Former president Trump says he wants to make America pray again. On this week’s On the Media, hear how Christian nationalism is shaping American politics. Plus, what the new film Civil War has to say about the role of journalism when civilizing norms have broken down. [01:08] Host Brooke Gladstone speaks with Matthew D. Taylor, scholar at the Institute for Islamic, Christian, & Jewish Studies in Baltimore and author of the forthcoming book, The Violent Take It by Force: The Christian Movement That Is Threatening Our Democracy. They discuss different strains of Christian nationalism — from the sentimental view of America as a Christian nation, to the desire to uphold Christian supremacy. Plus, how the phenomenon has shaped American politics for centuries.[17:42] Brooke continues her conversation with Matthew D. Taylor. Taylor introduces Brooke to the world of independent charismatic Christianity and its media, where an extreme form of Christian nationalism has taken root. Plus, the Christian leaders who stoked violence on January 6th.[35:27] Brooke speaks with Zack Beauchamp, senior correspondent at Vox, about Alex Garland’s new film Civil War, the power it derives from avoiding ideological warfare, and what it reveals about the role of journalism during complete civil collapse.Further reading / listening:How the Alabama IVF Ruling Was Influenced by Christian NationalismChristian Nationalism (Un)Defined“Civil War” has little to say about America — but a lot to say about war On the Media is supported by listeners like you. Support OTM by donating today (https://pledge.wnyc.org/support/otm). Follow our show on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook @onthemedia, and share your thoughts with us by emailing onthemedia@wnyc.org.

April 19th, which is this Friday, marks an odd holiday known as Bicycle Day — the day, now 81 years ago, when Swiss scientist Albert Hofmann rode his bike home from work after dosing himself with his lab concoction, lysergic acid diethylamide, or LSD. The first acid trip. Hofmann’s wobbly ride is what launches us into an exploration of a moment, when Ken Kesey, an evangelist of acid would emerge from a Menlo Park hospital lab, and plow through the nation’s gray flannel culture in a candy colored bus. Some know Kesey as the enigmatic author behind One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest — others, as the driving force in The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test, Tom Wolfe’s seminal work in New Journalism. In honor of the 50th anniversary of the release of Acid Test, Brooke speaks with Wolfe and writer River Donaghey about how acid shaped Kesey, spawned the book and de-normalized American conformity. Songs: Holidays B by Ib GlindemannIm Glück by Neu!Apache '65 by Davie Allan and the ArrowsSelections from "The Acid Tests Reels" by The Merry Pranksters & The Grateful DeadAlicia by Los MonstruosThe Days Between by The Grateful Dead (Live 6/24/95) On the Media is supported by listeners like you. Support OTM by donating today (https://pledge.wnyc.org/support/otm). Follow our show on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook @onthemedia, and share your thoughts with us by emailing onthemedia@wnyc.org.

New York City’s alternative weekly newspaper, The Village Voice, birthed a generation of legendary writers. On this week’s On the Media, how the Voice transformed journalism and what’s being lost as alt-weeklies across the country die off. Plus, why the feds brought America’s most controversial alt-weekly mogul to court. [02:17] Host Micah Loewinger speaks with Tricia Romano, author of The Freaks Came Out to Write, about the early days of The Village Voice, including one reporter’s mission to stop Robert Moses and its revolutionary music section. [15:09] Micah continues his conversation with Tricia Romano, getting into the Voice’s sale to Rupert Murdoch, the tensions within the paper, and how Craigslist led to its ultimate demise. [29:11] An alt-weekly mogul, Mike Lacey, became the Larry Flynt of the internet age. The hosts of the new Audible show Hold Fast conducted a series of interviews with Lacey to tell the story of the alt-weekly chain’s rise and fall. Further reading / listening: The Freaks Came Out to Write: The Definitive History of the Village Voice, the Radical Paper That Changed American Culture Hold Fast: The Unadulterated Story of the World’s Most Scandalous Website On the Media is supported by listeners like you. Support OTM by donating today (https://pledge.wnyc.org/support/otm). Follow our show on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook @onthemedia, and share your thoughts with us by emailing onthemedia@wnyc.org.

The Village Voice, founded in 1955, is widely credited as the first alternative weekly newspaper, or alt-weekly. The big show this week is all about the rise and fall of the alt-weekly—the type of off-beat, fearless publication that, once-upon-a-time, you could pick up on a street corner in cities across the country. For the mid-week podcast, Micah interviewed Tricia Romano, the author of a new oral history titled, The Freaks Came Out To Write: The Definitive History of the Village Voice, the Radical Paper that Changed American Culture. Their conversation about this legendary New York publication was wide-ranging, and too long for the radio. And too profane for the radio. So we’re bringing you a longer, uncensored version here. Don’t listen to this one with kids.

On Monday night, a series of IDF airstrikes killed seven aid workers from World Central Kitchen in Gaza. Now World Central Kitchen and at least two other humanitarian aid organizations have suspended their operations in Gaza, a region already on the brink of famine. Nearly 200 aid workers in Gaza have been killed in this conflict. At least 176 of them worked for The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), the largest humanitarian organization operating in Gaza. Over recent weeks, UNRWA's operations have been threatened by funding cuts from nine countries, including the United States, formerly its largest donor. Micah speaks with Mehul Srivastava, Financial Times correspondent, and Chris Van Hollen, US Senator from Maryland, about the warring media narratives around UNRWA and what evidence there is to substantiate big claims about UNRWA staff members having links to militant groups. This is a segment from our April 5, 2024 show, Warring Narratives Around UNRWA. Plus, Media Bets on Sports Gambling.

In the next few days, the NCAA's March Madness tournaments will crown a men's and women's champion. The end of "The Big Dance" will also mark the end of one of America's largest gambling events. An estimated 68 million Americans bet on the madness last year, a number only expected to rise once the data is out for 2024. The betting boom comes in the protracted wake of a 2018 Supreme Court decision allowing states to legalize sports betting. But in addition to sportsbooks and casinos, media companies have jumped in on this new, legal market—posing ethical questions for journalists and potentially changing how we view sports. This week, to figure out how we got here, OTM producer Rebecca Clark-Callender digs into the long history between the press, sports, and gambling with Brian Moritz, associate professor and sports media scholar at St. Bonaventure University, Danny Funt, reporter and contributor to the Washington Post, and Albert Chen, former editor at Sports Illustrated and author of Billion Dollar Fantasy: The High-Stakes Game Between FanDuel and DraftKings That Upended Sports in America. This is a segment from our April 5, 2024 show, Warring Narratives Around UNRWA. Plus, Media Bets on Sports Gambling.