Current Affairs

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Current Affairs episodes

July 01, 2020 #52: William Blake 2024
The panel discusses how to advocate for unpopular policies, Pete enters Lefty Shark Tank to defend the concept of a wrongful incarceration tort, and everyone debates which lefties could defeat Trump in a "vibe-off". At one point Aisling says William Blake has been "dead for four hundred years" even though she knows full well it's actually more like two hundred. Zero points to Aisling.
The panel this week was legal editor Oren Nimni, lieutenant editor Brianna Rennix, podmaster-general Aisling McCrea, and editor-in-chief Nathan J. Robinson. Your host is Pete Davis. Music at the end by the always-wonderful Danny Bradley.
This episode was edited by Dan Thorn of Pink Noise Studios in Somerville, MA.
1 hr 18 min
June 29, 2020 UNLOCKED: Jason Adam Katzenstein on OCD and cartooning
We're unlocking this bonus episode because we love Jason and we love his book and you should get his beautiful book.
Today we're talking to Jason Katzenstein, cartoonist for Current Affairs and The New Yorker, about his new book Everything is an Emergency: An OCD Story in Words and Pictures.
Pre-order Jason's book (at your local bookstore if possible!): https://www.harpercollins.com/9780062950079/everything-is-an-emergency/
Jason's livedrawings and other works for Current Affairs: https://www.currentaffairs.org/author/jason-adam-katzenstein
This episode was edited by Dan Thorn of Pink Noise Studios in Somerville, MA.
55 min
June 26, 2020 PREVIEW: Adam F. Naughton on the politics of disability
Nathan speaks to Adam F. Naughton (@adamfnaughton), a disabled activist in South Carolina and founder of www.notyourinspiration.org, about the differences between the medical and social models of disability, "inspiration porn", the barriers that keep disabled people marginalized, and more.
This episode is available in full to our Patreon subscribers. To gain full access to this episode today, please consider becoming one of our subscribers at www.patreon.com/CurrentAffairs!
2 min
June 19, 2020 In conversation: Erika Uyterhoeven for Somerville
Oren Nimni sits down for a friendly chat with Erika Uyterhoeven, an organizer in his hometown of Somerville who is running for State Representative. Find out more at https://www.electerika.com/

This episode was edited by Dan Thorn of Pink Noise Studios in Somerville, MA.
55 min
June 18, 2020 WATER
Yesterday, Current Affairs published an article on the recent failure of two Michigan dams. In conjunction with this article, we thought we would release this bonus episode, originally aired in August 2019, in which Sparky and Vanessa interview the author, Varsha Venkatasubramanian (a.k.a. @varsha_venkat_).

This episode was edited by Dan Thorn of Pink Noise Studios in Somerville, MA.

45 min
June 16, 2020 #51: Voicemailbag X
The panel answers your questions on democracy in education, progressive prosecutors, protest votes, righteous jobs and monuments. (This episode was recorded before the recent spate of statue topplings.)

Danny Bradley: https://dannybradleymusic.com/
We Might Not Die (Maybe): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAF-YUc2_WI
What Is Education For? by Sparky Abraham and Nathan J. Robinson: https://www.currentaffairs.org/2018/08/what-is-education-for
Better Call Saul inflatable tube man: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzs3nDCLJaI
Sabastian 2020: https://twitter.com/SignsFun/status/1272456435369160704
Platformism: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Platformism

This episode was edited by Dan Thorn of Pink Noise Studios in Somerville, MA.
59 min
June 10, 2020 #50: The Current Affairs Autonomous Zone
The panel discusses the protests, alternatives to policing, and political art. (If you want to know further thoughts on Dave Eggers' "The Captain and The Glory", don't worry—Current Affairs will reveal all soon.)
The panel this week was editor-in-chief Nathan J. Robinson, associate editor Vanessa A. Bee, finance editor Sparky Abraham and host Lyta Gold.
Transform Harm: https://transformharm.org/abolition/
Criticism of 8 Can't Wait: https://www.8toabolition.com/
Resource Guide: Prisons, Policing and Punishment: https://medium.com/@micahherskind/resource-guide-prisons-policing-and-punishment-effb5e0f6620
Nathan's article about Christopher Dorner: https://newpol.org/last-american-idealist/
This episode was edited by Dan Thorn of Pink Noise Studios in Somerville, MA.
1 hr 11 min
June 04, 2020 Samelys López for NY-15
Lyta Gold speaks to Samelys López, a housing justice activist who is running in the June 23rd Democratic primary in New York's 15th congressional district. (Please note that this episode was recorded before the start of the ongoing nationwide protests against racism and police brutality.)
Campaign website: lopezforthepeople.com
Twitter: @SamelysLopez
This episode was edited by Dan Thorn of Pink Noise Studios in Somerville, MA.
49 min
May 27, 2020 Ilhan Omar
Current Affairs interviewer-in-chief Eli Massey speaks to Ilhan Omar, Congresswoman for Minnesota's 5th district. Together, they discuss her new book, This Is What America Looks Like, as well as foreign policy, Israel, drone strikes, Margaret Thatcher, Prince, and more.
The book: https://www.harpercollins.com/9780062954213/this-is-what-america-looks-like/
Ilhan Omar's Twitter: https://twitter.com/IlhanMN
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RepIlhan/
Show notes:
AIPAC-backed letter calling for an arms embargo on Iran, which Ilhan Omar signed onto https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2020/05/ilhan-omar-aipac-letter-trump-iran-israel-lobbying.html
Amnesty International calling for an arms embargo on Israel https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2018/04/israel-arms-embargo-needed-as-military-unlawfully-kills-and-maims-gaza-protesters/
Ilhan Omar's Pathway to Peace bills https://omar.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-omar-introduces-pathway-peace-bold-foreign-policy-vision-united-states
AOC interviewed by Glenn Greenwald in 2018, saying “I think we need new leadership.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuoKLLLpiuE&feature=youtu.be&t=1589
Ilhan Omar's favorite Prince songs: "When Doves Cry" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUc0R8bbWQE
"The Most Beautiful Girl in the World" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFtfrd8_K9k
Ilhan Omar calls for more transparency around drone strikes https://www.thedailybeast.com/ilhan-omar-demands-answers-on-civilian-deaths-in-somalia?ref=author&fbclid=IwAR0-2XTSM7IxKbRtaH-YgsxMDgaaGO831ht8NR-aIvMN3rFCWF-r9Y55czU
The Ilhan Omar/Obama Politico controversy recounted https://www.mediaite.com/online/politico-reporter-fires-back-after-rep-ilhan-omar-claims-obama-comments-distorted/
Obama has deported more people than Trump https://thehill.com/latino/470900-deportations-lower-under-trump-than-obama-report
Immigrant children were forcibly injected with drugs at concentration camps under the Obama administration (see dates mentioned in the lawsuit) https://www.revealnews.org/blog/immigrant-children-forcibly-injected-with-drugs-lawsuit-claims/
Chip Gibbons' article which found that that the FBI opened terrorism investigations into a non-violent solidarity organization because they sympathize with Palestinians and are anti-capitalist. https://theintercept.com/2020/04/05/israel-palestine-fbi-terrorism-investigation/?fbclid=IwAR37_c828nANlo5uFg4-jAK8FY7V5shpbcx7vvPQUDh2EozduDBPVPdB_Y0
The FBI has labeled people involved with the Black Lives Matter movement as "Black Identity Extremists" https://theintercept.com/2019/10/29/fbi-surveillance-black-activists/
The FBI and Chicago Police Department murdered Black Panthers Fred Hampton and Mark Clark https://www.currentaffairs.org/2019/05/the-chicago-police-department-tortured-people
Nancy Pelosi's record https://www.currentaffairs.org/2019/11/pelosi-must-go-2/
34 min
May 25, 2020 PREVIEW: Lawyers
As you may or may not have noticed, a *lot* of the Current Affairs editors work as lawyers for their day jobs. Current Affairs interviewer-in-chief Eli Massey has brought a panel together to ask: can you make a difference as a lawyer? Are there any good reasons to become a lawyer? Can the law ever be a force for good? And what is the point of Ivy League law schools?
This is a preview of an episode available in full to our Patreon subscribers. To gain full access to this episode, as well as lots of other brilliant bonus content, please consider becoming one of our subscribers at www.patreon.com/CurrentAffairs!
2 min