Podcast Episodes

The Mother of Thanksgiving

Episode 318

The Thanksgiving story most of us hear is about friendship and unity. And that's what Sarah Josepha Hale had on her mind when she sat down to write a letter to President Lincoln in 1863, deep into th…

Published on 1 year, 1 month ago

Behind the Scenes of Throughline

Episode 317

Today on the show, we're taking you behind the scenes. We'll tell you how Throughline was born, some of what goes into making our episodes, and a little bit about how we make our special sauce — the …

Published on 1 year, 1 month ago

The Electoral College (Throwback)

What is it, why do we have it, and why hasn't it changed? Born from a rushed, fraught, imperfect process, the origins and evolution of the Electoral College might surprise you and make you think diff…

Published on 1 year, 1 month ago

A History of Settlements

Episode 315

The question of settlements has loomed over the Israeli-Palestinian conflict for decades, and has only intensified in the past year. According to a UN report, since October 7, 2023, there has been a …

Published on 1 year, 2 months ago

The Swing State Power Brokers

Episode 314

Today on the show, two stories of building power in swing states: from the top down, and the bottom up.

First, how a future Supreme Court justice helped launch a program to challenge voters at the Ari…

Published on 1 year, 2 months ago

How We Vote (Throwback)

Episode 313

Drunken brawls, coercion, and lace curtains: believe it or not, how regular people vote was not something the Founding Fathers thought much about. Americans went from casting votes at wild parties in…

Published on 1 year, 2 months ago

A History of Christian Nationalism

Episode 312

References to God and Christianity are sprinkled throughout American life. Our money has "In God We Trust" printed on it. Most presidents have chosen to swear their oath of office on the Bible.Christ…

Published on 1 year, 2 months ago

The Battle For Jerusalem

Episode 311

Today, the city of Jerusalem is seen as so important that people are willing to kill and die to control it. And that struggle goes back centuries. Nearly a thousand years ago, European Christians emb…

Published on 1 year, 2 months ago

A History of Hezbollah (Throwback)

Episode 310

Hezbollah is a Lebanese paramilitary organization and political party that's directly supported by the Islamic Republic of Iran. In the wake of the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel, and Isr…

Published on 1 year, 3 months ago

When Things Fall Apart (Throwback)

Episode 309

Climate change, political unrest, random violence - Western society can often feel like what the filmmaker Werner Herzog calls, "a thin layer of ice on top of an ocean of chaos and darkness." In the …

Published on 1 year, 3 months ago