That's Politics

This epsiode contains details of sexual abuse. Listener discretion is advised.This episode is a long time coming...In this epsiode you'll hear me tell you who Jeffrey Epstein was, the attrocities he committed and the handling of the Epstein files.To listen to this episode ad free you can subscribe to the podcast Patreon here!To give feedback on this episode or to recommend an episode topic you can email me at [email protected].

With the war in Iran paused currently (April 20), we need to take a look at their nuclear capabilities and the nuclear capabilities of the world.In this episode I define the nuclear dilemma, nuclear proliferation and non-proliferation, the science of nuclear weapon development and I wrap up talking about Iran's nuclear program.To view source material used in this episode visit the blog post on the official podcast website!To listen to this episode ad free you can subscribe to the podcast Patreon here.To give feedback on this episode or recommend an episode topic you an email me at mackenzieatkinson@that'spoliticspodcast.com.Make sure to follow us on Facebook and Instagram!

In this episode I bring my best friend and fellow WCU political science alum Ryder Newell on to the show to talk about the shift of Appalachia's political alignment from blue to red.To view source material used or referenced in this episode you can visit the blog post here.If you want to avoid the ads, you can subscribe to the official podcast Patreon here.Make sure to follow the podcast on Facebook and Instagram.To recommend an episode topic or to give feedback on today's episode email me at [email protected].

As we prepare for the 2026 midterms we need to talk about the power of the vote.Voter suppression is nothing new, we talked about gerrymandering in a previous episode and this episode dives into polling locations, voter ID laws and voting machines.If you experience voter suppression use this resource for reporting:To find your representatives and for contact information use these links below.U.S. House of RepresentativesU.S. SenateTo listen to this episode ad free you can subscribe to the Patreon here.If you would like to give feedback on this episode or if you would like to recommend an episode topic you can email me at [email protected].

I continue my conversations on immigration with my dad. We talk about Renee Good and Alex Pretti's deaths, immigration enforcement tactics, immigration messaging and much more.To listen to this episode ad free you can subscribe to the podcast Patreon here!For a list of sources referenced in this episode visit the blog post for this episode here.To give feedback on this episode or recommend an episode topic you can email me at [email protected] edit to this episode was made 2/23/26 at 11:57 a.m.

Sam returns in another Talking Politics episode where, of course, we talk about ICE and CBP in Minneapolis.To view sources related to thing we talks about in the episode you can visit the blog post.To hear this episode ad free you can subscribe to the Patreon here!If you want to give feedback on this episode or recommend an episode you can dm me on Facebook or you can email me at [email protected].

As we go into the midterm we need to understand how votes can be manipulated. Gerrymandering has been used to keep those in power long before the term was coined.In this episode I look at South Carolina's 2020 redistricting effort and Texas and California's mid-decade partisan gerrymandering.To listen to this episode ad free subscribe to the podcast Patreon! (You also get exclusive content too!)To recommend an episode topic or give feedback on this episode you can email me at [email protected]. Don't forget to follow the podcast on Facebook!View source material here!

As we go into the 2026 election let's recap some basic election knowledge and take a peek at which races we should pay attention to.Election Resources:Voter Guide Look up: https://www.vote411.org/ballotState Primary Election Dates: https://www.ncsl.org/elections-and-campaigns/2026-state-primary-election-datesCampaign Finance Information - https://www.opensecrets.orgTo view source material used in this episode visit the blog post on the podcast website.

Welcome to the new series called That's Politics Unfiltered! In this episode you'll hear me talk about the news of the week and you get my unfiltered perspective on current events.This is a sneak peek of some of the content that will be published on the Patreon! To continue to hear more episodes like this you can subscribe here!To view source material used for this episode you can visit the podcast website here.To recommend an episode or give feedback on this episode you can email me at [email protected].

In the last episode of Season 1, I talk about the resignation of MTG and what that might mean for the upcoming midterm elections.To view source material used for this episode you can visit the blog post for this episode on the podcast website.To recommend an episode topic or to give feedback you can email me at [email protected] or you can dm me on the official podcast Facebook page.

We continue our conversation about political extremism by talking about right wing extremism. It comes in all shapes and sizes but I look at the alt-right and anti-government movements in particular.To recommend an episode topic or to give feedback on the episode you can email me at [email protected] or you can DM me on the official podcast Facebook page.To view source material used for this episode visit the blog post for this episode.

There is so much in the news about what Antifa is and is not. What is the truth? Is Antifa just an ideology or a highly organized terrorist organization?In this episode I walk through what Antifa is, where it comes from, the tactics used and each side of the aisle's perspective on Antifa.To recommend an episode or give feedback you can email me at [email protected] or you can message me on the official podcast Facebook page.To view source material used for this episode visit the blog post for this episode!

This episode is part two of a series with my dad where we talk about the two hour long Department of War meeting on September 30. In this part we break down President Donald Trump's speech to the top brass of the U.S. military. To view source material in this episode visit the podcast website!To recommend an episode topic you can dm us on the official Facebook page or you can email me at [email protected]!

This episode kicks off the two part series with my dad where we talk about the two hour long Department of War meeting on September 30. In this part we break down Secretary Pete Hegseth's speech where he set the stage for the next three years of military policy.To view source material in this episode visit the podcast website!To recommend an episode topic you can dm us on the official Facebook page or you can email me at [email protected]!

My sister and I hit the streets Saturday, October 18th and talked with some people at our local No Kings protest. In this episode you hear us talk about what this protest is and what it is about and clips of the interviews with protesters.To view source material visit the blog post for this episode.To recommend an episode topic, you can DM us on the official Facebook page or you can email me at [email protected].

Media literacy is a very complicated thing. We are confronted with media every day and it is important to be able to understand what we are seeing and why we are seeing it. I talk about what media literacy is, how the news world runs and wrap up with giving you tips and tricks to being media literate.To view source material used in this episode visit the podcast website.

In the conclusion to the immigration conversation with my sister, we talk about the criminality of immigrants, ICE and their many controversies currently, due process and why immigrants receive so much hate. To view source material for this episode visit the podcast website.To recommend an episode you can email me the idea at [email protected] sure to follow us on Facebook!

Welcome to Talking Politics with Sam! My sister joins me on this series where she brings me political topics that she is interested in learning about and I walk her through understanding what she is seeing on social media.Today we kick off the series with talking about immigration and why it is such a hot topic. This is a longer episode because there is so much to talk about. Part II of this we will talk about ICE raids and the goal of targeting criminal activity from unauthorized immigrants. To view source material used in this episode visit the official podcast website!

We find ourselves in a time of great political divide. I take a step back and look at the foundations of the conservative ideology and see where I can agree with the foundational goals. I want to demonstrate that even though there are different opinions about policies there can be moderation even in a time of deep polarization.This episode was recommended by Maria on Facebook.To view source material visit the official website!

Introducing Debates with Dad! My dad and I are on opposite sides of the political spectrum and have interesting conversations about various topics. To keep things balanced, my dad brings his perspective on the most recent episode of That's Politics.Click here to listen to the Autocracy vs. democracy episode.

There is an ongoing debate on if President Trump wants to be a dictator. Let's take a look at these claims but to understand what we are talking about we need to understand the difference between autocracies (dictatorships) and democracies.There are four main parts to this episode. Part one talks about characteristics of democracies. Part two details types of autocracies and characteristics of dictators. Part three analyzes claims of democratic backsliding in the U.S. with examples. The final part is my analysis on if President Trump will become a dictator.To see source material for this episode visit the podcast website!

Last installment of this series we talked about academic freedom, this week we take it a step further and look at the role of education in democracy.I talk with Vincent Russell, Ph.D., a communication professor at WCU. I had him as a professor for intercultural communication and have heard him stress the importance of education and wanted to share his perspective with you.To view source material for this episode visit the podcast website.

A quick interruption to the DEI series!I had a very unique opportunity to interview Paige LeBlanc, a student at WCU, who was the subject of a video that went viral across the U.S. and launched a political career of the person who took the video.The inspiration for this episode comes from Cory Vaillancourt's story in the Smoky Mountain News.To view source material for this episode, visit the official podcast website!

Academic freedom is key to higher education and is what makes it excellent. It is also part of developing a thriving society and democracy. This episode continues my breakdown of DEI.I talked with Yancey Gulley, Ph.D., a professor of higher education at WCU, to get a deeper understanding of academic freedom and the role it plays in our society and education.To view sources for this episode visit the official podcast website.

This episode continues my breakdown of DEI. I talk about teaching DEI concepts in college classes and the potential limitations that may be in the works. I talk with Carolina Pendry, an adjunct sociology professor at WCU, to get a deeper understanding of an instructor's perspective of teaching touchy subjects.Visit the podcast website to view source content: https://thatspoliticspodcast.com

This episode kicks off my series on the break down of DEI. In this episode I give a general background on the topic and partisan perspectives.I spoke with my former classmate, Adam Harp, to give the conservative perspective on DEI.Sources:Executive Order "Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing": https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/ending-radical-and-wasteful-government-dei-programs-and-preferencing/Executive Order "Ending Illegal Discrimination and Resorting Merit-Based Opportunity" : https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/ending-illegal-discrimination-and-restoring-merit-based-opportunity/Occupational Segregation: https://www.americanprogress.org/article/occupational-segregation-in-america/Rep. Tim Burchett quote: https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/22/politics/video/kamala-harris-burchett-dei-hire-charlamagne-tha-god-angela-rye-lead-digvid

As part of a class, I covered the 2024 Election here in Jackson County, N.C. I learned so much about what goes into securing elections and want to share that knowledge with you.I interviewed Amanda Allen, the Director at the Jackson County Board of Elections, to give you a peek behind the scenes.To learn more about the 2024 Election process look at some of the stories I wrote for the Western Carolina Journalist.

Listen to part of my interview with Dr. Chris Cooper about unaffiliated voters and polarization in North Carolina. Cooper recently published a book called Anatomy of a Purple State where he goes more in depth about this topic and many others.This episodes was recorded February 27, 2025.

No the elections are not over in North Carolina. At least not for the 6th Associate Justice seat in the N.C. Supreme Court.The Republican candidate Jefferson Griffin is contesting the legitimacy of roughly 60,000 ballots in his race against incumbent Associate Justice Allison Riggs.This episode was recorded February 11, 2025.

On this episode I talk about offshore win energy in North Carolina.President Trump passed an executive order on January 20 titled "Temporary Withdrawal of All Areas On The Outer Continental Shelf From Offshore Wind Leasing and Review of Federal Government's Leasing and Permitting Practices for Wind Projects." That's a really long way of saying that the federal government has paused leases for offshore wind farms.This episode was recorded January 30, 2025.

Journalism is a vital part of democracy. I went into college knowing what I wanted to do for a reason. Listen to my interviews with Dr. Katerina Spasovska, Dr. Chris Cooper and Politics Editor for the Smoky Mountain News, Cory Vaillancourt. These people shaped the way that I view politics and journalism.