In this week's episode, Neil, Niki, and Natalia debate the place of Transparent in the history of LGBTQ representation on television, fraud at Wells Fargo, and the 20th anniversary of Fox News.
Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show:
- The third season of the hit show Transparent recently launched on Amazon. Natalia recommended the roundtable on Transparent held by Public Books. Neil sketched a history of LGBT television, starting with the controversial CBS documentary “The Homosexuals” from 1967. Niki remarked on the depiction of AIDS in the 1980s, including the movie “Philadelphia.” Neil remembered the controversy over Melrose Place’s same-sex kiss in 1994.
- Wells Fargo is under investigation for opening more than 2 million fraudulent accounts. Natalia outlined the history of Wells Fargo as a retail bank that had recently expanded to investment banking, and noted the bank’s promotion of their history as an institution that has served the American West. Niki sketched a history of banking scandal and the rise of twentieth-century banking regulations. Neil commented on Elizabeth Warren’s grilling of Wells Fargo’s CEO John Stumpf when he testified before the Senate Banking Committee.
- Both Fox News and MSNBC are celebrating their twentieth anniversaries this year. Niki has written about the history of Fox News for U.S. News & World Report.
In our regular closing feature, What’s Making History:
- Natalia discussed the Chapo Trap House podcast.
- Neil commented on the unmasking of the pseudonymous Italian novelist Elena Ferrante by the investigative journalist Claudio Gatti.
- Niki talked about NPR’s Code Switch podcast.