The History and Meaning of Juneteenth

Warning: This episode discusses suicide. This week, Congress was on the cusp of doing something that has never happened in U.S. history: forcibly removing four House members. Two of those members resigned. Michael Gold, who covers Congress, explains what unfolded on Capitol Hill, ...  Show more

This week, an unusual disagreement broke out between the president of the United States and Pope Leo XIV. The New York Times Rome bureau chief, Motoko Rich, explains why President Trump cares so much about what the pope thinks, and why it matters that they are so deeply at odds. ...  Show more

Today is Juneteenth, which marks the day in 1865 when slaves in Galveston, Texas learned of their freedom more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation. We examine the its origins, how it became a federal holiday, and what happens when corporations try to commercialize ...  Show more

In episode two of our new series David and Lea explore some ancient ideas of freedom and ask what they mean today. What can Socrates teach us about the nature of free inquiry and the pitfalls of democratic freedom? Is Stoicism a guide to emancipation from desire or an exercise in ...  Show more

Juneteenth commemorates the day that enslaved Texans found out — more than two years after Emancipation Day — that they were free. It's also a day known for celebratory meals and red drinks. But as the holiday becomes more widespread, we wondered: Is there a risk that certain peo ...  Show more

June 21, 1964. James Chaney, Michael Schwerner and Andrew Goodman, three civil rights activists in their early twenties, are reported missing in Mississippi. They are part of the first wave of Freedom Summer, a massive voter registration campaign in the racist heart of the South, ...  Show more