Jelani Cobb talks democracy, Trumpism, and the future of journalism

2026 is off to an intense start, but many of the events we're seeing play out today come out of dynamics that have been building for years. Jelani Cobb, a journalist, historian, and the Dean of Columbia's journalism school, talks to us about his new book, Three of More is a Riot (Notes on How We Got Here: 2012-2025), which analyzes some of the major events of the United States' past decade and a half, and how they've set the groundwork for much of what's happening now.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Connecting across generations can be tough, even in the same family. This is at the heart of Amy Tan’s 1989 novel The Joy Luck Club. This week, we're bringing you an episode from NPR's Books We Loved series, where our very own B. A. Parker, along with Andrew Limbong and The Indicator’s Wailin Wong, discuss how miscommunication and misunderstandings between parents and their children continues to be a theme in stories of immigrant families today.You can listen to more Books We Loved in the Book of the Day podcast feed.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Among the American public, support for Israel has fallen among almost every demographic group. But for many White Evangelical Christians over the age of 35, support has remained steadfast. And that support continues to be a major shaper of U.S. policy in the region. So today, in our final installment of the Code Switch History Class series, we're looking into the history and theology behind how White Evangelicals became so connected to Israel, and what that connection looks like in the public square.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

A few years back, many politicians were raising the alarm about the dangers of "CRT" in schools. Today, the new risk to public education is "DEI." What do both of these moments have in common? They have all the elements of a moral panic. So in this installment of Code Switch History Class, we're looking at the history of moral panics in the U.S., and why they so often invoke fears about race and integration.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

In 2018, in light of some pretty aggressive rhetoric and policies being enacted by the Trump administration, many people were asking a pretty direct question: Should ICE be abolished? Seven years later, amidst arguably even harsher policies and language, many are still asking that same question. So today, on the second installment in our Code Switch History Class series, we're taking a look at where ICE came from, and talking to an expert about what a more humane immigration system might necessitate.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

The fight over the soul of higher education is very alive right now, with the Trump administration engaged in dozens of investigations and multiple lawsuits against colleges and universities around the country. Billions of research dollars at those schools have been frozen, too. So today, in a special series called Code Switch History Class, we're looking back at another time of upheaval — a long, bloody strike at San Francisco State that forever changed higher education in the United States.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

How do we keep family traditions alive? For some people, it's by speaking their heritage language, or learning how to cook family recipes. For Nicole Wong, it was through games — specifically, learning the ins and outs of Mahjong. Her research led her to start the Mahjong Project, and to write a book about what she was learning called Mahjong: House Rules from Across the Asian Diaspora. So this week, we talk to Nicole about what it's like trying to teach people a game you're not the best player of, and what she's learned about leveling up to elder/auntie status.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

For months, the Trump administration has been making moves to dismantle the Department of Education — with mixed success. But when it comes to the fight over public education, some of the most significant dustups are happening on the local level, with school boards around the country. Today, we're looking at one of those fights, which played out in a rapidly changing suburb of Dallas called Southlake.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

With AI image and video generators, it's become easier than ever to create hyper-realistic clips of almost anything. Today, we're looking at the landscape of AI influencers that depict Black people in various ways, from the mildly stereotypical to the ultra-demeaning. And we're talking to writer Zeba Blay about why she thinks these types of videos can erode the our society's ability to take the problems of IRL, human Black people seriously.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Over the past few weeks, President Trump has amplified derogatory and stereotypical comments about people from Afghanistan. He's derided Somalians as a whole, and specifically targeted Congresswoman Ilhan Omar. And he's said he will end immigration from "Third World countries." So in a political climate where rhetoric like this has become normalized, is there still use to calling any particular phrase or policy racist?Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy