George Packer on Phoenix as a Bellweather For Us All

President Biden's latest executive action aims to help DACA recipients, and the undocumented spouses and stepchildren of American citizens.On Today's Show:Allan Wernick, senior legal advisor to CUNY Citizenship Now! - the City University of New York's free immigration law service program, explains in more detail what the orders are meant to do, and offers advice for callers in those groups.

This Juneteenth, we explore the real  human story behind the myths about Harriet Tubman, including her spirituality, her relationship with nature, and the disability she lived with while liberating so many enslaved people.On Today's Show:Tiya Miles, professor of history and former chair of the Charles Warren Center for Studies in American History  at Harvard University and the National Book Award–winning author of All That She Carried, talks about her new book, Night Flyer: Harriet Tubman and the Faith Dreams of a Free People (‎Penguin Press, 2024), that places Harriet Tubman in the context of the natural world she inhabited and her spirituality.

After the Supreme Court ruled a ban on "bump stocks," how are lawmakers in Congress thinking about the politics of gun policy?On Today's Show:U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D NY) talks about her work in Washington, including recent Supreme Court decisions and President Biden's immigration policies, and more.

The Israel-Hamas War is a New York Democratic Primary issue. On today's show: Congressman (and Candidate) Jamaal Bowman (D-NY16) discusses his stance.

World leaders of the G7 are flocking to Italy for the annual G7 Summit, and so are world leaders from everywhere else. On today's show:Susan Glasser, staff writer at The New Yorker, where she writes a column on life in Biden's Washington and co-anchors a weekly roundtable discussion on "The Political Scene" podcast, and co-author with Peter Baker of The Divider: Trump in the White House, 2017-2021 (Doubleday, 2022), offers political analysis of the news coming out of the G-7 Summit, including how Western countries are attempting to woo the Global South.

During today's live show, news broke that the Supreme Court upheld the FDA's approval of mifepristone, a medical abortion drug.On Today's Show:Listeners reflect on the news, and Aaron Blake, senior political reporter and author of "The Campaign Moment" newsletter for The Washington Post, shares his analysis, and discusses the latest primary results and what they might mean for November's races, and other national politics news.

The conflict Gaza has created divisions within the Democratic party over human rights, and support for Israel.On Today's Show:George Latimer, Westchester County Executive challenging U.S. Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D, NY 16) in the New York State's June 25th primary, talks about his primary campaign and what he thinks the U.S.'s approach to this global conflict should look like.

What makes a particular city in Arizona a good indicator of the future of both American democracy, as well as the climate crisis?On Today's Show:George Packer, staff writer at The Atlantic and the author Last Best Hope: America in Crisis and Renewal (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2021), reports on Phoenix as a test of the U.S.'s ability to respond to climate change, and other issues facing the nation?

Last week, President Biden issued an executive order that prevents migrants from seeking asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border when crossings surge.On today's show:Murad Awawdeh, president and CEO of the New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC), explains his opposition to the executive order and argues that the U.S. has historically resettled large numbers of asylum-seekers and needs additional pathways to legal immigration.

A new book explores attempts to put a price on whiteness, based on explorations of generational wealth and experience.On Today's Show:Tracie McMillan, journalist, former managing editor of City Limits and the author of The White Bonus: Five Families and the Cash Value of Racism in America (McMillan, 2024), traces the financial impact of historical benefits not afforded Black Americans on her own family and that of four others.