Coming From Left Field (Audio)

In this episode, acclaimed author and law professor Joan Williams joins the podcast to discuss her book "Outclassed: How the Left Lost the Working Class and How to Win Them Back."   Williams delivers a powerful diagnosis of the political rift dividing America, arguing that the Democratic Party has become dominated by a cosmopolitan elite and has alienated the "middle 50%" of Americans through econ...

In this episode of "Coming from Left Field," we discuss the book, "Domestic Causes of American War: Economic and Political Triggers," with author and former National Security Analyst for Congress, Dr. Ivan Eland.  This is a provocative reassessment of American military history. Dr. Eland systematically argues that the standard narrative of the United States going to war for national security and d...

In this episode of "Coming from Left Field," we sit down with world-renowned neuroscientist Dr. Robert Zatorre to discuss his book “From Perception to Pleasure: The Neuroscience of Music and Why We Love It.” We discuss the connection between music and the human brain, exploring how abstract sounds are transformed into intense emotional experiences and profound pleasure. Dr. Zatorre shares the fasc...

In this podcast, we have a conversation with poet Bill Ehrhart, whose new poetry book, “Smart Fish Don’t Bite,” serves as a testament to a life fully examined. While Ehrhart's identity is often intertwined with the war—a theme he explores but resists being solely defined by—the discussion reveals a writer whose poetry grapples with a vast range of human experience, from the nostalgic innocence of...

Richard Beck was 14 years old when planes flew into the Twin Towers on 9/11. He grew up in a Philadelphia suburb as a “mainstream liberal Democrat,” and during high school, was more concerned with music than politics. After graduating from Harvard, Beck moved to New York, where he still resides, and began contributing to the progressive journal n+1, a print and digital magazine of literature, cult...

Was the founding of the United States a "great leap forward for humanity" or a project deeply rooted in slavery and settler colonialism?   In this episode, we sit down with renowned historian Dr. Gerald Horne to discuss his new book, “The Capital of Slavery: Washington, D.C. 1800-1865.”   We dismantle the myth of Washington, D.C. as a pure symbol of democracy and reveal its brutal reality as the n...

In this episode of Coming from Left Field, we engage in a thought-provoking conversation with author Leigh Claire La Berge about her book “Fake Work: How I Began to Suspect Capitalism is a Joke.” Drawing from her surreal experience documenting Y2K compliance for a Fortune 500 company—a job focused on generating legal cover rather than solving technical issues— La Berge explores the absurdity of mo...

Join us for a heartfelt and thought-provoking conversation with poet Janice Cummings O’Mahony as we dive into her new collection of poetry, “Raise Your Hand If You Hear My Voice,” exploring memory, family, love, grief, and resilience. Janice’s work blends nostalgia with sharp wit, tackling themes like childhood, military trauma, aging, and social justice. Her poems move seamlessly between emotiona...

In this thought-provoking episode, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Greg Grandin joins us to discuss his groundbreaking book, “America, América: The Origins of Hemispheric and Global Hegemony,” which challenges traditional narratives of U.S. history by centering Latin America’s pivotal role. We discuss: Why does U.S. history begin with the Mayflower—and not the Spanish conquest? How did Latin Amer...

This episode features an interview with Pam Beal, a board member of Radio Tacoma (KTAH 101.9), a grassroots low-power FM station dedicated to democratizing media and amplifying local voices. Pam attended Wilson High School, Concordia Lutheran College, and Reed College. She received her Ph. D. in English (dissertation on William Blake and Enlightenment philosophy) from SUNY Buffalo, which provides...

This is a 10-minute "deep dive" overview of the Coming From Left Field Podcast created by Google's AI NotebookLM research assistant.  It provides a summary of the content and highlights selective episodes that have been aired over the past four years, where we discuss politics, history, economics, social justice, media, and philosophy—often from a critical, leftist perspective. Core Themes Include...

113-“Bonfire: American Sociocide, Broken Relations, & the Quest for Democracy” with Charles Derber In this episode, we dive deep into America's social crisis with sociologist Charlie Derber, author of “Bonfire of America: Sociocide, Broken Relationships, and the Quest for Democracy.” Derber explores the concept of "sociocide"—the systemic unraveling of societal bonds—arguing that hyper-individ...

In this episode of Coming from Left Field, we dive into America’s broken elder care system with Judy Karofsky, author of “DisElderly Conduct: The Flawed Business of Assisted Living and Hospice.” We discuss how corporate greed and lack of regulation have turned assisted living into a profit-driven nightmare, where facilities—often run by private equity firms—prioritize cost-cutting over resident di...

In this podcast, we discuss Greg's article "Obscene Wealth" from MLToday, based on Gabriel Zucman's research on U.S. wealth inequality. Zucman reveals that in 2024, the wealth of the top 0.00001% (19 households) increased by $1 trillion, surpassing Switzerland’s GDP. The top 10% possess 67% of the wealth, while the bottom 50% hold just 3%, leading to economic and political marginalization. The art...

In this podcast we discuss Greg’s recent article in MLToday: “Antonio Gramsci: Theirs and Ours.” Gramsci, an Italian Marxist philosopher, theorized that ruling classes maintain power through cultural hegemony—controlling institutions like media, education, and religion to shape societal norms. Surprisingly, today’s far-right (e.g., Steve Bannon, Christopher Rufo, Marine Le Pen) has weaponized Gram...

Our podcast features Stephen Gowans, a Canadian political analyst, author, and activist known for his anti-imperialist and socialist views on U.S. foreign policy, capitalism, and Western interventionism. Gowans authored The Killer's Henchman: Capitalism and the Covid-19 Disaster (2022), Israel, A Beachhead in the Middle East (2019), Patriots, Traitors and Empires (2018), and Washington's Long War...

In this podcast, our guest is Peter Byrne, a national and international award-winning investigative reporter and science writer.  His works have been published in Scientific American, Wired, Mother Jones, and New Scientist. In partnership with Project Censored, Byrne has launched  Military AI Watch , a groundbreaking ten-part series that will run monthly on the Project Censored website. This expos...

In this podcast, our guest is Malcolm Harris, the author of the national bestseller “Palo Alto: A History of California, Capitalism, and the World,” a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize.  Today we discuss his latest book, “What’s Left: Three Paths Through the Planetary Crisis,” an ambitious work that explores political strategy, alliances, and antagonisms necessary to confront existenti...

In this podcast, our guest is Nicholas H. Wolfinger, a professor of sociology at the University of Utah, specializing in family demography, marriage and divorce, and social inequality.  We discuss his recent book, “Professors Speak Out: The Truth about Campus Investigations,” which examines the often opaque and controversial processes surrounding campus investigations into faculty misconduct, part...

In this podcast, our guest is Russell Razzaque, M.D., a practicing psychiatrist based in London, England. He earned his medical degree from the University of London and is a member of the UK Royal College of Psychiatrists. Dr Razzaque is also a writer and media commentator. He has written numerous columns across various publications, including The Guardian, The Telegraph, and The Independent. He r...

In this podcast, our guest is Sarah Kendzior, the best-selling author of “The View From Fly Over Country, “Hiding In Plain Sight,” and “They Knew.” Her latest book, “The Last American Road Trip: A Memoir,” is part political history and part memoir, but it is mostly a great road trip romp with her family across the United States before it is too late. Kendzior has a PhD in anthropology from Washing...

In this podcast, our guest is Jim Painter, who spent 40 years in the newspaper business as a reporter and photojournalist and ended his career as managing editor of Phoenix’s West Valley View newspaper, published twice a week with a circulation of 80,000. Jim was one of the first guests on our podcast four years ago. Then we talked about the state of the media, its evolution, biases, and challenge...

In this podcast, Dan Kovalik shares what's really happening in Syria after a recent trip to the country and their new “de facto” government brought to power in large part by U.S. The fall of Syrian President Bashar Assad ended a 53-year dynasty that began with his father. In Syria, the U.S. has now reaped what it has sown as the new leader, Abu Mohammad al-Julani, takes charge, a former member of...

In this podcast, Zoltán Grossman discusses his book, “Unlikely Alliances: Native Nations and White Communities Join to Defend Rural Lands,” which explores the surprising alliances between Native American tribes and white ranchers, farmers, and fishers who historically competed over natural resources, came together to protect their shared environment from external threats like mining, dams, and pip...

In this podcast, Jesse Hagopian discusses his recent book, ““Teaching Truth: The Struggle for Antiracist Education,” a powerful call to action to defend honest education in the face of increasing censorship, attacks on teachers, the destructive Project 2025 playbook, and constant pressures to dismantle our public education system. Hagopian argues that the struggle for a liberatory education is cru...