This is Democracy

This week, Jeremi and Zachary are joined by attorney Gail Johnson to discuss the ways in which the avenues for wrongful convictions are closing in the US court system, and more broadly, the issues of wrongful convictions on death row. Zachary sets the scene with his poem: "Death Row Lullaby". Gail Johnson has more than two decades of experience representing clients in criminal and civil cases in federal and state courts in Colorado, California, and the District of Columbia. She has defended clients against many types of criminal charges and convictions, including mail and wire fraud, insider trading, drug and firearm offenses, sexual assault, and murder. Furthermore, she is a graduate of the Yale Law School with an undergraduate degree from Trinity University.

Jeremi, Zachary, and guest Lorinc Redei discuss the power of Hungary as a member of the European Union and NATO, and the role it plays between large empires to its eastern and western borders in the Ukrainian-Russian conflict. Zachary sets the scene with his poem, "In between". Dr. Lorinc Redei is a professor at the LBJ School at the University of Texas at Austin, where he serves as the graduate advisor for the Global Policy Studies Program. He previously served as a press officer in the European Parliament, the directly elected legislature of the European Union. Redei's research and writing focus on European politics, the European Union, and the role of the European Parliament.

This week, Jeremi and Zachary are joined by Steven Olikara to discuss political reform in light of the recent tragedy that occurred on May 24th, 2022, in Uvalde, Texas. Zachary sets the scene with his poem: "I'd Like To Tell You the World Will Be Fine" This episode was mixed and mastered by Oscar Kitmanyen.

This week, Jeremi and Zachary are joined by Dr. Peniel Joseph to discuss the recent tragedy that occurred on May 14th, 2022, in Buffalo, New York. Zachary sets the scene with his poem: "Summer Moon" This episode was mixed and mastered by Oscar Kitmanyen.

This week, Jeremi and Zachary are joined by Michael Kimmage to discuss the recent developments and current state of the war in Ukraine. Zachary sets the scene with his poem: "Thinking of the War on a Monday after Returning from the Capitol" This episode was Mixed and Mastered by Karoline Pfiel and Will Shute

This week, Jeremi and Zachary are joined by Professor Steve I. Vladeck as they discuss the ramifications of the recently leaked supreme court draft decision, as well as the future of both abortion rights and the supreme court itself. Zachary sets the scene with his poem "The Right To Chew" Stephen I. Vladeck (@steve_vladeck) holds the Charles Alan Wright Chair in Federal Courts at the University of Texas School of Law and is a nationally recognized expert on the federal courts, constitutional law, national security law, and military justice. Professor Vladeck has argued before the U.S. Supreme Court, the Texas Supreme Court, and various lower federal civilian and military courts; has testified before numerous congressional committees and Executive Branch agencies and commissions; has served as an expert witness both in U.S. state and federal courts and in foreign tribunals; and has received numerous awards for his influential and widely cited legal scholarship, his prolific popular writing, his teaching, and his service to the legal profession. Vladeck is the co-host, together with Professor Bobby Chesney, of the popular and award-winning “National Security Law Podcast.” He is CNN’s lead Supreme Court analyst and a co-author of Aspen Publishers’ leading national security law and counterterrorism law casebooks. And he is an executive editor of the Just Security blog and a senior editor of the Lawfare blog. This Episode was Mixed and Mastered by Kate Whitmer, and Alejandra Arrazola

This week, Jeremi and Zachary are joined by Author and Activist Jo Ivester to discuss transgender rights, the transgender community in the United States, and the importance of transgender representation/inclusion for a thriving democracy. Zachary sets the scene with his poem "Because Someday Maybe" Jo Ivester is an LGBTQ and civil rights advocate, sharing her family's story as a way of helping others to step beyond their comfort zones when it comes to relating to those who are different from themselves. Raised in a politically active family, Jo spent two years of her childhood living in an all- Black town in the Mississippi Delta, where her father managed a medical clinic, her mother taught in the local high school, and she was the only white student at her junior high. This experience, captured in Jo's first book -- The Outskirts of Hope — led to Jo's lifelong commitment to advocating for equal rights for all.Prompted by the realization that her son is trans, Jo has recently broadened her focus to raise awareness about what it means to be transgender. Her second book — Once a Girl, Always a Boy — presents her son's journey, told from multiple perspectives, beginning when he was a small child, viewed as a tomboy. When not writing, Jo devotes time to her community, serving on the boards of Equality Texas, the Anti-Defamation League of Central Texas, and the Ground Floor Theater. 

Today, Jeremi and Zachary are joined by Dr. Emily Whalen and discuss the history and current situation of the civil war in Syria, Russia's involvement in that civil war, and how that conflict parallels the ongoing war in Ukraine. Zachary sets the scene with his poem "Shadows at the Door." This episode of This is Democracy was mixed and mastered by Karoline Pfeil and Morgan Honaker.

This week, Jeremi and Zachary are joined by Historian Dr. Elizabeth Borgwardt to discuss the recent Russian war crimes in Ukraine, what war crimes are, and what we can do about it. Zachary sets the scene with his poem "Fortunately" Elizabeth Borgwardt specializes in the history of international law and the history of human rights ideas and institutions, with a focus on war crimes trials such as the Nuremberg tribunals at the end of World War II. Most recently, she is the co-editor of Rethinking Grand Strategy (Oxford University Press), where she analyzes FDR's New Deal as Grand Strategy. Her publications on the human rights politics of the 1940s -- especially her book, A New Deal for the World: America’s Vision for Human Rights (Harvard University Press) -- have been recognized with several book and article awards for Diplomatic History and the History of Ideas. She teaches at Washington University in St Louis, and has served as the Richard and Anne Pozen Visiting Professor of Human Rights at the University of Chicago as well as a Fulbright Professor at the Heidelberg Center for American Studies. In addition to her Stanford doctorate in U.S. History, she has earned a JD from Harvard Law School and a Masters in International Relations from Cambridge University (UK). This episode was mixed and mastered by Evan Sherer, Alejandra Arrazola, and Will Shute.

This week, Jeremi and Zachary meet with Dr. Kenneth Osgood to discuss the issues related to deception, secrecy, and the doctoring of evidence by presidents and other figures in the executive branch. Jeremi and Dr. Osgood have published an article on this topic in THE HILL. Problems with presidential records are not just about Trump Zachary sets the scene with his poem, "Forwards". Dr. Kenneth Osgood is professor of history at Colorado School of Mines. He is author or editor of five books on US political and diplomatic history, exploring how presidents “sell” war, civil rights and the conservative movement, international public diplomacy, and the propaganda and politics of the Cold War. This episode was mixed and mastered by Will Kurzner & Oscar Kitmanyen.