Our colleagues in the WNYC news department are back with season 2 of The United States of Anxiety. We liked the first episode so much we’re bringing it to you as this week’s podcast extra. Here’s how they describe the new series:

“If you want to control the debate over how to build say, a health care system, you first have to capture our political culture — our values, norms, shared assumptions, what we feel and believe about ourselves. 

And the battle to capture America’s political culture has a long history. On race and gender, science and religion, matters of sex and media and war and peace — all of it — there’s a backstory, and characters like Donald Trump. Somebody who went all in to change what Americans feel and believe about a given issue. 

The United States of Anxiety: Culture Wars introduces listeners to people who have been battling to shape America’s political culture for decades. We profile culture warriors, past and present, who have shaped debates over race, religion, science, sexuality, gender and more. We connect those debates to real people, with real stakes in the outcome. We’re filling in the blanks—hopefully answering questions you didn’t even know you had—and we’re asking, what are you willing to fight for? Because if you want to control American politics, you’ve first got to capture American culture.” 

The United States of Anxiety is hosted by Kai Wright and produced by WNYC Studios.