
#1700 Clay's Take on Current Events
From Listening to America by Listening to America
April 20, 2026 · 56 min
About this episode
Beau Breslin interviews Clay about recent events including the Artemis II launch, Ken Burns' documentary on Thoreau, and the future of the 14th Amendment.
Beau Breslin interviews Clay on current events. First, the successful launch on April 1st of Artemis II, America's first space mission to the moon in more than 50 years. The launch's success was not particularly unexpected, but our relief was palpable when it was nearly flawless. Second, Ken Burns' latest documentary is a three-part study of the life and achievements of Henry David Thoreau. Clay was one of the featured historians in the film. Beau wanted to know what it was like to sit across from the great Ken Burns in an interview. And third, the future of the 14th Amendment, guaranteeing birthright citizenship to all children born in the United States. The Supreme Court recently heard arguments on the topic, though the decision is not expected until late June. This podcast was recorded on April 2, 2026.
People in this episode
Host: Beau Breslin
Guest: Clay
Topics covered
- current events
- space exploration
- documentary
- birthright citizenship
- 14th Amendment
Keywords
- Artemis II
- Ken Burns
- Henry David Thoreau
- 14th Amendment
- birthright citizenship
- current events
- documentary
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Artemis II, Supreme Court
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- #1697 The State of the Union as Political Theater · March 30, 2026 · 52 min
- #1696 Assessing America's National Parks & Public Lands at 250 · March 23, 2026 · 55 min
- #1695 New Ken Burns Documentary on Henry David Thoreau · March 16, 2026 · 52 min
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