Podcast appearances and mentions of brianna rennix

Current Affairs is joined this week by Jacobin staff writer Luke Savage! Together, the panel asks if there are countries that exist outside the US and if they are bad, investigate the trope "the left are so crazy that they drove me to the right", and give some TV recommendations. The flock this week was made up of Luke Savage, senior editor Brianna Rennix, business manager Allegra Silcox, and bird-in-chief Nathan J. Robinson. This episode was edited by Dan Thorn of Pink Noise Studios in Somerville, MA.

The Current Affairs flock investigate how the right created a moral panic around "critical race theory", dare to make all tax records public, and dream of utopia. The flock this week is made up of senior editor Brianna Rennix, finance editor Sparky Abraham, editor-in-chief Nathan J. Robinson. Your host is Lyta Gold. "How a Conservative Activist Invented the Conflict over Critical Race Theory": https://www.newyorker.com/news/annals-of-inquiry/how-a-conservative-activist-invented-the-conflict-over-critical-race-theory/amp "Solidarity Never" by Current Affairs lyrebird Danny Bradley. This episode was edited by Dan Thorn of Pink Noise Studios in Somerville, MA.

Once again, we dig into your voicemails. (We hear you, and we see you.) Topics include personality tests, cryptids, political arguments with relatives, and rebooting the left after the pandemic. The bird's nest this week was made up of five eggs: amusements and managing editor Lyta Gold, finance editor Sparky Abraham, senior editor Brianna Rennix, editor-in-chief Nathan J. Robinson, and business manager Allegra Silcox. "An Oral History of Cryptid Currency": https://www.currentaffairs.org/2019/08/an-oral-history-of-cryptid-currency This episode was edited by Dan Thorn of Pink Noise Studios in Somerville, MA.

The Current Affairs flock discuss the right to live wherever you want, the dubious value of patriotism, and the things we love to do even though we're terrible at them. (Please note this episode was recorded before the recent escalation of violence against Palestinians, hence why it doesn't come up despite being relevant to some parts of this episode.) The flock this week are senior editor Brianna Rennix, editor-in-chief Nathan Robinson, finance editor Sparky Abraham, and baby bird Charlie Abraham. Today's head bird in charge is Allegra Silcox. "Libertarian Lullaby", like pretty much all our original music, is by Danny Bradley and available here: https://dannybradleymusic.com/songsforcurrentaffairs/libertarianlullaby This episode was edited by Dan Thorn of Pink Noise Studios in Somerville, MA.

The panel discuss the recent slate of anti-trans bills, theorize on politics as fandom, and announce their vows for post-pandemic life. Today's flock consists of legal editor Oren Nimni, senior editor Brianna Rennix, amusements and managing editor Lyta Gold, and editor-in-chief Nathan J. Robinson. This episode was edited by Dan Thorn of Pink Noise Studios in Somerville, MA.

Continuing our series of semi-regular immigration updates, Current Affairs' resident immigration lawyers Brianna Rennix and Oren Nimni explain the Biden administration's supposed changes in immigration policy, and what they've seen on the ground so far. This episode, like all our immigration updates, is not paywalled. This episode was edited by Dan Thorn of Pink Noise Studios in Somerville, MA.

The Current Affairs panel welcomes a guest - Ryan Kekeris (@punished_ryan), director of communications of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades. In this episode, Ryan explains the ins and outs of the PRO Act, Sparky gives us a potted history of trade routes, and the team explore what it means to turn powerlessness into power. The panel this week was Ryan Kekeris, finance editor Sparky Abraham, senior editor Brianna Rennix, and host Nick Slater. Sign up for PRO Act phonebanking: https://actionnetwork.org/forms/proactphonebank William F. Buckley/Ronald Reagan Canal Debate: https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1978/01/24/the-canal-debate/43b772f5-beab-48ba-bb43-25aa5782302a/ Otters helping each other over a wall: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXRsjYIuP6Y This episode was edited by Dan Thorn of Pink Noise Studios in Somerville, MA.

Once again we peruse, examine and eat your voicemails. Subjects include office animals, accusations of "childishness", the nature of the self and imaginary metros. The panel this week was made up of senior editor Brianna Rennix, administrative Zoomer Kate Gauthreaux, amusements & managing editor Lyta Gold, editor-in-chief Nathan J. Robinson, and host Sparky Abraham. This episode was edited by Dan Thorn of Pink Noise Studios in Somerville, MA.

Behind the News, 3/11/21 - guests: Brianna Rennix on migrants at the US–Mexico border, Gianpaolo Baiocchi on creating a social housing authority in the US - Doug Henwood

The team discuss the ensmallening of culture, women in science fiction, and reveal which things they suspect may not be real. The panel this week was senior editor Brianna Rennix, amusements & managing editor Lyta Gold, and business manager Allegra Silcox. Your host is Oren Nimni. Music, as ever, is by Current Affairs musician-in-residence Danny Bradley. If you so wish, you can support Danny by purchasing "How Was Your Year?" here: https://dannybradleymusic.com/songsforcurrentaffairs/howwasyouryear This episode was edited by Dan Thorn of Pink Noise Studios in Somerville, MA.

The panel dissects Obama's new memoir and what it says about his legacy, investigate the concept of 'cabals', and share their favorite competitive reality shows. The panel this week was made up of newsletter editor Nick Slater, lieutenant editor Brianna Rennix, poet-at-large Cate Root, and editor-in-chief Nathan Robinson. Your temporary host is Sparky Abraham. This episode was edited by Dan Thorn of Pink Noise Studios in Somerville, MA.

The team shares their thoughts on "the college experience", the recent failed NBA strike, and how we feel about Covid six months in. The panel this week was associate editor Vanessa A. Bee, finance editor Sparky Abraham, lieutenant editor Brianna Rennix, and editor-in-chief Nathan J. Robinson. Your host this week was Nick Slater. Nick's article on the UCSC strike: https://www.currentaffairs.org/2020/02/why-should-you-care-about-the-ucsc-strike Current Affairs Patreon: www.patreon.com/CurrentAffairs This episode was edited by Dan Thorn of Pink Noise Studios in Somerville, MA.

Brianna Rennix, Lyta Gold and Allegra Silcox discuss the online culture of writing erotic stories about fictional characters, the portrayal of romance and sexuality in media, and what it means to remake a story according to our own desires. This is a preview of an episode available in full to our $5 Patreon subscribers. To listen to the whole episode, as well as lots of other brilliant bonus episodes, please consider becoming one of our subscribers at www.patreon.com/CurrentAffairs!

The panel discusses gender, "yikes" moments, and redemption. The panel this week was lieutenant editor Brianna Rennix, finance editor Sparky Abraham, amusements and managing editor Lyta Gold, business manager Allegra Silcox, and administrative maven Cate Root. Your host is Pete Davis. Rennix's gender article is here: https://www.currentaffairs.org/2020/06/the-peculiarity-of-gender "Where in the World is Peter Daniel Davis?" jingle is by semi-official Current Affairs musician Danny Bradley. Music for LegumeAnon by Alexander Blu. This episode was edited by Dan Thorn of Pink Noise Studios in Somerville, MA.

The panel discusses how to advocate for unpopular policies, Pete enters Lefty Shark Tank to defend the concept of a wrongful incarceration tort, and everyone debates which lefties could defeat Trump in a "vibe-off". At one point Aisling says William Blake has been "dead for four hundred years" even though she knows full well it's actually more like two hundred. Zero points to Aisling. The panel this week was legal editor Oren Nimni, lieutenant editor Brianna Rennix, podmaster-general Aisling McCrea, and editor-in-chief Nathan J. Robinson. Your host is Pete Davis. Music at the end by the always-wonderful Danny Bradley. This episode was edited by Dan Thorn of Pink Noise Studios in Somerville, MA.

"Immigration cases are death penalty cases in a traffic court setting." Current Affairs editors and immigration law superheroes Oren Nimni and Brianna Rennix return to the podcast, to give us an update on how immigration courts and detention facilities have changed—and the ways in which they haven't changed—in the age of the COVID pandemic.   Trump Administration Plans to Extend Virus Border Restrictions Indefinitely: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/13/us/politics/trump-coronavirus-border-restrictions.html This episode was edited by Dan Thorn of Pink Noise Studios in Somerville, MA.  This episode is not paywalled because this shit is important.

In the second episode of this series, Eli speaks to Current Affairs senior editor Brianna Rennix about their life. Topics include mindgames with nuns, mythology, monasticism, the immigration system, law school, authority, suffering, guilt, and rollercoasters.   This is a preview of an episode available in full to our Patreon subscribers. To gain full access to this episode, as well as lots of other brilliant bonus content, please consider becoming one of our supporters at www.patreon.com/CurrentAffairs!

The panel snaps on the gloves and attempts a Bernie campaign postmortem, considers voting for "the lesser of two evils", and shares what they've been cooking in quarantine (after they've taken off the postmortem gloves). Musical interludes were written and performed by the fantastic Danny Bradley—if you've found his music as lethally infectious as we have, please note you can purchase "We Might Not Die (Maybe)" from his website, and help out an artist who's had to cancel all his gigs: https://dannybradleymusic.com/store/wemightnotdiemaybe The panel this week was associate editor Vanessa A. Bee, senior editor Brianna Rennix, newsletter editor Nick Slater, finance editor Sparky Abraham, and editor-in-chief Nathan J. Robinson. Your temporary host is Oren Nimni. This episode was edited by Dan Thorn of Pink Noise Studios in Somerville, MA. Chomsky Drop music: Astro - Alphanerd

Once again, we're answering your voicemails! If you want to send us a voicemail, call us anytime on 504-867-8851. Topics include both the expected and the unexpected. The panel this week was legal editor Oren Nimni, finance editor Sparky Abraham, senior editor Brianna Rennix, amusements and managing editor Lyta Gold, and editor-in-chief Nathan J. Robinson. Your host is Pete Davis. This episode was edited by Dan Thorn of Pink Noise Studios.

This week, the panel tackles yet another round of vital questions. Should we be nice or nasty on the internet? Should children be given the vote? Was it immoral to go to the moon? The panel this week was amusements editor Lyta Gold, senior editor Brianna Rennix, newsletter editor Nick Slater, and—making her podcast debut—administrative maven Cate Root. Your host is Oren Nimni. This episode was edited by Dan Thorn of Pink Noise Studios in Somerville, MA. Download Bloomvuu. Please. We want to go home.

The panel shares their thoughts on antiwar movements, indulges in movie chat, and attempts to provoke the audience with scandalous opinions. Topics include Louisa May Alcott, bats dressed in human clothes, parades, concrete, folk music, and butter vats. The panel this week was associate editor Vanessa A. Bee, senior editor Brianna Rennix, and legal editor Oren Nimni. Your host is Aisling McCrea. This episode was edited by Dan Thorn of Pink Noise Studios in Somerville, MA. Music: 'Johnny I Hardly Knew Ye' - The Irish Rovers National Tweet: 'Ham'

The twenty-tens are over, if you're not one of those pedants who insists the twenties don't start 'til 2021. This week, our panel waves goodbye to the last decade, and looks back on the new trends it brought us in tech, comedy, journalism, and popes. On location data: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/12/10/business/location-data-privacy-apps.html Nathan's free book: https://images.currentaffairs.org/2019/12/myaffairs-manuscript-free.pdf Your panel this week was finance editor Sparky Abraham, amusements and managing editor Lyta Gold, senior editor Brianna Rennix, and editor-in-chief Nathan J. Robinson. Your host is Pete Davis. This episode was edited by Dan Thorn of Pink Noise Studios in Somerville, MA.

"You have a grandfather clock, you bastard!" In this jam-packed episode, the panel investigates The Atlantic's hatred of democracy, shares their most recent revelations, and Aisling invites the team to participate in Ritual Shaming. In a corny postscript, everyone shares a thing that they are thankful for. The panel this week was senior editor Brianna Rennix, editor-in-chief Nathan J. Robinson, contributing editor Eli Massey, finance editor Sparky Abraham, podmaster-general Aisling McCrea, and your host is Pete Davis. 'Too Much Democracy Is Bad For Democracy': https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2019/12/too-much-democracy-is-bad-for-democracy/600766/ Desert Oracle: https://www.desertoracle.com/ Frogge: https://incubator.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wp/enm/Frogge This episode was edited by Dan Thorn of Pink Noise Studios in Somerville, MA. Music: 'The Show Must Be Go' - Kevin MacLeod

Unlocked, for your listening pleasure. Current Affairs editor-in-chief Nathan J. Robinson, senior editor Brianna Rennix and newsletter editor Nick Slater sit down with Jacobin staff writer Meagan Day to discuss her article 'One Year Off, Every Seven Years'. Meagan's article can be found here: https://www.jacobinmag.com/2019/05/workers-sabbatical-demand-leisure This episode was edited by Dan Thorn of Pink Noise Studios in Somerville, MA. Please send in your sabbatical ideas to 504-867-8851. You can also send us voicemails about anything else you fancy. (This is the last thing Nathan said at the end of this episode, before his voice was swallowed up by the jazz music. Our apologies - we tried to pull him out of the jaws of the jazz monster, to no avail.)

A lot of people are completely sick and tired of the world's twenty-year-long obsession with Harry Potter. "Shut up about Harry Potter! Read another book!" they cry. To which we respond: no. This week, Current Affairs editor-in-chief Nathan J. Robinson, senior editor Brianna Rennix, amusements and managing editor Lyta Gold, legal editor Oren Nimni, finance editor Sparky Abraham, and Current Affairs Podcast host Pete Davis have a long, extremely animated discussion about the Wizard Children And Their Politics. You can read more about the time-travelling Ron Weasley theory here: https://the-toast.net/2014/01/02/let-the-man-speak/

This week, Current Affairs' resident immigration lawyers, Oren Nimni and Brianna Rennix, roll up their sleeves and delve into all the details of Bernie Sanders' plan for immigration policy, which was released November 7th. A few immigration terms that may be useful to know while listening to this episode: metering - limiting the number of people per day who can request asylum at points of entry, resulting in long waitlists and large numbers of people trapped in dangerous border cities. TPS - temporary protected status. This status allows people present in the U.S. who cannot safely return home due to a natural disaster, armed conflict, or other emergency to receive permission to live and work in the United States. Although the window of time to receive TPS is narrow (for example, if there’s a devastating earthquake in your country in 2010, the window to apply for TPS might close in 2011), once people have TPS, they can apply to continue renewing that status for as long as the government continues to extend it. (This means that TPS holders from some countries, like El Salvador or Honduras, have been legally living in the U.S. for decades.) 'safe third country' principle – a vague term for an agreement between two or more countries that purports to state that all the countries in the agreement are “safe” for asylum-seekers, and therefore that asylum-seekers should seek protection in whatever country they arrive in first. For example, the U.S. has had a safe third country agreement with Canada since 2004. The U.S. is now allegedly attempting to broker safe third country agreements with countries like Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico, even though refugees are fleeing these countries in large numbers. Matter of A-B - an asylum case decided by then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions in June 2018, which overturned a favorable precedent that had allowed many domestic violence survivors to qualify for asylum, and stated that “generally, claims by aliens pertaining to domestic violence or gang violence perpetrated by non-governmental actors will not qualify for asylum." IIRIRA - The Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996, which greatly expanded the scope of detention, punishment and deportation for undocumented immigrants. You can read Bernie's plan here: https://berniesanders.com/en/issues/welcoming-and-safe-america-all/ You can find our previous episodes on immigration here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/30632925 https://www.patreon.com/posts/24173901 Brianna Rennix writes regularly on immigration here: https://www.currentaffairs.org/author/brianna-rennix And is interviewed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5GCjTqhOqI

Take an hour off from being scared by climate change - be scared by our spooky Halloween podcast instead! This week, the panel discusses their deepest fears, the annual panic around poisoned candy, and their favorite Halloween movies. "You wake up, and you're in a cube. And there are doors, that are squares in the cube. And they go through the door, but then there's ANOTHER cube. And then they meet other people, and they're like "You're in the cube too?" and then they're like, "Yes."" The panel this week was editor-in-chief Nathan J. Robinson, newsletter editor Nick Slater, amusements and managing editor Lyta Gold, senior editor Brianna Rennix. Your host is Pete Davis. This episode was edited by Dan Thorn of Pink Noise Studios in Somerville, MA. Music by Alexander Blu.

This would usually be a Patreon-only episode, but given how vital this topic is, we've decided to unlock it. Current Affairs contributing editor Eli Massey interviews senior editor Brianna Rennix, an immigration lawyer working with asylum seekers at the U.S. southern border. Brianna does updates on immigration law at the Current Affairs website: https://www.currentaffairs.org/2019/09/this-week-in-terrible-immigration-news-4 Here's a flowchart we created to give a little insight into asylum law back in 2017 (may be slightly outdated, but helpful for getting a picture of what asylum seekers are up against!) This episode was edited by Dan Thorn of Pink Noise Studios in Somerville, MA.

Please note: this episode does contain spiders. You may wish to skip 28.00-29.23 if you do not enjoy spiders. This week, the all-powerful, some-knowing Current Affairs panel discusses self-help culture, productivity, and their most hated left-wing words and phrases. The panel this week is Podmaster Aisling McCrea, senior editor Brianna Rennix, finance editor Sparky Abraham, jack-of-all-trades Eli Massey, and your host is Pete Davis. This episode was edited by Dan Thorn of Pink Noise Studios in Somerville, MA. The music in the amusement is "Orbit" by Josh Woodward.

In this episode, Current Affairs senior editor Brianna Rennix and amusements editor Lyta Gold sit down with Daniel Mallory Ortberg, writer and co-founder of The Toast. This is a preview of an episode available in full to our Patreon subscribers. To gain access to this episode, as well as lots of other incredible bonus content, please consider becoming one of our patrons at www.patreon.com/CurrentAffairs! We also have a Kickstarter, which you can donate to here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/804992239/help-current-affairs-expand-in-2020

In this episode, the Current Affairs team discuss the usefulness of boycotts, encouraging news, and Pete faces down the rest of the cruel and ruthless panel in a round of Lefty Shark Tank. The panel this week is amusements and managing editor Lyta Gold, senior editor Brianna Rennix, legal editor Oren Nimni, contributing editor Aisling McCrea and editor-in-chief Nathan J. Robinson. Your host is Pete Davis. This episode was edited by Dan Thorn of Pink Noise Studios in Somerville, MA.

A senior editor with Current Affairs, Brianna Rennix's day job is as an asylum attorney stationed just north of Laredo/Nuevo Laredo. We talk about her recent columns ("This Week in Terrible Immigration News") on topics such as what it's like to interview women with children fleeing violence and hoping the Trump administration will not succeed in separating them from their children.

Brianna Rennix is an immigration lawyer and a Senior Editor at Current Affairs magazine. She works near the border in Dilley, Texas, helping prepare detained immigrant women for their asylum hearings. This is a job that requires you to ask people about the worst things that have ever happened to them. And if you fail, they may be deported to their death.  Immigration has been in the news a lot recently, particularly the torturous conditions immigrants are being held in. Unfortunately, a lot of this coverage isn't properly contextualized and there's a lot of misinformation about how our immigration system actually works. I've wanted to have Brianna on for a while because, as I tell her, she writes about immigration with more analytical and moral clarity than anyone else I've come across. We touch on a lot of it here, and I really encourage you to read her work on immigration that can be found in the show notes.  We cover: Brianna's work as an immigration lawyer, how Clinton and Obama laid the groundwork for Trump's immigration policies, the push and pull factors driving immigration, America's role in stoking violence in Central America, the origins of MS13 and Barrio 18, Trump's efforts to destroy the asylum process, asylum claims in theory and in practice, the intensity of asking people to relive their worst experiences day in and day out, and what you can do to help. Brianna's work: This Week in Terrible Immigration News 7-29-19 Waiting for the Holy Infant of Atocha The Case for Opening Our Borders Crammed into cells and forced to drink from the toilet – this is how the US treats migrants Things You Can Do Beyond Calling Your Congressperson Understanding the Administration's Monstrous Immigration Policies What Would Human Immigration Policy Look Like? Can We Have Humane Immigration Policy? Links: Majority of undocumented immigrants show up for court, data shows A Century of U.S. Intervention Created the Immigration Crisis US Involvement in Regime Change in Latin America Polls: Most Voters Are Cool With Trump's Deportation Raids, But Not His Racist Tweets How to Create a Crisis Observing immigration court Never Again Action Video of Ihlan Omar being welcomed home ‘Nobody Opened the Door': Neighbors Rally During an ICE Raid in Houston Video: Town Of Trump Voters Angry After Local Businessman Gets Deported Movimiento Cosecha

The Current Affairs team has stuck their hands into the mailbag once again, and pulled out a handful of your voicemails. Topics range from the likelihood of getting mangoes under socialism, to the frailty of velvet trousers. The panel this time is: amusements and managing editor Lyta Gold, business manager Eli Massey, contributing editor and podcastrix Aisling McCrea, senior editor Brianna Rennix, finance editor Sparky Abraham, and your host is editor-in-chief Nathan J. Robinson. The case we discuss towards the end of this episode is Adoptive Couple v Baby Girl, 570 U.S. 637 (2013). For more detailed analysis of the case, and other material relating to Indian law, consider reading Turtle Talk at https://turtletalk.blog/. This episode was edited by Dan Thorn of Pink Noise Studios in Somerville, MA.

The Current Affairs panel discusses some of the controversies around Harvard University (cue booing sounds), creates a fabulous new post-utopia festival, and asks: how do we know when we're wrong? The panel this week is senior editor Brianna Rennix, managing and amusements editor Lyta Gold, legal editor Oren Nimni, associate editor Vanessa A. Bee, and editor-in-chief Nathan J. Robinson. This episode was edited by Dan Thorn of Pink Noise Studios in Somerville, MA. Many thanks to Josh Woodward for the music in the bit.

Current Affairs editor-in-chief Nathan J. Robinson, senior editor Brianna Rennix and newsletter editor Nick Slater sit down with Jacobin staff writer Meagan Day to discuss why everyone should have the right to a year off work every seven years. To hear this episode in full, and gain access to our exclusive 'Bird Feed', consider becoming a monthly patron at https://www.patreon.com/CurrentAffairs.

The Current Affairs panel discusses animal rights, the question of whether to treat internet platforms as private or public spaces, and what they would like to see added to the school history curriculum. The panel this week is newsletter editor Nick Slater, amusements and managing editor Lyta Gold, senior editor Brianna Rennix, finance editor Sparky Abraham, editor-in-chief Nathan J. Robinson, and host Pete Davis. This episode was edited by Dan Thorn of Pink Noise Studios in Somerville, MA. Many thanks to Golden Tony for assistance with the bits. Credit goes to Livio Amato for the piano music in the bit.

Bernie staffers and DACA recipients Belén Sisa and Luis Alcauter talk about the power of coming out as undocumented. Activist Viridiana Martinez recounts her successful infiltration of an ICE facility, dramatized in the documentary The Infiltrators. Brianna Rennix, a lawyer and Current Affairs senior editor, fills us in on the difference between immigration and political asylum and shares her work on behalf of detained families, including children, in the Dilley Detention Center in South Texas. The Infiltrators on IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6885114 Brianna’s Current Affairs article: https://www.currentaffairs.org/2019/05/waiting-for-the-holy-infant-of-atocha

UNLOCKED FROM THE PATREON BIRD FEED: Current Affairs amusements editor Lyta Gold, senior editor Brianna Rennix, contributing editor Aisling McCrea and friend of the pod Dan Walden continue our "problematic fave" series with a conversation on C. S. Lewis. Topics discussed include: Narnia, trauma from British boys schools, A Grief Observed, The Space Trilogy, Lewis' relationship to conservatives, uncertainty, ecosocialism, ecofascism, the human condition, brutalist architecture, cancel culture, and more. Thanks to Dan Thorn of Pink Noise Studios for editing this podcast. To listen to bonus episodes when they first come out, become a patron at our Patreon page: Patreon.com/CurrentAffairs.

We were busy preparing our live show this past weekend, so we took a brief hiatus from making new main episodes. However, to ensure your Current Affairs fix was satisfied, we wanted to unlock one bonus episode each week. We will be back with regularly scheduled main episodes next week! This week, unlocked from the patreon bird feed, to the main feed: Amusements editor Lyta Gold and senior editor Brianna Rennix discuss myths with Classics scholar Daniel Walden, who recently wrote in the magazine about how the whole concept of “Western civilization" is a myth. Tune in to learn about why the myth of dragons may be a lefty one, why Jordan Peterson is confused about myths, what an anti-pope is, what myths can teach us about national origin stories, the purpose of trickster gods, and more. Also, read Brianna's recent essay on the myth of the death of Europe. Many thanks to Harrison Montgomery (@AugmentFourth) for help with edits and audio gags. Factual correction from early point in the conversation, according to Nathan, our resident Louisianan: "Louisiana law is not actually based on the Napoleonic Code! This itself is a myth. The Louisiana Purchase in 1803 and the Napoleonic Code doesn't come into effect in 1804. We are still based on weird old French civil law. Even though every single local says Louisiana's based on the Napoleonic Code, technically we are based on whatever it was that existed in France before Napoleon fixed it." To listen to interviews when they first come out — and gain access to our patrons' "Bird Feed" — consider becoming a monthly patron at our Patreon page. Call into Current Affairs anytime at (504) 867-8851.

The Current Affairs panel learns about the Green New Deal, discusses the American loneliness epidemic, and share what we think is the worst example of American political amnesia. The Panel: Brianna Rennix, senior editor Briahna Joy Gray, contributing editor Vanessa A. Bee, social media editor Nathan J. Robinson, editor-in-chief Pete Davis, host Tickets for the live show on January 26th at the Rock & Roll Hotel in Washington, D.C. are HERE. Further reading on the Green New Deal: Here is Kate Aranoff with a great GND explainer. Here's Eric Levitz on what type of political action will be needed to make a GND happen. Here's Robinson Meyer on why a GND is exciting. Here's Vice on why a Green New Deal could destroy the GOP once and for all. Further reading on American loneliness: Here's a New York Times piece on why social isolation is killing us. Here's a Wall Street Journal piece on aging alone. And here's a loneliness epidemic story in the Atlanta Journal Constitution. Brianna's essay about working at a suicide hotline is here. The national suicide hotline number is: 1-800-273-8255. Miscellany: Here's Vanessa's essay on why every American deserves a nanny state. Tickets for the live show on January 26th at the Rock & Roll Hotel in Washington, D.C. are HERE. Support Current Affairs by becoming a patron on our Patreon page. For the written form of Current Affairs — and to subscribe to the beautiful print magazine — visit: CurrentAffairs.org. To join the conversation, leave us a voicemail at 504-867-8851. Did we mention that tickets for the live show on January 26th at the Rock & Roll Hotel in Washington, D.C. are HERE.

An excerpt from today's bonus episode, available in full to our Patreon patrons, in which legal editor Oren Nimni and senior editor Brianna Rennix talk about the Central American refugee crisis. Brianna is an attorney for asylum seekers on the southern border and Oren just traveled to Central America to see first-hand the effects of the Trump administration’s horrific anti-immigrant, anti-refugee policies. The two share what they have learned from their work and travels about the larger context of the refugee crisis you have been hearing about in the news. Donate to Brianna's organization, the CARA Pro Bono Project here. Many thanks to Dan Thorn and Anna Lathrop (@annaaybaci on Insta) for editing help on the episode. To listen to this episode — and gain access to our patrons' "Bird Feed" — consider becoming a monthly patron at our Patreon page. Call into Current Affairs anytime at (504) 867-8851.

A Current Affairs megapanel opens up the Current Affairs voicemailbag again to answer listener questions on topics ranging from separation of powers to policy prioritization to workplace democracy to the lack of a recent Chomsky drop...and more. The Panel: Briahna Joy Gray, contributing editor Oren Nimni, legal editor Lyta Gold, amusements editor Sparky Abraham, finance editor Brianna Rennix, finance editor Nathan J. Robinson, editor-in-chief Pete Davis, host Miscellany: Nathan's prison abolition article is here. Brianna's open borders essay is here. Brie's race reductionism essay is here. Support Current Affairs by becoming a patron on our Patreon page. For the written form of Current Affairs — and to subscribe to the beautiful print magazine — visit: Current Affairs.org. To join the conversation, leave us a voicemail at 504-867-8851.

An excerpt from today's bonus episode, available in full to our Patreon patrons, in which Current Affairs amusements editor Lyta Gold and senior editor Brianna Rennix discuss myths with Classics scholar Daniel Walden, who recently wrote in the magazine about how the whole concept of “Western civilization" is a myth. Tune in to learn about why the myth of dragons may be a lefty one, why Jordan Peterson is confused about myths, what an anti-pope is, what myths can teach us about national origin stories, the purpose of trickster gods, and more. Many thanks to Harrison Montgomery (@AugmentFourth) for help with edits and audio gags. To listen to this episode — and gain access to our patrons' "Bird Feed" — consider becoming a monthly patron at our Patreon page. Call into Current Affairs anytime at (504) 867-8851.

A Current Affairs megapanel opens up the Current Affairs voicemailbag to answer listener questions on topics ranging from lefty groupthink to ethical consumption to Lyta's theory of comedy to the origin of Nathan's Chomsky love. The Megapanel: Briahna Joy Gray, contributing editor Vanessa A. Bee, social media editor Oren Nimni, legal editor Brianna Rennix, senior editor Lyta Gold, amusements editor Nathan J. Robinson, editor-in-chief Pete Davis, host Miscellany: Here is Nathan and Brianna's essay on sortition. Here is Lyta's essay that outlines her feelings on the use of "normies" and here is her take on Star Trek. Here is the Salon essay we mentioned: "When Chomsky Wept." Here is an article on the Hewlett Packard internal report on the gender gap in confidence when applying for a job. Here is the bizarre New York Times article Brianna referenced about Rohingya refugees allegedly lying. Here is the wikipedia page for the 1950s show, Public Defender. Support Current Affairs by becoming a patron on our Patreon page. For the written form of Current Affairs — and to subscribe to the beautiful print magazine — visit: Current Affairs.org. To join the conversation, leave us a voicemail at 504-867-8851.

An excerpt from today's bonus episode, available in full to our Patreon patrons, in which Current Affairs amusements editor Lyta Gold and senior editor Brianna Rennix wax (and wane) poetic about Irish poet William Butler Yeats, taking listeners on a rollicking ride from his strange diagrams to the failure of socialism in Ireland to... the mysterious appeal of Jordan Peterson. To listen to this episode — and gain access to our patrons' "Bird Feed" — consider becoming a monthly patron at our Patreon page. Call into Current Affairs anytime at (504) 867-8851.

The Current Affairs panel discusses the humanitarian crisis at the border, debate Lyta's general theory of political comedy, and responds to some listener voicemails. The Panel: Brianna Rennix, senior editor Vanessa A. Bee, social media editor Lyta Gold, amusements editor Nathan J. Robinson, editor-in-chief Pete Davis, host Further reading on the humanitarian crisis at the border: Brianna's piece from last summer on her work at the border is here, Brianna's vision for what a humane immigration policy would look like is here, and Brianna's explanation of the recent monstrous policies are here. A painful story on one family's experience of family separation is here. Further reading on political comedy: Michelle Wolf's White House Correspondents' Dinner set is here. A simple punching up and punching down explainer is here. A longer history of punching up and punching down is here. Miscellaneous further reading: Here and here are two interviews with Bill Waterson sent in by a listener. Here's Florence Kelley's wikipedia page — a great forgotten hero! Support Current Affairs by becoming a patron on our Patreon page. For the written form of Current Affairs — and to subscribe to the beautiful print magazine — visit: Current Affairs.org. To join the conversation, leave us a voicemail at 504-867-8851.

Liberals and leftists hated Andrew Breitbart in life and cursed him in death. "F*ck him," wrote Matt Taibbi in Rolling Stone immediately after Breitbart's death was announced in March 2012. "I couldn’t be happier that he’s dead." But even Taibbi had to concede that Breitbart's public humiliation of then-Senator, not-yet-pariah Anthony Weiner was a triumph of crass showmanship and perverse humor. But how to separate Breitbart the brand from Breitbart the man? Did his rage-fueled drive to build new, online conservative media help open the sewers for the Alt-Right? What would he think, were he still alive, about the site that still bears his name and the ugly trajectory it's followed in the past few years? Joe & Josh explore these questions by looking back at Rebecca Mead's 2010 profile of Breitbart, in which he's revealed as a petty visionary who screams a lot.“Rage Machine” by Rebecca Mead, The New Yorker, 2010https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2010/05/24/rage-machineOptional:“Finding Your Inner Gorilla” by Brianna Rennix and Nathan J. Robinson, Current Affairs, 2017https://www.currentaffairs.org/2017/01/finding-your-inner-gorilla“Alt-White” by Joseph Bernstein, BuzzFeed, 2017https://www.buzzfeed.com/josephbernstein/heres-how-breitbart-and-milo-smuggled-white-nationalismLet us know what you think: essayquestionspodcast@gmail.com