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
Andy Ngo and the Portland Mythology
Caitlin and Trent speak with Jared Holt and Michael Edison Hayden about the infamous right-wing "busybody journalist" Andy Ngo, his work demonizing Muslim…
- Half the Answer
Palestine in Context: The New Israel-Palestine Deal
Trent and Caitlin are joined by Layla al-Sheikh to discuss that Israel deal and the history of past proposals and solutions.Resources:Current updates…
- Half the Answer
What Is Antifa, and How Do You Catch a Fascist?
Christopher Mathias, author of "To Catch a Fascist," speaks to Caitlin and Trent about the events of 2020, clashes between violent fascist clubs and "community…
- Half the Answer
Mass Shootings, MedBeds, Media Mistakes and Misconceptions
Trent and Caitlin talk with journalist Jacqueline Sweet about how violence is framed in media as political, the rush to score points for one side or the other…
- Half the Answer
Education Wars
Trent and Caitlin speak with Jennifer Berkshire and Jack Schneider about their recent book "The Education Wars: A Citizen’s Guide and Defense Manual." They…
- Half the Answer
Charlie Kirk and the Roots of the Far Right
Trent and Caitlin talk with political science professor Matt McManus about far-right thinkers and their journey through the past two decades. He regales the…
- Half the Answer
Chaotic Neutrality in the Democratic Party
Trent and Caitlin talk with politics blogger and podcaster Ed Burmila about the centrist arm of the Democratic Party and its zombie-like shuffle through our…
- Half the Answer
Ezra Klein, Charlie Kirk, Free Speech, and Whitewashing in the Media
Trent and Caitlin check in with independent journalist Marisa Kabas about media and public figures’ reactions to the assassination of Charlie Kirk, their…
- Half the Answer
What Are Groypers?
Caitlin and Trent talk with independent journalist Amanda Moore about the groypers and their peers, the self-serving micro-celebrities who profit from them…
- Half the Answer
The Language of Democrats and Republicans
Trent and Caitlin speak with political science professor Lindsey Cormack about her analysis of the DCInbox database of political communications, focusing…
- Half the Answer
The Health of American Democracy
Caitlin and Trent speak with Jacob T. Levy, Tomlinson Professor of Political Theory at McGill University, about the state of democracy in the U.S. How did we…
- Half the Answer
A Second American Midnight?
Trent and Caitlin talk with author, journalist and historian Adam Hochschild about the historical periods that most inform his view of today's disturbing…
- Half the Answer
The American Anti-Vaxx Movement: Past, Present, and Future
Trent and Caitlin ask Steven Monacelli about his recent work documenting the history and present of the American anti-vaccination movement. Who is drawn into…
- Half the Answer
Are We Liberated Yet?
Trent and Caitlin chat with James Palmer about China, the current state of America's relationship with China, and what it means for the U.S. to be constantly…
- Half the Answer
AI as a Political Project
Caitlin and Trent check in with Hagen Blix about the ways we talk about AI, the most prominent angle its critics take, and the angle that’s often missing. When…
- Half the Answer
Chasing Opinion Polls or Shaping Opinions?
Trent and Caitlin talk with communications strategist Lexi Koren about the Democratic Party obsession with blaming wokeness and “the groups.” Should they be…
- Half the Answer
Still Talking About Epstein
Trent and Caitlin talk to Greg Sargent, journalist and podcaster with The New Republic, about recent stories including the striking failure of the president to…
- Half the Answer
Civil Rights Under Trump
Caitlin and Trent chat with civil rights lawyer Joshua Erlich about the state of civil rights under Trump. What civil rights has this administration targeted?…
- Half the Answer
Far-Right Perspectives on Israel
Trent and Caitlin check in with Maureen Kosse, linguist and researcher of far-right ideologies, about the various strains on the right when it comes to Israel…
- Half the Answer
Being Weird About Zohran
Caitlin and Trent speak with Eiynah about how people simply cannot be normal about NYC mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, the way the New York Times keeps…
- Half the Answer
Racist Pseudoscience in Academia and Beyond
Caitlin and Trent talk to anthropologist Rebecca Sear about the troubling trend in academia of allowing scientific racism, or the pseudoscientific belief that…
- Half the Answer
Rage Against the ICE Machine
Trent and Caitlin check in with journalist Steven Monacelli, a special investigative correspondent for the Texas Observer, about the evolution and current-day…
- Half the Answer
Authoritarian Overreach in Texas Libraries
Caitlin and Trent reconnect with librarian and intellectual freedom advocate Katie Talhelm for an update about the legislative attacks on public and school…
- Half the Answer
Execution in America
Trent and Caitlin talk to their old friend Clay Jackson, a former litigator and current licensed attorney in Texas. They discuss his plans to embrace a life in…
- Half the Answer
Everything Is Cuck
Caitlin and Trent talk with Maureen Kosse, a linguist from Colorado who researches the semiotics of alt-right and far-right discourse. We talk about how…
- Half the Answer
Palestine in Context
Trent and Caitlin talk to Layla al-Sheikh, who provides the history and context of the establishment of the Israeli state on Palestinian land, the many…
- Half the Answer
Showing Their Buts
Trent and Caitlin talk to…each other??? Caitlin presents the reasoning behind her recent Liberal Currents essay on the rhetorical strategies used by pundits…
- Half the Answer
Anti-DEI or Just Segregationist?
Caitlin and Trent join Associate Professor Victor Ray to talk about DEI. What is meant by DEI depends on who is using it and what they’re trying to get done…
- Half the Answer
Science vs. Propaganda: Trans Women in Sports
Trent and Caitlin talk to Liberal Currents author Vikas Valiveti about the current state of scientific consensus on how trans girls and women compete in…
- Half the Answer
Why Did the Secret Police Visit Clay Jackson?
Caitlin and Trent talk to Clay Jackson, a litigator from Dallas, Texas. Clay describes the disconcerting experience of having secret police show up to his door…
- Half the Answer
Why We Fear AI
Trent and Caitlin speak with cognitive scientist, linguist, and AI researcher Hagen Blix about his book, co-authored with Ingeborg Glimmer, called “Why We Fear…
- Half the Answer
Liberty, Rationality, and Trans Rights
Trent and Caitlin talk with journalist Evan Urquhart about the ways trans rights get discussed in mainstream media, including the notion that supporting trans…
- Half the Answer
Language, Identity, and Anti-Woke Academic Slander
Trent and Caitlin talk with Dr. Aris Clemons, an Assistant Professor in Linguistics, about the various slanders and misapprehensions that plague her field of…
- Half the Answer
What Is Personalism?
Trent and Caitlin talk with Adam Gurri, founder and editor-in-chief of Liberal Currents, about his take that the most accurate way to view the Trump presidency…
- Half the Answer
What Is Nationalism?
Caitlin and Trent ask Alan Elrod, President and CEO of the Pulaski Institution, about what nationalism is and what kinds of nationalism are at play today. We…
- Half the Answer
What Is "Heroic Masculinity?"
Trent and Caitlin ask podcaster and philosopher Toby Buckle about the claim that heroic masculinity will save us. Do all men want to be heroes? Is someone…
- Half the Answer
The Rationalists and Islamophobia
Caitlin and Trent speak with Polite Conversations host Eiynah about the ways Islamophobia disguises itself as rational, genuine liberal-minded concern, and the…
- Half the Answer
Youths and Technology
Trent and Caitlin ask clinical psychologist Dr. Melissa Fisher Paoni about problem technology use among children and teens, how to help them stay safe without…
- Half the Answer
At the Library
Centrist pundits, conservative think-tank guys and far-right propagandists say the movement to target libraries with new laws and book challenges is about…
- Half the Answer
Campus Misinformation
Caitlin and Trent speak with Bradford Vivian, a Professor of Communication Arts and Sciences at Pennsylvania State University, about campus misinformation. How…
- Half the Answer
The Questions
Caitlin and Trent, a linguist and an historian, introduce Half the Answer, a new podcast from Liberal Currents. The headlines and pundits ask their questions…