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Letters & Politics seeks to explore the history behind today’s major global and national news stories. Hosted by Mitch Jeserich.
Today, our host Mitch Jeserich is in conversation with John Nichols about the recent revelations about Russian interference in 2016 American presidential election. This Monday afternoon, Trump’s former campaign chairman Paul Manafort pled not guilty to money laundering, but the evidence is strong. John Nichols writes about politics for The Nation as its national-affairs correspondent … Continued
Today Letters And Politics Host, Mitch Jeserich, spoke with Philip Jenkins, author of Crucible of Faith: The Ancient Revolution That Made Our Modern Religious World. The book delves into the tumultuous period from 250 to 50 BCE and dissects the cultural and political chaos that provoked the factionalization of Jewish faith and trace how certain core ideas … Continued
On today’s show, Christina Aanestad, filing in for Mitch Jeserich, talks with Maria McFarland Sánchez-Moreno about the impacts of mass criminalization and criminal justice reform under Trump. Maria McFarland Sánchez-Moreno is the Executive Director of the Drug Policy Alliance. Then, Christina Aanestad is in conversation with Michael Tanglis, Senior Researcher at Public Citizen’s Congress … Continued
Today our host Olive Sand, filling in for Mitch Jeserich, interviews Stephen Hinshaw, chair of UCBerkeley’s psychology department, about his book The Triple Bind: Saving Our Teenage Girls from Today’s Pressures and Conflicting Expectations, written in collaboration with Rachel Kranz. It was written in 2009 but has lost nothing of its accuracy in the intervening years. Its … Continued
Today our host Christina Aanestad, filling in for Mitch Jeserich, is in conversation with three climate activists about their involvement in and perspectives on climate-related civil disobedience, particularly in terms of the defense of “necessity” in criminal law. We speak with Kelsey C. Skaggs, Executive Director of the Climate Defense Project, Tim DeChristopher, founder of the Climate Disobedience Center, … Continued
On today’s show, Max Pringle, filing in for Mitch Jeserich, talks about the Kurdish separatist movement in Iraq. After Kurds voted overwhelmingly for an independent Kurdistan a few weeks ago, the situation is worsening as Iraqi forces took over the important Kurdish stronghold Kirkuk earlier this week. To address this issue, we are in conversation with Peshawa … Continued
On today’s show, Mitch Jeserich is in conversation with Mark Bowden about his latest book Hue 1968: A Turning Point of the American War in Vietnam. He narrates the crucial battle of the Tet Offensive through the points of view of its participants and explains how the American mindset evolved during this few months.
First, our host Max Pringle, filing in for Mitch Jeserich, is in conversation with John Nichols about the political split inside the Republican Party. John Nichols, author of The Trumpocalypse: A Field Guide to the Most Dangerous People in America and blogger for The Nation magazine, explains the reasons of this division among the Republicans. … Continued
On today’s show, Christina Aanestad, filing in for Mitch Jeserich, is in conversation with Ari Berman, reporter for The Nation magazine and author of the book Give Us the Ballot: The Modern Struggle for Voting Rights in America. This book focuses on what happened since the passage of the Voting Rights Act in 1965 and how … Continued
Today our host Philip Maldari, filing in for Mitch Jeserich, is in conversation with Christopher Ingraham, reporter for the Washington Post, about gun violence in the US and the impact of mass shooting on the gun industry. Then, Mitch Jeserich talks to Dan Kovalik about his book The Plot to Scapegoat Russia: How the … Continued
