The Two American Reconstructions: An Appraisal, Reflection (with Thomas Zimmer)

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 early 20th centuries, before pressing through this second reconstruction, which Thomas considers as being from 1965 to 2026. They then turned their attention towards what lays ahead for the United States, as well as why some Germans just don’t care about what’s going on across the Atlantic Ocean. Resources: democracyamericana.com www.thomaszimmer.online

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 Cookin' With Congress. Plus a little taste test! Resources https://www.cookinwithcongress.com/ https://www.instagram.com/cookinwithcongress/?hl=en https://www.youtube.com/@cookinwithcongress https://www.tiktok.com/@cookinwithcongress https://cookinwithcongress.substack.com/

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 linguist and AI researcher Hagen Blix. Resources https://bookshop.org/p/books/why-we-fear-ai-on-the-interpretation-of-nightmares-hagen-blix/377a4501006cfc55?ean=9781945335174&next=t Letter to Meta leadership https://mcipetition.com/ https://jacobin.com/2025/02/tech-workers-silicon-valley-trump https://jacobin.com/2025/12/hype-artificial-intelligence-vc-capital https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/boards-policy-regulation/meta-start-capturing-employee-mouse-movements-keystrokes-ai-training-data-2026-04-21/ https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/apr/18/sam-altman-house-attack-ai https://www.nytimes.com/live/2026/05/12/technology/openai-trial-sam-altman-elon-musk https://www.wired.com/story/meta-layoffs-bad-vibes-mark-zuckerberg-ai/ https://tech-insider.org/meta-layoffs-8000-employees-135-billion-ai-capex-2026/ https://unherd.com/2026/05/is-ai-the-next-phase-of-evolution/?edition=us https://unherd.com/2026/05/when-claudia-met-claudius/

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 of our principles might serve a greater purpose? Are there times when it would only further erode our values? Trent and Caitlin ask Political Theory Professor Jacob T. Levy what he thinks. Resources jacobtlevy.com https://bookshop.org/p/books/rationalism-pluralism-and-freedom-tomlinson-professor-of-political-theory-jacob-t-levy/70b7b87a3f2b1667?ean=9780198717140&next=t https://bsky.app/profile/jacobtlevy.bsky.social https://www.politico.com/news/2026/05/06/supreme-court-john-roberts-voting-criticism-00909592 https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/a71244450/john-roberts-scotus-political-power/ https://ballsandstrikes.org/scotus/louisiana-v-callais-opinion-recap-voting-rights-act/ https://theconversation.com/racial-gerrymandering-may-be-here-to-stay-282349 https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2025/04/trump-civil-service-schedule-f/682609/ https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/house-lawmakers-press-paramount-ceo-warner-brothers-acquisition-2026-05-12/ SCOTUS photo By Fred Schilling - https://www.supremecourt.gov/about/justices.aspx, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=124352288

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 other recent stories she has worked on for The American Prospect. Resources https://am-quickie.ghost.io/ https://prospect.org/2025/12/26/profiting-off-immigrant-illness-abuse-and-terror/ https://www.vera.org/news/a-blueprint-for-resistance-how-residents-and-local-governments-are-shutting-down-ice-detention-in-warehouses https://prospect.org/2026/04/30/palestine-super-pac-new-jersey-12-district-adam-hamawy/ https://prospect.org/2026/04/28/pennsylvania-congressional-race-pits-corporate-defender-crosswell-against-union-organizer/