Current Affairs

The entire Current Affairs team comes together (again!) to finish briefing listeners on as many of the Democratic presidential candidates as they can in two hours. The Panel: Vanessa A. Bee, social media editor Brianna Rennix, senior editor Sparky Abraham, finance editor Oren Nimni, legal editor Nick Slater, newsletter editor Eli Massey, business manager Lyta Gold, amusements editor Nathan J. Robinson, editor-in-chief Pete Davis, host Candidates discussed: Pete Buttigieg Beto O'Rourke Jay Inslee Kirsten Gillibrand Bill Weld John Delaney Kamala Harris Cory Booker John Hickenlooper Mike Gravel Mike Gravel's 2008 video, "rock," is here. Support Current Affairs — and gain access to the Bird Feed of bonus episodes — by becoming a patron at our Patreon page. Many thanks to Dan Thorn, at Pink Noise Studios, for editing this episode.

UNLOCKED FROM THE PATREON BIRD FEED: Current Affairs editor Nathan J. Robinson talks with lefty policy whiz Rhiana Gunn-Wright, the policy lead for the Green New Deal with New Consensus and former Policy Director for Michigan gubernatorial candidate Abdul El Sayed. Topics discussed: making policy accessible, the Green New Deal, intersectionality in policymaking, and more! Get bonus episodes immediately when they are released by becoming a patron at our patreon page.

The entire Current Affairs team comes together to brief listeners on as many of the Democratic presidential candidates as they can in two hours (spoiler alert: we only could get through half!) The Panel: Briahna Joy Gray, contributing editor Vanessa A. Bee, social media editor Brianna Rennix, senior editor Sparky Abraham, finance editor Oren Nimni, legal editor Nick Slater, newsletter editor Lyta Gold, amusements eidtor Nathan J. Robinson, editor-in-chief Pete Davis, host Candidates discussed: Joe Biden (read about his feud with Elizabeth Warren over banks here) Marianne Williamson (read about the debate over 2020 and reparations here) Amy Klobuchar (read Elizabeth Bruenig on feminism and her workplace abuse here) Bernie Sanders (listen to his folk album here; watch his Debs documentary here) Julian Castro (read about the HUD Mortgage Sale scandal here) Elizabeth Warren (read about her groundbreaking Two-Income Trap book here) Andrew Yang (read about the "Yang Gang"'s meme problem here) Tulsi Gabbard (read about the mystery of Gabbard's values here) Howard Schultz (read a profile of his feuds with the city of Seattle here) Support Current Affairs — and gain access to the Bird Feed of bonus episodes — by becoming a patron at our Patreon page. Many thanks to Dan Thorn, at Pink Noise Studios, for editing this episode.

UNLOCKED FROM THE PATREON BIRD FEED: Current Affairs editor-in-chief Nathan J. Robinson sits down with Maximillian Alvarez, the host of Working People, a podcast in which ordinary people talk about their lives, jobs, struggles, and aspirations. Read excerpts from Maximillian's podcast here — and read his piece "Can the Working Class Speak?" here. Get bonus episodes immediately when they are released by becoming a patron at our patreon page.

UNLOCKED FROM THE BIRD FEED TO THE MAIN FEED: Current Affairs host Pete Davis sits down with filmmaker, writer and activist Astra Taylor. Check out Astra's three films — Zizek!, Examined Life, and What is Democracy? See her writing in The Nation and in her upcoming book, Democracy May Not Exist, But We'll Miss It When It's Gone. Learn about the debt strike project Astra co-founded here. Learn more about Agnès Varda's The Gleaners and I is here. Many thanks to Dan Thorn, at Pink Noise Studios, for editing the episode. Get bonus episodes immediately when they are released by becoming a patreon at our patreon page.

Every fifth episode, we like to open up the phone lines and take callers. Join us as we answer questions about: science, Beto, doctors, reverse racism and Douglas Adams! Our panel: Briahna Joy Gray, contributing editor Sparky Abraham, finance editor Vanessa A. Bee, social media editor Lyta Gold, amusements editor Nathan J. Robinson, editor-in-chief Pete Davis, host Miscellaneous items Douglas Adams's cookie story Einstein's article on socialism Chomsky's on the responsibility of intellectuals Nathan on how rights don't mean slavery Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw's essay that coined the phrase "intersectionality" Corrections Vanessa said she likes "Vice" — she meant "Veep" This episode was edited by Dan Thorn at Pink Noise Studios in Somerville, Massachusetts. Support us by becoming a patron at Patreon.com/CurrentAffairs. Subscribe to the print edition at CurrentAffairs.org. Call into the next voicemail show at 504-867-8851.

Yes, you read right. Current Affairs editor-in-chief Nathan J. Robinson sits down with the Patron Saint of Current Affairs, himself: Noam Chomsky! Topics discussed include: consciousness, the limits of human knowledge, Steven Pinker, Jordan Peterson, academia, artificial intelligence and more. Read Nathan's tribute to Chomsky here. Support Current Affairs by becoming a patron at our patreon page.

We present the audio recording of the first-ever Current Affairs: Live! Join the entire Current Affairs team — and guests Ian Madrigal, Saikat Chakrabarti and Lee Carter — as they delight, confuse, and singalong with the Washington, DC crowd last week. Many thanks to the wonderful band, Crush Funk Brass, and band leader, Santo Buzzanca. Follow CFB on twitter and instagram. Vanessa's J20 article is here. Our Chomsky Drop video is here. The art Brianna and Lyta were referring to is here. Learn more about Solidarity Forever here. Support Current Affairs by becoming a patron at our patreon page.

This week, unlocked from the patreon bird feed, to the main feed: Current Affairs podcast host Pete Davis and editor-in-chief Nathan J. Robinson discuss the visionary auteur, child development crusader, and moral voice Mister Rogers. For Pete's favorite book on the case that Mr. Rogers is a left-wing icon, see Peaceful Neighbor: Discovering the Countercultural Mister Rogers by Michael Long. For a delightful book of Mister Rogers aphorisms, see The World According to Mister Rogers. The latest hit documentary on Rogers is Won't You Be My Neighbor. For more on Eleanor Duckworth and "the having of wonderful ideas," see her wonderful book The Having of Wonderful Ideas. For more on how narcissism is actually based in a lack of self-esteem, see here. And here's Nathan's piece on teaching climate change. Have a response to this episode? Call into Current Affairs anytime at (504) 867-8851. To listen to interviews when they first come out — and gain access to our patrons' "Bird Feed" — consider becoming a monthly patron at our Patreon page. Call into Current Affairs anytime at (504) 867-8851.

We were busy preparing our live show this past weekend, so we took a brief hiatus from making new main episodes. However, to ensure your Current Affairs fix was satisfied, we wanted to unlock one bonus episode each week. We will be back with regularly scheduled main episodes next week! This week, unlocked from the patreon bird feed, to the main feed: Amusements editor Lyta Gold and senior editor Brianna Rennix discuss myths with Classics scholar Daniel Walden, who recently wrote in the magazine about how the whole concept of “Western civilization" is a myth. Tune in to learn about why the myth of dragons may be a lefty one, why Jordan Peterson is confused about myths, what an anti-pope is, what myths can teach us about national origin stories, the purpose of trickster gods, and more. Also, read Brianna's recent essay on the myth of the death of Europe. Many thanks to Harrison Montgomery (@AugmentFourth) for help with edits and audio gags. Factual correction from early point in the conversation, according to Nathan, our resident Louisianan: "Louisiana law is not actually based on the Napoleonic Code! This itself is a myth. The Louisiana Purchase in 1803 and the Napoleonic Code doesn't come into effect in 1804. We are still based on weird old French civil law. Even though every single local says Louisiana's based on the Napoleonic Code, technically we are based on whatever it was that existed in France before Napoleon fixed it." To listen to interviews when they first come out — and gain access to our patrons' "Bird Feed" — consider becoming a monthly patron at our Patreon page. Call into Current Affairs anytime at (504) 867-8851.