Jacobin Radio

Featuring Sarah Jaffe on her book From the Ashes: Grief and Revolution in a World on Fire. The ordinary death of a loved one under a capitalist order that routinely forbids sufficient time off to mourn. Workplace injuries, deindustrialization, police violence, pandemic, genocide, social murder, and how we can make sense of loss through struggle. Support The Dig at Patreon.com/TheDig Dig 500th Episode Party November 7 in Brooklyn! Emceed by Brace and Liz from TrueAnon. Free for Patreon supporters $10/mo and up. Get your tickets here littlefieldnyc.com/event/?wfea_eb_id=1549778040839 Buy Fake Work at Haymarketbooks.com Get 50% off Fascist Yoga and other books in your first order from plutobooks.com with code ‘DIG50'.

Transcribed - Published: 16 August 2025

Suzi speaks to Tariq Ali about Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana’s new party — provisionally called Your Party — which has surpassed Labour’s membership with over 650,000 sign-ups. Your Party calls for public ownership, redistribution, and a politics rooted in communities, unions and social movements. Starmer’s Labour government has nothing for the population, but billions for war and complicity in genocide. Supporters see a historic opening for the Left; critics warn it could split the vote and hand power to Nigel Farage’s far-right Reform UK, which has overtaken the weakened Tories. We get Tariq Ali’s assessment of Your Party’s politics, prospects, and perils. Then Flor Melendrez of CLEAN Carwash, the country’s first car wash worker center, talks to Suzi about the escalating ICE raids on carwasheros across Southern California. ICE uses racial profiling to conduct suspicion-less stops, warrantless home raids, and illegal workplace actions. A new class action lawsuit demands an immediate halt to these violations of the 4th and 5th Amendments of the Constitution. Flor tells us how ICE raids are hitting carwasheros in their workplaces, and how these workers are organizing to defend their jobs and families. Jacobin Radio with Suzi Weissman features conversations with leading thinkers and activists, with a focus on labor, the economy, and protest movements.

Transcribed - Published: 14 August 2025

The “professional managerial class” has become a staple of political debate on the Left. In this episode of Confronting Capitalism, Vivek Chibber explains why the “PMC” is better understood as a heterogeneous layer within capitalism rather than a distinct class, how and why the middle strata have expanded, and what has pushed so many professionals toward anti-capitalist politics. While skeptical of the PMC as a precise analytical category, Chibber argues that the term still captures something real about one of the most politically influential groups in modern America. The latest issue of Catalyst is out, and you can subscribe for just $20 using the link below: https://catalyst-journal.com/subscribe/?code=CONFRONTINGCAPITALISM Confronting Capitalism with Vivek Chibber is produced by Catalyst: A Journal of Theory and Strategy, and published by Jacobin. Music by Zonkey.

Transcribed - Published: 13 August 2025

Jodi Dean, author of a recent article about the “classism of defeat,” makes a case for why going anti-woke is very wrong. Emily Jashinsky analyzes Marjorie Taylor Greene’s use of the word “genocide” and other curious developments on the Right. Behind the News, hosted by Doug Henwood, covers the worlds of economics and politics and their complex interactions, from the local to the global. Find the archive online: https://www.leftbusinessobserver.com/radio.html

Transcribed - Published: 11 August 2025

Gaza is experiencing a man-made famine as Israel blocks the supply of almost all humanitarian aid. By the start of August, Israeli soldiers had killed nearly 1,400 Palestinians as they were looking for food. Most of the killings happened near sites managed by the so-called Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, the GHF. The GHF was sponsored by the Trump administration earlier this year to replace legitimate aid organizations with a track record of operating in Palestine. For this week’s episode, we spoke to Akbar Shahid Ahmed of the Huffington Post about the famine and recent massacres in Gaza. Akbar has been a guest on the show several times before. He’s currently working on his book about the Biden administration and Gaza, which will be published next year. Find Akbar’s previous interviews with Long Reads here: https://jacobin.com/author/akbar-shahid-ahmed Long Reads is a Jacobin podcast looking in-depth at political topics and thinkers, both contemporary and historical, with the magazine’s longform writers. Hosted by features editor Daniel Finn. Produced by Conor Gillies with music by Knxwledge.

Transcribed - Published: 8 August 2025

Featuring Alex Han, Asha Ransby-Sporn, and alderwoman Jeanette Taylor on Chicago’s left political experiment. In the wake of Zohran’s remarkable victory in New York, organizers all over the country are taking a close look at Chicago under Mayor Brandon Johnson. A Chicago Teachers Union leader elected in 2023, Johnson’s win was the culmination of years of militant labor and social movement struggle. But while much has been achieved, Johnson and his allies have also suffered many defeats — and the mayor’s approval ratings are alarmingly low. In this episode, three long-time local organizers, including a socialist member of city council, analyze the state of the Left’s bid for governing power and what broader lessons it holds. Recorded live in Chicago. Dig 500th Episode Party November 7 in Brooklyn! Emceed by Brace and Liz from TrueAnon. Free for Patreon supporters $10/mo and up. Get your tickets here littlefieldnyc.com/event/?wfea_eb_id=1549778040839 Support The Dig at Patreon.com/TheDig Get 50% off Coercion: Surviving and Resisting Abortion Bans and other books in your first order from plutobooks.com with code ‘DIG50′. Buy Fake Work at Haymarketbooks.com The Dig goes deep into politics everywhere, from labor struggles and political economy to imperialism and immigration. Hosted by Daniel Denvir.

Transcribed - Published: 5 August 2025

Alex Vitale, author of a recent Nation article, discusses Zohran Mamdani, the NYPD, and policing generally. Plus: Dwayne Monroe takes on the latest wave of AI mania. Behind the News, hosted by Doug Henwood, covers the worlds of economics and politics and their complex interactions, from the local to the global. Find the archive online: https://www.leftbusinessobserver.com/radio.html

Transcribed - Published: 4 August 2025

Suzi speaks to Yoav Peled of Tel Aviv University about the accelerating crisis in Israel and Gaza. Though there is a “humanitarian pause” in Israel’s war, the relentless and devastating destruction of Gaza grinds on with staggering human costs. Gazans are starving and the world is taking notice. Netanyahu faces growing international condemnation and internal anger. Along with Israeli spokesmen and far right cabinet members, he denies there is starvation, or blames it on Hamas. Polls now show that most Israelis want the war to end and the hostages returned even if Hamas remains in power. Weekly public protests are growing, but haven’t yet matched the pre-war anti-Netanyahu demonstrations. We explore the broader political implications of the war: the disarray of the opposition, the growing authoritarianism of the state, public awareness and public opinion, and the push to disqualify Arab parties from the slated October elections which Yoav thinks could come earlier. Can Netanyahu stay in power? Peled says Bibi has worked hard to remove any potential threat or successor, so “there's no government, there's no Israel, there's only Bibi.” Jacobin Radio with Suzi Weissman features conversations with leading thinkers and activists, with a focus on labor, the economy, and protest movements.

Transcribed - Published: 31 July 2025

Democratic voters are enraged by their party’s spineless “resistance” to the Trump administration’s draconian agenda. But the party’s dysfunction goes far deeper than just cowardly, uninspiring leaders. On this episode of Confronting Capitalism, Vivek Chibber speaks with Philip Rocco about how the Democrats’ abandonment of organized labor has resulted in a party that is ineffective at fighting the right or putting forward a compelling political vision. Read Philip Rocco’s essay here: https://catalyst-journal.com/2025/07/why-the-democrats-are-so-useless Confronting Capitalism with Vivek Chibber is produced by Catalyst: A Journal of Theory and Strategy, and published by Jacobin. Music by Zonkey.

Transcribed - Published: 30 July 2025

Anatol Lieven of the Quincy Institute looks at US relations with the world under the Trump regime, specifically Russia–Ukraine, Israel–Palestine, and US self-evisceration. Samuel Moyn, author of an article for Boston Review, talks about democracy, checks and balances, and the need for “better elites.” Behind the News, hosted by Doug Henwood, covers the worlds of economics and politics and their complex interactions, from the local to the global. Find the archive online: https://www.leftbusinessobserver.com/radio.html

Transcribed - Published: 28 July 2025

Back in 2023, Long Reads spoke with Ramaa Vasudevan of Colorado State University for an episode about the development of crypto capitalism. Since then, the crypto industry has launched a concerted effort to establish itself at the heart of the global economic system. Just a few days ago, Donald Trump gave his approval for a major bill designed to boost the sector. Ramaa Vasudevan spoke to Long Reads again about the mainstreaming of crypto and the threat it poses to global economic stability. This conversation was recorded at the end of March. Read a transcript of the interview here: https://jacobin.com/2025/06/the-crypto-state And find Ramaa’s essays for Catalyst here: https://catalyst-journal.com/author/ramaa-vasudevan Long Reads is a Jacobin podcast looking in-depth at political topics and thinkers, both contemporary and historical, with the magazine’s longform writers. Hosted by features editor Daniel Finn. Produced by Conor Gillies with music by Knxwledge.

Transcribed - Published: 25 July 2025

Featuring Isabella Weber, Malcolm Harris, and Paul Williams on Abundance. A debate and discussion of: the book; the discourse; the underlying economic and political questions of how we make the affordable housing, green energy, and fast trains we need; and how actual capitalist social relations appear to us in mystified form as “supply” and “demand.” Support The Dig at Patreon.com/TheDig Get 50% off A People’s History of Psychoanalysis and other books in your first order from plutobooks.com with code ‘DIG50′. Register for Summer Rejuvenation by July 27th at Comrades.education The Dig goes deep into politics everywhere, from labor struggles and political economy to imperialism and immigration. Hosted by Daniel Denvir.

Transcribed - Published: 24 July 2025

Adam Gaffney, co-author of a recent article for the New York Review of Books, looks at Trump & Co.’s dismantling of health care and research. Also on the podcast, Alan Beattie of the Financial Times tries to make sense of Trump’s nonsensical trade policy. Behind the News, hosted by Doug Henwood, covers the worlds of economics and politics and their complex interactions, from the local to the global. Find the archive online: https://www.leftbusinessobserver.com/radio.html

Transcribed - Published: 22 July 2025

At the recent Socialism 2025 conference in Chicago, Suzi moderated a panel about political prisoners in Russia and brings it now to Jacobin Radio. We hear from Ksenia Kagarlitskaya, founder of the Freedom Zone campaign that organizes festivals around the world in support of political prisoners and their families. She plays a recorded message from her father, imprisoned Marxist Boris Kagarlitsky in Penal Colony No. 4. Historian Simon Pirani and exiled scholar Ilya Budraitskis draw attention to the silenced left prisoners of conscience resisting war — both from inside Russia’s prison system and in exile. This is not just about Russia. As authoritarianism surges globally, the criminalization of dissent follows a familiar script. The day before this panel on July 3, eleven political prisoners, including Kagarlitsky, issued an open letter to world leaders. They called for the mass release of Russian political prisoners and Ukrainian civilian hostages — an estimated 10,000 people — as part of any peace settlement between Russia and Ukraine. As pressure builds for an end to the war, their call must become ours: freedom for all political prisoners! Jacobin Radio with Suzi Weissman features conversations with leading thinkers and activists, with a focus on labor, the economy, and protest movements.

Transcribed - Published: 17 July 2025

US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites last month were a dangerous escalation in the ongoing conflict with Iran. But while a ceasefire has remained in place, there’s good reason to believe that Iranian regime change isn’t off the table just yet. On this episode of Confronting Capitalism, Vivek Chibber looks back on how the US pursued regime change in Iraq and why that disastrous invasion may wind up being the playbook again in Iran. Confronting Capitalism with Vivek Chibber is produced by Catalyst: A Journal of Theory and Strategy, and published by Jacobin. Music by Zonkey.

Transcribed - Published: 16 July 2025

Juliet Schor, author of the book Four Days a Week, looks at experiments in reducing the workweek. Katherine Moos and Noé Martin Wiener, authors of a paper for the The Economic and Labour Relations Review, discuss the issue of overwork among teachers. Behind the News, hosted by Doug Henwood, covers the worlds of economics and politics and their complex interactions, from the local to the global. Find the archive online: https://www.leftbusinessobserver.com/radio.html

Transcribed - Published: 14 July 2025

Featuring Aslı Bâli and Gabriel Winant on the emerging conjuncture: the Trump regime’s fascist and authoritarian second coming; the giant vacuum created by the Democratic establishment’s inability to act like an opposition party; and the resurgent dynamism and energy now coming so powerfully from our political forces on the socialist left. Conducted before a live audience at the Socialism 2025 conference. Support The Dig at Patreon.com/TheDig Subscribe to a year of Jacobin for only $15— a special offer for Dig listeners! bit.ly/digjacobin The Dig goes deep into politics everywhere, from labor struggles and political economy to imperialism and immigration. Hosted by Daniel Denvir.

Transcribed - Published: 11 July 2025

It’s now ten years since the people of Greece voted in a referendum on the austerity program of the European Union. The referendum was called by the government of Alexis Tsipras and his left-wing Syriza party after months of negotiations with the EU. It brought the attention of the world media to what was happening in Greece after years of economic crisis. To the surprise of many, there was a decisive 61 percent majority for the “no” side. But then, with bewildering speed, Tsipras signed up to a new austerity program that was more punitive than the one voters had rejected a few days earlier. The U-turn triggered the resignation of the Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis. Yanis joins Long Reads for a discussion about the legacy of the 2015 referendum. You can find a loosely edited transcript of the interview here: https://jacobin.com/2025/07/yanis-varoufakis-on-the-legacy-of-greeces-oxi-referendum Long Reads is a Jacobin podcast looking in-depth at political topics and thinkers, both contemporary and historical, with the magazine’s longform writers. Hosted by features editor Daniel Finn. Produced by Conor Gillies with music by Knxwledge.

Transcribed - Published: 10 July 2025

Lily Lynch, who wrote about the NATO summit, discusses the event. Megan Greenwell, author of _Bad Company, _talks about the depredations of private equity. Behind the News, hosted by Doug Henwood, covers the worlds of economics and politics and their complex interactions, from the local to the global. Find the archive online: https://www.leftbusinessobserver.com/radio.html

Transcribed - Published: 7 July 2025

Zohran Mamdani, a 33-year-old democratic socialist, just stunned the political establishment—defeating Andrew Cuomo to win New York City’s Democratic mayoral primary. If elected, he’ll be NYC’s first Muslim mayor and the first democratic socialist to lead a major American city in generations, one that is both the epicenter of world finance and marked by extreme economic inequality. Mamdani’s campaign, powered by DSA activists and 50,000 volunteers, grew from years of organizing among young progressives and working-class immigrant communities long pushed to the Party’s margins, and he won across the city in nearly every constituency. Alan Minsky of Progressive Democrats of America, argues that Mamdani’s win is a vindication of Bernie-era politics, the best way to fight the far right, and a challenge to the Democratic Party establishment to open its doors to America's vibrant left. Jacobin Radio with Suzi Weissman features conversations with leading thinkers and activists, with a focus on labor, the economy, and protest movements.

Transcribed - Published: 2 July 2025

Zohran Mamdani, a 33-year-old democratic socialist, just stunned the political establishment — defeating Andrew Cuomo to win New York City’s Democratic mayoral primary. If elected, he’ll be NYC’s first Muslim mayor and the first democratic socialist to lead a major US city in generations, one that is both the epicenter of world finance and marked by extreme economic inequality. Mamdani’s campaign, powered by DSA activists and 50,000 volunteers, grew from years of organizing among young progressives and working-class immigrant communities long pushed to the party’s margins, and he won across the city in nearly every constituency. Alan Minsky of Progressive Democrats of America argues that Mamdani’s win is a vindication of Bernie-era politics, the best way to fight the far right, and a challenge to the Democratic Party establishment to open its doors to America's vibrant left. Jacobin Radio with Suzi Weissman features conversations with leading thinkers and activists, with a focus on labor, the economy, and protest movements.

Transcribed - Published: 2 July 2025

Featuring NYC DSA co-chairs Gustavo Gordillo and Grace Mausser on how Zohran Mamdani won the Democratic mayoral primary. NYC DSA spent years building an electoral juggernaut that has now made history and offers a model for the left everywhere across the United States. A behind-the-scenes look at how NYC DSA and the Zohran campaign did it! Support The Dig at Patreon.com/TheDig Check out the Summer 2025 issue of Social Research: An International Quarterly at www.socres.org  Get 50% off Immigration Detention Inc. and other books in your first order from plutobooks.com with code DIG50 The Dig goes deep into politics everywhere, from labor struggles and political economy to imperialism and immigration. Hosted by Daniel Denvir.

Transcribed - Published: 1 July 2025

Featuring NYC DSA co-chairs Gustavo Gordillo and Grace Mausser on how Zohran Mamdani won the Democratic mayoral primary. NYC DSA spent years building an electoral juggernaut that has now made history and offers a model for the left everywhere across the United States. A behind-the-scenes look at how NYC DSA and the Zohran campaign did it! Support The Dig at Patreon.com/TheDig Check out the Summer 2025 issue of Social Research: An International Quarterly at www.socres.org Get 50% off Immigration Detention Inc. and other books in your first order from plutobooks.com with code DIG50 The Dig goes deep into politics everywhere, from labor struggles and political economy to imperialism and immigration. Hosted by Daniel Denvir.

Transcribed - Published: 1 July 2025

Sohrab Ahmari, US editor of UnHerd, provides perspectives on the current state of the conflict between Iran, Israel, and the US. Leigh Claire La Berge, author of Fake Work recounts her journey into the ludicrous side of financialized capitalism. Behind the News, hosted by Doug Henwood, covers the worlds of economics and politics and their complex interactions, from the local to the global. Find the archive online: https://www.leftbusinessobserver.com/radio.html

Transcribed - Published: 30 June 2025

Sohrab Ahmari, US editor of UnHerd, provides perspectives on the current state of the conflict between Iran, Israel, and the US. Leigh Claire La Berge, author of Fake Work recounts her journey into the ludicrous side of financialized capitalism. Behind the News, hosted by Doug Henwood, covers the worlds of economics and politics and their complex interactions, from the local to the global. Find the archive online: https://www.leftbusinessobserver.com/radio.html

Transcribed - Published: 30 June 2025

Much of Trump’s popular appeal was wrapped up in his anti-establishment and anti-war posture on the campaign trail. But in only a few months, Trump’s populist mask has slipped completely and revealed him to be just another neoconservative Republican. In this episode of Confronting Capitalism, Vivek Chibber and Paul Prescod discuss Trump’s phony right-wing populism, the US involvement in the war with Iran, and how the Republicans are getting away with Medicaid cuts. Confronting Capitalism with Vivek Chibber is produced by Catalyst: A Journal of Theory and Strategy, and published by Jacobin. Music by Zonkey.

Transcribed - Published: 25 June 2025

Late on June 21st, Trump joined Israel’s war on Iran. Just two days after warning Iran it had two weeks to make a deal, Trump unleashed the military might of 30,000-pound bunker busters delivered by B2 bombers on Fordo, while Tomahawks struck Natanz and Isfahan. With typical bombast, Trump bragged that Iran's nuclear sites were “totally obliterated." Iranian officials, however, claim the facilities had been emptied of nuclear materials months ago. Suzi spoke to Yassamine Mather just before Trump started bombing to get her analysis of Israel’s “Operation Rising Lion” — a unilateral military strike on Iran marking a dangerous new escalation in an already volatile region. The attack comes amid Israel’s ongoing genocidal war on Gaza, accelerating dispossession of Palestinians in the West Bank, pager bomb assassinations in Lebanon, and land grabs in Syria. Netanyahu’s war cabinet is committed to military solutions on all fronts — now including Iran. Iran has retaliated deep inside Israeli territory. This is a first for Israel, and it is dangerous in every way. Although the US was fully informed of Israel's intentions, Netanyahu defied Trump's public opposition to the strike. Trump then flipped, backing Netanyahu's attack and warning Iran to make a deal or else. Now we see the 'or else.' Jacobin Radio with Suzi Weissman features conversations with leading thinkers and activists, with a focus on labor, the economy, and protest movements.

Transcribed - Published: 24 June 2025

Mouin Rabbani explains the regional and global context of Israel's war on Iran and Joel Schalit describes the society and politics that have informed Israel's latest aggression. Behind the News, hosted by Doug Henwood, covers the worlds of economics and politics and their complex interactions, from the local to the global. Find the archive online: https://www.leftbusinessobserver.com/radio.html

Transcribed - Published: 24 June 2025

Featuring Mouin Rabbani on Israel’s war on Iran, possible direct US intervention, and the ongoing genocide in Gaza.  Chicago: come see The Dig live! secure.actblue.com/donate/thediglive Listen to Thawra and our five-part Iran series: thedigradio.com/series Support The Dig at Patreon.com/TheDig Read Eskandar Sadeghi-Boroujerdi in Sidecar newleftreview.org/sidecar/posts/culmination Buy All Our Trials: Prisons, Policing, and the Feminist Fight to End Violence at Haymarketbooks.com In These Times is offering 78% off print subscriptions for Dig listeners at Inthesetimes.com/dig

Transcribed - Published: 20 June 2025

The Left often invokes the media’s power of persuasion to explain why people accept their situation within capitalism. But what if instead the system remains stable by “the dull compulsions” of economic life? In this episode of Confronting Capitalism, Vivek Chibber discusses the difference between consent and coercion, the real role of the media, and the conditions for organized resistance. Confronting Capitalism with Vivek Chibber is produced by Catalyst: A Journal of Theory and Strategy, and published by Jacobin. Music by Zonkey.

Transcribed - Published: 18 June 2025

Featuring Ryann Liebenthal, Chenjerai Kumanyika, and Mike Pierce on Ryann’s book Burdened: Student Debt and the Making of an American Crisis. Interview by guest host Astra Taylor. We are working on an episode analyzing Israel's war on Iran amid the ongoing Gaza genocide—it will be out soon. For now, check out our five-part series on the history of Iran and also Thawra, our 19-part series on the history of Arab politics (lots on Iran in the final episodes). Find both series here: thedigradio.com/series Support The Dig at Patreon.com/TheDig In These Times is offering 78% off print subscriptions for Dig listeners at Inthesetimes.com/dig Subscribe to a year of Jacobin for only $15— a special offer for Dig listeners! bit.ly/digjacobin

Transcribed - Published: 17 June 2025

Paolo Gerbaudo, author of recent articles for Phenomenal World, traces the rise of Chinese electric vehicle maker BYD. Andrew Hartman, who has written the book Karl Marx in America, discusses the bearded one’s reception in the US. Behind the News, hosted by Doug Henwood, covers the worlds of economics and politics and their complex interactions, from the local to the global. Find the archive online: https://www.leftbusinessobserver.com/radio.html

Transcribed - Published: 16 June 2025

For many years, Palestine had one of the strongest left-wing movements in the Arab world, represented by prominent figures such as Emile Habibi, Leila Khaled, and Ghassan Kanafani. At the beginning of the First Intifada in the 1980s, Palestinian left groups were still the main challengers to the hegemony of Fatah, although the Left has lost much of its influence in the period since then. Red Star Over Palestine: Histories of the Palestinian Left is a six-part series from Long Reads exploring radical movements and progressive organizations of the region. We examine the experience of Palestinian communism and the left-wing currents inside the PLO, the Palestine Liberation Organization. We also look at the outsized impact of the Left on Palestinian cultural life. Our final episode examines the framework of the Oslo Accords and, as Hamas became the main force articulating opposition, the response of the Left. Red Star Over Palestine is hosted by Daniel Finn and produced by Conor Gillies. Music provided by Fadi Tabbal.

Transcribed - Published: 14 June 2025

David Ost, professor of politics and Hobart and William Smith, joins Suzi to unpack Poland’s June 1 presidential election. The race was tight, but in the end, Karol Nawrocki, the far-right, hardline nationalist with MAGA-style politics and Trump’s backing, narrowly defeated Warsaw's liberal mayor Rafał Trzaskowski. After voters rejected Trumpist candidates in recent elections in Canada, Australia and Romania, Polish voters went the other way, swinging back to the hard right just two years after electing liberal leader Donald Tusk. What does this election reveal about the continuing attraction of the authoritarian and nationalist right to working class voters? Ost argues that Tusk in power promised a program of radical changes, but delivered too little, dampening enthusiasm and turnout, echoing the troubles of Biden and Harris in the US. There was also the liberal-left campaign which focused on Nawrocki’s negative personal qualities, including criticism of his tough working class background, rather than his reactionary, xenophobic, chauvinist agenda — missteps that fed class resentment and fueled the far right. Populism has shown to have staying power, and center-left governance has failed to offer a durable counter. Is Poland a warning to liberal democrats everywhere? What are the implications for Ukraine, Europe and the globe? Jacobin Radio with Suzi Weissman features conversations with leading thinkers and activists, with a focus on labor, the economy, and protest movements.

Transcribed - Published: 11 June 2025

Laleh Khalili, author of a recent piece for the London Review of Books, analyzes the long relationship between the US military and industry. Kyle Chan, author of a New York Times opinion article, explains how China is surpassing the US. Behind the News, hosted by Doug Henwood, covers the worlds of economics and politics and their complex interactions, from the local to the global. Find the archive online: https://www.leftbusinessobserver.com/radio.html

Transcribed - Published: 10 June 2025

Featuring Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor and Asha Ransby-Sporn on 2020's summer of mass protest and rebellion sparked by the police murder of George Floyd. As Keeanga puts it: "The pressing question is how we went from twenty-six million people on the streets to a fascist in the White House?” We must urgently build organizations and movements that meet the moment as both popular resistance and authoritarian repression intensify. To do that, we need to learn from the 2020 uprising. Support The Dig at Patreon.com/TheDig Check out Long Haul at longhaulmag.com Buy Fake Work at Haymarketbooks.com Subscribe to Dissent at dissentmag.org/subscribe

Transcribed - Published: 8 June 2025

John Cassidy, author of Capitalism and Its Critics, discusses just that. Sandeep Vaheesan, author of a recent article for Boston Review, looks at abundance — neoliberal vs. genuine. Behind the News, hosted by Doug Henwood, covers the worlds of economics and politics and their complex interactions, from the local to the global. Find the archive online: https://www.leftbusinessobserver.com/radio.html

Transcribed - Published: 5 June 2025

The Cold War is often portrayed as a great power struggle between the forces of democracy and a spreading communist threat. But what if the conventional story gets it exactly backwards? In this episode of Confronting Capitalism, Vivek Chibber and Melissa Naschek discuss the rise of the American empire and how the US used the Cold War to spread capitalism across the globe. Confronting Capitalism with Vivek Chibber is produced by Catalyst: A Journal of Theory and Strategy, and published by Jacobin. Music by Zonkey.

Transcribed - Published: 4 June 2025

For many years, Palestine had one of the strongest left-wing movements in the Arab world, represented by prominent figures such as Emile Habibi, Leila Khaled, and Ghassan Kanafani. At the beginning of the First Intifada in the 1980s, Palestinian left groups were still the main challengers to the hegemony of Fatah, although the Left has lost much of its influence in the period since then. Red Star Over Palestine: Histories of the Palestinian Left is a six-part series from Long Reads exploring radical movements and progressive organizations of the region. We examine the experience of Palestinian communism and the left-wing currents inside the PLO, the Palestine Liberation Organization. We also look at the outsized impact of the Left on Palestinian cultural life. Our fifth episode focuses on the period from the First Intifada, arguably the high-point of the Palestinian left-wing movement, to the Oslo Accords. Red Star Over Palestine is hosted by Daniel Finn and produced by Conor Gillies. Music provided by Fadi Tabbal.

Transcribed - Published: 31 May 2025

Featuring Derek Guy on the politics, history, economics, and style of Western menswear. Guest hosted by Dennis M. Hogan. Support The Dig at Patreon.com/TheDig In These Times is offering 78% off print subscriptions for Dig listeners at Inthesetimes.com/dig The Dig goes deep into politics everywhere, from labor struggles and political economy to imperialism and immigration. Hosted by Daniel Denvir.

Transcribed - Published: 30 May 2025

Mouin Rabbani surveys Israeli politics, the fate of the Palestinians, and Trump’s fundraising tour of the Middle East. Meron Rapoport, co-author of a recent investigation for +972 Magazine, on Israel’s strategy of destruction in Gaza. Read the article here: https://www.972mag.com/israel-gaza-total-urban-destruction/ Behind the News, hosted by Doug Henwood, covers the worlds of economics and politics and their complex interactions, from the local to the global. Find the archive online: https://www.leftbusinessobserver.com/radio.html

Transcribed - Published: 27 May 2025

Journalist and author John Dinges joins Suzi to discuss his new book, Chile in Their Hearts. The book reopens the case of Charles Horman and Frank Teruggi — two young Americans who went to Chile to experience the radical democratic socialist experiment of Salvador Allende’s Popular Unity government — and were detained and executed in the days following the brutal military takeover of September 11, 1973. The story was immortalized in Costa-Gavras’ Oscar-winning film Missing, which depicted Horman as the man who knew too much about U.S. involvement in the coup. That became the widely accepted story of Horman’s death, as well as that of Frank Teruggi, who was arrested, tortured and killed during the coup’s brutal early days. But John Dinges, himself a young journalist who lived in Chile from 1972-1978, uncovered circumstances and facts of their cases that challenge this version as a myth. His meticulous examination of the evidence reveals the shoddy investigation of the facts and the coverup behind its false conclusions. Jacobin Radio with Suzi Weissman features conversations with leading thinkers and activists, with a focus on labor, the economy, and protest movements.

Transcribed - Published: 24 May 2025

Barry Eichengreen, professor of economics at the University of California, Berkeley, talks about why the gyrations in the value of the US dollar matter. Courtney Rawlings and Alex Jordan, hosts of Always at War, a new show from the Quincy Institute, explain why the US is always buying more weapons and bombing people. Behind the News, hosted by Doug Henwood, covers the worlds of economics and politics and their complex interactions, from the local to the global. Find the archive online: https://www.leftbusinessobserver.com/radio.html

Transcribed - Published: 22 May 2025

The past fifty years have been the era of unchallenged market dominance in all areas of life. But with the global upheaval brought on by the Trump trade war, are we seeing the neoliberal order unraveling? In this episode of Confronting Capitalism, Vivek Chibber and Melissa Naschek discuss the historic origins of neoliberalism, so-called “pro-worker” conservatism, and the prospects for deglobalization. Confronting Capitalism with Vivek Chibber is produced by Catalyst: A Journal of Theory and Strategy, and published by Jacobin. Music by Zonkey.

Transcribed - Published: 21 May 2025

Juan Cole joins Suzi to break down Donald Trump’s dramatic pivot in the Middle East: sidelining Israel, cozying up to Gulf monarchies, cutting billion-dollar deals, promising to lift sanctions on Syria, and exploring a new nuclear agreement with Iran. Trump vowed quick peace in Gaza and Ukraine, but neither materialized because the aggressors don’t want peace. Putin wants Ukraine without Ukrainians. Netanyahu wants Gaza without Palestinians. Now he's zigzagging between billion-dollar deals and back-channel diplomacy. Is this strategic realignment, opportunism, or just more chaos? We unpack the U.S.-brokered hostage deal with Hamas that bypassed Netanyahu, the collapse of the Assad regime, and the regional powers now vying for influence over Syria’s new government — amid Trump’s promise to lift sanctions. Is a coherent Trump doctrine beginning to emerge? Juan Cole gives us the big-picture view. Jacobin Radio with Suzi Weissman features conversations with leading thinkers and activists, with a focus on labor, the economy, and protest movements.

Transcribed - Published: 20 May 2025

Featuring Quinn Slobodian on his book Hayek’s Bastards: Race, Gold, IQ, and the Capitalism of the Far Right. MAGA and its far-right populist siblings around the world aren’t just a backlash to neoliberalism. The far-right has also long been animated by extremist mutant neoliberal, anarcho-capitalist, and paleo-libertarian strains that in the 1980s and ’90s built a new New Fusionist politics of capitalist extremism — a politics that promoted IQ as the measure of individual and racial value; hard borders for humans with free trade for capital; and gold as the only true currency. Support The Dig at patreon.com/TheDig Register for the Socialism Conference at socialismconference.org Register for “Our Collective Is the Prize” at comrades.education before May 31 The Dig goes deep into politics everywhere, from labor struggles and political economy to imperialism and immigration. Hosted by Daniel Denvir.

Transcribed - Published: 20 May 2025

For many years, Palestine had one of the strongest left-wing movements in the Arab world, represented by prominent figures such as Leila Khaled and Ghassan Kanafani. At the beginning of the First Intifada in the 1980s, Palestinian left groups were the main challengers to the hegemony of Fatah. Although the Palestinian left has lost much of its influence since the 1980s, they still play an important role today. Red Star Over Palestine: Histories of the Palestinian Left is a six-part series from Long Reads exploring radical movements and progressive organizations of the region. We examine the experience of Palestinian communism and the left-wing currents inside the PLO, the Palestine Liberation Organization. We also look at the outsized impact of the Left on Palestinian cultural life. Our fourth episode focuses on the movement’s turn to Lebanon, where Palestinian radicals found a new base and hoped to launch a wider Arab revolution. Red Star Over Palestine is hosted by Daniel Finn and produced by Conor Gillies. Music provided by Fadi Tabbal.

Transcribed - Published: 17 May 2025

Emil Draitser — Soviet satirist turned American memoirist — joins Suzi to talk about his new book, Laughing All the Way to Freedom: The Americanization of a Russian Émigré. It's a sharp, funny, and moving account of his journey from censorship and conformity in the USSR to the chaotic freedoms of the 1970s United States. We explore how satire served as both survival and resistance in the Soviet Union, and how his identity was reshaped — culturally, politically, and personally — through the messy process of becoming American. Emil reflects on the welcome once extended to Cold War refugees like himself, and the stark contrast with today's hostile climate for immigrants. We also touch on the uneasy “friendship” between Putin and Trump, imperialists determined to redefine the character of politics. Jacobin Radio with Suzi Weissman features conversations with leading thinkers and activists, with a focus on labor, the economy, and protest movements.

Transcribed - Published: 15 May 2025

Jeet Heer surveys Canadian politics and the recent election. Natasha Piano, author of Democratic Elitism, discusses Italian “elite theory.” Behind the News, hosted by Doug Henwood, covers the worlds of economics and politics and their complex interactions, from the local to the global. Find the archive online: https://www.leftbusinessobserver.com/radio.html

Transcribed - Published: 12 May 2025

Featuring Jean-Luc Mélenchon, leader of the left-wing French party La France Insoumise. How the radical left confronts and then defeats the far-right, in France and everywhere. Recorded before an audience at n+1’'s Brooklyn office. Support The Dig at Patreon.com/TheDig Register for "Our Collective Is the Prize" at comrades.education Buy Reconsidering Reparations at haymarketbooks.com

Transcribed - Published: 10 May 2025