Podcast Episodes

Stonks - 348

Episode 358

What the heck is going on with the economy and the markets? We've got financial expert George Pearkes on to discuss tariffs, stocks, whether the bond market is blowing up, and the economy writ large.

Published on 5 months, 3 weeks ago

Late Star Trek - 347 PREVIEW

Episode 357

Today we are speaking with professor Adam Kotsko about his new book Late Star Trek: The Final Frontier in the Franchise Era. Why Trek so successful and beloved through the 1990s, why have the recent …

Published on 5 months, 4 weeks ago

Abundance Incoherence - 346

Episode 356

Today we have Matt Bruenig of the People's Policy Project, NLRB Edge, and The Bruenigs podcast on to talk about Ezra Klein's and Derek Thompson's book Abundance. We discuss the strengths and accuraci…

Published on 6 months ago

How the Union Movement Can Rebuild - 345 EXCERPT

Episode 355

Today we are talking with Professor Eric Blanc about his book We Are the Union: How Worker-to-Worker Organizing Is Revitalizing Labor and Winning Big. It's all about how innovative organizers have ma…

Published on 6 months, 1 week ago

Trump's Assault on Universities - 344

Episode 343

Today we are bringing back David Austin Walsh to talk about the Trump/Musk attack on American higher education--not just DEI programs, but advanced science and research of any kind. Why are they doin…

Published on 6 months, 2 weeks ago

The Power of Propaganda with Hannah Arendt - 220 UNLOCKED

Episode 354

Ryan is on vacation this week, so here's an episode from the archives.

Today we're discussing the article "Truth and Politics" by Hannah Arendt. We talk about her idea that truth has both a weakness …

Published on 6 months, 3 weeks ago

The Failure of Constitutional Theory - 343

Episode 353

Today we are talking to Harvard Law Professor Mark Tushnet about his book Who Am I to Judge: Judicial Craft versus Constitution Theory. It’s common today for Supreme Court justices to outline a theor…

Published on 7 months ago

The Biggest Asshole in History PREVIEW

Episode 352

Today we are discussing the book Assholes: A Theory, by Aaron James. It turns out there are important distinctions between the asshole, the douchebag, the jerk, and the psychopath, and they are highl…

Published on 7 months, 1 week ago

The Tech Oligarch Consent Machine - 341

Episode 351

This time we've got Eoin Higgins on to talk about his book Owned: How Tech Billionaires on the Right Bought the Loudest Voices on the Left. He uses Glenn Greenwald and Matt Taibbi as case studies in …

Published on 7 months, 2 weeks ago

The Elon Musk Coup - 340 PREVIEW

Episode 350

This time we are taking a step back to consider just what is going on with shadow president Musk and his gang of thugs seizing control of core government functions. It's important, we feel, to foregr…

Published on 7 months, 4 weeks ago