Deep Background with Noah Feldman

The Republican party used to tout itself as the party of ideas. Now it seems to be the party of Donald Trump. Conservative thinker Peter Wehner explains what he thinks happened. Peter Wehner's Suggested Reading List: -Losing Ground by Charles Murray -The Closing of the American Mind by Allan Bloom -The Naked Public Square by Richard John Neuhaus -Crime and Human Nature by James Q. Wilson and Richa...

A Chinese scientist reportedly edited the genes of two baby twin girls last year to protect them from the AIDS virus. Harvard geneticist George Church believes we will be hearing many more stories like this soon. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hannah Dreier won a Pulitzer for her ProPublica investigation “Trapped in Gangland” about the international criminal gang MS-13. She says we can’t beat the gang if we don’t understand it.  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

According to a new UN report, a million species are at risk of extinction. New Yorker staff writer Elizabeth Kolbert says you should be seriously worried -- even if you don't like animals. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Andrea Pitzer, the author of "One Long Night: A Global History of Concentration Camps," argues that the US government is currently operating a concentration camp system along the southern border.  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Cambridge professor David Runciman thinks that democracy is in an midlife crisis. He also thinks that might not be bad. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For Bastille Day, an interview with French journalist Agnes C. Poirier about the causes of the "Yellow Vest" protests which rocked the country last fall. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Robert Mueller, the special counsel who led the federal investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, is famously tight-lipped. CNN's Laura Jarrett explains what she has learned from reporting on him and his work over the past two years. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mark Segal and Joan Nestle were both living in New York City at the time of the Stonewall Uprising. Fifty years after the historic event, they reflect on how it changed their lives.  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In her new book, "The Great Successor: The Divinely Perfect Destiny of Brilliant Comrade Kim Jong Un," Anna Fifield tries to make sense of North Korea's secretive leader.  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The 2020 election is shaping up to be one of the most important elections in recent memory. Brookings fellow Andre Perry discusses why black voters and black women in particular will be a crucial constituency. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Harvard Law Professor Mark Wu discusses the inevitable structural changes taking place in U.S.-China trade relations and how President Donald Trump has impacted these shifts.  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Women's rights lawyer Kathryn Kolbert argued the pro-choice case last time a serious attempt was made to overturn Roe v Wade. She explains her concerns that the Supreme Court might soon side with those keen to restrict access to abortion. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The first-ever image of a black hole was a monumental scientific achievement. Harvard physicist Andrew Strominger talks about what the discovery means for the present and future. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The word "Socialism" is often demonized in American politics, but is that criticism warranted? Professor Sean Wilentz of Princeton University walks us through the history of American socialism and how the ideas behind it became so warped. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Historian and author Khalil Gibran Muhammad discusses the state of criminal justice and prisons in America and whether the country should take drastic steps toward reform. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Historian Kathleen Belew discusses the modern history of the white power movement and the often overlooked connection between incidents like Charlottesville and the Oklahoma City bombing. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Asha Rangappa, a former FBI agent and the former dean of admissions at Yale Law School, gives us a unique perspective on the college admissions scandal. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.