Making Contact

Hosni Mubarak’s dictatorship is gone, but a military council now rules Egypt, and has kept much of Mubarak’s repressive apparatus. Meanwhile extremist Islamist groups want to adopt undemocratic, right-wing policies. Producer Reese Erlich goes to Cairo to ask: “Who Won the Egyptian Revolution?”

Journalist Christian Parenti speaks about his new book, Tropic of Chaos: Climate Change and the New Geography of Violence. He connects the effects of climate change to the increasing number of civil wars, ethnic violence, criminality and failed states in Kenya, Brazil and India, among others.

The American consensus on Israel and Palestine is breaking down. And Jewish Americans are playing a major role. But it’s not easy. On this edition, a Jewish American community divided. More and more members of the tribe are breaking a long-standing taboo, and voicing criticism of the Israel government.

African-Americans are helping to lead the environmental movement. We take you to a resettlement community in North Carolina, sustainable farms in Wisconsin and a local bike ride in California, where local black leaders are changing the color of environmentalism.

Art and music have long contributed to society and our way of life. But in these dire financial times, it’s not always a priority in our schools. On this edition, we bring you the voices of artists speaking on the importance of arts, music and politics.

Was the occupation of the state capital in Madison, Wisconsin a resurgence of organized labor in the United States, or the last gasp for unionized workers, as they face continual erosion of their rights? This week, we hear Part 2 of a retrospective documentary on the 2011 Wisconsin uprising, produced by Workers Independent News.

Was the occupation of the state capital in Madison, Wisconsin a resurgence of organized labor in the United States, or the last gasp for unionized workers, as they face continual erosion of their rights? This week, we hear Part 1 of a retrospective documentary on the 2011 Wisconsin uprising, produced by Workers Independent News.

As part of our “Women Rising” series, we profile a dynamic partnership between the Women’s Earth Alliance and the Global Women’s Water Initiative: working on women’s rights to water, land, farming and basic human dignity.

Global warming is no longer a fear for the future. It’s threatening human civilization, now. Part 2 of a special 2 part series produced by Brian Edwards Tiekert…on climate change that is happening, the political response that isn't, and the people trying to break the gridlock.

Global warming is no longer a fear for the future. It’s threatening human civilization, now. Part 1 of a special 2 part series produced by Brian Edwards Tiekert…on climate change that is happening, the political response that isn't, and the people trying to break the gridlock.

In the past decade, more and more political marching bands have been invigorating social movements. In some cases, they're the protest themselves. On this edition, we look at how musicians are stirring up public spaces; from the streets, to supermarkets to your Facebook feed.

Despite President Obama’s promise to change America’s broken immigration system, the dehumanization and detention of immigrants continues to rise. On this edition, Mexican-American journalist Maria Hinojosa speaks about the United States’ loss of humanity’ in dealing with immigrants and immigration.

Renowned author Chris Hedges paints a bleak picture of our world today, in rapid economic, environmental, and religious decline-but we still have a chance to turn things around. On this edition, Hedges speaks about his new book, The World as it is: Dispatches on the Myth of Human Progress.

Jamaica has a long history of police violence and corruption. In May 2010 a government crackdown left 73 people dead and a city in chaos. The majority of those victims are presumed innocent and their loved ones continue to seek justice.

CointelPro, the secret FBI project to infiltrate and disrupt domestic organizations thought to be “subversive.”, targeted many African American, Native American, and other movements for self-determination by people of color in the U.S.   Between 1956 and 1971, the FBI conducted more than 2,000 COINTELPRO (Counter Intelligence Program) operations.   Over the next two weeks, we’ll broadcast the docu...

COINTELPRO, the secret FBI project to infiltrate and disrupt domestic organizations thought to be 'subversive,' targeted many African-American, Native-American, and other movements for self-determination by people of color in the US.   Between 1956 and 1971, the FBI conducted more than 2,000 COINTELPRO (Counter Intelligence Program) operations.   Over the next two weeks, we’ll be broadcasting the...

African-Americans have endured more than 246 years of slavery, 100 years of racism and segregation. The trauma from that experience continues to impact African-Americans and society today. Dr. Joy DeGruy presents a discussion on post traumatic slave syndrome.

Racism in the American media goes back even further than the founding of the US. Now, media consolidation and shrinking news budgets are threatening to make things even worse. On this edition, a discussion on Race and the American Media, from the 2011 National Conference on Media Reform, featuring Democracy Now’s Juan Gonzalez, Rinku Sen from the Applied Research Center, and the first woman of col...

Almost 4,500 American soldiers and more than 100,000 Iraqis have died since the start of the “Shock and Awe” campaign. Eight years later, we assess the consequences of the war in Iraq through an audio documentary, “The Cost of War: A Reflection on Eight Years in Iraq,” produced by KALW News.

Solidarity has long been used as an organizing tool, but it is shifting radically amidst a new political landscape and new technologies. Left Forum’s ‘Towards a Politics of Solidarity’ conference explores this in depth and discusses its impact today.

2011 marks the year for redistricting – the once-in-a-decade process to draw boundaries that determine your elected officials from local school boards to state and congressional representatives. On this edition, we examine the U.S. redistricting system and some of its pitfalls.

2011 marks the year for redistricting – the once-in-a-decade process to draw boundaries that determine your elected officials from local school boards to state and congressional representatives. On this edition, we examine the U.S. redistricting system and some of its pitfalls.

A look at pregnancy, and motherhood, inside US jails and prisons. What does the huge number of incarcerated women in prison foretell for the next generation of America’s kids?

A look at pregnancy, and motherhood, inside US jails and prisons. What does the huge number of incarcerated women in prison foretell for the next generation of America’s kids?

An exclusive interview with economist Richard Wolff, who explains how failed ‘trickle down economics’ theories are being recycled under a different name. Can the working and middle classes withstand the newest round of cuts to vital services, and how can the trend be reversed?