There is a class in this country that reeks of obscene wealth. From mansions in Beverly Hills and the Hamptons, they fly around in their private jets and sail the seas in their luxury yachts. Left behind are countless millions who are subjected to austerity programs and lectures about hard work. The rise, not just in the U.S., but globally, of right-wing politics is fueled by economic inequality. Goebbels was Hitler’s minister of propaganda. He always insisted that it was a mistake to rely on logic and facts to manipulate people. The skilled propagandist, he said, must focus on emotions, not reason. Everything must be depicted in simple terms and constantly repeated. Resentment is a powerful force. We see it in today’s politics.

The right-wing war on education is well-documented. The battleground extends from elementary and middle school all the way up to Harvard and Columbia. Books have been cut from curricula and pulled from school library shelves. Teachers have been fired. Schools that teach critical race theory and diversity, equity, and inclusion are being threatened with defunding. The radical right wants to control what is being taught. They want to turn the educational system into an indoctrination machine. Their goal includes plans to abolish the Department of Education. Students who peacefully protest and exercise their First Amendment rights have been, in some cases, suspended, expelled, and even denied their diplomas. Some international students have had their visas cancelled and may face deportation. Jesse Hagopian says what’s at stake is the freedom to expose injustice and to tell the truth.

Separated by decades, the U.S. war in Vietnam and the Israeli war in Gaza are very different. Vietnam had support from China and the Soviet Union. The Palestinians have no allies. The sheer scale of the U.S. assault on not only Vietnam but Cambodia and Laos as well immeasurably dwarfs the death toll Israel is exacting in Gaza. In both wars, there was massive use of airpower. It didn’t work in Vietnam, and it’s not working in Gaza. On the home front, it took years for people to protest the U.S. war. In the case of Gaza, it was almost immediate, and it continues. Media coverage was also different. Vietnam was famously called “the living room war.” Israel has banned journalists from reporting in Gaza but most of our stalwarts of the Fourth Estate have remained silent.

Indigenous peoples often see themselves as an integral part of nature, not separate from it, and recognize the interconnectedness of all living beings and nature. Indigenous perspectives on the rights of nature emphasize a deep spiritual bond with the natural world, viewing it as a sacred entity and an essential part of their cultural and social fabric. Many Indigenous cultures believe that nature has inherent rights and that humans have responsibilities to respect, protect and maintain the health of the environment for the well-being of future generations.  Indigenous communities are increasingly at the forefront of the rights of nature movement, working to incorporate their values and beliefs into legal frameworks and policies.

The founding principles of public broadcasting urged that programming serve as “a forum for debate and controversy” and “provide a voice for groups that may otherwise be unheard.” Ever since its inception, public broadcasting in the U.S. has been a lightning rod for political attack. The Nixon administration was the first to launch the canard that the system was biased in favor of liberals. The Corporation for Public Broadcasting, CPB, partially funds public TV and radio stations. In mid-July 2025, Congress, by razor-thin margins, voted to eliminate previously approved funding for CPB. This action will negatively impact hundreds of public TV and radio stations. Staff will be laid off, programs will be discontinued, and some stations may go off the air.

Today, India and Israel have forged an alliance. It wasn’t always that way. India became independent in 1947. Its first prime minister, Nehru, positioned his country as a champion of the Palestinian cause. As the leader of the non-aligned movement, India’s stance on Palestine had great influence among other post-colonial nations. In the 1990s, that shifted. India moved into the U.S. orbit and embraced neoliberalism. And at the same time, it moved closer to Israel. It was said if India wanted to be close to the U.S., it had to reshape its critical policy towards Israel. And that they did. The two countries have something in common: India’s military occupation and domination of Kashmiris and Israel’s military occupation and domination of Palestinians. And India, under the Modi Hindutva, Hindu nationalist regime, is the world's largest buyer of Israeli weapons. Israel, in return, buys weapons from India. Recorded at Simon Fraser University, Harbour Centre, Vancouver, BC

In a time of polarized politics, independent community media plays an increasingly important role. Big media are owned and controlled by large corporations. Their salient interest? To make as much profit as possible for their shareholders. That is its political economy. Given that acute limitation, it makes it difficult for most people to get information that challenges mainstream perspectives. By featuring diverse voices and views that are largely excluded, community-based media provide an alternative to corporate McNews.

A vibrant media is the oxygen of a living democracy. When the media are dominated by a handful of big corporations, citizens of a democracy are on a respirator gasping for air. James Madison, founding father, understood this well when he said, "A popular government without popular information, or the means of acquiring it, is but the prologue to a farce or a tragedy or perhaps both. Knowledge will forever govern ignorance, and a people who mean to be their own governors must arm themselves with the power that knowledge gives." Today, media reform, once thought to be impossible, is an important issue. A growing grassroots movement is demanding change.

Authoritarianism can't happen here, you say. Look around. Open your eyes. No one is safe. Dissent is being criminalized. People are being arrested without due process. When Trump was asked if it was his job to uphold the Constitution, he said, "I don't know." Claudia de la Cruz says, “Trump and his cabinet full of billionaires are waging an all-out war on our communities. From slashing thousands of jobs to massively defunding critical programs that many working-class people rely on to survive. At this critical moment, we can’t simply lie down and allow his administration to roll back all the rights that our people’s movements have won. Now is the time to organize our communities and stand up to fight back!” In these dark times, we cannot be bystanders. We must resist and imagine and create a new world where peace, equality, dignity and justice are the norm. Recorded at KGNU.

Regime change started long ago. The new version is just a change of clothes. Dwight Eisenhower was president when the U.S. overthrew the popular democratic government of Mohammad Mossadegh in Iran in 1953. What was Mossadegh’s transgression? He wanted Iran’s oil to benefit the Iranian people. The coup brought the Shah back from exile and installed him in power. What ensued was 25 years of tyranny and repression culminating in Ayatollah Khomeini’s Islamic Revolution. The Iran coup was a pivotal event of the 20th century. Virtually all Iranians know about it. Yet most Americans haven’t even heard of it. The U.S. professes that it supports democracy in the Middle East, yet when there was a democratic government in Iran, Washington destroyed it. Recorded at the Pacific Asia Museum.