Join host Samantha Hancox-Li as she explores the concept of "meme politics," which pervades the current Trump II administration, through the historical grand strategy game Hearts of Iron IV. In reality, society is an obscure, complicated, recalcitrant system. Meme politics asks: what if it wasn't? What
"This dictatorship has been asserted but not yet consolidated. We must therefore 'fight on everything,'" according to Rob Tracinski's "Dictator From Day One."
Caitlin and Trent check in with attorney and legal scholar Madiba K. Dennie about the Supreme Court and the originalist reading of the US Constitution—and why the originalist reading is a trap. Half the Answer can be heard on Spotify, on Apple, on YouTube, on Amazon, and elsewhere via
The far right takes losses at the ballot box as evidence that women do not deserve their rights.
Join Samantha Hancox-Li and guest Alex Zakaras, author of Freedom for All, as they discuss the idea of liberalism as a radical political project, the differences (if any) between liberalism and (market) socialism, and the "playbook" for radical liberals in the age of Trump II. Neon Liberalism can
It’s time for multiparty democracy and a limited executive.
This month Samantha, Caitlin, and Trent met to chat about No Kings and more.
Trump, the tacky and chronically bankrupt real estate developer, and Hitler, the failed artist who was too bad at math to try his hand at architecture school, are alike in at least these ways. A love of grand projects papers over fundamental inadequacies.
Trent and Caitlin talk with Emily Glankler of Anti-Social Studies about moments in American history that could inform us about the events of Trump’s second term as president. Who are some characters who resemble the individuals we are dealing with today? Who are the scapegoats? Half the Answer can
The psychological and historical appeal of meritocracy is inversely proportional to its tenability.
Join host Samantha Hancox-Li and guest Adam Gurri, founder and editor-in-chief of Liberal Currents, as they discuss the crisis—the malaise—that has befallen the Western world, the historical roots of the problem, and perhaps most importantly: what we can do to revitalize liberalism for the 21st century. Neon Liberalism
Caitlin plays field reporter at the Portland ICE facility, interviewing the famous Portland chicken suit guy, Jack Dickinson himself, who gives his observations and thoughts after eight months on the scene. Half the Answer can be heard on Spotify, on Apple, on YouTube, on Amazon, and elsewhere via its RSS
The lawlessness of the government's response to For Women Scotland v. the Scottish Ministers.
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Trent and Caitlin talk with journalist Walker Bragman about the various crises in public health and climate change, the people who helped bring us here, and the dark money that funded it. They discuss the ways disinformation is packaged and spread to discourage the public from being able to access
"The War on Science," ed. Lawrence Krauss, documents an imaginary war on science from the left in order to justify an entirely real war on science from the right.
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Are you sad? Lonely? Can't get a girlfriend? The reactionary right promises a total philosophy of life—not just a politics, but a comprehensive way of living (and explaining why it's all the libs' fault). Can liberalism speak to the same anxieties? Host Samantha Hancox-Li
The group chat leak reveals what over a decade of incel messaging and Bronze Age Pervert have done to Young Republicans.
The Trump administration is seeking to rewind the clock on an entire century of legal—and moral—progress.
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Caitlin and Trent catch up with historian and former journalist John Ghazvinian to discuss the state of Iran, its past, present and future, how that has historically intersected with the United States dating back nearly 300 years, why trust is so important in international relations, the JCPOA, the Trump era,
How mystics and transhumanists force the dead to speak on behalf of their politics.
The precedents for the violence and overt use of state power we are now experiencing can be found in the 1910s and 1920s rather than the 1930s and 1940s.
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Caitlin and Trent speak with Jared Holt and Michael Edison Hayden about the infamous right-wing "busybody journalist" Andy Ngo, his work demonizing Muslim immigrants in grad school, and his transition to online political influencer and professional victim with "The Post Millennial" as its editor-at-large. Half the
As the Trump administration seeks to erase the history of Black achievements, we must ensure that figures like Hazel Scott are not forgotten.
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Trent and Caitlin are joined by Layla al-Sheikh to discuss that Israel deal and the history of past proposals and solutions. Half the Answer can be heard on Spotify, on Apple, on YouTube, on Amazon, and elsewhere via its RSS feed. Resources: Current updates https://www.nytimes.com/live/2025/