Summer Friday: The Left's Way Forward; Why Some Young People Carry Guns; Oppenheimer; 'The Sandwich'; Hair Braiding

On this Summer Friday, we've put together some of our favorite recent interviews, including: In light of Cornel West's third-party presidential bid, Eric Blanc, assistant professor of Labor Studies at Rutgers University, author of Red State Revolt: The Teachers' Strike Wave (Verso, 2019) and the newsletter laborpolitics.substack.com, and a member of NYC Democratic Socialists of America, discusses the state of the American left pre-2016, how its evolved over the last seven years, and his theory for how the left should build power moving forward. We look at the findings of a report that investigates why some teens and young adults in New York City carry guns. The study is by the Center for Justice Innovation based on interviews with more than 100 young people from Crown Heights. Study authors, Javonte Alexander and Basaime Spate, Community Research Coordinators at the Center for Justice Innovation, and Elise White, director of Action Research at the Center for Justice Innovation, walk us through their research. Fred Kaplan, Slate's War Stories columnist and the author of many books, including The Bomb: Presidents, Generals, and the Secret History of Nuclear War (Simon & Schuster, 2020), draws on his expertise in nuclear history to discuss whether Christopher Nolan's epic new film Oppenheimer is historically accurate - plus reveals a little-known political controversy within the other big new movie, Barbie. Katie Honan, senior reporter at The City, recently stumbled upon an artichoke parm sandwich (heretofore referred to as "the sandwich") she'd never seen on a menu before, at a small deli in Brooklyn. She talks about the history of the deli and how the sandwich came to be as listeners call in to share a hidden culinary gem. The beautiful work of West African hair braiders can be seen on the heads of many who wander New York City streets. While their work is highly visible, little is heard about the many occupational injuries hair braiders obtain on the job. Houreidja Tall, NYC based freelance journalist, shares her reporting on the often untold stories of hair braiders, their pain, and systemic lack of workplace protections.   These interviews were polished up and edited for time, the original versions are available here: The Left's Way Forward (Jul 10, 2023) Why Some Young People Carry Guns (Jul 26, 2023) The History Behind the New Movie 'Oppenheimer' (Jul 25, 2023) 'The Sandwich' and Other Hidden Culinary Gems (Jun 20, 2023) The Physical Toll of Hair Braiding (Jul 26, 2023)