Being an “ally” is kind of cringe. Why?
People have been talking about being "allies" for a long time now. But what has that actually meant, over the years? And how performative should allyship be? One of our guests says, keep it to yoursel...
28 Maalis 28min
Markwayne Mullin is conservative, Christian, Cherokee, and the new head of DHS
On Monday, Sen. Markwayne Mullin was confirmed as the newest head of the Department of Homeland Security, replacing Kristi Noem. It's an enormously consequential role that involves taking charge of IC...
25 Maalis 35min
What Trump's language has in common with cult language
When President Trump says things like “fake news,” “witch hunt” or even “Make America Great Again,” he’s not just using catchy phrases -- he’s persuading people into a way of thinking and believing. T...
21 Maalis 16min
The Scouts are too woke, according to Pete Hegseth
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth recently put Scouting America — formerly known as the Boy Scouts — "on notice." The once great organization was becoming too woke, he said, and had been tarnished by ...
18 Maalis 34min
The Black civil rights leader who sued to be called “Miss”
It’s Alabama, 1963. A black woman stands before a judge, but she refuses to acknowledge his questions until he addresses her by the same honorific given to white women: “Miss.” That woman's name is Ma...
14 Maalis 25min
What the success of "Sinners" does (and doesn't) say about race and Hollywood
Sinners has already broken records — it's the most Oscar-nominated film in the history of the Academy Awards. But is the movie itself actually historic? And what will its success mean for the future o...
11 Maalis 35min
Why Iranian perspectives often get flattened and caricatured
Iran has 90 million people of different ethnicities, faiths, and backgrounds, who have very different ideas about the country. Iranian American scholar Sina Toossi shares some of those varying perspec...
7 Maalis 13min
How the internet got gentrified
We all know what gentrification looks like IRL — boxy, corporate-owned apartment complexes, places to get a quick bowl for lunch, streets that are dubbed "cleaner" and "safer" (even at the expense of ...
4 Maalis 31min
