Podcast appearances and mentions of Jelani Cobb

Jelani Cobb, dean of the Journalism School at Columbia University, a staff writer at The New Yorker, and the author of Three or More Is a Riot: Notes on How We Got Here: 2012-2025 (One World, 2025), looks back at recent history and find the threads that connect the era of protests and backlash.

Watch Part 2 of our interview with acclaimed journalist Jelani Cobb, Dean of the Columbia Journalism School, about his new collection of essays, “Three or More Is a Riot: Notes on How We Got Here.”

Pt. 2 of our conversation with Jelani Cobb, the acclaimed journalist and dean of the Columbia Journalism School. He has just published a new collection of essays, “Three or More Is a Riot: Notes on How We Got Here.”

This week Jelani Cobb drops in to talk about Steven Spielberg's Lincoln, what we don't see onscreen, the promise of Barack Obama, and the rise of Donald Trump. Plus, we preview his new book, Three or More is a Riot: Notes on How We Got Here, 2012-Present. This is a powerhouse episode.About our guest:Jelani Cobb joined the Columbia Journalism School faculty in 2016 and became Dean in 2022. He has been a staff writer at The New Yorker since 2015. He received a Peabody Award for his 2020 PBS Frontline film Whose Vote Counts? and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in Commentary in 2018. He has also been a political analyst for MSNBC since 2019.He is the author of The Substance of Hope: Barack Obama and the Paradox of Progress and To the Break of Dawn: A Freestyle on the Hip Hop Aesthetic. He is the editor or co-editor of several volumes including The Matter of Black Lives, a collection of The New Yorker's writings on race and The Essential Kerner Commission Report. He is producer or co-producer on a number of documentaries including Lincoln's Dilemma, Obama: A More Perfect Union, Policing the Police and THE RIOT REPORT.Dr. Cobb was educated at Jamaica High School in Queens, NY, Howard University, where he earned a B.A. in English, and Rutgers University, where he completed his MA and doctorate in American History in 2003. He is also a recipient of fellowships from the Ford Foundation, the Fulbright Foundation and the Shorenstein Center at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government.He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the American Journalism Project and the Board of Trustees of the New York Public Library. He received an Honorary Doctorate for the Advancement of Science and Art from Cooper Union in 2022, and an Honorary Doctorate of Letters from Rutgers University in 2024. York College / CUNY and Teachers College have honored Dr. Cobb with medals.Dr. Cobb was elected to the American Academy of Arts & Sciences in 2023.

 This week, our guest is Jelani Cobb, Dean of Columbia Journalism School and one of today's most important public intellectuals.  As a staff writer for The New Yorker, Cobb brings his deep knowledge of American history to contemporary subjects, particularly government and politics. His new book, “Three or More is a Riot”, combines narrative journalism, criticism and profiles that examine race and culture.  On October 16, 2025, Jelani Cobb came to the Sydney Goldstein Theater in San Francisco to talk to john a. powell, founder and director of the Othering and Belonging Institute at UC Berkeley. 

October 18, 2025; 8am: The provision was meant to protect voters from racial gerrymandering that weakens minority voting power. Many of the seats that could be affected are in the Deep South. — the very region the Voting Rights Act was written to protect. The outcome could shift as many as 19 House seats toward Republicans. Janai Nelson and Jelani Cobb join The Weekend to discuss the potential effects of the Supreme Court's decision.For more, follow us on social media:Bluesky: @theweekendmsnbc.bsky.socialInstagram: @theweekendmsnbcTikTok: @theweekendmsnbcTo listen to this show and other MSNBC podcasts without ads, sign up for MSNBC Premium on Apple Podcasts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

New Yorker staff writer Jelani Cobb joins co-hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan to discuss his new essay collection, Three or More is a Riot: Notes on How We Got Here: 2012-2025. Cobb recalls how he began the project by trying to understand how George Zimmerman's killing of unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin in 2012 set the tone for the era to come. Cobb considers how history's exceptions skew narratives, so that writers miss the bigger picture. He reflects on how discourse about race shifted between the Obama, Trump, and Biden administrations and considers the juxtaposition of Martin's murder with Obama's presidency. Cobb also speaks on the significance of transparency in journalism, calling for reporters to show their work to reinforce public trust. He explains his preference for a lowercase “b” in “black” as a racial term, given that the word is not a proper noun, does not designate a nationality, and that capitalization may perpetuate inaccurate racial ideologies. Cobb reads from Three or More Is a Riot. To hear the full episode, subscribe through iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app (include the forward slashes when searching). You can also listen by streaming from the player below. Check out video versions of our interviews on the Fiction/Non/Fiction Instagram account, the Fiction/Non/Fiction YouTube Channel, and our show website: https://www.fnfpodcast.net/ This podcast is produced by V.V. Ganeshananthan, Whitney Terrell, and Bri Wilson, Emma Baxley, Hope Wampler, and Elly Meman. Jelani Cobb Three or More Is a Riot: Notes on How We Got Here: 2012-2025 The Matter of Black Lives: Writing from The New Yorker, edited with David Remnick The Essential Kerner Commission Report, edited with Matthew Guariglia The Substance of Hope: Barack Obama and the Paradox of Progress The Devil and Dave Chappelle and Other Essays To the Break of Dawn: A Freestyle on the Hip Hop Aesthetic "Lessons of Later-in-Life Fatherhood" | The New Yorker, June 14, 2025 Full text of Jelani Cobb's 2025 Reuters Memorial Lecture: Trust Issues. Credibility, Credulity and Journalism in a Time of Crisis  Others: Lincoln  Django Unchained Gwen Ifill Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

October 7, 2025; 6pm: MSNBC's Ari Melber reports on Pam Bondi's first testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee as Attorney General and is joined by Democratic Senator Sheldon Whitehouse and the New Yorker Magazine's Jelani Cobb. Plus, Melber delivers a special report on political violence. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hello, media consumers! Bryan and Joel preview today's double-feature episode (0:45), before Joel is joined by Columbia Journalism School dean Jelani Cobb to discuss the future of journalism education (7:44). Then, Bryan and Joel have a quick interview postgame (47:42) before introducing Joel's conversation with writer Spencer Hall on how his remarkable career has intersected with the “weird internet” (59:07). Hosts: Bryan Curtis and Joel AndersonGuests: Jelani Cobb and Spencer HallProducer: Kyle Crichton Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

September 5, 2025; 6pm: A brutal new jobs report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows hiring nearly stalling out, with only 22,000 jobs added in August. Plus, Trump is facing a string of legal defeats, including rulings on his sweeping tariffs, the deployment of the National Guard to Los Angeles and his use of the Alien Enemies Act to deport Venezuelan immigrants. MSNBC's Ari Melber breaks it all down with Maya Wiley and Jelani Cobb.

MSNBC's Antonia Hylton hosts "The Beat" on Friday, July 18, and reports on multiple breaking news developments on Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein, including Donald Trump filing a libel suit against the Wall Street Journal over its new Epstein reporting, and Trump's DOJ filing a motion to unseal grand jury testimony about Epstein. Kristy Greenberg, Lisa Rubin, Jelani Cobb, Will Sommer, Steve Inskeep and Pastor Darrell Scott join.

With just one week to go before the start of Donald Trump's second Impeachment, the GOP has once again rallied behind the former president; ending the bi-partisan furor that promised to force Trump out of American politics once and for all. The reality of the situation is that the state party hacks who control the GOP on a grassroots level have become infected by MAGA diehards who have but one litmus: how much you support the former president. They have threatened to primary and expel any congressmen who step out of line. Plus, Michael speaks with New Yorker staff writer Jelani Cobb on Biden's vision for American unity and much, much more. For cool Mea Culpa gear, check out www.meaculpapodcast.com/merch To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices With just one week to go before the start of Donald Trump's second Impeachment, the GOP has once again rallied behind the former president; ending the bi-partisan furor that promised to force Trump out of American politics once and for all. The reality of the situation is that the state party hacks who control the GOP on a grassroots level have become infected by MAGA diehards who have but one litmus: how much you support the former president. They have threatened to primary and expel any congressmen who step out of line. Plus, Michael speaks with New Yorker staff writer Jelani Cobb on Biden's vision for American unity and much, much more. For cool Mea Culpa gear, check out www.meaculpapodcast.com/merch  To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Guests: Adam Serwer, Jelani Cobb, Justin Wolfers, Sen. Chris Murphy, Alexi McCammond, Faiz ShakirHarvard fights back as the attacks keep attacking. Tonight: The Trump administration's war on knowledge. Then, Sen. Chris Murphy on whether the Medicaid lie will make it through the Senate. Plus, renewed concerns about the abilities of America's oldest president. Want more of Chris? Download and subscribe to his podcast, “Why Is This Happening? The Chris Hayes podcast” wherever you get your podcasts.

The Nightcap discusses the President's softening on China tariffs ahead of a high-level meeting with a Chinese delegation. Then, a look at how the Trump inner circle seems to be cashing in with business deals amidst economic chaos and uncertainty. And, why the conclave chose the first American pope, and what that could mean for the world. Plus, see who made this week's list of MVPs. Ron Insana, Jelani Cobb, Pablo Torre, and Mary Harris join The 11th Hour this Friday. 

MSNBC's Antonia Hylton hosts “The Beat” on Monday, May 9, and reports on top Trump adviser Stephen Miller saying the administration is “looking at” ways to end due process protections for unauthorized immigrants in the country. Hylton also covers the arrest of Newark Mayor Ras Baraka during a congressional visit to a New Jersey ICE facility. Plus, Hylton reports on Trump's ongoing trade war and legal battles. Jelani Cobb, Julian Zelizer, Ramzi Kassem, Rep. Robert Garcia, Ryan Walters and Molly Jong-Fast join.

Maria Ressa is the CEO and co-founder of the Filipino news service Rappler. In 2021 she won the Nobel Peace Prize for her commitment to a free press, reporting on dictator Rodrigo Duterte.  Amy Spitalnik is CEO of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs. She'll discuss antisemitism in America and those who argue it's being politicized by the far-right.  Jessica Tang is President of AFT Massachusetts, she joins ahead of an appearance at a May Day rally on Boston Common.  Jelani Cobb is Dean of the Colombia Journalism School and writer for the New Yorker. He talks about Columbia in Trump's crosshairs and journalism's role holding Trump 2.0 to account.

During this bonus episode, taped live at the Angelika Film Center in downtown Manhattan in a send-up to the Hollywood Ten, writer and critic Julie Salamon returns to The Wreckage to host New York Times editor/reporter and historian Clay Risen and AJHS executive director Gemma R. Birnbaum. Risen's new book, Red Scare: Blacklists, McCarthyism, and the Making of Modern America, provided an excellent framework for the discussion. Our deep appreciation to Rebecca Naomi Jones, who has once again brought life to the archives this season, and with her immense talent and empathetic storytelling, took our listeners on a riveting journey through one of the most tumultuous times in US history.  Additional thanks to Matthew Dallek, Thomas Doherty, Martin J. Siegel, Larry Tye, Jelani Cobb, Clay Risen, and Julie Salamon for being part of our season. The Wreckage is made possible by funding from the Ford Foundation. Additional funding is provided through the American Jewish Education Program, generously supported by Sid and Ruth Lapidus.  

Ryan Coogler began his career in film as a realist with “Fruitvale Station,” which tells the story of a true-to-life tragedy about a police killing in the Bay Area. He then directed the class drama of “Creed,” a celebrated “Rocky” sequel. But then he moved to the epic fantasy of Marvel's hit “Black Panther” movies. In his newest project, “Sinners,” Coogler continues to deal with themes of history, faith, and race, but through the lens of horror. Jelani Cobb sat down with the director to discuss setting the film in the South, the mythology of the blues, and how he made a vampire story his own. 

By 1957, Joseph McCarthy was dead and HUAC's power and influence was on the decline, with former President Harry Truman calling it “the most un-American thing in the country today.” Increasingly, organizations and individuals alike began to speak out against the committee, but rather than back down, committee members escalated their targeting of activist groups and individuals, with particular emphasis on Civil Rights leaders. As the Red Scare continued unabated, prominent Jewish and Black activists found themselves subjected to a new level of interrogation and scrutiny. Narrated by Rebecca Naomi Jones and featuring Dr. Jelani Cobb, Dean of Columbia Journalism School and scholar of the Cold War. Image: Bayard Rustin and James Baldwin at the Montgomery March, 1965. From the American Jewish Congress records at the American Jewish Historical Society, I-77. The Wreckage is made possible by funding from the Ford Foundation. Additional funding is provided through the American Jewish Education Program, generously supported by Sid and Ruth Lapidus.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for March 18, 2025 is: admonish • ad-MAH-nish • verb To admonish someone is to express warning or disapproval towards them, or to urge them to do something. // We were admonished for arriving late to the meeting. // They were admonished to take advantage of the opportunity. See the entry > Examples: "My parents admonished me and my siblings to stay away from the windows." — Jelani Cobb, The New Yorker, 16 Mar. 2023 Did you know? We won't admonish you if you don't know the origins of admonish. This word, along with its archaic synonym monish, likely traces back to the Latin verb monēre, meaning "to bring to the notice of," "to remind," and "to warn." Among monēre's other English descendants are monitor, premonition, monument, and (gulp) monster. Admonishing someone (for, say, being late) hardly risks being labeled a monster, however. While a word like rebuke suggests sternness and severity, admonish usually suggests friendly, gentle, or earnest criticizing done in the spirit of counselling and instructing.

Many of the most draconian measures implemented in the first couple weeks of the new Trump Administration have been justified as emergency actions to root out D.E.I.—diversity, equity, and inclusion—including the freeze (currently rescinded) of trillions of dollars in federal grants. The tragic plane crash in Washington, the President baselessly suggested, might also be the result of D.E.I. Typically, D.E.I. describes policies at large companies or institutions to encourage more diverse workplaces. In the Administration's rhetoric, D.E.I. is discrimination pure and simple, and the root of much of what ails the nation. “D.E.I. is the boogeyman for anything,” Jelani Cobb tells David Remnick. Cobb is a longtime staff writer, and the dean of Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism. “If there's a terrible tragedy . . . if there is something going wrong in any part of your life, if there are fires happening in California, then you can bet that, somehow, another D.E.I. is there.” Although affirmative-action policies in university admissions were found unconstitutional by the Supreme Court, D.E.I. describes a broad array of actions without a specific definition. “It's that malleability,” Cobb reflects, that makes D.E.I. a useful target, “one source that you can use to blame every single failing or shortcoming or difficulty in life on.” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Dean of the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism and a staff writer for The New Yorker, he says, “When people ask what I think is the foundational institution of democracy, I always say: 'the public library.'” Enjoy it while we've got it. And what's left of our democracy.

Many of the most draconian measures implemented in the first couple weeks of the new Trump Administration have been justified as emergency actions to root out D.E.I.—diversity, equity, and inclusion—including the freeze (currently rescinded) of trillions of dollars in federal grants. The tragic plane crash in Washington, the President baselessly suggested, might also be the result of D.E.I. Typically, D.E.I. describes policies at large companies or institutions to encourage more diverse workplaces. In the Administration's rhetoric, D.E.I. is discrimination pure and simple, and the root of much of what ails the nation. “D.E.I. is the boogeyman for anything,” Jelani Cobb tells David Remnick. Cobb is a longtime staff writer, and the dean of Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism. “If there's a terrible tragedy . . . if there is something going wrong in any part of your life, if there are fires happening in California, then you can bet that, somehow, another D.E.I. is there.” Although affirmative-action policies in university admissions were found unconstitutional by the Supreme Court, D.E.I. describes a broad array of actions without a specific definition. “It's that malleability,” Cobb reflects, that makes D.E.I. a useful target, “one source that you can use to blame every single failing or shortcoming or difficulty in life on.”

Jelani Cobb, dean of the Journalism School at Columbia University and a staff writer at The New Yorker, talks about the 2025 duPont-Columbia award winners, plus the inauguration and the Trump administration's expected treatment of journalists.

Hasan sits down with New Yorker writer and Dean of the Columbia School of Journalism, Jelani Cobb, to talk about the TikTokification of news, the Hot Take Industrial Complex, and maybe the biggest threat to our youth today: Sesame Street. This episode is sponsored by Vanta. Visit vanta.com/hasan for $1000 off.

Before his novel Erasure was adapted into the hit film American Fiction, Percival Everett was already one of the literary world's most acclaimed talents, appreciated for his inimitable characters and storylines, as well as his uncommon variety of genres. Since Everett's first novel in 1983, he has been a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, for Telephone, and was shortlisted for the Booker Prize, for The Trees. His newest novel, James, is a reimagining of Huckleberry Finn, and has already been touted as “a canon-shattering great book.” Cord Jefferson made his feature writing and directorial debut with American Fiction, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. His television credits include Watchmen, The Good Place, Succession, Station Eleven, Master of None, and The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore. On June 3, 2024, Cord Jefferson and Percival Everett came to the Sydney Goldstein Theater in San Francisco to be interviewed by Jelani Cobb. This program was originally heard in June of 2024. 

Alex Wagner reports on Donald Trump's pick to lead the FBI, Kash Patel, who espouses conspiracy theories about the "deep state" and describes the organization he is potentially about to lead as essentially corrupt. Plus, the shifting of voters within the groups that make up the Democratic Party coalition in the 2024 election are prompting a new consideration of how to understand voting blocs like Latino voters and Black voters and women voters and whether those groupings are as relevant as they once were, and as relevant as public policy would suggest. Jelani Cobb, dean of the Columbia Journalism School, discusses.

MSNBC's Ari Melber hosts "The Beat" on Monday, November 25, and reports on Donald Trump's administration and the Democrats' success in flipping a House seat blue. Bill Kristol, Jelani Cobb and Laura Gillen join. Plus, listen to Melber's interview with Lin Manuel Miranda.

MSNBC's Ari Melber hosts "The Beat" on Thursday, November 7, and reports on Donald Trump's historic 2024 election win. Legendary journalist Bob Woodward joins to discuss. Jelani Cobb, Molly Jong-Fast and Rachel Bitecofer also join.

This week's roundtable talks the impact of hurricane misinformation and how it's impacting those most affected. Plus, the latest in political headlines as Trump begins to campaign in blue states. And, who made the list in this week's MVPs. Molly Jong- Fast, Jelani Cobb, Ahmed Baba, and Jon Allen join for our Nightcap episode this Friday. 

Guests: Michael Steele, Tara Setmayer, Fernand Amandi, Jelani Cobb, Alexi McCammond  Tonight: the Harris campaign event with Oprah Winfrey in a crucial swing state. Plus, stunning new reporting on the Trump-endorsed candidate in North Carolina. Then, the latest evidence Donald Trump can't get away from Project 2025.  Want more of Chris? Download and subscribe to his podcast, “Why Is This Happening? The Chris Hayes podcast” wherever you get your podcasts.

MSNBC's Ari Melber hosts The Beat on Monday, August 26, and reports on the 2024 DNC's success and music as well as RFK's exit from the 2024 presidential race. Jelani Cobb, Joanna Coles, Michael Eric Dyson, and DJ Cassidy join.

MSNBC's Ari Melber hosts "The Beat" on Monday, July 29, and reports on the 2024 election and The Supreme Court. Ron Klain, Carol Moseley Braun, Joanna Coles, and Jelani Cobb join.

Welcome to Episode 213! BookTuber Shawn Breathes Books joins us to celebrate Jenny Colvin and “I'll Have What You're Reading,” the memorial buddy read we jointly hosted with him the last few months. We also discuss Andrea Robbin Skinner's recent revelation about her mother, Alice Munro, and how it has impacted us as readers. Some other highlights: In #CurrentlyReading, we are each reading another chunkster for Sue Jackson's #BigBookSummer: Emily is cooling off with THE SNOW CHILD by Eowyn Ivey, and Chris is going back in time with MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS by Antonia Fraser. We have a spoiler-free conversation about FELLOWSHIP POINT by Alice Elliot Dark which we both enjoyed. Short stories read since the last episode: “Janus” by Ann Beattie and “In the Gloaming” by Alice Elliott Dark both from the collection THE BEST AMERICAN SHORT STORIES OF THE CENTURY edited by John Updike and Katrina Kenison. “A Blind Man Can See How Much I Love You” by Amy Bloom from the collection A BLIND MAN COULD SEE HOW MUCH I LOVE YOU: STORIES. “Uncle Valentine” by Willa Cather in UNCLE VALENTINE AND OTHER STORIES, edited by Bernice Slote “The Birds” by Daphne du Maurier from the collection THE BIRDS AND OTHER STORIES [This collection was first published in the UK in 1952 with the title, THE APPLE TREE: A SHORT NOVEL AND SEVERAL LONG STORIES] In Biblio Adventures, we recap the great day we had on Long Island, NY We took a ferry from New London, CT, to Orient Point, NY, then drove south to the Barnes and Noble in Bridgehampton to check out their new store layout. Then we headed north to Sag Harbor, where we were delighted by a John Steinbeck and Charley sculpture (“Assistant Editor” by Seward Johnson) and explored Sag Harbor Books. Other stops included Black Cat Books on Shelter Island and the Floyd Memorial Library in Greenport. Check out our vlog of the day on our YouTube channel Emily had a Couch Biblio Adventure, thanks to our listener Kathy who told us about a conversation with Percival Everett, Cord Jefferson, and Jelani Cobb via City Arts & Lectures Chris watched LETTERS TO JULIET, a rom-com inspired by the book of the same name by Eve Friedman and Ceil Jann Friedman. She also went on a quick shopping spree at McNally Jackson Books at Rockefeller Center. A reminder that our third quarter readalong is ENVY, by Sandra Brown. There are a few spots left for our Zoom discussion on Sunday, 9/15, at 7 pm ET. Email us if you'd like to join us. bookcougars at gmail dot com. Thanks for listening, and Happy Reading! https://www.bookcougars.com/blog-1/2024/episode213

President Joe Biden took to the Oval Office on Wednesday, addressing his decision to leave the 2024 presidential race and "finish the job." Plus, the DNC lays out the process for officially nominating their candidate. And why Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed Congress. Mike Memoli, Susan Glasser, Jelani Cobb, Jaime Harrison, and Gov. Tim Walz join The 11th Hour.

Before his novel Erasure was adapted into the hit film American Fiction, Percival Everett was already one of the literary world's most acclaimed talents, appreciated for his inimitable characters and storylines, as well as his uncommon variety of genres. Since Everett's first novel in 1983, he has been a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, for Telephone, and was shortlisted for the Booker Prize, for The Trees. His newest novel, James, is a reimagining of Huckleberry Finn, and has already been touted as “a canon-shattering great book.” Cord Jefferson made his feature writing and directorial debut with American Fiction, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. His television credits include Watchmen, The Good Place, Succession, Station Eleven, Master of None, and The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore. On June 3, 2024, Cord Jefferson and Percival Everett came to the Sydney Goldstein Theater in San Francisco to be interviewed by Jelani Cobb.

MSNBC's Ari Melber hosts The Beat on Tuesday, June 11th, and reports on the Supreme Court and its controversies, the Hunter Biden verdict, and accountability for Rudy Giuliani. Jelani Cobb, David Kelley and D-Nice join.

Across much of the country, Republican officials are reaching into K-12 classrooms and universities alike to exert control over what can be taught. In Florida, Texas, and many other states, laws now restrict teaching historical facts about race and racism. Book challenges and bans are surging. Public universities are seeing political meddling in the tenure process. Advocates of these measures say, in effect, that education must emphasize only the positive aspects of American history. Nikole Hannah-Jones, the New York Times Magazine reporter who developed the 1619 Project, and Jelani Cobb, the dean of the Columbia University School of Journalism, talk with David Remnick about the changing climate for intellectual freedom. “I just think it's rich,” Hannah-Jones says, “that the people who say they are opposing indoctrination are in fact saying that curricula must be patriotic.” She adds, “You don't ban books, you don't ban curriculum, you don't ban the teaching of ideas, just to do it. You do it to control what we are able to understand and think about and imagine for our society.”

Across much of the country, Republican officials are reaching into K-12 classrooms and universities alike to exert control over what can be taught. In Florida, Texas, and many other states, laws now restrict teaching historical facts about race and racism. Book challenges and bans are surging. Public universities are seeing political meddling in the tenure process. Advocates of these measures say, in effect, that education must emphasize only the positive aspects of American history. Nikole Hannah-Jones, the New York Times Magazine reporter who developed the 1619 Project, and Jelani Cobb, the dean of the Columbia University School of Journalism, talk with David Remnick about the changing climate for intellectual freedom. “I just think it's rich,” Hannah-Jones says, “that the people who say they are opposing indoctrination are in fact saying that curricula must be patriotic.” She adds, “You don't ban books, you don't ban curriculum, you don't ban the teaching of ideas, just to do it. You do it to control what we are able to understand and think about and imagine for our society.”

The New Yorker staff writers Jelani Cobb and Steve Coll joined Tyler Foggatt last May to discuss the ways in which Donald Trump maneuvers around facts and controls narratives when confronted by journalists. At last year's CNN town hall, for example, Trump answered questions in front of a live and sympathetic audience—a setup that played to his strengths as a performer. For Cobb and Coll, who are Columbia Journalism School faculty members, the town hall raised some questions: Where is the line between coverage and promotion? And what is the role of news organizations in the age of political polarization? Cobb and Coll spoke about the dilemmas that journalists face when reporting on the former President and his 2024 campaign, and some potential solutions.This episode originally aired on May 25, 2023. To discover more podcasts from The New Yorker, visit newyorker.com/podcasts. To send feedback on this episode, write to themail@newyorker.com.

The writer and director Cord Jefferson has struck gold with his first feature film, “American Fiction.” Nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay for Jefferson, the film is winning praise for portraying a broader spectrum of the Black experience than most Hollywood movies. It's based on the 2001 novel “Erasure,” by Percival Everett, a satire of the literary world.  And Jefferson, who began his career as a journalist before branching out into entertainment, has long seen up close how rigid attitudes about what constitutes “Blackness” can be. “Three months before I found ‘Erasure,' I got a note back on a script from an executive” on another script, Jefferson tells his friend Jelani Cobb, “that said, ‘We want you to make this character blacker.' ” (He demanded that the note be explained in person, and it was quickly dropped.) Jefferson hopes that his film sheds some light on what he calls the “absurdity” of race as a construct. He finds race “a fertile target for laughter. … On the one hand, race is not real and insignificant and [on the other hand] very real and incredibly important. Sometimes life or death depends on race. And to me that inherent tension and absurdity is perfect for comedy.”

The writer and director Cord Jefferson has struck gold with his first feature film, “American Fiction.” Nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay for Jefferson, the film is winning praise for portraying a broader spectrum of the Black experience than most Hollywood movies. It's based on the 2001 novel “Erasure,” by Percival Everett, a satire of the literary world.  And Jefferson, who began his career as a journalist before branching out into entertainment, has long seen up close how rigid attitudes about what constitutes “Blackness” can be. “Three months before I found ‘Erasure,' I got a note back on a script from an executive” on another script, Jefferson tells his friend Jelani Cobb, “that said, ‘We want you to make this character blacker.' ” (He demanded that the note be explained in person, and it was quickly dropped.) Jefferson hopes that his film sheds some light on what he calls the “absurdity” of race as a construct. He finds race “a fertile target for laughter. … On the one hand, race is not real and insignificant and [on the other hand] very real and incredibly important. Sometimes life or death depends on race. And to me that inherent tension and absurdity is perfect for comedy.”

Jelani Cobb, dean of the Journalism School at Columbia University and a staff writer at The New Yorker, talks about the 2024 duPont-Columbia award winners, plus his latest political writing on why Republicans are still debating slavery and the Civil War.

Guests: Melissa Murray, Marcus Childress, Harry Litman, Jocelyn Benson, Jonathan Karl, David Jolly, Heather McGhee, Mary McCord, Andrew Weissmann, George Conway, Lisa Rubin, Gilad Edelman, Jelani Cobb, Michael BeschlossTonight on a special 2-hour edition of All In: Donald Trump apparently on tape pressuring county Republicans in Michigan to help him overturn the election in 2020. Plus, the unexpected tightening of the Republican presidential primary and the escalating hate speech from the front-runner. Then, the Supreme Court declines to take up Jack Smith's appeal for a quick ruling on Trump's immunity argument this week. And the good economic news keeps rolling out for Joe Biden—but why isn't it resonating with voters?

Guests: Lisa Rubin, Shan Wu, Rep. Jasmine Crockett, Jelani Cobb, Amanda CarpenterTonight: A brief history of solved problems in the era of Joe Biden. Then, Donald Trump launches the one Hail Mary pass that could push his insurrection trial past the election. And the surreal story of a woman in Texas who sued her state to obtain emergency abortion.

BEST OF MEA CULPA: THE NEW YORKER'S JELANI COBB TAKES ON MAGA RACISM 

We're in the midst of another election season, and yet again American democracy hangs in the balance, with a leading Presidential candidate who has threatened to suspend parts of the Constitution. How did the foundations of our political system become so shaky?  Jelani Cobb, the dean of the journalism school at Columbia University; Evan Osnos, a Washington correspondent for The New Yorker; and the best-selling author and historian Jill Lepore joined The New Yorker's Michael Luo for a discussion of that very existential question during the most recent New Yorker Festival. From Cobb's perspective, “it's not that complicated,” he notes, “If we went all the way back to the fundamental dichotomy of the people who founded this country and the way they subsidized their mission of liberty with the lives of slaves. So we've always been engaged in that dialectic.” Lepore argues that people on both sides of the political divide choose to embrace an account of the past that accords with their politics, something she considers “incredibly dangerous.” Osnos, who witnessed the upheaval of January 6th firsthand, thinks the deeper problem is disengagement from the country and the political system. “I was struck by how many of [the rioters] told me it was their first trip to Washington,” Osnos says. “They came to Washington to sack the Capitol.”CORRECTION: Jelani Cobb notes that Queens was at one time the second-whitest borough of New York City, and is the most diverse county in the United States. Measures of diversity vary; in some recent data, Queens ranks third among counties. 

We're in the midst of another election season, and yet again American democracy hangs in the balance, with a leading Presidential candidate who has threatened to suspend parts of the Constitution. How did the foundations of our political system become so shaky?  Jelani Cobb, the dean of the journalism school at Columbia University; Evan Osnos, a Washington correspondent for The New Yorker; and the best-selling author and historian Jill Lepore joined The New Yorker's Michael Luo for a discussion of that very existential question during the most recent New Yorker Festival. From Cobb's perspective, “it's not that complicated,” he notes, “If we went all the way back to the fundamental dichotomy of the people who founded this country and the way they subsidized their mission of liberty with the lives of slaves. So we've always been engaged in that dialectic.” Lepore argues that people on both sides of the political divide choose to embrace an account of the past that accords with their politics, something she considers “incredibly dangerous.” Osnos, who witnessed the upheaval of January 6th firsthand, thinks the deeper problem is disengagement from the country and the political system. “I was struck by how many of [the rioters] told me it was their first trip to Washington,” Osnos says. “They came to Washington to sack the Capitol.”CORRECTION: Jelani Cobb notes that Queens was at one time the second-whitest borough of New York City, and is the most diverse county in the United States. Measures of diversity vary; in some recent data, Queens ranks third among counties

Our Friday Night roundtable tackles the biggest news in politics this week. The expulsion of Congressman George Santos (R-NY) to Trump's latest legal troubles, Jelani Cobb, Evan McMorris-Santoro, Kalhan Rosenblatt, and Dan Nathan weigh in.

Tonight on The Last Word: Donald Trump attacks MSNBC in a late night social media post. Also, Trump reportedly ignored his attorney's warnings to comply with the classified documents probe subpoena. Plus, Senate Democrats plan to vote on the subpoenas in the Supreme Court ethics probe. And a Biden campaign ad warns younger Americans about Trump's renewed push to repeal Obamacare. Jelani Cobb, Andrew Weissmann, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse and Rep. Maxwell Frost join Lawrence O'Donnell.