What in the world is going on? Julian Zelizer and Sam Wang catch you up on some of the biggest discussions happening in politics today: messaging about vaccines and the ongoing controversy about critical race theory and school curriculums.  

Politics and Polls

#241: Vaccines, Critical Race Theory & More

Julian Zelizer sits down with David Kushner to discuss his new podcast Alligator Candy, which is based on his memoir of the same name. The podcast tells the story of Kushner’s family and how the community came together after the disappearance of his brother.    Kushner is an acclaimed author and journalist who serves as a contributing editor of Rolling Stone and Outside. He has also written for publications including Vanity Fair, Wired, The New Yorker, New York Times Magazine, GQ, and more.

#240: ‘Alligator Candy’ & the Strength of Community (David Kushner)

How did Bill Barr alter the effectiveness of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) during his time as President Donald Trump's attorney general? Elie Honig joins Julian Zelizer and Sam Wang for a deep dive into the DOJ and a discussion of his new book, "Hatchet Man: How Bill Barr Broke the Prosecutor's Code and Corrupted the Justice Department,” released July 6.   Honig worked as a state and federal prosecutor for 14 years, trying cases including human trafficking and violent and organized crime. He’s now a CNN legal analyst, a writer for the online news outlet CAFE, and a special counsel for the firm of Lowenstein Sandler, LLP.

#239: Did Bill Barr Corrupt the DOJ? (Elie Honig)

Is there life on other planets? Are UFOs evidence of such life? Astrophysicist Adam Frank joins Julian Zelizer and Sam Wang to discuss his research of technosignatures — signs of past or present use of technology on other planets — and the search for evidence of life outside Earth. Adam Frank is professor of physics and astronomy at the University of Rochester. He’s a regular contributor to NPR’s All Things Considered, and he occasionally writes for The New York Times. Last year, he and several of his colleagues were awarded a grant from NASA to fund the study of technosignatures.

#238: The Truth is Out There...Somewhere (Adam Frank)

President Richard M. Nixon is perhaps best known for the Watergate scandal and becoming the first U.S. president to resign. But how much more is there to that familiar narrative? Kurt Andersen joins Julian Zelizer to discuss his new podcast, Nixon at War, and the behind-the-scenes story of the downfall of America's 37th President.  Kurt Andersen is a New York Times bestselling author, journalist, and radio host. Currently he’s the host, writer, and co-producer of the new PRX podcast Nixon at War, a seven-episode series that tells the story of America’s 37th President.

#237: Nixon at War (Kurt Andersen)

The arrest of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. sent the 1960 Kennedy Campaign into overdrive in the last nine days of a historic campaign for the presidency. But what happened during that lead-up to one of the closest elections of the 20th century?  Author Paul Kendrick joins Julian Zelizer in this episode to discuss his recent book “Nine Days: The Race to Save Martin Luther King Jr. and Win the 1960 Election.” Paul Kendrick is a writer and speaker whose articles have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Chicago-Sun Times, and many more publications. He’s also an adjunct professor at National Louis University in Chicago. “Nine Days” is the third book that he has written with his father, Stephen Kendrick.

#236: JFK, MLK, and Nine Long Days

Online misinformation runs rampant on social media and is having tangible impacts on American society. What can be done to combat the spread of these untruths?   Jonathan Mayer joins Sam Wang in this episode to discuss misinformation, big tech, and online data-driven research, and where they intersect with U.S. government policy. He also discusses his newest endeavor, Rally, which is a collaboration with Mozilla. Mayer is an assistant professor in the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs as well as the Department of Computer Science. He studies the intersections of technology and law, focusing on online speech, consumer privacy, and national security.

#235: Big Tech, Big Data, and Big Lies

We're living in a political disinformation era. Public opinion is sharply divided not just on the facts, but what actually constitutes fact or fiction. Two issues have made this dilemma crystal clear: the acceptability of COVID-19 vaccines and the outcome of the 2020 presidential election. In this episode, Julian and Sam weed through the neuroscience of the brain and what makes people hold on to beliefs that may be factually inaccurate. They discuss the general distrust of institutions and how beliefs spread in our speedy social media ecosystem.

#234: Why People Believe Falsehoods (From Vaccines to Votes)

How much time does the Biden administration have until Republicans revitalize their strength or even expand in the midterms? This is a question brewing among Democrats who wonder whether they should go bold with legislation, or tread lightly to protect the slim majority of Democrats in the House and Senate. In this episode and article, Paul Starr argues that Democrats must be bold in the battles they fight but careful about those they choose. Perhaps above all else, the party must prove that government can work for ordinary people while improving election reform so democracy survives. Starr is professor of sociology and public affairs at Princeton University and Stuart Professor of communications and public affairs at Princeton's School of Public and International Affairs. He also serves as founding co-editor of The American Prospect, a liberal magazine that he co-founded in 1990 with Robert Kuttner and Robert Reich. Starr's work addresses a wide range of questions in politics, public policy, and social theory.

#233: Why Democrats Should be Bold But Careful (Paul Starr)

Catching up on the politics of the week, Julian Zelizer and Sam Wang discuss how Rep. Liz Cheney was ousted from her role as House Republican Conference chair by the GOP, a position she's held since 2017, and what it means for democracy. Sam uncovers some suspicious Census undercounting of Hispanics in New York City, and they both evaluate COVID-19 vaccine messaging — and how to reach herd immunity.

#232: Liz Cheney Ousting, Census Accuracy & Vaccine Persuasion

The Biden Administration is steadfastly pushing through a $4.1 trillion infrastructure plan, which some are comparing to President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal of the 1930s. Moving beyond roads, bridges, and tunnels, Biden’s bipartisan bill includes improvements to broadband internet, climate change, and even racial justice. Julian Zelizer and Sam Wang examine the plan with journalist Matt Yglesias — who recently wrote about it in his newsletter “Slow Boring.” Yglesias co-founded Vox.com with Ezra Klein and Melissa Bell in 2014. In 2020, he moved to Substack, an email newsletter subscription platform, where he writes independently.

#231: Biden’s Infrastructure Plan (Matt Yglesias)

After the election of Donald Trump, rural America — which made up a good portion of Trump's base — quickly became a focal point. Authors like J.D. Vance and others wrote about their struggling hometowns in the hopes of understanding the Trump appeal. And despite his 2020 election loss, Trump’s foothold remains strong in many of these pastoral pockets. A native Nebraskan, author Ross Benes joins Julian Zelizer and Sam Wang in today's episode to discuss what made the Cornhusker State drift right in the 2016 election. Benes is the author of "Rural Rebellion: How Nebraska Became a Republican Stronghold," published by the University Press of Kansas. A journalist and research analyst, he has written for Esquire, The Wall Street Journal, Rolling Stone, and more.

#230: How Nebraska Became a Republican Stronghold (Ross Benes)

Given today's anti-immigrant, nativist sentiments, is the American Dream even still possible for immigrants to the U.S.? For decades, the politics behind immigration control have undermined the idea of citizenship for all, making this a hard question to answer. In a new book, historian Sarah Coleman reveals the roots behind today's immigration policies. She shows how immigration politics was not just about building or tearing down walls, but about employer sanctions, access to schools, welfare, and the role of local authorities in implementing policies. She discusses this and more in this episode with Julian Zelizer, her mentor when she was a Ph.D. candidate at Princeton, and Sam Wang. Coleman is assistant professor of history at Texas State University. Her book, "The Walls Within: The Politics of Immigration in Modern America," was published by the Princeton University Press.

#229: Can Immigrants Still Chase the American Dream? (Sarah Coleman)

President Joe Biden is approaching his 100th day in office, yet his ultimate win against incumbent Donald Trump was never a foregone conclusion. In their new book, “Lucky: How Joe Biden Barely Won the Presidency,” political reporters Jonathan Allen and Amie Parnes recount Biden’s perilous journey to the White House — from initial primary losses to the now-infamous first presidential debate.   Allen is a senior national political reporter with NBC News Digital, and Parnes is a senior correspondent for The Hill. The pair also are the authors of the New York Times bestseller “Shattered,” which debriefed readers on Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign. *This episode first debuted as virtual book talk hosted by Princeton SPIA.

#228: How Joe Biden Barely Won the Presidency (Jonathan Allen and Amie Parnes)

An often-forgotten champion for racial justice in America is Thaddeaus Stevens, a 19th century statesman. He was a leader of the young Republican Party's radical wing, fighting for anti-slavery and anti-racist policies long before others endorsed them. Unlike many of his contemporaries, he saw the Civil War as a second American revolution — an opportunity to remake the country into a true multiracial democracy. In this episode, Sam Wang takes a deep dive into the life of Stevens with historian Bruce Levine, a professor emeritus of history at the University of Illinois and the bestselling author of four books on the Civil War era. They also discuss "Special Field Order 15," which later became known by the wartime phrase "40 acres and a mule," in which some freed Black families were given 40 acres of tillable land.

#227: 40 Acres, a Mule, and an Early Civil Rights Champion (Bruce Levine)

Politics & Polls is a podcast produced by WooCast, based at Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs.

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