Wednesday, September 17, 2025 – Free speech and social media collide
In life, Charlie Kirk espoused controversial opinions that many people consider repugnant. His violent and public death is now becoming a test for what other public figures—and ordinary citizens—are able to say without severe consequences. Dozens of people, including a Washington Post columnist and a U.S. Army colonel, are facing repercussions after speaking out about Kirk on social media. A Manitoba First Nations cabinet member is facing calls to resign after sharing a post criticizing Kirk for his views. One effort is collecting information on thousands of people for possible retribution for their comments about Kirk. We’ll explore some of the limits of social media posts Native Americans should be aware of in their personal and professional lives.
GUESTS
Che Jim (Diné), content creator
Kodee Artis (Navajo), tribal advocate, Navajo law practitioner, bladesmith, actor, and comedian
Judith Wright (San Pasqual Band of Mission Indians), president of the National Native American Human Resources Association board
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Tuesday, September 16, 2025 – Tribal advocates sound the alarm over radioactive exposure
The advocacy group, Tewa Women United, is warning nearby Pueblo citizens and other local residents about Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) in New Mexico releasing gas containing the weak radioactive substance, tritium. The group says, despite assurances by lab experts and regulators that the substance is safe in relatively small doses, it is a dangerous substance and could pose a threat to pregnant women and others. Tritium is a naturally occuring substance, but is also produced in quantities during nuclear power generation and is a key component in nuclear weapons. LANL says it is forced to release the radioactive gas because the containers they’ve been in for decades pose a risk. We’ll discuss what tritium does and whatever threat, if any, it poses.
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Monday, September 15, 2025 – Native women making leadership gains
The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians just elected four women to what had been an all-male tribal council. The Seminole Tribe of Oklahoma just installed women in their top two leadership positions for the first time in history. As with the general population, Native women lag behind men when it comes to elected political power. The non-profit RepresentWomen finds Native women have a slightly higher average representation on tribal councils than non-Native women on local municipal elected bodies. We’ll talk with some Native women about their progress in tribal and community leadership.
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Friday, September 12, 2025 – An epic drama and a true crime obsession brings two events with cultural ties to the screen
Two films take on real life accounts with strong Native cultural themes. One is a major Hollywood drama. The other is a smoldering independent documentary.
The Hulu documentary “Blood & Myth” follows Iñupiaq musician and writer James Dommek Jr.’s obsession with a bizarre 2012 string of violence. Dommek digs into the motivations of the fellow Alaska Native man acting on the influence of supernatural beings known as Iñukuns.
The Apple TV+ series, “Chief of War” stars Jason Momoa in the epic account of a real-life Hawaiian leader working to unite warring factions against the threat of Western colonization.
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Thursday, September 11, 2025 — Native health officials navigating confusing new federal COVID vaccination guidance
Just as coronavirus infections are on the rise, federal authorities are throwing confusing recommendations about vaccinations into the mix. Many people are wondering whether they are eligible for a COVID shot, where to get one, and whether it’s covered by insurance. The answer, at least partly, depends on whether your state or tribe is filling in gaps opening up following the federal Food and Drug Administration abruptly changing its view of who should get the shot, drawing criticism and even defiance by established medial groups.
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