logo
episode-header-image
Oct 2020
45m 20s

No Special Duty

Wnyc Studios
About this episode
What are the police for? Producer B.A. Parker started wondering this back in June, as Black Lives Matter protests and calls to “defund the police” ramped up. The question led her to a wild story of a stabbing on a New York City subway train, and the realization that, according to the law, the police don’t always have to protect us. Producer Sarah Qari joins ... Show More
Up next
Yesterday
Math Vs Machine
In less than four years, mathematician Steve Strogatz watched AI go from flailing at basic arithmetic to solving problems that baffle the world’s best mathematicians. In September of 2026, Open AI announced it had solved a Millennium Prize Problem, one of math’s highest achieveme ... Show More
31m 22s
Oct 2
A 4-Track Mind
In this short episode, first aired in 2011, a neurologist issues a dare to a ragtime piano player and a famous conductor. When the two men face off in an fMRI machine, the challenge is so unimaginably difficult that one man instantly gives up. But the other achieves a musical fea ... Show More
21m 7s
Sep 25
Grass Apes
When you think about grass, what do you think of? Pool parties? Suburbs? Allergies? What about: human history? It turns out, unassuming grass, which exists on every continent, has an epic story to tell. One of transforming the planet, and … us. From what we eat, to how our body m ... Show More
22m 5s
Recommended Episodes
Jun 2020
Emergency
Civil unrest in the wake of the murder of George Floyd, by an officer of the Minneapolis Police Department, has forced to the surface a centuries old struggle. How can we protect and make our Black communities whole? How can we move towards a future where the police truly do "Pro ... Show More
37m 50s
Jul 2020
Reimagining the Police
As protests against police brutality continue across the country, there are calls to reform, defund, and even abolish the police. So, what does it all mean? Don talks to Newark Mayor Ras Baraka about the reforms he’s implementing in a city with a long history of tension between t ... Show More
32m 1s
Jun 2021
The Officer Who Didn't Stand By
When former Buffalo police officer Cariol Horne saw a colleague put a handcuffed Black man in a chokehold, she said she knew she had to do something. Her intervention cost her job and her pension. On today’s podcast, Don Lemon hears from Horne and her lawyer, Harvard Law Professo ... Show More
20m 9s
Jun 2020
Suing police officers for excessive force, defunding law enforcement
Host Madeleine Brand and law professor Jessica Levinson discuss how much force police officers are allowed to use, what recourse people have when they want to bring forth excessive force claims, and when the U.S. president can send the military to states. They also cover the deba ... Show More
31m 53s
May 2020
Refuse injustice. - Episode 15
In this episode of Podverse:We re-enact an actual situation with the police that happened just a couple of weeks ago. We ask, what the hell is going on as we look around the world at some of the injustices. We ask our weekly in your head question and lastly, we realize where we s ... Show More
7m 33s
Aug 2021
Stop Cop City
Evictions! Voting rights! DaBaby! The Olympics! This week, hosts Dope KNife and LInqua Franqa dip their toes into current events of the week before bringing on Jasmine from DARC (Defund Atlanta Police, Refund Communities) to discuss the #StopCopCity movement.  Learn more about yo ... Show More
1h 2m
Sep 2021
Law & Order: SAF
***Content Note*** this episode includes discussions of sexual assault, murder, and violence — including specifically fatphobic violence, anti-Black racism, and violence against indigenous peoples.In this episode, we’re covering Law & Order Special Victims Unit with special guest ... Show More
45m 55s
Jun 2020
#207 — Can We Pull Back From The Brink?
Sam discusses the recent social protests and civil unrest, in light of what we know about racism and police violence in America. If the Making Sense podcast logo in your player is BLACK, you can SUBSCRIBE to gain access to all full-length episodes at samharris.org/subscribe. 
1h 52m
Jun 2020
101. What is 'Defunding The Police' & a Discussion on Racism
What does #DefundThePolice actually mean? Today, I chatted with expert Candis Watts Smith, a social scientist and professor from U Penn, to help us better understand the emerging movement. We also talked about systematic racism, particularly how HOLC Maps in city real estate perp ... Show More
1h 21m