Then & Now

In this week's episode of then & now we explore a landmark moment in Mexican politics: the election of Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo as the country's first female president at the beginning of June 2024. Environmental scientist Sheinbaum secured a decisive victory, succeeding the current president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador.

Joining us is Leila Miller, a seasoned former correspondent for the LA Times based in Mexico City. ...

2023 marked the hottest year recorded in human history, with predictions indicating a worsening global trend. In early June 2024, southern California experienced an extreme heat dome, with temperatures rising into the triple digits. Currently, heat alerts affect over 16 million people across California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, and New Mexico. This escalating situation is not confined to the United States nor limited to the present; ...

Recent campus protests have focused new attention on university investment policies.  The call for greater transparency and divestment from Israel has led to questions about the growth and composition of large university endowments, including that of the University of California (UC). 

How did the UC system achieve its robust financial position? One answer lies in its deep-rooted connection to land. The Federal Morrill Act of 1862 p...

In this episode of then & now, we present the recording of an event held at UCLA on May 13, 2024. This event, sponsored by the UCLA History Department, featured a conversation between UCLA Professors David Myers and James Gelvin about the history and context of the Israel-Hamas war and the situation in Gaza.

The brutal attack on Israeli citizens by Hamas on October 7th, 2023, shocked the world. In the 7 months since th...

As the war in Gaza rages on, discussions surrounding free speech and the right to protest have surged across the United States, particularly on college campuses. When a pro-Palestine encampment at Columbia University was raided by police, leading to dozens of arrests in late April 2024, university students around the country set up their own protests and encampments, urging for an end to the war and divestment of university funding...

Gun violence has become deeply ingrained in the historical fabric of the United States, intertwined with the principles outlined in the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which grants individuals the right to keep and bear arms. This amendment is frequently invoked in debates surrounding the implementation of stricter gun control measures.

In this week's episode, then & now presents a compelling discussion host...

In the wake of the events of October 7th in Israel and the swift reaction by the Israeli government against Hamas, student protests have erupted on campuses around the United States, igniting fervent discussions about free speech, the First Amendment, and safe spaces. This week on then & now, we are joined by David Cole, the National Legal Director of the American Civil Liberties Union and the George Mitchell Professor at Georg...

As the U.S. primary elections unfold, the issue of border security, particularly along the US-Mexico border, has taken center stage. Concerns about the number of people crossing the U.S. southern border illegally have prompted extreme and sometimes fatal measures by U.S. officials to curb the flow of migrants. How effective are these measures at slowing illegal immigration, and what is the cost for those trying to enter the U.S.? I...

As advances in technology continue to shape our world, understanding the implications of artificial intelligence (AI), cyber security, and digital privacy has never been more important. In this episode of then & now, we delve into the crucial intersection of technology, law, and policy with John Villasenor, a distinguished professor at UCLA and co-director of the UCLA Institute for Technology, Law and Policy. 

Villasenor's ...

While the conflicts between Israel and Palestine and Russia and Ukraine are center-stage, the threat of nuclear weapons hovers ominously over our world. The recent release of the popular movie "Oppenheimer" reminds us of the extraordinary potency of nuclear weapons. Russia's aggression in Ukraine has raised concerns about its nuclear intentions, while China, under President Xi Jinping, seeks to bolster its nuclear ca...

One of the most vexing social problems in U.S. society is our country’s healthcare system, which is wracked by rising costs, inequitable access, and manifold inefficiencies.  Unlike Canada or a number of European countries, the United States has never adopted a single-payer system in which the government provides health insurance to all.  Instead, it has favored a range of private options alongside supplemental government programs....

On this episode of then & now, Middle East expert Aaron David Miller offers his perspective on the current state of affairs in Israel and Gaza after October 7, 2023 — and on the broader historical context of the explosion of violence in recent months.  Drawing on his decades of service in the U.S. State Department, he also traces the arc of American diplomacy on the Israel-Palestine question, noting the many failures and limite...

In our final episode of 2023, we are sharing a recording of an event hosted by the UCLA History Department as part of the Why History Matters series. Labor movements have surged to the attention of the public over the past year, with the historic Writers Guild and SAG-AFTRA strikes at the beginning of the year as well as the United Auto Workers strike later in the year. Moderated by UCLA Professor of History and Labor Studies Toby ...

For this special episode, we are sharing a recording of a Zoom event hosted on November 21 by the UCLA Luskin Center for History and Policy. Featuring two UCLA history professors, Dr. James L. Gelvin and Dr. David N. Myers, this informational session explores the historical background to the ongoing conflict in Gaza, addressing questions such as:

• What is Hamas?
• What led to Hamas' attack on Israel?
• Why was Israel so ill-prepar...

This episode of then & now  features a conversation with the Reverend James Lawson, the legendary social justice activist who introduced the practice of non-violent action to the civil rights movement.  The conversation takes up Rev. Lawson’s early years and encounters with racism in Massillon, Ohio; his exposure to the idea of non-violence through his reading of Gandhi and while on mission in India; his tireless efforts to pro...

On September 15, 2023, workers from the United Auto Workers union went on strike at Ford Motor Company, General Motors, and Stellantis simultaneously, quickly expanding to include tens of thousands of workers at automobile factories throughout the United States. Founded by visionary and then UAW president Walter Reuther, At its founding, the union focused on better wages and conditions for all working-class Americans, not just unio...

More than half the world’s population currently lives in cities, and current estimates suggest that by 2050 nearly 7 out of every 10 people will live in urban spaces. In an increasingly crowded and urbanized world, space has become a precious commodity. As a species, we seem drawn to cities, despite their obvious disadvantages. From the ancient cities of Southeast Asia to the crowded streets of modern Los Angeles, cities offer oppo...

Reports have emerged in recent weeks that a grave humanitarian crisis is unfolding in Nagorno-Karabakh, a contested region in present-day Azerbaijan that contains a large majority of Armenian residents. A prominent international lawyer, Luis Moreno Ocampo, in fact, maintains that “a Genocide is being committed” by Azerbaijani forces against Armenian residents. This episode of “Then & Now” features UCLA historian Sebouh Aslanian...

As we transition to our fourth season of "Then & Now", this episode features renowned Israeli human rights lawyer, Michael Sfard.  He offers an analysis of Israel's current crisis of democracy, including the attacks on the judicial system and Supreme Court, and a wide contextual frame that extends back to 1948 and to the founding document of the state of Israel, its Declaration of Independence.  The conversation ...