It's March 25th. This day in 1980, a church in Tucson announces that it will provide sanctuary to immigrants -- in open defiance of US law. Jody, NIki, and Kellie discuss the roots of the church sanctuary movement, the conviction of eight leaders including Reverand John Fife, and the ongoing role of religious progressivism. Sign up for our newsletter! Find out more at thisdaypod.com And don’t forget about Oprahdemics, hosted by Kellie, coming soon from Radiotopia. This Day In Esoteric Political History is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. Your support helps foster independent, artist-owne ..read more

Today, for our Some Sunday Context" series, a little bit of a departure. Jody has a new music show called "Summer Album / Winter Album" -- here's a taste of the recent conversation on Paul Simon's classic "Graceland" with special guest Malcolm Gladwell. We hope you enjoy it, and if you want to hear the full episode make sure to subscribe to the new show wherever you get your podcasts, on YouTube, and more. It's all at www.summeralbumwinteralbum.com Meanwhile, next Sunday we are marking five years of This Day! Be in touch if you have any thoughts about the anniversary, from favorite episodes to ..read more

It's March 23rd. This day in 1775, Patrick Henry of Virginia gave a speech in which he (maybe) uttered one of the more famous phrases in American political history. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss how Henry came to give such a fiery speech, the reaction from those in the room -- and why it's hard to know exactly what he said, if it matters at all. Sign up for our newsletter! Find out more at thisdaypod.com And don’t forget about Oprahdemics, hosted by Kellie, coming soon from Radiotopia. This Day In Esoteric Political History is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. Your support helps foster i ..read more

It's March 17th. Today (actually, March 12th) in New Hampshire kicked off its first lotto system, ushering in a new era of state-sanctioned and state-run gambling that continues to grow today. Jody, Niki, and Kellie are joined by Ian Coss, host and produer of the new series "Scratch & Win" from GBH. They discuss what the lotto was like in those early days, how it's evolved -- and whether they actually provide a fiscal solution for the states that run them. Be sure to check out Ian's full series -- all 8 parts are out now! Sign up for our newsletter! Find out more at thisdaypod.com And don ..read more

Today, an episode from the archives that may provide some context for the news playing out today. We'll be doing more Sunday episodes -- from the archives and fresh conversations -- throghout the first year of the second Trump administration. /// It’s October 24th. This day in 1973, former Beatle John Lennon sued the U.S. government, demanding to know whether he was under FBI surveillance. Jody, Niki, and Kellie are joined by Hrishikesh Hirway of Song Exploder to discuss Lennon’s post-Beatles political life, his personal evolution, the threat of deportation he faced, and what was in his FBI fi ..read more

Part two of our conversation with Harvard's Robin Bernstein about William Freeman's act of murder and protest in the prison town of Auburn, NY. Robin's new book is called Freeman's Challenge -- it's available now! Sign up for our newsletter! Find out more at thisdaypod.com And don’t forget about Oprahdemics, hosted by Kellie, coming soon from Radiotopia. This Day In Esoteric Political History is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. Your support helps foster independent, artist-owned podcasts and award-winning stories. If you want to support the show directly, you can do so on our website: Th ..read more

It's March 11th. This day in 1846 (technically March 13th) in the town of Auburn, NY, and man by the name of William Freeman commited a series of murders that shocked the community and made them reckon we the impact of the local for-profit prison. Jody, Niki, and Kellie are joined by Harvard's Robin Bernstein to discuss how Freeman came to commit this act, why it should be thought of as an act of awareness-raising terrorism, and the early roots of a very broken prison industrial complex. Robin's new book is called Freeman's Challenge -- it's available now! Sign up for our newsletter! Find out ..read more

Today, an episode from the archives that may provide some context for the news playing out today. We'll be doing more Sunday episodes -- from the archives and fresh conversations -- during the first year of the second Trump administration. /// Happy St. Patrick’s Day! It’s March 16th. This day in 1985, U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney met for what came to be known as “The Shamrock Summit,” which started to repair frayed relations between the two countries. Jody, NIki, and Kellie discuss why a shared Irish heritage became the focal point for the meeting, a ..read more

It's March 6th. This day in 1811, Henri Christophe is proclaiming himself as the first King of Haiti -- he would also be the nation's last. Jody, Niki, and Kellie are joined by Marlene Daut of Yale to discuss how Haiti ended up with a king after its revolution, the remarkable life of Christophe, and how the instability of the time still lingers today. Marlene's new book is called "The First And Last King Of Haiti" and is available now! Sign up for our newsletter! Find out more at thisdaypod.com And don’t forget about Oprahdemics, hosted by Kellie, coming soon from Radiotopia. This Day In Esote ..read more

This day, it's 1913. Mexico City is in the midst of what would come to be known as "la decena tragica" -- the ten tragic days. Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss how the Mexican revolution finally arrived in Mexico City, and how the internal strife was exacerbatted by U.S. meddling, from a checked-out president to an ambassador gone rogue. Sign up for our newsletter! Find out more at thisdaypod.com And don’t forget about Oprahdemics, hosted by Kellie, coming soon from Radiotopia. This Day In Esoteric Political History is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. Your support helps foster independent ..read more