Over the last year, right-wing agitators have turned the academic discipline of Critical Race Theory into the hottest-button issue facing schools. Their anti-intellectual arguments can be maddening. But, paradoxically, the outsized blowback to CRT makes a strong case for it, and for critical theory of all kinds. Victor Ray, sociologist and author of the new book On Critical Race Theory, joins Virginia for a deep dive into both the CRT panic and what the theory actually is.

Homeownership has been synonymous with the American Dream since the New Deal. But after the 2008 financial crisis, millions of low-cost "starter houses" were bought for a song by private equity giants who use them as financial instruments rather than places to live. So what's a homebuyer to do? Journalist Aaron Glantz, author of Homewreckers, joins Virginia to analyze whether there's still hope for ordinary homebuyers.

As heat waves rip across the globe, many climate pessimists are calling this "the coolest summer of the rest of our lives." Umair Irfan, climate reporter at Vox, joins Virginia to talk about the real impacts of extreme heat on humans, and the moral obligation we have to solve this problem — with resources that already exist.