Today
Understanding Iran Under Attack: A Discussion with Author Vali Nasr
Eleven days into the attack on Iran by the United States and Israel, starting on Feb. 28, 2026, I speak with Vali Nasr, a renowned analyst of Iran. He’s the author of several books dealing with Iran, including most recently Iran’s Grand Strategy: A Political History (Princeton Un ... Show More
48m 23s
Today
Wendy Brown, "States of Injury: Power and Freedom in Late Modernity" (Princeton UP, 2025)
A sympathetic critique that attempts to free Left politics from its own snares, States of Injury: Power and Freedom in Late Modernity (Princeton University Press, 2025) explores how woundedness became a basis for contemporary political identity. Without condemning identity politi ... Show More
41m 11s
Yesterday
Sari Hanafi, "Against Symbolic Liberalism: A Plea for Dialogical Sociology" (Liverpool UP, 2025)
In an era of deepening polarization, Sari Hanafi examines how social scientists often reproduce the very injustices they seek to challenge, taking entrenched positions while dismissing alternative perspectives. He introduces the concept of symbolic liberalism - a contradiction in ... Show More
50m 5s
Aug 2025
Ep. 250: Civil rights, hate speech, and the First Amendment
We know the First Amendment protects hate speech. But has it always done so? And how have civil rights groups responded when their members are the target of hate speech? University of Iowa Law Professor Samantha Barbas is the author of a new law review article, "How American Civi ... Show More
57m 4s
Apr 2024
Defending Pornography, Hate Speech and the ACLU: Nadine Strossen on The Unspeakable
<p>This week, Meghan talks with legal scholar, former law professor, and legendary free speech advocate Nadine Strossen.</p> <p>Nadine was president of the American Civil Liberties Union from 1991 to 2008 and she's the author of many books, including Defending Pornography, which ... Show More
1h 21m
Nov 2023
Rep. Andy Biggs, AZ (R) : Hey, Mike Johnson, It’s the Constitution You’re Trashing!
<p>Imagine a world where Fourth Amendment protections are compromised. Well, the expiration of Section 702 of the FISA Act has the potential to make it a reality. With Congressman Andy Biggs by our side, we tackle this pressing issue and challenge the slippery slope of suspending ... Show More
21m 26s
Dec 2024
The 12 Books of Christmas | Think Again: Is Free Speech Under Threat? with Suzanne Nossel and Charlotte Lydia Riley
Many liberals believe that in recent years we have seen an erosion of the right to air unpopular opinions without the risk of being cancelled. We are in an ever-intensifying shutting down of conversation, they maintain, with constituencies on both the left and the right demanding ... Show More
58m 3s
Oct 2024
Jon Michaels and David Noll, "Vigilante Nation: How State-Sponsored Terror Threatens Our Democracy" (Atria/One Signal, 2024)
Law professors Jon Michaels and David Noll use their expertise to expose how state-supported forms of vigilantism are being deployed by MAGA Republicans and Christian nationalists to roll back civil, political, and privacy rights and subvert American democracy. Beyond identifying ... Show More
1h 19m
We Americans are defined by our Constitution and we cherish especially the First and Second Amendments. But like all texts, the Constitution can be read to empower and protect our individual rights, but it can also be used selectively, self-servingly, and in bad faith. And the Constitution guarantees two things: our own personal liberties, unfettered by thre ... Show More
