Current Affairs

Naomi Klein explains to us why Jonathan Franzen is wrong. This is an excerpt from an episode available in full to our Patreon subscribers. To gain access to this episode, as well as lots of other exclusive bonus content, please consider becoming one of our patrons at www.patreon.com/CurrentAffairs!

In this episode, Current Affairs senior editor Brianna Rennix and amusements editor Lyta Gold sit down with Daniel Mallory Ortberg, writer and co-founder of The Toast. This is a preview of an episode available in full to our Patreon subscribers. To gain access to this episode, as well as lots of other incredible bonus content, please consider becoming one of our patrons at www.patreon.com/CurrentA...

To celebrate the launch of our Kickstarter, we're bringing you seven new interviews with seven mystery guests in seven days! Today's guest is Adolph Reed Jr., professor of political science at University of Pennsylvania, and the author of numerous books and articles on race and class politics. We hope you enjoy this episode. If you want to help us expand and improve Current Affairs, please conside...

To celebrate the launch of our Kickstarter, we're bringing you seven new interviews with seven mystery guests in seven days! Today's guest is Ana Kasparian, co-host and executive producer at The Young Turks and No Filter. In this episode, Current Affairs editor-in-chief Nathan J. Robinson and business manager Eli Massey sit down with Ana to discuss independent left media...and Dave Rubin. We hope...

To celebrate the launch of our Kickstarter, we're bringing you seven new interviews with seven mystery guests in seven days! Something a little different today - our guest is Philip K. Howard, lawyer, author, small-government advocate, and a former adviser to Donald Trump's transition team. In this episode, Current Affairs business manager and King of Interviews Eli Massey sits down with Howard fo...

To celebrate the launch of our Kickstarter, we're bringing you seven new interviews with seven mystery guests in seven days! Today's guest is Thomas Frank, historian, co-founder of The Baffler, and author of several legendary books, most notably "What's the Matter with Kansas?" and "Listen, Liberal". In this episode, Current Affairs editor-in-chief Nathan J. Robinson sits down with Thomas for a di...

To celebrate the launch of our Kickstarter, we're bringing you seven new interviews with seven mystery guests in seven days! Today's guest is Johann Hari, author of "Lost Connections: Uncovering the Real Causes of Depression – and the Unexpected Solutions". In this episode, Johann sits down with Current Affairs editor-in-chief Nathan J. Robinson to discuss the social and political factors behind d...

To celebrate the launch of our Kickstarter, we're bringing you seven new interviews with seven mystery guests in seven days! Today's guest is Kade Crockford, director of the Technology for Liberty Program at the ACLU of Massachusetts. In this episode, Kade tells us all about facial recognition, surveillance, and the terrifying implications of technological developments in the criminal justice syst...

Hello all! This week, we're launching a fundraiser to help our small business grow into a fearsome (yet still beautiful) media empire. If you like what we do, please consider donating to our Kickstarter page, so that we can improve the quality of our podcast, magazine and Youtube channel, as well as start new and exciting projects. To celebrate the launch of our Kickstarter, we're bringing you sev...

This is a preview of an episode available in full to our Patreon subscribers. To gain full access to this episode, as well as lots of other amazing bonus content, consider becoming one of our patrons at www.patreon.com/CurrentAffairs!

In this episode, the Current Affairs team discuss the usefulness of boycotts, encouraging news, and Pete faces down the rest of the cruel and ruthless panel in a round of Lefty Shark Tank. The panel this week is amusements and managing editor Lyta Gold, senior editor Brianna Rennix, legal editor Oren Nimni, contributing editor Aisling McCrea and editor-in-chief Nathan J. Robinson. Your host is Pet...

Current Affairs finance editor Sparky Abraham and associate editor Vanessa A. Bee sit down with Varsha Venkatasubramanian to discuss the politics of water —more specifically, dams. Find out how the simple act of altering the flow of water has radical effects on everything from energy policy to health to war. It is taking all my energy right now not to just put as many 'dam' puns in here as possibl...

Current Affairs editor-in-chief Nathan J. Robinson and business manager Eli Massey sit down with journalist and broadcaster Mehdi Hasan to discuss the bad-faith actions of the "Intellectual Dark Web", the ubiquity of Islamophobia, and why it's important to continue fighting even when you're not guaranteed a win. This is an excerpt from an episode available in full exclusively to Patreon subscriber...

Current Affairs editor-in-chief Nathan J. Robinson sits down with founder and editor-at-large of Vox, Ezra Klein. Together, they debate (in a very friendly manner) the successes and failures of the Bernie Sanders campaign, incremental change versus radical change, and whether Nathan was justified in writing mean things about Vox in 2016. This is a preview of an episode available in full to our Pat...

Relevant reading: An Example for All the Land: Emancipation and the Struggle over Equality in Washington, D.C., by Kate Masur: https://www.uncpress.org/book/9780807872666/an-example-for-all-the-land/ Home Rule or House Rule? by Michael Fauntroy: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780761827146 A Housing Crisis, a Failed Law, and a Property Conflict: The US Urban Speculation Tax, by Katie J. Wells: ht...

Current Affairs host Pete Davis and managing editor Lyta Gold sit down with Mckayla Wilkes, a 28-year-old progressive who is challenging the House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer for his seat. Mckayla tells us what motivated her to run, her experiences with the criminal justice system, and the power of a grassroots campaign. You can find out more about Mckayla's campaign at https://www.mckayla2020.com...

Nathan J. Robinson and Oren Nimni discuss the legacy of Malcolm X. This episode is available in full to our Patreon subscribers. To gain full access to this episode, as well as lots of other fantastic bonus content, please consider becoming one of our patrons at www.patreon.com/CurrentAffairs!

Current Affairs host Pete Davis sits down with engineer, land planner and founder of the Strong Towns movement, Chuck Marohn, to discuss how to create thriving towns and cities. This episode was edited by Dan Thorn of Pink Noise Studios in Somerville, MA. This episode was made available early for our patrons. If you'd like early access to episodes like this, as well as lots of exclusive bonus cont...

Current Affairs editor-in-chief Nathan J. Robinson sits down with photographer Chris Arnade to discuss his journey from Wall Street trader to travelling photographer, the things elites don't understand about poverty, and his book Dignity: Seeking Respect in Back Row America. This is a preview of a bonus episode available in full to our Patreon subscribers. To gain access to episodes like this, as...

The Current Affairs panel sits down to discuss AOC's first year in office, proposes an innovative new way of dividing up the United States, and shares the transcendental experiences they've had with animals. The panel this week is finance editor Sparky Abraham, legal editor Oren Nimni, associate editor Vanessa A. Bee, editor-in-chief Nathan J. Robinson, and your host is Pete Davis. Many thanks to...

Current Affairs editors Nathan J. Robinson and Eli Massey sit down with writer and labor organizer Micah Uetricht to discuss the weird and tangled world of Chicago politics. This is an excerpt from an episode that is available in full to our Patreon subscribers. To gain access to this episode, as well as lots of other exclusive content, consider becoming one of our subscribers at www.patreon.com/C...

Current Affairs host Pete Davis sits down with engineer, land planner and founder of the Strong Towns movement, Chuck Marohn, to discuss how to create thriving towns and cities. This is an excerpt from an exclusive Patreon episode. To gain full access to this episode, as well as lots of other delicious bonus content, consider becoming one of our patrons at www.patreon.com/CurrentAffairs.

Current Affairs editor-in-chief Nathan J. Robinson, financial editor Sparky Abraham and contributing editor Aisling McCrea sit down with philosophy professor Ben Burgis to discuss his new book Give Them An Argument: Logic for the Left. Give Them An Argument: Logic for the Left is published by Zero Books. You can support and enjoy Ben Burgis' work by becoming a patron at https://www.patreon.com/ben...

The Current Affairs team has stuck their hands into the mailbag once again, and pulled out a handful of your voicemails. Topics range from the likelihood of getting mangoes under socialism, to the frailty of velvet trousers. The panel this time is: amusements and managing editor Lyta Gold, business manager Eli Massey, contributing editor and podcastrix Aisling McCrea, senior editor Brianna Rennix,...

Current Affairs finance editor Sparky Abraham sits down with Vice writer Allie Conti, economics professor Marshall Steinbaum and People's Policy Project founder Matt Bruenig to discuss the question of cancelling student debt, in light of Bernie Sanders' and Elizabeth Warren's recent plans for college debt forgiveness. This episode will be unlocked in full soon, but is available now in full for Pat...