide in rural America? In this episode, Dr. Nicholas Jacobs from Colby College, and co-author of the book The Rural Voter: The Politics of Place and the Disuniting of America discusses the cultural and economic threads that intertwine to bolster Donald Trump's appeal among rural voters. We examine the evolution of historically Democratic...

Send us Fan Mail If some of the last 2024 presidential election polls were pointing to a decisive Kamala Harris win, then why did it become clear so early in the evening that Harris would, in fact, lose? Were the polls wrong...again? In this episode, Dr. W. Joseph Campbell discusses how polls work, the history of polling errors, and why it matters. He also takes on Selzer's Iowa poll that sho...

Send us Fan Mail Could the American system of checks and balances crumble under a second Trump presidency? In this episode Berkeley Law Professor Daniel Farber , co-director of the Edley Center on Law and Democracy , joins the pod to discuss the complexities of executive authority in the U.S. government. From emergency powers initially crafted for crisis management to the potential overreach encou...

Send us Fan Mail Trump has won. He has plans. Dr. Maria Cristina Garcia joins me for a deep dive into the intricacies of immigration policy and its far-reaching effects on American society. We discuss the disinformation clouding public perception and policy debates. Staring down a second Trump presidency, we reflect on historical mass deportations and the dire economic and social consequences that...

Send us Fan Mail What if state legislatures could override the popular vote, revolutionizing the American electoral system? What if Donald Trump contests each state election in bad faith? What if Trump demands Congress refuse to certify an election he lost? What if Trump wins and summons mobs into the streets as a show of force? And, how does the American electoral system allow for, even sometimes...

Send us Fan Mail Could America’s political polarization be paving the way for a return to a multipolar world? Dr. Charles Kupchan , Professor of International Affairs at Georgetown University and Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, joins us to explore this provocative question. With the possibility of Trump reelection looming, we discuss the repercussions of an isolationist America...

Send us Fan Mail Dr. Sara Chatfield , a leading voice in gender politics from the University of Denver, and author of the book In Her Own Name: The Politics of Women's Rights Before Suffrage , joins Deep Dive to unpack the persistent gender gap in American politics—a divide that traces its roots back to the 1980s. We explore how shifts in male conservatism and Trumpism's focus on traditi...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we question the future of American leadership and its crucial role in maintaining the liberal world order. Could a second Donald Trump presidency shift the balance of power, allowing authoritarian regimes like China and Russia to gain prominence? Professor Edward Goldberg - expert on globalization, and author of the book The United States as Global Liberal Hegemon...

Send us Fan Mail What if the family values we've been taught to cherish are nothing more than myths and, in fact, are dangerous? In this episode, historian and author of the book The Way We Never Were , Stephanie Coontz , helps us to understand the New Testament's radical interpretation of family,  offering enlightening insights—and challenges the nostalgic allure of "traditional fa...

Send us Fan Mail What if the very tools meant to inform and unify us are actually tearing our democracy apart? In this episode, we explore how gossip, rumor, and disinformation are used as tools in American politics, especially in the Trump era, to distort truth and threaten democracy. I chat with historian Dr. Christopher Elias , author of Gossip Men: J. Edgar Hoover, Joe McCarthy, Roy Cohn, and...

Send us Fan Mail Deep Dive returns! In this episode we bring back a number of contributors to our recently concluded limited series - After America - and ask if they have hope for American democracy, or if we already past the Rubicon. Can American democracy survive the storm of voter disenfranchisement, misinformation, and rising authoritarianism? This episode promises not just a look at the chall...

Send us Fan Mail How does a nation rebuild itself after falling under authoritarian rule? In the series finale of After America, we take you through the harrowing aftermath of an imagined Trump's second presidential term, where democratic institutions were eroded, civil liberties dismantled, and marginalized communities oppressed. We examine the monumental task of transitioning back to democr...