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19 December 2025

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Apr 13, 2012 — Brenda Talbot
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Washington Squares

On Washington Squares, Michael and Adam discuss John Derbyshire’s firing from National Review. Adam contends that much “race realism” is just a set of assertions to confirm already existing prejudices, and Michael searches for where to draw the line between intellectual inquiry about racial differences and racism. Michael worries that intellectual racism is likely to grow in the future, but Adam is more optimistic. The conversation then turns to the flap about Hilary Rosen and Ann Romney, where Michael defends political nonsense as a way for non-political junkies to engage in a debate and probe candidates. Finally, Michael launches an epic rant against the Catholic League for their attack on Rosen and their strategy of playing a victim.

Apr 12, 2012 — Matthew Duss & Michael Singh
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Foreign Entanglements

On Foreign Entanglements, Michael argues that we shouldn’t squander our current leverage over Iran. Matt says that we need to offer Iran a better choice than “surrender or else.” Do recent Iranian “clarifications” signal greater willingness to engage? What happens if the upcoming talks collapse? Are fears of Middle East nuclear proliferation overblown? Matt and Michael close by debating the importance of the distinction between “nuclear weapons” and “nuclear weapons capability.”

Apr 12, 2012 — Bill Scher & Matt K. Lewis
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The DMZ

On The DMZ: Does Santorum have a political future? Will Obama run a campaign of hope or hypocrisy? Why did Obama’s 2008 post-partisan rhetoric never become reality? Matt and Bill also debate the kind of anti-Obama narrative Romney will run on and whether this will actually be an intensely negative campaign.

Apr 11, 2012 — Conor Friedersdorf & Kashmir Hill
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Friedersdorf

Conor and Kashmir kick things off by discussing whether Google Glasses will create a surveillance state. Conor argues that the government is eventually going to legislate new privacy norms. Kashmir explains why she’s fascinated by the case of a college football player arrested for taping the sounds of a dorm mate having sex. Is technology making the Fourth Amendment prohibition of unreasonable search obsolete? They disagree about whether the smartphone app Girls Around Me is objectionable. And Conor predicts that people will start taking a “flood the zone” approach to protecting their privacy.

Apr 10, 2012 — Sarah Posner & Matthew Lee Anderson
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The Posner Show

On the Posner Show, Sarah talks with Matt about Andrew Sullivan’s controversial cover story in Newsweek, “Christianity in Crisis.” Matt believes Christianity is—and always is—in crisis because evangelicals love a decline narrative. But he argues that politicized solutions proposed by the religious right have been disastrous for the evangelical witness. Has Obama’s faith outreach to younger evangelicals worked? Or will issues like abortion and same-sex marriage keep younger evangelicals in the Republican fold? Finally: How legitimate are political arguments based on religious belief?

Apr 6, 2012 — Glenn Loury & David Grusky
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The Glenn Show
On The Glenn Slow, David argues that the fight against economic inequality should move beyond taxing the rich—excessive executive compensation and restricted admissions at elite colleges contribute to the problem as well. Glenn wonders why the US is so averse to raising anyone’s taxes and notes that he sees nothing necessarily unfair or inefficient in economic rents. David and Glenn discuss how unions can promote inequality within the working class. They debate whether elite colleges are artificially limiting the number of highly trained graduates, thereby enhancing inequality. They end on a point of agreement about the moral imperative and political difficulty of achieving genuine equality of opportunity.
Apr 5, 2012 — Bill Scher & Matt K. Lewis
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The DMZ
On a Special Easter Edition of The DMZ: With Romney pulling away, the GOP empire has struck back. Will the general election campaign be about ideas, or a clash of demagoguery? Matt asks if Christianity and evolution can coexist. Bill explains why many liberals fear theocratic impulses coming from the right. But might conservatives be moving towards a reconciliation between science and religion?
Apr 3, 2012 — Anthea Butler & Julian Sanchez
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The Posner Show
Guest-hosting on The Posner Show, Anthea talks to Julian about Trayvon Martin. Julian argues that the case been distorted by our search for the perfect allegory, while Anthea criticizes the Stand Your Ground law and the mentality of the gated community. Breaking news: Hispanics can be racist, too! Anthea and Julian move on to discuss the strange way that The Hunger Games has exposed teenage racism and examine the film’s social critique. They close by looking at how the media’s construction of left vs. right narrative frames comes at the detriment of the truth.

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