Two years ago, a Cornell student reported to the police that she had been the victim of sexual assault by a group of fraternity brothers from Chi Phi. Now known as "Jane Doe," her case was mishandled, her words mangled, and her attackers protected from consequences. Sociologist Nicole Bedera speaks to us about how institutions of higher education regularly prevent survivors from accessing justice and in fact punish them for coming forward.

Resources:

"On the Wrong Side: How Universities Protect Perpetrators and Betray Survivors of Sexual Violence": https://bookshop.org/a/115699/9780520395893

https://www.thecut.com/article/trump-title-ix-rules-cornell-seven-case.html

https://www.cornellsun.com/article/2026/09/editorial-cornell-won-t-we-will

https://bpb-us-e1.wpmucdn.com/blogs.cornell.edu/dist/5/7756/files/2025/10/2025-SARM-Survey-report_508.pdf

https://spitfirenews.com/p/cornell-jane-doe-smear-campaign-statement-seven-police-report

https://www.tompkinscountyny.gov/News-articles/District-Attorney-statement-regarding-Jane-Doe-v.-Cornell-University-et-al

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/01/nyregion/url-cornell-university-jane-doe-rape-case-statement

https://www.cornellsun.com/article/2026/10/guest-room-the-whac-a-mole-ritual-of-suspending-fraternities-is-not-working-it-s-time-for-deeper-reforms

Megyn Kelly image from https://flickr.com/photos/22007612@N05/53804005492

Matt Walsh image from https://flickr.com/photos/22007612@N05/52126969451

Donald Trump made more than two billion dollars in the first year of his second term. Much of it was from cryptocurrency, which he used to refer to as "based on thin air" until he started selling it. Zach Everson from Public Citizen explains how Trump ramped up his corruption and grifting after getting away with smaller stuff in his first term.

Resources:

https://www.citizen.org/about/person/zach-everson/

https://bsky.app/profile/zacheverson.com

https://thinairrealmoney.com

https://www.npr.org/2026/08/05/nx-s1-5919997/how-trump-made-an-estimated-2-2-billion-during-the-first-year-of-his-second-term

https://www.everyoneislying.com

ICE has been transporting people in inhumane conditions to countries to which they have no affiliation or connection. What do the courts think about this? It's…confusing. Reporter Gillian Brockell is here to get the word out, sharing stories not only about ICE's awful actions and our ridiculous Supreme Court but also about how Democrats on Chicago's city council have fought back.

Resources

https://gillianbrockell.com

https://prospect.org/2026/10/07/federal-judge-dhs-must-bring-back-gay-arizona-man-imprisoned-africa-ahmed-soliman/

https://prospect.org/2026/10/02/ice-airline-omni-air-chicago-trump-third-country-deportation-flights/

https://prospect.org/2026/09/30/supreme-court-allows-ice-to-restart-third-country-removals/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Am0NlFUQYvQ

Donald Trump is changing the landscape of Washington—literally. From East Potomac Park to the Kennedy Center to the 'Arc de Trump,' everything he touches turns to plaster and adhesive gold-colored filigree. And all the while, D.C. is still under occupation by National Guard out-of-towners. Stephanie Mencimer, a senior reporter with Mother Jones and resident of the city under siege, joins us.

Resources

https://bsky.app/profile/smencimer.bsky.social

https://www.motherjones.com/topics/reveal-podcast/

https://www.youtube.com/@MotherJones

https://www.tiktok.com/@motherjonesmag

https://www.motherjones.com/author/Stephanie-mencimer/

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2026/08/fore-trumps-dc-golf-course-is-already-in-the-rough/

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2026/05/the-kennedy-center-was-part-of-dc-life-trump-destroyed-it/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/09/30/trumps-upscale-golf-plan-would-destroy-dc-haven-cyclists-runners/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/09/29/trumps-arch-not-expected-feature-drones-snipers-officials-say/

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/NZIUqUdoz2I

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/08/23/secret-white-house-bunker-undercuts-trumps-ballroom-lawsuit-ex-officials-say/

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/18/us/politics/trump-ballroom-construction.html

https://www.washingtonpost.com/style/2026/09/30/kennedy-center-was-solvent-when-trump-took-over-then-its-finances-collapsed/

https://www.cnn.com/2026/09/29/politics/mike-lee-kennedy-center-bill

https://apnews.com/article/trump-rose-garden-historical-statues-founders-sculptures-0fe922ef11337b4937adf3ac505e9b5b

https://www.turtlediaries.net/p/update-from-the-great-american-state

https://people.com/trump-rose-garden-renovations-complete-photo-timeline-11985903

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/08/a-year-of-troops-in-washington/688317/

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-put-thousands-soldiers-washingtons-streets-they-seldom-stop-crime-2026-08-19/

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/classroom/daily-news-lessons/2025/10/east-wing-of-white-house-torn-down-as-trump-clears-space-for-his-ballroom

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNpIOlDhigw

Donald Trump appears to be deteriorating…in every way possible. Physically, mentally, internationally, grammatically—somehow, orange man worsening, while word salads, IVs, and naps are great again. Ryan Cooper of the American Prospect helps us think through what it means for 2026, 2028, and beyond.

Resources

https://prospect.org

https://www.leftanchor.com

https://wlos.com/news/local/joke-trump-fema-funding-president-donald-trump-north-carolina-western-helene-reaction-whatley-cooper-election-candidates-politics-gov-josh-stein-community

https://bsky.app/profile/atrupar.com/post/3mvoaqk2q2523

https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/address-the-chance-for-peace-delivered-before-the-american-society-newspaper-editors

https://www.liberalcurrents.com/how-the-homeless-continue-to-be-forgotten-in-the-midst-of-the-covid-19-pandemic/

"Donald Trump" by Gage Skidmore is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.

When those at the very top echelon of influence in Silicon Valley think about, talk about, and interact with government, what does that look like? Can we come up with a legible, understandable picture of the tech elites' idea of what governing is and how they relate to it? Adrian Daub says yes, and he says it in his new book "What Tech Calls Governing."

Resources

"What Tech Calls Governing": https://bookshop.org/a/115699/9781503648333

"The Cancel Culture Panic: How an American Obsession Went Global": https://bookshop.org/a/115699/9781503640849

screengrab of Elizabeth Holmes from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGJSRFWALTI

Elon Musk photo by Gage Skidmore https://www.flickr.com/photos/gageskidmore/54349592271/in/album-72177720324044219

Mark Zuckerberg with Trump https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sI-ULy4akl0

Peter Thiel photo by Gage Skidmore https://flic.kr/p/2n3bPZt

Tim Cook in Oval Office from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSAGUjY2HIs

What is the current state of affairs in Israel, Palestine, and the surrounding nations? We ask Y. L. Al-Sheikh for her help summarizing and contextualizing recent developments.

Resources

⁠https://bsky.app/profile/diplomatofnight.com⁠

⁠https://www.liberalcurrents.com/author/ylalsheikh/⁠

⁠https://foreignpolicy.com/author/yaseen-al-sheikh/⁠

⁠https://internationalpolicy.org/resource-author/y-l-al-sheikh/⁠

⁠https://foreignpolicy.com/author/yaseen-al-sheikh/⁠

⁠https://www.newyorker.com/news/a-reporter-at-large/new-maps-show-how-israel-has-thwarted-hopes-for-a-palestinian-state⁠

⁠https://truthout.org/articles/air-force-is-reviewing-case-of-iran-war-gold-star-widow-being-denied-benefits/⁠

"The One State Reality: What Is Israel/Palestine?": ⁠https://bookshop.org/a/115699/9781501768408

Donald Trump's unprovoked trade war with Canada and his chaotic attacks on Iran have him hemorrhaging support in states he won in 2024. Why doesn't he seem to care? What is he thinking? We can't read minds, but we can talk to Greg Sargent from the New Republic about Trump's statements, posts, and actions over the last month or so.

Resources

https://newrepublic.com

https://bsky.app/profile/gregsargent.bsky.social

https://newrepublic.com/article/214669/trump-canada-trade-war-backfiring

https://newrepublic.com/article/214682/transcript-krugman-trump-reveals-deep-contempt-maga-voters

https://newrepublic.com/article/214748/transcript-trump-fury-canada-already-backfiring-badly