How to look at America

During the first Trump presidency I produced a radio drama with Jonathan Mitchell at The Truth Podcast about camp MAGA. In 2017 the idea of Trump locking up Americans in camps was a bit silly… that could never happen here? But in 2024, as private prison stocks soar to new heights ... Show More

Earlier this year I read a book called The End of Reality by the writer Jonathan Taplin. The book is a meditation on the outsize power and influence of four billionaires: Peter Thiel, Mark Zuckerberg, Marc Andreesen, and Elon Musk. After the election I rang Jonathan up for a spec ... Show More

A few years ago I put together a story about the Cultural Marxism conspiracy theory with the writer and historian Martin Jay, today in 2024 the Cultural Marxism Industry is stronger than ever. An update for 2024. 

We rep our city, our town, our hoods – but you don’t know what you don’t know until you’ve been somewhere else. During their trip to Europe, Khadeen and Devale gained some major insight on what America looks like from the outside. In this episode, the Ellises talk about the growt ... Show More

Capturing the nation in conversation to build a unique picture of our lives today. 

<p>As the attacks were unfolding on the Capitol, a steady stream of images poured onto our screens. Photo editor Kainaz Amaria tells us what she was looking for--and seeing--that afternoon. And she runs into a dilemma we've talked about before. In December of 2009, photojournalis ... Show More

National Geographic photographers seldom do their work alone, especially those who journey out to far-flung places. This week, we’re shining a light on local collaborators—people whose names don’t show up in the credit line for a photo but who are key to helping our photographers ... Show More

<p>Chinese Vistas: Jonathan Spence lectures about China.</p><p>Recorded at The Asia Society in New York.</p><p>Spence explores the two centuries in which the United States gradually moved from its position as a dominant beacon of freedom and democracy for China, to becoming a mor ... Show More

<p>The story of this country is told through the eyes of immigrants. This episode of the Velshi Banned Book Club will explore two critically acclaimed additions to the American immigration literary canon: “How the García Girls Lost Their Accents” by Julia Alvarez and “American St ... Show More

1950s America proved fertile ground for photographers Robert Frank and Todd Webb, who both received Guggenheim Foundation grants to traverse the country in 1955 and record their respective visions. While Frank's resulting book, The Americans, eventually made him a legend, Webb's ... Show More