Reflector

As demonstrators openly debate whether violence is justified to resist the Trump administration, we step back to ask: Have we been here before?  This episode traces a largely forgotten chapter of American history – from the Haymarket Riot to anarchist assassinations, government crackdowns, and the birth of the FBI and the ACLU – to show how cycles of political violence and state power have shaped the American left for more than a century. The story reveals how moments meant to spark revolution often end by transforming the country in ways no one intended. For this story – in addition to speaking with dozens of protestors, modern day anarchists, community organizers, and historians – we also read these books, which we highly recommend: The President and the Assassin by Scott Miller The Republic for Which It Stands by Richard White American Colossus by H.W. Brands The Bully Pulpit by Doris Kearns Goodwin Luigi Galleani: The Most Dangerous Anarchist in America by Antonio Senta and Sean Sayers And if you’re interested in Scott Miller’s work, he just released a new book called Let My Country Awake: Indian Revolutionaries in America and the Fight to Overthrow the British Raj CREDITS: This episode of Reflector was reported by Andy Mills and Ethan Mannello. It was produced by Eli Cohen and Matthew Boll. Music for this episode was composed by ⁠Cobey Bienert⁠⁠⁠ and Peter Lalish Opening music is Gnossiennes No. 1 by Satie Reflector artwork by ⁠⁠⁠Jacob Boll⁠⁠⁠ To become a Longview subscriber you can visit us ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Thank you to our sponsor Ground News. You can visit them here to learn more: ⁠⁠GROUND.NEWS Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After leaving the church that both defined and destroyed her family, Megan Phelps-Roper turned away from the Bible. In this episode, she returns to one of its dark tales to ask what still endures when belief is gone – and why some stories refuse to let us go. CREDITS: This episode of Reflector was written by Megan Phelps-Roper and produced by Andy Mills and Matthew Boll Music for this episode was composed by Cobey Bienert⁠⁠ The Hallelujah artwork by ⁠⁠Jacob Boll⁠⁠ To become a Longview subscriber you can visit us ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Thank you to our sponsor Ground News. You can visit them here to learn more: ⁠GROUND.NEWS Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Listen to our new show The Last Invention Apple  Spotify Order Katie Herzog’s new book: Drink Yourself Sober Sign up for our newsletter on Substack and become a Longview subscriber at our website.  Thank you to our sponsors Ground News and FIRE GROUND.NEWS FIRE This is a paid sponsorship link. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We are living through one of the most unpredictable periods in recent history. A time of profound, destabilizing social upheaval. A time of barely-imaginable technological advancements. A time of emerging new philosophies that will reshape the world around us (for better or for worse).  And, it’s a very exciting time to be a curiosity-driven, non-ideological journalist. But there's a problem: trust in journalism—especially in journalistic institutions—is at an all-time low. We’re seeing a crisis of confidence unlike anything since the days of yellow journalism during the Industrial Revolution. In fact, recent polls show that Americans trust journalists even less than they trust Congress. When Matt Boll, Megan Phelps-Roper, and I created The Witch Trials of J.K. Rowling, we set out to rebuild that trust. And here on Reflector, we’ve been continuing that mission. Today, we’re here to announce that what began as a small project between Matt and me—recorded in my bedroom in small-town Illinois and Matt’s studio in Chicago—is about to evolve into something far bigger and more ambitious. For the last few months, we’ve been working behind the scenes to transform this experiment into a full-fledged independent outlet.  Soon, we’ll be publishing more podcasts and investigative series, continuing to blend rigorous journalism with artful storytelling. With these new resources, we’ll be able to break more stories, dive into more topics, and speak with a wider range of voices—all while bringing clarity and context to the most consequential issues in the world. For the time being, we're taking a brief hiatus, but when we return, expect new hosts, fresh shows, and a lot more reporting. If you’re one of our paid supporters, starting today, your payments will be paused. And when we return, we’ll be sure to reach out with details on the expanded subscriber perks we’ll have on offer. Thank you to all of you who have been with us for this first chapter. Looking forward to seeing you soon in the next one. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Should the U.S. stop giving foreign aid? This is a question many have been asking long before Elon Musk and Donald Trump launched DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency) and began dismantling USAID and its work around the globe. Critics of foreign aid, like Bill Easterly, author of The White Man’s Burden, and Dambisa Moyo, author of Dead Aid, argue that foreign aid often does more harm than good. They contend that the U.S. and other nations should radically rethink their approach. But this winter, Donald Trump did something no one expected: he halted nearly all foreign aid and operations worldwide.  Today, we’re joined by long-time international correspondent and host of NPR’s Rough Translation, Gregory Warner, for a deep dive into why USAID was founded in the first place, how it expanded into the massive program it is today, the consequences of freezing its operations, and an examination of the claims that USAID is part of a U.S. deep-state operation. For the listener who’d like to hear more from Warner, he publishes a Substack newsletter called Rough Transition. And if you reach out to him mentioning you're coming from Reflector, he’s happy to offer a complimentary six-month subscription. Thank you to our sponsor Ground News. You can visit them here to learn more: GROUND.NEWS Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices