4 Political Podcasts to Get You Through 2018
Get ready for the New Year with some political know how! These podcasts will help the average citizen learn the ways of the Swamp without drowning in it.
- Slate's Political Gabfest: Three more delightful hosts couldn't be found in David Plotz, Emily Bazelon, and John Dickerson. Their podcast features intelligent banter and at times heated debates over the politics of today. Even better than the chemistry between these three is their credibility. Plotz is the current CEO of Atlas Obscura, which produces a guidebook to bizarre and unusual sites all over the world. He previously was an editor for Slate and has years of experience covering politics. Bazelon is a staff writer for the The New York Times Magazine when she is not appearing on the podcast; she also served as a law clerk on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit. Her presence on Gabfest allows for some of the muddy waters regarding the legality of certain government actions to be parted. Dickerson is renowned for his utterly professional and statesman-like qualities when interviewing guests on CBS' program Face the Nation. In addition to Gabfest, Dickerson conducts his own podcast Whistlestop, which revives presidential campaigns of the past with fresh rhetoric and imbues American history with a new sense of vitality. A formidable trio indeed, but the beauty of Gabfest lies in its hosts' ability to dissect tumultuous and even boring political events in a way that a listener, who has never dived into these waters, can obtain knowledge of what is happening in the White House and understand why it is so.
- NPR Politics Podcast: A platfrom that is inviting yet still devoid of any political siding and allows its listeners to gather information without feeling swayed towards one way or another of the political aisle has been perfected in NPR's Politics Podcast. The show is manned by NPR's political reporters, congressional reporter Scott Detrow, White House correspondent Tamara Keith, and congressional correspondent Susan Davis. These hosts do what they do best: report. Mind that these are no dry or monotone accounts of America's twisting, surprising, and complex inner workings. Detrow, Keith, and Davis share a camaraderie that alleviates any dead weight off the subject at hand; they grant their listeners the opportunity to truly engage in national debates by drawing them in with their lively discussions that serve as conduits for political facts. Their clear explanations and upbeat energy transform political minutia into easily digestible pieces of knowledge for the average listener.
- KCRW's Left Right and Center: Diversity is what makes America great; the same can be said for this podcast hosted by Josh Barro, senior editor for Business Insider. Moderates, liberals, and conservatives are all welcome and encouraged to share their opinions on a show that strives for polite, in depth, and illuminating discussions regarding the American political theater. Like Slate's Gabfest, heated arguments can be heard from time to time, but Barro is an excellent moderator and the guests always treat their ideological opposites with respect. The result of such communication is a window for listeners to view a dazzling spectrum of political attitudes. Regular guests on the show include Keli Goff, an excellent writer for the Daily Beast, Rich Lowry, the editor for the National Review, and Katrina vanden Heuvel, editor and publisher of The Nation. Their repartee is essential to any and all who wish to fully indulge themselves in the wide expanse of American politics.
- The Editors: Rich Lowry appears once again in this article in the role of host for the National Review's podcast. He is joined regularly by Reihan Salam, Charles C. W. Cooke, and Michael Brendan Dougherty, all accomplished writers with a long history of political commentary. Well-spoken and precise, the four hosts are less shocked by the many strange events occurring in Washington on a daily basis than their compatriots and take them in stride. While not quaking in their boots over every political misstep, the show's hosts are unafraid to critique the blunders of the Republican party. Listeners who enjoy more left leaning shows will benefit from adding this podcast to their diet. The fact that these hosts do not lose their composure over every new Trump tweet or wild development of some sort is to their credit. The listener can then truly appreciate the moments when these hosts do concede concern or alarm over particular actions.
About the Creator
Laura DiNovis Berry
Welcome! I provide free book reviews for modern poets! At the end of the year, 10% of all earnings and donations will be given to a non profit organization. This year you will all be helping Lambda Literary! Thank you!
Twitter: @poetryberry
Keep reading
More stories from Laura DiNovis Berry and writers in The Swamp and other communities.
Five Things You Should Know About Women's Rugby
Rugby is an incredible sport that is at last breaking through to the masses and, like anything, new, people are going to have some questions about it. This modest little piece is simply here to serve as an introduction to any woman intrigued about this sport, its history and curious as to how to get involved.
By Laura DiNovis Berry6 years ago in Viva
Rivers of Death
Rivers bring water the element essential to all life on Earth but wherever rivers flow they also bring death surprise attacks Savage kills and brutal fights every day is a battle for survival on these rivers of [Applause] death I'm under the African Sun Staying Alive is hot thirsty work and among the ranks of animals jostling to get a drink lurk Killers waiting to strike but while Lions may be fearsome and the huge Nile crocodiles ruthless Predators one of the continent's deadliest River Killers is mostly vegetarian renowned wallowers spending up to 16 hours a day lounging in the water hippos could be mistaken for relaxed creatures and yet the river horse as their name translates from ancient Greek can be a very angry pony indeed with tusks up to a foot and a half long hippos are literally armed to the teeth and a charging bull Hipp can impact with the weight force of a pickup truck what's more hippos May brutally defend their territory an Impala has been chased into a muddy Watering Hole by a lion it's stuck but for fortunately for the stricken analou the lion is reluctant to follow it into the Meer unfortunately it finds itself in the domain of a hippo ill disposed to uninvited guests the hippo's not stealing the watching Lion's meal she's most likely just aggressively defending her calf and the Impala pays the ultimate price for crossing a doting mother hippos are thought to kill more people each year than the rest of Africa's most dangerous animals combined and during mating season their ruthless aggression is directed at other hippos two bulls square up the pod's dominant male and a Challenger at stake the Riverbanks Prime mating territory and a Herm of females the dominant male puts on an aggressive display posturing to show he will not yield but the interloper Demands a fight finally the dominant male is Victorious the Conqueror celebrates with a dung shower marking the border of the territory he has successfully defended while the vanquished suffers more than just the agony of defeat his back is carved open and by Sunset the crocodiles are watching closely they'd be unlikely to take on a bull in rude Health but now they Circle an expectation the hippo breathes his last the price of insurrection is life his Hulk will not go to waste the crocodiles move in swiftly to Feast on the corpse for these voracious Predators it's a considerable meal but one dead hippo is a mere snack compared with the annual Feast provided by a particular African river each year the serengetti vast grass Plains filled to the Horizon with grazing animals taking part in one of Nature's greatest spectacles around 1 and2 million wilder beast join 700,000 other herbivores on the Great Migration around 1 in six of these migrants will die before completing the 500 M circuit many are outrun and taken down down by Africa's formidable array of Savannah carnivores their Journey coming to a Grizzly end but one of the deadliest single obstacles the vast herds must Traverse is the mara River after 3 months on the move the wilderbeast are exhausted and emaciated all that separates them from the Fresh pastures of the msai mara is the width of the river and a whole bunch of huge ravit Nile crocodiles despite the chilling threat posed by these powerful Predators some of the herd are either oblivious to the danger or so thirsty they dare to take a drink anyway for an unlucky few it will be their last and these witless victims merely wet the Croc's appetite the true Feast begins when the first of the herd Braves the river in the crush and Chaos of the crossing the 16t Crocs grabs scores of victims when 1,600 lb of musc futile the marus Crocs survive on meager rations for most of the year so take full advantage of the great migrations time of Plenty they Gorge themselves eating up to half their body weight in one sitting and with so many different species crossing the river the banquet is as varied as it is Bountiful but not all Africa's Crocs have such an easy meal ticket on the banks of this Kenyon River a Croc has got too close to a pack of feeding Lions a move it's about to regret it's a fierce attack but the Crocs skin is covered in bony armor plating eventually the Lion's Uninvited Guest Retreats having taught the Crocs and dinner manners the big cats return to the carcass the Amazon is a giant of a river and and conceal some monstrous Predators which kill with a crush and in a bloody frenzy draining a lowland Basin of close to 3 million square miles around 1/5 of the water that runs off the earth's surface is carried by the Amazon this giant of a river is renowned for its oversized residence both prey and Predator around 4 ft long and and weighing as much as an adult human capibara are the world's largest rodent they're
By cacloaidongvata day ago in The Swamp
Iran and Israel: Dangerous Game.
Israel and Iran have been locked in a deadly duel for decades. Ever since Ayatollah Khomeini came to power in 1979, both nations have been at loggerheads. Israel did help Iran briefly, in the First Gulf War of 1980 - 1981. Iraq was a common enemy of Israel and Iran. Israel helped the Iranians with weapons. Sadly, that moment in history is a blip in an otherwise confrontational relationship.
By Nicholas Bishop5 days ago in The Swamp
Comments
There are no comments for this story
Be the first to respond and start the conversation.