Podcast
New Perspective on An Old Case: The Rosenbergs
Exoneration: the Rosenberg Sobell Case in the 21st Century is a soon-to-be publiched book by David Alman, who with his late wife Emily wasw deeply involved nearly 60 years ago. Howard Zinn said this book “raises challenges to the justice system in our …
Alberta Tar Sands: Nuts Beyond Belief
Tar sands are the worlds dirtiest, most climate destroying oil. In what looks to be the largest industrial project in human history, ExxonMobil has begun its tar sands mining project in Alberta Canada. It requires bulding new roads into the wild to acc…
Tribalism Can Never Be Defeated
With his new book called Violence, Veils, and Bloodlines, reporting from War Zones, veteran war correspondent Louis Salome describes the depth of tribal identification around the world and discusses his observation that all humans, including Americans,…
Psychedelics: A Useful Tool Whose Time Has Come?
Brushed aside for decades, a recent conference of scientists focused on the potential uses of LSD and other psychedelics. On this editon of The Burt Cohen Show, guest Randolph Hencken of Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies talks about…
The Truth About Kent State Begins to Come Out
Laurel Krause was just 15 when her 19 year old sister Allison was killed by National Guard soldiers at Kent State in 1970. Forty years later, Laurel organized a truth tribunal. With new audio evidence coming out, it appears the truth about who ga…
Oil in the Gulf: The Realities and Options
Oil threatens disaster in the gulf. Yet Obama is sticking with his call for more drilling. How bad is the oil threat really? What are the realities and riskes involved in offshore drilling? On this show, the guest is John Demos, Northeast Regiona…
Kent State Plus 40
On this somber anniversary, the first guest is Peter Rivierre, a campus activist at the University of New Hampshire tells about what happened when three of the Chicago 8 were set to speak on campus after the massacre. And on the second half, current st…
Wall Street Terms Defined, and Why It Matters
Derivatives. Hedge Funds. Sub-prime. What does all this mean and how are you affected by it all? On this edition of The Burt Cohen Show, Burt’s guest is Robert Marrone who spent 30 years on Wall Street. He explains how these confusing terms impact the …
Hamid Karzai vs. Peter Galbraith: the US Loses
Peter Galbraith was UN Special Envoy to Afghanistan. That is until Hamid Karzai banished him for pointing out that the election was a fraud. Listen in, as Galbraith offers valuable insights into realistic solutions. And enjoy the extra music in th…
What Now for the US Supreme Court?
With the vacancy on the Supreme Court, could this be the time to reverse
the routine elevation of corporate interests over individual rights? Burt’s guest is David Gespass, president of the National Lawyers Guild, which is arguing for a Supreme Court …
Can We Rein in Wall St?/Why No Talk of a New New Deal?
The next big showdown in Washington is on Obama’s efforts to rein in the big banks and hold them accountable. Burt’s first guest is Heather Booth who is leading the charge on this issue for Americans United For Change. Following that is a discussi…
Opium in Afghanistan/Agent Orange in Vietnam
Since the US invasion after 9/11, opium has become the base of the Afghanistani economy. In the first segment, Alfred McCoy, author of the Politics of Heroin: CIA Complicity in the Global Drug Trade provides insight into the overwhelming power of opium…
Holy Week 2010: Church in Crisis
The apparent cover up of child abuse in the highest reaches of the Catholic Church continues to shock the world. But there’s a growing group of church members working to bring justice. On this show, Burt’s guest is Ed Wilson a leader of “Voice of The F…
Texas School Board Sets National Standard/ Bob Creamer on How The HCR Passage Changes Everything
On the first half Dan Quinn of the Texas Freedom Network explains how all American textbooks will be affected by the incredibly ultra-right wing new standards for social studies books. On the second half, Burt’s guest is Robert Creamer, a major player …
The Bill Is Signed! Republicans Keep Digging Their Hole.
Republicans down. But are they out? The passage of health care reform dramatically changes the narrative for November 2010 and maybe beyond. Burt’s guest was to be Robert Creamer, author of “Stand Up Straight; How Progressives Can Win,” a key player in…
Apartheid in Israel?
We all remeber defeating the evils of apartheid in South Africa with pressure from throughout the world. Some say apartheid is now the reality in Israel, others disagree. Judy Rebick is a professor at Ryerson University in Toronto and on this show talk…
Jews Say No: Power of Israel Over US Policy Waning?
On March 9th, hundreds protested silently as others paid $1000 a plate to support the Israeli Defense Forces. Led by Jews Say No, they are questioning the US unconditional support for the State of Israel in the wake of the assault on Gaza and continued…
Rage On The Right: How Dangerous?
Is the Tea Party a dangerous bunch of gun-toting racists? Do they present a serious threat of radical right wing violence? Should they be considered a hate group? The guest today is Mark Potok, author of a new report by the watchdog group the Sou…
Hillary Clinton in Latin America: Back to the Cold War
Hope and change. America certainly expected a new more practical approach to or potential trading partners in Central and South America. But in this interview, Mark Weissbrot co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research, in Washington, D….
Teddy Roosevelt And Japan Gave Us Pearl Harbor: The Imperial Cruise
We have Teddy Roosevelt to thank for Japan attacking Pearl Harbor, according to James Bradley, acclaimed author of Flags of Our Fathers and Flyboys. On this Burt Cohen Show, they discuss Bradley’s new book, The Imperial Cruise, which is all about…
Obama: Nuclear Power Pusher?
A revival of nuclear power lurks just ahead, and President Obama seems to be the number one advocate. On the first half of this show, Burt talks with Dan Weiss of the Center for American Progress about the economic effects of a $54 billion nuclear subs…
Forget the Oscars; Here Come the Progies
The political right has always been afraid of the power of Hollywood. Thus the Hollywood 10 and other attempts to quash left-message films. But combining art and politics is a tricky business. On this show, Burt discusses the newly announced Progies: t…
Economist James K Galbraith on Deficits, Obama, and Keynes
On this show, Burt speaks with one of America’s top economists about deficit spending and what must be done to restore long term economic stability. Despite the strutting “deficit peacocks,” Galbraith points out the real history of the usefulness of de…
Transitioning Our Towns for the Future
From the bottom up. That’s the approach taken by Transition Towns; how to bring people together in hard hit towns and effectivley revitalize them. Burt’s guest today, Tina Clarke, talks about communities coming together, listening to one another, shair…
Yemen: This Looks Familiar
What the heck is going on with Yemen? Suddenly America seems quite interested in the few Al Qaeda operatives and Burt’s guest today, Conn Hallinan, of Foreign Policy in Focus, sheds a lot of light on the complex realities behind the snapshot image you …
Immigration Reform and a Stronger Economy
Cracking down on undocumented immigrants may be a priority of the hard right, but Burt’s guest today, Ali Noorani, executive director of the National Immigration Forum insists comprehensive reform, now working its way through congress, can be of signif…
FDR’s Call for Economic Rights Today
Today’s guest is author Michael Lind, policy director of the New America Foundation, who argues that Franklin Roosevelt’s 1944 State of the Union speech ranks right up there with King’s ” I Have a Dream” speech and Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. He call…
Physicians For National Health Stand Against Senate Plan
A national organization of 17,000 physicians are urging defeat of the Senate version. Burt’s guest on this show is Dr. Thomas Clairmont of PNHP who argues the current bill is worse than doing nothing.
We Want FDR Now!
In the greatest recession since the Great Depression, it seems much of FDR’s New Deal is applicable once again. On this Portside, Burt’s guest is Steven Herzenberg, executive director of the Keystone Research Center. How much of the New Deal is applica…
Quebec Solidaire: New Independence Takes Shape
It’s quite different from the old Parti Quebecois. At a recent convention a new left-leaning independent Quebec begins to emerge. Burt’s guest is Richard Fidler who reported on the well-attended gathering. There may be much for us who live south of the…