The Supreme Court has never occupied a more central place in American governance. Republican dominance on that court has enabled them to push through much of their agenda without going through Congress: overturning Roe, repealing the Voting Rights Act, and more.

Join Samantha Hancox-Li and Madiba Dennie, Deputy Editor and Senior Contributor at Balls and Strikes, and author of The Originalism Trap, as they discuss the rise of the conservative legal movement and what we can do about it.

Samantha Hancox-Li and guest Rey Fuentes, Director at the Roosevelt Institute, discuss the Democratic "ideas primary." Roosevelt's new "Good Life Agenda," a package of governing tools and policy proposals, aims to get beyond the "submerged state" and return to an ideal of active government delivering for the people. Their talk ranges over industrial policy, taxing the rich, and why mass membership organizations are essential for good governance.Liberal Currents' own entrant into the ideas primary, the Reconstruction Papers, is available for pre-order now: https://www.liberalcurrents.com/the-reconstruction-papers/Also check out our new merch store at https://liberalcurrentsmerch.printful.me/

Samantha and guest Christopher England, author of Land and Liberty, talk the legacy of Henry George and his most famous proposal: the land value tax. They put George in his historical context, alongside Gilded Age oligarchy and radical political movements from socialism to anarchism.

Why did Georgism fade away, why is it experiencing a resurgence now, and what—if anything—would Henry George have to say about AI?

Liberal Currents merch store love now! https://liberalcurrentsmerch.printful.me/

Samantha Hancox-Li and guest Secretary of Defense Rock talk the state of modern war: the proliferation of drones, the endurance of the human factor, Ukraine's successful strategic bombing campaign vs. Trump's unsuccessful one.

What does the democratization of airpower mean for the politics of future wars?

Liberal Currents merch store live now! https://liberalcurrentsmerch.printful.me/

Join Samantha Hancox-Li and guest Nicholas Grossman, professor of political science at the University of Illinois, as they discuss the damage Trump is doing to the Pax Americana, the prospects for a "Chinese Century," and why the likeliest future is simply multipolar anarchy.

Check out Nick's latest, "Staggering Towards Anarchy," at Liberal Currents: https://www.liberalcurrents.com/staggering-towards-anarchy/

Join Samantha and Robert Tracinski, currently running for Congress in Virginia's fifth district, as they talk about the danger Donald Trump's corruption and lawlessness poses to the country, the continuing importance of the Constitution, and Robert's road from a member of the Tea Party to a staunch liberal.

You can check out Robert's campaign website here: https://www.tracinskiforcongress.com/

*Note that around 12 minutes, I make a mistake about what messaging David Shor's outfit, Blue Rose, has tested. Shor was testing populism vs. abundance messaging, not populism vs. corruption messaging. Apologies!

Samantha is joined by Elizabeth Wilkins, president of the Roosevelt Institute, to discuss the economic debate that's roiling the Democratic Party--whether to lean in to Republican slopulism about tax cuts, or to embrace broad social programs funded by a broad tax base.

Along the way, they discuss the legacy of Bidenomics, the nuts and bolts of tax policy, the glaring problem of inequality--and ultimately, the question of what it means to all be in this together.

Read Wilkins' essay on the subject here: https://rooseveltinstitute.org/blog/beyond-who-pays-more-how-taxes-form-the-foundation-of-our-economy-and-democracy/

Measuring the Vibecession (with Matt Darling)

Samantha is joined by Matt Darling to discuss the state of the economy. Macroeconomic indicators are good, but the vibes are rancid.

People feel like America is not on the right track. The divergence between the vibes and the macro is the vibecession--and it can be measured empirically.

But what's causing it?

Economic precarity that isn't properly measured? Phones and social media and doomscrolling? The revolt of the upper middle class against Bidenomics?

Join us as we discuss what we know, what we don't, and why being right about the economy isn't as easy as it looks.

Note: early in the discussion, I say "Biden" when I ought to have said "Kamala." Apologies.