Deep Background with Noah Feldman

Noah Feldman has a lot of questions about cryptocurrency. Is it currency or is it an asset? How should governments regulate it? Is it sustainable? Crypto pioneer Bobby Lee, co-founder and former CEO of China’s first bitcoin exchange and current CEO of Ballet, a startup that helps people securely store their crypto assets, weights in on the most pressing questions about crypto.  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr. Jeannine Bell, law professor at Indiana University who has studied hate crimes for more than 20 years, discusses the complex process of defining and charging someone with a hate crime. She also explains the larger significance of hate crime legislation and how police departments can expand prosecution of hate crimes. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A case currently before The Supreme Court presents the single largest legal battle the NCAA has ever faced. The case, which comes after years of player activism, argues that the current limits on athlete compensation constitute a violation of antitrust law. It’s a case that could challenge the entire college sports system. Dr. Eddie Comeaux, professor at UC Riverside who studies the student athlete experience discusses the history, current structure and power imbalances within the NCAA. Dr. Comeaux also offers radical re-imaginings for a more equitable, student-centered college athletics system. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Alec MacGillis, award-winning ProPublica journalist and author of the new book “Fulfilment: Winning and Losing in One Click America,” explains Amazon’s role in deepening America’s regional wealth disparities. He also discusses the recent efforts to unionize some Amazon fulfillment centers and the threat that unionization poses to the company. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Britney Spears’ former lawyer Adam Streisand goes deep into the details of Britney’s conservatorship. He discusses his role in her case and his concerns about her conservatorship. He also explains the potential conflicts inherent to the conservatorship system and ways it can be misused. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Did January’s pro-Navalny protests have a lasting impact in Russia? Russian investigative reporter Diana Kachalova, editor-in-chief of the St. Petersburg bureau of Novaya Gazeta, an independent Russian newspaper, joins us to discuss covering the aftermath of Alexei Navalny’s case and the status of investigative journalism in Putin’s Russia. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Alice Hill, former Special Assistant to President Obama and Senior Director for Resilience Policy on the National Security Council, explains what Texas’ electrical grid collapse means for our country’s infrastructure at large. She also makes recommendations on how we can start preparing infrastructure now for extreme weather events. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr. Carl Hart, neuroscientist and author of the provocative new book “Drug Use for Grown Ups: Chasing Liberty in the Land of Fear” questions the way we understand, regulate, and police drugs in America. Dr. Hart argues that most drugs are safer than we realize, and the negative effects of drugs are overstated and misunderstood. His research raises larger questions about policing, race, poverty, and mental health.  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Noah Feldman interviews Eugene B. Meyer, President of the Federalist Society, discussing the organization's goals, funding, and operations. They also talk about Noah's audiobook 'Takeover: How a Conservative Student Club Captured the Supreme Court' and its implications. Learn about the influence of politics on law school and clerkship opportunities, varying opinions within the Federalist Society, funding and donations, and the success of the organization compared to others on the left.

Why are presidential impeachments happening more often? Are impeachments futile if they don't end in a conviction? What did Hamilton and Madison overlook about the impeachment and the transition of power? To discuss these questions, political journalist and CEO of Pushkin Industries Jacob Weisberg joins the conversation. Jacob and Noah were two of the early voices on impeachment, starting in 2017 when they co-authored an article laying out Trump’s early possible impeachable offenses for The New York Review of Books. Noah would later testify at President Trump’s first impeachment trial. Today, Jacob and Noah bookend the conversation on impeachment. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.