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Christopher Mathias, author of "To Catch a Fascist," speaks to Caitlin and Trent about the events of 2020, clashes between violent fascist clubs and "community defense" groups. They discuss misconceptions about what "antifa" is and what kinds of activities they are engaged in, the
Our language has to meet the moment, and we have to be relentless about dispelling the fiction MAGA is selling.
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Trent and Caitlin talk with journalist Jacqueline Sweet about how violence is framed in media as political, the rush to score points for one side or the other, inconsistent standards for free speech and freedom of the press, and the scammy nature of our president and his public statements. Half
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Charlie Kirk, the shutdown, mass deportation and militarization, and more.
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Samantha and Lucian Staiano-Daniels, author of "The War People," discuss the connection between liberalism and toleration and the dark history of religious civil war. How did the European Wars of Religion give birth to our concept of toleration? And is this history enough reason today to embrace toleration?
We have exited a long period of peace and entered into a struggle not unlike war, in which all the old certainties have gone malleable and the future of the republic is at stake.
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Trent and Caitlin speak with Jennifer Berkshire and Jack Schneider about their recent book The Education Wars: A Citizen’s Guide and Defense Manual. They discuss the faulty beliefs and logics that lead us to think about education as a tool for achievement and competition rather than a service provided
Liberal Currents publishes writers of diverse perspectives who share an unflinching commitment to freedom, pluralism, and democracy, in opposition to authoritarianism at home and around the world.
Trump and Hegseth are cultivating a military that sees liberals and minorities as enemies to be fought and is willing to follow orders to do so.
Trent and Caitlin talk with political science professor Matt McManus about far-right thinkers and their journey through the past two decades. He regales the HTA audience with nuggets of wisdom from Charlie Kirk's books and other pieces of right-wing political theory he has reviewed. Half the Answer can
As the right begins to revise their view of Hitler, we must revive the example Churchill set in that era.
Samantha and fellow Liberal Currents editor Jason Briggeman discuss the economics of liberal democracy, starting from the basic question "why are all the rich countries liberal democracies?" Did liberal democracy cause the Industrial Revolution? What is the role of imperialism in the modern economy? And perhaps most importantly:
Trent and Caitlin talk with politics blogger and podcaster Ed Burmila about the centrist arm of the Democratic Party and its zombie-like shuffle through our dark era of authoritarian overreach. We ask what exactly went wrong over the last half-century that led our ostensible protectors to be so ill-equipped for
The entanglement of fascist politics and Christian imagery is not new, and it is dangerously powerful.
Join host Samantha Hancox-Li for a discussion of the difference between liberalism as an assumed default and liberalism as an active project. Even as the progressive base—and Americans generally—grow increasingly outraged at Trump II's attacks on our Constitution, elite liberals in media and journalism wring their
As MAGA flexes the power of the state to attack dissent, protest, and now mere comedy, it's time for the left to embrace the mantle of free speech.
Henry Clay understood what was wrong with the unitary executive theory back in the 1830s.
Trent and Caitlin check in with independent journalist Marisa Kabas about media and public figures’ reactions to the assassination of Charlie Kirk, their impulse to valorize and whitewash his legacy, and the mass harassment and firing campaigns against anyone who is insufficient in their praise of him. Half the Answer
Information is power, and information removed is power weakened.
How calling Trump the “N-word” sparked the free speech RICO.