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Neon Liberalism
by Liberal Currents
Join Liberal Currents Executive Editor Samantha Hancox-Li as she brings on guests to discuss everything a liberal needs to know to navigate our turbulent times, from economics to gender, from philosophy to politics.
Episodes
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Ilhan Omar vs. Regime Politics (with Adam Gurri)
The Department of Homeland Security's decision to raid U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar's residence is continuous with President Donald Trump's birther politics and immigration obsessions, but it also touches on elemental constitutional issues—similar to the issues that once sparked the English Civil War.…
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We Squandered It! Why the World Is on Fire (with Ben Wittes)
Samantha Hancox-Li and Ben Wittes, editor in chief of Lawfare, discuss how we went from the triumph of the fall of the Berlin Wall to our current world: more war, more conflict, and no end in sight. How did structural factors combined with strategic choices lead to a world where peace has broken...
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Don't Let John Roberts Fool You (with Mike Sacks)
Samantha Hancox-Li talks with Mike Sacks of Court Accountability about the state of the American Constitution, the role of John Roberts and the Supreme Court in putting a pleasant mask on MAGA, and how we need to think about court reform in the future.
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The War with Iran Has No End
In this episode of Neon Liberalism, Samantha Hancox-Li argues that Donald Trump's "raids" on Iran and Venezuela reflect structural factors that are driving us towards a more chaotic and lawless world in which "neither peace nor war" becomes increasingly common.
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Let's Impeach Pete Hegseth (with Keira Havens)
Samantha and guest Keira Havens talk Thomas Massie's recent attempt to impeach Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. They discuss the mechanics and politics of impeachment, the role of accountability, and what it means to regain a sense of ourselves as constitutional actors.
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The Midterms Will Be a Referendum on MAGA (with Greg Sargent)
In this podcast, host Samantha Hancox-Li and guest Greg Sargent, staff writer for The New Republic and host of the Daily Blast podcast, discuss Trump's cratering poll numbers—worse than Bush's after Katrina—and what that means for the country, including how elites got hoodwinked by the vibe…
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Labor Economist Explains: To Fix Inequality, Start Young (with Kathryn Anne Edwards)
Samantha Hancox-Li interviews labor economist Kathryn Edwards on the fundamentals of a healthy economy. They talk housing, childcare, and the politics of being a "smart-stupid" economist who knows how to be cynical about what matters.
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How Taylor Sheridan's Fever Dreams Explain MAGA Foreign Policy (with SecDef Rock)
Samantha and the pseudonymous commentator Secretary of Defense Rock talk "Lioness," "Sicario," and the broader Taylor Sheridan-verse as a Rosetta stone for untangling right-wing policy from the border to Venezuela to drones.
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How the Court Built Trump's Imperial Presidency (with Josh Chafetz)
Samantha Hancox-Li and guest Josh Chafetz, professor at Georgetown Law, discuss how Supreme Court rulings around the "legislative veto" laid the groundwork for expanded executive power.
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The Moral Case for Dynamism (with Sonja Trauss)
Samantha is joined by Sonja Trauss, president and founder of YIMBY Law, to discuss the state of the housing movement. They discuss the tension between articulating a radical liberal idealism, one which embraces change and dynamism, and meeting people where they are, which so often involves...
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Red in Tooth and Claw
Samantha Hancox-Li talks about the return of international competition in our increasingly unsettled age. In historical perspective, far from being an alien imposition on "normal politics," international competition has been a feature of human societies from the start. Reflecting on how the...
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Sovereign Citizens with Badges? (with Jessica Pishko)
So-called "constitutional sheriffs" are spreading across the country, declaring that they have the right to nullify federal law based on their interpretation of the Constitution. Join Samantha Hancox-Li and guest Jessica Pishko, author of The Highest Law in the Land, as they talk about how fringe...
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Gender and Gender Anxiety (with Katherine Cross)
So much of our politics today is driven by gender, from Graham Platner's rise and fall to Pete Hegseth's testosterone testing to various anti-trans crusades. Samantha and guest Katherine Cross, contributing editor at Liberal Currents, discuss the historical antecedents of modern gender anxieties,...
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Is the Lock Box Empty? (with Stephen Nuñez)
The American government is an insurance company with an army--so how do our insurance company's finances look? Samantha and guest Stephen Nuñez, Director of Stratification Economics at the Roosevelt Institute, talk about the state of Social Security. No, it's not because the boomers are...
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The Power of Christian Nationalism (with Allyson Shortle)
Samantha and guest Allyson Shortle, professor at the University of Oklahoma, talk about the current state and long history of the movement which forms the hard core of Donald Trump's support: Christian Nationalism. Where did this movement begin? How deep are its roots in American myth? What do…
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What Was Neoliberalism? (with Nick Hanauer)
"Neoliberalism" has become a epithet applied to almost everything. And yet it represented a real political movement, one captured governance in America for decades. Join Samantha Hancox-Li and Nick Hanauer, billionaire entrepreneur, civic activist, and co-author of Markets Built for Humans, as…
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The Supreme Court Is Broken (with Madiba Dennie)
The Supreme Court has never occupied a more central place in American governance. Republican dominance on that court has enabled them to push through much of their agenda without going through Congress: overturning Roe, repealing the Voting Rights Act, and more. Join Samantha Hancox-Li and Madiba...
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Governance After Neoliberalism (with Rey Fuentes)
Samantha Hancox-Li and guest Rey Fuentes, Director at the Roosevelt Institute, discuss the Democratic "ideas primary." Roosevelt's new "Good Life Agenda," a package of governing tools and policy proposals, aims to get beyond the "submerged state" and return to an ideal of active government...
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Would a Land Value Tax Fix That? (with Christopher England)
Samantha and guest Christopher England, author of Land and Liberty, talk the legacy of Henry George and his most famous proposal: the land value tax. They put George in his historical context, alongside Gilded Age oligarchy and radical political movements from socialism to anarchism. Why did...
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The Democratization of Air Power (with Secretary of Defense Rock)
Samantha Hancox-Li and guest Secretary of Defense Rock talk the state of modern war: the proliferation of drones, the endurance of the human factor, Ukraine's successful strategic bombing campaign vs. Trump's unsuccessful one. What does the democratization of airpower mean for the politics of...
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After America, Nothing (with Nicholas Grossman)
Join Samantha Hancox-Li and guest Nicholas Grossman, professor of political science at the University of Illinois, as they discuss the damage Trump is doing to the Pax Americana, the prospects for a "Chinese Century," and why the likeliest future is simply multipolar anarchy. Check out Nick's...
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The Constitutional Crisis Is Here (with Robert Tracinski)
Join Samantha and Robert Tracinski, currently running for Congress in Virginia's fifth district, as they talk about the danger Donald Trump's corruption and lawlessness poses to the country, the continuing importance of the Constitution, and Robert's road from a member of the Tea Party to a…
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Against Slopulism, For Taxes? (with Elizabeth Wilkins)
Samantha is joined by Elizabeth Wilkins, president of the Roosevelt Institute, to discuss the economic debate that's roiling the Democratic Party--whether to lean in to Republican slopulism about tax cuts, or to embrace broad social programs funded by a broad tax base. Along the way, they discuss...
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Measuring the Vibecession (with Matt Darling)
Measuring the Vibecession (with Matt Darling) Samantha is joined by Matt Darling to discuss the state of the economy. Macroeconomic indicators are good, but the vibes are rancid. People feel like America is not on the right track. The divergence between the vibes and the macro is the...
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What Next, Democrats? (with Bethany Andres-Beck)
Samantha interviews Bethany Andres-Beck, running in the Democratic primary for Massachusetts' 6th Congressional District. They talk about the spiritual crisis in the Democratic Party, the need to fix what's broken in America, and how they intend to fight for working people across a range of…
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Vote the Fascists Out (with Greg Sargent)
Why did JD Vance personally campaign for the former Hungarian prime minister, Victor Orban? Why did his comprehensive defeat by a former member of his own party, Peter Magyar, garner such attention from the American press? Because, according to Greg Sargent, Orban has for the last sixteen years...
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Trump's Trade Con (with Joey Politano)
On April 2, 2025, Donald Trump announced "Liberation Day" tariffs which, according to him, would fix the trade deficit and bring American manufacturing roaring back. One year on, Samantha and economic analyst Joey Politano dig in to what actually happened. Manufacturing is down, the deficit is...
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Trump vs. the Ayatollbooth
Last month, Donald Trump started a war—or perhaps a special military operation—with the Islamic Republic of Iran. Join Samantha and military historian Bret Devereaux as they discuss the "uncomfortable frontier arrangement" that previously existed with Iran, why Donald Trump blew it up, and...
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Is Platner the Face of a Democratic Tea Party? (with Chance Phillips)
According to all current polling, Graham Platner will be Maine's next senator--despite a Nazi tattoo, a history of "controversial" social media posts, and an almost-total lack of political experience. To try and understand what this tells us about the direction of the Democratic Party, Chance...
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Envy, Greed, and Billionaires (with David Lay Williams)
Samantha Hancox-Li and guest David Lay Williams, author of The Greatest of All Plagues, discuss the nature of extreme wealth inequality in America and across history, from Plato to Occupy Wall Street. Williams argues that extreme wealth warps the soul, leading to "pleonexia"--a restless desire…
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The State of the Union (with Jamelle Bouie)
Samantha and returning guest Jamelle Bouie take a step back and assess the overall arc of the Trump Administration. Bouie argues that Trump's theory of the case when he came into office was fundamentally based on speed: move fast, break things, and present American society with strongman rule as…
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The Case for Public Electricity (with Ryan C. Smith)
Samantha Hancox-Li and guest Ryan C. Smith, author and economic historian, discuss the possibility of publicly-owned electric utilities in America. Smith argues that there is a strong case for public power. Electricity distribution is a "natural monopoly," and existing private companies—like...
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Canada Fights Back (with John Banks)
Samantha and essayist John Banks discuss what steps Canada is taking to fight back against Trump's aggression. Mark Carney's "variable geometry" Davos speech, the dilemmas facing middle powers, and the future of liberal internationalism are covered. In Banks' view, the Republican Party has…
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What Is Personalism? (with Xavier Márquez)
Samantha and guest Professor Xavier Márquez talk the nature of non-democratic politics, and why the concept of "personalism" is the key to understanding the dynamics and dysfunctions of the second Trump administration. Along the way they discuss the difference between totalitarianism and...
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The State of the Resistance (with Omar Wasow)
Samantha interviews Professor Omar Wasow, challenging him to reflect on the first year of the second Trump administration. What forms of resistance have worked? What forms have been less successful? Why is the regime trying to "recreate 2020," and why are they failing? Professor Wasow tells a…
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Minneapolis Under Siege (with Will Stancil)
Samantha and guest Will Stancil talk the murder of Renée Good and the Trump administration's larger assault on Minneapolis. Will is on the front lines of monitoring ICE in Minneapolis, working with his neighborhood rapid reaction group, and remains a vital commentator and activist in this...
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Venezuela and the State of American Strategy (with Giselle Donnelly)
Join Samantha and Giselle Donnelly, foreign policy analyst and American Enterprise Institute alumna, as they discuss the recent attack on Venezuela. Does this reflect a considered strategy? Or multiple factions "working towards the sleepy Führer"? Can we make predictions about future American...
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We Are Going to Win (with Adam Gurri)
Take a step back and recall where you were on election night 2024. Recall the way the future looked in January 2025 at Trump's inauguration. In this episode, Samantha and Adam Gurri, editor-in-chief of Liberal Currents, evaluate the long game against Trump—and argue that the Trump revolution is...
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Why Did the Soviets Fail? (with Yakov Feygin)
As we stand on the brink of a new Cold War, it's time to look back at the first Cold War and try to understand why America won—and, more importantly, why the USSR lost. Samantha and guest Yakov Feygin, author of *Building a Ruin*, talk about the fundamental story of Soviet economic success,...
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The Culture War Eats Foreign Policy (with Joe Stieb)
Join Samantha and guest Joe Stieb, assistant professor at UNC Chapel Hill, as they talk about Donald Trump's 2025 National Security Strategy. This strange document treats the European Union as our enemy, Russia as an afterthought, and obsesses over the dangers of "DEI." Stieb argues that this...
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Politics As Culture (with W. David Marx)
Has culture stagnated in the 21st century? Do the last twenty-five years feel like a blur? What can politics learn from the inherent dynamics of cultural change? And is Donald Trump the greatest kitsch artist of our time? Join Samantha Hancox-Li and guest W. David Marx, author of the…
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An Army Is a Dangerous Thing to Play With (with Kori Schake)
Join Samantha and guest Kori Schake, author of The State and the Soldier, as they discuss the history of civil-military relations in America—and how that relationship is being pushed to the breaking point. National Guard units are deployed in the streets; DHS rappels from Black Hawks onto…
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Beyond Abundance? (with Becky Chao)
Join Samantha and guest Becky Chao, Director of Policy and Research at the Economic Security Project, as they talk about the never-ending conflict between YIMBYs and anti-YIMBYs—and how we can get beyond it. Broken markets and broken incomes both shape American dysfunction. What can we do about…
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The Furious Minds of the MAGA Right (with Laura Field)
Join Samantha and guest Laura Field, author of the new book *Furious Minds*, as they discuss how ideas have driven history, from John Maynard Keynes to Abraham Lincoln to Project 2025. How did highly online right-wing weirdos become "the brain trust and influencer arm" of the Republican Party?…
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The Meme Politics of "Hearts of Iron"
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…
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Radical Liberalism?
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. Freedom for All:...
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Liberalism 101: Liberalism Today
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...
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Liberalism 101: Liberalism and Enlightenment
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 argues that it can, but…
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Liberalism 101: Liberalism and Limited Government
If you remember anything from high school civics, it's the phrases "separation of powers" and "checks and balances." That separation and those checks are under the greatest attack we've seen in our lifetimes. But why does that matter? How does it affect the character of society? Join Samantha...
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Liberalism 101: Liberalism and Toleration
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...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Join Liberal Currents Executive Editor Samantha Hancox-Li as she brings on guests to discuss everything a liberal needs to know to navigate our turbulent times, from economics to gender, from philosophy to politics.
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Liberal Currents
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Neon Liberalism currently has 94 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Neon Liberalism about?
Join Liberal Currents Executive Editor Samantha Hancox-Li as she brings on guests to discuss everything a liberal needs to know to navigate our turbulent times, from economics to gender, from philosophy to politics.
How often does Neon Liberalism release new episodes?
Neon Liberalism has 94 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
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Neon Liberalism is created and hosted by Liberal Currents.
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