Coming From Left Field (Video)

Jesse Hagopian is a high school teacher in Seattle, a union organizer, co-author of several books, and a powerful force in pushing back against the "over-testing" of students. Jesse’s writing has appeared in such publications as The Seattle Times, The Nation, and The Progressive, and his commentary on education and politics has been featured in Time magazine, The New Yorker, The PBS News Hour with...

Our guest is Mike Hixenbaugh, senior investigative reporter for NBC News. He has been named a Pulitzer Prize finalist and won a Peabody Award for reporting on the battle over race, gender, and sexuality in American classrooms. “They Came for the Schools,” his first book, is the winner of the prestigious Lukas Work-in-Progress Award. We also discuss his Peabody Award-winning and Pulitzer Prize fina...

Our guest on this podcast is investigative journalist Tim Schwab. His book, “The Bill Gates Problem: Reckoning with the Myth of the Good Billionaire.” It is a definitive critique of Bill Gates and other billionaires who use their immense wealth to forge into the world of unaccountable power philanthropy.   Order the book: The Bill Gates Problem https://www.kingsbookstore.com/book/9781250850096   G...

In this podcast, our guest is a poet, Pat’s sister, Janice O’Mahony. She lives on Whidbey Island, Washington, and has immersed herself in the community's creative environment. Janice has always been creative, but once she retired, she focused on being a “poet.” She has published her works in journals and books and spends much of her time honing her bard craft.   Order the book OUT OF THE BLUE four...

This podcast examines education policies, history, and reform from two academics; Dr. Neil Kraus, is Professor of Political Science at the University of Wisconsin, River Falls.  His book, The Fantasy Economy: Neoliberalism, Inequality, and the Education Reform challenges the basic assumptions of the education reform movement. Dr. Jon Shelton is Associate Professor of Democracy and Justice Studies...

Working Class and What to Do About It,” connects the dots between long-term trends in corporate capitalism and the last 50 years of neoliberal attacks on the working class. He shows the direct relationship between deregulation, predatory private equity firms, mass layoffs, stock buybacks, and the resulting destruction of the middle class. As a longtime labor educator and journalist, Leopold descri...

Kevin Gosztola’s book, “Guilty of Journalism,” is an essential guide to the case against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.  As a journalist, Kevin has been reporting on Julian Assange for more than a decade and returns to our podcast to discuss London's High Court recent decision regarding his extradition to the United States.  This is an important matter that impacts the future of journalism, fre...

Today, our guest is Kathrine Yeske Taylor,  a rock journalist who has interviewed hundreds of musicians.  In her book, “She’s a Badass,” Taylor focuses on twenty significant women in rock such as Ann Wilson, Joan Osborne, Paula Cole, Suzi Quatro, Orianthi and more.  She devotes an entire chapter to each one, taking an in-depth look at the incredible talent and influence they had on our music lands...

Today, our guest is Dr. Judith Herman, one of America’s most influential psychiatrists and a professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. She received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies and is a distinguished life fellow of the American Psychiatric Association.  Today, we discuss two of her books, the 1992 classic “Trauma and Recovery:...

Kevin Gosztola, has spent the last decade covering Julian Assange, WikiLeaks, and the wider war on whistleblowers and journalists. His book, “Guilty of Journalism” offers a balanced and comprehensive perspective on all the events leading up to what press freedom advocates have called the trial of the century. Noam Chomsky noted that Kevin’s book is “Essential reading for those who care about freed...

Andy Lee Roth is the associate director of Project Censored, an American nonprofit media watchdog organization. He holds a PhD in sociology from UCLA. Project Censored was founded in 1976 by Dr. Carl Jensen at Sonoma State University to research and publicize news media censorship in the news and to develop students’ critical thinking skills and media literacy. Every year, they publish a book, “St...

Three years ago, we started the podcast Coming From Left Field… where we talk about politics, books, and current events. In this podcast we reflect on some of our guests we have hosted over the 68 episodes, argue where we agree and disagree, and provide observations about our current political apocalypse.   Greg’s Blog (subscribe!): http://zzs-blg.blogspot.com/    Marxism-Leninism Today (MLToday):...

Stephen Bezruchka is a graduate of Harvard, Johns Hopkins, and Stanford universities. He now is an Associate Teaching Professor Emeritus, Health Systems, and Population Health at the University of Washington. He worked for three decades as an emergency physician. In “Inequity Kills Us All” Bezruchka takes a deep dive into the global health data and considers his years of experience as an ER doctor...

Sarah Kendzior is the New York Times bestselling author of Hiding in Plain Sight and The View from Flyover Country.  Today we discuss her third book, “They Knew: How a Culture of Conspiracy Keeps America Complacent” which delves into the world of conspiracy theories and their impact on American society.  She argues that the proliferation of conspiracy theories has eroded trust in institutions, und...

Charlie Derber is a professor of sociology at Boston College and the author of 25 books. Current work focuses on the crises of capitalism, globalization, corporate power, American militarism, the culture of hegemony, the climate crisis, and the new peace and global justice movements. Today we discuss the book, “Dying for Capitalism: How Big Money Fuels Extinction and What We Can Do About It” by Ch...

Theresa Amato is a public advocate, attorney, and founder of the Citizen Advocacy Center in Illinois. She was the national campaign manager and in-house counsel for Ralph Nader for his presidential runs in both 2000 and 2004.  “Grand Illusion: The Myth of Voter Choice in a Two-Party Tyranny” is a powerful argument for electoral reform, especially related to third-party and independent candidates....

Freddie DeBoer has written for many mainstream publications but, in the past few years, has established himself as a Sub stack community for 47K readers who have had enough of the polarized media. Today, we will discuss his new book, “How Elites Ate the Social Justice Movement,” which explores why a passionate but unfocused social justice movement failed.   Freddie’s Website : https://fredrikdeboe...

It is hard to describe Peter Serko. He’s been a counselor, IT professional, playwright, filmmaker, museum quality photographer and now, add novelist. After acquiring a tattered cardboard box with old books, photos, and diaries from his great-grandmother, Peter became inspired to research his family genealogy and write a historical fiction novel about Hattie, a 14 year old girl and distant relative...

Professor and author, Christian Parenti, discusses a wide range of topics today including his article in NONSITE.org, ‘The First Privilege Walk,’ which may be the symbolic origin story of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion industry. We also overview his book 'Radical Hamilton' and how the founding father was more progressive for his time than credited. In a fun, free-for-all exchange, many other...

Our guest today is award-winning investigative journalist and contributing writer at The Intercept, Trevor Aaronson. His seminal book “The Terror Factory: Inside the FBI’s Manufactured War On Terrorism” exposed the questionable counterterrorism tactics the Bureau used so they could claim it was winning the “war on terror.” His recent podcast, ‘Alphabet Boys” is a secret investigation of the FBI, C...

Our guest today, Alfred de Zayas, is a prominent scholar, lawyer, historian, and human rights expert. He has an impressive academic background, having earned a law degree from Harvard Law School, as well as a Ph. D. in history from the University of Göttingen in Germany. Throughout his career, he has focused on international law, human rights, and the protection of civilians in armed conflicts. We...

Bill Ehrhart’s experiences in the Vietnam War have defined his life—first as an enlisted member of a Marine infantry battalion, then as an author, poet, and teacher who has spent fifty years explaining the war and its consequences in books, lectures, and interviews. In this podcast, we discuss his recent book of essays on diverse topics, being a teacher, the VA, coming from Vietnam, and much more....

Vijay Prashad is an American-based Indian Marxist historian; he has written over 20 books and is the founder and executive director of the Tri-Continental Institute for Social Research.  In this podcast, we discuss his recent book with Noam Chomsky, "The Withdrawal," and his observations regarding our foreign policy with China.   Wenhua Zongheng, Quarterly Journal of Chinese Thought https://dongsh...

Daniel Kovalik, is a human rights lawyer, author, and professor. He has focused on issues such as labor rights, human rights, and international law. He has written numerous books that criticize what he sees as U.S. foreign policy agendas and media narratives that demonize certain countries. In this podcast we discuss his recent trip to Russia and Crimea where, as a peace activist, he tries to make...

We welcome Norman Finkelstein to our podcast, a prominent political scientist known for his writings, research, and scholarship on the middle east.  In 2020, he was named the fifth most influential political scientist in the world. In his new book,” I'll Burn That Bridge When I Get to It! Heretical Thoughts on Identity Politics, Cancel Culture, and Academic Freedom,” he discusses how the Left unde...