Jacobin Radio

She's a Democrat. He's a Republican. They're speechwriters on warring campaigns... But can they fall in love??? That's the premise of the Michael Keaton/Geena Davis romcom SPEECHLESS (1994), which drew inspiration from the real-life romance between Clinton strategist James Carville and Bush advisor Mary Matalin. We discuss a movie that could only have been made in the '90s. "John Cleese Had Though...

Suzi talks to historian-activist  Simon Pirani about the political and economic motives for the Kremlin's war, as well as the ominous signs of Russia's conduct seen in previous conflicts in Chechnya, Syria, and the Donbas in 2014. The campaign of devastation aimed at cities and towns across Ukraine, and the brutality of Russian forces has only prompted more protest in Ukraine—and in Russia to...

Doug speaks with Alexander Zaitchik , author of Owning the Sun , on how the pharmaceutical industry became such a high-priced racket. Plus: Zongyuan Zoe Liu , co-author of a recent article in Foreign Affairs, "The Anti-Dollar Axis," discusses sanctions and the global preeminence of the US dollar. Behind the News, hosted by Doug Henwood, covers the worlds of economics and politics and their complex...

Lea Ypi joins Long Reads for a discussion about Albanian history. Lea is a professor of political theory at the London School of Economics and the author of several books. Her most recent work is Free: Coming of Age at the End of History . It's account of her experience growing up in the last years of Albanian Communism and the first phase of the country's new capitalist order. Long Reads is a Jac...

Krystal Ball joins The Jacobin Show for a discussion about the alienation and de-politicization affecting the working class, and how to break out of it. They also cover the role of independent media, the Democratic Party's turn away from workers, and the importance of labor going forward. Krystal is the co-host of Breaking Points and Krystal Kyle & Friends and co-author of The Populist's Guide...

Sophie Pinkham and Nick Mulder on the war, its origins, how it’s being experienced by Ukrainians, Russians, Europeans, and Americans—and also its geopolitical and global economic ramifications, particularly sanctions.  Support this podcast at Patreon.com/TheDig Buy Angela Davis: An Autobiography haymarketbooks.org/books/1741-angela-davis

This week Grace talks to Susanne Soederberg , Professor of Political Economy in Global Development Studies at Queen’s University, Canada, about her book Urban Displacements: Governing Surplus and Survival in Global Capitalism . They discuss the class roots of the global housing crisis and the emergence of resistance to the cycle of debt, eviction, and homelessness in some of Europe’s major cities....

Some Batman movies have been called fascist, but THE BATMAN (2022) breaks new ground for the franchise by being lib. We wouldn't be a left-wing culture podcast if we didn't occasionally pick a new Batman movie from the lowest branch on the tree, so come join us as we chart the latest developments in the Caped Crusader's political evolution. Michael and Us is a podcast about political cinema and ou...

Suzi talks to Dutch Marxist anthropologist Don Kalb , editor of Focaal: Journal of Global and Historical Anthropology , about the state of Putin’s war against Ukraine and the crucial historical, political, economic and social background of all the actors—not just Russia and Ukraine, but NATO, US–UK, Germany, France, and even China. Don gives us a comprehensive analysis of the moment we are in, the...

Doug interviews Anatol Lieven on Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Then, a conversation with Alyssa Giachino and Derek Seidman , among the authors of this report, "Private Equity's Dirty Dozen," about private equity and fossil fuels. Behind the News, hosted by Doug Henwood, covers the worlds of economics and politics and their complex interactions, from the local to the global. Find the archive here:...

Ariella Thornhill sits down with Adolph Reed, Jr. for a special interview on his new book, The South: Jim Crow and Its Afterlives . Branko Marcetic discusses how the US and other countries can counter Russian aggression without war or nuclear escalation. Jen Pan explores why so many Americans still say they trust Republicans on the economy despite decades of failed trickle-down policies. The Jacob...

This week, Grace talks to Max Lawson, Head of Inequality Policy at Oxfam, about their new report Inequality Kills, which you can read here: https://www.oxfam.org/en/research/inequality-kills . They discuss why inequality has increased so much over the course of the pandemic, how this increase in inequality is affecting our democracies and our ability to tackle issues like the pandemic and climate...

Doug interviews Christopher Leonard, author of The Lords of Easy Money , on the damage done by over a decade of hyper-easy monetary policy from the Fed. Then Lea Ypi , a political philsopher and author of Free , discusses growing up in the last days of Communist Albania and the early days of its neoliberal successor. Behind the News, hosted by Doug Henwood, covers the worlds of economics and polit...

Tony Wood returns to The Dig to discuss Russia’s invasion, what it reflects about Russian politics and geopolitics today and historically, and how the Left should be thinking about it all. Tony's LRB essay: lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v44/n04/tony-wood2/why-didn-t-they-stop-it Listen to past Dig eps for context on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine: Tony Wood on Russia and Putin: thedigradio.com/podcast/russia-...

Eldon Hoke—better known to the world as "El Duce"—was one of the most notorious of the so-called "shock rockers" who frightened moralists during the George H.W. Bush years. His purposely rock-bottom art is explored in THE EL DUCE TAPES (2019), a culture war documentary in which the culture war is fought between different styles of reactionaries. PLUS: thoughts on draconian new Republican policies...

Suzi talks to Bohdan Krawchenko and Mick Cox on Russia's catastrophic war on Ukraine, the resistance, and global consequences it has sparked. Bohdan Krawchenko looks at the situation inside Ukraine. We also talk about the widespread anti-war actions from within Russia, and the level of support for Ukraine, increasingly isolating Putin. Mick Cox says that Putin’s war is about regime change in Ukrai...

Dan interviews historian Kim Phillips-Fein on Invisible Hands: The Making of the Conservative Movement from the New Deal to Reagan. Listen to Kim's Dig interview on Fear City: New York’s Fiscal Crisis and the Rise of Austerity Politics thedigradio.com/podcast/fear-city-with-kim-phillips-fein/ Listen to past Dig eps for context on Russia's invasion of Ukraine: Tony Wood on Russia and Putin: thedigr...

David Edgerton joins Long Reads for a discussion about the making of the modern British nation. David is a professor at King’s College London, where his work concentrates on twentieth-century history, global science, and technology. His most recent work is The Rise and Fall of the British Nation , one of the most ambitious reinterpretations of modern Britain for many years. Long Reads is a Jacobin...

Economist Ramaa Vasudevan explains the causes and consequences of inflation from a socialist perspective. Natalie Shure looks at the growing discontent with Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on the left. Jen Pan discusses the recent San Francisco school board recall and what it says about the Democrats’ abandonment of Asian voters. The Jacobin Show, hosted by Jen Pan, offers socialist perspe...

Doug speaks with Toronto-based activist and organizer John Clarke on the politics and personnel behind the Ottawa convoy. Plus: Dave Zirin on racism in the NFL (and Brian Flores’s lawsuit over it) and Justine Medina on working at Amazon and trying to unionize it. This is the show from February 17, 2022. Behind the News, hosted by Doug Henwood, covers the worlds of economics and politics and their...

In another Superdelegate-selected episode, we discuss THE PEOPLE VS. LARRY FLYNT (1996), the hagiographic biopic of the Hustler Magazine publisher and First Amendment warrior. We discuss Flynt's politics and the implications of his brand of civil libertarianism. PLUS: would you like to live in a town run by Disney? "Announcing Storyliving by Disney": www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CVucnt46ww Michael and...

Suzi talks to Canadian Labor historian Bryan Palmer about the so-called " Freedom Convoy " of truckers that held Ottawa hostage for three weeks, clogging the streets of the city as well as the US-Canadian border crossings from New Brunswick to British Columbia. Bryan calls this "Canada’s alt-right freedom rage," and while protesters said they were opposing state mandates related to the pandem...

Feminist political theorist and organizer Verónica Gago on Argentina’s massive feminist movement and strike, the ties that bind domestic labor and financial exploitation, neoliberalism from below, and more. Support The Dig at Patreon.com/TheDig Check out Coup: A Story of Violence and Resistance in Bolivia haymarketbooks.org/books/1745-coup

Doug speaks with Wanda Bertram of the Prison Policy Initiative on how prison sickens and kills people. Then Terry Kupers , from a 2013 interview, on the effects of solitary confinement on mental health. Refinery worker and union VP BK White talks about worker safety and health at the Chevron refinery in Richmond, California. Behind the News, hosted by Doug Henwood, covers the worlds of economics a...

Ariella Thornhill speaks with John Nichols about his new book, Coronavirus Criminals and Pandemic Profiteers . Nichols argues that the massive number of deaths in the US were caused not by the vicissitudes of nature but by the callous and opportunistic decisions of powerful people and the ruthless profit orientation of capitalist society. Thornhill also speaks with Sean Petty, a pediatric emergenc...