Nicole Hemmer

Nicole Hemmer is a contributing editor to US News & World Report and host of the Past Present podcast. She works as a research associate at the University of Virginia's Miller Center and the University of Sydney's US Studies Centre.

North Carolina

Past Present Podcast: North Carolina, Pot Legalization, and Alabama Football

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On this week’s show, Natalia, Neil, and Niki debate the decline of democracy in North Carolina, the trend toward legalization of marijuana, and the dominance of Alabama football.   North Carolina In a recent piece for U.S. News & World Report, Niki argued that North Carolina had become a “laboratory of illiberalism” because of recent measures […]

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Kwanzaa

Past Present Podcast: Aleppo, Japanese Internment, and Kwanzaa

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In this week’s episode, Niki, Natalia, and Neil debate US involvement in Syria, the legacy of Japanese-American internment, and the 50th anniversary of the first Kwanzaa. Aleppo A cease-fire in Aleppo has brought a temporary halt to the assault on the city’s civilians by the Syrian government. Neil noted the Obama administration’s relative lack of involvement in Aleppo

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African American Santa

Past Present Podcast: Taiwan, the Oakland Fire, and Black Santa

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In this week’s episode, Niki, Natalia, and Neil discuss the future of the One-China policy, the tragedy of the Oakland fire, and the Mall of America’s first black Santa.   Taiwan Donald Trump’s phone call with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-Wen last week set off a controversy in U.S.-China relations. Niki outlined the Cold War context of

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News Feed

Past Present Podcast: Fidel Castro, Liberalism’s Future, and Fake News

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In this week’s episode, Natalia, Neil, and Niki debate Fidel Castro’s legacy, the future of liberalism, and the rise of fake news. Fidel Castro Fidel Castro died at the age of 90, having ruled over Cuba for more than 50 years. Niki placed Castro’s rise to power in a longer history of US-Cuba relations, including

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Cast of Hamilton on Broadway Speech Mike Pence

Past Present Podcast: Trump University, Pence and Hamilton, and Turkeys Gone Wild

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In this week’s episode, Neil, Natalia, and Niki debate the Trump University fraud settlement, Mike Pence’s reception at Hamilton, and the wild turkey’s distaste for the wild.    Trump University Donald Trump’s lawyers reached a $25 million settlement in the lawsuits over Trump University. Natalia situated Trump U in the long history of for-profit colleges but also the history

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