Higher Learning with Van Lathan and Rachel Lindsay

Higher Learning with Van Lathan and Rachel Lindsay

Van Lathan and Rachel Lindsay dissect the biggest topics in Black culture, politics, and sports. Two times per week, they will wade into the most important and timely conversations, frequently inviting guests on the podcast and occasionally debating each other.

Episodes

The LAST Biracial Conversation With Molly Daniel, Plus the Gaza Ceasefire

August 19, 2025 • 122 mins
Van and Rachel react to the news of a new ceasefire proposal being accepted by Hamas before welcoming Molly Daniel to the podcast to provide some perspective on the ongoing biracial discussions. (0:00)  Intro (3:57)  Tyla on the ‘coloured’ controversy  (18:43)  Jamie Lee Curtis’ boobs (25:18)  Trump names Kennedy Honorees  (34:49)  Gaza ceasefire proposal (39:22)  Gavin Newsom’s trolling  (50:33)  Kaepernick & Spike Lee ES...
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PragerU Replaces PBS, Celebs in Relationship Drama, and the National Guard in D.C. | Higher Learning | The Ringer

August 15, 2025 • 127 mins
Rachel and Van start the show by talking about the differences in sharing food in different locations. They get into some Trump administration updates, like the deployment of the National Guard in D.C. and the administration's partnership with PragerU. Later, they react to some celebrity news, including Sha'Carri Richardson's apology and the drama between Jurnee Smollett and her ex-husband. 00:00 - Welcome! 7:57 - Trump deploys...
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Gender Wars: David Justice and Halle Berry, Plus S.A. Cosby’s ‘King of Ashes’

August 12, 2025 • 155 mins
Halle Berry’s ex-husband David Justice sparks a gender war after speaking on their divorce. Then, New York Times bestselling author S.A. Cosby joins to discuss his latest novel, ‘King of Ashes’. (0:00)  Intro (0:32)  Van’s Very Serious Question (20:55)  Trump deploys National Guard (25:49)  Shedeur Sanders’ NFL Debut (46:35)  Nancy Mace fact checked (58:05)  David Justice on divorcing Halle Berry  (1:33:08)  S.A. Cosby joi...
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The WNBA Conspiracy, One-Sided Beefs, and Our Voting Rights Under Attack | Higher Learning | The Ringer

August 8, 2025 • 107 mins
Rachel and Van start the show by reacting to the news of the cancellation of The Howard Stern Show before getting into some one-sided beefs: Donald Trump against Gayle King and Megyn Kelly against Beyoncé. Then, they talk about Diddy’s possible presidential pardon and the threats against the Voting Rights Act before Van gets into the conspiracy happening in the WNBA. 00:00 - Welcome!  08:44 - The Howard Stern Show is done  18:...
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Rep. James Talarico and the Democratic Fight in Texas, Plus Stephen A. Vs. Michelle Obama

August 5, 2025 • 92 mins
Van and Rachel welcome Texas Rep. James Talarico to shed light on the state’s Democrats fleeing to prevent a vote over efforts to add Republican seats. (0:00)  Intro (8:01)  Top 5 White Singing Ladies *since 2010 (9:27)  Stephen A. Smith vs. Michelle Obama (28:42)  Rep. James Talarico joins the show (34:57)  The fight against gerrymandering (41:18)  Toughening the Democrats (1:02:35)  Glaze of the Week (1:15:15)  Palantir...
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Sydney Sweeney’s Jeans, Kamala’s '107 Days,' and the Aging of ‘Martin’ Jokes | Higher Learning | The Ringer

August 1, 2025 • 133 mins
Rachel and Van start the show by running through some quick-hitters, including the internet’s reaction to Sydney Sweeney’s American Eagle commercial, Ari Lennox’s thoughts on Martin’s treatment of Pam, and Kamala Harris’s new book. Then, they talk about new updates to the Israel-Hamas conflict and some reactions to their Hulk Hogan segment last week. 00:00 - Welcome! 00:59 - Sydney Sweeney’s good “jeans” 29:57 - Ari Lennox’s t...
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The Hunger Crisis in Gaza and Solution-Focused Therapy With Elliott Connie

July 29, 2025 • 145 mins
Van and Rachel discuss the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza, talk about Dr. Umar’s plea for help, and give N3on an apology rating before Elliott Connie joins to discuss his methods for mental wellness. (0:00)  Intro (0:45)  The Humanitarian Crisis in Gaza (46:06) Dr. Umar’s Plea for Help (59:46)  N3ON Apology Rating (1:25:20)  Tyler Perry on Ownership & ‘Sinners’ (1:32:30)  Elliott Connie Joins the Show Host: Van Lath...
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Gendered Problems and Decentering Men With Joy Taylor! Plus, Thoughts on Hulk Hogan. | Higher Learning | The Ringer

July 25, 2025 • 142 mins
Rachel and Van start the show by talking about the passing of the infamous Hulk Hogan and the complexity of his legacy. Then, the host of Two Personal, Joy Taylor, joins us to talk about processing the surprise cancellation of her show, how she was treated in comparison to her male counterparts, and her opinion of men. 00:00 - Welcome! 00:37 - Hulk Hogan’s passing 03:56 - Joy Taylor joins us 38:57 - Feelings toward Fox 48:58...
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The Life of Malcolm-Jamal Warner, and What Just Happened to Black Farmers?

July 22, 2025 • 126 mins
Van and Rachel react to the tragic news of Malcolm-Jamal Warner's death, before welcoming Houston farmer Jeremy Peaches to shed light on the Trump administration's impact on Black farmers. (0:00)  Intro (4:59)  Colbert ‘Late Show’ canceled (14:07)  Remembering Malcolm Jamal Warner (22:52) Couple caught cheating at concert  (42:02)  Glaze of the Week (48:39)  Jeremy Peaches joins the show (1:10:11)  Need to hear from Snoop ...
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How Scary Is AI? Let’s Ask Calvin Abbasi! | Higher Learning | The Ringer

July 18, 2025 • 28 mins
Rachel and Van are joined by Calvin Abbasi, strategic advisor to the OpenAI Nonprofit Commission, to talk about perceptions of AI, the dangers of it, and real questions that need to be asked about this developing technology. 00:00 - Welcome! 02:11 - AI and Self-Preservation 07:40 - Is AI Dangerous? 09:10 - The Grok Situation 14:18 - The Architect Determines the AI 17:14 - Thoughts on Sam Altman 19:53 - DeepSeek’s Effect on...
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Malcolm D. Lee and Expanding Story of ‘The Best Man’

July 15, 2025 • 33 mins
Van and Rachel are joined by Director Malcolm D. Lee to discuss his new book, ‘The Best Man: Unfinished Business’, what inspired the writing of the original movie, and if we can expect a ‘Girls Trip 2’ anytime soon? (0:00)  Intro (1:35)  Adapting the story for the page (7:33)  Addressing criticism  (11:29)  Adapting the story for the screen (14:47) Prequels? (17:46)  One of the sexiest casts of all-time (22:35)  Sable bour...
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Is Nicki Lying? Plus, Tucker’s Epstein Theory and the Miami Mess. | Higher Learning | The Ringer

July 11, 2025 • 89 mins
Rachel and Van discuss Nicki Minaj’s X rants about the discrimination lawsuit against Megan Thee Stallion and Jay-Z’s possible debt. Then, they dissect Tucker Carlson’s Epstein cover-up theory before getting Rachel’s opinion of “the Miami mess” on X. 00:00 - Welcome! 24:13 - Nicki Minaj’s X posts 44:24 - Megan’s lawsuit moving forward 57:39 - Tucker Carlson’s Epstein theory 1:09:18 - The Miami mess 1:24:50 - Thanks for watc...
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Tragic Flooding in Texas and the Essence Fest Diaspora Wars

July 8, 2025 • 100 mins
Van and Rachel react to the tragic Texas floods, before switching gears to discuss the conversations coming out of this year’s Essence Festival. (0:00)  Intro (0:25)  Texas Floods (34:29)  Essence Fest 2025 (43:40)  Diaspora War (1:02:07)  Epstein Files Update (1:07:27)  Zohran Mamdani, African American (1:23:43)  4Extra’s 4th of July Accident (1:33:04)  Skip Bayless  Host: Van Lathan Jr. and Rachel Lindsay Producer: ...
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The Fourth of July Delivers the End of Diddy’s Trial and Trump’s Big “Beautiful” Bill | Higher Learning | The Ringer

July 4, 2025 • 133 mins
Let’s “celebrate” the Fourth with a two-topic episode: the Diddy trial and Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful bill.” For today’s episode we bring in Yodit Tewolde to talk about the results from the Diddy trial, and Stephen Neukam to talk about how the country will be affected by Trump’s new bill. 00:00 - Welcome! 00:24 - Reaction to the Diddy Trial Results 37:08 - Celeb Reactions 39:30 - Yodit Tewolde Joins Us! 1:40:42- Stephen ...
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Authentic Abs, the Big Beautiful Bill and a Constitutional Crisis

July 1, 2025 • 122 mins
Van and Rachel are joined by Columbia Law School professor Jamal Greene to help break down the recent rulings from the SCOTUS. (0:00)  Intro (00:27)  The morality of stealing  (24:47)  Jury deliberates in Diddy trial (31:34)  Knicks considering Dawn Staley? (36:11)  Zohran Mamdani update (53:21)  The Big Beautiful Bill (1:11:05)  Jamal Greene joins the show (1:33:21)  Glaze of the Week (1:39:08) Drake and the ‘abs’ debat...
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Draymond’s Punch, Daddy Trump, and Dropping Loaves! Plus, a Diddy Trial Update. | Higher Learning | The Ringer

June 27, 2025 • 112 mins
It’s Rachel’s last day in Paris, and Van’s dropping loaves (gross)! They talk about the closing statements from the Diddy trial with Yodit Tewolde before getting into quick hitters, Zohran Mamdani’s victory, and the use of the n-word by That Mexican OT. 00:00 - Welcome! 03:47 - Rachel’s Paris call 14:37 - Yodit Tewolde joins us! 43:06 - The NBA draft 51:22 - Chuck Schumer is Hospitalized During the Heat Wave 57:05 - Trump i...
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All-Out War, or Deescalation? And Crowning the "Face of The Ringer"

June 24, 2025 • 127 mins
Rachel’s back! And the U.S. is on the brink of war! Rep. Ro Khanna joins to bring congressional perspective to our involvement in the Israel-Iran conflict, before HuffPost’s Akbar Shahid Ahmed returns to help dig into Iran’s retaliation on a U.S. military base. (0:00)  Intro (17:24)  Rep. Ro Khanna joins the show   (29:54)  Authorizing strikes without Congress (34:08)  Andrew Cuomo vs. Zohran Mamdani (49:32)  Akbar Shahid Ah...
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Juneteenth: A Fundamentally American Holiday. Plus, the Tyler Perry Lawsuit

June 20, 2025 • 125 mins
It’s Juneteenth, so we brought Dr. Peniel Joseph back to discuss his book, ‘Freedom Season,’ and the activist Robert F. Williams before podcaster Demetria Lucas joins to help break down the Tyler Perry lawsuit. And finally, The Ringer’s Chris Ryan joins to weigh in on the "face of The Ringer" debate. (0:00)  Intro (08:52)  Tucker Carlson & Ted Cruz (30:34)  Dr. Peniel Joseph joins the show (32:39)  ‘Freedom Season: How 1963 T...
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Is World War III Happening? And Will Smith Like Pretty Girls, So There’s That

June 17, 2025 • 135 mins
With Rachel in Europe, Van’s flying solo to address the evolving conflict in the Middle East with HuffPost’s Akbar Shahid Ahmed. (0:00) Intro (3:14) Father’s Day (23:35) Israel-Iran attacks (28:48) Akbar Shahid Ahmed joins the show (1:03:09) GOP Rep calls for ‘nuking’ Gaza (1:08:04) Minnesota lawmaker shooting (1:21:08) Van hates Caitlin Clark (1:28:56) Stephen A. Smith loves solitaire (1:40:39) Will Smith’s new song (1...
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Are Americans Cool With Chaos? Plus, Kayla and Pastor Tim Johnson on ‘Fatherless No More’

June 13, 2025 • 134 mins
Van and Rachel give an update on the fallout from Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown, before filmmaker Kayla Johnson and Pastor Tim Johnson join to discuss their documentary, ‘Fatherless No More’. (0:00) Intro (:31) Age guidelines in dating (7:00) Rachel’s skunk story (18:35) Remembering Sly Stone (20:53) Remembering Ananda Lewis (29:09) BET Awards (33:26) The Me Too Movement (50:01) Claressa Shields snubbed? (51:31) U...
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