Welcome to "The Stakes," the show clinging by its fingernails to the edge of the crevasse that is political and social justice news in 2016. Coming up:

Part 1: Jane Coaston delivers an important and terribly timely lesson on the history of gun control and its connection to race in America.

Part 2: Meredith Graves and Jamil Smith discuss what white people and non-black people of color can do to be allies without being obnoxious.

Part 3: Ana Marie Cox and Marcus Ellsworth talk about their experiences on the ground at last week’s police brutality protests.

Part 4: Julianne Ross finds out what it takes to get arrested for a Facebook status.

Part 5: We leave you with a poem from Marcus Ellsworth, who has been thinking about how to find happiness in times like this.

Thanks for listening. You can subscribe to "The Stakes" on iTunes.