This week on The Modern Tapes, Jude Norton takes us back to one of the most shocking moments of the late Cold War — the attempted assassination of Pope John Paul II. From the gunshots in St. Peter’s Square in 1981 to the intricate web of political intrigue that followed, Jude unpacks the event’s historical context, the international investigations, and the spiritual and geopolitical ripple effects that shaped the Church and the world.

Was it the act of a lone extremist, or part of a deeper conspiracy tied to the tensions of the Cold War? Join us as The Modern Tapes explores faith, politics, and forgiveness in the shadow of an assassin’s bullet.

In this episode of The Modern Tapes, students dive into the origins, beliefs, and controversies surrounding the Church of Scientology. From L. Ron Hubbard’s science fiction roots to the church’s transformation into a powerful global institution, the episode explores how faith, law, and celebrity shaped one of the most polarizing movements of the modern era. With a mix of documentary storytelling and historical research, the students uncover the blurred lines between religion, control, and identity in contemporary America.

This week on The Modern Tapes, Irene Kim dives into “The TikTok Information Firehose” — how social media has transformed the way we consume, share, and trust news. From algorithm-driven feeds and bite-sized explainers to influencer journalism and viral misinformation, Madison unpacks the cultural and technological forces redefining modern media literacy.

What happens when the news cycle runs at the speed of a swipe? And how do we tell what’s real in a world where every scroll brings a new headline? Tune in as The Modern Tapes explores the evolving intersection of attention, information, and truth in the digital age.

This week on The Modern Tapes, Madison Kleine dives into the tools, trends, and technologies that are reshaping the modern music scene. From bedroom studios and algorithmic playlists to AI-assisted songwriting and social media virality, Madison explores how innovation is redefining creativity, collaboration, and fame itself.

Join us for a sound-rich journey through the digital frontier of music — where art meets code, and every beat carries the echo of the modern age.

In this episode of The Modern Tapes, the unseen battles of the early 21st century come into focus. The story traces the rise of electronic warfare (EW)—the fight to control the electromagnetic spectrum—from the deserts of Iraq and Afghanistan to the skies and seas of modern conflicts. Through real battlefield recordings and analysis, the episode explains how electronic attack, protection, and support transformed from Cold War-era theory to everyday military reality.

Host commentary explores how jammers saved soldiers from roadside bombs, how drones became both assets and vulnerabilities, and how GPS spoofing and radio interference blurred the line between defense and disruption. Beyond the tech, it asks ethical questions: what happens when protecting troops silences civilian communications, disrupts hospitals, or blinds airliners?

By the 2010s, spectrum dominance had become as vital as air or sea control. This episode examines how that invisible battlefield changed warfare—and what it means for a world where every signal matters.

🎧 Themes: spectrum warfare, jamming and countermeasures, cyber conflict, military ethics, technology and humanity in modern war.

In this episode of The Modern Tapes, Anna O’Haren explores how Russian hostility toward the United States evolved from the late Cold War through today’s era of cyber warfare and disinformation. Beginning with the 1979 NORAD “training tape incident,” she traces decades of near-catastrophic false alarms, espionage, and digital manipulation that undermined U.S. public trust. O’Haren discusses Soviet and Russian intelligence operations, the rise of hacking groups like Fancy Bear and Cozy Bear, and key turning points including the 2015 White House cyberattack and the 2016 U.S. election interference. By connecting historical moments—from Cold War paranoia to AI-driven propaganda in 2024—she reveals how Russian tactics have shifted from missiles to memes, replacing physical warfare with psychological and digital destabilization. The episode closes with a reflection on the fragility of public trust in an era of polarized politics and weaponized information.

📘 Themes: Cold War legacy, cyber warfare, disinformation, election interference, U.S.–Russia relations, public trust.

This emotional episode tells the story of Ryan White, a teenager whose courage reshaped the world’s understanding of HIV and AIDS. Expelled from school after contracting HIV from a blood transfusion, Ryan’s fight for acceptance brought national attention to discrimination and humanized a disease too often associated with fear and prejudice.

Featuring his friendships with Elton John and Michael Jackson, as well as the creation of the Ryan White CARE Act, this episode explores how one ordinary boy’s story transformed public perception, inspired global advocacy, and continues to save lives today.

Tags: Ryan White, AIDS Epidemic, HIV Awareness, Stigma, Elton John, Michael Jackson, LGBTQ+ History, Health Policy, American History, Social Justice

In this first mini-documentary, The Modern Tapes hosted by Jude Norden examines the final days of Slobodan Milosevic and the extraordinary popular uprising that brought his rule to an end. Through archival detail and narrative reconstruction, this episode traces the collapse of Yugoslavia, the rise of Serbia’s democratic opposition, and the historic October 5th revolution that turned a bulldozer into a symbol of freedom.

From the strikes of the Kolubara miners to the storming of parliament in Belgrade, the story captures how ordinary citizens, not armies or foreign powers, toppled Europe’s last communist-era strongman. The fall of Milosevic stands as a testament to the power of collective resistance—and a reminder that no regime is immune to the will of its people.

Tags: Yugoslavia, Serbia, Milosevic, Revolution, 2000, Belgrade, Bulldozer Revolution, Democracy, History, Mini Documentary