Best Black in the Swing of Things Podcasts (2025)

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What the Supreme Court Does in the Shadows 48:09

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1d ago48:09

48:09

The Supreme Court is issuing its final decisions of the term this month. But it's been extraordinarily active since January, in part because the Trump administration has submitted over a dozen emergency applications asking the court to rule quickly on controversial issues. Those cases are part of what's known as the court's "shadow docket." And inc…

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Iran and the U.S., Part One: Four Days in August 36:25

3d ago36:25

36:25

The U.S. and Iran have had a tense relationship for decades — but when did that begin? This week, we feature our very first episode about an event from August 1953 — when the CIA helped to overthrow Iran's prime minister. This episode originally ran as Four Days in August. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR P…

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QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS: Reconstruction, Presidential Power, New States 1:15:24

4d ago1:15:24

1:15:24

Some Q&A from listeners. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesBy Bruce Carlson

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Abortion Before Roe 51:56

8d ago51:56

51:56

Abortion wasn't always controversial. In fact, in colonial America it would have been considered a fairly common practice: a private decision made by women, and aided mostly by midwives. But in the mid-1800s, a small group of physicians set out to change that. Obstetrics was a new field, and they wanted it to be their domain—meaning, the domain of …

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ALCATRAZ AND THE AMERICAN INDIAN MOVEMENT OF 1969 50:50

10d ago50:50

50:50

The 1969 occupation of the former federal prison by Native American activists was the beginning of a movement and a shift in perception that lives on today. http://www.myhistorycanbeatupyourpolitics.com/alcatraz.mp3 We discuss: Why Alcatraz? The 1973 Standoff at Wounded Knee, South Dakota Vine Deloria and “Custer Died for Your Sins” and Other Items…

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Episode 112 - What's Your "Booty Count"?! | Does It Matter?! 58:27

14d ago58:27

58:27

Have you ever been asked what's your "Booty" or "Body" Count? How many people have you had sex with in the Lifestyle? We dive deep and have a fun conversation about if it how many play partners you've had really matters. Let us know your thoughts! As always, thanks for listening! Support the people who support this show: Shameless Care (promo code:…

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The First Department of Education 48:08

15d ago48:08

48:08

Whose job is it to educate Americans? Congress created the first Department of Education just after the Civil War as a way to help reunify a broken country. A year later, it was basically shut down. But the story of that first department's birth – and death – set the stage for everything that's come since. To access bonus episodes and listen to Thr…

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RUTHERFORD B. FIGHTS! 21:30

18d ago21:30

21:30

A classic government showdown battle, really the first actual two-sided and extended one finds an unpopular President gain a bit of popularity. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesBy Bruce Carlson

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EXECUTIVE ORDERS, McKINLEY AND TARIFFS, Biden and Other Listener Questions. 1:10:38

22d ago1:10:38

1:10:38

Bunch of topics - we get into eos, how McKinley really felt about tariffs, versus the campaign platforms, and about all the Biden talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesBy Bruce Carlson

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The Woman Behind The New Deal 48:48

22d ago48:48

48:48

From Social Security and the minimum wage to exit signs and fire escapes, Frances Perkins transformed how people in the U.S. lived and worked. Today on the show: how a middle class do-gooder became one of the savviest and most powerful people in American politics — and built the social safety net we have today. Learn more about sponsor message choi…

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I'M GOING TO SPEND IT - G.W. BUSH'S SOCIAL SECURITY PLAN 28:24

25d ago28:24

28:24

Of course political capital was what George W. Bush was talking about, and spend it he did pushing a social security plan that failed by all accounts. However, it's failure doesn't mean that there aren't advocates who think it would have been right to do, with a better messenger. We get into it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/…

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FIVE CHESTER ARTHURS! NOW ON PATREON 3:12

29d ago3:12

3:12

That's right we have five Episodes of our Chester Arthur Series for Patrons right now - join at www.patreon.com/mhcbuyp or www.myhistorycanbeatupyourpolitics.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesBy Bruce Carlson

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We the People: Search and Seizure 48:06

29d ago48:06

48:06

The Fourth Amendment is the part of the Bill of Rights that prohibits "unreasonable searches and seizures." But — what's unreasonable? That question has fueled a century's worth of court rulings that have dramatically expanded the power of individual police officers in the U.S. Today on the show, how an amendment that was supposed to limit governme…

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"CARTER QUARTERS?" - SUSAN B ANTHONY COIN - PLUS LINCOLN'S LOST SPEECH 50:37

29d ago50:37

50:37

They called them "Carter Quarters." but quarters they were not. To recognize a champion of woman's rights, the U.S. made a decision in 1979 to mint a new coin. The results - mixed at best. A few liked it, many didn't, and later it got more usage, right at the point the Feds had given up. We talk about this coin, and about a lost speech Lincoln made…

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BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN, Podcast Recommendations and Democracy Sausage 40:19

1M ago40:19

40:19

Thoughts about a few current topics. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesBy Bruce Carlson

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War Crimes 51:16

1M ago51:16

51:16

On today's episode, we travel from the battlefields of the U.S. Civil War, through the rubble of two world wars, to the hallways of the Hague, to see how the modern world has tried to define — and prosecute — war crimes. This episode originally aired at "The Rules of War" in 2024. To access bonus episodes and listen to Throughline sponsor-free, sub…

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Episode 111 - Suite Life's 6th Year Podaversary! | Time To Check-in! 1:04:17

1M ago1:04:17

1:04:17

How often do you check-in with each other? Just to see how things are going? What makes you happy? What's going right and...what can be improved? Join us in our annual Podaversary check-in with each other and figure out how to keep the Suite Life pretty Sweet. As always, thanks for listening! Support the people who support this show: Shameless Care…

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A SECOND LOOK AT THE EVENTS of 1776 w/ Tom McMillan, Author of "The Year That Made America" 43:22

1M ago43:22

43:22

With Tom McMillan, we take a look at some of the assumptions of 1776 in the history books. First of all, why July 4th and Not July 2nd? And what about May 15th, when Adams got delegates to move and issued his own Declaration-like preamble? And a second look at Jefferson's authorship of the Declaration: writer or draftsman? We are part of Airwave Me…

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I Could Use Your Help 14:21

1M ago14:21

14:21

Subscribe to our Patreon - patreon.com/mhcbuyp Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesBy Bruce Carlson

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The Tax Collector 51:43

1M ago51:43

51:43

Gangsters, banksters, and politicians. Today on the show, how the hunt for Al Capone helped turn the IRS into one of the U.S. government's most powerful tools — and most effective weapons. To access bonus episodes and listen to Throughline sponsor-free, subscribe to Throughline+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org/throughline. Learn more about sp…

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JOHN JAY'S HORSE , George Washington's Mill and the Emoluments Clause 47:38

1M ago47:38

47:38

From 2017, there's not much reason to edit this cast on the Emoluments Clause from that time. With a look at George Washington. And generally why, on most matters there's already rules on accepting gifts, which outside of trinkets, require a vote of Congress. But in the process, we learn a lot about George Washington who was a businessman as well a…

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California's 'Bum Blockade' 51:48

2M ago51:48

51:48

The story of the Los Angeles police chief who, faced with one of the largest internal migrations in American history, tried to close California's borders to stop it. To access bonus episodes and listen to Throughline sponsor-free, subscribe to Throughline+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org/throughline. Learn more about sponsor message choices: …

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Motherhood 50:38

2M ago50:38

50:38

Baby bonuses, childless cat ladies: the rhetoric around motherhood is politically charged right now. And the fantasy of an ideal mother remains powerful, even as real-life parents struggle to reconcile its demands. Today on the show, three myths of motherhood, and the people who have fought to break them down. This episode originally ran in 2023 as…

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KENT STATE 1970: AFTER THE SHOOTINGS 1:06:09

2M ago1:06:09

1:06:09

In this episode, we talk about everything that happens after that moment when four students were killed at a protest at a college (only two were participating in the protest). Opinion wasn't universally with the slain students, the school had little interest in memorializing and the criminal justice system focused not at those who killed students b…

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SO THESE FIVE GUYS WALK INTO A HOTEL: THE PLAZA ACCORD 48:33

2M ago48:33

48:33

In 1985, a new Treasury Secretary had a shocking idea. Get the financial leaders of the world large economies in one gilded hotel room and don't tell the press, or the markets, until the deal is done. The Plaza Accords, as they were dubbed, has come up again in today's tariff discussions. At least one administration official would say it's what's n…

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The Deadly Story of the U.S. Civil Service 49:31

2M ago49:31

49:31

When James Garfield won the Presidency in 1880, Charles Guiteau got ready to accept his new government job. No one had actually offered him a job – but he'd campaigned for Garfield, so he assumed he'd be rewarded. That was the spoils system, and it was how the government worked. But President Garfield didn't hire him. Guiteau was furious. And on Ju…

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LEXINGTON AND CONCORD: What You May Not Know 38:55

2M ago38:55

38:55

You know about the Battles of Lexington and Concord, the shot heard around the world, the minutemen and their trifold hats and muskets. But how much do you really know about the day's events? This episode we look at the day of fighting at Concord, when a British raiding party turned into a display of American resistance and a trial run for American…

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Episode 110 - Dear Desire RM, It's Not You...It's Us... 1:17:38

2M ago1:17:38

1:17:38

You've all heard the glowing reviews of Desire Rivera Maya resort. This one, won't be that. During our list trip across the naked border, we had a super sexy time with our friends, but the resort itself, left something to be desired...the PARTY! That's ok - listen in on the sexiest massage story since our 2019 trip! As always, thanks for listening!…

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Flashback Episode- On The Waterfront 29:44

2M ago29:44

29:44

A special classic episode of The Classic FIlm Jerks. This time the Jerks cover 1954's On The Waterfront. Originally published Dec 14 2011.

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The Alien Enemies Act 49:02

2M ago49:02

49:02

In March 2025, President Trump issued an executive order invoking a centuries-old law: the Alien Enemies Act. The Act allows a president to detain or deport citizens of foreign adversaries to the United States, but only in the case of a "declared war" or "invasion." Now, the Trump administration and the courts are locked in a battle over whether th…

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Listen Now — Fiasco: Iran-Contra 43:48

2M ago43:48

43:48

If you like My History Can Beat Up Your Politics, you’ll enjoy the new season of Fiasco, a podcast from Slow Burn creator Leon Neyfakh. Leon transports listeners into the day-to-day reality of the United States’ most pivotal historical events, bringing to life the forgotten twists and turns of the past while shedding light on the present. In his ne…

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Love and other things 1:10:41

3M ago1:10:41

1:10:41

Kind of a random assortment of topics. Love. Some politics.By MARLANI

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LINCOLN'S LAND IN IOWA - Now on Patreon 5:01

3M ago5:01

5:01

Lincoln owned land in Iowa, but didn't get a chance to see it. It did remain in the family for a while. We talk about it, what happened to it, and the area around Tama county where one of his lots was. It's part of the bonus content on the Patreon. Subscribe to the Patreon for as little as $5 dollars a month and get ad-free episodes, and bonus epis…

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GROVER CLEVELANDS THREE WARNINGS ABOUT TARIFFS 22:20

3M ago22:20

22:20

The 22nd and 24th President staked his first re-election bid opposing tariffs. There were reasons. He felt they increased prices on all goods, including non-imports, he thought they were limited in benefit to working people, and he had a third warning that is not as prominent in debates today. We discuss his 1887 Tariff Message. Learn more about yo…

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When Things Fall Apart 49:01

3M ago49:01

49:01

Climate disaster, political unrest, random violence: Western society can often feel like what the filmmaker Werner Herzog calls "a thin layer of ice on top of an ocean of chaos and darkness." But is that actually true — or the way it has to be? Today on the show, what really happens when things fall apart. This episode originally published in 2023.…

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Land of the Free 1:15:11

3M ago1:15:11

1:15:11

Been a minute. Catching up. Talking about America the great.By MARLANI

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SMOOT: THE MAN BEHIND THE SMOOT-HAWLEY TARIFF 53:26

3M ago53:26

53:26

You may know his tariff, but not him. A look at the man behind the Smoot-Hawley Tariff. Reed Smoot, Senator from Utah. His history, his politics, his views on tariffs. His battles for a mix of conservative issues and progressive stands. And his battle to keep his own seat from religious intolerance. Plus a discussion on tariffs in history and the v…

Black In The Swing Of Things Podcasts