Current Affairs

Nathan and Oren discuss William B. Fu—sorry, William F. Buckley, the "most important conservative intellectual of the postwar era", and possessor of the second-most ridiculous mid-Atlantic accent in politics. This is a preview of an episode available in full to our $5 Patreon subscribers. To listen to the whole episode, as well as lots of other brilliant bonus episodes, please consider becoming one of our subscribers at www.patreon.com/CurrentAffairs!

Infrastructure enthusiast Sparky Abraham is joined by Dr. Magnus Jamieson, an expert in electrical power systems, to discuss the fire which destroyed the town of Paradise, California in November 2018—the most destructive wildfire in California's history, caused by a single faulty electrical line and a whole bunch of systemic problems. This is a preview of an episode available in full to our $5 Patreon subscribers. To listen to the whole episode, as well as lots of other brilliant bonus episodes, please consider becoming one of our subscribers at www.patreon.com/CurrentAffairs!

The team discusses the past, the present and the future. Along the way, they get distracted by their favorite election conspiracy theories and the mysteries of New Orleans politics. The panel this week is made up of administrative Cajun Kate Gauthreaux, poet-at-large Cate Root, legal editor Oren Nimni and editor-in-chief Nathan J. Robinson. Your temporary host is Aisling McCrea. Kate joined us clandestinely from their workplace, hence their absence from large segments of the podcast and questionable acoustics on their audio. Cate's article on mutual aid: https://www.currentaffairs.org/2020/10/what-is-mutual-aid-and-how-can-it-build-power "Biden Sucks, Vote Biden" by Danny Bradley: https://dannybradleymusic.com/songsforcurrentaffairs/bidensucksvotebiden https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEdz1FBCnyU This episode was edited by Dan Thorn of Pink Noise Studios in Somerville, MA.

Nathan speaks to Michael Moore about his thoughts on the 2020 election. This episode also has a transcript: https://www.currentaffairs.org/2020/11/17106

Nathan speaks to Michael Moore about his thoughts on the 2020 election. This is a preview of an episode available in full now, on early access, to our $5 Patreon subscribers. To listen to the whole episode, as well as lots of other brilliant bonus episodes, please consider becoming one of our subscribers at www.patreon.com/CurrentAffairs!

We accidentally recorded two Sorkin episodes in a row, sorry. This one's about his most recent picture, The Trial of the Chicago 7, and why the real-life event was funnier and better-scripted than the actual movie. This is a preview of an episode available in full to our $5 Patreon subscribers. To listen to the whole episode, as well as lots of other brilliant bonus episodes, please consider becoming one of our subscribers at www.patreon.com/CurrentAffairs!

It's a Bad Faith/Michael & Us/Current Affairs megacrossover! Nathan Robinson is joined by certified West Wing expert Luke Savage and West Wing neophyte Briahna Joy Gray to watch...well, you can guess. This is a preview of an episode available in full to our $5 Patreon subscribers. To listen to the whole episode, as well as lots of other brilliant bonus episodes, please consider becoming one of our subscribers at www.patreon.com/CurrentAffairs!

This episode was originally released on the bonus feed, but we've released it to all of you for free today! If you enjoyed this and want to hear more like this, please consider subscribing to our Patreon. For just $5 a month, you'll get access to two Current Affairs episodes per week, and the warm fuzzy feeling that you're supporting our show and helping it get made! Nathan speaks to Wendell Potter (@wendellpotter), a former vice president of communications for the health insurance company Cigna, who has since made it his mission to expose the pathologies of the insurance industry. Tune in to hear how to persuade someone to support universal healthcare; also, tune in to hear the secret codename the insurance industry has for Michael Moore. Wendell's book Deadly Spin: An Insurance Company Insider Speaks Out on How Corporate PR Is Killing Health Care and Deceiving Americans: https://wendellpotter.com/books/deadly-spin/ This episode was edited by Dan Thorn of Pink Noise Studios in Somerville, MA.

The Rhode Island Political Cooperative is a grassroots organization that just ran a slate of 24 progressive candidates across Rhode Island's state legislature, of which two-thirds either won their primaries or ran unopposed. Even if you don't live in Rhode Island, their strategy provides an exciting blueprint for transforming state governments. To learn more, Pete interviews Cynthia Mendes, State Senate candidate for Rhode Island District 18, and Matt Brown, co-chair of the Rhode Island Political Cooperative. Ryan Grim: "Rhode Island's Progressive Wave Was Four Years In The Making", The Intercept - https://theintercept.com/2020/09/11/rhode-island-democrat-primary-progressive-wave/ https://ripoliticalcoop.com/ This episode was edited by Dan Thorn of Pink Noise Studios in Somerville, MA.

Baked goods are foods made from dough or batter and cooked by baking. Salted meats are therefore not baked goods unless baked in a dough or batter. Books mentioned in the revolution section include:The Gods Are Thirsty by Tanith Lee: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gods_Are_Thirsty_(Tanith_Lee) The Structure of Scientific Revolutions by Thomas Kuhn:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Structure_of_Scientific_Revolutions The beat used for the Chomsky Drop is "Grounded", by Mert Oksuz. The panel this week was associate editor Vanessa A. Bee, contributing editor Eli Massey, amusements and managing editor Lyta Gold, and editor-in-chief Nathan J. Robinson. Your host is Pete Davis. This episode was edited by Dan Thorn of Pink Noise Studios in Somerville, MA.