politics

University Commencement

Past Present Podcast: HBCUs, Rebecca Tuvel, and Commencement Speeches

In this week’s episode of Past Present, Neil, Natalia, and Niki debate historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs), the Rebecca Tuvel controversy, and commencement speeches. HBCUs Donald Trump recently suggested that a federal program that finances construction projects on historically black college and university campuses may be unconstitutional. But a few days later, he expressed […]

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Music Festival

Past Present Podcast: Fyre Festival, the 1992 LA Uprisings, and North Korea

In this week’s episode of Past Present, Niki, Natalia, and Neil discuss the causes of the Fyre Festival fiasco, the anniversary of the LA uprisings, and the history of US-North Korea relations. Fyre Festival After the last-minute cancellation of the Fyre Festival, we discussed the history of music festivals and how they have become VIP

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Green Week: Startup Lessons from the Cannabis Industry

It’s not often that an entirely new industry buds in America. Thanks to changing laws, cannabis is flourishing in Washington, Colorado, and Oregon, with potential for exponential growth. Green is the new gold rush. Equity Rock Investments is a Portland-based private equity firm dealing specifically with cannabis-based businesses. Driving a team that has provided over

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Easter Egg Roll

Past Present Podcast: The Unfriendly Skies, Trump & Syria, and the Easter Egg Roll

In this week’s episode of Past Present, Niki, Natalia, and Neil debate United’s rough treatment of its passengers, Trump’s missile attack on Syria, and the White House Easter egg roll. The Unfriendly Skies The brutal forced removal of a passenger from a recent United Airlines flight is the latest evidence of the unfriendly skies of

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Supreme Court

Past Present Podcast: The Graham Rule, the Nuclear Option, and Pepsi Protesting

In this week’s episode of Past Present, Neil, Natalia, and Niki debate Mike Pence’s rules for women colleagues, the end of the Senate filibuster, and Pepsi’s attempt to coopt Black Lives Matter.   The Graham Rule A recent profile of Mike Pence’s wife, Karen, in the Washington Post resurrected a detail Mike Pence shared in

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Mall

Past Present Podcast: Universal Basic Income, Scientific Racism, and Malls

In this week’s episode of Past Present, Natalia, Neil, and Niki debate the push for universal basic income, the rising visibility of scientific racism, and the disappearance of shopping malls.  Universal Basic Income The call for a Universal Basic Income has become popular again, thanks in part to attention Andy Stern has received for his

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