VPR Director of Operations Sean Bielawski talks with Liliana Segura, who is an award-winning investigative journalist at The Intercept covering the U.S. criminal justice system with a focus on the death penalty, about Virginia being on the verge of abolishing capital punishment.

Related Reading

Liliana Segura at The Intercept (link)

Liliana Segura: Trump's Execution Spree is Not About Him. It's About Us. (link)

Bielawski and Frost: Time to End Virginia's Death Penalty (link)

Acknowledgments

Music: Blue Dot Sessions

Voiceover: Zach Mendez

Editing: Ben Feldman, Ben Teese & Sean Bielawski

Disclaimer

Although this organization has members who are University of Virginia students and may have University employees associated or engaged in its activities and affairs, the organization is not a part of or an agency of the University. It is a separate and independent organization which is responsible for and manages its own activities and affairs. The University does not direct, supervise, or control the organization and is not responsible for the organization's contracts, acts, or omissions.

VPR Director of Operations Sean Bielawski talks with co-host Ben Teese (MPP '21) about his time at Batten (2:00). Sean and Ben then speak with Chelsea Higgs Wise, Executive Director at Marijuana Justice, about Virginia's efforts to legalize marijuana and the equity implications around legalization (13:58).

Related Reading

Marijuana Justice (link)

Chelsea Higgs Wise and Ashna Khanna in Richmond Times-Dispatch: Virginia should legalize marijuana (link)

Race Capitol (link)

JLARC Study (link)

Acknowledgments

Music: Blue Dot Sessions

Voiceover: Zach Mendez

Editing: Ben Feldman, Ben Teese & Sean Bielawski

Disclaimer

Although this organization has members who are University of Virginia students and may have University employees associated or engaged in its activities and affairs, the organization is not a part of or an agency of the University. It is a separate and independent organization which is responsible for and manages its own activities and affairs. The University does not direct, supervise, or control the organization and is not responsible for the organization's contracts, acts, or omissions.

VPR Director of Operations Sean Bielawski talks with co-host Morgan Bedford (MPP '21) about her interest in foreign policy and he work with the U.S. Embassy in Yemen (2:08). Sean and Morgan then speak with Nadwa Al-Dawsari, non-resident fellow at the Middle East Institute, about the war in Yemen as well as how the Biden Administration should craft U.S. policy to substantively address the conflict (22:00).

Related Reading

Council on Foreign Relations: How Severe is Yemen's Humanitarian Crisis? (link)

Yemen Matrix: Allies & Adversaries (link)

Up for Debate: U.S. Yemen Policy (link)

Nadwa Al-Dawsari on Twitter (link) 

Acknowledgments

Music: Blue Dot Sessions

Voiceover: Zach Mendez

Editing: Ben Feldman, Ben Teese & Sean Bielawski

Disclaimer

Although this organization has members who are University of Virginia students and may have University employees associated or engaged in its activities and affairs, the organization is not a part of or an agency of the University. It is a separate and independent organization which is responsible for and manages its own activities and affairs. The University does not direct, supervise, or control the organization and is not responsible for the organization's contracts, acts, or omissions.

VPR Director of Operations Sean Bielawski talks with co-host Teka Lenahan (MPP '21) about UVA student organization Black Student Leaders in Policy, or BSLIP, and what drives his interest in education policy (2:05). Sean and Teka then speak with Dr. Lisa D. Cook, Professor of Economics and International Relations at Michigan State University, about her work on the Biden-Harris transition team and her role in mentoring young people of color within the field of economics (11:30).

Related Reading

Dr. Cook in the NY Times: Racism Impoverishes the Whole Economy (link)

Dr. Cook's Research (link)

BSLIP on Instagram (link)

Acknowledgments

Music: Blue Dot Sessions

Voiceover: Zach Mendez

Editing: Ben Feldman, Ben Teese & Sean Bielawski

Disclaimer

Although this organization has members who are University of Virginia students and may have University employees associated or engaged in its activities and affairs, the organization is not a part of or an agency of the University. It is a separate and independent organization which is responsible for and manages its own activities and affairs. The University does not direct, supervise, or control the organization and is not responsible for the organization's contracts, acts, or omissions.

VPR Director of Operations Sean Bielawski talks with co-host Maureen Coffey (MPP '21) about her role as president of the Virginia Young Democrats (2:08). Sean and Maureen then speak with Delegate Sam Rasoul about his campaign for Lieutenant Governor and being a progressive in a more rural part of Virginia (19:15).

Related Reading

Roanoke Del. Sam Rasoul formally announces run for lieutenant governor (link)

Acknowledgments

Music: Blue Dot Sessions

Voiceover: Zach Mendez

Editing: Ben Feldman, Ben Teese & Sean Bielawski

Disclaimer

Although this organization has members who are University of Virginia students and may have University employees associated or engaged in its activities and affairs, the organization is not a part of or an agency of the University. It is a separate and independent organization which is responsible for and manages its own activities and affairs. The University does not direct, supervise, or control the organization and is not responsible for the organization's contracts, acts, or omissions.

VPR Director of Operations Sean Bielawski talks with co-host Marisa Lemma (MPP '22) about her book The Marching Women (2:40). Sean and Marisa then speak with Penny Abernathy, Knight Chair in Journalism and Digital Media Economics at UNC-Chapel Hill, about the decline of local news sources and what that means for our society (11:35).

Related Reading

The Expanding News Desert (link)

Saving Community Journalism (link)

The Marching Women (link)

VPR Blog (link)

Acknowledgments

Music: Blue Dot Sessions

Voiceover: Zach Mendez

Editing: Ben Feldman, Ben Teese & Sean Bielawski

Disclaimer

Although this organization has members who are University of Virginia students and may have University employees associated or engaged in its activities and affairs, the organization is not a part of or an agency of the University. It is a separate and independent organization which is responsible for and manages its own activities and affairs. The University does not direct, supervise, or control the organization and is not responsible for the organization's contracts, acts, or omissions.

VPR Director of Operations Sean Bielawski talks with co-host Audrey McClurg (MPP '21) about how she became interested in health policy and her experience with the Institute for Medicaid Innovation (2:00). Sean and Audrey then speak with Batten Professor Adam Leive (10:45) about his research around the impact of work requirements on SNAP participation and labor supply, healthcare, and COVID's potential impact on social welfare programs.

Related Reading

Employed in a SNAP? The Impact of Work Requirements on Program Participation and Labor Supply (link)

Medicaid Work Requirements – Results from the First Year in Arkansas (link)

Is the Social Safety Net a Long-Term Investment? Large Scale Evidence from the Food Stamps Program (link)

How Racism has Shaped Welfare Policy in America since 1935 (link)

Does One Medicare Fit All? The Economics of Uniform health Insurance Benefits (link)

Acknowledgments

Music: Blue Dot Sessions

Voiceover: Zach Mendez

Editing: Ben Feldman, Ben Teese & Sean Bielawski

Disclaimer

Although this organization has members who are University of Virginia students and may have University employees associated or engaged in its activities and affairs, the organization is not a part of or an agency of the University. It is a separate and independent organization which is responsible for and manages its own activities and affairs. The University does not direct, supervise, or control the organization and is not responsible for the organization's contracts, acts, or omissions.

VPR Director of Operations Sean Bielawski talks with co-host Robert Grier (MPP '21) about his experience as a fundraiser on political campaigns (2:30). Sean and Robert then speak with Thomas Bowman, a political consultant and co-host of the podcast Transition Virginia (15:40), about Virginia Democrats heading into the November election.

Related Reading

Transition Virginia Podcast (link)

Acknowledgments

Music: Blue Dot Sessions

Voiceover: Zach Mendez

Editing: Ben Feldman, Ben Teese & Sean Bielawski

Disclaimer

Although this organization has members who are University of Virginia students and may have University employees associated or engaged in its activities and affairs, the organization is not a part of or an agency of the University. It is a separate and independent organization which is responsible for and manages its own activities and affairs. The University does not direct, supervise, or control the organization and is not responsible for the organization's contracts, acts, or omissions.

VPR Director of Operations Sean Bielawski talks with co-host Jordan Sicklick (MPP '21) about his summer experience interning at the Department of Justice (5:05). Sean and Jordan then speak with Henrico County Commonwealth's Attorney Shannon Taylor (18:30) about criminal justice reform at the local level.

Related Reading

Richmond Times-Dispatch Column on Henrico County Police Accountability (link)

Acknowledgments

Music: Blue Dot Sessions

Voiceover: Zach Mendez

Editing: Sean Bielawski

Disclaimer

Although this organization has members who are University of Virginia students and may have University employees associated or engaged in its activities and affairs, the organization is not a part of or an agency of the University. It is a separate and independent organization which is responsible for and manages its own activities and affairs. The University does not direct, supervise, or control the organization and is not responsible for the organization's contracts, acts, or omissions.

VPR Director of Operations Sean Bielawski speaks with Kyle Kondik, managing editor of Sabato's Crystal Ball at UVA's Center for Politics, about the state of the Presidential, Senate, and House elections now that we are less than a month from Election Day.

Related Reading

Sabato's Crystal Ball (link)

Acknowledgments

Music: Blue Dot Sessions

Voiceover: Zach Mendez

Editing: Sean Bielawski

Disclaimer

Although this organization has members who are University of Virginia students and may have University employees associated or engaged in its activities and affairs, the organization is not a part of or an agency of the University. It is a separate and independent organization which is responsible for and manages its own activities and affairs. The University does not direct, supervise, or control the organization and is not responsible for the organization's contracts, acts, or omissions.