On The Glenn Show, Glenn and Harold react to the Zimmerman trial. Harold describes attending a Justice For Trayvon rally. As an example of the unequal application of criminal justice, Glenn recounts his arrest for stealing a car when he was sixteen. Harold argues against racial profiling, but defends aggressive policing against gun violence. Harold praises President Obama’s remarks on the verdict and finds conservative objections to them churlish. Glenn and Harold close by weighing the radical left critique of Obama offered by figures like Cornel West.

On The Glenn Show, Glenn and John talk about the racial politics of the George Zimmerman trial. John offers a thought experiment to people who want Zimmerman behind bars. Glenn says that no matter the verdict, Trayvon Martin’s death is a tragedy and an outrage. Then, they remember the Henry Louis Gates arrest incident from 2009. Finally, Glenn and John discuss the future of affirmative action after the recent Supreme Court decision.

On The Glenn Show, Glenn and John discuss whether Paula Deen should have been fired for her use of a racial slur. They consider Deen’s Southern heritage and debate the offensiveness of the Confederate flag. Turning to the Supreme Court, they evaluate whether Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act deserved to be struck down. John argues that many African-Americans have constructed an identity around victimhood. Glenn suggests that Latino voters wield more influence because they haven’t committed to either political party. Glenn also brings up the odd case of Allen West and briefly addresses the Supreme Court’s punt on affirmative action.

On The Glenn Show, Mark talks about his work helping the state of Washington to legalize marijuana. Mark explains why marijuana sales clerks might need pharmacological training. Glenn is skeptical that the state needs to control the amount of the drug sold by a firm, but Mark is more worried that a few companies will grow like weeds to become Big Pot, and hopes that smart regulation can nip it in the bud. Mark says the state might still have to do drug busts. Finally, they consider how much money Washington will be able to raise by taxing marijuana.

On The Glenn Show, Mark talks about his new book Austerity: The History of a Dangerous Idea. Mark explains why the austerity craze pisses him off. Glenn asks Mark how to define austerity, which leads to a discussion of who’s really responsible for the national debt and how to talk about government fiscal consolidation. Mark provides a brief intellectual history of the austerity idea. The two end with a discussion of the current sovereign debt crisis in Europe and the failures of austerity policies there.

On a special live edition of The Glenn Show, David moderates a discussion with the Glenns, father and son. Glenn shares some family history, and Glenn II shares the story of how he came out to his parents. They consider the morality of homosexual conduct and the growing support for same-sex marriage, including the effect of personal ties on changing minds. Glenn II explains why his support of gay marriage has deepened recently. David argues that, for the sake of marriage, we must leave the culture war behind. Why is marriage declining in the general population? Should children be taught that marriage is the way to escape poverty? Finally, the three debate the comparison between the civil rights movement and the current struggle for same-sex marriage.

On The Glenn Show, Glenn and John continue their debate about affirmative action. Glenn points out areas outside of academia where he thinks affirmative action would be appropriate. They debate the use of employment tests that show a disparate racial impact. Glenn uses his own graduate economics program as an example of how standards can be revised, not lowered, to promote diversity. Do opponents of affirmative action overvalue qualification? John quotes Zora Neale Hurston, who said that blacks must compete even if the game is rigged. They close by examining whether efforts to lower the black crime rate are a kind of affirmative action.

On The Glenn Show, the topic is affirmative action. Glenn fears the Supreme Court will issue a broad anti-affirmative action ruling. Does the kind of indirect affirmative action practiced by Texas’s top 10% system do more harm than good? John and Glenn debate whether affirmative action’s time has simply passed. Glenn challenges John on whether hiring preferences for women should be done away with as well. John cites his biracial daughter as someone who should not receive affirmative action. They close by discussing class-based affirmative action and the mismatch hypothesis.

On The Glenn Show, Glenn and Corey consider how gay marriage moved from an abstract rights issue to a mainstream political cause. Does equal protection under the law provide a constitutional basis for marriage equality? Do African-Americans and the LGBT community face analogous levels of discrimination? Is there any rational basis for banning gay marriage? Glenn argues that gay people have experienced prejudice, but nothing analogous to the history of slavery.

On a special in-person edition of The Glenn Show, Glenn and Bruce enjoy some libations while discussing crime and punishment. How did America become such an outlier on imprisonment? Is race the answer? Bruce argues that poverty, not profiling, is key. They examine what exactly race is, with reference to poor whites in Boston, the Roma, and Pulp Fiction. Bruce argues that in the case of most urban crime, what’s violent isn’t the person, it’s the situation—and that the “tough on crime” movement just doesn’t get it. They close by casting a critical eye on the criminology work of Mark Kleiman and the NYPD’s “stop and frisk” policing.