In this week's episode, Natalia, Niki, and Neil discuss a feud between African-American intellectuals Cornel West and Ta-Nehisi Coates, the electoral prospects for southern Democrats, and why LaCroix Sparkling Water has become an obsession.

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Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show:

• Cornel West published a blistering takedown of Ta-Nehisi Coates in The Guardian. Niki referenced Michael Eric Dyson’s critique of West in The New Republic and Natalia referred to Matthew Clair’s essay in Public Books about the origins of the desire among liberal white audiences to hear “authentic” black voices, but only in certain ways. Niki referenced Tressie McMillan Cottom’s blog post where she argued that Coates and West are fundamentally different as thinkers.
• Doug Jones’ win against Roy Moore in Alabama was astonishing given the political leanings of the region. Neil referred to his own post in Public Seminar in which he argued the election was more a loss for Moore than a victory by Jones. Niki referred to Matthew Lassiter’s Silent Majority: Suburban Politics in the Sunbelt South and Kevin Kruse’s White Flight: Atlanta and the Making of Modern Conservatism, both of which detail the slow process by which the long-Democratic South became almost wholesale Republican.
• LaCroix Sparkling Water is all the rage among coastal tastemakers these days, though it has Midwestern roots, as Vox reports. Niki recommended the Gastropod podcast to delve deeper into the history of seltzer.

In our regular closing feature, What’s Making History:

• Natalia discussed allegations of sexual assault against Russell Simmons.
• Neil recommended Sarah Rose’s book For All the Tea in China.
• Niki shared why KFC is a popular Christmas meal in Japan.

In this week's episode, Neil, Niki, and Natalia debate the viral New Yorker short story “Cat Person”, the disproportionately high maternal death rate among black women, and the Elf on the Shelf phenomenon.

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Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show:

• Kristen Roupenian’s New Yorker short story “Cat Person” went surprisingly viral last week. Natalia cited Laura Kipnis’ Unwanted Advances to dissuade readers from equating bad and coercive sex. Natalia cited Jennifer Weiner’s New York Times op-ed about the snobbery often directed at her career writing “chick lit.” Neil recommended Roupenian’s interview with Deborah Treisman.
• ProPublica published a damning article highlighting the many reasons black women die in pregnancy and childbirth. Neil recommended anthropologist Carolyn Rouse’s book Uncertain Suffering: Racial Health Care Disparities and Sickle Cell Disease, and Natalia recommended Alondra Nelson’s Body and Soul: The Black Panther Party and the Fight Against Medical Discrimination and Susan Reverby’s Examining Tuskegee: The Infamous Syphilis Study and its Legacy.
• We discussed the newest Christmas tradition – the now decade-plus old Elf on the Shelf.

In our regular closing feature, What’s Making History:

• Neil discussed the history of the claw foot tub.
• Natalia commented on the new PBS documentary, Pervert Park.
• Niki shared The Cut article, “The Life and Death of a Radical Sisterhood.”

In this week's episode, Natalia, Niki, and Neil debate the resurgence of etiquette books, the announcement of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s royal engagement, and President Trump’s decision to limit the size of two national monuments.

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Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show:

• Etiquette books are making a comeback, and we referenced this New York Times roundup of new titles by Judith Newman. Natalia cited Richard Bushman’s classic book, The Refinement of America: Persons, Houses, Cities and Gloria Steinem’s My Life on the Road.
• Prince Harry is getting engaged to biracial American actor Meghan Markle. Natalia cited this Washington Post article critiquing American’s fascination with British royal culture.
• President Trump reduced the size of two national monuments, breaking with presidential precedent and angering many. Natalia cited Federico Finchelstein’s new book From Fascism to Populism in History. Neil cited the role of outdoor recreation companies in resisting this move and Natalia cited Tom Sugrue’s article “America’s Real Estate Developer in Chief” in Public Books.

In our regular closing feature, What’s Making History:

• Neil commented on Steve Bannon’s attack on Mitt Romney.
• Natalia discussed the new Netflix documentary, Voyeur.
• Niki shared the Vox video, “The U.S. Medical System Still Haunted By Slavery.”

In this episode, Natalia, Neil, and Niki debate the purchase of Time Inc. by the Meredith Corporation, sexual assault claims at a chain of massage spas, and net neutrality.

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In this episode, Niki, Neil, and Natalia debate the recent reckoning with Bill Clinton’s legacy, the state of the New York City subway, and the new tax reform measure.

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In this episode, Niki, Natalia, and Neil debate Liz Smith and the history of gossip columns, whether interracial friendships are possible, and evangelical responses to Roy Moore’s pedophilia scandal.

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In this episode, Neil, Niki, and Natalia debate the Democratic wins in the recent off-year elections, the doubling of Twitter’s character limit, and the release of a postage stamp based on Ezra Jack Keats’ The Snowy Day.

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In this episode, Natalia, Neil, and Niki debate Kevin Spacey’s coming out amid charges of pedophilia, the 21st century company town, and the 500th anniversary of the Reformation.

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In this episode, Neil, Natalia, and Niki debate the declassification of the JFK files, Joni Mitchell, and our age of anxiety.

Support Past Present on Patreon for as little as $1 a month: https://www.patreon.com/pastpresentpodcast

In this episode, Natalia, Niki, and Neil discuss the Girl Scouts in light of the Boy Scouts’ recent decision to admit girls, #MeToo activism, and how Michael Friedman’s recent death of HIV/AIDS helps us understand the illness in historical context.

In this episode, Neil, Niki, and Natalia debate alleged sexual predator Harvey Weinstein and the culture that enables him, the history of the pumpkin spice phenomenon, and the controversy over a Dove soap advertisement.

In this episode, Natalia, Niki, and Neil debate a fatal stabbing at a Bronx high school, the history of the romance novel and its critics, and the evolution of the game show genre.

In this week's flashback episode, we revisit our segment on the history of Hawaii.

In this episode, Neil, Natalia, and Niki debate the Equifax hack.

In this episode, Natalia, Neil, and Niki debate the historical origins of Antifa, cultural appropriation, and the role of contract labor in an unequal society.

In this episode, Natalia, Niki, and Neil debate the White House's announcement to end DACA, the death of New Age guru and publisher Louise Hay, and the prospect of an all-female Lord of the Flies remake.

In this episode, Niki, Neil, and Natalia debate the natural and political implications of Hurricane Harvey, President Trump’s pardon of Sheriff Joe Arpaio, and the legacy of Princess Diana two decades after her death.

In this episode, Niki, Natalia, and Neil debate Trump’s proposal for Afghanistan, plus-size clothing, and why swearing is on the rise.

In this week's episode, Natalia, Neil, and Niki debate the role of neo-Nazis in the white nationalist violence in Charlottesville, the Google memo, and the political power of blondeness. 

In this week's episode, Neil, Natalia, and Niki debate lying about Vietnam, multi-level marketing companies, and the privatization of public roads.

In this week's episode, Natalia, Niki, and Neil debate the place of MS-13 in the history of street gangs, R. Kelly's sex cult, and the controversy over the first woman actor to play Doctor Who.

In this week's episode, Niki, Natalia, and Neil debate Trump's divisive speech before the Boy Scouts, the return of eugenics in criminal justice, and the rising wave of elopements.

In this week's special live episode, Niki, Neil, and Natalia debate funding cuts for libraries, the history of the Hamptons, and the legacy of the Summer of Love.

On this week’s episode, Neil, Niki, and Natalia debate Republicans’ increasing distrust of higher education, the reverse Great Migration of African Americans to the South, and the last remaining fleeing immigrants sign in California.

In this week's episode, Niki, Natalia, and Neil debate the case of Charlie Gard and parental rights, the new Xennial generation, and how New York City made Donald Trump.