Politics and Polls

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#240: 'Alligator Candy' & the Strength of Community (David Kushner) Jul 15, 2021

Show notes

Julian Zelizer sits down with David Kushner to discuss his new podcast Alligator Candy, which is based on his memoir of the same name. The podcast tells the story of Kushner's family and how the community came together after the disappearance of his brother. Kushner is an acclaimed author and journalist who serves as a contributing editor of Rolling Stone and Outside. He has also written for publications including Vanity Fair, Wired, The New Yorker, New York Times Magazine, GQ, and more.

#239: Did Bill Barr Corrupt the DOJ? (Elie Honig) Jul 08, 2021

Show notes

How did Bill Barr alter the effectiveness of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) during his time as President Donald Trump's attorney general? Elie Honig joins Julian Zelizer and Sam Wang for a deep dive into the DOJ and a discussion of his new book, "Hatchet Man: How Bill Barr Broke the Prosecutor's Code and Corrupted the Justice Department," released July 6. Honig worked as a state and federal prosecutor for 14 years, trying cases including human trafficking and violent and organized crime. He's now a CNN legal analyst, a writer for the online news outlet CAFE, and a special counsel for the firm of Lowenstein Sandler, LLP.

#238: The Truth is Out There...Somewhere (Adam Frank) Jul 01, 2021

Show notes

Is there life on other planets? Are UFOs evidence of such life? Astrophysicist Adam Frank joins Julian Zelizer and Sam Wang to discuss his research of technosignatures — signs of past or present use of technology on other planets — and the search for evidence of life outside Earth.

Adam Frank is professor of physics and astronomy at the University of Rochester. He's a regular contributor to NPR's All Things Considered, and he occasionally writes for The New York Times. Last year, he and several of his colleagues were awarded a grant from NASA to fund the study of technosignatures.

#237: Nixon at War (Kurt Andersen) Jun 24, 2021

Show notes

President Richard M. Nixon is perhaps best known for the Watergate scandal and becoming the first U.S. president to resign. But how much more is there to that familiar narrative? Kurt Andersen joins Julian Zelizer to discuss his new podcast, Nixon at War, and the behind-the-scenes story of the downfall of America's 37th President. Kurt Andersen is a New York Timesbestselling author, journalist, and radio host. Currently he's the host, writer, and co-producer of the new PRX podcast Nixon at War, a seven-episode series that tells the story of America's 37th President.

#236: JFK, MLK, and Nine Long Days (Paul Kendrick) Jun 17, 2021

Show notes

The arrest of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. sent the 1960 Kennedy Campaign into overdrive in the last nine days of a historic campaign for the presidency. But what happened during that lead-up to one of the closest elections of the 20th century?

Author Paul Kendrick joins Julian Zelizer in this episode to discuss his recent book "Nine Days: The Race to Save Martin Luther King Jr. and Win the 1960 Election."

Paul Kendrick is a writer and speaker whose articles have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Chicago-Sun Times, and many more publications. He's also an adjunct professor at National Louis University in Chicago. "Nine Days" is the third book that he has written with his father, Stephen Kendrick.

#235: Big Tech, Big Data, and Big Lies (Jonathan Mayer) Jun 10, 2021

Show notes

Online misinformation runs rampant on social media and is having tangible impacts on American society. What can be done to combat the spread of these untruths? Jonathan Mayer joins Sam Wang in this episode to discuss misinformation, big tech, and online data-driven research, and where they intersect with U.S. government policy. He also discusses his newest endeavor, Rally, which is a collaboration with Mozilla.

Mayer is an assistant professor in the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs as well as the Department of Computer Science. He studies the intersections of technology and law, focusing on online speech, consumer privacy, and national security.

#234: Why People Believe Falsehoods (From Vaccines to Votes) May 27, 2021

Show notes

We're living in a political disinformation era. Public opinion is sharply divided not just on the facts, but what actually constitutes fact or fiction. Two issues have made this dilemma crystal clear: the acceptability of COVID-19 vaccines and the outcome of the 2020 presidential election.

In this episode, Julian and Sam weed through the neuroscience of the brain and what makes people hold on to beliefs that may be factually inaccurate. They discuss the general distrust of institutions and how beliefs spread in our speedy social media ecosystem.

#233: Why Democrats Should be Bold But Careful (Paul Starr) May 20, 2021

Show notes

How much time does the Biden administration have until Republicans revitalize their strength or even expand in the midterms? This is a question brewing among Democrats who wonder whether they should go bold with legislation, or tread lightly to protect the slim majority of Democrats in the House and Senate.

In this episode and article, Paul Starr argues that Democrats must be bold in the battles they fight but careful about those they choose. Perhaps above all else, the party must prove that government can work for ordinary people while improving election reform so democracy survives.

Starr is professor of sociology and public affairs at Princeton University and Stuart Professor of communications and public affairs at Princeton's School of Public and International Affairs. He also serves as founding co-editor of The American Prospect, a liberal magazine that he co-founded in 1990 with Robert Kuttner and Robert Reich. Starr's work addresses a wide range of questions in politics, public policy, and social theory.

#232: Liz Cheney Ousting, Census Accuracy & Vaccine Persuasion May 13, 2021

Show notes

Catching up on the politics of the week, Julian Zelizer and Sam Wang discuss how Rep. Liz Cheney was ousted from her role as House Republican Conference chair by the GOP, a position she's held since 2017, and what it means for democracy. Sam uncovers some suspicious Census undercounting of Hispanics in New York City, and they both evaluate COVID-19 vaccine messaging — and how to reach herd immunity.

#231: Biden's Infrastructure Plan (Matt Yglesias) May 06, 2021

Show notes

The Biden Administration is steadfastly pushing through a $4.1 trillion infrastructure plan, which some are comparing to President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal of the 1930s. Moving beyond roads, bridges, and tunnels, Biden's bipartisan bill includes improvements to broadband internet, climate change, and even racial justice.

Julian Zelizer and Sam Wang examine the plan with journalist Matt Yglesias — who recently wrote about it in his newsletter "Slow Boring." Yglesias co-founded Vox.com with Ezra Klein and Melissa Bell in 2014. In 2020, he moved to Substack, an email newsletter subscription platform, where he writes independently.

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