Best Steve Discont Podcasts (2025)

1
LaShawn Harris, "Tell Her Story: Eleanor Bumpurs & the Police Killing That Galvanized New York City" (Beacon, 2025) 1:08:03

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4h ago1:08:03

1:08:03

On October 29, 1984, 66-year-old beloved Black disabled grandmother Eleanor Bumpurs was murdered in her own home. A public housing tenant 4 months behind on rent, Ms. Bumpurs was facing eviction when white NYPD officer Stephen Sullivan shot her twice with a 12-gauge shotgun. LaShawn Harris, 10 years old at the time, felt the aftershocks of the trag…

1
Susan C. Boyd, "Heroin: An Illustrated History" (Fernwood, 2022) 45:23

1d ago45:23

45:23

Dr. Susan Boyd is a scholar/activist and Distinguished Professor emerita at the University of Victoria. Her research examines a variety of topics related to the history of drug prohibition and resistance to it, drug law and policy, including maternal drug use, maternal/state conflicts, film and culture, radio and print media, heroin assisted-treatm…

1
The Manosphere: Red pills, incels and a misogyny epidemic | James Bloodworth interview 25:12

2d ago25:12

25:12

Students across the UK have reported a dramatic rise in misogyny in their schools. The government has described this as being on an "epidemic scale". This is often connected to social media content targeted at young men and boys, but is there more to it? Anoosh Chakelian is joined by journalist James Bloodworth, author of Lost Boys: A Personal Jour…

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Can the UK solve the plummeting birthrate dilemma? | Politics with Anoosh Chakelian 21:11

3d ago21:11

21:11

Due to Britain’s falling birth rates and the government’s desire for lower immigration levels, does the government have any plan to financially encourage and support couples to have children? Anoosh Chakelian is joined by Rachel Cunliffe and George Eaton to answer listener questions. Download the app Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more …

1
Tim Lenton, "Positive Tipping Points: How to Fix the Climate Crisis" (Oxford UP, 2025) 56:53

3d ago56:53

56:53

As global change escalates, we are already starting to experience damaging tipping points in the social, ecological and climate systems that we depend upon - and much worse is to come. These shocks tell us we have left it too late for incremental change to save us: we need to change course fast to avoid the worst, yet we are acting far too slowly. …

1
Daniel Lomas, "The Secret History of UK Security Vetting from 1909 to the Present" (Bloomsbury, 2025) 1:03:38

3d ago1:03:38

1:03:38

Using newly available government records, private papers, and documents obtained through Freedom of Information, The Secret History of UK Vetting from 1909 to the Present (Bloomsbury, 2025) by Dr. Daniel Lomas tells the secret story of UK security vetting from 1909 to the present. Although Britain avoided American-style red-baiting and McCarthy-lik…

1
Andy Burnham: the next Prime Minister? | Politics with Anoosh Chakelian 20:50

4d ago20:50

20:50

The Mayor of Manchester is the most popular choice to replace Keir Starmer as Prime Minister. Keir Starmer is now less popular than Donald Trump. Despite the Labour Party's historic election win just over one year ago, popularity ratings for leading Labour figures have plummeted. Economic woes, crunching u-turns, unrest over Gaza and asylum hotel p…

1
Bettina Ng′weno, "No Place Like Home in a New City: Anti-Urbanism and Life in Nairobi" (U of California Press, 2025) 53:28

4d ago53:28

53:28

Bettina Ng’weno is Professor of African American and African Studies at the University of California, Davis Nairobi, known as the Green City in the Sun, has taken shape through anti-urban ideologies that insist that the city cannot be home for most residents. Based on decades of experience in rapidly changing Nairobi, No Place Like Home in a New Ci…

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Why are people talking about an English civil war? | Politics with Anoosh Chakelian 32:51

5d ago32:51

32:51

Following last year’s riots, in the wake of the Southport murders, Elon Musk predicted civil war in the UK was “inevitable”. So far, however, no civil war… Over the last century, people in British politics at times of turmoil have raised the prospect of civil war, repeatedly, in ways not unlike today. What did they fear, and why? And what might we …

1
Bench Ansfield, "Born in Flames: The Business of Arson and the Remaking of the American City" (Norton, 2025) 48:18

5d ago48:18

48:18

“Ladies and gentlemen, the Bronx is burning!” That legendary and apocryphal phrase, allegedly uttered by announcers during the 1977 World Series as flames rose above Yankee Stadium, seemed to encapsulate an entire era in this nation’s urban history. Across that decade, a wave of arson coursed through American cities, destroying entire neighborhoods…

1
Trump meets Zelenskyy: hope for peace in Ukraine? | Geopolitics with Katie Stallard 26:47

6d ago26:47

26:47

Yesterday, Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Washington, flanked by seven European leaders, in order to meet with Donald Trump and push forward talks to end the war in Ukraine. This came just three days after Trump’s carefully choreographed meeting with Vladimir Putin in Alaska. Could this be the beginning of the end for the drawn o…

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Thomas Christian Bächle and Jascha Bareis eds., "The Realities of Autonomous Weapons (Bristol UP, 2025) 1:00:17

6d ago1:00:17

1:00:17

Autonomous weapons exist in a strange territory between Pentagon procurement contracts and Hollywood blockbusters, between actual military systems and speculative futures. For this week's Liminal Library, I spoke with Jascha Bareis, co-editor of The Realities of Autonomous Weapons (Bristol UP, 2025), about how these dual existences shape internatio…

1
Steve L. Monroe, "Mirages of Reform: The Politics of Elite Protectionism in the Arab World" (Cornell UP, 2025) 24:00

6d ago24:00

24:00

In Mirages of Reform: The Politics of Elite Protectionism in the Arab World (Cornell UP, 2025), Steve L. Monroe argues that geopolitics and social connections between state and capital underpin the Arab world's uneven trade policies. Despite decades of international pressure, neoliberal trade policy reform in the Arab world has been varied, selecti…

1
Palestine Action arrests "will bring the law into disrepute" | Jonathan Dimbleby interview 34:41

7d ago34:41

34:41

In 1978, the broadcaster and journalist Jonathan Dimbleby, and photojournalist Don McCullin, published The Palestinians - a book that sought to tell the human story behind one of the world’s most intractable conflicts. This year, in the wake of the ongoing and constantly escalating war, the book will be republished with a new foreword. In this epis…

1
The New Statesman’s ultimate beach reads 38:48

9d ago38:48

38:48

There’s one thing you need this summer. A good book. Will Lloyd is joined by culture editor Tanjil Rashid, and staff writer Finn McRedmond to discuss the New Statesman's ultimate beach reads for 2025 and beyond. Download the app Host: Will Lloyd Guests: Tanjil Rashid, Finn McRedmond Producer: Catharine Hughes Video producer: Rob Le Mare Executive p…

1
The government must address the graduate job crisis | Politics with Anoosh Chakelian 28:00

10d ago28:00

28:00

Will Starmer face a vote of no confidence? What does Reform UK mean by scrap Net Zero? Should the Democrats distance themselves from the Clintons? Anoosh Chakelian is joined by George Eaton and Will Lloyd to answer listener questions. Download the app Ask a question Host: Anoosh Chakelian Guest: George Eaton Guest: Will Lloyd Producer: Catharine Hu…

1
Christopher R. Matthews, "Doing Good Social Science: Lessons from Immersion, Understanding Social Life and Exploring the In-Between" (Routledge, 2025) 31:43

10d ago31:43

31:43

Doing Good Social Science: Lessons from Immersion, Understanding Social Life and Exploring the In-Between (Routledge, 2025) takes readers on a personal and thought-provoking journey and empowers readers to become unshakeable, free-thinking scholars. Drawing from nearly two decades of experience in research and mentorship, this book shares insights …

1
UK economy "fastest growing in the G7 this year" | Politics with Anoosh Chakelian 25:21

11d ago25:21

25:21

On Thursday morning, data was released showing that UK economic growth has slowed to 0.3%. Also, JD Vance has been holidaying in the UK, recently meeting with a who’s who of right-wing populists - from Robert Jenrick, to Nigel Farage, to, somewhat bizarrely, enjoying a BBQ with ex-Apprentice contestant and social media star, Thomas Skinner. Anoosh …

1
Matthew Facciani, "Misguided: Where Misinformation Starts, How It Spreads, and What to Do about It" (Columbia UP, 2025) 30:29

11d ago30:29

30:29

Why are people inclined to believe misinformation? Misguided: Where Misinformation Starts, How It Spreads, and What to Do about It (Columbia UP, 2025) is a wide-ranging and comprehensive book that shines a light on how false beliefs take root and spread, exploring the cognitive, emotional, and social factors that make us all susceptible to misinfor…

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Branding pensioners terrorists: "ridiculous... and deeply disturbing" | Sir Jonathon Porritt, arrested at Palestine Action Protest 21:57

12d ago21:57

21:57

On Saturday, in Westminster, police arrested more than 500 people under the Terrorism Act. That’s more in a single day than have ever been charged with terrorist-related activity in a whole year. Many of those arrested were pensioners. Their crime: holding cardboard signs which read “I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action.” One of those 532 …

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171: Media, Monopolies, and the Fairness Doctrine 23:37

13d ago23:37

23:37

This week I talk about who owns the media and why that matters. I get into the consolidation of media outlets from local owners a century ago to mostly multinational super-rich corporations today, and I unpack some of the ways that change has shaped the media we consume, which in turn shapes us. I talk about the Fairness Doctrine, the war on drugs,…

1
What happens in Alaska won't stay in Alaska | Geopolitics with Katie Stallard 32:12

13d ago32:12

32:12

US President Donald Trump will meet with Russian president Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday for a high stakes summit to discuss the war in Ukraine. Trump has been upping the ante with his rhetoric around Putin in recent months. On July 14, the US president set Putin a 50 day deadline to agree a ceasefire with Ukraine. On July 28th, he reduced it …

1
Labour students revolt over Gaza | Politics with Anoosh Chakelian 14:44

14d ago14:44

14:44

Youth membership for the Labour party has collapsed – from 100,000 to just 30,000 under Starmer’s leadership. The relationship between Labour HQ and its members on university campuses has soured over the past year, reaching boiling point following the prime minister’s decision to conditionally recognise a Palestinian state in September unless Israe…

1
Jacob F. H. Smith, "Waves of Discontent: Electoral Volatility, Public Policymaking, and the Health of American Democracy" (U Michigan Press, 2025) 22:05

14d ago22:05

22:05

After a period of relative calm in congressional elections prior to 2006, America has experienced a series of highly competitive, volatile national elections. Since then, at least one of the US House, US Senate, and presidency has flipped party control--often with a large House or Senate seat swing--with the exception of the 2012 election. In Waves…

1
WASP movie | Whit Stillman interview 50:02

16d ago50:02

50:02

Whit Stillman is something of a cult film director. He rose to prominence in 1990 with his debut film Metropolitan, which became the first in the so-called “Doomed. Bourgeois. In love” trilogy: Barcelona came out in 1994 and The Last Days of Disco in 1998. Set among America’s so-called “Preppy” class, the films are comedies of manners in the tradit…

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Lewis A. Grossman, "Choose Your Medicine: Freedom of Therapeutic Choice in America" (Oxford UP, 2021) 42:39

16d ago42:39

42:39

Throughout American history, lawmakers have limited the range of treatments available to patients, often with the backing of the medical establishment. The country's history is also, however, brimming with social movements that have condemned such restrictions as violations of fundamental American liberties. This fierce conflict is one of the defin…

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Are the Tories more back-stabbing than Labour? | Politics with Anoosh Chakelian 19:18

17d ago19:18

19:18

Is Keir Starmer sucking up to Donald Trump, and what do politicians get up to during parliamentary recess? Anoosh Chakelian is joined by Rachel Cunliffe and George Eaton to answer listener questions. Download the app Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

1
Irvin Weathersby Jr., "In Open Contempt: Confronting White Supremacy in Art and Public Space" (Viking, 2025) 1:08:53

17d ago1:08:53

1:08:53

Amid the ongoing reckoning over America’s history of anti-Black racism, scores of monuments to slaveowners and Confederate soldiers still proudly dot the country’s landscape, while schools and street signs continue to bear the names of segregationists. With poignant, lyrical prose, cultural commentator Irvin Weathersby confronts the inescapable spe…

1
Starmer is now less popular than Trump | Politics with Anoosh Chakelian 22:12

18d ago22:12

22:12

New polling has found that Keir Starmer is now less popular amongst British voters than Donald Trump. Today, we’re talking about Keir Starmer’s first year in government and the rapid decline in his personal popularity. From a triumphant election victory to sliding approval ratings, where has it gone wrong for the Labour leader? Anoosh Chakelian is …

1
Kit W. Myers, "The Violence of Love: Race, Family, and Adoption in the United States"(U California Press, 2025) 1:17:50

18d ago1:17:50

1:17:50

This episode features Dr. Kit W. Myers, associate professor of History and Critical Race and Ethnic Studies at the University of California, Merced, discussing his book The Violence of Love: Race, Family and Adoption in the United States, which was published by the University of California Press in January 2025. The Violence of Love challenges the …

1
Eurostarmer | Politics with George Eaton 17:06

19d ago17:06

17:06

Nine years after the Brexit referendum, the dream of 'Singapore-on-Thames' has quietly evaporated. Instead, we’ve got a Labour government embracing high taxes, stronger workers’ rights, even state ownership. What’s behind Labour’s European turn and is Starmer quietly reversing Thatcher’s legacy? Rachel Cunliffe is joined by George Eaton. Hosted on …

1
Melody Glenn, "Mother of Methadone: A Doctor's Quest, a Forgotten History, and a Modern-Day Crisis" (Beacon Press, 2025) 43:35

19d ago43:35

43:35

Dr. Melody Glenn was a burned-out emergency physician who had grown to resent the large population of opioid dependent patients passing through her ER. While working at a methadone clinic, she realized how effective harm reduction treatments could be and set out to discover why they weren’t used more broadly. That’s when she found Dr. Marie Nyswand…

1
Divided and dormant Democrats | US politics with Anoosh Chakelian 22:50

20d ago22:50

22:50

The dormant Democrat party must find a way to revive itself if it is to have any hope of challenging the Maga movement, Donald Trump, and his eventual successor. The party is split on whether Trump is simply an aberration to endure, or whether he represents the death of democracy, justifying a dirtier form of opposition politics. Anoosh Chakelian i…

1
170: Polybius and the End of Democracy 18:00

20d ago18:00

18:00

This week I kick off a new section of the show by talking about the cycle of democracy, which philosopher Polybius outlined more than 2000 years ago. I cover aristocracy, oligarchy, democracy, anarchy, monarchy and tyranny, explaining the seemingly-unavoidable cycle that links them all together into a loop...one we appear to be nearing the end/begi…

1
Timothy W. Kneeland, "Declaring Disaster: Buffalo's Blizzard of '77 and the Creation of FEMA" (Syracuse UP, 2021) 1:15:17

20d ago1:15:17

1:15:17

Join me for an insightful and timely conversation with historian Timothy Kneeland about his book Declaring Disaster: Buffalo's Blizzard of '77 and the Creation of FEMA (Syracuse University Press, 2021). This book masterfully bridges the gap between academic research and real-world policy implications. Hear from the author himself as he reflects on …

1
Nigel Farage won't take a day off | Politics with Anoosh Chakelian 22:04

21d ago22:04

22:04

Parliament is in recess for the next four weeks, a time when Westminster usually goes quiet, but this year there’s one man who’s determined to keep working. Nigel Farage. Today the Reform UK leader delivered his third weekly conference as part of his campaign on “Lawless Britain”, broadening out (slightly) from the party's usual single-issue politi…

1
Who really owns Britain's houses? | Susan J. Smith interview 42:52

23d ago42:52

42:52

Britain is in the grip of a housing crisis and politicians from all sides claim to have the solutions. But as prices rise, renters struggle and investors profit - are we seeing housing policy serve the public good? Will Dunn, the New Statesman's business editor, is joined by Susan J. Smith, the new president of the British Academy and honorary prof…

1
Do politicians understand the internet? | Politics with Rachel Cunliffe 22:21

24d ago22:21

22:21

The team answer listener questions on the practicalities of the online safety act, a Labour-Lib Dem coalition, and the revival of the commonwealth. Submit a question for a future episode: You Ask Us Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

1
Britain's summer of discontent | Cover Story with Anoosh Chakelian 25:06

25d ago25:06

25:06

Asylum protests. NHS strikes. A faltering economy. Is the Labour government facing a summer of discontent? Last year, riots sparked by the brutal murder of three young girls at a dance class in Southport rocked the UK. Rioters targeted hotels housing asylum seekers, wrongly connecting the murders to Muslim immigration. Now, asylum protests persist.…

1
On Bullshit in AI 20:40

25d ago20:40

20:40

Today we’re continuing our series on Harry Frankfurt’s seminal work, On Bullshit. I have the privilege to speak with Arvind Narayanan co-author of the book AI Snake Oil: What Artificial Intelligence Can Do, What it Can’t, and How to Tell the Difference (Princeton University Press, 2024). Arvind is the perfect guest to explore the subject of bullshi…

1
Starmer's threat to recognise Palestine | Politics with Megan Gibson 18:42

26d ago18:42

18:42

The UK will recognise Palestinian statehood in September unless Israel abides by a ceasefire, commits to a two-state solution and agrees not to annex the West Bank.Yesterday, Keir Starmer marked a clear shift on the UK’s position on the Israel Gaza war. However, this has prompted backlash from all sides. So what is there to gain? Megan Gibson is jo…

1
Why can't Trump shake Epstein? | US politics with Katie Stallard and Freddie Hayward 27:39

27d ago27:39

27:39

Once upon a time Donald Trump loved to talk about conspiracy theories. Now, well, not so much. Why can’t Trump shake the Epstein story - and what could it mean for his presidency? -- Last week, Katie Stallard and Freddie Hayward talked about how Donald Trump wanted his supporters to move on and stop talking about Jefrey Epstein, and how that seemed…

1
Jess Reia, "Urban Music Governance: What Busking Can Teach Us about Data, Policy and Our Cities" (Intellect, 2025) 34:40

27d ago34:40

34:40

What happens when precarious urban cultural laborers take data collection, laws, and policymaking into their own hands? Buskers have been part of our cities for hundreds of years, but they remain invisible to governments and in datasets. From nuisance to public art, this cultural practice can help us understand the politics of data collection, arch…

1
All hail Emperor Trump | Politics with Tom McTague 27:52

28d ago27:52

27:52

As Donald Trump visits Scotland, world leaders - including Keir Starmer - flock to pay tribute at the emperor's feet. Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2DHAQOeEg-Z-4trARDXHRA?sub_confirmation=1 The US President is on a 4-day trip to his golf courses in Scotland. He has met with Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European C…

1
Michael Stauch, "Wildcat of the Streets: Detroit in the Age of Community Policing" (U Pennsylvania Press, 2025) 1:05:09

28d ago1:05:09

1:05:09

The criminalization of Black youth was central to policing in urban America during the civil rights era and continued in Detroit even after the rise of Black political control in the 1970s. Wildcat of the Streets documents how the “community policing” approach of Mayor Coleman Young (1974–1993)—including neighborhood police stations, affirmative ac…

1
Joseph Gfroerer, "War Stories from the Drug Survey: How Culture, Politics, and Statistics Shaped the National Survey on Drug Use and Health" (Cambridge UP, 2018) 57:27

1M ago57:27

57:27

Joseph Gfroerer spent nearly 40 years working as a statistician for the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Starting in 1988, when the American drug war was taking its current shape, he led the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), one of the federal governmen…

1
Mark R. Rank, "Poorly Understood: What America Gets Wrong about Poverty" (Oxford UP, 2021) 40:03

1M ago40:03

40:03

Few topics have as many myths, stereotypes, and misperceptions surrounding them as that of poverty in America. The poor have been badly misunderstood since the beginnings of the country, with the rhetoric only ratcheting up in recent times. Our current era of fake news, alternative facts, and media partisanship has led to a breeding ground for all …

1
Tax Netflix now! | Peter Kosminsky interview 50:41

1M ago50:41

50:41

Director, writer and producer Peter Kosminsky, who directed of the BBC's adaptation of Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall, has worked in the television industry for 45 years. The BAFTA and Golden Globe winner is one of the most respected voices in the industry. Kosminsky spoke to the New Statesman's Hannah Barnes in a wide ranging discussion about the state…

1
If you care about Gaza, why vote Labour? - Listener questions episode 38:25

1M ago38:25

38:25

Our Listeners ask: With Keir Starmer and his government under fire over their approach to Gaza, and the emergence of Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana's new party, why vote Labour? And with infrastructure and public services in such a terrible state, and the prospect of taxes and bills rising, what are we paying for? Tom McTague is joined by Megan Ke…

1
Osita Nwanevu, "The Right of the People: Democracy and the Case for a New American Founding" (Random House, 2025) 30:04

1M ago30:04

30:04

Frustrated with our political dysfunction, wearied by the thinness of contemporary political discourse, and troubled by the rise of anti-democratic attitudes across the political spectrum, journalist Osita Nwanevu has spent the Trump era examining the very meaning of democracy in search of answers to questions many have asked in the wake of the 202…