Racism
Under and Over 70: The Israel Divide
Is the dream over? The socialist democratic Israel our parents generation dreamed of is not the right wing Israel we see today.What’s happening with Jewish Americans who are under 70? Why does the right wing Israel lobby still have so
A Tough Vote Forward
With Trump as president, it would be a major effort to just move back to the center. With Hillary Clinton, and sustained pressure from progressives, forward motion is possible, if difficult. This is for progressives thinking about the election. Michael
Democracy at the Democratic Convention?
The divide was deep going into the 2016 Democratic National Convention. How did it end up? Is there real unity now? Bernie Sanders campaign New Hampshire political director Kurt Ehrenberg (Bernie won by 22 points in NH) assesses the week
Smashing the Glass Ceiling: Those Who Went Before
How many women do you think have run for president? Of the 200 or so who have done it, there are three before Hillary who made a difference. In her new book, The Highest Glass Ceiling; Women’s Quest for the
What Could Have Been: RFK, The Making of a Liberal Icon
From ruthless cold warrior to taking on his nemesis LBJ over the war in Vietnam, was Bobby Kennedy an opportunist? Who was the “runt” of the Kennedy litter? In this remarkable interview, bestselling author Larry Tye tells us how Bobby’s
Disruption of Establishment Politics: The Meaning of Brexit
This changes everything. “Britons may have made a short term tactical mistake, but the true error is Europe’s” according to Patrick Lawrence, Salon’s foreign affairs columnist. He adds that Bernie Sanders got it right in saying, “Let’s be clear. the
Spatialized Blackness In Chicago
They sought a better life from the Jim Crow South and freedom, but what they found was something else. It may not be bricks and mortar prison, but black citizens have been intentionally limited to specific areas on the map
No Space For Black Girls To Heal
Girls of color make up 16% of female high school students, yet they make up more than a third of all girls with a school-related arrest. They are systematically pushed out of the education system, and that helps no one.
The North and Southern Values Both Won
Of course the North beat the South but Southern Values also won. Northern collusion with slavery, annexing Cuba, the 1% vs the 99%, and the wisdom of Phineas T. Barnum are all entertainingly discussed in Ecstatic Nation: Confidence Crisis and
The Coming Democratic Crack Up
Are we watching a train wreck in progress? Journalist Robert Parry, who broke many of the Iran-Contra stories, offers his insight into how the 2016 Democratic Party may have ignored important lessons from the 1968 crack up. There will be
Democracy Endangered in Israel
And not just for Palestinians. With the ascent of the nationalistic right, even Jewish Israelis are feeling the sting of government assaults on democracy. Allan Brownfeld, editor of the magazine of The American Council for Judaism, explains how democracy is
Teens as Adults?//Cholera Cover-Up!
A teenager kills another with his knife and is tried and sentenced as an adult. Is this the best we can do? Is justice served? In her new book: Boy with a Knife, activist, author and professor Jean Trounstine explores
How Did We Get To Be Incarceration Nation?
American exceptionalism is a reality in terms of locking up almost 5 times as many citizens as all other advanced industrialized democracies. Over the last 40 years, the incarceration rate has skyrocketed by nearly 400 percent. How did we get
The Civil War: An Unnecessary Failure?
America Aflame is a major new interpretation of the civil war era. In this interview with author David Goldfield, light is shed into important dark corners, such as the tragic role played by evangelicalsm on both sides, why a post-war
Is Obama a Black Leader?
He’s a mirror of our culture, the question is: will America look in the mirror? Guest on this show is Erin Aubry Kaplan, author of the new book “I (heart) Obama,” and a long time writer about the black experience
This Populist Moment
Throughout American history there have been times, rare moments in which the political establishment’s movers and shakers quiver as their best laid plans have gone awry. Their too-often successful efforts to keep citizens believing that we are powerless are on
The NH Primary From Media Optic
The 2016 New Hampshire Presidential Primary is history. No one predicted a 22 point blowout for Bernie Sanders. The establishment of both parties was flattened by the results. What the heck happened? Media talent trainer and consultant John Kosinski puts
Undocumented Young Americans: Lives in Limbo
Work hard, do well at school, play by the rules and you’ll do OK. That does not seem to apply to the more than 2 million young Americans whose parents may have fallen through the large cracks in our broken
The Lasting Effects of Trumpism
Talk about threats to democracy and to America itself: The Trump phenomenon is blatantly racist, xenophobic, and fascist, more and more from both parties are recognizing this. Does Trump give voice to what many Americans secretly feel? In this discussion,
December 7, 1941: Transformation of American Policy and Politics
Of course President Roosevelt knew the Japanese would do something, their oil had been cut off, yet we can conclude he did not know about the specific attack. What no one expected was the transformation of America from a nation
Killing As Many Civilians as Possible:WWI and ISIS
The horror of ISIS terrorism today grew from the “peace” imposed by the most powerful Western nations on the former Ottoman Empire at the finish of the first world war, a war that never ended. Many more civilians were killed
Fighting Police Terror/TPP Revealed: Destroying Democracy
For decades police have gotten away with murder. Thanks to cell phones, today they’re getting caught. And they are fighting back, actually threatening such people as Quentin Tarantino. On the first half, guest Travis Morales of Rise Up October and
Government Terrorism Against Asian, Muslim Americans
Of course America is a mosaic of cultures, and all citizens are equally American. But since 9/11, South Asian, Arab, Muslim, and Sikh Americans have been routinely harassed and often bullied and terrorized, often by actual government policies. People are
The Many Accomplishments of America’s Left/Populist Tradition
While the left has had very few actual electoral victories, author Michael Kazin argues it has very effectively changed the nation. The author of “A Godly Hero: William Jennings Bryan,” talks about his new book “American Dreamers.” What’s gone right
Kissinger’s Shadow: Lives and Democracy Itself Destroyed?
Perpetual war is now widely accepted. Henry Kissinger’s unique apparently amoral approach to assertion of his and America’s power still casts a shadow on America, both domestically and across the world. This new book: Kissinger’s Shadow, The Long Reach of
Racial Inequality Actually Thrives in Good Schools
You may have thought our schools, at least the better ones, successfully tackled the problem of institutional racism. But in this surprising new study, well-established assumptions based on style of clothes, culture, and, really, skin color serve to keep down
The Migrant Crisis: Historic Transformation?
We’ve all seen the images: refugees crammed in rubber rafts, mobbed trains, young children drowned in the seas. Hundreds of thousands are leaving war zones in hopes of a better life. But in Europe there are those who want to
Mass Incarceration or Justice Reinvestment?
As the worlds number one jailer, Americans are finally starting to pay attention to our unique mass incarceration. Author James Kilgore knows about the issue from the inside. His new book is Mass Incarceration: A People’s Guide to the Key
Police Violence: The Startling Economic Context
Ferguson. Staten Island. Even small town cops are armed like soldiers. The list of disturbing and excessive police violence is lengthy. How did we get here? How is it that the militarization of police has become so widespread across America?
Without This Ingredient, No Peace in Israel/Palestine
Trading land for peace. Overwhelming military force. Drawn out negotiations. Compromises on this or that. None of it has worked nor can it when it comes to creating a sustainable peace in the Israel/Palestine region. Viewing the decades long crisis