Grinnell Political Podcast Zaven Torian

In Part 2 of Grinnell in Prison, hosted by Keir Hichens, we’ll take a closer look at the crisis facing the United States’ prison system. With our guests, we will discuss vocational training and higher education in prisons. Finally, we’ll explore how liberal education might play a role in solving the prison crisis and what that means for our country moving forward.

In Part 1 of Grinnell in Prison, hosted by Keir Hichens, we will examine our country’s prison system through the lens of Grinnell College's “Liberal Arts in Prison” program at the Newton Correctional Facility, a low to medium-security prison in Iowa’s state prison system. We will hear from a few people involved, including a formerly incarcerated graduate of the program, and gain their insight into the state of our nation’s prisons.

Texas is no longer the heart of the south as it once was, but does that mean it will turn blue anytime soon? Zaven Torian and Thompson Teasdale explore the 2020 Texas Senate Race by analyzing the path of Beto O'Rourke.

As of April 15th, Trump has a primary opponent for the 2020 Presidential election. Is this common? What does this mean? And has happened historically? All these questions are addressed in this episode of the Grinnell Political Podcast.

Zaven and Ayyad discuss the new class of congressmen and women from the 2018 election. Who are they? What have they done? And what makes this class so different?

Zaven Torian and Ayyad Jacob delve into Trump's staff by looking at the progression of the Communications Director and use this microlens to explain the macro trends in the current administration.