Latest Adelman Podcast Episodes
Episode 1: Clint Borgen: US Foreign Aid
Contested Politics - July 05, 2021 00:00 - 22 minutesGlobal poverty remains one of the largest international crises, especially considering the economic fallout from COVID-19. While many recognize global poverty as a major problem, solutions vary wildly. One commonly proposed solution is US foreign aid to humanitarian organizations. While ...
Ethan Gutterman: Internet Radicalization
Contested Politics - February 22, 2021 00:00 - 27 minutesWhen QAnon supporters stormed the National Mall on January 6th, many people were left wondering how this could have happened. What would drive someone to adopt such a crazy conspiracy theory? In the era of instant connectivity and unlimited social media websites, it's not hard to find so...
William Sepesi: Artificial Intelligence
Contested Politics - February 15, 2021 00:00 - 26 minutesIt's very easy to feel overwhelmed by the pace of computer development. In just the past few decades, we have gone from simple word processors to talking, learning machines with artificial intelligence. Artificial intelligence poses many questions, technical and not. To explore the devel...
Katherine Beck: The School to Prison Pipeline
Contested Politics - February 01, 2021 00:00 - 20 minutesIn the past few years, the term "school-to-prison-pipeline" has been used more and more to describe racism in the American education system. Whether it be zero-tolerance drug policies or the lack of robust extracurriculars, many racial justice advocates point to failures in education as ...
Isaac Goff-Mitchell: Running Campaigns
Contested Politics - January 18, 2021 00:00 - 33 minutesIn theory, at the heart of any democracy is winning a majority of the public's support. IAs such, elections are the most direct way for any citizen to influence politics. But in an era of hyper-partisanship, social media, and a global pandemic, running a political campaign has never been...
Mark Greenberg: Pardons
Contested Politics - December 21, 2020 00:00 - 25 minutesThe United States' criminal justice system is highly technical and complex. With various burdens of proof, appeals courts, and legal remedies, it seems odd that the president could simply bypass the whole system. Trump's presidential pardons have become a hot-button topic of late but man...
Matt Sutton: Drug Decriminalization
Contested Politics - December 14, 2020 00:00 - 24 minutesThis past election day, Oregon passed an initiative to decriminalize all drugs. In general, drug decriminalization has become a staple ballot initiative, with many states across the nation now permitting marijuana usage of some kind. But what is drug decriminalization and how is it diffe...
Thomas Schramm: BDS
Contested Politics - December 07, 2020 20:41 - 26 minutesThe Israeli-Palestinian conflict is arguably the most sensitive geopolitical issue today. With both Israeli and Palestinian immigrants living in the US, American institutions are often forced to confront this issue head-on. And oddly enough, colleges and universities have become a primar...
Teddy Alvarez-Nissen: Social Media Messaging
Contested Politics - November 16, 2020 00:00 - 31 minutesBy now, it's likely that you have seen some sort of political infographic on social media. It has a pastel background, a few words in a bolded font and claims to break down a political issue in just a few sliding pictures. It's effective spread of information often comes at the cost of r...
Second Look 2: The 2020 Election Breakdown
Contested Politics - November 09, 2020 00:00 - 27 minutesAfter days of waiting, it is now safe to say that Joe Biden will be the next president of the United States. While the win is easy to cheer or jeer on it's face, there is a lot to learned from this campaign cycle. From COVID-19 leading to record amounts of mail-in ballots to Georgia now ...
Ari, Jackson, Adam and Thomas: California's 2020 Propositions
Contested Politics - October 12, 2020 00:00 - 1 hourConfused on the 12 propositions in California this year? We got you covered with a panel who breaks down every prop, covering what each measure does (and doesn't) do and who's funding it. Even if you have already sent in your ballot by mail or don't live in California, this conversation ...
Daniel Raimi: Fracking
Contested Politics - October 05, 2020 00:00 - 29 minutesWith the ever-growing threat of climate change, one of the most difficult environmental issues politicians have to deal with is fracking. Fracking, a form of natural resource extraction, causes clear environmental damage yet is an economic backbone for many places around the country. Pre...
Marissa Blum: Verbatim Theatre in the Israel/Palestine Conflict
Contested Politics - September 21, 2020 00:00 - 23 minutesAs the great author Toni Morrison said “The best art is political and you ought to be able to make it unquestionably political and irrevocably beautiful at the same time.” For today's show I sit down with someone who makes the unequivocally political yet beautiful art Morrison describes....
Michael Hankinson: NIMBYism
Contested Politics - September 07, 2020 00:00 - 36 minutesWith California's housing crisis at the breaking point, the need for affordable housing is at an all-time high. However, even with monetary support from politicians, projects simply don't get built. The reason: NIMBYism. The ideology of NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard) has dominated American ...
Gus Gress: The 2020 Census
Contested Politics - August 31, 2020 00:00 - 29 minutesOne of the most important duties any person residing in America (not American citizen) can do, besides voting, is completing the Census every ten years. However, despite its importance, there is a consistent under-counting of the population which leads to a whole bunch of problems. To ex...
Laz Meiman and Mike Monetta: Campaign Finance Reform
Contested Politics - August 03, 2020 23:22 - 42 minutesIf you've ever heard Bernie Sanders speak, you're probably aware that he is not a fan of "special interests" and SuperPACs. In fact, over 90% of Americans are concerned with the influx of big money in politics. So, to understand how we got here and the path forward, I sit down with cof-f...
Campaign Finance Reform: Laz Meiman and Mike Monetta
Contested Politics - August 03, 2020 00:00 - 42 minutesIf you've ever heard Bernie Sanders speak, you're probably aware that he is not a fan of "special interests" and SuperPACs. In fact, over 90% of Americans are concerned with the influx of big money in politics. So, to understand how we got here and the path forward, I sit down with cof-founder o...
Second Look: Episode 1
Contested Politics - July 13, 2020 00:00 - 25 minutesOn our new segment, Second Look, we revisit some of the topics we recently covered on Contested, including the end of this year's Supreme Court term as well as developments in the Black Lives Matter protests. With so much going on in the news cycle, sometimes it's best to step back and t...
Katie Mead: CRISPR
Contested Politics - July 06, 2020 00:00 - 18 minutesOnce a concept only to be found in science fiction movies, gene editing is now making its way into the realm of possibility. However, scientific discovery isn't the only part of the conversation when it comes to CRISPR editing; the bio-ethical questions surrounding gene editing are hardl...
Jessica Chiriboga: The LGBTQ Community and The Court
Contested Politics - June 15, 2020 00:00 - 26 minutesJust days before the landmark Supreme Court ruling that held that LGBTQ folks cannot be fired due to their sexual orientation or gender identity was released, GLSEN National Student Council Member and Supreme Court watcher Jessica Chiriboga gives her thoughts on the case and provides som...
Ari Stern: Title IX and Sexual Assault
Contested Politics - June 08, 2020 00:00 - 21 minutesIn the midst of news about BLM movements and Covid-19, Education Secretary DeVos' new Title IX guidelines about how to deal with reports of sexual assault and rape on college campuses has flown under the radar. While seemingly technical, these new rules can have a massive impact on colle...
Bayo Collins/Nick Catalano: Police Brutality and George Floyd
Contested Politics - June 01, 2020 00:00 - 41 minutesAfter the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, protests erupted nationwide to bring light to the longstanding issues of police brutality and systemic racism. However while many are quick to condemn the actions taken by police in Minnesota, protesting methods and policy options at large...
Ben Holtzman/Antonio Herrera: Gun Control
Contested Politics - May 25, 2020 00:00 - 28 minutesSince the 1999 Columbine school shooting, gun violence has become an increasingly important issue for young and old Americans alike. However, polices and solutions to the ever-growing gun violence epidemic in America are polarized, with compromise among legislators being few and far betw...
Albert Fuentes: Utilitarianism
Contested Politics - May 12, 2020 00:00 - 23 minutesThe iconic trolley problem: a train at an unstoppable speed is headed toward 5 people. You have the ability to change its course, but kill only one person in the process. What do you do? The reason most people will divert the train yet want to open the economy at the risk of thousands al...
Eric Luo & Zoe Monterola: 6feet Supplies
Contested Politics - May 04, 2020 00:00 - 23 minutesWhen the stay at home order hit the Santa Clarita Valley, two teens saw a problem in their community and created a model charity in response. Fresh off their interview with CNN, I sit down with the founders of 6feet Supplies, Eric Luo and Zoe Monterola. If you are interested in their wor...
Zack Ritter: A Conversation on Race (Part 2)
Contested Politics - April 27, 2020 00:00 - 16 minutesThis episode picks up exactly where Part 1 left off. If you haven't listened to Part 1, please do so before listening to Part 2.
Zack Ritter: A Conversation on Race (Part 1)
Contested Politics - April 20, 2020 21:39 - 22 minutesUnlike other episodes thus far, this episode is a straight recording of a conversation I had with Associate Dean of Students at Cal State Dominguez Hills, Zack Ritter. With everything from a Jewish lens on race to historical inequities in America and beyond, this free-flowing conversatio...
Jad Soucar: Sports Diplomacy
Contested Politics - April 13, 2020 00:00 - 14 minutesInternational relations and diplomatic negotiation is regarded as one of the most strategic elements of politics. With many different tools and strategies at America's disposal, one stands out from all the rest: sports. Jad Soucar explains what sports diplomacy is and why it might be a f...
Jackson Downey: The Wealth Tax
Contested Politics - April 06, 2020 00:00 - 19 minutesWith income inequality at a near all-time high and a recession brewing, the desire for a solution has led many to support a wealth tax. Jackson Downey explains everything from Elizabeth Warren to art galleries and its relation to the accumulation of wealth in America.
Sarrah Hussain: Female Genital Mutilation
Contested Politics - March 31, 2020 00:00 - 19 minutesThe often unknown yet widespread issue of FGM is broken down by Sarrah Hussain. From the scale to impacts of FGM, this detrimental practice is made easy to understand and act upon for both the expert and like me, the uninformed.