Long Time No See

After more than a year of constant, grim headlines, the story of mRNA vaccines provides some hope. The newly authorized technology has been decades in the making and could change the way we treat and prevent various diseases, from HIV to cancer. Doctors Drew Weissman, David Diemert, and Van Morris explain the background and potential future uses of this microscopic technology.

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Music: “Side Hustle” by Otis Galloway [License: CC BY 4.0]

After four years of a “hollowing out” of the State Department, the U.S. Foreign Service looks to the future. Many voices have come forward proposing solutions on how to bring the service into a new modern era. Ambassadors Marc Grossman and Eric Rubin give a rundown on how the Foreign Service got to this point, what problems within the service predate the Trump years, and what needs to be done going forward.

Read the Belfer Center report: A U.S. Diplomatic Service for the 21st Century.

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Music: “Side Hustle” by Otis Galloway [License: CC BY 4.0]

After more than a year of sustained protests calling for democracy in Hong Kong, Beijing has cracked down on the movement, implementing a new national security law banning any actions associated with the protests. Protest posters have been torn down, prominent pro-democracy activists have fled the city, and people have wiped their social media of any evidence of participating in the protests. Award-winning photojournalist Laurel Chor describes the climate of uncertainty felt in the city since the new law has gone into effect. 

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Music: “Side Hustle” by Otis Galloway [License: CC BY 4.0]

The future of the internet is being decided upon in the Senate right now. In a time of growing use of end-to-end encryption and a heated debate over content moderation on websites like Facebook and Twitter, it is crucial to understand the laws that allow the internet to be an open and free platform. In this episode of Long Time, No See, Michael Kohler sits down with Adi Robertson, a senior reporter at The Verge, and India McKinney, director of federal affairs at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, to dive deep into the EARN IT Act, a bipartisan bill that proposes regulating Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which protects Internet platforms from liability over content posted by users, in order to fight the spread of child sexual abuse material online. Robertson and McKinney provide background on the consequences of previous regulations on Section 230 and how these new attempts may affect users’ Internet experience.

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Music: “Side Hustle” by Otis Galloway [License: CC BY 4.0]

For several years, the world has been on a positive path toward ending global hunger and poverty, among other goals. However, the current global pandemic has changed all of that. In the tenth episode of LTNS, Michael speaks with Shantanu Mukherjee, the chief of policy analysis at the Division for the SDGs in the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, about how the Coronavirus pandemic is affecting the advancement of global development. Mukherjee offers insight into how global crises often put up roadblocks in the fight for a better world but can also encourage international cooperation. 

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Music: “Side Hustle” by Otis Galloway [License: CC BY 4.0]

In the second episode of Season 2 of LTNS, Michael sits down with Armando Elenes, secretary-treasurer of the United Farm Workers union. Elenes discusses the uphill battles that several farmworkers face in protecting themselves from the pandemic. Many farmworkers do not have a safety net to fall back on if they become sick, so they must balance protecting themselves and providing for their families.

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Music: “Side Hustle” by Otis Galloway

License: CC BY 4.0

In the first episode of season two of LTNS, Michael Kohler (virtually) sits down with Eve Levenson, the policy and governmental affairs manager at March for Our Lives, to discuss what happens when public health crises intersect and how the organization is continuing to advocate for gun violence prevention measures from home.

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Music: “Side Hustle” by Otis Galloway

License: CC BY 4.0

National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-SAFE (https://www.thehotline.org/help/)

National Suicide Prevention Hotline: 1-800-273-8255 (https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/)

With media coverage now almost exclusively devoted to the coronavirus pandemic, countless stories may be left out of the media spotlight. Some stories, such as immigration or gun violence prevention, may not be getting as much attention, but may nevertheless have unique intersections with the pandemic. 

MediaFile's Podcast Director Michael Kohler launched “Long Time, No See” almost a year ago with a vision to focus on what happens to stories when they fade from mainstream coverage. And this goal is more relevant now than ever before. 

If there is a story you want covered during this time, send Michael your topic and guest recommendations at [email protected] or @KohlersVoice on Twitter.

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Audio Clips: ABC News, Politico, Fox News, NBC News

Music: “Side Hustle” by Otis Galloway
License: CC BY 4.0

Violence against the transgender community has been a problem for a long time, but recently, the trend of violence specifically against trans women of color has emerged as a pressing threat to the safety of trans Americans. In Ep. #07 of Long Time, No See, Michael Kohler sits down with trans experts and activists from the Human Rights Campaign and Casa Ruby to explore how this crisis is being treated by the nation and specifically how it impacts the District of Columbia.

In Episode #04 of the pod, Michael sat down with Dr. Edwin Chapman to discuss the consequences of the Washington, DC Opioid Crisis. Now, in Episode #06, he discusses the political angle and the future of the crisis in DC with Dr. Chapman and DC Councilmember Vincent Gray.

If you like this episode of Long Time, No See, leave a rating, subscribe to the show, and keep listening. If you have recommendations for future topics or guests, you can email the host at [email protected]. If you would like to donate to MediaFile, the student journalists who power this pod, go to mediafiledc.com/donate.