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The Coup Next Time Jan 04, 2022

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Months before the attack on the Capitol, Bart Gellman predicted that the 2020 election would usher in a make-or-break year for American democracy. He was correct. Now, he’s trying to sound the alarm again. This time he says American democratic institutions and systems are being broken before our eyes, and the people in power aren’t doing enough to stop it.

Guest: Barton Gellman, staff writer at The Atlantic.

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The Capitol Rioters, A Year Later Jan 03, 2022

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The Justice Department’s criminal investigation into the January 6th insurrection is unprecedented. More than 700 rioters face charges, and federal prosecutors are still adding names to the pile. As cases work their way through the courts, judges are sparring over the proper approach to sentencing rioters. How do you hold an individual responsible for a collective event?

Guest: Zoe Tillman, senior legal reporter with BuzzFeed News.

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TBD | Best of 2021: It’s Time to Talk About U.F.O.s Dec 31, 2021

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This episode originally aired in July 2021

Last week, the U.S. government released a new report that attempts to categorize 144 verified sightings of unidentified aerial phenomena, or U.A.P. They could only definitively explain one of them.

The new report signals a shift in the way we think about U.A.P. As technology has advanced and evidence of these encounters have increased, the question has become more urgent: what exactly is happening in our skies?

Guest: Shane Harris, intelligence and national security reporter for the Washington Post

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Best of 2021: It’s Time to Talk About U.F.O.s Dec 31, 2021

Show notes

This episode originally aired in July 2021

Last week, the U.S. government released a new report that attempts to categorize 144 verified sightings of unidentified aerial phenomena, or U.A.P. They could only definitively explain one of them.

Guest: Shane Harris, intelligence and national security reporter for the Washington Post

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Best of 2021 | When Your Town Burns Down Dec 30, 2021

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We’re re-running some of our favorite episodes from the past year. This episode originally aired in August 2021.

Last week, the northern California mountain town of Greenville was wiped out by the Dixie Fire, which lasted for two months and is now the second largest wildfire in California history. As Greenville residents assess the damage to their homes and businesses, is it safe to rebuild? Is it even ethical, when wildfires are expected to only get worse?

Guest: Margaret Garcia, also known as Meg Upton, reporter at Plumas News.

Podcast production by Mary Wilson, Danielle Hewitt, Elena Schwartz, Davis Land, and Carmel Delshad.

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Best of 2021 | Will the NFL Finally Support Gay Players? Dec 29, 2021

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We’re re-running some of our favorite episodes from the past year. This episode originally aired in June 2021.

The Las Vegas Raiders’ defensive end, Carl Nassib, came out in an Instagram post back in June, making him the first openly gay active player in NFL histroy. The league immediately posted in celebration of Nassib’s announcement. But given the NFL’s sorry history of standing by players on the vanguard, will the league really put its money where its mouth is this time?

Guest: LZ Granderson, LA Times opinion columnist and host of ABC News’ “Life Out Loud with LZ Granderson.”

Podcast production by Mary Wilson, Danielle Hewitt, Elena Schwartz, Davis Land, and Carmel Delshad.

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Best of 2021 | How Should We Remember Colin Powell? Dec 28, 2021

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We’re re-running some of our favorite episodes from the past year. This episode originally aired in October 2021.

Colin Powell, known as a “trailblazer” and “pathbreaker” in his military career, leaves behind a complicated legacy. The four-star general became a household name during the first Gulf War as the first Black chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and later the first Black secretary of state.

Thirty years after his rise to national prominence, Powell’s death has prompted reflections on the Iraq War and his role in using false intelligence to justify the U.S. invasion.

Guest: Fred Kaplan, Slate’s War Stories columnist.

Podcast production by Mary Wilson, Danielle Hewitt, Elena Schwartz, Davis Land, and Carmel Delshad.

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Best of 2021 | God Doesn’t Want Me Vaccinated Dec 27, 2021

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We’re re-running some of our favorite episodes from the past year. This episode originally aired in September 2021.

Who are the people seeking a religious exemption to the Biden administration’s vaccine mandate? What are their religious claims? And how do workplaces decide who has a real claim to belief versus a convenient letter from a pastor-for-hire?

Guest: Ruth Graham, reporter for The New York Times.

Podcast production by Mary Wilson, Danielle Hewitt, Elena Schwartz, Davis Land, and Carmel Delshad.

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TBD | Best of 2021: Are We Getting COVID Testing All Wrong? Dec 24, 2021

Show notes

This episode originally aired in September.

In the U.S., the PCR test is the gold standard for COVID testing. Common knowledge would have it that the test is more accurate—and therefore more effective at containing the spread of the disease—than the rapid antigen test.

What if that isn’t quite true?

Guest: Michael Mina, assistant professor of epidemiology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

Host: Lizzie O’Leary

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Best of 2021: Are We Getting COVID Testing All Wrong? Dec 24, 2021

Show notes

This episode originally aired in September.

What if that isn’t quite true?

Guest: Michael Mina, assistant professor of epidemiology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

Host: Lizzie O’Leary

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.