The Andrea Mitchell Center Podcast

Interviewer: MATTHEW ROTH. The acts of the current administration, as well as the OBBBA legislation passed by Congress, point to an economic vision that rejects sharing resources to relieve economic inequality, arguing that money diverted from rewarding success in the private sector is generally money wasted. Journalist ALISSA QUART, in her work as Executive Director of the non-profit Economic Hardship Reporting Project (founded with Barbara Ehrenreich) and as the author of several books, has worked to counter this vision, but also to understand its deep roots in American cultural history. In her discussion with histodrian Matthew Roth, she describes the way economic precarity has climbed the class ladder, as documented in her book Squeezed (2018). In her follow-up, Bootstrapped (2022), she argued that punishing economic policies are undergirded by the narrative of the American Dream, which attributes financial success or struggles entirely to individual merit or decisions. And with the ascendance of a self-described self-made billionaire to the White House, she argues that without the growth of counter-ideals of interdependence and mutual support, economic inequality is only going to get worse.

Interviewer: MATTHEW ROTH. At a moment when tough-on-crime rhetoric, as voiced by Donald Trump and others in the Republican Party, has again become a politically polarizing issue, it is perhaps an opportune time to take stock of the U.S.'s uniquely punitive treatment of certain sorts of crime. Penn political scientist MARIE GOTTSCHALK has long pointed out that, under both Republican and Democratic administrations, the carceral state has expanded and become entrenched amid moral panics – variously about urban disorder, drugs, or sex offenses – that have had a bipartisan sweep. In her new book, Crime and No Punishment: Wealth, Power, and Violence in America, Gottschalk points to a contrary case: corporate crime, or "crime in the suites," which has been treated with ever greater lenience since the 1990s, even as a corporate crime wave brought down the global economy in 2008. In her discussion with historian Matthew Roth, she explores how these are flipsides of the same coin, indicative of how the American political system has redirected rage from those who causes the greatest harms to more vulnerable targets whose crimes pale in comparison.

Interviewer: RAFAEL KHACHATURIAN. In this episode, DEREK DENMAN explores the concept of "fortress power," a form of governance rooted in the design and control of space. Tracing its origins from early modern fortresses to contemporary borders, cities, and infrastructure, Denman reveals how architecture and planning shape surveillance, movement, and political authority. The conversation examines how promises of security often intensify control and inequality, highlighting the enduring and evolving relationship between space, power, and resistance.

Interviewer: MATTHEW ROTH. If today's politicians, even and the state and local level, often seem more interested in scoring off ideological opponents to gain clicks than in working across party lines to solve problems, LEO SOLGA aspires to follow a different path. Solga is a recent Penn graduate in Political Science and a candidate in the Democratic primary for Pennsylvania House District 148. In his discussion with historian Matthew Roth, he describes his journey into politics and his positions on such issues as transit, education, reproductive rights, housing, and criminal justice. Above all, he argues that politics can and should be rooted in the concrete concerns of constituents and a deep and personal connection to local districts – and that Pennsylvania state government, which has not yet become consolidated under one party, is a place where cross-party collaboration is a necessity. The Pennsylvania primaries take place on May 19, 2026.

Interviewer: JOSHUA ROSE. Host JOSHUA ROSE speaks with Dr. ADAM MOHR, Senior Lecturer in Penn's Critical Writing Program, about his 2023 book The West African Revival: Faith Tabernacle Congregation on the Guinea Coast, 1918–1929. Mohr traces how a Philadelphia-based divine-healing church became an unlikely catalyst for a mass revival across West Africa in the aftermath of the 1918 influenza pandemic—when medical systems faltered and religious healing practices took on new urgency. Mohr follows the revival's long arc into the present, including the Pentecostal traditions it helped seed—and the striking ways those West African churches have since returned to Philadelphia through migration.

Interviewer: RAFAEL KHACHATURIAN. Over the past decade we have witnessed an unfolding global crisis of democracy, in its liberal-democratic, representative, capitalist form. As elite power has continued to grow without constraints, classical democratic theory has struggled to keep pace with these momentous changes. In this episode, political theorist SAMUEL BAGG sat down with RAFAEL KHACHATURIAN to discuss how elites gain systematic advantages in modern society, and why resisting this state capture is crucial for thinking about the future of democracy. Episode recorded in February 2025.

Interviewer: RAFAEL KHACHATURIAN. Philosopher SCOTT SEHON joins the podcast to discuss his book Socialism: A Logical Introduction (Oxford University Press). Sehon presents a "master argument" for socialism and defines socialism along two axes: collective economic control and egalitarian distribution. He addresses common critiques of socialism based on rights, the sanctity of private property, and concerns about exploitation. The discussion spans Hayek and Friedman, climate change as the clearest market failure, and how logical reasoning can cut through today's polarized debates. *This episode was recorded last year.

Interviewer: CARRIE WELSH. Why does the American criminal justice system produce unreliable knowers? In this episode, host CARRIE WELSH is joined by philosopher and prison education director JOHN FANTUZZO and re-entry consultant and executive director RAYMOND POWELL for a conversation about the epistemological foundations of mass incarceration. Drawing on a forthcoming paper and lived experience, they unpack how the prison's economy of credibility systematically undermines the efforts and perspectives of incarcerated people and extends punishment far beyond prison walls. Their conversation ends with a call to center the knowledge of incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people in efforts to reduce society's reliance on incarceration.

Interviewer: JOSHUA ROSE. Historian and Penn Professor SOPHIA ROSENFELD discusses her new book The Age of Choice: A History of Freedom in Modern Life, exploring how choice became central to modern ideas of freedom — and why our obsession with it can leave us anxious, overwhelmed, and divided. From the rise of shopping and religious freedom to romance, politics, and reproductive rights, she traces the surprising history and complicated legacy of living in an "age of choice."

Interviewer: RAFAEL KHACHATURIAN. In this episode, host Rafael Khachaturian speaks with sociologist and political theorist NARA ROBERTA SILVA about the trajectory of Brazil's left over the past two decades. Together, they unpack the rise and contradictions of the Workers' Party (PT), Brazil's role in the Latin American "pink tide," and the tensions between grassroots mobilization, state power, and neoliberal constraint. From participatory budgeting in Porto Alegre to Lula's turn to pragmatic governance, Silva offers a sharp, historically grounded reflection on the promises and limits of leftist rule in the Global South. The conversation also turns to the reactionary surge that followed, tracing the conditions that enabled Jair Bolsonaro's rise.

INTERVIEWER: RAFAEL KHACHATURIAN. In this episode, Rafael Khachaturian speaks with IRA ALLEN, Associate Professor of Rhetoric, Writing, and Digital Media Studies at Northern Arizona University, about his latest book, Panic Now: Tools for Humanizing. Allen explores panic as a vital, practical response to the unfolding crises of climate, capitalism, and colonial legacies. He argues for embracing panic as a catalyst for solidarity, novel social forms, and collective resilience in the face of civilizational collapse—offering a provocative rethinking of how we might navigate and even thrive amid uncertainty.

INTERVIEWER: CATHY BARTCH. In this episode of the Andrea Mitchell Center Podcast, host Cathy Bartch is joined by environmental experts CAROLINA ANGEL BOTERO and FERNANDA JIMENEZ to explore innovative approaches to democracy that extend beyond traditional, human-centered perspectives. Together, they discuss the Rights of Nature movement emerging from Latin America, the complexities of recognizing ecosystems as democratic participants, and how redefining our relationship with the natural world could shape a more inclusive and equitable democratic future.

INTERVIEWER: YARA DAMAJ. The collapse of the Assad regime has reshaped Syria's political landscape, bringing both significant opportunities and deep uncertainties. This episode unpacks the factors behind Assad's downfall, the power struggles within the opposition, and the ongoing fight for justice after years of repression. As regional dynamics shift, the future of Syria remains uncertain, with major implications for governance, security, and diplomacy. Penn PhD Candidate YARA DAMAJ interviews IBRAHIM BAKRI, Associate Director of the Andrea Mitchell Center for the Study of Democracy.