In this week's episode, Neil, Natalia, and Niki discuss the Orlando shooting, focusing on the city's history, the attack's place in multiple histories of violence, and the role of presidential empathy in response to national crises. 

Time stamps:

Orlando History: 3:10

Histories of Violence: 16:57

Presidential Empathy: 30:49

WMH: 43:20

On this week's episode, Niki, Neil, and Natalia debate the legacy of Muhammad Ali, the aftermath of the Brock Turner trial, and America's first woman nominated to the presidency by a major party.

In this week's episode, Niki, Neil, and Natalia debate the death of Harambe the gorilla, the coverup of sexual assault in the Baylor football program, and Peter Thiel's legal vendetta against Gawker.

In this week's episode, Natalia, Neil, and Niki debate the history of presidential candidates and tax returns, Obama's visit to Japan, and feminism and footwear. 

In this week's episode, Niki, Natalia, and Neil debate lethal injection and the death penalty, the return of political correctness, and the secret shame of voting for Hillary Clinton.

In this week's episode, Natalia, Neil, and Niki debate the changing racial demographics of American evangelicalism, the decline of running, and Facebook's digital imperialism.

In this week's episode, Niki, Natalia, and Neil debate Dennis Hastert's sentencing, the coup facing Phyllis Schlafly and Malia Obama's pre-Harvard gap year. 

In this week's episode, Niki, Neil, and Nataliadebate Prince's career, Donald Trump’s America First foreignpolicy, and educational divide in partisan politics. 

In this week's episode, Natalia, Neil, and Niki debate the decision to put Harriet Tubman on the $20, the history of sex toy regulation, and the politics of Whole Foods.

In this week's special flashback episode, Niki, Neil, and Natalia debate Woodrow Wilson's legacy at Princeton, the spiritual origins of SoulCycle, and Bernie Sanders's place in America's socialist tradition.

In this week's episode, Niki, Natalia, and Neil debate Trump and political violence, the nostalgia of Kimmy Schmidt, and the origins of prisons for profit.

In this week's episode, Natalia, Neil, and Niki debate the politics of public bathrooms, the history of Spring Break, and the origins of the American heroin crisis.

In this week's episode, Niki, Natalia, and Neil delve into the privacy laws protecting Hulk Hogan's sex tape, the fight for paid parental leave, and the left's love of Scandinavia. 

In this week's episode, Neil, Niki, and Natalia debate Obama's Supreme Court nominee, Misty Copeland and the future of ballet, and the history of contested conventions. 

In this week's episode, Niki, Natalia, and Neil debate Nancy Reagan's legacy, the impact of the OJ Simpson trial, and the politics of presidential bodies.

In this week's episode, Neil, Natalia, and Niki debate Trump's hold on the white evangelical vote, the politics of the KKK, and the place of CrossFit in fitness history.

In this week's episode, Natalia, Neil, and Niki debate the government's attempt to hack the iPhone, Michael Pollan's new documentary "Cooked," and Obama's latest attempt to close Guantanamo Bay.

In this week's episode, Niki, Neil, and Natalia debate Scalia's legacy, women in comedy, and Kendrick Lamar's Grammy performance. 

In this week's episode, Neil, Natalia, and Niki debate the Zika virus and public health, Beyonce's Formation, and Hillary Clinton's feminism problem.

In this week's episode, Natalia, Neil, and Niki debate Hillary Clinton's comments on Reconstruction, Mattel's release of a curvy Barbie doll, and Bernie Sanders's religious (non)affiliation.

In this week's episode, Neil, Niki, and Natalia debate racism and the Oscars, Oprah and the history of Weight Watchers, and why Iowa comes first. 

In this week's episode, Neil, Natalia, and Niki debate the origins of Flint's water crisis, Ted Cruz and New York values, and Wheaton College and evangelical higher education. 

In this week's episode, Niki, Natalia, and Neil debate David Bowie's legacy, the history of bikini bodies, and Ted Cruz's citizenship.

On this week’s Past Present podcast, Nicole Hemmer, Natalia Mehlman Petrzela, and Neil Young discuss Star Wars, marriage and income inequality, and Tamir Rice. 

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

• The Force Awakens is the latest entry in the Star Wars franchise. Niki argued that the optimistic Star Wars movies are a departure from the dystopian anxieties apparent in earlier science fiction films such as Godzilla and Them! which were responding to the nuclear age. Natalia remarked this Star Wars moment is taking place within our culture’s current love affair with Wonder Woman, a topic she has written about.
• A recent New York Times article by the economist Tyler Cowen argued that “assertive mating” – where people of similar class and educational backgrounds marry – is contributing to income inequality. Natalia pointed to Nancy Cott’s Public Vows as an indispensable guide to the history of marriage and Christine Whelan’s Why Smart Men Marry Smart Women for understanding more about the phenomenon Cowen describes. Neil mentioned the “Princeton mom” who gained notoriety by encouraging Princeton undergraduate women to use their college years to find their husbands. Niki suggested the “opt-out” phenomenon of highly-educated women who choose to be stay-at-home mothers revealed another way income inequality shapes marriage and family choices.
• The murder of Tamir Rice, a 12-year-old African-American boy gunned down by police while playing with a toy gun in a Cleveland park, has drawn comparisons to Emmett Till, the 14-year-old African-American boy killed by a white mob in Mississippi in 1955 for allegedly whistling at a white woman. Natalia recommended the historian Edward Baptist’s recent essay, “Ferguson and Fatherhood,” which discusses “The Talk” African-American families have with their sons about how they must protect themselves in public. Natalia also noted that Stacey Patton’s tweet comparing Tamir Rice to Ralphie, the white Cleveland boy of the movie “A Christmas Story” who famously plays with his toy guy, became an internet sensation and inspired virulent racist backlash. Neil argued Rice’s fate ought to be seen in contrast to the story of Ethan Crouch, the white Texas teenager who killed four people in a drunk driving accident but was found not guilty after his lawyers presented an “affluenza” defense.

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

• Natalia discussed Barbara Ehrenreich’s essay “The Selfish Side of Gratitude” and the web series, “Namaste, Bitches.”
• Neil commented on the absence of Hitler’s name in the current national road tour of The Sound of Music.
• Niki recommended the Amicus podcast, particularly its recent “Judging Tribal Courts” episode.