Past Present

In this episode, Neil, Niki, and Natalia discuss the process of selecting the Speaker of the House of Representatives. Support Past Present on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pastpresentpodcast Here are some links and references mentioned during this week's show:   At the time of our recording, the House of Representatives was still without a Speaker . Niki referred to Timothy Shenk's new book, R...

In this episode, Niki, Natalia, and Neil discuss – and celebrate! – Natalia's new book Fit Nation: The Gains and Pains of America's Exercise Obsession. Support Past Present on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pastpresentpodcast Here are some links and references mentioned during this week's show:   Fit Nation is now available for order. You can buy here .     In our regular closing feature, What's...

In this episode, Natalia, Neil, and Niki discuss the history of ROTC. Support Past Present on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pastpresentpodcast Here are some links and references mentioned during this week's show:   The presence of required Junior ROTC courses in American public schools made news last week . Neil referenced this Army history of ROTC. Natalia referred to this PBS segment about th...

In this episode, Neil, Natalia, and Niki discuss the history of prisoner exchanges. Support Past Present on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pastpresentpodcast Here are some links and references mentioned during this week's show:   WNBA player Brittney Griner has returned home from Russian detainment. Neil referenced this New Yorker article about Trump's aberrant approach to hostage policy. Niki r...

In this episode, Niki, Neil, and Natalia discuss the resurgence of antisemitism in the United States. Support Past Present on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pastpresentpodcast Here are some links and references mentioned during this week's show:   Former president Donald Trump dined at Mar-a-Lago with noted antisemites Kanye West and Nick Fuentes. Niki referred to this Arizona Mirror piece about...

In this episode, Natalia, Niki, and Neil discuss the new weight loss drug, Ozempic. Support Past Present on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pastpresentpodcast Here are some links and references mentioned during this week's show:   Ozempic , an injectable used for diabetes treatment, is also hailed for its use as a diet drug and hated for its intense side effects . Neil referenced this Wall Street...

In this episode, Neil, Niki, and Natalia discuss the results of the 2022 midterm elections. Support Past Present on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pastpresentpodcast Here are some links and references mentioned during this week's show:   The much-anticipated "red wave" of Republican victories never materialized in the midterm elections . Natalia referred to this Intelligener piece about the role...

In this episode, Niki, Natalia, and Neil discuss the past and uncertain future of affirmative action in higher education. Support Past Present on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pastpresentpodcast Here are some links and references mentioned during this week's show:   Affirmative action is the next progressive policy under threat by the current Supreme Court . Niki cited this Slate piece by histo...

In this episode, Natalia, Neil, and Niki discuss the recent scourge of rats in New York City and elsewhere. Support Past Present on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pastpresentpodcast Here are some links and references mentioned during this week's show:   New York City is experiencing a surge in the rat population . Natalia referenced this New York magazine article about now omnipresent dining she...

In this episode, Neil, Natalia, and Niki discuss the history of panics over contaminated Halloween candy. Support Past Present on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pastpresentpodcast Here are some links and references mentioned during this week's show:   Panics over "Halloween sadism" have resurged yearly for decades . Niki referred to historian Paul M. Renfro's book Stranger Danger: Family Values,...

In this episode, Niki, Neil, and Natalia discuss the senatorial campaign of John Fetterman and his recovery from a stroke. Support Past Present on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pastpresentpodcast Here are some links and references mentioned during this week's show:   John Fetterman is the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania, and an NBC interview drew attention to his disability...

In this episode, Natalia, Niki, and Neil discuss the Senate campaign of Herschel Walker and the controversy it has created. Support Past Present on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pastpresentpodcast Here are some links and references mentioned during this week's show:   Football star Herschel Walker is running for U.S. Senate as a conservative Republican in Georgia . Niki referred to historian Le...

In this episode, Neil, Niki, and Natalia discuss the political protests in Iran. Support Past Present on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pastpresentpodcast   Here are some links and references mentioned during this week's show:   The death of Iranian woman Mahsa Amini at the hands of the country's "morality police" has set off protests all over the country and the world . Natalia and Niki referre...

In this episode, Niki, Natalia, and Neil discuss the recent pickleball phenomenon. Support Past Present on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pastpresentpodcast Here are some links and references mentioned during this week's show:   Pickleball is a booming recreation trend – and is inspiring controversy . Natalia referred to this leftist manifesto against pickleball and Christopher Lasch's chapter i...

In this episode, Natalia, Neil, and Niki discuss the averted railroad strike. Support Past Present on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pastpresentpodcast   Here are some links and references mentioned during this week's show:   Railway workers came close to striking last week . Niki referenced this episode of her This Day podcast . Natalia cited this New York Times article , and Niki drew on this...

In this episode, Neil, Natalia, and Niki discuss the death of Queen Elizabeth II.  Support Past Present on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pastpresentpodcast   Here are some links and references mentioned during this week's show:   Queen Elizabeth II has died , ending a reign that spanned seven decades . Niki referred to this New York Times essay on her unique style, and this one on the power and...

In this episode, Niki, Neil, and Natalia discuss the life and legacy of Mikhail Gorbachev. Support Past Present on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pastpresentpodcast   Here are some links and references mentioned during this week's show:   Former leader of the Soviet Union Mikhail Gorbachev has died . We reflected on the slew of essays in S. publications remembering Gorbachev through a mostly pos...

In this episode, Natalia, Niki, and Neil discuss – and celebrate! - the publication of Niki's new book, Partisans: The Conservative Revolutionaries Who Remade American Politics in the 1990s. Support Past Present on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pastpresentpodcast Here are some links and references mentioned during this week's show:   Partisans drops on August 30, 2022. You can order Niki's book...

In this episode, Neil, Niki, and Natalia discuss the defamation trial of right-wing conspiracist Alex Jones. Support Past Present on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pastpresentpodcast Here are some links and references mentioned during this week's show:   Parents of children slain in the Sandy Hook school shooting successfully brought a defamation suit against Alex Jones , who amplified conspirac...

In this episode, Niki, Natalia, and Neil discuss the history of third parties in American politics. Support Past Present on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pastpresentpodcast Here are some links and references mentioned during this week's show:   Andrew Yang, Christine Todd Whitman, and David Jolly have announced their formation of the Forward Party , the newest entry in a long history of third p...

In this episode, Natalia, Neil, and Niki discuss the history of U.S. national parks. Support Past Present on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pastpresentpodcast Here are some links and references mentioned during this week's show:   Yellowstone National Park turned 150 years old this year. Natalia recommended historian Rachel Louise Moran's book Governing Bodies; American Politics and the Shaping...

In this episode, Neil, Natalia, and Niki discuss the growing popularity of prenuptial agreements. Support Past Present on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pastpresentpodcast Here are some links and references mentioned during this week's show:   Prenuptial agreements are becoming more common among millennials . Niki cited this New York Times article , and Neil referred to legal scholar Allison A....

In this episode, Niki, Neil, and Natalia discuss the images from outer space captured by the Webb telescope. Support Past Present on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pastpresentpodcast Here are some links and references mentioned during this week's show:   Everyday Americans and astrophysicists alike thrilled at the dreamy, full-color photos shared by NASA last week . Niki drew on this Guardian es...

In this episode, Natalia, Niki, and Neil discuss the American tradition of travel to Europe. Support Past Present on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pastpresentpodcast Here are some links and references mentioned during this week's show:   American travel to Europe is back with such a vengeance that some are calling it "revenge travel. " Neil referred to this history of the "Grand Tour ." Natalia...

In this episode, Neil, Niki, and Natalia discuss the outbreak of monkeypox in the United States. Support Past Present on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pastpresentpodcast Here are some links and references mentioned during this week's show:   Monkeypox is the latest disease to concern the American public. Niki cited this Stat News article , and Neil referred to historian Jim Downs' Atlantic essa...