*** Check out the America Explained Substack newsletter for a few written posts a month on the big issues in U.S. politics and foreign policy and no extra spam: https://amerex.substack.com/ ***

So far this year, there has been at least one mass shooting per day in the United States. And while you might think that this would lead to calls for tighter gun regulation, the Supreme Court just decided to take up a case which will probably see it declare unconstitutional just the type of regulation which is needed to stem the epidemic of violence. In this episode we explore the surprising origins of the modern gun rights movement in black activism, and the changes which subsequently made it such a powerful force in conservative politics.

For more, follow our host Andy Gawthorpe on Twitter.

Credits

Host - Andy Gawthorpe

Growth consultant - Anne Stoop

*** Check out the America Explained Substack newsletter for a few written posts a month on the big issues in U.S. politics and foreign policy and no extra spam: https://amerex.substack.com/ ***

In response to the Big Lie - that last November's election was stolen from them - Republicans are moving to pass voter suppression legislation across dozens of American states, most prominently in Georgia. In this episode I'm joined by former Obama campaign official Karin Robinson to discuss the scariest parts of the voter suppression effort, how the politics of it affect the Democratic and Republican coalitions, and what the Biden administration might do in response.

Links

Andy on GOP tensions with Big Business: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/apr/14/republicans-big-business-democrats-us-politics

NY Times - what Georgia voting law really does: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/02/us/politics/georgia-voting-law-annotated.html

Trump's Big Lie could backfire in Georgia: https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/27/opinions/trump-big-lie-georgia-republicans-voting-restrictions-dantonio/index.html

Credits

Host - Andy Gawthorpe

Growth consultant - Anne Stoop

Check out our Facebook page, where we're growing an international community of listeners interested in American politics, foreign policy & culture.

If you have any questions or comments, you can email the show on [email protected].

*** Check out the America Explained Substack newsletter for a few written posts a month on the big issues in U.S. politics and foreign policy and no extra spam: https://amerex.substack.com/ ***

This last week, Joe Biden announced the biggest foreign policy move of his administration so far - a plan to withdraw U.S. forces from Afghanistan this year. In this episode we talk about the arguments for and against withdrawal, why this isn't so straightforward of a win for progressives as it might appear, and how Afghanistan fits into American national security priorities going forward.

Credits

Host - Andy Gawthorpe

Growth consultant - Anne Stoop

Check out our Facebook page, where we're growing an international community of listeners interested in American politics, foreign policy & culture.

If you have any questions or comments, you can email the show on [email protected].

*** Check out the America Explained Substack newsletter for a few written posts a month on the big issues in U.S. politics and foreign policy and no extra spam: https://amerex.substack.com/ ***

All over the world, democracy is in retreat and authoritarianism is on the march. The Biden administration has put the advancement of democracy around the world at the center of its foreign policy agenda. But at the same time, American foreign relations always involves relationships with autocrats and dictators. In this episode we take a survey of the world - from the Middle East to Russia and China - to talk about American relations with autocracies and what they mean for this broader pro-democracy agenda.

Credits

Host - Andy Gawthorpe

Growth consultant - Anne Stoop

Check out our Facebook page, where we're growing an international community of listeners interested in American politics, foreign policy & culture.

If you have any questions or comments, you can email the show on [email protected].

*** Check out the America Explained Substack newsletter for a few written posts a month on the big issues in U.S. politics and foreign policy and no extra spam: https://amerex.substack.com/ ***

Arrivals of migrants and refugees at the southern border are surging - this year could see over two million border-crossers, the highest level in 20 years. The Biden administration inherited a deeply broken refugee admission system from Trump, but it has also made its own choices which are shaping what is happening at the border - including the decision to keep sending everyone who arrives back, with the exception of unaccompanied children. This decision has come with at a humanitarian cost, with thousands of children packed into detention facilities as they wait to be released into the country. In this episode we explore the recent history of American migration policy, why it is that so many refugees are arriving right now, and what the Biden administration might do in the future to cope with the flow.

Credits

Host - Andy Gawthorpe

Designer/advisor - Janice Killion

Growth consultant - Anne Stoop

If you have any questions or comments, you can email the show on [email protected].

Links

Breakdown of border crossers by type (and more).

Reasons for refugee flow from Central America.

Mexico dispatches troops to border.

Why are more children arriving.

*** Check out the America Explained Substack newsletter for a few written posts a month on the big issues in U.S. politics and foreign policy and no extra spam: https://amerex.substack.com/ ***

The coronavirus pandemic, climate change, and animal cruelty in industrial agriculture - all are contributing to a growing awareness that something is amiss in our relationship with animals. Meat alternatives have never been more popular. But at the same time, there are enormous headwinds which keep meat on our plates - cultural, political, even ideas about how meat is linked to masculinity. In this episode I speak to Chris Deutsch, a historian from the University of Missouri, about the history of meat production and consumption in America - and how the U.S. government has worked to encourage Americans to eat more meat.

Chris on meatpacking and coronavirus: https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2020/05/01/meatpacking-work-has-gotten-less-safe-now-it-threatens-our-meat-supply/

Follow Chris on Twitter for updates on his book, Beeftopia: @dr_cdeutsch

Credits

Host - Andy Gawthorpe

Designer/advisor - Janice Killion

Growth consultant - Anne Stoop

Check out our Facebook page, where we're growing an international community of listeners interested in American politics, foreign policy & culture.

If you have any questions or comments, you can email the show on [email protected].

*** Check out the America Explained Substack newsletter for a few written posts a month on the big issues in U.S. politics and foreign policy and no extra spam: https://amerex.substack.com/ ***

It often seemed over the last four years that with so much media attention focused on Donald Trump's daily outrages, there was little oxygen left for more normal types of political scandal. But the coronavirus and the monster winter storm which recently battered the United States have left many state governors trapped in a quagmire of scandal of their own. This episode explores how three of the largest states in the U.S. - Texas, California and New York - are each having struggles of their own.

Explaining the Texas power grid's isolation: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/massive-power-failure-could-finally-cause-texas-to-connect-with-the-nations-power-grids1/

Krugman on Texas: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/18/opinion/texas-storm-power.html

Andrew Cuomo is no hero: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/may/20/andrew-cuomo-new-york-coronavirus-catastrophe

California recall effort goes mainstream: https://www.usnews.com/news/elections/articles/2021-02-19/gavin-newsom-and-the-coronavirus-driven-california-recall-effort

Credits

Host - Andy Gawthorpe

Growth consultant - Anne Stoop

Designer/advisor - Janice Killion

Check out our Facebook page, where we're growing an international community of listeners interested in American politics, foreign policy & culture.

If you have any questions or comments, you can email the show on [email protected].

*** Check out the America Explained Substack newsletter for a few written posts a month on the big issues in U.S. politics and foreign policy and no extra spam: https://amerex.substack.com/ ***

Americans have always liked to believe that their country is special - or, as the phrase goes, exceptional. And as a consequence of believing that their country is exceptional, many Americans have also believed that it has a uniquely uplifting and moral role to play in international affairs.

But in Donald Trump, America has had a president who explicitly rejected the idea of his country's exceptionality for the first time, calling into question America's role in the world and the strength of its democracy at home. In order to find out more about the significance of Trump's rejection of this idea, I interviewed Dr. Hilde Restad from Bjørknes College in Norway. Hilde is a leading expert on American exceptionalism, and we had a great conversation not just about Trump but also the broader history of the concept, how other recent presidents (particularly Obama) had related to it, and whether we can expect a return to business as usual now that Biden is in office.

Hilde's article on Trump and American exceptionalism: https://tnsr.org/2019/12/whither-the-city-upon-a-hill-donald-trump-america-first-and-american-exceptionalism/

Hilde's book: https://www.routledge.com/American-Exceptionalism-An-Idea-that-Made-a-Nation-and-Remade-the-World/Restad/p/book/9781138096769

Credits

Host - Andy Gawthorpe

Designer/advisor - Janice Killion

Check out our Facebook page, where we're growing an international community of listeners interested in American politics, foreign policy & culture.

If you have any questions or comments, you can email the show on [email protected].

*** Check out the America Explained Substack newsletter for a few written posts a month on the big issues in U.S. politics and foreign policy and no extra spam: https://amerex.substack.com/ ***

Insurrections be damned, Joe Biden is now the president of the United States. In this episode we take a look at the three big policy issues he is moving on early - immigration, the environment, and the economy. We dissect his proposals, their chances of success - and how what he learned from the Obama administration is shaping his actions now that the buck stops with him.

Credits

Host - Andy Gawthorpe

Designer/advisor - Janice Killion

Check out our Facebook page, where we're growing an international community of listeners interested in American politics, foreign policy & culture.

If you have any questions or comments, you can email the show on [email protected].

*** Check out the America Explained Substack newsletter for a few written posts a month on the big issues in U.S. politics and foreign policy and no extra spam: https://amerex.substack.com/ ***

In this episode I spoke to Gregory Brew, deputy editor of the Texas National Security Review and a historian of U.S.-Iranian relations, about U.S. relations with Iran. We talked about the deeper history of the relationship, what drove policy during the Trump administration, and the role that oil plays in the broader U.S. stance in the Middle East.

Credits

Host - Andy Gawthorpe

Designer/advisor - Janice Killion

Check out our Facebook page, where we're growing an international community of listeners interested in American politics, foreign policy & culture.

If you have any questions or comments, you can email the show on [email protected].