Current Affairs
466 episodes - English - Latest episode: 18 days ago - ★★★★★ - 576 ratingsA podcast of politics and culture, from the editors of Current Affairs magazine.
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Episodes
Bonus episode excerpt: Michigan Facts
August 08, 2018 20:32 - 6 minutes - 4.95 MBAn excerpt from today's bonus episode, available in full to our Patreon patrons, in which editor-in-chief Nathan J. Robinson discusses all things Michigan with amusements editor (and Michigan native) Lyta Gold. Topics covered in under an hour: white flight, urban planning, the world’s largest porch, elk, college rivalries, pastries, the decline of local journalism, the Northern KKK, Henry Ford, and more. To listen to this episode — and gain access to our patrons' "Bird Feed" — consider beco...
Bonus episode excerpt: Kitchen Knightmares
August 08, 2018 20:14 - 4 minutes - 3.98 MBAn excerpt from today's bonus episode, available in full to our Patreon patrons, in which editor-in-chief Nathan Robinson and legal editor Oren Nimni discuss Gordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares, which they argue is, at least partially, a left-wing television show...or, at the very least, a useful spotlight on the petty tyranny of bad bosses. To listen to this episode — and gain access to our patrons' "Bird Feed" — consider becoming a monthly patron at our Patreon page. Call into Current Affa...
#7: Pink Slips, Blue Lakes, Red Takes
August 01, 2018 14:04 - 1 hour - 59.9 MBThe Current Affairs panel discuss whether demanding that opponents be fired is good strategy, hear a dispatch from Nathan about the Abdul for Governor campaign, and each share their most conservative opinions. The Panel: Briahna Joy Gray, contributing editor Oren Nimni, legal editor Lyta Gold, amusements editor Sparky Abraham, finance editor Nathan J. Robinson, editor-in-chief Pete Davis, host Read Nathan's original essay on Abdul here and his essay on Abdul's single payer plan here....
#6: The Voicemailbag
July 17, 2018 20:10 - 1 hour - 52.4 MBA Current Affairs megapanel opens up the Current Affairs voicemailbag to answer listener questions on topics ranging from lefty groupthink to ethical consumption to Lyta's theory of comedy to the origin of Nathan's Chomsky love. The Megapanel: Briahna Joy Gray, contributing editor Vanessa A. Bee, social media editor Oren Nimni, legal editor Brianna Rennix, senior editor Lyta Gold, amusements editor Nathan J. Robinson, editor-in-chief Pete Davis, host Miscellany: Here is Nathan and ...
Bonus episode excerpt: "Speech" Bubble
July 11, 2018 00:44 - 3 minutes - 2.9 MBAn excerpt from today's bonus episode, available in full to our Patreon patrons, in which Current Affairs legal editor Oren Nimni and social media editor Vanessa A. Bee break down the latest cases from the Supreme Court's 2018 term: why they're disappointing, why everything can't be "speech," and why Anthony Kennedy is overrated. To listen to this episode — and gain access to our patrons' "Bird Feed" — consider becoming a monthly patron at our Patreon page. Call into Current Affairs anytime...
#5: Out of Left Field
July 04, 2018 16:48 - 1 hour - 49.2 MBThe Current Affairs panel discusses the latest flare-ups in the left-liberal divide (civility, Ocasio-Cortez, and more), hears Pete's Lefty Shark Tank pitch for a universal government login, and share their favorite silver bullets for solving many problems in one fell swoop. The Panel: Briahna Joy Gray, contributing editor Vanessa A. Bee, social media editor Sparky Abraham, finance editor Nathan J. Robinson, editor-in-chief Pete Davis, host Further reading on the left-liberal divide ...
Bonus episode excerpt: Summer School
July 02, 2018 16:56 - 3 minutes - 2.87 MBAn excerpt from today's bonus episode, available in full to our Patreon patrons, in which Current Affairs finance editor Sparky Abraham and editor-in-chief Nathan J. Robinson discuss all things education: student loans, free college, and the lefty case for education (in response to libertarian Bryan Caplan's recent book, The Case Against Education). To listen to this episode — and gain access to our patrons' "Bird Feed" — consider becoming a monthly patron at our Patreon page. Call into Cur...
Bonus episode excerpt: Handsome Fashs and Widening Gyres
June 27, 2018 20:53 - 2 minutes - 2.45 MBAn excerpt from today's bonus episode, available in full to our Patreon patrons, in which Current Affairs amusements editor Lyta Gold and senior editor Brianna Rennix wax (and wane) poetic about Irish poet William Butler Yeats, taking listeners on a rollicking ride from his strange diagrams to the failure of socialism in Ireland to... the mysterious appeal of Jordan Peterson. To listen to this episode — and gain access to our patrons' "Bird Feed" — consider becoming a monthly patron at our ...
Bonus episode excerpt: S. Chapin Domino, will you accept this rose?
June 21, 2018 15:46 - 3 minutes - 2.87 MBAn excerpt from today's bonus episode, available in full to our Patreon patrons, in which Current Affairs social media editor Vanessa A. Bee, contributing editor Briahna Joy Gray and amusements editor Lyta Gold give the Current Affairs take on reality television. Spoiler alert: they are very in favor! To listen to this episode — and gain access to our patrons' "Bird Feed" — consider becoming a monthly patron at our Patreon page. Call into Current Affairs anytime at (504) 867-8851.
#4: Smokey Eyes and Shady Lawyers
June 19, 2018 19:51 - 1 hour - 58.6 MBThe Current Affairs panel discusses the humanitarian crisis at the border, debate Lyta's general theory of political comedy, and responds to some listener voicemails. The Panel: Brianna Rennix, senior editor Vanessa A. Bee, social media editor Lyta Gold, amusements editor Nathan J. Robinson, editor-in-chief Pete Davis, host Further reading on the humanitarian crisis at the border: Brianna's piece from last summer on her work at the border is here, Brianna's vision for what a humane i...
Bonus episode excerpt: Masterpiece Pieshop
June 12, 2018 17:12 - 1 minute - 1.58 MBAn excerpt from today's bonus episode, available in full to our Patreon patrons, in which Current Affairs legal editor Oren Nimni and social media editor Vanessa A. Bee explain and comment on the recent Masterpiece Cakeshop decision that came down from the Supreme Court last week. To listen to this episode — and gain access to our patrons' "Bird Feed" — consider becoming a monthly patron at our Patreon page. Call into Current Affairs anytime at (504) 867-8851.
#3: What the P.C. Police Won't Tell You
June 06, 2018 17:42 - 1 hour - 66.7 MBThe Current Affairs panel discusses why right-wing commentators feel so aggrieved, figures out what we mean by prison abolition, and make the complicated simple and the simple complicated. The Panel: Brianna Rennix, senior editor Briahna Joy Gray, contributing editor Oren Nimni, finance editor Nathan J. Robinson, editor-in-chief Pete Davis, host Further reading on the 'Intellectual Dark Web': Here is the original New York Times op-ed on the Intellectual Dark Web and here is Nathan's ...
Bonus episode excerpt: Freedom (of contract) isn't free
June 03, 2018 17:53 - 3 minutes - 2.95 MBAn excerpt from our first bonus episode, available in full to our Patreon patrons, in which Current Affairs legal editor Oren Nimni and editor-in-chief Nathan J. Robinson discuss their recent Current Affairs articles on mandatory arbitration and freedom of contract. (Plus, Nathan shares his love of pie and trials with learning to play the washboard). To listen to this episode — and gain access to our patron feed — consider becoming a monthly patron at our Patreon page.
#2: All Landlords, Apostates!
May 30, 2018 16:22 - 1 hour - 52.1 MBThe Current Affairs panel unpacks the accusation of liberal bias, asks whether landlords are necessary, and shares their favorite lost historical hero. The Panel: Brianna Rennix, senior editor Vanessa A. Bee, social media editor Sparky Abraham, finance editor Nathan J. Robinson, editor-in-chief Pete Davis, host Further reading on institutional bias: Pete wrote an article on "working the ref" at Harvard Law; Paul Krugman and Todd Gitlin wrote similar articles. Pacific Standard has a p...
#1: Board Shorts
May 21, 2018 11:00 - 1 hour - 61 MBThe panel dives into the Jobs Guarantee vs. Universal Basic Income debate, Nathan pitches randomized college admissions, and everyone shares their worst past belief. The Panel: Briahna Joy Gray, contributing editor Oren Nimni, legal editor Lyta Gold, amusements editor Nathan J. Robinson, editor-in-chief Pete Davis, host Further reading on the UBI: Matt Bruenig on a social wealth fund and why a UBI already exists for the rich; James Surowiecki's case for free money; Dylan Matthews' cr...