Now & Then

New York County District Attorney Alvin Bragg remains in the spotlight amid a widely expected indictment by his office of former President Donald Trump. Heather and Joanne place DA Bragg’s unprecedented position in the history of New York County District Attorneys, from 1800s duellists to the patrician Robert Morgenthau. How have past DAs balanced the pursuit of justice against the pressure of par...

The collapse of Silicon Valley Bank has sparked a larger conversation about the role of financial institutions in American life. Heather and Joanne reflect on the cultural and aesthetic history of banks, from the Greek Revival-influenced Second Bank of the United States, to the robberies of express trains in the late 1800s, to the emergence of ornate Art Deco banks during the high-flying 1920s.  J...

This week, we are making Backstage, usually only available to members of CAFE Insider, available for all Now & Then listeners. Backstage is where Heather and Joanne chat each week about the ideas that formed the episode.  During the main Now & Then episode, Heather and Joanne discussed four pioneering women journalists. In Backstage, they reflect on the barriers they have faced as women historians...

Heather and Joanne discuss the increased visibility–and resultant online abuse–of women journalists in 2023, and reflect on four pioneering voices: Anne Royall, Martha Gellhorn, Ethel Payne, and Lisa Olson. What barriers have American women climbed over to have a voice in reporting the nation’s news?  Join CAFE Insider to listen to “Backstage,” where Heather and Joanne chat each week about the ane...

Heather and Joanne discuss how the aftermath of the toxic train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio resembles past American debates over the handling of waste. They talk about New York City’s 19th century sanitation pigs, the rise of the “Garbage Ladies” in Progressive Era Chicago, and the long shadow of the 1978 Love Canal crisis.  Join CAFE Insider to listen to “Backstage,” where Heather and Joan...

To honor the beginning of Women’s History Month, Heather and Joanne tell the stories of three women who changed the American legal tapestry: Martha Bradstreet and her fight against coverture, Josephine Goldmark and her quest for labor justice, and Rosa Parks and her battle to to find accountability for victims of rape and sexual assault.  Join CAFE Insider to listen to “Backstage,” where Heather a...

With the recent spate of UFO shootdowns by the U.S. Air Force, Heather and Joanne discuss America’s historical fascination with aerial mysteries, from John Winthrop and Increase Mather’s colonial reports of sightings, to the 1890s “Mystery Airship” craze, to the 1942 “Battle of Los Angeles," to the 1970s pop cultural UFO moment.  What can UFOs tell us about American hopes and fears?  Join CAFE Ins...

In light of the new Republican House majority’s denial of committee seats to Representatives Ilhan Omar, Eric Swalwell, and Adam Schiff, Heather and Joanne discuss the history and functioning of committees, from early debates over committee secrecy, to the role of the crucial 1890s role of the House Committee on Ways and Means, to the development of the Ethics and Intelligence Committees.  How can...

In the aftermath of two mass shootings involving AAPI populations, Mary Lui, a professor of History and American Studies at Yale, joins Heather and Joanne to discuss the influence of Asian Americans on the nation’s trajectory, from the origins of the “Old China Trade,” to the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act, to the 1960s protest movements that fought for Asian American rights in the academy and beyond....

Following the announcement that Chief of Staff Ron Klain is leaving his position and Jeff Zients is taking over, Heather and Joanne look back at the history of unelected and unconfirmed presidential advisors, from Andrew Jackson’s Kitchen Cabinet, to the transformative work of early 1900s White House mainstay George B. Cortelyou, to the rise and fall of Eisenhower Chief of Staff Sherman Adams.  Ho...

Why are some American sheriffs resisting government policies, including gun safety laws and even the peaceful transition of presidential power, while claiming constitutional authority? And how has the role of the sheriff impacted our national life?  Heather and Joanne discuss how sheriffs have enforced and defied laws throughout U.S. history, from the emergence of the office in colonial America, t...

How have animals influenced the American economy over the course of the nation’s history? And why have we seen such a sizable pandemic pet boom?  Heather and Joanne discuss three moments where animals shaped national culture and financial health: the rise of the frontier cat in the mid-1800s, the decline of the urban horse in the early 1900s, and the brief craze in backyard chicken coops that acco...

Could the arrival of a new Congress and the more hopeful national tone be the start of a new era in American life? Heather and Joanne discuss past transitions between national epochs, from the advent of the Era of Good Feelings, to the rise of the Progressive Era, to the sea change triggered by the 1964 arrival of The Beatles.  Now & Then has won the inaugural Gold and Listener's Choice Signal Awa...

How do board games reflect America? How do debates over politics and identity show up in popular games? And how have these games shifted along with the nation? In this holiday encore presentation of an August episode, Heather and Joanne discuss the development of the American board game, from the influence of the Game of the Goose in Early America, to the pre-Civil War origins of the Checkered Gam...

How have marginalized Georgians fought for voting rights and equality over the course of the state’s history?  Emory University African American Studies Professor Carol Anderson joins Heather and Joanne for a special year-end episode to discuss the pain and promise of the quest for equality in Georgia, from the 1868 Camilla Massacre, to the 1966 struggle to seat Black state legislator Julian Bond,...

Former President Trump has called for the termination of the Constitution and the overturning of the 2020 election. What makes Trump’s comments so dangerous? When has the Constitution been under siege before? And how can we protect the document that undergirds our democracy?  Heather and Joanne discuss early constitutional debates, the rocky passage of the Fourteenth Amendment, and the 1970s rise...

Following the collapse of the cryptocurrency exchange FTX and the undoing of its CEO, Sam Bankman-Fried, Heather and Joanne discuss the businesspeople and money-makers who have fallen hardest throughout American history. How do we find the line between the “con man” and the capitalist?  Heather and Joanne talk about the mid-1800s origins of the “con man,” the loss of belief in financiers during th...

How did the Speaker of the House become such a crucial role in Washington? How do Speakers balance control with collaboration? And how can iconic Speakers from the past help to contextualize Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s tenure?  On this encore presentation of an October 2021 episode of Now & Then, Heather and Joanne discuss significant Speakers of the House, from Henry Clay, to Thomas Brackett Reed, to...

Now & Then presents a conversation between Heather and Joanne from last Thursday, November 17th, recorded live at the Massachusetts Historical Society in Boston.  Heather and Joanne highlighted five objects in the Society’s collection that shed light on unsung brave Americans who made a difference with their art and activism–from an intrepid cheese engineer, to a group of imprisoned indigenous ill...

How did the youth impact last week’s midterm elections? And how have young people fought for representative democracy in American history?  Heather and Joanne discuss the history of the youth vote in America, from the 1860 “Wide Awake” movement, to the “virgin vote,” to the long quest for the 26th Amendment.  Join CAFE Insider to listen to “Backstage,” where Heather and Joanne chat each week about...

What should we make of political polls? Are they to be trusted? And why are Americans so interested in measuring public opinion?  This week on Now & Then, Heather and Joanne discuss the history of polling in the United States, from the informal tavern visits by allies of Washington and Hamilton, to the rise of George Gallup, to the current polling discourse surrounding the midterm elections. Join...

The term 'fascism' is often invoked these days from voices on both the Left and the Right. Heather and Joanne start by defining the term and and have a conversation firmly rooted in history, from the proto-fascism of Southern enslavement, to the fascist playbooks established by Mussolini and Hitler, to the current risks for the normalization of fascist ideology and tropes in the United States.  Jo...

Why is there so much dark money in politics? How have political funders concealed their identities and motivations? And how does this sleight of hand damage American democracy?  This week on Now & Then, Heather and Joanne discuss the role of capital in political maneuvering, from Thomas Jefferson’s 1791 funding of an anti-Federalist newspaper, to department store magnate John Wanamaker’s 1888 herd...

How did college become so expensive? Why is higher education the subject of so much political and cultural division? And how can we restore a sense of equality to learning?  This week on Now & Then, Philadelphia Inquirer national columnist Will Bunch joins Heather and Joanne to discuss the history of higher education and his new book, After the Ivory Tower Falls: How College Broke the American Dre...

What can American instruments teach us about democracy? What does the controversy over Lizzo’s playing of James Madison’s crystal flute tell us about racism, representation, and the roots of our current cultural moment?  Heather and Joanne discuss the evolution of the banjo, the popularity of the steel drum, and the 1970s development of hip-hop and rap production. NOTE: Starting this week, Now & T...