Selected Portfolio

Mikhail Gorbachev, Theater Lover

Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, who died on Tuesday at the age of 91, presided over period of artistic freedom in the U.S.S.R. that had not been seen since the post-Revolutionary era. Russian culture flourished under his leadership, particularly in the theater, in which he took an active interest. But unlike other Soviet leaders, Gorbachev did not make himself the arbiter of which plays could and could not be performed. He was more fan than censor.

Leftists Use Bad History to Argue Against NATO Intervention

Both Jeremy Scahill and MSNBC host Mehdi Hasan have been criticized by some political scientists and ex-diplomats for downplaying Milosević’s crimes against humanity to frame NATO as little more than a defender of Western imperialism. Not only does this narrative ignore the reasons for NATO’s intervention in the Balkans, but it’s a dishonest way of trying to convince the public that NATO shouldn’t intervene in Ukraine.

"It’s an Artist’s Job to ‘Hold the Mirror Up to the Oppressor"

When Succession won the SAG Award for Best Ensemble last month, Brian Cox used his time onstage to speak about one of the many ripple effects of Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, explaining how artists and performers in Russia “are told under pain of high treason that they cannot say a word about Ukraine.” Following his speech, Cox spoke to Vulture and offered some more details about his love of Russia, his disdain for Putin, and supporting artists in times of crisis.

The Woman in the Hat – Columbia Libraries Podcasts

In 1970, Bella Abzug took on an incumbent Democratic Congressman––and won. A tough Jewish lawyer raised in the Bronx, Bella would become one of the icons of second-wave feminism, passing laws that changed the lives of men and women. 50 years after she first ran for Congress, Bella has had a resurgence. In the past few years there have been plays, movies, and TV shows about her life. Why does she still spark such fascination today? How did she rise to power so quickly? And why didn’t she stay in power longer? All we’ll say for now is that everyone we interviewed for this podcast couldn’t stop talking as soon as we said the words “Bella Abzug.”

Kobach Teamed Up with Wichita Businessman to Sell COVID-Killing Device. An Investigation Found No Validity to Their Claims.

In early October, Kris Kobach, Kansas’ former Secretary of State, and Daniel Drake, a Wichita-based venture capitalist-turned-CEO, made a sales pitch to Kansas legislators. The duo wheeled in what looked to lawmakers like a “refrigerator” — a shiny metal box Drake called a “revolutionary” device that would “kill COVID” and bring “several hundred jobs back to Wichita.”

Meet the Mind Behind the All-POC Sketch Show, Who Made the Potato Salad?

The first Saturday of every other month, Xochitl Mayo arrives at the Tank in midtown Manhattan at 8 a.m. with a team of writers who pitch comedy sketches to her. Between 3 and 4, they read sketches. From 4 to 5, they cast actors. From 5 to 9, they rehearse. 9:30 to 10:30 is tech, after which the audience enters the theater. By 11 p.m., Who Made the Potato Salad?, a sketch-comedy show created entirely by people of color, goes live.