WhoWhatWhy's Podcasts

Will Economic Inequality Bring Down Our Entire System of Government?

A law professor and senior policy advisor to Elizabeth Warren explains why economic inequality really matters to the health of our democracy. Read More: https://whowhatwhy.org/2020/03/06/will-economic-inequality-bring-down-our-entire-system-of-government/

Bloomberg Demonization of ‘Abandoned’ Youth Feeds Ugly Stereotype

Not only was Michael Bloomberg’s “stop and frisk” policy wrong when he was mayor of New York City, his justification of it was just as bad.

Political Hobbysim Is Not Politics

A look at what happens when politics becomes entertainment at worst and a hobby at best.

Nevada Is About to Repeat the Iowa Clusterf**k

Iowa radio host Jeff Stein explains what went wrong in the Iowa caucuses and why Nevada may suffer the same fate.

You Say You Want a Revolution?

A deep dive into the violence and terrorism of the 1970s and 80s and the bombing of the US Capitol.   Read More: https://whowhatwhy.org/2020/02/14/you-say-you-want-a-revolution/

Do You Trust What You’re Reading?

What does your choice of news outlet say about you? Rand Corporation takes a good look.

Jarring Eyewitness Accounts Shed Light on the Cruelty of Slavery

Former Chicago Sun-Times photo editor Richard Cahan shares powerful images and comments of formerly enslaved African Americans. Read More: https://whowhatwhy.org/2020/02/04/jarring-eyewitness-accounts-shed-light-on-the-cruelty-of-slavery/

Why Is Everybody So Damn Angry?

Elite institutions — from government to academia to media — are losing their authority and monopoly all over the world. Why? Read More: https://whowhatwhy.org/2020/01/31/why-is-everybody-so-damn-angry/

Exposed: Partisan Gerrymandering Based on Race

GOP gerrymandering guru Thomas Hofeller died in 2018. His daughter Stephanie just released 70,000 files that detail his successful voter suppression efforts. Here is what these disclosures show and what they mean for US democracy.

Why Iran Is the US’s Go-To Enemy in the Middle East

Iran has been stuck in the craw of US foreign policy for 40 years. Longtime Iran expert Gary Sick looks at how we got to where we are today. Read More: https://whowhatwhy.org/2020/01/24/why-iran-is-the-uss-go-to-enemy-in-the-middle-east/

Australia’s Climate Apocalypse: Up Close and Personal

A very emotional conversation about Australia’s devastating wildfires with somebody who is living the nightmare.

To the Brink of War, With No Upside

A surprising conversation about Iran with prominent Middle East scholar Stephen Zunes. Read More: https://whowhatwhy.org/2020/01/17/to-the-brink-of-war-with-no-upside/

An Experiment in Decency

A DOJ investigation into the Ferguson, MO, police department revealed how municipal fines and fees trap low-income people in a cycle of poverty and punishment. It’s happening across the US — but now San Francisco is leading major reforms.

Jeffrey Epstein: Sex, Lies, and Videotape

Dylan Howard, a high-profile tabloid journalist with a record of big scoops, puts forth never-before-told aspects of the life and death of Jeffrey Epstein.

Is 2020 the Year That AI Finally Exerts Its Promised Power?

Artificial intelligence is all the rage nowadays, but it actually has been with us for decades. A leading expert wonders if this is the year when it will change the world. Read More: https://whowhatwhy.org/2020/01/03/is-2020-the-year-that-ai-finally-exerts-its-promised-power/

Thought Control: US Monitors Social Media Activity of Visa Applicants

Want a visa to the US? Then you have to be prepared to disclose your social media activity -- even though there is no evidence that type of screening can identify threats.

The New Language of Visual Argument

A look at how charts and graphs are creating a new visual language and changing the way we interpret data.

Can Merging Science and Indigenous Knowledge Save Us?

A look at merging science and the knowledge of indigenous peoples to deal with today’s environmental crises.

Clothing Is the New Plastic

As millions of Americans are bargaining hunting for the latest fashion on Black Friday, we take a look at the social and environmental damage that our clothes are doing to the planet. Read More: https://whowhatwhy.org/2019/11/29/clothing-is-the-new-plastic/

From Useful Idiot to Working Asset

Former Navy officer, intelligence analyst, and author Malcolm Nance talks about the Trump/Putin master plan. Read More: https://whowhatwhy.org/2019/11/22/from-useful-idiot-to-working-asset/

Small Business Group Says Trump Is Bad for Business

How the trade war, corporate tax cuts, and fossil fuel subsidies have hurt many small businesses.

Has America Lost Its Grip on Reality?

Renowned author, professor, and psychiatrist Robert J. Lifton exposes the similarities between today’s ideological polarization, Chinese communist thought reform, and cults.

Only Whistleblowers Can Save Democracy

 A look at a form of protest that has, up until now, kept democracy and business sustainable.

What If Everybody Is Wrong About Stopping Climate Change?

A contrarian view of how to deal with our environmental crisis.

As Earth Chokes on Plastic Waste, Industry Expands Production

A new documentary depicts a global plastics crisis that is only getting worse.

A Firsthand View of Syria, Turkey, and the Middle East

A conversation with longtime Middle East correspondent Charles Glass.

Can the Editorial Cartoon Be Saved?

Cartoonist Ted Rall talks about the state of journalism, the death of irony, and the effort to save the once-powerful political cartoon.

Liberty: Hard to Achieve, Easy to Squander

A distinguished MIT economist looks at how today’s events line up with how liberty dies.

Watchdogs Challenge Surveillance in Berkeley

In a bastion of America’s progressivism, authorities are secretly spying on the public.

It Takes a Whistleblower to Know One

CIA whistleblower John Kiriakou weighs in on the Ukraine scandal.

The End of the Republican Party

The GOP has waged a losing battle against social modernity for decades. Next year Republicans will start paying for it, renowned pollster Stanley Greenberg predicts.

An Important Conversation With Climate Change Pioneer Bill McKibben

Big carbon and mass apathy are the existential double whammy, warns veteran climate campaigner Bill McKibben.

Are We All Cult Members Now?

One of the leading experts on cults gives a new perspective on today’s politics -- and some of its frightening implications.

Detention Camps and Deadlock: US Immigration Policy Is in Disarray

Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) shares insights from his early visits to detention facilities and his legislative proposals to address the horrors he witnessed.

Should Twitter Suspend or Ban Trump?

President Donald Trump’s tweets often violate Twitter’s standards, but the company has taken no action to restrict or block them. A conversation with Mark Karlin and Russ Baker.

The Epstein Story Is Not About Celebrities and Shiny Objects

An examination of why we should be outraged that justice is not being served in the Epstein case.

Trump Even Screws Up Conspiracy Theories

Questioning accepted narratives is a healthy feature of an open society. But today’s conspiracists come without any evidence or sources — only a motive.

America’s Long History of Hating Immigrants

A look at how things like the Chinese Exclusion Act, eugenics, and white America’s desire for racial purity have historically been far worse than what we are seeing today — at least so far.

Everything You Know About Charles Manson Is Wrong!

The stunning results of a 20-year investigation into Charles Manson, the CIA, corrupt prosecutors, and the secret history of the Sixties.

Cyber Armies Are on the March

The current reality may be far more dangerous than past nuclear threats: Richard Clarke, the first White House official placed in charge of US cybersecurity policy, looks at the dangers of cyber warfare today.

Presidential Candidate Joe Sestak Slams Trump’s Iran Policy

Former Pennsylvania Rep. Joe Sestak has jumped into the Democratic presidential primaries and is making a strong case against war with Iran.

Paul Krassner: The Life of an Investigative Satirist

Upon the death of Paul Krassner this week, we are sharing part of a conversation WhoWhatWhy podcaster Jeff Schechtman had with him back in 2009.

The Supreme Court’s Recent Decisions Cement Minority Rule

Gerrymandering expert David Daley explains the connection between partisan redistricting and Trump administration efforts to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census.

The Sexual Exploitation of Children: A Big Business

The leader of an LA based nonprofit talks about the trafficking of children -- a growing scourge.

Truth Decay Part 2: News in a Digital Age

A conversation with the author of RAND’s new follow-up report on the diminishing role of facts and data in the news.

Truth Decay Part 2: News in a Digital Age

A conversation with the author of RAND’s new follow-up report on the diminishing role of facts and data in the news.

We’ve Just Doubled Down On Revolutionary War Mythology

Why Election Integrity Is the Whole Ballgame

If the Democratic debates told us anything, it’s that some of our would-be leaders don’t see the proverbial forest for the trees.   So many signs indicate that our democracy is not working. The infrastructure of our electoral system is failing, the Supreme Court just Ok’d gerrymandering for political gain, Russians keep interfering in our elections, climate change is an existential threat, kids are afraid to go to school for fear of being shot, China is on the verge of controlling the next...

The Frightening Rise of Algorithms

Why and how algorithms are taking over our lives, why we should care and what we can do about it.

Who Should Censor Online Speech?

There are few First Amendment issues more pressing today than how online speech should be governed. It impacts our interpersonal relationships, our views of almost every aspect of society and of course our politics. Now, absent an easy solution, Congress wants to dive in and claim that they actually have a clue. The internet was supposed to set a million voices free...It didn't work out quite that way. In this week’s WhoWhatWhy podcast we talk to David Kaye, a UC Irvine law professor and t...