In this episode, Kristen and Zakiya join us to talk about recent developments in technology worker organizing. From walkouts at Google over sexual harassment to demands that companies like Microsoft cancel their contracts with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), tech workers are using their power to expose the abuses of that industry.Kristen and Zakiya talk to us about some of that organizing. We talk about the role of racism and sexism and their experience of both in the industry and what role the new organizing is playing in pushing back against those conditions.Kristen and Zakiya are both active socialists with an analysis of the role of technology in capitalism. They talk to us about the many ways in which technology is a “force for evil” in our society and why that is. But they also envision the ways in which technology could be different in a socialist society and how that inspires their vision and organizing.Links for this episode:*Lea Ramirez on tech complicity with ICE (http://bit.ly/2IVJqBc)*Kristen Sheets on the #MeToo walkouts at Google (http://bit.ly/MeTooGoogle)*Alexei Goldstein on the surveillance economy and its discontents (http://bit.ly/SWSurveillanceEconomy)*Siddarth Patel on Are tech workers the problem? (http://bit.ly/TechWorkersSW)Music for this episode:The Boy &amp; Sister Alma, “Lizard Eyes”(Dead Sea Captains Remix)Cybotron, "Techno City"Holly Herndon, “Home”Kraftwerk, “Computer Love”Lizzo, “Phone"

In this episode, Kristen and Zakiya join us to talk about recent developments in technology worker organizing. From walkouts at Google over sexual harassment to demands that companies like Microsoft cancel their contracts with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), tech workers are using their power to expose the abuses of that industry. Kristen and Zakiya talk to us about some of that organizing. We talk about the role of racism and sexism and their experience of both in the industry and what role the new organizing is playing in pushing back against those conditions. Kristen and Zakiya are both active socialists with an analysis of the role of technology in capitalism. They talk to us about the many ways in which technology is a “force for evil” in our society and why that is. But they also envision the ways in which technology could be different in a socialist society and how that inspires their vision and organizing. Links for this episode: *Lea Ramirez on tech complicity with ICE (<a href="http://bit.ly/2IVJqBc" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/2IVJqBc</a>) *Kristen Sheets on the #MeToo walkouts at Google (<a href="http://bit.ly/MeTooGoogle" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/MeTooGoogle</a>) *Alexei Goldstein on the surveillance economy and its discontents (<a href="http://bit.ly/SWSurveillanceEconomy" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/SWSurveillanceEconomy</a>) *Siddarth Patel on Are tech workers the problem? (<a href="http://bit.ly/TechWorkersSW" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/TechWorkersSW</a>) Music for this episode: The Boy &amp; Sister Alma, “Lizard Eyes”(Dead Sea Captains Remix) Cybotron, "Techno City" Holly Herndon, “Home” Kraftwerk, “Computer Love” Lizzo, “Phone"

45: Women in tech talk organizing

Joseph Graves Jr

We’re joined this week by Joseph Graves Jr., a genetics professor at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and author of The Emperor's New Clothes: Biological Theories of Race at the Millennium and The Race Myth: Why We Pretend Race Exists in America. Dr. Graves takes us through the science that proves the myth of biological notions of racial difference, and the political, economic and cultural reasons why these myths endure in our society, not only among ignorant white supremacists but liberal scientists like David Reich, who warns that if scientists continue to "stick their heads in the sand" in the face of emerging evidence that supposedly proves the validity of biological races, they will discredit themselves and provide ammunition to those with a racist agenda.Dr. Graves is also a member of Science for the People and one of the organizers of the response of 67 scientists and researchers to Reich’s arguments published in Buzzfeed. Graves is as sharp on politics as he is on genetics, and he minces no words describing how many of his colleagues are blind to the ways that their work is impacted by the racism endemic to capitalist society and indifferent to how their work is used to promote the agendas of armies and corporations.  It’s a terrific conversation. Jen’s out this week, so Eric joins Danny in the opener to discuss Bernie Sanders’ long-anticipated presidential announcement, and the new dynamics he’ll face as a frontrunner facing a party that has gone from mocking his ideas to trying to coopt them. Links for this episode: Check out these books by Joseph Graves Jr. •	The Emperor's New Clothes: Biological Theories of Race at the Millennium (bit.ly/GravesJrEmperors)•	The Race Myth: Why We Pretend Race Exists in America (bit.ly/GravesJrPretend)For more on the current debate about biological race check out •	David Reich’s New York Times article "How Genetics is Changing Our Understanding of 'Race'" (bit.ly/ReichRace)•	And then of course the response to Reich by Dr. Graves and others: “How Not to Talk about Race and Genetics” (bit.ly/Gravesresponse)•	Finally, find out more about Science for the People (http://bit.ly/Sci4Ppl), an organization that describes itself as dedicated to building a movement around radical perspectives on science and society.

We’re joined this week by Joseph Graves Jr., a genetics professor at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and author of The Emperor's New Clothes: Biological Theories of Race at the Millennium and The Race Myth: Why We Pretend Race Exists in America. Dr. Graves takes us through the science that proves the myth of biological notions of racial difference, and the political, economic and cultural reasons why these myths endure in our society, not only among ignorant white supremacists but liberal scientists like David Reich, who warns that if scientists continue to "stick their heads in the sand" in the face of emerging evidence that supposedly proves the validity of biological races, they will discredit themselves and provide ammunition to those with a racist agenda. Dr. Graves is also a member of Science for the People and one of the organizers of the response of 67 scientists and researchers to Reich’s arguments published in Buzzfeed. Graves is as sharp on politics as he is on genetics, and he minces no words describing how many of his colleagues are blind to the ways that their work is impacted by the racism endemic to capitalist society and indifferent to how their work is used to promote the agendas of armies and corporations. It’s a terrific conversation. Jen’s out this week, so Eric joins Danny in the opener to discuss Bernie Sanders’ long-anticipated presidential announcement, and the new dynamics he’ll face as a frontrunner facing a party that has gone from mocking his ideas to trying to coopt them. Links for this episode: Check out these books by Joseph Graves Jr. •	The Emperor's New Clothes: Biological Theories of Race at the Millennium (<a href="http://bit.ly/GravesJrEmperors" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">bit.ly/GravesJrEmperors</a>) •	The Race Myth: Why We Pretend Race Exists in America (<a href="http://bit.ly/GravesJrPretend" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">bit.ly/GravesJrPretend</a>) For more on the current debate about biological race check out •	David Reich’s New York Times article "How Genetics is Changing Our Understanding of 'Race'" (<a href="http://bit.ly/ReichRace" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">bit.ly/ReichRace</a>) •	And then of course the response to Reich by Dr. Graves and others: “How Not to Talk about Race and Genetics” (<a href="http://bit.ly/Gravesresponse" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">bit.ly/Gravesresponse</a>) •	Finally, find out more about Science for the People (<a href="http://bit.ly/Sci4Ppl" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/Sci4Ppl</a>), an organization that describes itself as dedicated to building a movement around radical perspectives on science and society.

44: Here comes Bernie, Joseph Graves Jr. on the scientific fiction of race

Wyomia Tyus

In this episode, we talk to three-time gold medalist Wyomia Tyus about her memoir Tigerbelle: The Wyomia Tyus Story. We are also joined by her co-author Elizabeth Terzakis. In our intro, we discuss Trump’s State of the Union address, why he finds socialism so threatening and what we can do to make his worst nightmares come true.In 1968, Wyomia Tyus became the first athlete -- man or woman -- to win gold medals in 100-meter events at consecutive Olympics, a record that stood for two decades. She wore non-uniform black shorts as part of a series of protests at that year’s Olympics. These protests were most famously symbolized by John Carlos and Tommie Smith. Wyomia dedicated her medals to them, but as a Black woman both her protest and her breakthrough accomplishment remained in the shadows for years.We talk to Wyomia about her childhood growing up as a Black girl in the segregated deep South during the early days of the civil rights movement. She talks to us about her coach, Ed Temple, and the legendary Tigerbelles of Tennessee State. We discuss the protest organizing around the 1968 Olympics, her role in it and why it could have been stronger if the women athletes had been involved in the organizing from the beginning. And at the end Wyomia shares her thoughts on Black women in sports today and how far we’ve come -- but also where we need to go.Links for this episode:*You can get a copy of Wyomia’s memoir from Akashic Books (http://bit.ly/Tigerbelle)*Listen to Wyomia Tyus, John Carlos and Dave Zirin talk about sports and resistance from 1968-2018 at the 2018 Socialism Conference (http://bit.ly/WyomiaS18)*ESPN did a fantastic profile of Wyomia and her new memoir (http://bit.ly/WyomiaESPN)Audio for this episode:The Boy &amp; Sister Alma, “Lizard Eyes”(Dead Sea Captains Remix)Archie Bell and the Drells, “The Tighten Up” James Brown, “Say It Loud, I'm Black and I'm Proud”Sonny Charles and the Checkmates, “Black Pearl”The Isley Brothers, “It's Your Thing”

In this episode, we talk to three-time gold medalist Wyomia Tyus about her memoir Tigerbelle: The Wyomia Tyus Story. We are also joined by her co-author Elizabeth Terzakis. In our intro, we discuss Trump’s State of the Union address, why he finds socialism so threatening and what we can do to make his worst nightmares come true. In 1968, Wyomia Tyus became the first athlete -- man or woman -- to win gold medals in 100-meter events at consecutive Olympics, a record that stood for two decades. She wore non-uniform black shorts as part of a series of protests at that year’s Olympics. These protests were most famously symbolized by John Carlos and Tommie Smith. Wyomia dedicated her medals to them, but as a Black woman both her protest and her breakthrough accomplishment remained in the shadows for years. We talk to Wyomia about her childhood growing up as a Black girl in the segregated deep South during the early days of the civil rights movement. She talks to us about her coach, Ed Temple, and the legendary Tigerbelles of Tennessee State. We discuss the protest organizing around the 1968 Olympics, her role in it and why it could have been stronger if the women athletes had been involved in the organizing from the beginning. And at the end Wyomia shares her thoughts on Black women in sports today and how far we’ve come -- but also where we need to go. Links for this episode: *You can get a copy of Wyomia’s memoir from Akashic Books (<a href="http://bit.ly/Tigerbelle" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/Tigerbelle</a>) *Listen to Wyomia Tyus, John Carlos and Dave Zirin talk about sports and resistance from 1968-2018 at the 2018 Socialism Conference (<a href="http://bit.ly/WyomiaS18" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/WyomiaS18</a>) *ESPN did a fantastic profile of Wyomia and her new memoir (<a href="http://bit.ly/WyomiaESPN" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/WyomiaESPN</a>) Audio for this episode: The Boy &amp; Sister Alma, “Lizard Eyes”(Dead Sea Captains Remix) Archie Bell and the Drells, “The Tighten Up” James Brown, “Say It Loud, I'm Black and I'm Proud” Sonny Charles and the Checkmates, “Black Pearl” The Isley Brothers, “It's Your Thing”

43: Wyomia Tyus takes no prisoners; socialism is coming to the USA

Anand Gopal

In this episode, Eric talks to Anand Gopal about what’s behind the Trump administration’s plans — which have since been partially walked back — to withdraw troops from Syria and Afghanistan. Anand explains how Trump’s “America First” priorities in the Middle East and Central Asia are in reality part of a longer process of extricating the U.S. from the disaster of its post-9/11 adventures under George W. Bush and Barack Obama — and have just as little regard for the people of the region.Anand is an award-winning author and journalist who has traveled to Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan multiple times as an un-embedded journalist. His book No Good Men Among the Living: America, the Taliban, and the War through Afghan Eyes won the Ridenhour Prize and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award.His journalism includes “Syria’s Last Bastion of Freedom”, an account in the New Yorker about the town of Saraqib in Idlib province and “The Uncounted”, an investigative report in the New York Times about the underreported civilian casualties of U.S. airstrikes in Iraq and Syria (http://bit.ly/Uncounted).For our opener, we first talked to Víctor Fernández and Héctor Rivera about how one of the key elements of the successful Los Angeles teachers’ strike was the support from the city’s Latinx community. Víctor and Héctor talked about how the school district and its billionaire backers tried to pit the community against educators as part of their privatizing agendas, and how socialist-initiated solidarity efforts like “Tacos for Teachers” (which Victor helped to organize) played a role in countering those efforts.Then we spoke with Nick Estes of The Red Nation about the infamous viral video of MAGA-hat wearing high-school boys harassing Indigenous activist Nathan Phillips. Actually, Nick mostly talked to us about all the things obscured by that video — most notably the historic nature of the Indigenous People’s March that brought Phillips and thousands of others to Washington DC that day — and the issues like Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and Girls that the march was meant to highlight.Links for our interview with Anand Gopal•	Anand’s book No Good Men Among the Living (http://bit.ly/NoGoodMen)•	Anand’s New Yorker article “Syria’s Last Bastion of Freedom” (http://bit.ly/SyriaLastFreedom)•	Anand’s New York Times piece “The Uncounted” (http://bit.ly/Uncounted).Links for our interview with Víctor and Héctor•	Socialist Worker’s account of the Tacos for Teachers initiative (http://bit.ly/TacosRoses)•	Strike leader Gillian Russom’s take on the significance of the UTLA victory (http://bit.ly/UTLAvictory)•	Héctor’s Socialist Worker article from October about a community forum in East LA to support the union (http://bit.ly/EastLAforUTLA)Links for our interview with Nick Estes•	Nick’s article for the Intercept, “Portraying the MAGA Teens as Victims Is an Extension of Native American Erasure” (http://bit.ly/NativeErasure)•	The Urban Indian Health Institute report, “Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and Girls” (http://bit.ly/MurderedMissing)•	Brian Ward’s Socialist Worker article, “The Ugly Facts about the MAGA hat kids” (http://bit.ly/UglyMAGAhat)MusicThe Boy &amp; Sister Alma, “Lizard Eyes”(Dead Sea Captains Remix)Rage Against The Machine, “Killing In The Name”Nataanii Means, “God Bless Amerikkka”Shkoon, “Build Your Castles”MC Abod, “Forget Your Difficulties”

In this episode, Eric talks to Anand Gopal about what’s behind the Trump administration’s plans — which have since been partially walked back — to withdraw troops from Syria and Afghanistan. Anand explains how Trump’s “America First” priorities in the Middle East and Central Asia are in reality part of a longer process of extricating the U.S. from the disaster of its post-9/11 adventures under George W. Bush and Barack Obama — and have just as little regard for the people of the region. Anand is an award-winning author and journalist who has traveled to Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan multiple times as an un-embedded journalist. His book No Good Men Among the Living: America, the Taliban, and the War through Afghan Eyes won the Ridenhour Prize and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award. His journalism includes “Syria’s Last Bastion of Freedom”, an account in the New Yorker about the town of Saraqib in Idlib province and “The Uncounted”, an investigative report in the New York Times about the underreported civilian casualties of U.S. airstrikes in Iraq and Syria (<a href="http://bit.ly/Uncounted" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/Uncounted</a>). For our opener, we first talked to Víctor Fernández and Héctor Rivera about how one of the key elements of the successful Los Angeles teachers’ strike was the support from the city’s Latinx community. Víctor and Héctor talked about how the school district and its billionaire backers tried to pit the community against educators as part of their privatizing agendas, and how socialist-initiated solidarity efforts like “Tacos for Teachers” (which Victor helped to organize) played a role in countering those efforts. Then we spoke with Nick Estes of The Red Nation about the infamous viral video of MAGA-hat wearing high-school boys harassing Indigenous activist Nathan Phillips. Actually, Nick mostly talked to us about all the things obscured by that video — most notably the historic nature of the Indigenous People’s March that brought Phillips and thousands of others to Washington DC that day — and the issues like Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and Girls that the march was meant to highlight. Links for our interview with Anand Gopal •	Anand’s book No Good Men Among the Living (<a href="http://bit.ly/NoGoodMen" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/NoGoodMen</a>) •	Anand’s New Yorker article “Syria’s Last Bastion of Freedom” (<a href="http://bit.ly/SyriaLastFreedom" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/SyriaLastFreedom</a>) •	Anand’s New York Times piece “The Uncounted” (<a href="http://bit.ly/Uncounted" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/Uncounted</a>). Links for our interview with Víctor and Héctor •	Socialist Worker’s account of the Tacos for Teachers initiative (<a href="http://bit.ly/TacosRoses" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/TacosRoses</a>) •	Strike leader Gillian Russom’s take on the significance of the UTLA victory (<a href="http://bit.ly/UTLAvictory" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/UTLAvictory</a>) •	Héctor’s Socialist Worker article from October about a community forum in East LA to support the union (<a href="http://bit.ly/EastLAforUTLA" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/EastLAforUTLA</a>) Links for our interview with Nick Estes •	Nick’s article for the Intercept, “Portraying the MAGA Teens as Victims Is an Extension of Native American Erasure” (<a href="http://bit.ly/NativeErasure" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/NativeErasure</a>) •	The Urban Indian Health Institute report, “Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and Girls” (<a href="http://bit.ly/MurderedMissing" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/MurderedMissing</a>) •	Brian Ward’s Socialist Worker article, “The Ugly Facts about the MAGA hat kids” (<a href="http://bit.ly/UglyMAGAhat" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/UglyMAGAhat</a>) Music The Boy &amp; Sister Alma, “Lizard Eyes”(Dead Sea Captains Remix) Rage Against The Machine, “Killing In The Name” Nataanii Means, “God Bless Amerikkka” Shkoon, “Build Your Castles” MC Abod, “Forget Your Difficulties”

42: Tacos 4 Teachers; Indigenous People’s March; Anand Gopal on troop withdrawals

Helen Scott

Rosa Luxemburg

In this episode, we talk to Helen Scott about the life and legacy of Rosa Luxemburg on the 100th anniversary of Luxemburg’s murder. We discuss her most essential works, The Mass Strike and Reform or Revolution, and talk about the historical context of Luxemburg’s political ideas as well as their relevance for today’s new socialist left. In our opening segment, we talk to LA teacher and strike leader Gillian Russom. This episode was recorded prior to the enormous victory won by the teachers, but it remains invaluable in its description of what a win would be, how they organized themselves and the community, and what the fight will look like after the strike ends.Helen Scott is the editor of The Essential Rosa Luxemburg: Reform or Revolution and the Mass Strike (Haymarket Books, 2008) and co-editor, with Paul LeBlanc, of an anthology of Luxemburg’s writings, Socialism or Barbarism (Pluto Press, 2010). She is Associate Professor of English at the University of Vermont and a member of United Academics: AFT/AAUP. She has published articles on Rosa Luxemburg in International Socialist Review, Socialist Studies, and New Formations and is on the editorial board of the Verso Complete Works of Rosa Luxemburg, for which she will be co-editing Volume 5 with Paul Le Blanc.Gillian Russom has been a rank-and-file teacher activist in UTLA for 18 years. She is part of the Union Power caucus and has been a leader in the fight to transform her union into a social-justice union capable of waging a fight against the forces of public education reform.Links for our opener on the LA teachers’ strike:*Gillian Russom at Socialist Worker on the strike victory (https://socialistworker.org/2019/01/23/we-won-a-historic-victory-for-la-schools)*Diana Macasa and Alex Schmaus on the inspiration behind Tacos for Teachers (https://socialistworker.org/2019/01/18/give-us-tacos-and-roses)*Danny Katch gives 10 reasons to support the LA teachers (https://socialistworker.org/2019/01/14/ten-reasons-to-support-the-la-teachers)*Melissa Rakestraw and Elizabeth Lalasz reporting from the picket lines on “Five days that stunned LA’s billionaires” (https://socialistworker.org/2019/01/22/five-days-that-stunned-las-billionaires)*Video of a strike solidarity meeting featuring Gillian Russom and teachers from Chicago and Oakland (http://bit.ly/LASolidarity) Links for our interview with Helen Scott:*Helen Scott’s edition of The Essential Rosa Luxemburg (https://www.haymarketbooks.org/books/835-the-essential-rosa-luxemburg)*Paul LeBlanc on Rosa Luxemburg’s revolutionary socialism (http://socialistworker.org/2019/01/15/rosa-luxemburgs-revolutionary-socialism)*Paul LeBlanc on Rosa Luxemburg and the pathway to socialism (http://socialistworker.org/2014/06/05/luxemburg-and-the-path-to-socialism)*Danny Katch explores modern takes on the historic debates around reform, revolution and the road to power (http://socialistworker.org/2014/06/05/luxemburg-and-the-path-to-socialism)Music and audio clips in this episodeExcerpt of a speech by Alex Caputo-Pearl, the president of the United Teachers of Los Angeles, addressing a massive rally of LA teachers five days into the strikeAryana Fields (5th grade student in LA public school), "This is a Strike Song”ScHoolboy Q, “X” (with 2 Chainz and Saudi) from the Black Panther soundtrackPedro Pastor, “La Rosa de Luxemburgo” with Eva SierraThe Laggan, “Rosa Luxembourg”Purge, “Rosa Luxemburg”

In this episode, we talk to Helen Scott about the life and legacy of Rosa Luxemburg on the 100th anniversary of Luxemburg’s murder. We discuss her most essential works, The Mass Strike and Reform or Revolution, and talk about the historical context of Luxemburg’s political ideas as well as their relevance for today’s new socialist left. In our opening segment, we talk to LA teacher and strike leader Gillian Russom. This episode was recorded prior to the enormous victory won by the teachers, but it remains invaluable in its description of what a win would be, how they organized themselves and the community, and what the fight will look like after the strike ends. Helen Scott is the editor of The Essential Rosa Luxemburg: Reform or Revolution and the Mass Strike (Haymarket Books, 2008) and co-editor, with Paul LeBlanc, of an anthology of Luxemburg’s writings, Socialism or Barbarism (Pluto Press, 2010). She is Associate Professor of English at the University of Vermont and a member of United Academics: AFT/AAUP. She has published articles on Rosa Luxemburg in International Socialist Review, Socialist Studies, and New Formations and is on the editorial board of the Verso Complete Works of Rosa Luxemburg, for which she will be co-editing Volume 5 with Paul Le Blanc. Gillian Russom has been a rank-and-file teacher activist in UTLA for 18 years. She is part of the Union Power caucus and has been a leader in the fight to transform her union into a social-justice union capable of waging a fight against the forces of public education reform. Links for our opener on the LA teachers’ strike: *Gillian Russom at Socialist Worker on the strike victory (<a href="https://socialistworker.org/2019/01/23/we-won-a-historic-victory-for-la-schools" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://socialistworker.org/2019/01/23/we-won-a-historic-victory-for-la-schools</a>) *Diana Macasa and Alex Schmaus on the inspiration behind Tacos for Teachers (<a href="https://socialistworker.org/2019/01/18/give-us-tacos-and-roses" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://socialistworker.org/2019/01/18/give-us-tacos-and-roses</a>) *Danny Katch gives 10 reasons to support the LA teachers (<a href="https://socialistworker.org/2019/01/14/ten-reasons-to-support-the-la-teachers" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://socialistworker.org/2019/01/14/ten-reasons-to-support-the-la-teachers</a>) *Melissa Rakestraw and Elizabeth Lalasz reporting from the picket lines on “Five days that stunned LA’s billionaires” (<a href="https://socialistworker.org/2019/01/22/five-days-that-stunned-las-billionaires" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://socialistworker.org/2019/01/22/five-days-that-stunned-las-billionaires</a>) *Video of a strike solidarity meeting featuring Gillian Russom and teachers from Chicago and Oakland (<a href="http://bit.ly/LASolidarity" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/LASolidarity</a>) Links for our interview with Helen Scott: *Helen Scott’s edition of The Essential Rosa Luxemburg (<a href="https://www.haymarketbooks.org/books/835-the-essential-rosa-luxemburg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.haymarketbooks.org/books/835-the-essential-rosa-luxemburg</a>) *Paul LeBlanc on Rosa Luxemburg’s revolutionary socialism (<a href="http://socialistworker.org/2019/01/15/rosa-luxemburgs-revolutionary-socialism" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://socialistworker.org/2019/01/15/rosa-luxemburgs-revolutionary-socialism</a>) *Paul LeBlanc on Rosa Luxemburg and the pathway to socialism (<a href="http://socialistworker.org/2014/06/05/luxemburg-and-the-path-to-socialism" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://socialistworker.org/2014/06/05/luxemburg-and-the-path-to-socialism</a>) *Danny Katch explores modern takes on the historic debates around reform, revolution and the road to power (<a href="http://socialistworker.org/2014/06/05/luxemburg-and-the-path-to-socialism" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://socialistworker.org/2014/06/05/luxemburg-and-the-path-to-socialism</a>) Music and audio clips in this episode Excerpt of a speech by Alex Caputo-Pearl, the president of the United Teachers of Los Angeles, addressing a massive rally of LA teachers five days into the strike Aryana Fields (5th grade student in LA public school), "This is a Strike Song” ScHoolboy Q, “X” (with 2 Chainz and Saudi) from the Black Panther soundtrack Pedro Pastor, “La Rosa de Luxemburgo” with Eva Sierra The Laggan, “Rosa Luxembourg” Purge, “Rosa Luxemburg”

41: LA Teachers’ Strike; Helen Scott on Rosa Luxemburg’s Legacy

Holly Lewis

In this episode, we talk to Holly Lewis about her book the The Politics of Everybody: Feminism, Queer Theory and Marxism at the Intersection (http://bit.ly/LewisEverybody). We talk about what Holly means when she argues that “the politics of the fragment should be replaced by an inclusive politics of everybody.”In our interview, we explore some of the debates and discussions around homonormativity, how to build a trans-inclusive feminism, and queer theory. We revisit social reproduction theory and talk about its implications for gender politics and trans liberation. Holly gives a clear overview about the different theoretical approaches to gender politics in Marxism, queer theory and feminist theory and explores the connections between them.Before that, we talk to LA teacher and strike leader Gillian Russom about the LA teachers’ strike. And in our intro, we talk about the controversy surrounding this year’s Women’s March.Most of our discussions barely scratched the surface, so we’ve got lots and lots of links for this episode.Holly Lewis and The Politics of Everybody— Buy Holly’s book: The Politics of Everybody: Feminism, Queer Theory and Marxism at the Intersection (http://bit.ly/LewisEverybody)— We talk a lot about social reproduction theory. For an accessible introduction, you can check out this article by Tithi Bhattacharya in Socialist Worker (http://bit.ly/TithiSW). If you would like to go deeper, Lise Vogel’s book, Marxism and the Oppression of Women: Towards a Unitary Theory, developed this theory and has been re-published by Haymarket Books (http://bit.ly/VogelHaymarket). Tithi Bhattacharya has also edited a collection of essays exploring this topic: Social Reproduction Theory: Remapping Class, Recentering Oppression (http://bit.ly/TithiBook). — Heather Brown’s Marx on Gender and the Family delves more deeply into Marx’s approach to gender and is available from Haymarket Books (http://bit.ly/BrownHaymarket)— Jules Gleeson has written an article on Transition and Abolition: Notes on Marxism and Trans Politics for Viewpoint Magazine (http://bit.ly/GleesonViewpoint).The LA Teachers’ Strike— Socialist Worker is providing ongoing coverage throughout the strike (http://bit.ly/SWLAStrike)— Gillian Russom recently spoke at a solidarity panel in NYC along with an Acero Charter School striker from Chicago and a wildcat striker from Oakland (http://bit.ly/LASolidarity)The Women’s March—Elizabeth Schulte wrote an article for Socialist Worker about the prospects for a new women’s movement as we approach the third annual women’s marches (http://bit.ly/SchulteSW)— Rosalind Petchesky has written a defense of Linda Sarsour and the Women’s March organizers against smears of anti-semitism (http://bit.ly/PetcheskyBOR)MusicThe Boy &amp; Sister Alma, “Lizard Eyes” (Dead Sea Captains Remix)LUTHI, “Every Body"Roy Ayers Ubiquity, “Everybody Loves The Sunshine”R.E.M., “Everybody Hurts”Dean Martin, “Everybody Loves Somebody”Chance the Rapper, “Everybody’s Something” (feat. Saba and BJ The Chicago Kid)Tears For Fears, “Everybody Wants To Rule The World”

In this episode, we talk to Holly Lewis about her book the The Politics of Everybody: Feminism, Queer Theory and Marxism at the Intersection (<a href="http://bit.ly/LewisEverybody" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/LewisEverybody</a>). We talk about what Holly means when she argues that “the politics of the fragment should be replaced by an inclusive politics of everybody.” In our interview, we explore some of the debates and discussions around homonormativity, how to build a trans-inclusive feminism, and queer theory. We revisit social reproduction theory and talk about its implications for gender politics and trans liberation. Holly gives a clear overview about the different theoretical approaches to gender politics in Marxism, queer theory and feminist theory and explores the connections between them. Before that, we talk to LA teacher and strike leader Gillian Russom about the LA teachers’ strike. And in our intro, we talk about the controversy surrounding this year’s Women’s March. Most of our discussions barely scratched the surface, so we’ve got lots and lots of links for this episode. Holly Lewis and The Politics of Everybody — Buy Holly’s book: The Politics of Everybody: Feminism, Queer Theory and Marxism at the Intersection (<a href="http://bit.ly/LewisEverybody" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/LewisEverybody</a>) — We talk a lot about social reproduction theory. For an accessible introduction, you can check out this article by Tithi Bhattacharya in Socialist Worker (<a href="http://bit.ly/TithiSW" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/TithiSW</a>). If you would like to go deeper, Lise Vogel’s book, Marxism and the Oppression of Women: Towards a Unitary Theory, developed this theory and has been re-published by Haymarket Books (<a href="http://bit.ly/VogelHaymarket" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/VogelHaymarket</a>). Tithi Bhattacharya has also edited a collection of essays exploring this topic: Social Reproduction Theory: Remapping Class, Recentering Oppression (<a href="http://bit.ly/TithiBook" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/TithiBook</a>). — Heather Brown’s Marx on Gender and the Family delves more deeply into Marx’s approach to gender and is available from Haymarket Books (<a href="http://bit.ly/BrownHaymarket" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/BrownHaymarket</a>) — Jules Gleeson has written an article on Transition and Abolition: Notes on Marxism and Trans Politics for Viewpoint Magazine (<a href="http://bit.ly/GleesonViewpoint" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/GleesonViewpoint</a>). The LA Teachers’ Strike — Socialist Worker is providing ongoing coverage throughout the strike (<a href="http://bit.ly/SWLAStrike" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/SWLAStrike</a>) — Gillian Russom recently spoke at a solidarity panel in NYC along with an Acero Charter School striker from Chicago and a wildcat striker from Oakland (<a href="http://bit.ly/LASolidarity" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/LASolidarity</a>) The Women’s March —Elizabeth Schulte wrote an article for Socialist Worker about the prospects for a new women’s movement as we approach the third annual women’s marches (<a href="http://bit.ly/SchulteSW" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/SchulteSW</a>) — Rosalind Petchesky has written a defense of Linda Sarsour and the Women’s March organizers against smears of anti-semitism (<a href="http://bit.ly/PetcheskyBOR" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/PetcheskyBOR</a>) Music The Boy &amp; Sister Alma, “Lizard Eyes” (Dead Sea Captains Remix) LUTHI, “Every Body" Roy Ayers Ubiquity, “Everybody Loves The Sunshine” R.E.M., “Everybody Hurts” Dean Martin, “Everybody Loves Somebody” Chance the Rapper, “Everybody’s Something” (feat. Saba and BJ The Chicago Kid) Tears For Fears, “Everybody Wants To Rule The World”

40: LA Teachers; Women’s March; Holly Lewis on The Politics of Everybody

Nick Estes

Melanie Yazzie

Great show this week! We talk with Melanie Yazzie and Nick Estes of The Red Nation, an important new revolutionary organization fighting for Indigenous liberation. Melanie is a Diné scholar and activist who is the 2018-2019 Chair of the Central Governing Council for The Red Nation. She’s also a co-author with Nick of a forthcoming book about border town violence and Indigenous resistance and next year will join the faculty at the University of New Mexico as an Assistant Professor of Native American Studies and American Studies. Nick is Kul Wicasa from the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe, a co-founder of The Red Nation, an Assistant Professor of American Studies at the University of New Mexico, and the author of two forthcoming books: Our History is the Future: Standing Rock versus the Dakota Access Pipeline, and the Long Tradition of Indigenous Resistance and Standing with Standing Rock: Voices from the #NoDAPL Movement.  To do this interview, we invited our fellow ISO members Ragina Johnson and Brian Ward, who have worked with The Red Nation over the past few years, to take over the pod, and we think you’ll agree it was a great decision. Melanie, Nick, Ragina and Brian got into a deep discussion about a range of topics, including the creation and development of The Red Nation, how Indigenous and colonized people can and should use the tools of Marxism, the concept of settler colonialism and how it continues today, the necessity of solidarity between Indigenous people and other working-class people and the need for Indigenous land claims to be at the center of those fights. In our opener, Jen, Danny and Eric talk about the “gilets jaunes” (yellow vest) movement in France, which began as rowdy protests against a proposed fuel tax and have evolved to encompass a broad cry of anger at the growing inequality of French society. We also talk about how the protests have confused and divided some in the environmental movement and why we urgently need climate change demands that start from a working-class perspective.   Links for our interview•	The Red Nation (TRN) website (http://bit.ly/TheRedNation)•	Read TRN’s recent newsletter including a report on their “No Thanks, No Giving” teach-in (http://bit.ly/RedNation3)•	Nick’s forthcoming book Our History is the Future: Standing Rock Versus the Dakota Access Pipeline, and the Long Tradition of Indigenous Resistance (http://bit.ly/OurHistoryFuture)Links for intro•	On the dynamic nature and changing consciousness of the Yellow Vest protests, check out French novelist Édouard Louis’ moving piece in Jacobin, “Can the Yellow Vests Speak?” (http://bit.ly/YellowVestsSpeak) and longtime French socialist Léon Crémieux’s more recent analysis in Socialist Worker of the shifting dynamics (http://bit.ly/CremieuxSW)•	For more on the need for working-class environmental policies as opposed to fuel taxes, check out Jonathan Neale’s “Why Carbon Taxes Burn Workers” (http://bit.ly/CarbonTaxes) and Zachary Alexis’s piece about the importance of the growing support for a Green New Deal (http://bit.ly/GreenNewDealSW) Music and audioThe Boy &amp; Sister Alma, “Lizard Eyes” (Dead Sea Captains Remix)A Tribe Called Red, “We Are The Halluci Nation” Ft. John Trudell &amp; Northern Voice Leanne Betasamosake Simpson, “Under Your Always Light” Excerpt of speech by Radmilla Cody at the Red Nation's Indigenous Peoples Day March and Rally in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in 2015 Ryan Dennison, “HT” Son Of Hwéeldi, “Me &amp; The 99”

Great show this week! We talk with Melanie Yazzie and Nick Estes of The Red Nation, an important new revolutionary organization fighting for Indigenous liberation. Melanie is a Diné scholar and activist who is the 2018-2019 Chair of the Central Governing Council for The Red Nation. She’s also a co-author with Nick of a forthcoming book about border town violence and Indigenous resistance and next year will join the faculty at the University of New Mexico as an Assistant Professor of Native American Studies and American Studies. Nick is Kul Wicasa from the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe, a co-founder of The Red Nation, an Assistant Professor of American Studies at the University of New Mexico, and the author of two forthcoming books: Our History is the Future: Standing Rock versus the Dakota Access Pipeline, and the Long Tradition of Indigenous Resistance and Standing with Standing Rock: Voices from the #NoDAPL Movement. To do this interview, we invited our fellow ISO members Ragina Johnson and Brian Ward, who have worked with The Red Nation over the past few years, to take over the pod, and we think you’ll agree it was a great decision. Melanie, Nick, Ragina and Brian got into a deep discussion about a range of topics, including the creation and development of The Red Nation, how Indigenous and colonized people can and should use the tools of Marxism, the concept of settler colonialism and how it continues today, the necessity of solidarity between Indigenous people and other working-class people and the need for Indigenous land claims to be at the center of those fights. In our opener, Jen, Danny and Eric talk about the “gilets jaunes” (yellow vest) movement in France, which began as rowdy protests against a proposed fuel tax and have evolved to encompass a broad cry of anger at the growing inequality of French society. We also talk about how the protests have confused and divided some in the environmental movement and why we urgently need climate change demands that start from a working-class perspective. Links for our interview •	The Red Nation (TRN) website (<a href="http://bit.ly/TheRedNation" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/TheRedNation</a>) •	Read TRN’s recent newsletter including a report on their “No Thanks, No Giving” teach-in (<a href="http://bit.ly/RedNation3" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/RedNation3</a>) •	Nick’s forthcoming book Our History is the Future: Standing Rock Versus the Dakota Access Pipeline, and the Long Tradition of Indigenous Resistance (<a href="http://bit.ly/OurHistoryFuture" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/OurHistoryFuture</a>) Links for intro •	On the dynamic nature and changing consciousness of the Yellow Vest protests, check out French novelist Édouard Louis’ moving piece in Jacobin, “Can the Yellow Vests Speak?” (<a href="http://bit.ly/YellowVestsSpeak" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/YellowVestsSpeak</a>) and longtime French socialist Léon Crémieux’s more recent analysis in Socialist Worker of the shifting dynamics (<a href="http://bit.ly/CremieuxSW" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/CremieuxSW</a>) •	For more on the need for working-class environmental policies as opposed to fuel taxes, check out Jonathan Neale’s “Why Carbon Taxes Burn Workers” (<a href="http://bit.ly/CarbonTaxes" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/CarbonTaxes</a>) and Zachary Alexis’s piece about the importance of the growing support for a Green New Deal (<a href="http://bit.ly/GreenNewDealSW" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/GreenNewDealSW</a>) Music and audio The Boy &amp; Sister Alma, “Lizard Eyes” (Dead Sea Captains Remix) A Tribe Called Red, “We Are The Halluci Nation” Ft. John Trudell &amp; Northern Voice Leanne Betasamosake Simpson, “Under Your Always Light” Excerpt of speech by Radmilla Cody at the Red Nation's Indigenous Peoples Day March and Rally in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in 2015 Ryan Dennison, “HT” Son Of Hwéeldi, “Me &amp; The 99”

39: Yellow Vests; The Red Nation’s Melanie Yazzie & Nick Estes

David Renton

This week we talk to British socialist David Renton about the history of Rock Against Racism and the Anti-Nazi League. RaR and the ANL were a cultural and protest movement against the rise of the National Front in Britain in the 1970’s. Renton contends that these movements played a decisive role in preventing the rise of fascism in Britain, while similar movements took root in France. David Renton is a British historian and activist, a member of the socialist group RS21 and author of the book, Never Again: Rock Against Racism and the Anti-Nazi League 1976-1982 (http://bit.ly/RentonANL). We talk to him about the importance of the contestation for culture, particularly around punk music, and the role that RaR played in that. He describes some of the key turning points of anti-fascist mobilization and the creation of the ANL. We discuss what lessons we can draw for the movement against a resurgent right today.In our opener, we talk about socialists Rashida Tlaib and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez as they prepare to take office. We discuss the ways in which they are challenging politics as usual, raising expectations and opening up possibilities, while also exploring the constraints imposed by the Democratic Party and how socialists can take advantage of this moment.Links for our interview:*You can buy David’s book here (http://bit.ly/RentonANL)*David also blogs at his website lives;running where he frequently discusses politics and especially the new movements against the right in Britain (http://bit.ly/LivesRunning)*In this piece re-published at Socialist Worker, David makes the case for a militant movement that directly confronts the fascists and examines different trajectories within the movement in Britain*Today’s episode is being released on December 10 as part of a contribution to the call for a day of action against fascism and racism (http://bit.ly/Dec10Action)Links for our intro:*You can listen to our assessment of AOC’s election victory in episode 17 of this podcast (http://bit.ly/BOREp17)*You can read analysis of the November elections at Socialist Worker by Todd Chretien (http://bit.ly/ChretienElections), Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor (http://bit.ly/KeeangaElections), Alan Maass (http://bit.ly/MaassElections) and the editorial staff (http://bit.ly/EditorialElections)*In episode 34 (http://bit.ly/LanceSelfa), we interviewed Lance Selfa about the midterm elections. Lance is the author of The Democrats: A Critical History, which is available from Haymarket Books (http://bit.ly/LanceHaymarket).Music for this episodeThe Boy &amp; Sister Alma, “Lizard Eyes” (Dead Sea Captains Remix)Gang Of Four, “Why Theory?”Sham 69, “If The Kids Are United”The Specials, “Ghost Town”Steel Pulse, “Jah Pickney (R.A.R.)”The Selecter, “On My Radio”Elvis Costello, “Less Than Zero”

This week we talk to British socialist David Renton about the history of Rock Against Racism and the Anti-Nazi League. RaR and the ANL were a cultural and protest movement against the rise of the National Front in Britain in the 1970’s. Renton contends that these movements played a decisive role in preventing the rise of fascism in Britain, while similar movements took root in France. David Renton is a British historian and activist, a member of the socialist group RS21 and author of the book, Never Again: Rock Against Racism and the Anti-Nazi League 1976-1982 (<a href="http://bit.ly/RentonANL" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/RentonANL</a>). We talk to him about the importance of the contestation for culture, particularly around punk music, and the role that RaR played in that. He describes some of the key turning points of anti-fascist mobilization and the creation of the ANL. We discuss what lessons we can draw for the movement against a resurgent right today. In our opener, we talk about socialists Rashida Tlaib and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez as they prepare to take office. We discuss the ways in which they are challenging politics as usual, raising expectations and opening up possibilities, while also exploring the constraints imposed by the Democratic Party and how socialists can take advantage of this moment. Links for our interview: *You can buy David’s book here (<a href="http://bit.ly/RentonANL" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/RentonANL</a>) *David also blogs at his website lives;running where he frequently discusses politics and especially the new movements against the right in Britain (<a href="http://bit.ly/LivesRunning" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/LivesRunning</a>) *In this piece re-published at Socialist Worker, David makes the case for a militant movement that directly confronts the fascists and examines different trajectories within the movement in Britain *Today’s episode is being released on December 10 as part of a contribution to the call for a day of action against fascism and racism (<a href="http://bit.ly/Dec10Action" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/Dec10Action</a>) Links for our intro: *You can listen to our assessment of AOC’s election victory in episode 17 of this podcast (<a href="http://bit.ly/BOREp17" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/BOREp17</a>) *You can read analysis of the November elections at Socialist Worker by Todd Chretien (<a href="http://bit.ly/ChretienElections" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/ChretienElections</a>), Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor (<a href="http://bit.ly/KeeangaElections" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/KeeangaElections</a>), Alan Maass (<a href="http://bit.ly/MaassElections" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/MaassElections</a>) and the editorial staff (<a href="http://bit.ly/EditorialElections" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/EditorialElections</a>) *In episode 34 (<a href="http://bit.ly/LanceSelfa" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/LanceSelfa</a>), we interviewed Lance Selfa about the midterm elections. Lance is the author of The Democrats: A Critical History, which is available from Haymarket Books (<a href="http://bit.ly/LanceHaymarket" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/LanceHaymarket</a>). Music for this episode The Boy &amp; Sister Alma, “Lizard Eyes” (Dead Sea Captains Remix) Gang Of Four, “Why Theory?” Sham 69, “If The Kids Are United” The Specials, “Ghost Town” Steel Pulse, “Jah Pickney (R.A.R.)” The Selecter, “On My Radio” Elvis Costello, “Less Than Zero”

38: Socialists in Congress; David Renton on Rock Against Racism and the Anti-Nazi League

We have an especially powerful episode this week about the increasingly desperate situation facing the migrant and refugee caravan that is now spread all the way from Mexico City to Tijuana. First, we’re joined by three activists who have been building solidarity on both sides of the border. FERMIN VALLE is a queer Mexican-American activist and a member of the International Socialist Organization (ISO) in Western Massachusetts who recently traveled to Mexico City and met with members of the caravan staying in a local church. JO MORALES is an anti-border activist and writer who has worked for the last three years in solidarity with refugees and Syrian revolutionaries in Greece and the Mediterranean. She is now in Tijuana, where she is documenting the Migrant Exodus. CLAIRE DOUGLAS is a teacher and member of the ISO in San Diego, where she helped organize a solidarity protest at the border as part of the Migrant and Refugee Solidarity Coalition. Fermin, Jo and Claire join us for an intense conversation about the horrible choices that caravanistas are facing as they experience deteriorating physical and political conditions — and their urgent hope for an increase in the support that U.S. activists are starting to build. Then historian and activist Justin Akers Chacón joins us to talk about the Socialist Worker article he recently wrote in response to Angela Nagle’s “The left case against open borders.” Justin is a San Diego-based professor of U.S. History and Chicano Studies. In addition to Radicals in the Barrio, he’s the author of No One is Illegal: Fighting Racism and State Violence on the U.S.-Mexico Border. In the context of going through what’s wrong (and there’s a lot) with Nagle’s pseudo-left approach, Justin makes the case for why supporting migrants and refugees isn’t just the morally right thing to do, but is also in the interest of working-class people in the U.S. and across the world. Links for this episode: •	Fermin’s Socialist Worker report from Mexico City: “What migrants in the caravan want the world to hear” (http://bit.ly/Vallemigrants)•	Alex Wells report on the San Diego border protest (http://bit.ly/bringingsolidarity)•	Justin’s response to Angela Nagle: “The case against ‘the case against open borders’” (http://bit.ly/caseagainstnagle)•	Also check out Justin’s new books Radicals in the Barrio: Magonistas, Socialists, Wobblies, and Communists in the Mexican-American Working Class (http://bit.ly/RadicalsBarrio) and No One is Illegal: Fighting Racism and State Violence on the U.S.-Mexico Border (http://bit.ly/NoOneIllegal)Here are some of the organizations and groups organizing support and solidarity for the migrant and refugee caravan: •	Pueblo Sin Fronteras (http://bit.ly/PuebloSF)•	Al Otro Lado (http://bit.ly/aOLado)•	Border Angels (http://bit.ly/BorderAngels)•	International Socialist Organization (http://bit.ly/IntlSocOrg)•	San Diego Migrant and Refugee Solidarity Coalition (http://bit.ly/SDsolidarity) •	Sanctuary Caravan (http://bit.ly/SancCaravan) and labor solidarity call (http://bit.ly/SanctuaryLabor)MusicThe Boy &amp; Sister Alma, “Lizard Eyes” (Dead Sea Captains Remix)Residente, “La Cátedra” Shakira, “Me Enamoré” Chicano Batman, “This Land Is Your Land” Sam Cooke, “(What A) Wonderful World” Ozomatli, “Don’t Mess With The Dragon”

We have an especially powerful episode this week about the increasingly desperate situation facing the migrant and refugee caravan that is now spread all the way from Mexico City to Tijuana. First, we’re joined by three activists who have been building solidarity on both sides of the border. FERMIN VALLE is a queer Mexican-American activist and a member of the International Socialist Organization (ISO) in Western Massachusetts who recently traveled to Mexico City and met with members of the caravan staying in a local church. JO MORALES is an anti-border activist and writer who has worked for the last three years in solidarity with refugees and Syrian revolutionaries in Greece and the Mediterranean. She is now in Tijuana, where she is documenting the Migrant Exodus. CLAIRE DOUGLAS is a teacher and member of the ISO in San Diego, where she helped organize a solidarity protest at the border as part of the Migrant and Refugee Solidarity Coalition. Fermin, Jo and Claire join us for an intense conversation about the horrible choices that caravanistas are facing as they experience deteriorating physical and political conditions — and their urgent hope for an increase in the support that U.S. activists are starting to build. Then historian and activist Justin Akers Chacón joins us to talk about the Socialist Worker article he recently wrote in response to Angela Nagle’s “The left case against open borders.” Justin is a San Diego-based professor of U.S. History and Chicano Studies. In addition to Radicals in the Barrio, he’s the author of No One is Illegal: Fighting Racism and State Violence on the U.S.-Mexico Border. In the context of going through what’s wrong (and there’s a lot) with Nagle’s pseudo-left approach, Justin makes the case for why supporting migrants and refugees isn’t just the morally right thing to do, but is also in the interest of working-class people in the U.S. and across the world. Links for this episode: •	Fermin’s Socialist Worker report from Mexico City: “What migrants in the caravan want the world to hear” (<a href="http://bit.ly/Vallemigrants" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/Vallemigrants</a>) •	Alex Wells report on the San Diego border protest (<a href="http://bit.ly/bringingsolidarity" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/bringingsolidarity</a>) •	Justin’s response to Angela Nagle: “The case against ‘the case against open borders’” (<a href="http://bit.ly/caseagainstnagle" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/caseagainstnagle</a>) •	Also check out Justin’s new books Radicals in the Barrio: Magonistas, Socialists, Wobblies, and Communists in the Mexican-American Working Class (<a href="http://bit.ly/RadicalsBarrio" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/RadicalsBarrio</a>) and No One is Illegal: Fighting Racism and State Violence on the U.S.-Mexico Border (<a href="http://bit.ly/NoOneIllegal" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/NoOneIllegal</a>) Here are some of the organizations and groups organizing support and solidarity for the migrant and refugee caravan: •	Pueblo Sin Fronteras (<a href="http://bit.ly/PuebloSF" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/PuebloSF</a>) •	Al Otro Lado (<a href="http://bit.ly/aOLado" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/aOLado</a>) •	Border Angels (<a href="http://bit.ly/BorderAngels" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/BorderAngels</a>) •	International Socialist Organization (<a href="http://bit.ly/IntlSocOrg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/IntlSocOrg</a>) •	San Diego Migrant and Refugee Solidarity Coalition (<a href="http://bit.ly/SDsolidarity" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/SDsolidarity</a>) •	Sanctuary Caravan (<a href="http://bit.ly/SancCaravan" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/SancCaravan</a>) and labor solidarity call (<a href="http://bit.ly/SanctuaryLabor" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/SanctuaryLabor</a>) Music The Boy &amp; Sister Alma, “Lizard Eyes” (Dead Sea Captains Remix) Residente, “La Cátedra” Shakira, “Me Enamoré” Chicano Batman, “This Land Is Your Land” Sam Cooke, “(What A) Wonderful World” Ozomatli, “Don’t Mess With The Dragon”

37: The migrant and refugee caravan needs our solidarity now

Sean Larson

This month marks the 100th anniversary of the start of the German Revolution. Never heard of it? Don’t worry, most people haven’t, even though the revolution—or rather its failure—is arguably one of the most significant events of the 20th century, with consequences ranging from the rise of the Nazi Party in Germany to the triumph of Stalinism over the Russian Revolution.But there’s more to learn about the German Revolution beyond the fact of its ultimate failure. It’s also the closest socialism has gotten to winning in an advanced industrialized capitalist country, and it’s full of rich lessons even a century later. This week we have a conversation with Sean Larson, a PhD student in German Studies at NYU who is currently working on a dissertation on the German revolution. Sean recently wrote an excellent article in Jacobin about the first year of the revolution, and if all this information is new to you, read his article (see the link below) after you listen to the interview.  For our opener, Eric joined Jen and Danny to talk about the return of anti-Semitism as a force in mainstream American politics. We discuss how the return of this racist ideology is rooted in the rise of far-right white supremacist groups as well as the urgent need to rebuild a fight against anti-Semitism.Links about the German RevolutionSean’s excellent piece in Jacobin about the first year of the German revolution (http://bit.ly/RedGermany). Alex Fair-Schulz also has this excellent piece in Socialist Worker on the same subject (http://bit.ly/GermanyRev). For longer works on the history of the German Revolution, Haymarket Books has published/republished a number of invaluable books, including: Chris Harman’s The Lost Revolution (http://bit.ly/HarmanGermany)Eyewitness to the German Revolution (http://bit.ly/SergeGermany) by the Russian-born revolutionary Victor Serge who himself was a participant in the German revolutionRalf Hoffrogge’s study of the revolutionary shop stewards movement (http://bit.ly/HoffroggeGermany)and Pierre Broué’s masterpiece The German Revolution 1917-1923 (http://bit.ly/BroueGermany)Links for our openerOur producer, Eric Ruder, has written an extensive article for Socialist Worker in which he examines the rise and fall and rise of anti-Semitism in the United States (http://bit.ly/RuderAntiSemitism)This statement by the International Socialist Organization (ISO) calls for a broad-based, urgent, united response to the far right (http://bit.ly/FightRightISO)Haymarket Books has published a collection of essays by Jewish Voice for Peace about the uses and abuses of anti-semitism (http://bit.ly/HaymarketJVP)Music in this episodeThe Boy &amp; Sister Alma, “Lizard Eyes” (Dead Sea Captains Remix)FKJ Live at La Fée Electricité in ParisSevdaliza, “Shahraman”L’indécis, “Soulful"Anohni, "Manta Ray"

This month marks the 100th anniversary of the start of the German Revolution. Never heard of it? Don’t worry, most people haven’t, even though the revolution—or rather its failure—is arguably one of the most significant events of the 20th century, with consequences ranging from the rise of the Nazi Party in Germany to the triumph of Stalinism over the Russian Revolution. But there’s more to learn about the German Revolution beyond the fact of its ultimate failure. It’s also the closest socialism has gotten to winning in an advanced industrialized capitalist country, and it’s full of rich lessons even a century later. This week we have a conversation with Sean Larson, a PhD student in German Studies at NYU who is currently working on a dissertation on the German revolution. Sean recently wrote an excellent article in Jacobin about the first year of the revolution, and if all this information is new to you, read his article (see the link below) after you listen to the interview. For our opener, Eric joined Jen and Danny to talk about the return of anti-Semitism as a force in mainstream American politics. We discuss how the return of this racist ideology is rooted in the rise of far-right white supremacist groups as well as the urgent need to rebuild a fight against anti-Semitism. Links about the German Revolution Sean’s excellent piece in Jacobin about the first year of the German revolution (<a href="http://bit.ly/RedGermany" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/RedGermany</a>). Alex Fair-Schulz also has this excellent piece in Socialist Worker on the same subject (<a href="http://bit.ly/GermanyRev" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/GermanyRev</a>). For longer works on the history of the German Revolution, Haymarket Books has published/republished a number of invaluable books, including: Chris Harman’s The Lost Revolution (<a href="http://bit.ly/HarmanGermany" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/HarmanGermany</a>) Eyewitness to the German Revolution (<a href="http://bit.ly/SergeGermany" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/SergeGermany</a>) by the Russian-born revolutionary Victor Serge who himself was a participant in the German revolution Ralf Hoffrogge’s study of the revolutionary shop stewards movement (<a href="http://bit.ly/HoffroggeGermany" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/HoffroggeGermany</a>) and Pierre Broué’s masterpiece The German Revolution 1917-1923 (<a href="http://bit.ly/BroueGermany" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/BroueGermany</a>) Links for our opener Our producer, Eric Ruder, has written an extensive article for Socialist Worker in which he examines the rise and fall and rise of anti-Semitism in the United States (<a href="http://bit.ly/RuderAntiSemitism" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/RuderAntiSemitism</a>) This statement by the International Socialist Organization (ISO) calls for a broad-based, urgent, united response to the far right (<a href="http://bit.ly/FightRightISO" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/FightRightISO</a>) Haymarket Books has published a collection of essays by Jewish Voice for Peace about the uses and abuses of anti-semitism (<a href="http://bit.ly/HaymarketJVP" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/HaymarketJVP</a>) Music in this episode The Boy &amp; Sister Alma, “Lizard Eyes” (Dead Sea Captains Remix) FKJ Live at La Fée Electricité in Paris Sevdaliza, “Shahraman” L’indécis, “Soulful" Anohni, "Manta Ray"

36: Sean Larson on history’s lost revolution; the return of anti-Semitism

Haven’t you heard? People are feeling socialism these days--almost as much as they’re feeling the crushing anxiety of mounting debt, climate catastrophe and the rising tide of bigotry and racism. But what exactly does socialism mean today? Jen Roesch and Danny Katch talk politics and protest with a range of guests to uncover the path to a better world from the wreckage of this dung heap.  If the daily struggle with capitalism has you teetering on the edge of existential despair, then this is your indispensable dose of socialist wisdom and hope.

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Better Off Red

Dave Zirin

Michael Bennett

03: Sportswriter Dave Zirin on justice for Michael BennettWe talk to The Nation’s sports editor, Dave Zirin, about NFL player Michael Bennett’s new book Things That Make White People Uncomfortable and the outrageous and false charges made against him by the Houston police department. Dave talks about why the case “stinks to high heaven” and Bennett’s long history of standing for social justice.But first, Jen and Danny, with their producer Eric Ruder, talk about Trump’s new cabinet of zombie warmongers and what it means for the increasingly dangerous world we live in. For more information on things we touched on in this episode, you can check out the links below:You can purchase Michael Bennett’s book at bit.ly/BennettBook.Jessica Brand has raised important questions about the connections between Bennett’s outspoken response to his mistreatment by Las Vegas police and the current charges. You can read her report at bit.ly/InjusticeTodayBennett.Last fall, Slate published a great article about the Las Vegas police department’s smearing of Bennett, which you can read at bit.ly/SlateBennettFor more on Trump’s war cabinet, read Ashley Smith’s article at SocialistWorker.org on Trump’s Cabinet of Horrors at bit.ly/SWTrumpCabinet. And for more historical context, you can also read Smith’s four-part series about the 2003 war on Iraq at bit.ly/SWIraqSeries.To find Dave Zirin’s interview with Michael Bennett in Seattle, go to his Edge of Sports podcast “Michael Bennett LIVE in Seattle.”And Lupe Fiasco’s “American Terrorist” was the intro to the statement by Michael Bennett that opened our segment with Dave Zirin.

03: Sportswriter Dave Zirin on justice for Michael Bennett We talk to The Nation’s sports editor, Dave Zirin, about NFL player Michael Bennett’s new book Things That Make White People Uncomfortable and the outrageous and false charges made against him by the Houston police department. Dave talks about why the case “stinks to high heaven” and Bennett’s long history of standing for social justice. But first, Jen and Danny, with their producer Eric Ruder, talk about Trump’s new cabinet of zombie warmongers and what it means for the increasingly dangerous world we live in. For more information on things we touched on in this episode, you can check out the links below: You can purchase Michael Bennett’s book at <a href="http://bit.ly/BennettBook" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">bit.ly/BennettBook</a>. Jessica Brand has raised important questions about the connections between Bennett’s outspoken response to his mistreatment by Las Vegas police and the current charges. You can read her report at <a href="http://bit.ly/InjusticeTodayBennett" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">bit.ly/InjusticeTodayBennett</a>. Last fall, Slate published a great article about the Las Vegas police department’s smearing of Bennett, which you can read at <a href="http://bit.ly/SlateBennett" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">bit.ly/SlateBennett</a> For more on Trump’s war cabinet, read Ashley Smith’s article at <a href="http://SocialistWorker.org" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">SocialistWorker.org</a> on Trump’s Cabinet of Horrors at <a href="http://bit.ly/SWTrumpCabinet" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">bit.ly/SWTrumpCabinet</a>. And for more historical context, you can also read Smith’s four-part series about the 2003 war on Iraq at <a href="http://bit.ly/SWIraqSeries" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">bit.ly/SWIraqSeries</a>. To find Dave Zirin’s interview with Michael Bennett in Seattle, go to his Edge of Sports podcast “Michael Bennett LIVE in Seattle.” And Lupe Fiasco’s “American Terrorist” was the intro to the statement by Michael Bennett that opened our segment with Dave Zirin.

03 Dave Zirin On Justice For Michael Bennett

Jeremy Corbyn

Justin Akers Chacón

This week we bring out a bonus conversation with author and immigrant justice activist Justin Akers Chacón (who talked with us about border politics in episode 18) about his new book Radicals in the Barrio: Magonistas, Socialists, Wobblies, and Communists in the Mexican-American Working Class, published by Haymarket Books. Justin is a San Diego-based professor of U.S. History and Chicano Studies. In addition to Radicals in the Barrio, he’s the author of No One is Illegal: Fighting Racism and State Violence on the U.S.-Mexico Border, which he has recently updated and republished with Haymarket.  Jen was out of town for this conversation, so Lupita Romero (our Episode 4 guest) joined Danny to talk with Justin about the under-appreciated legacy of Mexican and Mexican-American socialists and anarchists in the formation of the U.S. left. Justin talked about the legacy of the Mexican Revolution on both sides of the border, and some of the inspiring victories and devastating defeats of farmworkers, miners and factory workers in the first half of the 20th century, who faced the threat not only of mass firings and police violence but also deportation.In our opener, we talk about the smear campaign and attacks on Jeremy Corbyn in Britain. Corbyn is the enormously popular leader of the Labour Party and has been responsible for bringing hundreds of thousands of young activists into Labour and helping to revitalize the left. But he is hated and feared by the British establishment and has come under sustained attack. Zionists have attacked him over accusations of anti-Semitism. This week we discuss a turning point in this campaign, one that represents a threat to the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement in solidarity with Palestine.Links for this week’s interview: •	Justin’s new book: Radicals in the Barrio: Magonistas, Socialists, Wobblies, and Communists in the Mexican-American Working Class (http://bit.ly/RadicalsBarrio) •	Justin’s updated version of No One is Illegal: Fighting Racism and State Violence on the U.S.-Mexico Border (http://bit.ly/NoOneIllegal)Links for this week’s opener:•	Socialist Worker interview with Scottish socialist Neil Davidson about Confronting the lies about Jeremy Corbyn (http://bit.ly/SWDavidson)Music and Audio for this episodeThe Boy &amp; Sister Alma, “Lizard Eyes” (Dead Sea Captains Remix)Narcicyst ft. Shadia Mansour, “Hamdulilah” (Gaza Remix) Omar Al-Abdallat, “We Shall Not Be Moved” El Teatro Campesino, "El picket sign" (Luis Valdéz) El Poder del Norte, “Carabina 30/30” La Rondalla Amerindia de Aztlan, "No nos moverán” ("We Shall Not Be Moved") Los Fabulosos Cadillacs, “Matador"

This week we bring out a bonus conversation with author and immigrant justice activist Justin Akers Chacón (who talked with us about border politics in episode 18) about his new book Radicals in the Barrio: Magonistas, Socialists, Wobblies, and Communists in the Mexican-American Working Class, published by Haymarket Books. Justin is a San Diego-based professor of U.S. History and Chicano Studies. In addition to Radicals in the Barrio, he’s the author of No One is Illegal: Fighting Racism and State Violence on the U.S.-Mexico Border, which he has recently updated and republished with Haymarket. Jen was out of town for this conversation, so Lupita Romero (our Episode 4 guest) joined Danny to talk with Justin about the under-appreciated legacy of Mexican and Mexican-American socialists and anarchists in the formation of the U.S. left. Justin talked about the legacy of the Mexican Revolution on both sides of the border, and some of the inspiring victories and devastating defeats of farmworkers, miners and factory workers in the first half of the 20th century, who faced the threat not only of mass firings and police violence but also deportation. In our opener, we talk about the smear campaign and attacks on Jeremy Corbyn in Britain. Corbyn is the enormously popular leader of the Labour Party and has been responsible for bringing hundreds of thousands of young activists into Labour and helping to revitalize the left. But he is hated and feared by the British establishment and has come under sustained attack. Zionists have attacked him over accusations of anti-Semitism. This week we discuss a turning point in this campaign, one that represents a threat to the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement in solidarity with Palestine. Links for this week’s interview: •	Justin’s new book: Radicals in the Barrio: Magonistas, Socialists, Wobblies, and Communists in the Mexican-American Working Class (<a href="http://bit.ly/RadicalsBarrio" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/RadicalsBarrio</a>) •	Justin’s updated version of No One is Illegal: Fighting Racism and State Violence on the U.S.-Mexico Border (<a href="http://bit.ly/NoOneIllegal" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/NoOneIllegal</a>) Links for this week’s opener: •	Socialist Worker interview with Scottish socialist Neil Davidson about Confronting the lies about Jeremy Corbyn (<a href="http://bit.ly/SWDavidson" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/SWDavidson</a>) Music and Audio for this episode The Boy &amp; Sister Alma, “Lizard Eyes” (Dead Sea Captains Remix) Narcicyst ft. Shadia Mansour, “Hamdulilah” (Gaza Remix) Omar Al-Abdallat, “We Shall Not Be Moved” El Teatro Campesino, "El picket sign" (Luis Valdéz) El Poder del Norte, “Carabina 30/30” La Rondalla Amerindia de Aztlan, "No nos moverán” ("We Shall Not Be Moved") Los Fabulosos Cadillacs, “Matador"

25: Attack on Jeremy Corbyn; Justin Akers Chacón on Radicals in the Barrio

Sumaya Awad

08: Anti-imperialism, Internationalism, and Palestine with Sumaya AwadIn this week’s episode, we speak with Sumaya Awad, a Palestinian activist who has been active in Students for Justice and Palestine and co-founded a project to counter the Canary Mission, an odious blacklist of campus Palestine solidarity activists. Sumaya talked to us about the incredible bravery currently taking place at the Gaza-Israel border, where thousands are enduring violent and often sadistic Israeli repression in a nonviolent protest to assert their right to return to their historic homes. She put the current protests in the historic context of the first and second intifadas, and the endless “peace process” that has been cynically used to defuse Palestinian resistance without ever touching the fundamental questions that the marches to the border have put back on the agenda. And we discussed the importance of the international Boycott Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) solidarity movement, and her work in helping to start Against Canary Mission to defend BDS activists. In opening discussion, Jen, Danny and Eric discuss the meaning of anti-imperialism, an important concept in the socialist tradition that some have distorted to mean supporting any regime (no matter how repressive or reactionary) that opposes the U.S. government. We talk about what it means for leftists to recognize that “the main enemy is at home”—especially when their home is the world’s biggest imperial power—while also being internationalists who instinctively support struggles for justice by people anywhere in the world regardless of whether their governments are allied or opposed to Washington. Here are some links if you want to pursue any of these topics further: You can read Sumaya’s writings in Socialist Worker about the Great Return March in Gaza [https://socialistworker.org/2018/04/04/israel-responds-to-land-protests-with-a-massacre] and her solidarity visit to Standing Rock [https://socialistworker.org/2016/12/05/how-the-standing-rock-protectors-won], and visit Against Canary Mission [http://againstcanarymission.org/] to learn more about this important effort to defend the free speech rights of Palestine solidarity activists. For further reading about the state of Israel and the Palestinian struggle, there are many useful pieces in the International Socialist Review, including Phil Gasper’s Israel: Colonial Settler State [http://www.isreview.org/issues/15/israel_colonial.shtml] in the International Socialist Review, Naseer Aruri’s 2001 interview about Israel’s cynical abuse of the peace process [http://www.isreview.org/issues/15/Aruri_interview.shtml], and Sherry Wolf’s piece on the rise of the BDS movement [https://isreview.org/issue/93/whats-behind-rise-bds]. In addition, Haymarket Books is having a 70% sale [https://www.haymarketbooks.org/blogs/71-70-off-haymarket-books-on-palestine] this month on all of its books about Palestine.For further reading about our discussion of anti-imperialism, check out Anti-Imperialism and the Syrian Revolution [https://socialistworker.org/2016/08/25/anti-imperialism-and-the-syrian-revolution] by Ashley Smith and the solidarity statement with the protests in Iran that Jen referred to from the Alliance of Middle Eastern Socialists [https://www.allianceofmesocialists.org/solidarity-popular-protests-iran-statement-alliance-middle-eastern-socialists/]. Music and audio from this episodeThe Boy Sister Alma, “Lizard Eyes” (Dead Sea Captains Remix)

08: Anti-imperialism, Internationalism, and Palestine with Sumaya Awad In this week’s episode, we speak with Sumaya Awad, a Palestinian activist who has been active in Students for Justice and Palestine and co-founded a project to counter the Canary Mission, an odious blacklist of campus Palestine solidarity activists. Sumaya talked to us about the incredible bravery currently taking place at the Gaza-Israel border, where thousands are enduring violent and often sadistic Israeli repression in a nonviolent protest to assert their right to return to their historic homes. She put the current protests in the historic context of the first and second intifadas, and the endless “peace process” that has been cynically used to defuse Palestinian resistance without ever touching the fundamental questions that the marches to the border have put back on the agenda. And we discussed the importance of the international Boycott Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) solidarity movement, and her work in helping to start Against Canary Mission to defend BDS activists. In opening discussion, Jen, Danny and Eric discuss the meaning of anti-imperialism, an important concept in the socialist tradition that some have distorted to mean supporting any regime (no matter how repressive or reactionary) that opposes the U.S. government. We talk about what it means for leftists to recognize that “the main enemy is at home”—especially when their home is the world’s biggest imperial power—while also being internationalists who instinctively support struggles for justice by people anywhere in the world regardless of whether their governments are allied or opposed to Washington. Here are some links if you want to pursue any of these topics further: You can read Sumaya’s writings in Socialist Worker about the Great Return March in Gaza [<a href="https://socialistworker.org/2018/04/04/israel-responds-to-land-protests-with-a-massacre" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://socialistworker.org/2018/04/04/israel-responds-to-land-protests-with-a-massacre</a>] and her solidarity visit to Standing Rock [<a href="https://socialistworker.org/2016/12/05/how-the-standing-rock-protectors-won" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://socialistworker.org/2016/12/05/how-the-standing-rock-protectors-won</a>], and visit Against Canary Mission [<a href="http://againstcanarymission.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://againstcanarymission.org/</a>] to learn more about this important effort to defend the free speech rights of Palestine solidarity activists. For further reading about the state of Israel and the Palestinian struggle, there are many useful pieces in the International Socialist Review, including Phil Gasper’s Israel: Colonial Settler State [<a href="http://www.isreview.org/issues/15/israel_colonial.shtml" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.isreview.org/issues/15/israel_colonial.shtml</a>] in the International Socialist Review, Naseer Aruri’s 2001 interview about Israel’s cynical abuse of the peace process [<a href="http://www.isreview.org/issues/15/Aruri_interview.shtml" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.isreview.org/issues/15/Aruri_interview.shtml</a>], and Sherry Wolf’s piece on the rise of the BDS movement [<a href="https://isreview.org/issue/93/whats-behind-rise-bds" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://isreview.org/issue/93/whats-behind-rise-bds</a>]. In addition, Haymarket Books is having a 70% sale [<a href="https://www.haymarketbooks.org/blogs/71-70-off-haymarket-books-on-palestine" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.haymarketbooks.org/blogs/71-70-off-haymarket-books-on-palestine</a>] this month on all of its books about Palestine. For further reading about our discussion of anti-imperialism, check out Anti-Imperialism and the Syrian Revolution [<a href="https://socialistworker.org/2016/08/25/anti-imperialism-and-the-syrian-revolution" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://socialistworker.org/2016/08/25/anti-imperialism-and-the-syrian-revolution</a>] by Ashley Smith and the solidarity statement with the protests in Iran that Jen referred to from the Alliance of Middle Eastern Socialists [<a href="https://www.allianceofmesocialists.org/solidarity-popular-protests-iran-statement-alliance-middle-eastern-socialists/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.allianceofmesocialists.org/solidarity-popular-protests-iran-statement-alliance-middle-eastern-socialists/</a>]. Music and audio from this episode The Boy Sister Alma, “Lizard Eyes” (Dead Sea Captains Remix)

08: Anti-imperialism, Internationalism, and Palestine with Sumaya Awad

Brian Jones

In this bonus episode, we talk to Brian Jones about how public schools have historically been a place where ruling-class goals of instilling conformity have clashed with working-class goals of securing a better future, and how those conflicts are playing out today from the walkouts against gun violence to the protests to stop school closures and opt out of high-stakes standardized tests. Brian Jones is an educator and activist in New York City and a scholar in residence at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. Brian contributed to Education and Capitalism: Struggles for Learning and Liberation and is the narrator of The Inconvenient Truth Behind Waiting for Superman, a documentary about the creeping privatization of public schools in New York City. If you want to explore any of the themes in this episode further, you can check out some of the following links:• Danny’s article in Socialist Worker about the Black Lives Matter at School week of action. [https://socialistworker.org/2018/02/09/a-lesson-in-how-to-fight-for-black-lives] • The article Brian cited by Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor about the relationship between the Parkland student protests and the Movement for Black Lives. [https://socialistworker.org/2018/02/26/anti-racism-and-the-uprising-against-guns] • Danny’s article about the UPS worker walkout over inhumane conditions, including harassing a driver who had just come back from a severe workplace injury.  [http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/23271-a-walkout-at-ups-and-labors-old-school-future]

In this bonus episode, we talk to Brian Jones about how public schools have historically been a place where ruling-class goals of instilling conformity have clashed with working-class goals of securing a better future, and how those conflicts are playing out today from the walkouts against gun violence to the protests to stop school closures and opt out of high-stakes standardized tests. Brian Jones is an educator and activist in New York City and a scholar in residence at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. Brian contributed to Education and Capitalism: Struggles for Learning and Liberation and is the narrator of The Inconvenient Truth Behind Waiting for Superman, a documentary about the creeping privatization of public schools in New York City. If you want to explore any of the themes in this episode further, you can check out some of the following links: • Danny’s article in Socialist Worker about the Black Lives Matter at School week of action. [<a href="https://socialistworker.org/2018/02/09/a-lesson-in-how-to-fight-for-black-lives" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://socialistworker.org/2018/02/09/a-lesson-in-how-to-fight-for-black-lives</a>] • The article Brian cited by Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor about the relationship between the Parkland student protests and the Movement for Black Lives. [<a href="https://socialistworker.org/2018/02/26/anti-racism-and-the-uprising-against-guns" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://socialistworker.org/2018/02/26/anti-racism-and-the-uprising-against-guns</a>] • Danny’s article about the UPS worker walkout over inhumane conditions, including harassing a driver who had just come back from a severe workplace injury. [<a href="http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/23271-a-walkout-at-ups-and-labors-old-school-future" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/23271-a-walkout-at-ups-and-labors-old-school-future</a>]

02: Brian Jones on the epic class(room) struggle / Bonus episode!

Alex Vitale

In our intro, we talk about DSA member Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’ stunning defeat of Democratic incumbent and party boss Joseph Crowley in the June 26 NY primaries. We discuss how Cortez’ victory shows the desire for an alternative to the establishment Democrats as well as a tide of enthusiasm for socialism. We also talk about the challenges she’ll face as a socialist trying to navigate the shark-infested waters of the Democratic Party. We touch on some of the debates amongst socialists about how to approach the Democratic Party and how and whether we need to create our own party. Our intro ran longer than usual this week, but we hope that this will be the start to an ongoing discussion around the elections in the coming months.In our interview, we talk to Alex Vitale about his book, The End of Policing (Verso Books) (http://bit.ly/VitaleBook). Vitale is a professor of sociology and coordinator of the policing and social justice project at Brooklyn College. His writings have appeared in the New York Times, NY Daily News, USA Today, the Nation and Vice News. For more information about his writings as well as his public appearances and other news, check out his website (http://bit.ly/VitaleWeb).The rise of the Black Lives Matter movement has produced widespread recognition of police abuse and prompted demands for reform. At the same time, groups like the Black Youth Project  http://bit.ly/BYPBOR) and the Movement for Black Lives (http://bit.ly/MBLBOR) have questioned the relationship between intensive policing, structural racism and deeper patterns of inequality. Vitale argues that we should question the very nature and purpose of the police as an instrument for social control. He suggests that the answer is not better policing, but an end to policing itself.In our discussion, we talk about why the various reforms being proposed do not address the problems with policing. Vitale recounts the origins of the modern police as part of England’s colonial subjugation of Northern Ireland and the need to monitor the free movement of urban slaves in Charleston, South Carolina. We also talk about why policing has become even more intensive and violent in the last few decades as part of a bipartisan political project and in response to heightened levels of inequality. Vitale argues that if we want to address the real issues that policing purports to address, then we need large-scale structural reforms to address inequality and racism.In the last part of our discussion, we get into the strategic questions about how to build a movement against the criminal injustice system, how calls for prison abolition fit into that, and the work and demands that some of the organizations leading around this issue are raising.For additional reading related to our interview, check out:*Alex Vitale in the NYT talking about the new super-predator myth (http://bit.ly/VitaleNYT)*Alex Vitale in Jacobin on why body cameras and more training aren’t enough (http://bit.ly/VitaleJacobin)*Episode 6 of this podcast, in which we talk about the intersection of mental health and policing *The Movement for Black Lives Platform (http://bit.ly/MBLPlatform)For additional related to our intro on Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, check out:*Socialist Worker article on How far can the left go in the Democratic Party? (http://bit.ly/AOCSW)*Jacobin article on why Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez won (http://bit.ly/JacobinAOC)*Lance Selfa’s The Democrats: A Critical History (Haymarket Books) (http://bit.ly/Selfa)Music in this episode: The Boy &amp; Sister Alma, “Lizard Eyes” (Dead Sea Captains Remix)Cardi B, “I Like It Like That”Solange, “Mad” ft. Lil WayneKRS-One, “Sound Of Da Police”Vic Mensa, “16 Shots”Bruce Springsteen, “American Skin (41 Shots)”N.W.A., “Fuck Tha Police”

In our intro, we talk about DSA member Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’ stunning defeat of Democratic incumbent and party boss Joseph Crowley in the June 26 NY primaries. We discuss how Cortez’ victory shows the desire for an alternative to the establishment Democrats as well as a tide of enthusiasm for socialism. We also talk about the challenges she’ll face as a socialist trying to navigate the shark-infested waters of the Democratic Party. We touch on some of the debates amongst socialists about how to approach the Democratic Party and how and whether we need to create our own party. Our intro ran longer than usual this week, but we hope that this will be the start to an ongoing discussion around the elections in the coming months. In our interview, we talk to Alex Vitale about his book, The End of Policing (Verso Books) (<a href="http://bit.ly/VitaleBook" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/VitaleBook</a>). Vitale is a professor of sociology and coordinator of the policing and social justice project at Brooklyn College. His writings have appeared in the New York Times, NY Daily News, USA Today, the Nation and Vice News. For more information about his writings as well as his public appearances and other news, check out his website (<a href="http://bit.ly/VitaleWeb" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/VitaleWeb</a>). The rise of the Black Lives Matter movement has produced widespread recognition of police abuse and prompted demands for reform. At the same time, groups like the Black Youth Project <a href="http://bit.ly/BYPBOR" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/BYPBOR</a>) and the Movement for Black Lives (<a href="http://bit.ly/MBLBOR" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/MBLBOR</a>) have questioned the relationship between intensive policing, structural racism and deeper patterns of inequality. Vitale argues that we should question the very nature and purpose of the police as an instrument for social control. He suggests that the answer is not better policing, but an end to policing itself. In our discussion, we talk about why the various reforms being proposed do not address the problems with policing. Vitale recounts the origins of the modern police as part of England’s colonial subjugation of Northern Ireland and the need to monitor the free movement of urban slaves in Charleston, South Carolina. We also talk about why policing has become even more intensive and violent in the last few decades as part of a bipartisan political project and in response to heightened levels of inequality. Vitale argues that if we want to address the real issues that policing purports to address, then we need large-scale structural reforms to address inequality and racism. In the last part of our discussion, we get into the strategic questions about how to build a movement against the criminal injustice system, how calls for prison abolition fit into that, and the work and demands that some of the organizations leading around this issue are raising. For additional reading related to our interview, check out: *Alex Vitale in the NYT talking about the new super-predator myth (<a href="http://bit.ly/VitaleNYT" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/VitaleNYT</a>) *Alex Vitale in Jacobin on why body cameras and more training aren’t enough (<a href="http://bit.ly/VitaleJacobin" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/VitaleJacobin</a>) *Episode 6 of this podcast, in which we talk about the intersection of mental health and policing *The Movement for Black Lives Platform (<a href="http://bit.ly/MBLPlatform" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/MBLPlatform</a>) For additional related to our intro on Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, check out: *Socialist Worker article on How far can the left go in the Democratic Party? (<a href="http://bit.ly/AOCSW" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/AOCSW</a>) *Jacobin article on why Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez won (<a href="http://bit.ly/JacobinAOC" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/JacobinAOC</a>) *Lance Selfa’s The Democrats: A Critical History (Haymarket Books) (<a href="http://bit.ly/Selfa" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/Selfa</a>) Music in this episode: The Boy &amp; Sister Alma, “Lizard Eyes” (Dead Sea Captains Remix) Cardi B, “I Like It Like That” Solange, “Mad” ft. Lil Wayne KRS-One, “Sound Of Da Police” Vic Mensa, “16 Shots” Bruce Springsteen, “American Skin (41 Shots)” N.W.A., “Fuck Tha Police”

17: Ocasio-Cortez victory; Alex Vitale on the end of policing

In a wide-ranging conversation, we talk to Pranav Jani about Marxism and colonialism. Pranav is an associate professor of English at Ohio State University and a long-time activist and organizer with the International Socialist Organization (ISO). Pranav describes his evolution from an apolitical college student to his first encounters with the writings of Marx on India—and how he went beyond a few selected excerpts to a deeper engagement with Marx’s thought and its evolution. We also talk about postcolonial theory, and Pranav explains what insights he gained from that field of study as well as the limitations he ran up against working within it. Another theme running throughout our interview is the importance of combining activism and theory for Pranav’s understanding of and commitment to socialism. He talks about how it was the anti-colonial revolt against the British that began to shift Marx’s own ideas about India. In Pranav’s own life and political outlook, the importance of struggle is paramount. We talk about his experience as an Indian revolutionary moving from the East Coast to Columbus, Ohio, and what he learned from helping to build a strong presence for the ISO in Ohio.One of the themes of our discussion about his work in Ohio is a critical examination of some of the punditry about “red-state America” and the 2016 elections. Pranav describes the political picture in central Ohio and the importance of a more nuanced understanding of the working class as well as the socialist commitment to fighting both exploitation and oppression.In our opener, we talk about a major opus on climate change published recently in the New York Times Magazine, titled "Losing Earth," whose conclusions we deem essentially reactionary. The author, Nathaniel Rich, has compiled a dense history of a decade of climate summits, high-level boardroom meetings and political hearings, but somehow concludes that human nature—and our failure to sacrifice for long-term needs—is to blame for the failure to act to prevent climate catastrophe. We reach a different conclusion: that capitalism is to blame.Links for our interview with Pranav Jani:*Pranav developed his ideas on Marxism, revolution and colonialism more deeply for a talk he presented at Socialism 2018. You can listen to the audio at We Are Many: http://bit.ly/PranavS18*Pranav also wrote a feature article for Socialist Worker describing in more detail “What the Indian rebels taught Marx” (http://bit.ly/MarxIndiaSW)*The International Socialist Review (ISR) review of Vivek Chibber’s book on postcolonialism can be found here: (http://bit.ly/PranavISR)Links for our intro on climate catastrophe:*The NYT Magazine piece on Losing Earth (http://bit.ly/LosingEarth)*Naomi Klein had a good rejoinder to this article in the Intercept (http://bit.ly/KleinLosingEarth), and we engage with her material in this episode as well. We also recommend listening to our interview with Klein in episode 14 of this podcast (http://bit.ly/Ep14Klein).Music in this episodeThe Boy &amp; Sister Alma, “Lizard Eyes” (Dead Sea Captains Remix)Radiohead, "Idioteque" Beck, "Gamma Ray"Junoon, “Meri Awaz Suno"MIA, "Paper Planes"Karmacy, “Blood Brothers”

In a wide-ranging conversation, we talk to Pranav Jani about Marxism and colonialism. Pranav is an associate professor of English at Ohio State University and a long-time activist and organizer with the International Socialist Organization (ISO). Pranav describes his evolution from an apolitical college student to his first encounters with the writings of Marx on India—and how he went beyond a few selected excerpts to a deeper engagement with Marx’s thought and its evolution. We also talk about postcolonial theory, and Pranav explains what insights he gained from that field of study as well as the limitations he ran up against working within it. Another theme running throughout our interview is the importance of combining activism and theory for Pranav’s understanding of and commitment to socialism. He talks about how it was the anti-colonial revolt against the British that began to shift Marx’s own ideas about India. In Pranav’s own life and political outlook, the importance of struggle is paramount. We talk about his experience as an Indian revolutionary moving from the East Coast to Columbus, Ohio, and what he learned from helping to build a strong presence for the ISO in Ohio. One of the themes of our discussion about his work in Ohio is a critical examination of some of the punditry about “red-state America” and the 2016 elections. Pranav describes the political picture in central Ohio and the importance of a more nuanced understanding of the working class as well as the socialist commitment to fighting both exploitation and oppression. In our opener, we talk about a major opus on climate change published recently in the New York Times Magazine, titled "Losing Earth," whose conclusions we deem essentially reactionary. The author, Nathaniel Rich, has compiled a dense history of a decade of climate summits, high-level boardroom meetings and political hearings, but somehow concludes that human nature—and our failure to sacrifice for long-term needs—is to blame for the failure to act to prevent climate catastrophe. We reach a different conclusion: that capitalism is to blame. Links for our interview with Pranav Jani: *Pranav developed his ideas on Marxism, revolution and colonialism more deeply for a talk he presented at Socialism 2018. You can listen to the audio at We Are Many: <a href="http://bit.ly/PranavS18" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/PranavS18</a> *Pranav also wrote a feature article for Socialist Worker describing in more detail “What the Indian rebels taught Marx” (<a href="http://bit.ly/MarxIndiaSW" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/MarxIndiaSW</a>) *The International Socialist Review (ISR) review of Vivek Chibber’s book on postcolonialism can be found here: (<a href="http://bit.ly/PranavISR" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/PranavISR</a>) Links for our intro on climate catastrophe: *The NYT Magazine piece on Losing Earth (<a href="http://bit.ly/LosingEarth" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/LosingEarth</a>) *Naomi Klein had a good rejoinder to this article in the Intercept (<a href="http://bit.ly/KleinLosingEarth" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/KleinLosingEarth</a>), and we engage with her material in this episode as well. We also recommend listening to our interview with Klein in episode 14 of this podcast (<a href="http://bit.ly/Ep14Klein" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/Ep14Klein</a>). Music in this episode The Boy &amp; Sister Alma, “Lizard Eyes” (Dead Sea Captains Remix) Radiohead, "Idioteque" Beck, "Gamma Ray" Junoon, “Meri Awaz Suno" MIA, "Paper Planes" Karmacy, “Blood Brothers”

24: Capitalism’s Climate Catastrophe; Marx and Colonialism with Pranav Jani

In the opener to episode 26 we discussed the political impact of the Great Recession and promised to soon have a guest to help explain the economic side of the story. We take our promises very seriously, so this week we bring in Hadas Thier, a regular contributor to the International Socialist Review and the author of the forthcoming book A People’s Guide to Capitalism: An Introduction to Marxist Economics.   Hadas breaks down the events that led 10 years ago to the global economic crisis, from the casino capitalist shenanigans on Wall Street to the underlying problems of global overproduction that led so many investors to pour their money (and our pensions) into those Ponzi schemes in the first place. Hadas also talks to us about why mainstream economists are more interested in promoting capitalism than explaining how it works (and why it doesn’t) and how she decided after years of activism to teach herself economics in the face of the conventional wisdom that it’s too complicated for non-academics—especially non-academic women. Jen had to miss this episode so for our opener, Eric joined Danny to discuss why the Republicans have been dead set on sticking with Brett Kavanaugh for the Supreme Court despite the mounting number of sexual assault allegations against him (and we also snuck in some sound and a short interview with Kaylin Kaupish from National Women’s Liberation during the New York City protest on October 1 outside the Yale Club). They then moved on to briefly talk about the death of notorious Chicago police torturer John Burge, and the possibility of a major Los Angeles teachers strike in the coming months. Links for this episode: ·      International Socialist Review roundtable on “Where is Capitalism Heading?” featuring Hadas and other writers (http://bit.ly/ISRroundtable) ·      Hadas’s article celebrating the 150th anniversary of the publication of Karl Marx’s Capital (http://bit.ly/Capital150years)  ·      “She speaks for us and we’ll stand with her”: Socialist Worker editorial calling for nationwide protests to stop Kavanaugh’s nomination (http://bit.ly/ProtestKavanaugh) Music and audio for this episode:Kaylin Kaupish, National Women’s Liberation, at Stop Kavanaugh march in NYC on October 1 Vic Mensa, “16 Shots”Sonic Youth, “Youth Against Fascism”Angelique Kidjo's new cover of The Talking Heads’ "Once in a Lifetime” Wu-Tang Clan, “C.R.E.A.M.”Prince, “Act of God”

In the opener to episode 26 we discussed the political impact of the Great Recession and promised to soon have a guest to help explain the economic side of the story. We take our promises very seriously, so this week we bring in Hadas Thier, a regular contributor to the International Socialist Review and the author of the forthcoming book A People’s Guide to Capitalism: An Introduction to Marxist Economics. Hadas breaks down the events that led 10 years ago to the global economic crisis, from the casino capitalist shenanigans on Wall Street to the underlying problems of global overproduction that led so many investors to pour their money (and our pensions) into those Ponzi schemes in the first place. Hadas also talks to us about why mainstream economists are more interested in promoting capitalism than explaining how it works (and why it doesn’t) and how she decided after years of activism to teach herself economics in the face of the conventional wisdom that it’s too complicated for non-academics—especially non-academic women. Jen had to miss this episode so for our opener, Eric joined Danny to discuss why the Republicans have been dead set on sticking with Brett Kavanaugh for the Supreme Court despite the mounting number of sexual assault allegations against him (and we also snuck in some sound and a short interview with Kaylin Kaupish from National Women’s Liberation during the New York City protest on October 1 outside the Yale Club). They then moved on to briefly talk about the death of notorious Chicago police torturer John Burge, and the possibility of a major Los Angeles teachers strike in the coming months. Links for this episode: · International Socialist Review roundtable on “Where is Capitalism Heading?” featuring Hadas and other writers (<a href="http://bit.ly/ISRroundtable" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/ISRroundtable</a>) · Hadas’s article celebrating the 150th anniversary of the publication of Karl Marx’s Capital (<a href="http://bit.ly/Capital150years" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/Capital150years</a>) · “She speaks for us and we’ll stand with her”: Socialist Worker editorial calling for nationwide protests to stop Kavanaugh’s nomination (<a href="http://bit.ly/ProtestKavanaugh" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/ProtestKavanaugh</a>) Music and audio for this episode: Kaylin Kaupish, National Women’s Liberation, at Stop Kavanaugh march in NYC on October 1 Vic Mensa, “16 Shots” Sonic Youth, “Youth Against Fascism” Angelique Kidjo's new cover of The Talking Heads’ "Once in a Lifetime” Wu-Tang Clan, “C.R.E.A.M.” Prince, “Act of God”

28: Hadas Thier explains how capitalism doesn’t work

Paul Heideman

Color

06: Cops are bad for mental health, Paul Heideman on Class Struggle and the Color Line In this week’s episode we talk to activist and author Paul Heideman about his new book, Class Struggle and the Color Line: American Socialism and the Race Question, 1900-1930. Most histories of the left claim that Communist Party members in the 1930s were the first U.S. socialists to prioritize the fight against racism, but Heideman’s collection of writings from a range of American radicals tells a different story. Paul talks with us about the overlooked contributions to the U.S. and international left made by Black socialists like Claude McKay and Cyrill Briggs, and how events like the Russian Revolution in 1917 and the race riots of 1919 helped set in motion the Black radical movement that didn’t fully flower for another two generations. If after listening to this episode you want to learn more about how the socialist movement approached the “race question”, you can (and should!) check out Class Struggle and the Color Line (http://bit.ly/HeidemanBook). Here are some other resources: A shorter introduction to the topic is John Riddell’s article for the International Socialist Review, “Black Liberation and the Communist International” (http://bit.ly/RiddellBlackLiberation). For more on Karl Marx’s avid interest in the fight against slavery, check out Donnie Schraffenberger’s “Karl Marx and the American Civil War” (http://bit.ly/MarxCivilWar). Danny goes off on one of his tangents, citing Oscar Ameringer’s classic socialist pamphlet “The Life and Deeds of Uncle Sam”, which you can find here (http://bit.ly/LifeDeedsUncleSam) and judge for yourself if it was really worth interrupting Paul. In our introduction, Danny and Eric discuss the contemporary horror of police killings of people in the midst of mental health episodes. The discussion quickly covers a lot of ground. Here are links for some of the cases and statistics we talk about:    Shaun King’s article for The Intecept: “Danny Ray Thomas Was a Broken Man Who Needed Help. Instead He Was Gunned Down by a Cop in Broad Daylight.” (http://bit.ly/DannyRayThomas)The New York Daily News story about why New Yorkers are afraid of police showing up if they call 911 for a family member having an episode. (http://bit.ly/911Fears)Many of the statistics Jen cites about deadly interactions between police and people with mental illness come from the Treatment Advocacy Center (http://bit.ly/TreatmentAdvocacy)A talk given by socialist David Whitehouse on “The Origins of the Police” (http://bit.ly/PoliceOrigins)The Atlantic’s story on Cook County Jail being “America’s Largest Mental Hospital” (https://theatln.tc/2qudB6G)Music and audio from this episode:Lizard Eyes – The Boy &amp; Sister Alma (Dead Sea Captains Remix)Jamilia Land, speaking at a rally on March 31 in SacramentoSwim Good – Frank OceanJoe Hill and Let My People Go - Paul Robeson“If We Must Die” read by Claude McKayKeeanga-Yamahtta speaking on “The Fight Against the New Jim Crow” at the 2012 Socialism conference

06: Cops are bad for mental health, Paul Heideman on Class Struggle and the Color Line In this week’s episode we talk to activist and author Paul Heideman about his new book, Class Struggle and the Color Line: American Socialism and the Race Question, 1900-1930. Most histories of the left claim that Communist Party members in the 1930s were the first U.S. socialists to prioritize the fight against racism, but Heideman’s collection of writings from a range of American radicals tells a different story. Paul talks with us about the overlooked contributions to the U.S. and international left made by Black socialists like Claude McKay and Cyrill Briggs, and how events like the Russian Revolution in 1917 and the race riots of 1919 helped set in motion the Black radical movement that didn’t fully flower for another two generations. If after listening to this episode you want to learn more about how the socialist movement approached the “race question”, you can (and should!) check out Class Struggle and the Color Line (<a href="http://bit.ly/HeidemanBook" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/HeidemanBook</a>). Here are some other resources: A shorter introduction to the topic is John Riddell’s article for the International Socialist Review, “Black Liberation and the Communist International” (<a href="http://bit.ly/RiddellBlackLiberation" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/RiddellBlackLiberation</a>). For more on Karl Marx’s avid interest in the fight against slavery, check out Donnie Schraffenberger’s “Karl Marx and the American Civil War” (<a href="http://bit.ly/MarxCivilWar" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/MarxCivilWar</a>). Danny goes off on one of his tangents, citing Oscar Ameringer’s classic socialist pamphlet “The Life and Deeds of Uncle Sam”, which you can find here (<a href="http://bit.ly/LifeDeedsUncleSam" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/LifeDeedsUncleSam</a>) and judge for yourself if it was really worth interrupting Paul. In our introduction, Danny and Eric discuss the contemporary horror of police killings of people in the midst of mental health episodes. The discussion quickly covers a lot of ground. Here are links for some of the cases and statistics we talk about: Shaun King’s article for The Intecept: “Danny Ray Thomas Was a Broken Man Who Needed Help. Instead He Was Gunned Down by a Cop in Broad Daylight.” (<a href="http://bit.ly/DannyRayThomas" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/DannyRayThomas</a>) The New York Daily News story about why New Yorkers are afraid of police showing up if they call 911 for a family member having an episode. (<a href="http://bit.ly/911Fears" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/911Fears</a>) Many of the statistics Jen cites about deadly interactions between police and people with mental illness come from the Treatment Advocacy Center (<a href="http://bit.ly/TreatmentAdvocacy" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/TreatmentAdvocacy</a>) A talk given by socialist David Whitehouse on “The Origins of the Police” (<a href="http://bit.ly/PoliceOrigins" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/PoliceOrigins</a>) The Atlantic’s story on Cook County Jail being “America’s Largest Mental Hospital” (<a href="https://theatln.tc/2qudB6G" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://theatln.tc/2qudB6G</a>) Music and audio from this episode: Lizard Eyes – The Boy &amp; Sister Alma (Dead Sea Captains Remix) Jamilia Land, speaking at a rally on March 31 in Sacramento Swim Good – Frank Ocean Joe Hill and Let My People Go - Paul Robeson “If We Must Die” read by Claude McKay Keeanga-Yamahtta speaking on “The Fight Against the New Jim Crow” at the 2012 Socialism conference

06: Cops are bad for mental health, Paul Heideman on Class Struggle and the Color Line

Danny Katch

This week we turn the tables on one of our co-hosts and interview Danny about his latest book, Why Bad Governments Happen to Good People, published by Haymarket Books. Danny talks about how Trump’s election shows the way U.S. democracy tilts rightward, blocking the moderate social democratic platform of Bernie Sanders while allowing an erratic racist who flirts with fascists to assume the most world’s most powerful position. From there we get into the larger contradictions of democracy and capitalism, and how in many ways democracy under capitalism is less about empowering the people than winning our consent to the way things are going to be.  We then move on to the exciting success of socialist candidates since Bernie’s campaign, most notably Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s primary victory in New York City. Danny talks about the way some of these campaigns have helped to popularize demands of Medicare for all and Abolish ICE, but also about the historic dangers socialists face when they start building their project inside a Democratic Party that is ultimately hostile to our interests.   In our opener, we talk with Bay Area socialist Ragina Johnson about the horrific murder of Nia Wilson in Oakland and why so many people in the Bay are connecting her death with the growth of white supremacy in Trump’s America. She describes protest that took place on one day’s notice in response to the murder—which linked up with another protest against a plan by the far-right Proud Boys to meet up in a downtown Oakland bar. Ragina put Nia’s death and the rise of the far right in the context of continued police murders, relentless gentrification and the overall state of rising inequality and scapegoating—and stressed the importance of building the largest possible protest against the far right’s “No to Marxism” rally on August 5 in Berkeley. We encourage Better Off Red listeners to come out against the fascists that day—and those on the East Coast to join the mobilization against the disgusting “White Civil Rights” rally being held in Washington D.C. on August 12—the anniversary of last year’s horror in Charlottesville. See the links below for more information.Links for this episode: •	Get a copy of Danny’s book Why Bad Governments Happen to Good People (http://bit.ly/WhyBadGovernments)•	Danny’s Socialist Worker article on the potentials and pitfalls of electoral strategies for socialists (http://bit.ly/ElectoralIdeology)Links for our intro on Nia Wilson and fighting the right:•	Nicole Colson’s article on Nia’s murder and the subsequent protests (http://bit.ly/NiaWilsonMuder)•	Alpana Mehta on why we need to fight the right (http://bit.ly/WhyFighttheRight)•	Information on how to join with socialists in Berkeley protesting the far right on August 5 (http://bit.ly/AntiFascistBerkeley)•	Information on how to join with socialists in Washington D.C. protesting the far right on August 12 (http://bit.ly/AntiNaziDC)Music and Audio for this episodeThe Boy &amp; Sister Alma, “Lizard Eyes” (Dead Sea Captains Remix)Alicia Wilson, mother of Nia WilsonBillie Holiday, “Strange Fruit”Josh White, “Freedom Road” (https://folkways.si.edu/anti-fascism-and-racial-struggle-in-song/music/playlist/smithsonian)Rapsody, “Power” ft. Kendrick LamarStreet Dogs, "Working Class Heroes"

This week we turn the tables on one of our co-hosts and interview Danny about his latest book, Why Bad Governments Happen to Good People, published by Haymarket Books. Danny talks about how Trump’s election shows the way U.S. democracy tilts rightward, blocking the moderate social democratic platform of Bernie Sanders while allowing an erratic racist who flirts with fascists to assume the most world’s most powerful position. From there we get into the larger contradictions of democracy and capitalism, and how in many ways democracy under capitalism is less about empowering the people than winning our consent to the way things are going to be. We then move on to the exciting success of socialist candidates since Bernie’s campaign, most notably Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s primary victory in New York City. Danny talks about the way some of these campaigns have helped to popularize demands of Medicare for all and Abolish ICE, but also about the historic dangers socialists face when they start building their project inside a Democratic Party that is ultimately hostile to our interests. In our opener, we talk with Bay Area socialist Ragina Johnson about the horrific murder of Nia Wilson in Oakland and why so many people in the Bay are connecting her death with the growth of white supremacy in Trump’s America. She describes protest that took place on one day’s notice in response to the murder—which linked up with another protest against a plan by the far-right Proud Boys to meet up in a downtown Oakland bar. Ragina put Nia’s death and the rise of the far right in the context of continued police murders, relentless gentrification and the overall state of rising inequality and scapegoating—and stressed the importance of building the largest possible protest against the far right’s “No to Marxism” rally on August 5 in Berkeley. We encourage Better Off Red listeners to come out against the fascists that day—and those on the East Coast to join the mobilization against the disgusting “White Civil Rights” rally being held in Washington D.C. on August 12—the anniversary of last year’s horror in Charlottesville. See the links below for more information. Links for this episode: •	Get a copy of Danny’s book Why Bad Governments Happen to Good People (<a href="http://bit.ly/WhyBadGovernments" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/WhyBadGovernments</a>) •	Danny’s Socialist Worker article on the potentials and pitfalls of electoral strategies for socialists (<a href="http://bit.ly/ElectoralIdeology" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/ElectoralIdeology</a>) Links for our intro on Nia Wilson and fighting the right: •	Nicole Colson’s article on Nia’s murder and the subsequent protests (<a href="http://bit.ly/NiaWilsonMuder" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/NiaWilsonMuder</a>) •	Alpana Mehta on why we need to fight the right (<a href="http://bit.ly/WhyFighttheRight" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/WhyFighttheRight</a>) •	Information on how to join with socialists in Berkeley protesting the far right on August 5 (<a href="http://bit.ly/AntiFascistBerkeley" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/AntiFascistBerkeley</a>) •	Information on how to join with socialists in Washington D.C. protesting the far right on August 12 (<a href="http://bit.ly/AntiNaziDC" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/AntiNaziDC</a>) Music and Audio for this episode The Boy &amp; Sister Alma, “Lizard Eyes” (Dead Sea Captains Remix) Alicia Wilson, mother of Nia Wilson Billie Holiday, “Strange Fruit” Josh White, “Freedom Road” (<a href="https://folkways.si.edu/anti-fascism-and-racial-struggle-in-song/music/playlist/smithsonian" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://folkways.si.edu/anti-fascism-and-racial-struggle-in-song/music/playlist/smithsonian</a>) Rapsody, “Power” ft. Kendrick Lamar Street Dogs, "Working Class Heroes"

20: Stop the far right; Danny Katch on American (un)democracy

Dominique Morisseau

07: Trump’s Lies and Dominique Morisseau’s Truths about Race and Class Please subscribe to us on iTunes (bit.ly/BetterOffRediTunes) and leave us a rating and review. It helps us reach a wider audience with these ideas. Also, we have just launched a Patreon account. Please check it out and consider making a small financial contribution. Thank you. In this week’s episode, we talk to award-winning playwright Dominique Morisseau. She is the author of a three-play cycle about Detroit. One of those plays, Paradise Blue, opens at the Signature Theater this week. In this wide-ranging conversation, we talk about violence against women, Black feminism, the destruction of the Black Power movement, the importance of earned rage, the power of that rage when directed outwards, and the pain when it gets twisted and directed against those closest to us. Dominique shares her influences with us, from Pearl Cleage to Tupac to her revolutionary family—and more. Music is an important source of inspiration for her, and we’ve included some of the music that appears in her plays. We also discuss her work as a social justice activist and her fight to expand both representation in and access to the theater. In the opener, Jen, Danny and Eric discuss Trump’s “welfare reform 2.0” plan and what it tells us about how race, poverty and class are talked about in this country.  There’s so much we got into in this episode. If you want to follow any of the threads further, check out our Patreon page (Patreon.com/BetterOffRedPod) with links to articles and music (access is free to all regardless of whether you are a patron).

07: Trump’s Lies and Dominique Morisseau’s Truths about Race and Class Please subscribe to us on iTunes (<a href="http://bit.ly/BetterOffRediTunes" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">bit.ly/BetterOffRediTunes</a>) and leave us a rating and review. It helps us reach a wider audience with these ideas. Also, we have just launched a Patreon account. Please check it out and consider making a small financial contribution. Thank you. In this week’s episode, we talk to award-winning playwright Dominique Morisseau. She is the author of a three-play cycle about Detroit. One of those plays, Paradise Blue, opens at the Signature Theater this week. In this wide-ranging conversation, we talk about violence against women, Black feminism, the destruction of the Black Power movement, the importance of earned rage, the power of that rage when directed outwards, and the pain when it gets twisted and directed against those closest to us. Dominique shares her influences with us, from Pearl Cleage to Tupac to her revolutionary family—and more. Music is an important source of inspiration for her, and we’ve included some of the music that appears in her plays. We also discuss her work as a social justice activist and her fight to expand both representation in and access to the theater. In the opener, Jen, Danny and Eric discuss Trump’s “welfare reform 2.0” plan and what it tells us about how race, poverty and class are talked about in this country. There’s so much we got into in this episode. If you want to follow any of the threads further, check out our Patreon page (<a href="http://Patreon.com/BetterOffRedPod" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Patreon.com/BetterOffRedPod</a>) with links to articles and music (access is free to all regardless of whether you are a patron).

07: Trump’s Lies and Dominique Morisseau’s Truths about Race and Class

Lee Wengraf

*Please subscribe on Apple Podcasts (bit.ly/BetterOffRediTunes) and share with friends. If you like Better Off Red, consider donating on Patreon. (bit.ly/PatreonRedPod)*This week we talk to Lee Wengraf about her book, Extracting Profit: Imperialism, Neoliberalism and the New Scramble for Africa (bit.ly/ExtractingProfit). Lee’s book challenges the prevailing myths that shape how most people understand the persistence of war and poverty in Africa. These come not only in outright racist forms, but also as paternalistic, liberal tropes. We discuss the Guyanese Marxist Walter Rodney’s groundbreaking work How Europe Underdeveloped Africa. Lee describes how economic and social development was reversed in Africa history as a result of colonial intervention. She argues that this is not only in the colonial past, but that imperialism and neoliberalism have continued to shape the development of Africa.Lee extends Rodney’s analysis to discuss the role of the IMF, the World Bank and neoliberal economic policy since the establishment of national independence throughout most of Africa. Today there is a new scramble for Africa, with the US and China competing for access to oil and mineral assets. Extractive industries have threatened the ecological sustainability of the continent and are displacing local communities. But they are also creating a powerful working-class. Lee talks about her recent trip to attend a conference of left-wing activists in Tanzania and then to South Africa, where she was able to witness a one-day national strike. She talks about how the debates that African socialists have wrestled with for many decades, and which are discussed in her book, have taken on a pressing urgency today.In our opener, we wish Karl Marx’s a happy 200th birthday (which was on May 5th). We discuss the centrality of struggle from below, the concept of self-emancipation and why Marxism is not just a narrow economic struggle but a strategy for full human liberation. We point to the teachers’ strikes as a vindication of Marx’s project of working-class self-emancipation and end our opening segment with interviews with Arizona teachers on strike.For more resources on materials covered in this episode, explore:You can purchase Lee’s book at Haymarket Books (bit.ly/ExtractingProfit). If you want to learn more about Walter Rodney, you can see the video of Lee’s presentation for the Socialism Conference (bit.ly/Socialism2018) at our YouTube channel (bit.ly/RodneyVideo).For more about class struggles in South Africa after independence, two excellent talks are available at We Are Many (bit.ly/WeareMany): Pranav Jani on After Independence (bit.ly/AfterIndependenceJani); and, Aaron Amaral on Class Struggle in South Africa Today (bit.ly/SouthAfricaAmaral).If you liked what we had to say about Karl Marx’ relevance today, read Todd Chretien on How Marx Became a Marxist (bit.ly/SWMarxist) for Socialist Worker’s 200th birthday feature. To find out more about socialism and ways to get involved, check out Socialism 2018 , held in Chicago, July 5-8 (bit.ly/Socialism2018). The NYC ISO, DSA and Jacobin are hosting a meeting on the Lessons of the Teachers’ Revolt (bit.ly/LessonsTeachers) May 9th at Verso in NYC - you can watch the livestream at Jacobin's facebook page (bit.ly/JacobinFB).MusicThe Boy &amp; Sister Alma, “Lizard Eyes” (Dead Sea Captains Remix)DJ Mujava, “Township Funk,” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uBNYjAhEsx4Amandla, “Sasol,” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fu9N1U9fFYBand Aid 1984, “Do They Know It’s Christmas?”, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjQzJAKxTrESeun Kuti, “IMF,” ft. M1 (from Dead Prez), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fGcf3GODKEY'en a Marre, “Dox ak sa Gox,” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74YyD_SB33UFela Kuti, “International Thief Thief (I.T.T.),” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jptR_YwCs3o

*Please subscribe on Apple Podcasts (<a href="http://bit.ly/BetterOffRediTunes" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">bit.ly/BetterOffRediTunes</a>) and share with friends. If you like Better Off Red, consider donating on Patreon. (<a href="http://bit.ly/PatreonRedPod)*" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">bit.ly/PatreonRedPod)*</a> This week we talk to Lee Wengraf about her book, Extracting Profit: Imperialism, Neoliberalism and the New Scramble for Africa (<a href="http://bit.ly/ExtractingProfit" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">bit.ly/ExtractingProfit</a>). Lee’s book challenges the prevailing myths that shape how most people understand the persistence of war and poverty in Africa. These come not only in outright racist forms, but also as paternalistic, liberal tropes. We discuss the Guyanese Marxist Walter Rodney’s groundbreaking work How Europe Underdeveloped Africa. Lee describes how economic and social development was reversed in Africa history as a result of colonial intervention. She argues that this is not only in the colonial past, but that imperialism and neoliberalism have continued to shape the development of Africa. Lee extends Rodney’s analysis to discuss the role of the IMF, the World Bank and neoliberal economic policy since the establishment of national independence throughout most of Africa. Today there is a new scramble for Africa, with the US and China competing for access to oil and mineral assets. Extractive industries have threatened the ecological sustainability of the continent and are displacing local communities. But they are also creating a powerful working-class. Lee talks about her recent trip to attend a conference of left-wing activists in Tanzania and then to South Africa, where she was able to witness a one-day national strike. She talks about how the debates that African socialists have wrestled with for many decades, and which are discussed in her book, have taken on a pressing urgency today. In our opener, we wish Karl Marx’s a happy 200th birthday (which was on May 5th). We discuss the centrality of struggle from below, the concept of self-emancipation and why Marxism is not just a narrow economic struggle but a strategy for full human liberation. We point to the teachers’ strikes as a vindication of Marx’s project of working-class self-emancipation and end our opening segment with interviews with Arizona teachers on strike. For more resources on materials covered in this episode, explore: You can purchase Lee’s book at Haymarket Books (<a href="http://bit.ly/ExtractingProfit" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">bit.ly/ExtractingProfit</a>). If you want to learn more about Walter Rodney, you can see the video of Lee’s presentation for the Socialism Conference (<a href="http://bit.ly/Socialism2018" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">bit.ly/Socialism2018</a>) at our YouTube channel (<a href="http://bit.ly/RodneyVideo" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">bit.ly/RodneyVideo</a>). For more about class struggles in South Africa after independence, two excellent talks are available at We Are Many (<a href="http://bit.ly/WeareMany):" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">bit.ly/WeareMany):</a> Pranav Jani on After Independence (<a href="http://bit.ly/AfterIndependenceJani);" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">bit.ly/AfterIndependenceJani);</a> and, Aaron Amaral on Class Struggle in South Africa Today (<a href="http://bit.ly/SouthAfricaAmaral" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">bit.ly/SouthAfricaAmaral</a>). If you liked what we had to say about Karl Marx’ relevance today, read Todd Chretien on How Marx Became a Marxist (<a href="http://bit.ly/SWMarxist" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">bit.ly/SWMarxist</a>) for Socialist Worker’s 200th birthday feature. To find out more about socialism and ways to get involved, check out Socialism 2018 , held in Chicago, July 5-8 (<a href="http://bit.ly/Socialism2018" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">bit.ly/Socialism2018</a>). The NYC ISO, DSA and Jacobin are hosting a meeting on the Lessons of the Teachers’ Revolt (<a href="http://bit.ly/LessonsTeachers" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">bit.ly/LessonsTeachers</a>) May 9th at Verso in NYC - you can watch the livestream at Jacobin's facebook page (<a href="http://bit.ly/JacobinFB" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">bit.ly/JacobinFB</a>). Music The Boy &amp; Sister Alma, “Lizard Eyes” (Dead Sea Captains Remix) DJ Mujava, “Township Funk,” <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uBNYjAhEsx4" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uBNYjAhEsx4</a> Amandla, “Sasol,” <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fu9N1U9fFY" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fu9N1U9fFY</a> Band Aid 1984, “Do They Know It’s Christmas?”, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjQzJAKxTrE" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjQzJAKxTrE</a> Seun Kuti, “IMF,” ft. M1 (from Dead Prez), <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fGcf3GODKE" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fGcf3GODKE</a> Y'en a Marre, “Dox ak sa Gox,” <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74YyD_SB33U" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74YyD_SB33U</a> Fela Kuti, “International Thief Thief (I.T.T.),” <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jptR_YwCs3o" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jptR_YwCs3o</a>

09: Happy B'day, Karl Marx; The New Scramble for Africa with Lee Wengraf

Aldo Cordeiro Sauda

32: Right turn in US politics, Aldo Cordeiro Sauda on Bolsonaro’s BrazilIn this week’s episode, we discuss Brazil’s President-elect Jair Bolsonaro with Brazilian socialist Aldo Cordeiro Sauda and U.S.-based socialist Todd Chretien. This weekend, in a terrifying development in international politics, Brazil’s neo-fascist Bolsonaro won the presidential elections. Since that time, the military has paraded openly through the streets, raided universities and raised the prospect of attacks on Brazil’s social movements and oppressed populations. Recorded just days before the October 28 election, we talk to Aldo and Todd about the background to Bolsonaro’s rise after 14 years of rule by the Workers Party (PT). Aldo identifies the constitutional coup against former President Dilma Rousseff as a turning point in the advance of the far right. We talk about why the ruling class has swung behind Bolsonaro and what the rise to power of a neo-fascist means for the left specifically. We end by talking about the labor and social movements, which still have real organization and power in Brazil, and how to build international solidarity with their struggles.Aldo Cordeiro Sauda is a journalist and activist in Brazil’s Party of Socialism and Liberation (PSOL). He also covered the Arab Spring for Estado de São Paulo and Folha de São Paulo and is currently a masters candidate in political science at the University of Campinas (UNICAMP).In our opener, we talk about the hard right turn in U.S. politics since the confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. This episode was recorded before the horrific massacre of at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, but the trends we identify make clear why such attacks are an inevitable product of this moment. We review the right-wing offensive — from Trump’s transphobic memo to the racist hysteria about the migrant caravan — and discuss how this can co-exist with a potential advance of the Democrats in the midterm elections, but also why that advance will not eliminate the basis for Trumpism.Links for this episode’s interview on Brazil:*Valério Arcary, a leading member of Resistência, a revolutionary socialist current inside the Party for Socialism and Freedom (PSOL), discusses the factors underlying an assessment of Bolsonaro as a neo-fascist in an article re-published at Socialist Worker (http://bit.ly/ArcarySW)*Aldo, along with Benjamin Fogel, discusses the role of the military in providing a base of support for Bolsonaro in an article for Jacobin (http://bit.ly/AldoJacobin)*Socialist Worker reprinted a statement of Resistência following the first round of Brazilian elections that analyzes the threats posed by Bolsonaro and charts a way forward for the left, labor and social movements (http://bit.ly/ResistenciaSW)*The Intercept has written on the reasons Wall Street is happy about a Bolsonaro victory (http://bit.ly/BrazilWallStreet) and has put together a piece explaining who Bolsonaro is using his own words (http://bit.ly/InterceptBolsonaro)Links for this episode’s opener on the right turn in US politics:*Nicole Colson discusses how Trump’s hate has unleashed the violence that has targeted Jews, Blacks and migrants in the last week and points to lessons of the anti-fascist movements of the past in an article for Socialist Worker (http://bit.ly/ColsonTrumpHateSW)*Our co-host Danny wrote a piece for Socialist Worker that assesses the phases of the Trump regime and what the sharpening backlash means for socialists (http://bit.ly/DannyTrumpEra)*Lance Selfa talks about the Trumpification of American politics and why a blue wave won’t erase the Trump stain in this article for Socialist Worker (http://bit.ly/TrumpificationSW)MusicThe Boy &amp; Sister Alma, “Lizard Eyes” (Dead Sea Captains Remix)Gil Scott-Heron, “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised”Chico Buarque, "Apesar de Você”Caetano Veloso, "Um Comunista”Elis Regina, "O Bêbado e a Equilibrista”Jorge Ben Jor, “Zumbi"

32: Right turn in US politics, Aldo Cordeiro Sauda on Bolsonaro’s Brazil In this week’s episode, we discuss Brazil’s President-elect Jair Bolsonaro with Brazilian socialist Aldo Cordeiro Sauda and U.S.-based socialist Todd Chretien. This weekend, in a terrifying development in international politics, Brazil’s neo-fascist Bolsonaro won the presidential elections. Since that time, the military has paraded openly through the streets, raided universities and raised the prospect of attacks on Brazil’s social movements and oppressed populations. Recorded just days before the October 28 election, we talk to Aldo and Todd about the background to Bolsonaro’s rise after 14 years of rule by the Workers Party (PT). Aldo identifies the constitutional coup against former President Dilma Rousseff as a turning point in the advance of the far right. We talk about why the ruling class has swung behind Bolsonaro and what the rise to power of a neo-fascist means for the left specifically. We end by talking about the labor and social movements, which still have real organization and power in Brazil, and how to build international solidarity with their struggles. Aldo Cordeiro Sauda is a journalist and activist in Brazil’s Party of Socialism and Liberation (PSOL). He also covered the Arab Spring for Estado de São Paulo and Folha de São Paulo and is currently a masters candidate in political science at the University of Campinas (UNICAMP). In our opener, we talk about the hard right turn in U.S. politics since the confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. This episode was recorded before the horrific massacre of at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, but the trends we identify make clear why such attacks are an inevitable product of this moment. We review the right-wing offensive — from Trump’s transphobic memo to the racist hysteria about the migrant caravan — and discuss how this can co-exist with a potential advance of the Democrats in the midterm elections, but also why that advance will not eliminate the basis for Trumpism. Links for this episode’s interview on Brazil: *Valério Arcary, a leading member of Resistência, a revolutionary socialist current inside the Party for Socialism and Freedom (PSOL), discusses the factors underlying an assessment of Bolsonaro as a neo-fascist in an article re-published at Socialist Worker (<a href="http://bit.ly/ArcarySW" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/ArcarySW</a>) *Aldo, along with Benjamin Fogel, discusses the role of the military in providing a base of support for Bolsonaro in an article for Jacobin (<a href="http://bit.ly/AldoJacobin" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/AldoJacobin</a>) *Socialist Worker reprinted a statement of Resistência following the first round of Brazilian elections that analyzes the threats posed by Bolsonaro and charts a way forward for the left, labor and social movements (<a href="http://bit.ly/ResistenciaSW" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/ResistenciaSW</a>) *The Intercept has written on the reasons Wall Street is happy about a Bolsonaro victory (<a href="http://bit.ly/BrazilWallStreet" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/BrazilWallStreet</a>) and has put together a piece explaining who Bolsonaro is using his own words (<a href="http://bit.ly/InterceptBolsonaro" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/InterceptBolsonaro</a>) Links for this episode’s opener on the right turn in US politics: *Nicole Colson discusses how Trump’s hate has unleashed the violence that has targeted Jews, Blacks and migrants in the last week and points to lessons of the anti-fascist movements of the past in an article for Socialist Worker (<a href="http://bit.ly/ColsonTrumpHateSW" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/ColsonTrumpHateSW</a>) *Our co-host Danny wrote a piece for Socialist Worker that assesses the phases of the Trump regime and what the sharpening backlash means for socialists (<a href="http://bit.ly/DannyTrumpEra" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/DannyTrumpEra</a>) *Lance Selfa talks about the Trumpification of American politics and why a blue wave won’t erase the Trump stain in this article for Socialist Worker (<a href="http://bit.ly/TrumpificationSW" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/TrumpificationSW</a>) Music The Boy &amp; Sister Alma, “Lizard Eyes” (Dead Sea Captains Remix) Gil Scott-Heron, “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised” Chico Buarque, "Apesar de Você” Caetano Veloso, "Um Comunista” Elis Regina, "O Bêbado e a Equilibrista” Jorge Ben Jor, “Zumbi"

32: Right turn in US politics, Aldo Cordeiro Sauda on Bolsonaro’s Brazil

Ashley Dawson

This week we talk to Ashley Dawson about capitalism and climate change. In our intro, we talk about the unfolding and cascading allegations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh — and what this says about the power of #MeToo.Ashley Dawson is a professor at the City University of New York and the author of many books, including Extinction: A Radical History and most recently Extreme Cities: The Peril and Promise of Urban Life in the Age of Climate Change. He is working on a new book about energy transition and energy democracy, and he's the founder of the Climate Action Lab.On the first anniversary of Hurricane Maria, we talked to Ashley about why storms are increasing in frequency and intensity as a result of climate change. We also discuss “climate apartheid” and how race, class and global inequalities shape how the effects of climate change are experienced. We talk about how Trump’s economic nationalism is fueling right-wing climate change denial — and why liberal, market-oriented solutions do not offer an alternative. Instead, Ashley points to the power of social movements, both in the global South and here in the U.S., to demand real reforms. Ultimately, however, saving the climate will require going beyond capitalism and linking the struggle for the environment to the fight for a socialist society organized on an entirely different basis.Links for this week’s interview:•	Ashley Dawson’s book, Extreme Cities, discusses why cities are ground zero for climate change and is available from Verso Books (http://bit.ly/ExtremeCities).•	In this Socialist Worker interview, Danny talked to Ashley about his book Extreme Cities and the impacts of flooding and hurricanes in urban areas (http://bit.ly/DawsonSW).•	Socialist Worker had recent coverage of Hurricane Florence’s impact on North Carolina’s poor (http://bit.ly/FlorenceSW) as well as a piece on the recovery and resistance in Puerto Rico a year after Maria (http://bit.ly/PuertoRicoRecoverySW).Links for this week’s intro:•	Socialist Worker editorial on what the fight against Kavanaugh’s nomination represents (http://bit.ly/KavanaughEditorialSW).•	Nicole Colson on #MeToo vs the Senate (http://bit.ly/MeToovsSenate).Music and audio for this episode:The Boy &amp; Sister Alma, “Lizard Eyes” (Dead Sea Captains Remix)Radiohead, “Creep”Lana del Rey, “Ultraviolence”Beastie Boys, “Time To Build”The Pixies, “Monkey Gone To Heaven”Marvin Gaye, “Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)”Talking Heads, “(Nothing But) Flowers”

This week we talk to Ashley Dawson about capitalism and climate change. In our intro, we talk about the unfolding and cascading allegations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh — and what this says about the power of #MeToo. Ashley Dawson is a professor at the City University of New York and the author of many books, including Extinction: A Radical History and most recently Extreme Cities: The Peril and Promise of Urban Life in the Age of Climate Change. He is working on a new book about energy transition and energy democracy, and he's the founder of the Climate Action Lab. On the first anniversary of Hurricane Maria, we talked to Ashley about why storms are increasing in frequency and intensity as a result of climate change. We also discuss “climate apartheid” and how race, class and global inequalities shape how the effects of climate change are experienced. We talk about how Trump’s economic nationalism is fueling right-wing climate change denial — and why liberal, market-oriented solutions do not offer an alternative. Instead, Ashley points to the power of social movements, both in the global South and here in the U.S., to demand real reforms. Ultimately, however, saving the climate will require going beyond capitalism and linking the struggle for the environment to the fight for a socialist society organized on an entirely different basis. Links for this week’s interview: •	Ashley Dawson’s book, Extreme Cities, discusses why cities are ground zero for climate change and is available from Verso Books (<a href="http://bit.ly/ExtremeCities" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/ExtremeCities</a>). •	In this Socialist Worker interview, Danny talked to Ashley about his book Extreme Cities and the impacts of flooding and hurricanes in urban areas (<a href="http://bit.ly/DawsonSW" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/DawsonSW</a>). •	Socialist Worker had recent coverage of Hurricane Florence’s impact on North Carolina’s poor (<a href="http://bit.ly/FlorenceSW" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/FlorenceSW</a>) as well as a piece on the recovery and resistance in Puerto Rico a year after Maria (<a href="http://bit.ly/PuertoRicoRecoverySW" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/PuertoRicoRecoverySW</a>). Links for this week’s intro: •	Socialist Worker editorial on what the fight against Kavanaugh’s nomination represents (<a href="http://bit.ly/KavanaughEditorialSW" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/KavanaughEditorialSW</a>). •	Nicole Colson on #MeToo vs the Senate (<a href="http://bit.ly/MeToovsSenate" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/MeToovsSenate</a>). Music and audio for this episode: The Boy &amp; Sister Alma, “Lizard Eyes” (Dead Sea Captains Remix) Radiohead, “Creep” Lana del Rey, “Ultraviolence” Beastie Boys, “Time To Build” The Pixies, “Monkey Gone To Heaven” Marvin Gaye, “Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)” Talking Heads, “(Nothing But) Flowers”

27: #MeToo vs Kavanaugh; Ashley Dawson on Climate Change and Capitalism

18: Justin Akers Chacón on the violence of bordersWith Jen out of town, Episode 3 guest Lupita Romero steps in to join Danny in a conversation with Justin Akers Chacón, a San Diego-based professor of U.S. History and Chicano Studies, and author of two new books: Radicals in the Barrio, about the history of Mexican and Mexican American working class revolutionaries; and an updated version of No One is Illegal, Justin’s important 2006 book with Mike Davis about fighting oppression in the American Southwest. On top of all that, Justin is a longtime organizer of cross-border solidarity efforts for workers in both Mexico and the U.S., so we ended up having not one but two conversations. We’ll release our discussion of Radicals in the Barrio in the coming weeks. This week, you’ll hear our conversation about the U.S.-Mexico border, which Justin describes to us as both “political theater” and an increasingly deadly reality. We also talk about immigration politics, and how the enforcement-heavy debates in Washington have generally taken place several steps to the right of where public sentiment actually stands—except in those moments like the enormous marches in 2006, when immigrants and their supporters forced themselves onto the public stage. Justin argues that today we might be seeing the rise of another such moment with the rapid spread of calls to abolish ICE and move past the dead-end negotiations for bipartisan “immigration reform.”In our opening segment, our producer Eric joins Lupita and Danny for a conversation about socialism: the concept and the conference. Since the primary victory of democratic socialist Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (which Jen and Eric discussed in Episode 17), a surge of people have gone online to look up definitions of socialism. We discuss what’s wrong with the definition they find in the dictionary, and how the recent Socialism 2018 conference showed signs of a U.S. left that’s taking steps toward becoming a force than help a new generation give socialism a better name.  Links for this episode: •	Justin’s new book: Radicals in the Barrio: Magonistas, Socialists, Wobblies, and Communists in the Mexican-American Working Class (http://bit.ly/RadicalsBarrio) •	Justin’s updated version of No One is Illegal: Fighting Racism and State Violence on the U.S.-Mexico Border (http://bit.ly/NoOneIllegal)•	Justin’s article written at the beginning of the Trump campaign, “Capitalism and the new brown scare” (http://bit.ly/NewBrownScare)•	“Life and death on the border” (http://bit.ly/LifeDeathBorder), a series of Socialist Worker articles written in 2011 by Justin, our producer Eric Ruder and Nohelia Ramos as they travelled the border from California to Texas. •	“The new abolitionism” (http://bit.ly/AbolichICEDemand), Danny’s article on the importance of demand to abolish ICE. From our opening segment, here are a few audio and video links to sessions from the Socialism 2018 conference: •	Video from the evening plenary, “Workers Strike Back: Lessons of the Teachers’ Rebellion” (http://bit.ly/TeachersStrikePlenary)•	Audio from “Future of the Socialist Left”, a discussion between Jen and Ella Mahony of DSA, moderated by Jason Farbman (http://bit.ly/FutureSocialistLeft)•	Audio from Eva Maria’s talk: “Did Socialism Fail in Venezuela?” (http://bit.ly/SocialismVenezuela)Music and Audio for this episodeThe Boy &amp; Sister Alma, “Lizard Eyes” (Dead Sea Captains Remix)Las Cafeteras, "Trabajador Trabajadora" La Santa Cecilia, “El Hielo (ICE)” Woody Guthrie, “This Land Is Your Land” Los Jornaleros Del Norte, "Serenata A Un Indocumentado" Los Tigres Del Norte, "Tres Veces Mojado"

18: Justin Akers Chacón on the violence of borders With Jen out of town, Episode 3 guest Lupita Romero steps in to join Danny in a conversation with Justin Akers Chacón, a San Diego-based professor of U.S. History and Chicano Studies, and author of two new books: Radicals in the Barrio, about the history of Mexican and Mexican American working class revolutionaries; and an updated version of No One is Illegal, Justin’s important 2006 book with Mike Davis about fighting oppression in the American Southwest. On top of all that, Justin is a longtime organizer of cross-border solidarity efforts for workers in both Mexico and the U.S., so we ended up having not one but two conversations. We’ll release our discussion of Radicals in the Barrio in the coming weeks. This week, you’ll hear our conversation about the U.S.-Mexico border, which Justin describes to us as both “political theater” and an increasingly deadly reality. We also talk about immigration politics, and how the enforcement-heavy debates in Washington have generally taken place several steps to the right of where public sentiment actually stands—except in those moments like the enormous marches in 2006, when immigrants and their supporters forced themselves onto the public stage. Justin argues that today we might be seeing the rise of another such moment with the rapid spread of calls to abolish ICE and move past the dead-end negotiations for bipartisan “immigration reform.” In our opening segment, our producer Eric joins Lupita and Danny for a conversation about socialism: the concept and the conference. Since the primary victory of democratic socialist Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (which Jen and Eric discussed in Episode 17), a surge of people have gone online to look up definitions of socialism. We discuss what’s wrong with the definition they find in the dictionary, and how the recent Socialism 2018 conference showed signs of a U.S. left that’s taking steps toward becoming a force than help a new generation give socialism a better name. Links for this episode: •	Justin’s new book: Radicals in the Barrio: Magonistas, Socialists, Wobblies, and Communists in the Mexican-American Working Class (<a href="http://bit.ly/RadicalsBarrio" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/RadicalsBarrio</a>) •	Justin’s updated version of No One is Illegal: Fighting Racism and State Violence on the U.S.-Mexico Border (<a href="http://bit.ly/NoOneIllegal" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/NoOneIllegal</a>) •	Justin’s article written at the beginning of the Trump campaign, “Capitalism and the new brown scare” (<a href="http://bit.ly/NewBrownScare" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/NewBrownScare</a>) •	“Life and death on the border” (<a href="http://bit.ly/LifeDeathBorder" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/LifeDeathBorder</a>), a series of Socialist Worker articles written in 2011 by Justin, our producer Eric Ruder and Nohelia Ramos as they travelled the border from California to Texas. •	“The new abolitionism” (<a href="http://bit.ly/AbolichICEDemand" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/AbolichICEDemand</a>), Danny’s article on the importance of demand to abolish ICE. From our opening segment, here are a few audio and video links to sessions from the Socialism 2018 conference: •	Video from the evening plenary, “Workers Strike Back: Lessons of the Teachers’ Rebellion” (<a href="http://bit.ly/TeachersStrikePlenary" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/TeachersStrikePlenary</a>) •	Audio from “Future of the Socialist Left”, a discussion between Jen and Ella Mahony of DSA, moderated by Jason Farbman (<a href="http://bit.ly/FutureSocialistLeft" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/FutureSocialistLeft</a>) •	Audio from Eva Maria’s talk: “Did Socialism Fail in Venezuela?” (<a href="http://bit.ly/SocialismVenezuela" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/SocialismVenezuela</a>) Music and Audio for this episode The Boy &amp; Sister Alma, “Lizard Eyes” (Dead Sea Captains Remix) Las Cafeteras, "Trabajador Trabajadora" La Santa Cecilia, “El Hielo (ICE)” Woody Guthrie, “This Land Is Your Land” Los Jornaleros Del Norte, "Serenata A Un Indocumentado" Los Tigres Del Norte, "Tres Veces Mojado"

18: Justin Akers Chacón on the violence of borders

Sharon Smith

19: SCOTUS vs Roe; Sharon Smith on intersectionality This week, Sharon Smith joins us to talk about a Marxist approach to intersectionality, why socialists should embrace the concept, and what Marxism has to offer activists who want to fight all forms of oppression and exploitation. Sharon is the author of Women and Socialism: Class, Race and Capital (http://bit.ly/WomenandSocialism) and Subterranean Fire: A History of Working Class Radicalism in the United States (http://bit.ly/SubteranneanFire).Sharon begins her discussion with us by rooting the concept of intersectionality in the long history of Black feminism -- going back to Sojourner Truth -- and tracing its evolution through the Combahee River Collective. We go on to discuss the different theories that have deployed the concept of intersectionality -- contrasting postmodern politics of difference with the emerging politics of solidarity today.We then talk about why Marxism is important for understanding where the power lies to challenge exploitation and oppression. Sharon also talks about how many working class struggles in recent years have directly addressed issues of oppression. She talks about how this new instinct towards solidarity is creating a potential for a much stronger working class and socialist movement. In our intro, we talk about the announcement by Justice Kennedy that he will be retiring from the Supreme Court and the threat that a new Trump appointment poses for Roe v. Wade and the fight for abortion rights. We talk about Trump’s top pick, Brett Kavanaugh, and how he has been endorsed by the Federalist Society. We talk about why it’s important to wage an all-out fight against any Trump nominee, but also why we need to rebuild a militant abortion rights movement regardless of who is on the Supreme Court. Finally, we discuss the history of how Roe was won in the first place -- under Nixon and with a Republican-dominated Supreme Court.Links for this episode:Sharon’s article in Socialist Worker on the Marxist case for intersectionality (http://bit.ly/SharonSW)Sharon’s talk at Socialism 2015 on Marxism and intersectionality (http://bit.ly/SharonSocialism)Video of a panel at Socialism 2017 on the 40th anniversary of the Combahee River Collective, featuring Demita Frazier, Barbara Ransby, Barbara Smith, Sharon Smith and Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor (http://bit.ly/CombaheeS17)How We Get Free: Black Feminism and the Combahee River Collective (Haymarket Books), edited by Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor (http://bit.ly/HaymarketCombahee)Links for our intro on the Supreme Court and Roe:Socialist Worker article, Without struggle, there is no Roe by Michelle Farber and Elizabeth Schulte (http://bit.ly/RoeSW)Report on plans for a protest to pressure Susan Collins to vote no on Kavanaugh (http://bit.ly/CollinsProtest)Episode 13 of this podcast, on abortion without apology (http://bit.ly/AbortionNoApology)Music for this episode:The Boy &amp; Sister Alma, “Lizard Eyes” (Dead Sea Captains Remix)Cat Power, “Nude As The News”Digable Planets, “La Femme Fetal”Beyoncé, “Freedom” (International Day of the Girl)Sam Dew, “Victor”Queen Latifah, “U.N.I.T.Y.”

19: SCOTUS vs Roe; Sharon Smith on intersectionality This week, Sharon Smith joins us to talk about a Marxist approach to intersectionality, why socialists should embrace the concept, and what Marxism has to offer activists who want to fight all forms of oppression and exploitation. Sharon is the author of Women and Socialism: Class, Race and Capital (<a href="http://bit.ly/WomenandSocialism" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/WomenandSocialism</a>) and Subterranean Fire: A History of Working Class Radicalism in the United States (<a href="http://bit.ly/SubteranneanFire" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/SubteranneanFire</a>). Sharon begins her discussion with us by rooting the concept of intersectionality in the long history of Black feminism -- going back to Sojourner Truth -- and tracing its evolution through the Combahee River Collective. We go on to discuss the different theories that have deployed the concept of intersectionality -- contrasting postmodern politics of difference with the emerging politics of solidarity today. We then talk about why Marxism is important for understanding where the power lies to challenge exploitation and oppression. Sharon also talks about how many working class struggles in recent years have directly addressed issues of oppression. She talks about how this new instinct towards solidarity is creating a potential for a much stronger working class and socialist movement. In our intro, we talk about the announcement by Justice Kennedy that he will be retiring from the Supreme Court and the threat that a new Trump appointment poses for Roe v. Wade and the fight for abortion rights. We talk about Trump’s top pick, Brett Kavanaugh, and how he has been endorsed by the Federalist Society. We talk about why it’s important to wage an all-out fight against any Trump nominee, but also why we need to rebuild a militant abortion rights movement regardless of who is on the Supreme Court. Finally, we discuss the history of how Roe was won in the first place -- under Nixon and with a Republican-dominated Supreme Court. Links for this episode: Sharon’s article in Socialist Worker on the Marxist case for intersectionality (<a href="http://bit.ly/SharonSW" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/SharonSW</a>) Sharon’s talk at Socialism 2015 on Marxism and intersectionality (<a href="http://bit.ly/SharonSocialism" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/SharonSocialism</a>) Video of a panel at Socialism 2017 on the 40th anniversary of the Combahee River Collective, featuring Demita Frazier, Barbara Ransby, Barbara Smith, Sharon Smith and Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor (<a href="http://bit.ly/CombaheeS17" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/CombaheeS17</a>) How We Get Free: Black Feminism and the Combahee River Collective (Haymarket Books), edited by Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor (<a href="http://bit.ly/HaymarketCombahee" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/HaymarketCombahee</a>) Links for our intro on the Supreme Court and Roe: Socialist Worker article, Without struggle, there is no Roe by Michelle Farber and Elizabeth Schulte (<a href="http://bit.ly/RoeSW" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/RoeSW</a>) Report on plans for a protest to pressure Susan Collins to vote no on Kavanaugh (<a href="http://bit.ly/CollinsProtest" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/CollinsProtest</a>) Episode 13 of this podcast, on abortion without apology (<a href="http://bit.ly/AbortionNoApology" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/AbortionNoApology</a>) Music for this episode: The Boy &amp; Sister Alma, “Lizard Eyes” (Dead Sea Captains Remix) Cat Power, “Nude As The News” Digable Planets, “La Femme Fetal” Beyoncé, “Freedom” (International Day of the Girl) Sam Dew, “Victor” Queen Latifah, “U.N.I.T.Y.”

19: SCOTUS vs Roe; Sharon Smith on intersectionality

Naomi Klein

The author of The Shock Doctrine, No is Not Enough, and This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. The Climate sits down with us to discuss her new book The Battle for Paradise: Puerto Rico Takes on the Disaster Capitalists (http://bit.ly/BattleParaidise). Naomi talks about Wall Street investors’ view of post-hurricane Puerto Rico as a potential “blank canvas” to host their various schemes, and puts this in the context of a long colonial history of U.S. attempts to depopulate the island—including through mass sterilization—in order to overcome the impressive resistance of Puerto Ricans. She also spoke with us about the daily shocks of life under Trump, and the urgent need for political education for people to understand where these attacks are coming from and overcome the prevailing sense of disorientation. In our opener, Jen and Danny talked about the debunking of the famous “Marshmallow Study” that many claimed could predict your future based on whether you can wait 15 minutes for a treat as a 4-year-old (http://bit.ly/MarshmallowStudy). And we gushed for a bit about the terrific new website for Socialist Worker (http://bit.ly/NewSocialistWorker). LinksGet a copy of The Battle for Paradise in English (http://bit.ly/BattleParaidise) or Spanish (http://bit.ly/SpanishPR).All royalties go directly to JunteGente (http://bit.ly/JunteGente), a gathering of Puerto Rican organizations resisting disaster capitalism and advancing a fair and healthy recovery for their island. Learn more about the campaign to audit Puerto Rico’s debt (http://bit.ly/auditPRdebt). Check out the video of Naomi’s recent event in New York City with a number of Puerto Rican activists (http://bit.ly/CooperUnionevent).Also check out No is Not Enough: Resisting Trump's Shock Politics and Winning the World We Need (http://bit.ly/NKNoNotEnough). Follow Naomi Klein at her website (http://bit.ly/NaomiKleinsite) and at The Intercept (http://bit.ly/NKIntercept).    And check out the video of Naomi speaking with a number of other activists at last year’s Anti-Inauguration (http://bit.ly/AntiInauguration). Finally check out some of Socialist Worker’s coverage of Puerto Rico’s: •	resistance to colonialism (http://bit.ly/PRcolony)•	debt crisis (http://bit.ly/DebtBeforeStorm)•	teachers union (http://bit.ly/MercedezMartinez)•	May Day protest (http://bit.ly/PRMayDay)Music in this episodeThe Boy &amp; Sister Alma, “Lizard Eyes” (Dead Sea Captains Remix)Ella Fitzgerald and Bing Crosby, “Marshmallow World”Calle 13, “Baile De Los Pobres”Hector Lavoe, “Juanito Alimaña”Andrés Jiménez, “Despierta Boricua”Tito Puente, “Five Beat Mambo”

The author of The Shock Doctrine, No is Not Enough, and This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. The Climate sits down with us to discuss her new book The Battle for Paradise: Puerto Rico Takes on the Disaster Capitalists (<a href="http://bit.ly/BattleParaidise" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/BattleParaidise</a>). Naomi talks about Wall Street investors’ view of post-hurricane Puerto Rico as a potential “blank canvas” to host their various schemes, and puts this in the context of a long colonial history of U.S. attempts to depopulate the island—including through mass sterilization—in order to overcome the impressive resistance of Puerto Ricans. She also spoke with us about the daily shocks of life under Trump, and the urgent need for political education for people to understand where these attacks are coming from and overcome the prevailing sense of disorientation. In our opener, Jen and Danny talked about the debunking of the famous “Marshmallow Study” that many claimed could predict your future based on whether you can wait 15 minutes for a treat as a 4-year-old (<a href="http://bit.ly/MarshmallowStudy" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/MarshmallowStudy</a>). And we gushed for a bit about the terrific new website for Socialist Worker (<a href="http://bit.ly/NewSocialistWorker" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/NewSocialistWorker</a>). Links Get a copy of The Battle for Paradise in English (<a href="http://bit.ly/BattleParaidise" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/BattleParaidise</a>) or Spanish (<a href="http://bit.ly/SpanishPR" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/SpanishPR</a>). All royalties go directly to JunteGente (<a href="http://bit.ly/JunteGente" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/JunteGente</a>), a gathering of Puerto Rican organizations resisting disaster capitalism and advancing a fair and healthy recovery for their island. Learn more about the campaign to audit Puerto Rico’s debt (<a href="http://bit.ly/auditPRdebt" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/auditPRdebt</a>). Check out the video of Naomi’s recent event in New York City with a number of Puerto Rican activists (<a href="http://bit.ly/CooperUnionevent" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/CooperUnionevent</a>). Also check out No is Not Enough: Resisting Trump's Shock Politics and Winning the World We Need (<a href="http://bit.ly/NKNoNotEnough" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/NKNoNotEnough</a>). Follow Naomi Klein at her website (<a href="http://bit.ly/NaomiKleinsite" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/NaomiKleinsite</a>) and at The Intercept (<a href="http://bit.ly/NKIntercept" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/NKIntercept</a>). And check out the video of Naomi speaking with a number of other activists at last year’s Anti-Inauguration (<a href="http://bit.ly/AntiInauguration" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/AntiInauguration</a>). Finally check out some of Socialist Worker’s coverage of Puerto Rico’s: •	resistance to colonialism (<a href="http://bit.ly/PRcolony" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/PRcolony</a>) •	debt crisis (<a href="http://bit.ly/DebtBeforeStorm" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/DebtBeforeStorm</a>) •	teachers union (<a href="http://bit.ly/MercedezMartinez" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/MercedezMartinez</a>) •	May Day protest (<a href="http://bit.ly/PRMayDay" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/PRMayDay</a>) Music in this episode The Boy &amp; Sister Alma, “Lizard Eyes” (Dead Sea Captains Remix) Ella Fitzgerald and Bing Crosby, “Marshmallow World” Calle 13, “Baile De Los Pobres” Hector Lavoe, “Juanito Alimaña” Andrés Jiménez, “Despierta Boricua” Tito Puente, “Five Beat Mambo”

14: Naomi Klein on the battle for Puerto Rico and life under Trump

Sarah Jaffe

This week we talked to socialist journalist Sarah Jaffe about the U.S. working class—real and perceived. Sarah is the author of Necessary Trouble: Americans in Revolt (http://bit.ly/Jaffebook) and the co-host of the Belabored Podcast (http://bit.ly/BelaboredPod). She’s a regular contributor to The New Republic, The Nation and many other progressive publications and her work is increasingly in shmancy places like the New York Times. She’s a hardworking uncompromising radical who’s paid her dues and is finding a wider audience. Sarah has smart things to say about issues like gender as well as class, and how they in fact can’t be separated. So we did something different for our tenth episode and invited our interview guest to join us for our opening discussion about the latest devastating revelations of sexual assaults from high profile figures, and the ways that the #MeToo moment continues to pose challenges both the powerful and new questions for those trying to build collective movements against their power.   Sarah’s website (/http://bit.ly/Jaffesite) has info about her book, articles, podcast and upcoming appearances. To follow up on our discussion of #MeToo, check out Sarah’s Dissent article “The Collective Power of #MeToo” (http://bit.ly/CollectiveMeToo), Ronan Farrow and Jane Meyer’s New Yorker detailed story about the allegations of abuse against New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman (http://bit.ly/Schneidermanabuse), and Alianza Nacional de Campesinas statement (http://bit.ly/AlianzaCampesinas) issued in solidarity with Hollywood actresses from farmworkers that Sarah credits with helping to transform #MeToo into an actual movement.  For more on the accounts of author Junot Díaz’s abuse and abusive behavior, check out Díaz’s “The Silence: The Legacy of Childhood Trauma” (http://bit.ly/Diazstory) and Aya de Leon’s “Reconciling Rage and Compassion: The Unfolding #MeTooMoment and Junot Díaz” (http://bit.ly/AyadeLeon). Finally, you really should check out Gina Haspel Shatters the Glass Ceiling! (http://bit.ly/PiaGuerra), the Pia Guerra cartoon in The Nib that Sarah referenced about the war criminal  being nominated for CIA director.  In our conversation about the working class we referenced these articles: At the top of the discussion, we talked about Sarah’s New Republic “The Struggle to Stay Middle Class” (http://bit.ly/StruggleMiddleClass) about the teacher strikes and class consciousness since the Great Recession. Some of Sarah’s other articles that relate to our discussion are her Guardian piece about home care workers (http://bit.ly/homecareworkers) who will lose their jobs if Medicaid cuts go through and her New Republic piece about how “welfare” is a racist buzzword deployed to justify cutting any number of social programs (http://bit.ly/Jaffewelfare). For more on Sarah’s comment on Democrats like Andrew Cuomo having Republican policies toward public sector workers, check out Danny’s Socialist Worker article criticizing the United Federation of Teachers’ endorsement of Cuomo (http://bit.ly/CuomoBlues). Finally, we talked about the Socialism 2018 conference (bit.ly/Socialism2018), where Sarah will be interviewing Francis Fox Piven, author of the classic Poor People’s Movements: Why The Succeed, How They Fail (http://bit.ly/PoorPeoplesMovements). At the Socialism conference you can also see Jen talking about “From Apathy to Rebellion: What Makes Workers Fight?”, Eric on “Marxists, Elections and the State”, and Danny on gun violence and gun control.The Boy &amp; Sister Alma, “Lizard Eyes” (Dead Sea Captains Remix) Jamila Woods, “Blk Girl Soldier”X Ray Spex, “Oh Bondage, Up Yours!”Bikini Kill, “Liar”Dolly Parton, “9 to 5”Alan Jackson, “A Hard Hat and a Hammer”Sarah Jones, “Your Revolution”Janelle Monae, “American”Audio of Tarana Burke (founder of the “Me Too” movement) and  Mily Treviño-Sauceda (National Alliance of Women Farmworkers) interviewed on Democracy Now!

This week we talked to socialist journalist Sarah Jaffe about the U.S. working class—real and perceived. Sarah is the author of Necessary Trouble: Americans in Revolt (<a href="http://bit.ly/Jaffebook" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/Jaffebook</a>) and the co-host of the Belabored Podcast (<a href="http://bit.ly/BelaboredPod" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/BelaboredPod</a>). She’s a regular contributor to The New Republic, The Nation and many other progressive publications and her work is increasingly in shmancy places like the New York Times. She’s a hardworking uncompromising radical who’s paid her dues and is finding a wider audience. Sarah has smart things to say about issues like gender as well as class, and how they in fact can’t be separated. So we did something different for our tenth episode and invited our interview guest to join us for our opening discussion about the latest devastating revelations of sexual assaults from high profile figures, and the ways that the #MeToo moment continues to pose challenges both the powerful and new questions for those trying to build collective movements against their power. Sarah’s website (/<a href="http://bit.ly/Jaffesite" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/Jaffesite</a>) has info about her book, articles, podcast and upcoming appearances. To follow up on our discussion of #MeToo, check out Sarah’s Dissent article “The Collective Power of #MeToo” (<a href="http://bit.ly/CollectiveMeToo" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/CollectiveMeToo</a>), Ronan Farrow and Jane Meyer’s New Yorker detailed story about the allegations of abuse against New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman (<a href="http://bit.ly/Schneidermanabuse" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/Schneidermanabuse</a>), and Alianza Nacional de Campesinas statement (<a href="http://bit.ly/AlianzaCampesinas" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/AlianzaCampesinas</a>) issued in solidarity with Hollywood actresses from farmworkers that Sarah credits with helping to transform #MeToo into an actual movement. For more on the accounts of author Junot Díaz’s abuse and abusive behavior, check out Díaz’s “The Silence: The Legacy of Childhood Trauma” (<a href="http://bit.ly/Diazstory" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/Diazstory</a>) and Aya de Leon’s “Reconciling Rage and Compassion: The Unfolding #MeTooMoment and Junot Díaz” (<a href="http://bit.ly/AyadeLeon" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/AyadeLeon</a>). Finally, you really should check out Gina Haspel Shatters the Glass Ceiling! (<a href="http://bit.ly/PiaGuerra" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/PiaGuerra</a>), the Pia Guerra cartoon in The Nib that Sarah referenced about the war criminal being nominated for CIA director. In our conversation about the working class we referenced these articles: At the top of the discussion, we talked about Sarah’s New Republic “The Struggle to Stay Middle Class” (<a href="http://bit.ly/StruggleMiddleClass" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/StruggleMiddleClass</a>) about the teacher strikes and class consciousness since the Great Recession. Some of Sarah’s other articles that relate to our discussion are her Guardian piece about home care workers (<a href="http://bit.ly/homecareworkers" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/homecareworkers</a>) who will lose their jobs if Medicaid cuts go through and her New Republic piece about how “welfare” is a racist buzzword deployed to justify cutting any number of social programs (<a href="http://bit.ly/Jaffewelfare" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/Jaffewelfare</a>). For more on Sarah’s comment on Democrats like Andrew Cuomo having Republican policies toward public sector workers, check out Danny’s Socialist Worker article criticizing the United Federation of Teachers’ endorsement of Cuomo (<a href="http://bit.ly/CuomoBlues" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/CuomoBlues</a>). Finally, we talked about the Socialism 2018 conference (<a href="http://bit.ly/Socialism2018" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">bit.ly/Socialism2018</a>), where Sarah will be interviewing Francis Fox Piven, author of the classic Poor People’s Movements: Why The Succeed, How They Fail (<a href="http://bit.ly/PoorPeoplesMovements" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/PoorPeoplesMovements</a>). At the Socialism conference you can also see Jen talking about “From Apathy to Rebellion: What Makes Workers Fight?”, Eric on “Marxists, Elections and the State”, and Danny on gun violence and gun control. The Boy &amp; Sister Alma, “Lizard Eyes” (Dead Sea Captains Remix) Jamila Woods, “Blk Girl Soldier” X Ray Spex, “Oh Bondage, Up Yours!” Bikini Kill, “Liar” Dolly Parton, “9 to 5” Alan Jackson, “A Hard Hat and a Hammer” Sarah Jones, “Your Revolution” Janelle Monae, “American” Audio of Tarana Burke (founder of the “Me Too” movement) and Mily Treviño-Sauceda (National Alliance of Women Farmworkers) interviewed on Democracy Now!

10: Sarah Jaffe, #MeToo, Gender, and the Working Class

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