Cocktails & Capitalism

Don’t miss this deep dive into Target's dystopian mass surveillance police partnership. I spoke with South Minneapolis activist and freelance journalist Marjaan Sirdar about his astounding findings after completing a 12-part investigative series titled 21st Century Jim Crow in the North Star City: How Target Corp., the City of Minneapolis, and Hennepin County Created a Domestic Spy Program th...

I had the honor of speaking with award-winning Palestinian-American producer, content creator, and storyteller Jenan Matari back in June. Jenan has been harnessing the power of her voice and her social media platform to shine light on Palestine’s history and present reality amidst this genocide.  We spoke about the ways that social media has been used for Palestine -- from combating propaganda to...

I’m joined by Tariq Ra’ouf , a Palestinian freelance journalist and advocate for diversity and inclusion who was recently fired by Apple after speaking out about the company’s complicity in and silence about the genocide in Gaza. After losing over a dozen family members, Tariq has been working with Palestinian and Congolese activists to organize an international day of action to demand that Apple...

With Palestine Action racking up the victories, it was high time that I spoke with veteran actionist Shibby about the network’s mind blowing direct  action successes. We discuss the recent shutdown of a facility in Tamworth , the viral action that just took place in Scotland, and the high-level, low-level, and covert strategies that have been used by these brave activists. We also touch on the ong...

Too few understand the genocide that is raging in the Congo. Human rights activist Gaëtan-Dauphin Nzowo of Friends of the Congo joins me to examine the country's economic & geopolitical significance and how this genocide has been driven by extractive capitalism.  As Gaëtan points out, “ most Congolese don’t have a smartphone to document the atrocities” committed against them, but the labo...

I spoke with activist and veteran Greg Stoker about the recent campus protests in solidarity with Palestine, police repression, and imperialism. We explore the concept of the “imperialist boomerang” and how it relates to the brutal crackdowns we’re seeing on college campuses. “APD, KKK, IOF, they’re all the same!” and “There’s no riot here. Why are you in riot gear?” were among the chants heard at...

This exclusive interview with an A15 comrade explores the historic global economic blockade that took place on April 15th in solidarity with Palestine. Recognizing the global economy’s complicity in genocide, folks in 82 cities across 19 countries took action to block the arteries of capitalism. These protestors targeted major economic choke points to maximize impact, resulting in millions if not...

“Beautiful Trouble was birthed by seasoned organizers who really wanted to document not only social movement successes…but really dig into what makes an action work.” In this episode, I speak with trainer and organizer Rae Abileah about Beautiful Trouble – a global network of organizers, artists, and trainers helping to equip activists and social movements with the strategic tools to become more e...

“For me, dismantling the fossil fuel industry is a form of mental healthcare” – Tori Tsui  This week on Cocktails & Capitalism, I speak with the UK-based climate justice activist, researcher, speaker, and writer Tori Tsui. We discuss the relationship between mental health and the climate crisis, breaking down some of the core concepts that are illuminated in Tori's recent book, It's...

Osage scholar Jimmy Lee Beason II offers an Indigenous perspective on Killers of the Flower Moon and the history of the Osage murders that the book and film depict. In this Cocktails & Capitalism interview, we discuss the true history of the Reign of Terror–a horrific string of murders of Osage committed by white settlers pillaging Osage oil wealth. In addition to providing deeper context for...

Students at UC Davis just won an historic victory by passing a bill that divests all student funds from apartheid Israel. I spoke with three of the women who were instrumental in making this happen, including the political director, the president, and the social media coordinator for the UC Davis chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP). We discussed the magic moment when the bill passed...

Jewish organizer and activist Max Geller joins me to talk about the birth of new Palestine Action chapters around the world in response to the intensified genocide that has been raging for 4 straight months. As discussed in last year's episode featuring Jodie Jones , Palestine Action is a UK-based network of activists that has permanently shut down 2 arms factories and caused millions in dama...

In this episode, I speak with Francisco Pérez about Economics for Emancipation , a free online and in-person course on "capitalism, solidarity, and how we get free.” Francisco is an Assistant Professor of Economics at the University of Utah and senior economist at the Center for Economic Democracy. He’s the former director of the Center for Popular Economics, a nonprofit collective of politic...

This week, I speak with Sara Bannoura , a Palestinian organizer, artist, and journalist who has been fighting for a ceasefire from her home in St. Louis, Missouri. The daughter of a Christian pastor, Sara was born in Bethlehem, Palestine. We talk about the childhood experiences that exposed the violent and dehumanizing reality of Israel’s occupation, including some of Sara’s early encounters with...

I had the honor of speaking with the brilliant Palestinian journalist and activist, Hebh Jamal. We talked about the heartbreaking reality of this ongoing genocide, “the politics of condemnation,” and Israel’s targeting of the brightest Palestinian minds, including the beloved poet and professor Refaat Alareer. Hebh got involved in activism as a teen around the issues of school segregation and educ...

In this Cocktails & Capitalism conversation, I speak with Egyptian activist, entrepreneur, model, and feminist Merhan Keller . We connected between her recent trips to volunteer with the Egyptian Red Crescent where she has helped provide emergency supplies to displaced Palestinians fleeing Israel’s genocidal bombardment. Merhan explains how her work as a model led to her vital involvement in t...

We’re joined by Jewish comedian, activist, and cohost of the Palestine Pod, Michael Schirtzer , who explains why and how he became so deeply committed to the cause of Palestinian justice and liberation.  Speaking just days after congress approved a resolution equating anti-Zionism with antisemitism, we discuss how the term “antisemitism” has been used to shut down valid criticisms of Israel. LINKS...

This week, I speak with organizer, writer, and podcaster Jamie Peck about the mass action that shut down the construction of Cop City last week. We talk about the ridiculous and extreme police response to this nonviolent direct action and the creative tactics employed by protestors to keep each other safe. We also discuss: -how a Georgia State Police officer endangered protestors and risked starti...

A mass action is about to take place in the Weelaunee Forest to stop the construction of Cop City in Atlanta. In this episode, I speak with Barry (they/them) who describes this upcoming event that will take place November 10th to 13th.  We talk about the rich ecosystem of tactics folks have used to halt this project and how the movement has decided to engage in mass nonviolent direct action. To le...

Sixty-one people were just indicted for their alleged involvement in the movement to Stop Cop City. These folks were slapped with RICO charges, which were designed to go after the mob. Some were charged for crimes as small as handing out fliers, serving as a legal observer during a protest, and organizing a bail fund. Our guest is abolitionist organizer Micah Herskind , who has been involved with...

The Hot Labor Summer Tour is about to  begin! Human rights lawyer Steven Donziger and ALU President Chris Smalls  have joined forces to share their stories in cities across the country.  We’re joined by Chris , Steven , and Devon Young , the producer of this Little Secret tour.  Devon explains that Little Secret blends music, comedy, and talks from organizers and activists, creating events that fo...

In this season 3 finale, Steven Donziger describes his epic battle against oil giant Chevron, connecting the dots between his own struggle against a multinational corporation and the fight to stop Cop City. In both stories, the consequences for standing up against corporate power to protect people and the planet have been chilling.  Steven highlights the outrageous, unprecedented forms of corporat...

Fossil fuel profiteers don’t deserve a moment of peace. The youth-led group Climate Defiance is using direct action to expose the politicians most responsible for the climate crisis and compel them to act with the urgency this crisis deserves. I spoke with Rylee Haught – the group’s student recruitment lead – just a day after Climate Defiance shut down Joe Manchin’s keynote address in protest of t...

In this episode, author and movement facilitator adrienne maree brown shares her desire to see our movements become welcoming sanctuaries “where we get to taste and feel this world we’re trying to co-create.” Unfortunately, this is far from the reality that many of us experience in Leftist spaces. As adrienne explains, capitalism and other oppressive systems tend to infiltrate our movements, makin...

Have you heard of TigerSwan? This company profits off of the surveillance and suppression of pipeline protests. Staffed with former military personnel from the War on Terror, TigerSwan has developed a hyper-militarized counterinsurgency approach to dealing with protestors resisting fossil fuel projects.  TigerSwan first made a name for itself by monitoring, infiltrating, and disrupting Indigenous-...