The Sidebar

Marc Goldwein and Tamar Jacoby discuss two political issues that are gaining traction in the lame duck session: avoiding the fiscal cliff and tackling immigration reform. Konstantin Kakaes hosts.

Garance Franke-Ruta, Gabriel Sherman, and Gregory Rodriguez recap what happened on election night and where the country, the electorate, and the Republican Party go from here. Elizabeth Weigarten hosts.

Amanda Ripley and Haroon Moghul Discuss Hurricane Sandy and how the roles of government and election politics come to light during a disaster. Elizabeth Weingarten hosts.

Steve Coll, Jamie Zimmerman and Ali Gharib highlight the glaring omissions and surprising moments of the presidential foreign policy debate, and grade the candidates' global talking point. Elizabeth Weingarten hosts.

Liza Mundy dissects the presidential debate and the women's vote. Anatol Lieven tells us about his meetings with former Taliban leaders, and explains how the shooting of Malala Yousafzai could shift the Taliban's influence in Pakistan. Elizabeth Weingarten hosts.

Annie Murphy Paul on how social factors can influence academic performance and Steve Levine on why oil-rich Venezuela is not an economic powerhouse. Elizabeth Weingarten hosts.

Trevor Potter explains Super PACs, Citizens United and how changes in campaign finance laws are shaping the 2012 elections. Katherine Mangu-Ward gives her take on the highlights and lowlights of the first presidential debate. Elizabeth Weingarten hosts.

Romesh Ratnesar considers the future of American strategy in the Middle East after regional protests and President Obama's remarks at the U.N. General Assembly. Emily Parker explains the global implications of recent uprisings in China. Elizabeth Weingarten hosts.

Rebecca MacKinnon explains free speech on the Internet in light of Google's decision to block access to the anti-Islamic video. Len Downie and young journalists from News21 discuss their in-depth reporting on voter ID laws and voter's rights.

Dana Goldstein gives us a lesson on why Chicago's teachers were picketing this week, and Alissa Black explores a new movement to harness government data and tech savvy citizens. Elizabeth Weingarten hosts.

Michael Waltz explores the controversy surrounding the recently published ex-Navy SEAL book about the Osama Bin Laden raid, and Amy Laitinen explains how the credit hour – a ubiquitous metric never meant to measure learning – is threatening America's educational standing in the world. Elizabeth Weingarten hosts.

Marvin Ammori discusses the significance of the Apple-Samsung ruling and how this highlights major problems in our patent system. Andrés Martinez explains why political conventions are still relevant. Elizabeth Weingarten hosts.

Kevin Carey, Director of the Education Policy Program, talks about the true costs and benefits of a college degree with college students and New America interns Ashley Alman and Logan Bayroff. Elizabeth Weingarten hosts.

Jason Peuquet from the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget on the budget bonafides of GOP VP candidate Paul Ryan and Brian Duggan from the Open Technology Institute on the massive digital takedown of Wired's Mat Honan. 

Steve Coll explores the Republican presidential hopeful's evolving foreign policy agenda and gaffe-ridden trip abroad. Jennifer Rowland illuminates the American group that poses a greater threat to our national security than al Qaeda. Elizabeth Weingarten hosts.