The Night Light with Joshua Johnson

It's been an overwhelmingly busy time lately, especially in presidential politics. Let's take some time to see what's on your mind! Anything at all you'd like to ask about, discuss, share, vent about or ideate on -- or if you've got questions for me -- now's the time. Doesn't have to be political, either. Share your thoughts in the chat! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nightlightjoshua/support

The Supreme Court’s term is nearly over, and as usual we’re getting some big rulings near the end. Bloomberg broke the news of a mistakenly published draft appearing to protect abortion access in Idaho. The Biden Administration got a win from the Court regarding social media. But some big cases are still pending, and next term’s docket is taking shape. We’ll walk through some of the major rulings and look ahead to future cases. Plus, today is the anniversary of a landmark LGBTQ+ case: one that Justice Sonia Sotomayor cited in a dissent over a new ruling about marriage rights. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nightlightjoshua/support

Imagine a C-section without proper anesthesia. Rachel Somerstein found herself so traumatized by that experience that she couldn’t bear to hold her newborn baby. Her new book “Invisible Labor” explores the history and legacy of the world’s most common surgery: one that critics say is performed far too often with far too little care for the mother. If reproductive rights and abortion access are key issues for you, then this should also be on that list. When I read this book I was furious by Page 3. By the end I was shocked, saddened… but still hopeful. My conversation with Somerstein is something everyone considering pregnancy should hear, because there’s still a lot we don’t know to expect when we’re expecting. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nightlightjoshua/support

Few places are as politicized as America’s public schools. NBC’s Mike Hixenbaugh was part of the award-winning team that uncovered deep racial and cultural divides in the Dallas suburb of Southlake, TX. The standoffs seem to have died down, but what did we learn from it all, and what happens now? Hixenbaugh joins me to discuss his new book about Southlake, “They Came for the Schools”. Buy the book at my Amazon Store --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nightlightjoshua/support

For the first time in American history, a U.S. President is now a convicted felon. Today a federal jury convicted Donald Trump of all 34 counts against him connected to hush money payments. Sentencing is set for July 11th, just days before the Republican National Convention. Share your questions & thoughts about the verdict and what it means for the country. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nightlightjoshua/support

A major new study out today shows more Americans use cannabis daily than drink alcohol daily. That may be no surprise in a nation that’s slowly moved past its “Reefer Madness” days toward embracing the bud. Florida will vote this November on legalizing recreational marijuana, and the Biden Administration just released plans to lower cannabis’s federal restrictions under the Controlled Substances Act. I’ll break down what’s at stake and consider what other risks the marijuana industry faces. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nightlightjoshua/support

A major new study out today shows more Americans use cannabis daily than drink alcohol daily. That may be no surprise in a nation that’s slowly moved past its “Reefer Madness” days toward embracing the bud. Florida will vote this November on legalizing recreational marijuana, and the Biden Administration just released plans to lower cannabis’s federal restrictions under the Controlled Substances Act. I’ll break down what’s at stake and consider what other risks the marijuana industry faces. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nightlightjoshua/support

Get ready for the sequel almost no one says they wanted: a new series of debates between President Joe Biden & former President Donald Trump. CNN will host one on June 27th, and ABC will host another on September 10th. We’ll break down what you should know about the debates, and I’ll tell you what I would ask if I was moderating. (Call me crazy, but I’d love to do it!) all my links: ⁠nightlightjoshua.com⁠ email me: ⁠joshua@nightlightshow.com --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nightlightjoshua/support

Get ready for the sequel almost no one says they wanted: a new series of debates between President Joe Biden & former President Donald Trump. CNN will host one on June 27th, and ABC will host another on September 10th. We’ll break down what you should know about the debates, and I’ll tell you what I would ask if I was moderating. (Call me crazy, but I’d love to do it!) all my links: nightlightjoshua.com email me: joshua@nightlightshow.com --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nightlightjoshua/support

It’s been a longstanding demand of pro-Palestinian activists: divest from companies that do business with the Israeli government. That’s among the demands of some college protesters speaking out against Israel’s war in Gaza. Universities have been forced to drop their investments before: particularly during apartheid in South Africa. But there are some barriers to divestment today that previous movements never faced. How do endowments work? What does it take to divest… and how much can it really help save lives in Gaza? --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nightlightjoshua/support

It’s been a longstanding demand of pro-Palestinian activists: divest from companies that do business with the Israeli government. That’s among the demands of some college protesters speaking out against Israel’s war in Gaza. Universities have been forced to drop their investments before: particularly during apartheid in South Africa. But there are some barriers to divestment today that previous movements never faced. How do endowments work? What does it take to divest… and how much can it really help save lives in Gaza? --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nightlightjoshua/support

Think America is headed for another civil war? You might not after this episode. The war, and Abraham Lincoln’s election, owe a lot to a paramilitary youth movement called the Wide Awakes. It fired up the struggling Republican Party, long before it became “anti-woke”, uniting all kinds of Americans against the corrupt, pro-slavery Democratic Party. Supporters ranged from future Klansmen to free Blacks, all fighting for the same cause. Smithsonian curator Jon Grinspan tells the story in his new book, “Wide Awake: The Forgotten Force that Elected Lincoln and Spurred the Civil War”. It’s astonishing how much Americans don’t know about our history, but this will change your perspective on where the country is headed. Buy the book at my Amazon Store: ⁠click here --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nightlightjoshua/support

Think America is headed for another civil war? You might not after this episode. The war, and Abraham Lincoln’s election, owe a lot to a paramilitary youth movement called the Wide Awakes. It fired up the struggling Republican Party, long before it became “anti-woke”, uniting all kinds of Americans against the corrupt, pro-slavery Democratic Party. Supporters ranged from future Klansmen to free Blacks, all fighting for the same cause. Smithsonian curator Jon Grinspan tells the story in his new book, “Wide Awake: The Forgotten Force that Elected Lincoln and Spurred the Civil War”. It’s astonishing how much Americans don’t know about our history, but this will change your perspective on where the country is headed. Buy the book at my Amazon Store: click here --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nightlightjoshua/support

It’s a tough time to be a person. Computers are getting faster and “smarter”, while people seem unable to resolve our own differences. How can we compete with artificial intelligence when we’re struggling to work together on so many things? I recently spoke on this topic at my alma mater, the University of Miami School of Communication. I’ll lay out 3 advantages that we frail, analog humans have over A.I. which, I hope, we’ll make the most of to ensure our futures. Humanity is not obsolete, but it doesn’t scale… and that may be a good thing. PDF of my presentation: ⁠click here --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nightlightjoshua/support

It’s a tough time to be a person. Computers are getting faster and “smarter”, while people seem unable to resolve our own differences. How can we compete with artificial intelligence when we’re struggling to work together on so many things? I recently spoke on this topic at my alma mater, the University of Miami School of Communication. I’ll lay out 3 advantages that we frail, analog humans have over A.I. which, I hope, we’ll make the most of to ensure our futures. Humanity is not obsolete, but it doesn’t scale… and that may be a good thing. PDF of my presentation: click here --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nightlightjoshua/support

This has been an exhausting week for me, with an inflammatory article dragging NPR that’s fueled a lot of fiery reactions. Also, the new movie “Civil War” left me more shaken up than perhaps I realized: largely because of its depictions of journalists as players in America’s future. I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of these debates about the future of journalism: mainly because they luxuriate in the problems and never bother with solutions. That needs to end. What the hell do you want from us, anyway? --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nightlightjoshua/support

This has been an exhausting week for me, with an inflammatory article dragging NPR that’s fueled a lot of fiery reactions. Also, the new movie “Civil War” left me more shaken up than perhaps I realized: largely because of its depictions of journalists as players in America’s future. I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of these debates about the future of journalism: mainly because they luxuriate in the problems and never bother with solutions. That needs to end. What the hell do you want from us, anyway? --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nightlightjoshua/support

Donald Trump has always defied the standards of presidential debates. Now his 2024 campaign is pushing for even more debates against President Joe Biden. The 2020 debates were chaotic, to say the least. And this year it’s possible that Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. could qualify as an independent. I’ll tell you how I’d handle this. What would you do? Also, Japan’s Prime Minister has some words of encouragement for world-weary Americans. And I’m going to the movies tonight to see “Civil War”. If you see it too, send me your review: joshua@nightlightshow.com. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nightlightjoshua/support

Donald Trump has always defied the standards of presidential debates. Now his 2024 campaign is pushing for even more debates against President Joe Biden. The 2020 debates were chaotic, to say the least. And this year it’s possible that Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. could qualify as an independent. I’ll tell you how I’d handle this. What would you do? Also, Japan’s Prime Minister has some words of encouragement for world-weary Americans. And I’m going to the movies tonight to see “Civil War”. If you see it too, send me your review: joshua@nightlightshow.com. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nightlightjoshua/support

NPR’s latest accusation of liberal bias came from an unlikely source: an employee. Uri Berliner dragged the network in a lengthy article, after 25 years at the network. I spent many years in public media, and Berliner’s piece left me enraged… and in tears. I’ll dig into the deep flaws in his accusations, share my experiences with bias in public radio, and do what Mr. Berliner didn’t bother to do: suggest solutions. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nightlightjoshua/support