The Kids Are Alright


The Kids Are Alright

While the hard right has had significant success in rallying young people (mostly males), the anger at ICE and a desire for a sense of belonging is moving more and more kids to the populist left. Look how many high school anti-ICE walkouts there've been; they matter.  And in a long great American tradition of similar organizing venues, the Young Organizer Boot Camp brings kids together in a sense of belonging to connect,and yield real social and political change. Rev. Liz Theoharis of the Karois Center and co-chair of the Poor People's Campaign on this show talks about young people across the country who are becoming inspired and taking grassroots progressive action in a number of fields. After all, real political change comes from the ground up.

   Last Two Weeks

   Next 20 Shows

The Kids Are Alright

While the hard right has had significant success in rallying young people (mostly males), the anger at ICE and a desire for a sense of belonging is moving more and more kids to the populist left. Look how many high

Why Did Trump Try to Kill the American Auto Industry?

Why would an American president stab Americas signature industry in the back? Our guest today, Ryan Cooper senior editor of The American Prospect argues that it makes no actual economic sense but that Trump is dragging his obsessive anti-green agenda

Think You Knew The Story of Vietnam? Give a Listen.

After an assassination attempt, Ngo Dinh Diem saw proof that he was God’s agent. In some ways he did try to do well for his people, but in others he and his family were ruthless against the majority Buddhist population

Illustrated Lessons of Kids Cleverly Fighting Fascism

They were not victims of fascism, but characters who survived and eventually thrived. In this new book, The Secret Buttons, for young adults, author Ellen M. Shapiro spins the tale of kids coming to solutions their parents in 1938 did

Laquidara On the Legacy of WBCN

From tinny AM pop to stereo underground rock, WBCN was right at the vanguard. According to our guest, the legendary Charles Laquidara, it was part of an exciting wonderfully freeing time. A commercial station, it still managed to be the

Democratic Socialist Solutions Embraced By Republicans in Upstate NY

More and more people are coming to the conclusion that keeping power utilities in corporate hands no longer makes sense. Legislators in conservative places like Hudson Valley and Massena NY are passing laws to put ownership of power companies in

Four books about war and American history on a table.

Historian Michael Kazin on America’s Enduring Actual Greatness

There is in fact a lush garden of American greatness and it is not MAGA. Though less well known, there is a proud history of successful dissent which does make America great. Military power and straight white male domination is

Risings All Over The Country Against Data Centers

You’ve seen the ads on network TV:Huge data centers bringing life to hollowed out communities. But the reality is these huge projects suck electricity and water and provide virtually no lasting jobs. Not just people on the left but people

Europe Fighting Back Against President Trump

He’s only president of the United States, not the European Union, right? Unlike the US, there’s a longstanding bipartisan commitment to social democracy on the continent. Yet Trumpism is having a serious mark on this tradition, with Trump making civilizational

Yet Another Courageous New Democrat: Now From NH

It’s a historical fact that Democrats win when there is a movement beneath the electoral process. Karishma Manzur is running for US Senate having risen from the leading base of such a movement. On this show she speaks about what

A Wealth Tax: Boost the Economy and Democracy

It’s a long term necessity, but tragically, short term policy-makers put off a solution essential to a strong economy and restoration of our republican form of government. As of today, both the economy and democracy are in a downward spiral.

Map of South America with countries represented by their flags.

What’s Happening in “Our Backyard?” Sovereignty Is Happening.

We’re in Monroe Doctrine 2.0. Our guest on today’s show Terie Matson is in Mexico City, the other side of Rubio’s multipolar scheme for division of the world. Trumps random attack on Venezuelan vessels is but a symptom or a

Fence with a sunset and text saying 'IN OUR FUTURE WE ARE FREE'.

Freer Kids and Safer Streets

After decades of having to look “Tough on Crime”by jailing teenagers, notably people of color, at last we’re seeing the end of  adult prisons housing kids. Forty four states have dialed back the sequestering of kids in medieval fortresses where

A grand, ancient city in flames during sunset with crowds and ruins.

Is America on an Irreversible Path to Decline and Fall?

At the nearly two hundred fifty year mark, we’ve already lasted longer than most great nations. As with others which declined and fell, a loss of confidence led to anxiety and the impulse for a strong man to protect us

Book titled 'Hope on the Border' with a person's hand gripping metal bars.

Immigration Justice: Is it Even Possible?

What we’re seeing today is a far cry from justice. Today’s policy of cruelty toward immigrants is an abject failure, yet it’s impractical to have a totally open border with Mexico. As with most solutions, the answer has to involve

Book cover with red background, blue stars, and white text.

Do We Really Want to Get Back to America’s Founding Ideals?

This book actually changed my view of US History. The author says the Confederates and the January 6th assault are the inheritors of the original intent! He argues that the standard story is not the truth. The surprising reality of

A man illuminated by his phone screen in a dark room.

Why are Young Men Drawn to Fascism? What Can We Do?

Why do they feel a need for violence to prove their manhood? What’s the connection between an angry Germany after the First World War and what many young men are feeling in 2025? Why do they see equality as deprivation?

Vintage poster urging action against fascism with flames and distressed people.

Why is There So Much Fear in the Strongest Country in the World?

Fear of the other. Fear of woke, of LGBTQ+, of Black liberation, and of course the old big fear: Communism. In the age of the Cold War, right after WWII, Americans believed the Soviet Union was bankrolling worldwide liberation movements,

Burned matchstick with flame symbolizing the impact of concentrated wealth.

People and the Planet: Burned By Billionaires

Think billionaires have no impact on your life? Think again. We never blame billionaires for our day to day problems even though they deserve it. For example billionaires buy up housing projects then up the rent. And as business owners

Ancient Hebrew script densely inscribed on a stone surface.

Justice and Peace: What Teaching Yiddish Literature to Kids Offers

Under Trump 2.0, we adults are taught to fear The Other, we must become a monolinguistic culture: English over all. But during this week of Jewish high holy days, we ask what is this ancient language of Yiddish? It is