Shows / Half the Answer
Half the Answer
Caitlin M. Green and Trent R. Nelson interview experts who weigh in on current debates. In the process they seek not only to uncover answers to the questions of the day, but to explore why they are being asked in the first place. To understand the questions we ask, they believe, is half the answer.
Episodes
- Half the Answer
Esther's Army: The Women Who Make Up MAGA (with Katie Gaddini)
Who are the women supporting the rise of the far right in the United States? Are they brainwashed? Confused? Under coercive control? Dr. Katie Gaddini presents…
- Half the Answer
For Back-to-School, It's Measles, Mumps, and Rubella (with Caitlin Gilbert)
Vaccination rates are falling across the country, vaccine deniers are occupying positions of power in the United States government, and previously eradicated…
- Half the Answer
Midterm Madness: Political Ads from Michigan to Texas (with Jonathan M. Katz)
It's an unhinged political ad round-up, featuring racist memes from Donald Trump himself and Ken Paxton's rancid, deep-fried AI slop rip-off of one of the most…
- Half the Answer
Was Cultural Marxism Responsible for the Beatles? (with A. J. A. Woods)
Why does the right keep talking about a handful of critical theorists from the 1960s? Why are they hellbent on rooting out discussion of progressive ideas from…
- Half the Answer
Lindsey Graham: "Corporal," Senator, Hypocrite (with Maya Rupert)
South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham has somehow jumped the queue, passing Mitch McConnell on the way to the place where Republican senators go at the end of…
- Half the Answer
Ken Paxton and the Potential Boogaloo Congressman (with Steven Monacelli)
Ken Paxton isn't the only Looney Toon running for a position in the United States Congress this November. An extremist gun YouTuber is the Republican nominee…
- Half the Answer
The Mancunian Candidate and the End of Keir Starmer (with Hunter CG)
Exactly what is going on in England? Why is the Labour Party trying to behave like the Tories—or worse? Is Andy Burnham any better than Keir Starmer? We ask…
- Half the Answer
Graham Platner: Walking Red Flag (with Marisa Kabas)
Graham Platner is a parade of red flags stuffed into a pair of yellow rubber waders, and yet so many let those things slide with a tsk tsk at best. For others…
- Half the Answer
ICE Flights: Cattle Cars in the Sky (with Gillian Brockell)
ICE flights are still happening and they are still horrifying. Gillian Brockell brings us updates on some of the major players in the game of torturing…
- Half the Answer
America's 250th Birthday Party and The Green Reflecting Pool (with Amanda Moore)
Why won't Gregory Bovino stay gone? Why can't Trump keep his pool clean? And how many fireworks is too many fireworks? We asked our friend and yours Amanda…
- Half the Answer
Jared Kushner and Albania's Flamingo Revolution (with Hunter CG)
Why is Albania having anti-Jared Kushner protests? What did he do to them? And what on Earth is going on in the UK? We asked our resident Europe expert to…
- Half the Answer
The Legalization of Sports Gambling in America (with Danny Funt)
How did sports betting burst onto the scene so violently in the last half-decade? Danny Funt, author of Everybody Loses: The Tumultuous Rise of American Sports…
- Half the Answer
SCOTUS, Callais, and What's Next for Voting Rights and Other Civil Rights (with Madiba Dennie)
What does the Callais decision mean for voting rights and other anti-discrimination protections in the United States? How is anybody supposed to defend their…
- Half the Answer
Bari Weiss Is Supposed to Do the News Now (with Radley Balko)
Why has Bari Weiss, a liberal-presenting Trump sycophant, been handed the reins to CBS News, one of our most prestigious news organizations? What does her time…
- Half the Answer
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…
- Half the Answer
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…
- Half the Answer
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…
- Half the Answer
To 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…
- Half the Answer
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…
- Half the Answer
Understanding How Israeli Settlers Are Illegally Seizing New Regions of the West Bank (with Oren Ziv)
Apartheid and incursions into Palestinian territory are accomplished by a specific set of tactics. Oren Ziv, an Israeli photojournalist, joins Trent and…
- Half the Answer
The Cancel Culture Panic: Understanding How an American Obsession Went Global (with Adrian Daub)
You can't say anything these days! Especially not on a college campus, and especially not if you're a white man. For evidence, please enjoy this loose…
- Half the Answer
Understanding Israel, Palestine, Iran, and Lebanon (with Y. L. Al-Sheikh)
Look at my Iran negotiator, dawg, we’re never getting through the Strait of Hormuz. Friend of the program Y. L. Al-Sheikh helps us understand the unfolding…
- Half the Answer
Orban Out!: Understanding Viktor Orban, Peter Magyar and the Hungarian Election (with RoteRote)
Goodbye to Viktor Orban! Don't let the door hit you! Trent and Caitlin bring you a discussion with resident Europe expert Hunter CG (also known as…
- Half the Answer
"No Quarter, No Mercy": Understanding Pete Hegseth
A bloodthirsty, homicidal maniac is in charge of our nation's military for some reason, and he just can't stop saying stuff that confirms that he deeply…
- Half the Answer
Liam Ramos, Kid Prisons, and ICE Flights
Delta Airlines brought Liam Ramos back from the child prison in Texas, but they don't seem to want to talk about how they took him there in the first place…
- Half the Answer
What the Hell Is Happening in Texas?! (with Gwen Howerton)
What the hell is going on in Texas? Trent and Caitlin welcome Houston culture reporter Gwen Howerton about the Texas senate primaries, censorship in prisons…
- Half the Answer
Sharia Socialism in NYC, Or Just Smarter Governance? (with Ryan Cooper)
What's happened in New York City since Zohran Mamdani became mayor in January? Has it become a Marxist-Islamic bastion, ruled by a soviet in the succeeding…
- Half the Answer
DOGE Dunces, Depositions, DC Cops and Scoop Ethics (with Marisa Kabas)
Trent and Caitlin achieve the coveted threepeat guest appearance with journalist Marisa Kabas of the Handbasket, fresh off her incredible legal win obtaining…
- Half the Answer
Holding ICE and Border Patrol Accountable (with Joshua Erlich)
Trent and Caitlin catch up with employment litigator Joshua Erlich about the difficulties of holding immigration and border patrol agents to account when they…
- Half the Answer
Political Polarization Across the U.S.A. and Europe (with Aurelien Mondon)
Caitlin and Trent talk with Aurelien Mondon about his recent political science paper outlining the limitations of considering all politics through the lens of…
- Half the Answer
Making America Sick Again: How MAGA is Hurting Healthcare & Science (with Walker Bragman)
Trent and Caitlin reconnect with journalist Walker Bragman to hash out the current state of the NIH and HHS, the ideologies that drive people to promote…
- Half the Answer
America and Iran: Another Forever War? (with The Logical Leftist)
Happy days are not here again, but at least Trent and Caitlin have Jeff Waldorf, the Logical Leftist, to hang out with while they process it all. The United…
- Half the Answer
The WaPo Defenestration and ICE Flight Brutality (with Gillian Brockell)
Trent and Caitlin check in with journalist Gillian Brockell after the release of her article on ICE air. They discuss the recent mass layoffs at the Washington…
- Half the Answer
What’s the Deal with Concentration Camps? (with Andrea Pitzer)
Trent and Caitlin talk with author and journalist Andrea Pitzer about the modern concentration camp model, its history and public perception, and the…
- Half the Answer
The SAVE America Act’s Assault on Voting Rights (with Hunter CG)
Trent and Caitlin chatted with Hunter CG of RoteRote Media and Democrats Abroad, looking at the GOP's latest assault on voting rights, the SAVE America Act…
- Half the Answer
CBP and ICE Report: New Orleans, Minneapolis, Greg Bovino & Apple Pie (with Amanda Moore)
Caitlin and Trent talk with journalist Amanda Moore about her work tracking the DHS "surges" all over the United States, her efforts to get close to former…
- Half the Answer
Bad Bunny's Super Bowl Halftime Show, Warehouse Prisons & the El Paso Laser Fiasco (with Jonathan Katz)
Trent and Caitlin boogie with friend-of-the-program, journalist Jonathan M. Katz of The Racket. They talk Super Bowl, Bad Bunny, the TPUSA halftime safe space…
- Half the Answer
Love Thy Neighbor as Thyself? (with Matt McManus)
Trent and Caitlin catch up with political science assistant professor Matt McManus. They discuss the narratives surrounding resistance in the twin cities, the…
- Half the Answer
SCOTUS, the Fourth Amendment, and the Resistance (with Chris Geidner)
Trent and Caitlin talk to Chris Geidner of Law Dork about the absolute deluge of legal news that seems to be crashing over us like a tsunami. What are the…
- Half the Answer
ICE Flights and Accountability in Journalism (with Gillian Brockell)
Caitlin and Trent talk with journalist Gillian Brockell about her work tracking the flights and airline companies that move people in unsafe conditions to…
- Half the Answer
The Year We Lost Everything: Appraising 2025 and Fighting Back in 2026 (with Evan Urquhart)
Trent and Caitlin ask Evan Urquhart about his 2025 wrap up piece on Assigned Media: "The Year We Lost Everything." They discuss the need to take stock of where…
- Half the Answer
2025's Word of the Year (with Savi Namboodiripad and Daniel Midgley)
Caitlin and Trent chat with linguistics scholars Savi Namboodiripad and Daniel Midgley on what word most exemplifies 2025. Was it a new coinage? A pre-existing…
- Half the Answer
Understanding Stephen Miller (with Greg Sargent)
Trent and Caitlin catch up with Greg Sargent from The New Republic about his recent piece exploring the family history and ideology of Stephen Miller. How did…
- Half the Answer
The U.S. in Venezuela: The International Community and the Donroe Doctrine (with Mark Copelovitch)
Caitlin and Trent speak with Mark Copelovitch, a political science professor from University of Wisconsin–Madison. They discuss the problem of a world power…
- Half the Answer
The U.S. in Venezuela: Why Is Corporate Media Being So Weird? (with Marisa Kabas)
Trent and Caitlin check in with the Handbasket’s Marisa Kabas about the year that has been the first week of 2026. What are we doing in Venezuela, and why is…
- Half the Answer
The Imaginary "War on Science"—and the Real One (with Nathan Oseroff-Spicer)
Trent and Caitlin talk with philosophy of science expert Nathan Oseroff-Spicer about his review of the book "The War On Science," how the book misses the mark…
- Half the Answer
What Do Republicans Know? (with Matthew Sheffield)
Caitlin and Trent talk with Matthew Sheffield about his experiences as a former Republican strategist and the information he wants progressives to know about…
- Half the Answer
Touring America with Border Patrol and ICE (with Amanda Moore)
Trent and Caitlin catch up with journalist Amanda Moore to hear about her tour of American cities that have been targeted for ICE and Border Patrol…
- Half the Answer
Sick in America: Is Everyone Else Lying to You? (with Jonathan Howard)
Caitlin and Trent talk with Jonathan Howard, a neurologist, psychiatrist, and author of *Everyone Else Is Lying to You* and *We Want Them Infected*, both books…
- Half the Answer
Modern Gangsters of Capitalism and the Imperial Boomerang
Trent and Caitlin talk with journalist and author Jonathan Katz about the gangsters of capitalism, the imperial boomerang, and the moral injuries inflicted…
- Half the Answer
National Delirium: NatSec in Post-9/11 America, from Dubya to Donny
Trent and Caitlin speak with journalist Spencer Ackerman about the CIA, DHS, and other parts of the US government ostensibly protecting us from terrorism. How…
- Half the Answer
Leaving Children Behind: Education Policy from Bush to Trump
Caitlin and Trent speak with educational policy researcher Derek Gottlieb about what it's like to research education in a country whose administration thinks…
- Half the Answer
What's It Really Like at the Portland ICE Facility? Part Deux
Caitlin and Trent speak with livestreamer Audrey Lee about her experiences participating in and documenting protests at the Portland ICE facility. Audrey…
- Half the Answer
Prison Reform, Mass Incarceration, and the History of ICE
Trent and Caitlin speak with Professor John Pfaff, author of "Locked In: The True Causes of Mass Incarceration—and How to Achieve Real Reform." They talk about…
- Half the Answer
The Tucker Carlson–Nick Fuentes Interview Episode
Caitlin and Trent check in with Daniel Harper of the "I Don't Speak German" podcast, taking another moment to peek under the rock and discover that the creepy…
- Half the Answer
SCOTUS, the Originalism Trap, and the Civil Rights Act
Caitlin and Trent check in with attorney and legal scholar Madiba K. Dennie about the Supreme Court and the originalist reading of the US Constitution—and why…
- Half the Answer
What Does History Tell Us About the Second Trump Term?
Trent and Caitlin talk with Emily Glankler of Anti-Social Studies about moments in American history that could inform us about the events of Trump’s second…
- Half the Answer
What's It Really Like at the Portland ICE Facility?
Caitlin plays field reporter at the Portland ICE facility, interviewing the famous Portland chicken suit guy, Jack Dickinson himself, who gives his…
- Half the Answer
MAHA and the Climate Deniers: Who Are These People?!
Trent and Caitlin talk with journalist Walker Bragman about the various crises in public health and climate change, the people who helped bring us here, and…
- Half the Answer
America and Iran: Past, Present and Future
Caitlin and Trent catch up with historian and former journalist John Ghazvinian to discuss the state of Iran, its past, present and future, how that has…