Author Archive

Burt Cohen

PodcastPopulismSocialism

When big gets too big, free market capitalism is stifled. The increased concentration of power and wealth undercuts economic freedom. The socialism of FDR’s New Deal very much helped capitalism become more competitive. A big, though lesser known, aspect of

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PodcastPopulismRacismTrump

Much like the toxic combination of angry racist populism with the power of the financial elite here in America, the European Union has been a brake on this dangerous combination in England. Today the British Right’s push for the UK

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GunsPodcast

Since its founding after the Civil War the NRA was concerned about the proliferation of guns in America. They became a sportsmen’s gun club focused on responsibility and safety. And conservative  Christian evangelicals cited Bible references to say life began

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JusticePodcastSocialism

Reached somewhere he won’t specify in Nicaragua, our guest is protecting himself from killings, kidnappings, and the coordinated strategy of roadblocks.The Trump Administration and most of the mainstream press paints a picture of the Sandinista government turning against their own

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CultureJusticePodcastRacismTrump

America is shocked at the sight of 2500 migrant kids in cages. But behind high walls are over 50,000 American kids.This is invisible for a reason. According to Professor Cara Drinan, expert on juvenile sentencing and criminal justice reform, if

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CulturePodcastProtests & ResistanceWar

Donald Trump won a lot of support from conservative Americans who agreed our endless wars are nothing but a big waste. Of course he flipped positions since then but renowned professor Andrew Bacevich observes that there is still anger at

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PodcastProtests & ResistanceWar

Is it treasonous to urge resistance to a war once America is in it? Most Americans opposed our entry into the First World War but once Wilson sent our men, some argued it was no longer OK to urge resistance.

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CulturePodcastTrump

The effects of net neutrality have been like the founding fathers dream: a truly free media open to all points of view, where even the smallest voice can reach millions. It’s logical then that the big internet service providers and

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CulturePodcastPopulismRacismTrump

It may be out in the open now, and it is disconcerting to see and feel the blatant racism and hatred across America now. But maybe the ugly spirit of white supremacy may have been hidden from white people before 

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JusticePodcastSexualityTrump

No matter how soon Trump goes away, all Americans will feel the effects of his judicial appointments for decades to come. He’s going around legislatures and using the power of the presidency to undo hard fought battles for reproductive, sexual

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PodcastRacism

We need a photo ID to buy liquor or fly on an airplane, so what’s the big deal about needing one to vote? Don’t we need to stop voter fraud? Actually voter ID is a solution in search of a

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National PolicyPodcastWar

We all hate it when other countries meddle with our elections. Yet we do it more than any other. And it never works. From Iran in 1953 to Iraq in 2003, the US has employed a policy of regime change.

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PodcastPopulismTrump

The party establishment doesn’t understand that chasing the “centrist” rabbit down the rabbit hole makes no sense anymore. The rabbit isn’t there. That according to Robert Borosage who created the Campaign for America’s Future among other organizations. The focus of

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Podcast

Democrats are taking nothing for granted as they gear up for the November elections. Presenting a clear message is vital. Trump’s was Make America Great Again and it worked. So what is both inspiring and vague enough to win over

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PodcastPopulism

What’s the way to win in 2018? More of the same or real change? The structure of the Democratic Party itself is being tested in Texas. The Washington insiders have come down to make their picks,but what about the actual

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EconomyEnvironmentPodcastWomen

What kind of economics leaves out essential factors? One that is not sustainable. So says Rickey Gard Diamond, author of the new book Screwnomics: How The Economy Works Against Women and Real Ways to Make Lasting Change. She points out

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EnvironmentPodcastWomen

Part of any Blue Wave has to be concern for the safety of drinking water. The Trump Republicans may see Americans as existing to generate profits for private interests, but others see safe drinking water as a right, that government

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CulturePodcastSexuality

Watch TV and see the roles we’re all supposed to play. Since 2015, marriage equality has been the law of the land but the characters portrayed on TV shows actually serve as law enforcement, limiting freedom in a very real

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CulturePodcastRacism

There’s a basic and universal human need to feel like we belong. In this ever more isolating world of sharply divided news media and working alone, the opportunities to make connections are reduced. So in this need for tribal belonging,

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PodcastProtests & ResistanceSocialism

It’s celebrated all over the world, except here in America where it all started. It is clear that for unjust power, history has to be erased–otherwise we might assert our democracy. On this special program, the real history of May

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EconomyPodcastSocialismTrumpWar

The mainstream left of Europe has largely collapsed. Their national economies are trapped by the European Union. The eloquent English speaking Emmanuel Macron, president of France for just a year, on his April trip to Washington, displayed a public “bromance”

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JusticePodcastRacism

How did Bobby Kennedy change from the Red Scare helper of Joe McCarthy to the liberal icon? According to a new book,it was visiting desperately poor families in the Mississippi Delta in April of 1967. In her Delta Epiphany: Robert

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PodcastPopulism

It was a successful popular movement for empowerment. And it was a close call: the parliamentary leader tried to declare himself prime minister, Armenians took to the streets in creative, even artistic, civil disobedience on a mass scale. They successfully

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PodcastTrumpWar

It’s the same only worse. Much worse. While the Trump/Ryan tax law won’t really hit until next April, there is no question the beneficiaries are those at the very top of the wealth pyramid. Regular income earners will be subsidizing

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PodcastTrumpWar

He’s brought back hostages from North Korea, Cuba,Iraq  and Sudan. He was governor of New Mexico, US ambassador the UN. He won my vote for president in 2008. Bill Richardson’s record is exceedingly impressive. On the first half, Governor Richardson

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EconomyPodcast

How radical can you get? Well, Nixon was on board with the idea in 1971. Entrepreneur and author Andrew Yang’s new book is titled The War on Normal People: The Truth About America’s Disappearing Jobs and Why Universal Basic Income

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JusticePodcastRacismTrump

Stormy Daniels and the Russia investigation grab all the headlines about Trump, but his flagrant violation of the Emoluments Clause of the Constitution is the best chance to get him removed. “Emoluments?” Our first guest CommonDreams.org journalist Julia Conley explains

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Israel & PalestinePodcastTrumpWar

Americans are just beginning to learn about our deadly role for the Saudi war in Yemen. For many decades and many presidents, the Saudi royal family has held great sway in Washington. Today the famine and cholera outbreak in Yemen,

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PodcastTrumpWar

Because of factors beyond his control, Trump’s meeting with Kim Jong-Un may actually succeed. The new leadership of China, and especially of South Korea, have much to gain from fostering a real peace between North and South. And despite the

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EnergyJusticePodcastProtests & Resistance

Much of the national agenda is enacted at the state level. The popular protests of The Dakota Access Pipeline scared the crap out of oil companies and they are using something called ALEC (American Legislative Exchange Council) to draft cookie-cutter

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