This week, contributors Rena Karefa-Johnson and Matt Ruby return to discuss the activism of the kids from Parkland, Florida, after the shooting at their high school last week. We’re also joined by Jacqueline Soller to discuss the recently released movie, Black Panther, directed by Ryan Coogler. Along the way, we’ll also hear from a man named Allan, who told us about the ways in which his experience of the NYC Marathon has changed since being diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease; Radio Dispatch’s John Knefel shares his take on Donald Trump’s campaign promises to ban Muslims from the United States and the status of his efforts to do so after a year in office; and we take an exclusive early listen to a performance by QTY from their upcoming session for BTR Live Studio.

Music composed by and show edited by Hansdale Hsu.

00:00 - Intro

01:18 - START /// Parkland Students (w/ Rena and Matt)

03:00 - Thoughts on the kids’ activism and response by media, politicians, etc.

09:46 - Combo of growing up after 9/11 & Columbine with innate social media skills

12:23 - Influence of Black Lives Matter and Me Too movements + Trump

16:15 - Conspiracy theories: crisis actors? Co-opted by liberals?

22:44 - School security and arming teachers

30:02 - Is the Never Again movement sustainable?

38:58 - Knowing someone affected by an issue changes opinions /// END

41:30 - 1st Person: Allan // Overcoming Parkinson's Disease

44:19 - Movie Review: ‘Black Panther’ w/ Jacqueline Soller

45:59 - Movie Chat: ‘Black Panther’ (spoiler alert)

70:50 - John Knefel // Trump’s Bans Are Working

72:38 - “Salvation” (BTR Live Studio, 2018) - QTY

77:03 - Outro / Credits

77:53 - Finish.

This week, contributors Matt Ruby and Charles Gould return for another installment of Torah Talk, to discuss the first five commandments. We’re also joined by Jacqueline Soller to discuss the Academy Award nominated documentary, Icarus, directed by Bryan Fogel. Along the way, we’ll also hear from a man named Xavier, who told us about how he sees the world; Radio Dispatch’s Molly Knefel shares her thoughts on recent controversial takes by writers for the NY Times Opinion section; and we’ll get a sample of the local music scene of Portland, Oregon, as presented on one of our most popular music podcasts here at BTRtoday: Spotlight on The City.

Music composed by and show edited by Hansdale Hsu.

00:00 - Intro

01:15 - START /// Torah Talk, Part 3 (w/ Matt Ruby & Charles Gould)

04:45 - A skillful segue to the Torah / The Jews leave Egypt / anthropomorphizing God

08:01 - God summons Moses / the Jews become the Chosen People

13:00 - The only mass revelation of God / goyish politicians / Jews spread out

23:46 - 1st Commandment (not a commandment) / God is 1st comedian

27:13 - 2nd Commandment / defining “generations”

32:16 - 3rd Commandment

34:05 - 4th Commandment / “How did the slaves have slaves?”

38:30 - 5th Commandment

39:49 - Connecting mass revelation to modern Jews being spread out / Israel and endtimes /// END

43:35 - 1st Person: Xavier // Musings On A World Afire

46:26 - Movie Review: ‘Icarus’ w/ Jacqueline Soller

47:25 - Movie Chat: ‘Icarus’ (spoiler alert)

65:35 - Molly Knefel // The Times Takes The Wrong Side

68:13 - “Lonely Life” - And And And

72:07 - Outro / Credits

72:54 - Finish.

This week, contributors Matt Ruby and Charles Gould join us to discuss whether President Trump is, in fact, “winning” as Vox’s Ezra Klein recently suggested. We’re also joined by Charles Hinshaw to discuss the Academy Award nominated Chilean film, A Fantastic Woman, directed by Sebastián Lelio and starring Daniela Vega. Along the way, we’ll also hear from a woman named Ulrika, who told us about how she became more active after being hurt in an accident; Radio Dispatch’s John Knefel shares his thoughts on how conspiratorial thinking has shaped the GOP and its conservative base from the time of Richard Nixon to today; and we’ll take an exclusive early listen to a performance by Anna Burch from her upcoming session of BTR Live Studio.

Music composed by and show edited by Hansdale Hsu.

Mentioned in the episode:

“Trump Is Winning” // Vox

00:00 - Intro

01:16 - Is Trump winning, as Ezra Klein suggests? (w/ Matt Ruby & Charles Gould)

33:39 - 1st Person: Ulrika // Being More Active After Her Accident

36:30 - Movie Review: ‘A Fantastic Woman’ w/ Charles Hinshaw

39:21 - Movie Chat: ‘A Fantastic Woman’ (spoiler alert)

58:00 - John Knefel // The Conspiratorial Conservative

60:07 - “Asking For A Friend” (BTR Live Studio, 2018) - Anna Burch

64:24 - Outro / Credits

65:11 - Finish.

This week, contributors Matt Ruby and Charles Gould join us to discuss recent announcements by Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook about how they plan to change the way they choose content to display for users, in response to recent criticisms -- especially as related to the 2016 election. We’re also joined by Jacqueline Soller to discuss the Academy Award nominated documentary, Strong Island, directed by Yance Ford. Along the way, we’ll also hear from a woman named Jessica, who told us about her attempted suicide and how it’s led her to value life and gain a new sense of purpose; Radio Dispatch’s Molly Knefel shares her take on rumors about Oprah Winfrey and Steve Kerry mulling presidential campaigns in 2020; and we’ll take an exclusive early listen to a performance by The Royal They from their upcoming session of BTR Live Studio.

Music composed by and show edited by Hansdale Hsu.

Mentioned in the episode:

"Facebook Overhauls News Feed to Focus on What Friends and Family Share" // NY Times

00:00 - Intro

01:16 - Facebook makes changes after criticism (w/ Matt Ruby & Charles Gould)

35:00 - 1st Person: Jessica // Surviving An Attempted Suicide

39:54 - Movie Review: ‘Strong Island’ w/ Jacqueline Soller

41:15 - Movie Chat: ‘Strong Island’ (spoiler alert)

60:01 - Molly Knefel // Oprah Will Not Save Us

62:46 - “Sludgefucker” (BTR Live Studio, 2018) - The Royal They

66:39 - Outro / Credits

67:25 - Finish.

This week, we welcome both our regular contributors on movies, Jacqueline Soller and Charles Hinshaw, for an extended conversation about the Academy Award nominations that were announced this week for films released in 2017. Additionally, we’ll be discussing some of our own film favorites from 2017. Additionally, we hear from Radio Dispatch’s John Knefel, with his thoughts on how any Democrat considering a run for President in 2020 might do well to consider supporting the legalization of marijuana; we hear from a woman named Emily, who shares how she started running and the experience of running with her children; and we take an exclusive early listen to a performance by dream-pop songstress Shana Falana from an episode of BTR Live Studio set to be released next week.

Music composed by and show edited by Hansdale Hsu.

00:00 - Intro

01:26 - START // 2017 Oscar Noms and Favs w/ Jacqueline Soller + Charles Hinshaw

01:46 - Which movies surprised and disappointed you most in 2017?

05:00 - How surprised or expected were the Oscar nominations?

09:55 - Predictions, favorites, and our alternative nominees for… Best Actress

16:48 - …Best Actor

22:35 - …Best Supporting Actor

31:44 - ...Best Supporting Actress

37:15 - ...Best Adapted Screenplay

42:04 - ...Best Original Screenplay

52:55 - ...Best Director

62:27 - ...Best Picture (and our favorite film lists)

72:03 - Notes on other categories

76:18 - Anyone/thing else not nominated you wish had been?

79:02 - Making up our own categories

81:53 - Opinions on Oscars’ and other awards shows’ value /// END

96:59 - 1st Person: Emily // Running With Children

99:36 - John Knefel // Legal Weed 2020

101:24 - “Cool Kids” (BTR Live Studio, 2018) - Shana Falana

109:37 - Outro / Credits

110:18 - Finish.

This week, Matt Ruby joins us for another edition of Twitter Moments, in which we talk about these topics that were trending on Twitter as we recorded:

1) Adult film star Stormy Daniels alleges she slept with Trump, In Touch reports

2)Boyfriend's reaction to this selfie was extra and people are loving it

3)Eric Trump says his father is the 'least racist' person he knows

4)Peanut Butter on Hot Dogs

We’re also joined by Jacqueline Soller to discuss the recently released movie, The Post, directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks. Along the way, we’ll also hear from Radio Dispatch’s John Knefel with his thoughts on the recent scare in Hawaii when a mistaken alert went out warning of an imminent missile attack; we’ll hear from a woman named Kaitlyn, who told us about one of her most embarrassing memories; and we’ll take an exclusive early listen to a performance by by Brooklyn songsmith, Benjamin Cartel, from an episode of BTR Live Studio set to be released next week.

Music composed by and show edited by Hansdale Hsu.

00:00 - Intro

01:16 - START /// Twitter Moments w/ Matt Ruby

03:16 - ‘Adult film star Stormy Daniels alleges she slept with Trump, In Touch reports’

14:04 - ‘Boyfriend's reaction to this selfie was extra and people are loving it’

19:56 - ‘Eric Trump says his father is the 'least racist' person he knows’

29:23 - ‘Peanut Butter on Hot Dogs’ /// END

37:48 - 1st Person: Kaitlyn // Reliving Her Most Embarrassing Moment

41:22 - Movie Review: ‘The Post’ w/ Jacqueline Soller

42:10 - Movie Chat: ‘The Post’ (spoiler alert)

57:49 - John Knefel // Apocalypse By Push Alert

60:05 - “The Jungle Eats Everything” (BTR Live Studio, 2018) - Benjamin Cartel

64:47 - Outro / Credits

65:37 - Finish.

This week, Rena Karefa-Johnson and Matt Ruby join us to discuss developing plans to close the Rikers Island jail complex in New York City, as well as moves to eliminate bail for misdemeanors in the city and state -- and how both relate to the wider topic of mass incarceration. We’ll also discuss the interest in Oprah Winfrey running for president after her recent speech at the Golden Globe award. We’re also joined by Charles Hinshaw to discuss the recently released movie, Phantom Thread, directed by Paul Thomas Anderson and starring Daniel Day-Lewis, Vicky Krieps, and Lesley Manville. Along the way, we’ll also hear from a woman named Victoria, who shared her thoughts on the ways people communicate these days and her desire for more personal connections; Radio Dispatch’s John Knefel shares his take on renewed efforts by the Trump administration to crackdown on marijuana possession and so-called “sanctuary cities;”; and we’ll take an exclusive early listen to a performance by Pow Pow Family Band from their upcoming session of BTR Live Studio.

Music composed by and show edited by Hansdale Hsu.

00:00 - Intro

01:35 - START /// Rikers Island (w/ Rena Karefa-Johnson & Matt Ruby)

07:58 - Rikers is closing. How big a step is that?

12:00 - Backsliding on previous attempts to lessen mass incarceration since Trump

18:27 - Moves to (partially) eliminate cash bail /// END

24:34 - START /// Oprah for President?

28:44 - Why was Oprah’s Golden Globes speech political?

34:42 - Possible negatives… and the many positives?

41:43 - What does she need to do to overcome skepticism? Can she win?

44:05 - 1st Person: Victoria // Wishing For More Personal Connection

48:28 - Movie Review: ‘Phantom Thread’ w/ Charles Hinshaw

50:35 - Movie Chat: ‘Phantom Thread’ (spoiler alert)

73:00 - John Knefel // Trump’s Domestic Crackdowns

75:50 - “Series Finale” (BTR Live Studio, 2018) - Pow Pow Family Band

80:02 - Outro / Credits

80:53 - Finish.

This week, we welcome both our regular contributors on movies, Jacqueline Soller and Charles Hinshaw, for an extended conversation about the latest Star Wars film, The Last Jedi, directed by Rian Johnson and starring Mark Hamill, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Kelly Marie Tran, and Carrie Fisher.

Additionally, we hear from Radio Dispatch’s Molly Knefel, with her thoughts on the upcoming 2018 midterm elections; we hear from a woman named Erin, who shares the story of how she surprised her boyfriend by visiting him while he lived abroad; and we take an exclusive early listen to a performance by Indiana musician Peter Oren from an episode of BTR Live Studio set to be released next week.

Music composed by and show edited by Hansdale Hsu.

00:00 - Intro

01:26 - START // ‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’ w/ Jacqueline Soller + Charles Hinshaw

03:35 - Spoiler alert / our reactions / pacing or anticipating / expectations

10:43 - Fan reaction / more on pacing / comparing to previous movies

13:05 - Finn and Rose (and ‘DJ’) / Jar Jar? / fanservice

16:57 - Plot hole(s)?

20:06 - Luke’s characterization / visual flairs / mirror cave / connected minds

25:13 - Leia (yes, we discuss the ‘space walk’) / porgs, crystal critters, etc.

31:00 - Other new force powers / Kylo Ren moments / Knights of Ren?

35:45 - Yoda / Snoke / more new force powers

40:10 - Ongoing serialized entertainment / factory produced movies

45:30 - Reading Star Wars as a parallel to current events

51:00 - Looking ahead to Episode IX, etc. / wrap up // END

57:40 - 1st Person: Erin // Surprising Her Boyfriend

61:24 - Molly Knefel // Looking Toward The 2018 Elections

64:06 - “Falling Water” (BTR Live Studio, 2018) - Peter Oren

68:10 - Outro / Credits

68:55 - Finish.

This week, we have the second part of our two-episode review of the year that has been 2017. In the interest of filling the gap of our coverage of the year, we look back at some of the events that occurred in the early months, before this podcast began in April, with a focus on stories which we may have covered if the show had been in production. We’ll also hear from Jacqueline Soller about the recently released movie, Mudbound, directed by Dee Rees and starring Garrett Hedlund, Carey Mulligan, Jason Clarke, Rob Morgan, Jonathan Banks, Jason Mitchell, and Mary J. Blige. Along the way, we’ll also hear some of our favorite ‘1st Person’ segments from the year as well as some of the best BTR Live Studio performances, as picked by that podcast’s host, Maia Macdonald.

Music composed by and show edited by Hansdale Hsu.

00:00 - Intro

01:26 - 2017 In Review

15:14 - 1st Person: Morticia // Finding Acceptance In The City

20:16 - “Cold Apartment” (BTR Live Studio, 2017) - Vagabon

24:22 - 2017 In Review, continued / Thank you! / Looking ahead to 2018

30:15 - 1st Person: Carol // Learning About Her Estranged Father

34:55 - “Voiceover” (BTR Live Studio, 2017) - Fred Thomas

38:00 - Movie Review: ‘Mudbound’ w/ Jacqueline Soller

39:34 - Movie Chat: ‘Mudbound’ (spoiler alert)

54:44 - “End Of The Maze” (BTR Live Studio, 2017) - CLOSENESS

60:07 - Outro / Credits

61:04 - Finish.

This week, we have the first part of our two-episode review of the year that has been 2017. In the interest of filling the gap of our coverage of the year, we look back at some of the events that occurred in the early months, before this podcast began in April, with a focus on stories which we may have covered if the show had been in production. We’ll also hear from Charles Hinshaw and special guest Joe Virgillito about the recently released movie, The Disaster Artist, directed by James Franco and starring James and Dave Franco, Alison Brie, Seth Rogen, and Ari Graynor. Along the way, we’ll also hear some of our favorite ‘1st Person’ segments from the year as well as some of the best BTR Live Studio performances, as picked by that podcast’s host, Maia Macdonald.

Music composed by and show edited by Hansdale Hsu.

Also mentioned in the episode:

“‘The Disaster Artist’ Was Everything I Hoped It’d Be” by Joe Virgillito

00:00 - Intro

01:26 - 2017 In Review

13:11 - 1st Person: Ayanda // Realizing Friends Were Trump Supporters

17:36 - 2017 In Review, continued

24:47 - “Someone Else” (BTR Live Studio, 2017) - Lilah Larson

30:03 - Movie Review: ‘The Disaster Artist’ w/ Charles Hinshaw

31:43 - Movie Chat: ‘The Disaster Artist’ (spoiler alert) w/ Joe Virgillito

46:56 - 1st Person: Frank // The Baddest 72 Year Old in New York

50:01 - “At Mosp Here” (BTR Live Studio, 2017) - Re-TROS

62:55 - Outro / Credits

63:45 - Finish.