PODCAST · news
Half the Answer
by Liberal Currents
Caitlin M. Green and Trent R. Nelson interview experts who weigh in on current debates. In the process they seek not only to uncover answers to the questions of the day, but to explore why they are being asked in the first place. To understand the questions we ask, they believe, is half the answer.
Episodes
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Graft the Likes of Which the World Has Never Seen Before (with Zach Everson)
Donald Trump made more than two billion dollars in the first year of his second term. Much of it was from cryptocurrency, which he used to refer to as "based on thin air" until he started selling it. Zach Everson from Public Citizen explains how Trump ramped up his corruption and grifting after...
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At First ICE Loses, Then It Flies, Flies Again (with Gillian Brockell)
ICE has been transporting people in inhumane conditions to countries to which they have no affiliation or connection. What do the courts think about this? It's…confusing. Reporter Gillian Brockell is here to get the word out, sharing stories not only about ICE's awful actions and our ridiculous...
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Everything's 'National Security' in Trump's Washington (with Stephanie Mencimer)
Donald Trump is changing the landscape of Washington—literally. From East Potomac Park to the Kennedy Center to the 'Arc de Trump,' everything he touches turns to plaster and adhesive gold-colored filigree. And all the while, D.C. is still under occupation by National Guard out-of-towners....
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Orange Man Deteriorating: What It Means for 2026 and 2028 (with Ryan Cooper)
Donald Trump appears to be deteriorating…in every way possible. Physically, mentally, internationally, grammatically—somehow, orange man worsening, while word salads, IVs, and naps are great again. Ryan Cooper of the American Prospect helps us think through what it means for 2026, 2028, and…
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How the Tech Bros of Silicon Valley Would Govern Us (with Adrian Daub)
When those at the very top echelon of influence in Silicon Valley think about, talk about, and interact with government, what does that look like? Can we come up with a legible, understandable picture of the tech elites' idea of what governing is and how they relate to it? Adrian Daub says yes…
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Trump, Israel, the Iran War, and the Death of the Two-State Solution (with Y. L. Al-Sheikh)
What is the current state of affairs in Israel, Palestine, and the surrounding nations? We ask Y. L. Al-Sheikh for her help summarizing and contextualizing recent developments. Resources https://bsky.app/profile/diplomatofnight.com https://www.liberalcurrents.com/author/ylalsheikh/...
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Very Normal, Sir: Trump's Canadian and Iranian Quagmires (with Greg Sargent)
Donald Trump's unprovoked trade war with Canada and his chaotic attacks on Iran have him hemorrhaging support in states he won in 2024. Why doesn't he seem to care? What is he thinking? We can't read minds, but we can talk to Greg Sargent from the New Republic about Trump's statements, posts, and...
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Esther's Army: The Women Who Make Up MAGA (with Katie Gaddini)
Who are the women supporting the rise of the far right in the United States? Are they brainwashed? Confused? Under coercive control? Dr. Katie Gaddini presents her findings after interviewing politically active right-wing women across the country and explains that there can be several distinct...
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For Back-to-School, It's Measles, Mumps, and Rubella (with Caitlin Gilbert)
Vaccination rates are falling across the country, vaccine deniers are occupying positions of power in the United States government, and previously eradicated diseases are reappearing. Tracking all of this is Caitlin Gilbert and her colleagues at the Washington Post health, science, and wellness...
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Midterm Madness: Political Ads from Michigan to Texas (with Jonathan M. Katz)
It's an unhinged political ad round-up, featuring racist memes from Donald Trump himself and Ken Paxton's rancid, deep-fried AI slop rip-off of one of the most famous ads from history. Author Jonathan M. Katz helps us make sense of the hideous soup of extremism, slander, bad art, and dirty…
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Was Cultural Marxism Responsible for the Beatles? (with A. J. A. Woods)
Why does the right keep talking about a handful of critical theorists from the 1960s? Why are they hellbent on rooting out discussion of progressive ideas from the public sphere? What did Theodor Adorno have to do with the release of "I Wanna Hold Your Hand"? And does the notion of "Cultural...
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Lindsey Graham: "Corporal," Senator, Hypocrite (with Maya Rupert)
South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham has somehow jumped the queue, passing Mitch McConnell on the way to the place where Republican senators go at the end of a life full of compromises, betrayals, and cruelty. With the help of author, election strategist, and social justice advocate Maya Rupert,...
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Ken Paxton and the Potential Boogaloo Congressman (with Steven Monacelli)
Ken Paxton isn't the only Looney Toon running for a position in the United States Congress this November. An extremist gun YouTuber is the Republican nominee for a House seat in the district that contains Uvalde, Texas. How did this happen? How is Katy Stout, his Democratic opponent, feeling…
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The Mancunian Candidate and the End of Keir Starmer (with Hunter CG)
Exactly what is going on in England? Why is the Labour Party trying to behave like the Tories—or worse? Is Andy Burnham any better than Keir Starmer? We ask our European expert Hunter CG (RoteRote Media) to lay it out for us. Resources:...
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Graham Platner: Walking Red Flag (with Marisa Kabas)
Graham Platner is a parade of red flags stuffed into a pair of yellow rubber waders, and yet so many let those things slide with a tsk tsk at best. For others, he was a bad man with bad views who unfortunately represented the only possible way to reverse the GOP majority in the senate. Improperly...
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ICE Flights: Cattle Cars in the Sky (with Gillian Brockell)
ICE flights are still happening and they are still horrifying. Gillian Brockell brings us updates on some of the major players in the game of torturing innocent people in the sky, their victims, and the regular people who do not want this abusive pack of monsters to continue using their…
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America's 250th Birthday Party and The Green Reflecting Pool (with Amanda Moore)
Why won't Gregory Bovino stay gone? Why can't Trump keep his pool clean? And how many fireworks is too many fireworks? We asked our friend and yours Amanda Moore to help us get to the bottom of these questions and more. Resources: https://www.instagram.com/noturtlesoup17/?hl=en...
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Jared Kushner and Albania's Flamingo Revolution (with Hunter CG)
Why is Albania having anti-Jared Kushner protests? What did he do to them? And what on Earth is going on in the UK? We asked our resident Europe expert to explain it all to us. Resources https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/how-uks-keir-starmer-went-from-election-landslide-to-downfall...
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The Legalization of Sports Gambling in America (with Danny Funt)
How did sports betting burst onto the scene so violently in the last half-decade? Danny Funt, author of Everybody Loses: The Tumultuous Rise of American Sports Gambling explains the legal, regulatory and business changes that have led us here. For immediate help with problem gambling, please call...
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SCOTUS, Callais, and What's Next for Voting Rights and Other Civil Rights (with Madiba Dennie)
What does the Callais decision mean for voting rights and other anti-discrimination protections in the United States? How is anybody supposed to defend their rights against race-based discrimination if they're not allowed to use disparate impact as proof? Catch the discriminators confessing on a...
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Bari Weiss Is Supposed to Do the News Now (with Radley Balko)
Why has Bari Weiss, a liberal-presenting Trump sycophant, been handed the reins to CBS News, one of our most prestigious news organizations? What does her time running the Free Press, a website that publishes commentary, tell us about how she thinks about "doing the f--king news," which is to…
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The Two American Reconstructions: An Appraisal, Reflection (with Thomas Zimmer)
What was the first American Reconstruction after the Civil War? Why are some historians suggesting we just left a second sort of Reconstruction Era? Join Caitlin and Trent as they got into it all with Historian Thomas Zimmer, going from the first period of reconstruction, across the late 19th and...
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Eat Like a Politician? (with Bennett Rea of Cookin' with Congress)
What was Andrew Jackson's favorite gelatin-based meal? Why did Hilary Clinton feel a deep and urgent need to tell everyone about her fantastic chocolate chip cookie recipe? Did Ronald Reagan really eat that many jelly beans? We answer these questions and more with Bennett Rea, creator and host of...
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Richard Dawkins Finds Love, Isolation as a Societal Norm, and Other AI News (with Hagen Blix)
Is this chatbot sentient? Is AI my friend? Is isolation hackable? Trent and Caitlin discuss recent AI news, Sam Altman's troubles legal and otherwise, labor organizing as a strategy against the worst fears of AI experts, and whether Richard Dawkins is conscious, in this news digest episode with...
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To What Lengths Should Democrats Go to Save a Liberal Society? (with Jacob Levy)
In a time when the ruling party seems to be totally fine with breaking every law, every rule, and every norm that was holding our country in the general shape and consistency of a democracy, what should the opposition party be willing to do? Are there times when retaliation that goes against one…
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Dystopian Prisons, Progressive Messaging, and the 2026 Midterms (with Whitney Curry Wimbish)
Progressive messaging is so hot, the cynical opportunists are appropriating it for mass appeal. A combat surgeon returned from Gaza has found financial support in a pro-Palestine super PAC. Public pressure may prevent new ICE facilities. Journalist Whitney Curry Wimbish walks us through these and...
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Understanding How Israeli Settlers Are Illegally Seizing New Regions of the West Bank (with Oren Ziv)
Apartheid and incursions into Palestinian territory are accomplished by a specific set of tactics. Oren Ziv, an Israeli photojournalist, joins Trent and Caitlin to describe some examples of the strategies he has seen in person and learned of in his reporting. Resources…
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The Cancel Culture Panic: Understanding How an American Obsession Went Global (with Adrian Daub)
You can't say anything these days! Especially not on a college campus, and especially not if you're a white man. For evidence, please enjoy this loose assemblage of sixth-hand anecdotes with no detail or reporting to back it up. This is the discursive form that Caitlin and Trent brought Stanford...
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Understanding Israel, Palestine, Iran, and Lebanon (with Y. L. Al-Sheikh)
Look at my Iran negotiator, dawg, we’re never getting through the Strait of Hormuz. Friend of the program Y. L. Al-Sheikh helps us understand the unfolding diplomatic and military nightmare that is the Middle East, and how the United States plays a role in each.
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Orban Out!: Understanding Viktor Orban, Peter Magyar and the Hungarian Election (with RoteRote)
Goodbye to Viktor Orban! Don't let the door hit you! Trent and Caitlin bring you a discussion with resident Europe expert Hunter CG (also known as @roterote). Resources https://bsky.app/profile/roterote.bsky.social https://www.tiktok.com/@roterotemedia https://linktr.ee/roterotemedia...
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"No Quarter, No Mercy": Understanding Pete Hegseth
A bloodthirsty, homicidal maniac is in charge of our nation's military for some reason, and he just can't stop saying stuff that confirms that he deeply believes that extreme violence is awesome and God likes it a lot. Trent and Caitlin ask Greg Sargent of the New Republic what he learned from...
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Liam Ramos, Kid Prisons, and ICE Flights
Delta Airlines brought Liam Ramos back from the child prison in Texas, but they don't seem to want to talk about how they took him there in the first place. Trent and Caitlin debrief with Gillian Brockell about the current status of ICE flights, the fate of the boy in the bunny hat, and the way...
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What the Hell Is Happening in Texas?! (with Gwen Howerton)
What the hell is going on in Texas? Trent and Caitlin welcome Houston culture reporter Gwen Howerton about the Texas senate primaries, censorship in prisons, and the state of LGBTQ+ rights in the Lone Star State. Resources: https://bsky.app/profile/kissphoria.bsky.social...
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Sharia Socialism in NYC, Or Just Smarter Governance? (with Ryan Cooper)
What's happened in New York City since Zohran Mamdani became mayor in January? Has it become a Marxist-Islamic bastion, ruled by a soviet in the succeeding three months? Trent and Caitlin discuss the Sharia Socialism of NYC Mayor Mamdani, the naked vice signalling and stove-touching of the GOP…
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DOGE Dunces, Depositions, DC Cops and Scoop Ethics (with Marisa Kabas)
Trent and Caitlin achieve the coveted threepeat guest appearance with journalist Marisa Kabas of the Handbasket, fresh off her incredible legal win obtaining the body cam footage from the DC cops who assisted the DOGE boys in breaking into the USIP office in March 2025. They discuss the total...
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Holding ICE and Border Patrol Accountable (with Joshua Erlich)
Trent and Caitlin catch up with employment litigator Joshua Erlich about the difficulties of holding immigration and border patrol agents to account when they break the law. What happens when you can't be sure which individual attacked you? How can their actions be restricted, and what should...
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Political Polarization Across the U.S.A. and Europe (with Aurelien Mondon)
Caitlin and Trent talk with Aurelien Mondon about his recent political science paper outlining the limitations of considering all politics through the lens of "polarization." They discuss the pitfalls of the term and the ways "polarizing" events and speech can be drastically different and…
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Making America Sick Again: How MAGA is Hurting Healthcare & Science (with Walker Bragman)
Trent and Caitlin reconnect with journalist Walker Bragman to hash out the current state of the NIH and HHS, the ideologies that drive people to promote eugenics and science denial, and the childish nature of fascism. Resources: https://www.importantcontext.news/...
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America and Iran: Another Forever War? (with The Logical Leftist)
Happy days are not here again, but at least Trent and Caitlin have Jeff Waldorf, the Logical Leftist, to hang out with while they process it all. The United States has dropped bombs on Iran, killing Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several of his top-ranking officials, civilians, and the Shajareh...
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The WaPo Defenestration and ICE Flight Brutality (with Gillian Brockell)
Trent and Caitlin check in with journalist Gillian Brockell after the release of her article on ICE air. They discuss the recent mass layoffs at the Washington Post, the abhorrent treatment of deportees, the justifications used to mistreat humans, and the importance of empathy and being a human....
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What’s the Deal with Concentration Camps? (with Andrea Pitzer)
Trent and Caitlin talk with author and journalist Andrea Pitzer about the modern concentration camp model, its history and public perception, and the concentration camps the United States government is operating and hopes to open in the near future. Resources https://andreapitzer.com/ Andrea's...
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The SAVE America Act’s Assault on Voting Rights (with Hunter CG)
Trent and Caitlin chatted with Hunter CG of RoteRote Media and Democrats Abroad, looking at the GOP's latest assault on voting rights, the SAVE America Act. This act has passed the House of Representatives and will be addressed by the Senate in the next couple of days. They talk about all the...
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CBP and ICE Report: New Orleans, Minneapolis, Greg Bovino & Apple Pie (with Amanda Moore)
Caitlin and Trent talk with journalist Amanda Moore about her work tracking the DHS "surges" all over the United States, her efforts to get close to former commander at large Gregory Bovino, and her experience trying to form conclusions about the broader patterns of immigration forces' violence...
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Bad Bunny's Super Bowl Halftime Show, Warehouse Prisons & the El Paso Laser Fiasco (with Jonathan Katz)
Trent and Caitlin boogie with friend-of-the-program, journalist Jonathan M. Katz of The Racket. They talk Super Bowl, Bad Bunny, the TPUSA halftime safe space show, and immigration detention. Resources: theracket.newshttps://bsky.app/profile/katz.theracket.news...
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Love Thy Neighbor as Thyself? (with Matt McManus)
Trent and Caitlin catch up with political science assistant professor Matt McManus. They discuss the narratives surrounding resistance in the twin cities, the loud and ugly voices on the right describing an ideology of cruelty and dehumanization, and the power of regular people to puncture false...
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SCOTUS, the Fourth Amendment, and the Resistance (with Chris Geidner)
Trent and Caitlin talk to Chris Geidner of Law Dork about the absolute deluge of legal news that seems to be crashing over us like a tsunami. What are the current assaults on our constitutional rights? What are judges and lawmakers doing to defend those rights? Why is Mike Johnson pretending the...
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ICE Flights and Accountability in Journalism (with Gillian Brockell)
Caitlin and Trent talk with journalist Gillian Brockell about her work tracking the flights and airline companies that move people in unsafe conditions to third-party recipient countries, where they will be imprisoned, mistreated, tortured, and possibly sent to their country of origin in…
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The Year We Lost Everything: Appraising 2025 and Fighting Back in 2026 (with Evan Urquhart)
Trent and Caitlin ask Evan Urquhart about his 2025 wrap up piece on Assigned Media: "The Year We Lost Everything." They discuss the need to take stock of where we are on trans rights, autonomy and the various freedoms we hold dear, and the value of acknowledging that we are not hysterical or out…
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2025's Word of the Year (with Savi Namboodiripad and Daniel Midgley)
Caitlin and Trent chat with linguistics scholars Savi Namboodiripad and Daniel Midgley on what word most exemplifies 2025. Was it a new coinage? A pre-existing word that gained a new meaning or usage this year? A word that seemed to be on everybody's lips in 2025? Resources:...
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Understanding Stephen Miller (with Greg Sargent)
Trent and Caitlin catch up with Greg Sargent from The New Republic about his recent piece exploring the family history and ideology of Stephen Miller. How did the product of Russian Jewish refugees come to see today's refugees as incapable of integration in American society? What are the white...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Caitlin M. Green and Trent R. Nelson interview experts who weigh in on current debates. In the process they seek not only to uncover answers to the questions of the day, but to explore why they are being asked in the first place. To understand the questions we ask, they believe, is half the answer.
HOSTED BY
Liberal Currents
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Half the Answer have?
Half the Answer currently has 106 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Half the Answer about?
Caitlin M. Green and Trent R. Nelson interview experts who weigh in on current debates. In the process they seek not only to uncover answers to the questions of the day, but to explore why they are being asked in the first place. To understand the questions we ask, they believe, is half the answer.
How often does Half the Answer release new episodes?
Half the Answer publishes regularly with 106 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to Half the Answer?
You can listen to Half the Answer on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Half the Answer?
Half the Answer is created and hosted by Liberal Currents.
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