Podcast

Pan-Africanism: Can Colonialism Be Overcome?
Nearly every inch of Africa used to be owned and controlled by the colonial powers: British, French, German, Portuguese, Belgian, Spain. Mussolini’s Italy finally went after its share with a one sided assault on Ethiopia in 1936. Is the long

Chicago Plus 50: Positive Lessons for 2018
Blood in the streets. Chaos at the convention. The establishment Democrats won and then they lost. From the vantage point of 50 years later, it may surprise some how less has changed and been learned than we might have thought.

The Prison Strike: You’re Not Supposed to Know About It
America’s prisons are where we warehouse and punish bad people. But how much injustice behind the walls and razor wire is acceptable? Is using inmates as slaves OK? Is it a good idea to maintain a system that reinforces people’s

Big Brother Much Bigger Than 1984
Those who were surprised that Facebook was widely distributing personal information were quite naive. Our expectation of privacy is so very quaint. This according to veteran private eye Judith Coburn, whose new article on TomDispatch is titled Goodbye to All

Must Truth Be Outside the Mainstream? Assange and Journalism
“What we’ve got here is a systems problem.” Americans honor brave whistleblowers and serious investigative journalists who reveal covered up truths. But according to today’s guest Professor Lawrence Davidson, in his article on CounterPunch, the fate of the very controversial

Using “Anti-Semitism” to Defeat Jeremy Corbyn
He’s spoken openly about his concern for justice for Palestinians. As Jeremy Corbyn is continuing to rise as he leads the traditional left Labour Party of the United Kingdom, his detractors are working feverishly to discredit him as an anti-Semite.

Israel’s New Nation-State Law: Codifying Apartheid
At least it’s now out in the open. All Israelis who are not Jewish have had their rights diminished. Given the longstanding discrimination against non-white non-European Jews, Palestinians and Druze are now just third class citizens. Prime Minister Netanyahu described

Freedom As Tested By 1968
What is freedom? Coming from a context of widespread economic security, young people across the US and Europe in 1968 drove older generations crazy with the insistence that there was more. More than the grey flanneled conformity in which we

Sky’s The Limit for Military Waste: $717 Billion ’19 Budget
With near consensus from both sides of the aisle, congress just rubber-stamped a nearly three quarters of a trillion dollar spending plan for defense contractors. There is no limit on what we will spend on weapons, according to today’s guest

Has the Time for NATO Passed?
If we’re spending billions on a defense system that actually makes us more vulnerable,maybe it’s time to reconsider. According to today’s guest Foreign Policy in Focus columnist Conn Hallinan, NATO has gone from serving as a bulwark against the Soviet

America First Leaves America Out
America First is leading quickly to America being left out. Even Republican internationalists are gone from the stage. The current administration is making a steady and sustained war on diplomacy and is now standing outside the tent. On this show,

Wither NATO? Trump’s Flight 93 Doctrine.
NATO was created to defend the west against the Soviet Union. According to John Feffer, of Foreign Policy in Focus, the west missed a rare “golden opportunity” in 1991 to shift away from wasteful militarism in search of a new

One Nation Indivisible? No. Eleven Distinct Nations.
With all the current discussion about ever-more inflamed divides in the currently united States, more people are wondering if we really are one nation after all. It’s not just blue vs red, North vs South. There’s us here in Yankeedom.

Socialism/New Deal: It Saved Competitive Capitalism Then. Can it Now?
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

The UK’s Brexit Shambles
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

Evangelicals Had Been Pro-Choice and the NRA Was All About Gun Safety. Really.
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

Report from Violent Nicaragua: The Truth Behind the Picture
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

50,000 Kids Behind Bars// “Infest” and “Civility:” The Danger Lurking
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

Left and Right Against Dumb Wars//Indian Kids Taken for Decades
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

Free Speech Not OK in War? The Lessons of Debs and LaFollette June 1918
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.

Erasing Net Neutrality, Crushing American Freedom
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

Meanness and Hatred Can’t Be Blamed on Trump: It’s Always Been There
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

Trump Weaponizing the Courts Without Our Consent
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

Fighting Voter Suppression
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

Regime Change: It Never, Ever Works
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.

For Democrats, Centrism Is Not Pragmatism
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

Democrats Wrestling With Messaging for This Year’s Elections
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

Progressive Populist Potential in Texas. Yes, Texas
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

Screwnomics: The Economy Minus Earth and Women
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

A Scientist Runs for Congress. What, Facts Matter?
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