Best Steven Powell Podcasts (2025)

1
Karida L. Brown, "The Battle for the Black Mind" (Legacy Lit, 2025) 1:03:53

17m ago1:03:53

1:03:53

A gripping chronicle of the relentless fight for Black educational freedom--and the bold strategies to protect, nourish, and empower Black minds. The Battle for the Black Mind (Legacy Lit, 2025) is an explosive historical account of the struggle for educational justice in America. Drawing on over a decade of archival research, personal reflection, …

1
James Yoblonski 40:33

1h ago40:33

40:33

Send us a text Today’s story is about a 13-year old boy who went into the woods, but never came out. Someone knows something. For just $5, get access to more than 80 other exclusive episodes from Murdered Midwest. Sign up here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2210863/subscribe?mibextid=Zxz2cZ SOURCES https://fox11online.com/news/state/2-years-have-passe…

1
Michael D. Gambone, "The New Praetorians: American Veterans, Society, and Service from Vietnam to the Forever War" (U Massachusetts Press, 2021) 51:32

6h ago51:32

51:32

Contemporary veterans belong to an exclusive American group. Celebrated by most of the country, they are nevertheless often poorly understood by the same people who applaud their service. Following the introduction of an all-volunteer force after the war in Vietnam, only a tiny fraction of Americans now join the armed services, making the contempor…

1
Postcript: Calibrating the Outrage-Democratic Erosion, Legality, and Politics 44:25

1d ago44:25

44:25

We’ve been focusing on the dynamics of democratic backsliding in the United States and beyond. In this episode of Postscript: Conversations on Politics and Political Science, Susan talks the co-founder and co-director of the Democratic Erosion Consortium, Dr. Robert Blair about how the Consortium offers FREE resources to teachers, students, journal…

1
False Dawn: A Conversation with George Selgin on Recovering from the Great Depression 1:00:16

2d ago1:00:16

1:00:16

Join us on Madison's Notes as we sit down with George Selgin, senior fellow and director emeritus of the Cato Institute’s Center for Monetary and Financial Alternatives and professor emeritus of economics at the University of Georgia. In this insightful conversation, Selgin unpacks the myths and realities of FDR’s New Deal through the lens of his b…

1
Amit Ron and Abraham A. Singer, "Everyone's Business: What Companies Owe Society" (U Chicago Press, 2024) 54:35

2d ago54:35

54:35

The ethics of the company in a highly politicized time. Businesses are increasingly social actors. They fund political campaigns, take stances on social issues, and wave the flags of identity groups. As a highly polarized public demands political alignment from the businesses where they spend their money, what's a company to do? Everyone's Business…

1
Danyese LaClair | Holdback Information 25:06

3d ago25:06

25:06

When a woman’s body was found in a field, the police found a potential piece of evidence in the grass. But they decided to hold that information back, leading some to wonder if that is what stalled the investigation. If you have any information, call the Burton Police Department at (810) 742-2542 or the Crimestoppers at 1-800-422-JAIL. This case is…

1
William Haldeman, "Meeting the Moment: Inspiring Presidential Leadership That Transformed America" (SUNY Press, 2024) 25:01

3d ago25:01

25:01

The histories presented in Meeting the Moment: Inspiring Presidential Leadership That Transformed America (SUNY Press, 2024) are of a select group of US presidents, their inspired leadership characteristics, and how they may inspire us today. The traits these presidents possessed were cultivated over a lifetime of lived experience and immortalized …

1
Financial Remedy: to reform, or not to reform? 1:07:35

4d ago1:07:35

1:07:35

This month we are joined by the Law Commissioner, Professor Nicholas Hopkins (who led the scoping report), Emma Hitchings, Professor of Family Law at the University of Bristol (who led the Fair Shares reports), and Resolution’s Family Law Reform Group chair, Jo Edwards of Forsters LLP. The Law Commission has found (in its scoping report published i…

1
How Do Autocrats Stay in Power: A Discussion with Johannes Gerschewski 34:52

4d ago34:52

34:52

In this episode Licia Cianetti talks to Johannes Gerschewski about his book The Two Logics of Autocratic Rule (Cambridge UP, 2023). We discuss how autocrats try to either hyper-politicise or de-politicise their rule in order to stay in power, whether the word “fascist” is useful today, and what the two logics identified in the book might tell us ab…

1
Classic Desert Island Discs - Dame Joan Plowright 35:13

6d ago35:13

35:13

Sue Lawley talks to the actor Dame Joan Plowright in a programme first broadcast in 2006. Dame Joan died in January at the age of 95.By BBC Radio 4

1
Frank Fertitta IV & Landon Gyulay Make History for Veterans at the AMAs with Easy Day Foundation 47:04

7d ago47:04

47:04

Send us a text What happens when two successful business leaders decide to channel their skills toward helping America's military veterans? Frank Fertitta IV and Landon Gyulay reveal the powerful story behind founding Easy Day Foundation, an organization determined to make every day easier for those who've served our country. The name "Easy Day" co…

1
Delimar Vera 31:55

7d ago31:55

31:55

Send us a text Today's story is about a missing 10 day old baby and a relentless mother that refused to give up. We have 80 exclusive episodes about murder cases that are currently locked up. You can access every single one of them by starting a $5 subscription to Murdered Midwest. Here's the link: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2210863/subscribe?mibex…

1
Empire of Gain: Inside Trump’s Billion-Dollar Crypto Hustle 53:50

8d ago53:50

53:50

Hosts Nina dos Santos and Owen Bennett-Jones are joined by crypto journalist Matt Binder and longtime observer of U.S. politics and policy Edward Luce to explore the staggering wealth being generated by the Trump family’s crypto empire. We also hear from Sergei Sergienko, a crypto entrepreneur who has made and lost hundreds of millions in the crypt…

1
Book Talk 66: Political Hope, with Loren Goldman 1:29:13

9d ago1:29:13

1:29:13

How to find hope in these times? I spoke with political scientist Loren Goldman about the principle of political hope: why we should have hope, how to have hope in dark times, and how political hope differs from naïve optimism, faith in progress, or passive reliance on a hidden logic that will save us in the end. Goldman, who is Associate Professor…

1
Emmett Corrigan | Crossroads 47:57

10d ago47:57

47:57

When a confrontation between a husband and the man his wife was having an affair with erupted in violence, two families were left to grapple with what led to that moment and how to move forward. Read Ashlee’s book: Silence Breaks: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22873779-silence-breaks See me at the True Crime Podcast Festival! https://www.true…

1
Nicholas Barry et al., "Constitutional Conventions: Theories, Practices and Dynamics" (Routledge, 2025) 51:34

10d ago51:34

51:34

Constitutional Conventions: Theories, Practices and Dynamics (Routledge, 2025) is an excellent edited volume exploring the various ways in which governments and constitutional structures operate in the spaces that are not necessarily articulated in law, edict, or formal documents. This is not a text about the folks who gathered together in 1787 in …

1
Executive Power and the President Who Would Not Be King: A Conversation with Michael McConnell 52:05

10d ago52:05

52:05

In this episode of Madison’s Notes, Michael McConnell examines the gap between the Founders’ vision of a limited presidency and today’s expansive executive power. Drawing on his book The President Who Would Not Be King (Princeton University Press, 2022), we discuss how the Constitution’s safeguards against monarchical authority have eroded over the…

1
Quentin Skinner, "Liberty as Independence: The Making and Unmaking of a Political Ideal" (Cambridge UP, 2025) 57:23

11d ago57:23

57:23

What does liberty entail? How have concepts of liberty changed over time? And what are the global consequences? Liberty as Independence: The Making and Unmaking of a Political Ideal (Cambridge UP, 2025) surveys the history of rival views of liberty from antiquity to modern times. Quentin Skinner traces the understanding of liberty as independence f…

1
The Price of Free Speech: Politics and Power on Campus 33:34

12d ago33:34

33:34

Hosts Nina Dos Santos and Owen Bennett Jones explore the mounting political and financial pressures confronting higher education on both sides of the Atlantic. In the U.S., it unpacks the unprecedented clash between the Trump administration and Harvard, raising broader questions about academic freedom, ideological conformity, and the role of govern…

1
Classic Desert Island Discs - Colm Toibin 37:53

13d ago37:53

37:53

Kirsty Young interviews writer Colm Toibin in a programme first heard in 2016.By BBC Radio 4

1
Eric Heinze, "Coming Clean: The Rise of Critical Theory and the Future of the Left" (MIT Press, 2025) 1:14:54

13d ago1:14:54

1:14:54

What has gone wrong with the left—and what leftists must do if they want to change politics, ethics, and minds. Leftists have long taught that people in the West must take responsibility for centuries of classism, racism, colonialism, patriarchy, and other gross injustices. Of course, right-wingers constantly ridicule this claim for its “wokeness.”…

1
Suzanne Lyall 44:58

14d ago44:58

44:58

Send us a text Today's Story is about a young girl missing from new york How do you feel about exclusive episodes? We have 75+ and you can have access to all of them for just $5 per month! Here's the link: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2210863/subscribe?mibextid=Zxz2cZ SOURCES https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disappearance_of_Suzanne_Lyall https://abcn…

1
Jeanne Sheehan, "American Democracy in Crisis: The Case for Rethinking Madisonian Government Post January 6" (Palgrave Macmillan, 2024) 35:13

14d ago35:13

35:13

American Democracy in Crisis: The Case for Rethinking Madisonian Government Post January 6 (Palgrave Macmillan, 2024) analyzes the roots of widespread disenchantment with American government. While blame often falls on the individuals in office, they are not operating in isolation. Rather they are working within a system designed by the Framers wit…

1
The Hibachi King of Vegas: Zach Tolen aka Vanilla Rice’s Story 40:47

15d ago40:47

40:47

Send us a text Behind every successful restaurant lies a story of grit, determination, and unwavering passion. Zach Tolan's journey from teenage dishwasher to celebrated chef-entrepreneur perfectly captures this spirit of culinary perseverance. The founder of Vanilla Rice Hibachi House began his culinary career at just 15 years old, washing dishes …

1
Jennifer Holt, "Cloud Policy: A History of Regulating Pipelines, Platforms, and Data" (MIT Press, 2024) 1:07:45

15d ago1:07:45

1:07:45

How the United States' regulation of broadband pipelines, digital platforms, and data—together understood as “the cloud”—has eroded civil liberties, democratic principles, and the foundation of the public interest over the past century. Cloud Policy: A History of Regulating Pipelines, Platforms, and Data (MIT Press, 2024) is a policy history that c…

1
Ryan J. Vander Wielen et al., "The House that Fox News Built?: Representation, Political Accountability, and the Rise of Partisan News" (Cambridge UP, 2024) 30:49

16d ago30:49

30:49

The influence of partisan news is presumed to be powerful, but evidence for its effects on political elites is limited, often based more on anecdotes than science. Using a rigorous quasi-experimental research design, observational data, and open science practices, The House that Fox News Built?: Representation, Political Accountability, and the Ris…

1
Becky Bliefnick | Images in the Dark 42:02

17d ago42:02

42:02

Becky Bliefnick was ready to have her divorce settled so she could move on. She and her estranged husband fought almost every issue but none more than whether his father should be around their children unsupervised. Were any of those conflicts enough to end in murder? Becky Bliefnick Memorial Fund: https://gofund.me/cf34b08e This case is solved. Th…

1
Constitutional Crisis or a Stalemate? 46:31

17d ago46:31

46:31

At the 100 day mark of Donald Trump’s second term as president, the political scientists at Bright Line Watch released their 25th report on the state of American democracy entitled “Threats to democracy and academic freedom after Trump’s second first 100 days.” Based on polling both experts (760 political scientists) and the public (representative …

1
Pollyanna Rhee, "Natural Attachments: The Domestication of American Environmentalism, 1920–1970" (U Chicago Press, 2025) 44:50

18d ago44:50

44:50

A massive oil spill in the Pacific Ocean near Santa Barbara, California, in 1969 quickly became a landmark in the history of American environmentalism, helping to inspire the creation of both the Environmental Protection Agency and Earth Day. But what role did the history of Santa Barbara itself play in this? In Natural Attachments: The Domesticati…

1
Ken Conca, "After the Floods: The Search for Resilience in Ellicott City" (Oxford UP, 2024) 49:01

19d ago49:01

49:01

One small town, two "thousand-year floods" in the span of two years: how does a community become resilient in the face of the ever-increasing risks of climate change? Small towns across America and around the world face mounting challenges with flood risk, a result of not only climate change but also poorly adapted landscapes, sprawl, overdevelopme…

1
Classic Desert Island Discs - Dame Louise Casey 36:52

21d ago36:52

36:52

Lauren Laverne talks to crossbench peer Dame Louise Casey in a programme from 2021.By BBC Radio 4

1
Ruth Braunstein, "My Tax Dollars: The Morality of Taxpaying in America" (Princeton UP, 2025) 1:13:18

20d ago1:13:18

1:13:18

In My Tax Dollars: The Morality of Taxpaying in America (Princeton University Press, 2025), Ruth Braunstein maps the contested moral landscape in which Americans experience and make sense of the tax system. Braunstein tells the stories of Americans who view taxpaying as more than a mundane chore: antigovernment tax defiers who challenge the legitim…

1
Summer Wells 34:59

21d ago34:59

34:59

Send us a text Today's story is about a young girl, gone in the blink of an eye. Start your $5 subscription today and get access to 75+ exclusive episodes! https://www.buzzsprout.com/2210863/subscribe?mibextid=Zxz2cZ SOURCES https://www.wbir.com/article/news/investigations/appalachian-unsolved/appalachian-unsolved-summer-wells/51-2c6b0a89-fe23-4c9d…

1
Nolan L. Cabrera and Robert S. Chang, "Banned: The Fight for Mexican American Studies in the Streets and in the Courts" (Cambridge UP, 2025) 34:36

21d ago34:36

34:36

In Banned: The Fight for Mexican American Studies in the Streets and in the Courts (Cambridge UP, 2025), readers are taken on a journey through the intense racial politics surrounding the banning of Mexican American Studies in Tucson, Arizona. This book details the state-sponsored racism that led to the elimination of this highly successful program…

1
Katherine Stewart, "Money, Lies, and God: Inside the Movement to Destroy American Democracy" (Bloomsbury, 2025) 57:52

22d ago57:52

57:52

Today, and for the past several years, many people both here and abroad have been trying to make sense of the radical right and its financial and ideological grip on the Republican party. Why is it that so many Americans have turned against democracy? What explains the authoritarian reaction of so many American citizens, even when that reaction wor…

1
Threats to Universities and What We Can Do: A Conversation with Brandice Canes Wrone 1:00:09

23d ago1:00:09

1:00:09

Universities are under attack, but what exactly are the threats? How does free speech in the last 10 years compare to today? What do we stand to lose if higher education collapses? In this episode, Brandice Canes-Wrone dives into the major threats facing universities—from defunding to restrictions on free expression—and what we can do to solve them…

1
Karina Holmer | The Boston Au Pair Murder 45:29

24d ago45:29

45:29

Karina Holmer knew within two months that being an au pair was not the job for her. She began to make plans to go home to Sweden, but she was killed after a night out with friends. With conflicting witness statements and no clear answers, the police are still waiting on the one tip that could bring this case together. Anyone with information is ask…

1
Benjamin Schrader, "Fight to Live, Live to Fight Veteran Activism after War: Veteran Activism after War" (SUNY Press, 2019) 55:31

24d ago55:31

55:31

While veterans are often talked about, in Fight to Live, Live to Fight Veteran Activism after War: Veteran Activism after War (SUNY Press, 2019), Dr. Benjamin Schrader flips this this perspective by focusing on veterans telling their own stories. These veterans are not "broken" or "damaged and dangerous" from their experiences in war, rather they a…

1
Half a Century in Family Law 38:52

25d ago38:52

38:52

This month we are joined by Sir Jonathan Cohen (now an arbitrator and private FDR Judge at 4PB) to discuss the last half century in family law. Sir Jonathan tells us about how family law has changed over that time. He recalls the humiliation caused by all divorces being heard in public, and the seminal changes following the Children Act 1989 and Wh…

1
Democracy for Sale: Death by Dark Money 1:11:04

25d ago1:11:04

1:11:04

On this edition of Ctrl Alt Deceit: Democracy in Danger, we are live at the Royal United Services Institute. Nina Dos Santos and Owen Bennett Jones are joined by a world-class panel to discuss the dangers posed by the waves of dark money threatening to overwhelm our democratic institutions. Panelists: --Tom Keatinge, Director, Centre for Finance an…

1
Stephen H. Legomsky, "Reimagining the American Union: The Case for Abolishing State Government" (Cambridge UP, 2024) 59:15

26d ago59:15

59:15

Since American president Donald Trump was elected to a second term, it is common to hear citizens, journalists, and public officials distinguish between the laws and leaders of their states and the national government. Those who oppose Trump’s policies with regard to reproductive rights, gun violence, LGBTQ+, education, police, and voting often pre…

1
Rose Marie Bly 29:37

27d ago29:37

29:37

Send us a text Today's story is about a young mother who went out for the night and never returned home. Want more episodes? A $5 subscription to Murdered Midwest gets you access to 75+ exclusive episodes, as well as some Missing Midwest Stickers! Here's the link: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2210863/subscribe?mibextid=Zxz2cZ SOURCES https://www.miss…

1
Classic Desert Island Discs - Warwick Davis 34:55

28d ago34:55

34:55

Kirsty Young talks to actor Warwick Davis, in a programme first heard in 2016.By BBC Radio 4

1
Jerome Powell: “We don't think you're a straight shooter" 51:15

27d ago51:15

51:15

More than any one institution, the US Federal Reserve drives global capital markets with its decisions and communications. While its interest rates are set by a committee, for almost a century, the Fed’s philosophy and operational approach have been moulded by one person: the Chair of the Board of Governors. In the first series of The Chair, Tim Gw…

1
Janet Yellen: “She had a view that the world was on fire” 59:43

28d ago59:43

59:43

More than any other single institution, the US Federal Reserve drives global capital markets with its decisions and communications. While its interest rates are set by a committee, for almost a century, the Fed’s philosophy and operational approach have been moulded by one person: the Chair of the Board of Governors. In the first series of The Chai…

1
Vegas & Tulum Just Got Smarter — Philippe Ziade’s AI Hotels Are Here! 48:11

29d ago48:11

48:11

Send us a text Visionary entrepreneur Philippe Ziade takes us deep into the revolutionary world of AI-powered hospitality with his groundbreaking Otonomus hotel concept, set to open in Las Vegas on July 1st. This episode unveils how technology is fundamentally transforming guest experiences while creating unprecedented value for real estate develop…

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Steven Powell Podcasts

Podcasts Worth a Listen