Part 1:
We talk with Jeet Heer.
Jeet Heer is a national affairs correspondent forThe Nationand host of the weeklyNation podcast,The Time of Monsters. He also pens the monthly column Morbid Symptoms. The author ofIn Love with Art: Francoise Moulys Adventures in Comics with Art Spiegelman(2013) andSweet Lechery: Reviews, Essays and Profiles(2014), Heer has written for numerous publications, includingThe New Yorker,The Paris Review,Virginia Quarterly Review,The American Prospect,The Guardian,The New Republic,andThe Boston Globe.
We discuss the adoption of crypto currency funds, first, by Trump, for the nation, and by the governor of New Hampshire for New Hampshire. More states will likely follow.
We note that most of the crypto investment is from the Middle East. It may destabilize the US dollar, and has many other problems. Unfortunately, both Republicans and Democrats are buying into crypto. We discuss the implications for the future.

Part 2:
We talk with Professor Peter Rutland.
Peter Rutland has taught at Wesleyan since 1989. Before that he taught at the University of Texas at Austin, and at the University of York and London University in the UK. He has a BA from Oxford and a D. Phil from York. He has also been a visiting professor at Columbia University, and is an associate of the Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies at Harvard University. His research interests focus on all things Russian and places where the Russian boot has trod (Nicholas II) in the former Soviet Union and the former East Europe. He started off studying workers and the Communist Party, moving on to broader questions of economic policy in the socialist and post-socialist economies. Along the way he developed an interest in nationalism and ethnic conflict. Since 2013 he has been editor in chief of Nationalities Papers, the journal of the Association for the Study of Nationalities along with serving as associate editor of Russian Review.
We discuss the image that Putin is creating of himself in Russia. His control of all media in Russia allows him to present whatever facet he likes to give the Russians the image of a 'humble man of the people', and his propaganda is framed in such a way to make him seem to be 'defending' Russia. We also look at how Trump has also adopted this strategy to present himself to US voters. 

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Music: David Rovics

Part 1:
We talk with Cameron Joseph, who is s a senior Washington reporter for The Christian Science Monitor.  Prior to that, he was a freelance reporter with work in publications including The Guardian, The Columbia Journalism Review, the Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, Rolling Stone, and Politico Magazine. He previously was a staff reporter for VICE News, Talking Points Memo, the New York Daily News, The Hill, and National Journal. He's covered Washington since 2009, with most of his career focused on elections, Capitol Hill, and the White House. He is a recipient of the 2023National Press Foundation Dirksen Award for distinguished reporting on Congress and the 2020National Press Club award for excellence in political journalism.
We discuss the increasing more authoritarian aspect of the current administration. Trump ignores the rule of law, and has essentially taken control of the media, which do not correct his statements. Congress is completely dysfunctional.

Part 2:
We talk with Robert Hennelly, who is an award-winning print and broadcast journalist focusing on labor, public health, national security, the economy, public finance and the environment. He is the New York City Hall reporter for Work-Bites and his weekly Monday morning radio program on WBAI closely tracks the latest local, regional and national labor movement news. Hennelly is also a regular contributor to InsiderNJ,  Salon, the Village Voice, Raw Story and City & State. For over a decade, he was a reporter for WNYC covering New Jersey, New York and national politics. For several years, he was also the City Hall reporter for the Chief Leader newspaper, and a regular contributor to WBGO, the NPR jazz affiliate in Newark, NJ. His work has appeared in the New York Times, the Christian Science Monitor, the Miami Herald, the Detroit Free Press, CBS Money Watch, and dozens of other publications both in the United States and overseas.
His book Stucknation: Can the US Change the Course of Its History of Choosing Profits Over People was published in 2022 by Democracy@Work.
We discuss the arrest of Mayor Baraka of Newark, NJ. The Gestapo tactics used during an occasion when the mayor was performing his official duty are disturbing.  

This is a panel discussion. Our guests discuss important issues of the day.

Stephen Pimpare is Professor of Public Policy at Vermont Law and Graduate School. He is the author of four books, including A Peoples History of Poverty and, most recently, ,Politics for Social Workers: A Practical Guide to Effecting Change

Susan Milligan is a political writer and former White House and congressional correspondent for the Boston ,Globe,U.S. News and World Report, and the New York Daily News.

Lincoln Mitchell teaches political science and public policy at Columbia University. He is the author of nine books and his writings have appeared at CNN, Reuters, the New York Times, NBC, the San Francisco Examiner and numerous other media platforms.    My new bookThree Years Our Mayor:George Moscone and the Making of Modern San Franciscois now available. For more of Lincolns work you can subscribe to his Substack Kibitzing with Lincoln at/lincolnmitchell.substack.com/.

Laura Jedeed is a freelance journalist who primarily focuses on the American conservative movement. Her bylines include The New Republic, Rolling Stone, and Politico, and you can find her newsletter at BannedInYourState.com

The discussion :
- There is a new pope, and he is American-born
- Former Justice Souter has died
- Trump is making new promises: tariff reduction, taxing the rich
- Trump wants to shift from the dollar to crypto currency
What effect will this have on the value of US currency worldwide?
- The panelists agree that what is happening now is destruction of the US: a) elimination of USAID has lost the US many friends, b) Universities and research institutions are under attack, and we now have "research refugees" who are leaving the country, thus preventing leadership in development, c)Media is under control of the administration, d) the rule of laws has been abandoned, since court rulings are being ignored, with no consequence, e) the US dollar is less important, since some countries are switching to other currencies. All of this is part of the "network state" playbook.
- The US is trending to be a "christian" state


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Music: David Rovics

Part 1:
We talk with Joe Jaworsksi, a third-generation Texas trial attorney and former Mayor of Galveston, Texas. He has served as a law clerk to the United States Court of Appeals Fifth Circuit, and he has spent over 30 years in private practice as a trial attorney, mediator, and legal commentator. and can be heard on KPFT in Houston TX Tuesday mornings at 9:30am The Midterms.
We discuss the political landscape in Texas. Ken Paxton is running for US Senate, to replace John Cornyn. Paxton is targeting Latino Democrats legally.
For the first time, Trump's approval rating on the economy is low in Texas. This appears to be due to tariffs and other price shocks. Infrastructure for any new manufacturing is being neglected.

Part 2:
We talk with Bill Curry and Jamie Rowen.
Bill Curry was a Connecticut state senator, comptroller and two time Democratic nominee for governor who served as Counselor to the President in the Clinton White House. He has written for Salon, the Daily Beast, the Huffington Post and the Hartford Courant and has provided commentary on National Public Radio, MSNBC and many other news outlets.
Dr. Rowen is an associate professor of Legal Studies at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and the founding director of UMass' Center for Justice, Law, and Societies. Her work focuses on both domestic and international criminal law. Her book, Worthy of Justice: The Politics of Veterans Treatment Courts in Practice, is forthcoming with Stanford University Press in December 2025.
We discuss the corruption endemic to the US now with the Trump White House leading the way. NH has now adopted a crypto currency reserve into its budget, the first in the nation to do so, likely to be followed by other states.
Cuts to research projects under NIH and other agencies has created a pool of "Research refugees" who are leaving for other countries to continue their research. This will have dire consequences for US leadership in many technologies in future. 

Music: David Rovics
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Part 1:
We talk with Bob Sanders, who is planning a ride in support of the people of. He is a 70-year-old Jewish former reporter turned activist is cycling across the country this summer in a 4000-mile Ride Against War on Gaza (RAW GAZA).Bob Sanders, also a founder of Not In My Name, NH " a group of Jews opposed to Israeli policy on Palestine.
We discuss the many Jews that disapprove of the Israeli policy in Gaza. We also talk about how any criticism of Israel is being weaponized by the administration as 'antisemitism'.

Part 2:
We talk with Sam Whitehead, a correspondent for Kaiser Family Foundation Health News (KFF Health News). Bob covers the South from his base just outside Atlanta. He previously worked as a health care reporter for public radio station WABE, where he chronicled the covid-19 pandemic as host of the award-winning podcast Did You Wash Your Hands? Before that, he was a general assignment reporter and fill-in radio host at Georgia Public Broadcasting. He also co-founded a long-running nightly news program on WRFI Community Radio in Ithaca, New York. He is a graduate of Emory University.
We discuss how changes are being made to Medicaid, by the imposition of a work requirement for recipients. Its should be noted that most recipients are elderly or disabled, and are living in nursing homes. This change does not increase the number of people who get jobs. Instead, the number people who are covered is reduced. No savings are evident, because of the additional administrative costs.
 
Music: David Rovics
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Part 1:
We talk with Stephanie Hanes, who has written broadly on subjects ranging from climate and the environment to education, families, food and farming. She has been an Alicia Patterson fellow and a multiple-time grant recipient from the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting. She holds teaching positions at Yale University's School of the Environment and The College of William & Mary.
We discuss the push to drill and dig in the administration, when many of the minerals and metals we need are already available in the byproducts of existing mining an drilling, in addition to the resources available in discarded items. We talk about the amount of waste produced, and buried in land fills, when when it could be reprocessed and used.
Part 2:
We talk with Julie Su, a nationally recognized workers' rights and civil rights expert who served in President Biden's cabinet as the Acting Secretary of Labor where she successfully led efforts to build worker power and union strength, negotiate historic contracts, and expand good jobs for all. Prior to her nomination as U.S. Labor Secretary, she served as the Deputy Secretary, and before that as the California Labor Secretary appointed by Governor Gavin Newsom. Secretary Su brought a wealth of experience as a nonprofit attorney representing low wage, vulnerable workers for nearly two decades prior to being appointed to government positions and as California Labor Commissioner from 2011-2018, where she was widely credited with a renaissance in enforcement and creative approaches to combating wage theft and protecting immigrant workers. Secretary Su graduated from Stanford University and Harvard Law School. She speaks Mandarin and Spanish.
We discuss the information skimming that the DOGE boys are doing. Different government agencies have data about US residents, most of it private. However DOGE is pushing for access to ALL data, by unauthorized individuals who are part of DOGE, with no controls or oversight. This data can be used in many ways to exploit in many ways detrimental to us. 

Music: David Rovics
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Part 1:
We talk with Alex Sammon, Slate Features writer.
We discuss how the administration has been treating people imprisoned because of immigration policies, and because of thought crimes that are critical of Trump. Specifically, we discuss the case of Mahmoud Khalil, a legal immigrant and graduate student, who has been held in Louisiana since his kidnapping by ICE. We discuss the prison, which is private, and its conditions. We also discuss the environment there and the local economy's dependence on this private prison. The prisoners there have not been convicted of any crimes.
Part 2:
We talk with MIchael Tomasky, the editor of The New Republic and the author of five books, including his latest and critically acclaimed The Middle Out: The Rise of Progressive Economics and a Return to Shared Prosperity. With extensive experience as an editor, columnist, progressive commentator, and special correspondent for renowned publications such as The Guardian, The Washington Post, The New York Times, the Daily Beast, and many others, Tomasky has been a trusted voice in political journalism for more than three decades.
We discuss Trump and Musk.
The president is peddling hot nonsense on what tariffs can do for America and the person he's conned the most seems to be himself. https://newrepublic.com/article/194821/trump-tariffs-income-tax-innumeracy
Elon Musk Is an Evil Piece of Garbage" and an A-Level Fraud Too  He is stupid. He is incompetent. He is cruel. He is sinister. And people will die because of what he has done.
https://newrepublic.com/article/194769/elon-musk-evil-garbage-fraud

Music: David Rovics

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Rethink the week.

This is a panel discussion

Jamie Rowen is Associate Professor of Legal Studies and Political Science at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. She received her doctorate from the Jurisprudence and Social Policy Program at the University of California, Berkeley, as well as a law degree from Berkeley School of Law. Dr Rowen's work has been published in the International Journal of Transitional Justice, Law and Social Inquiry, Human Rights Quarterly, and numerous other outlets.
Stephen Pimpare is Professor of Public Policy at Vermont Law and Graduate School. He is the author of four books, including “A Peoples History of Poverty” and, most recently, “Politics for Social Workers: A Practical Guide to Effecting Change”
Lincoln Mitchell teaches political science and public policy at Columbia University. He is the author of nine books and his writings have appeared at CNN, Reuters, the New York Times, NBC, the San Francisco Examiner and numerous other media platforms. For more of Lincolns work you can subscribe to his Substack Kibitzing with Lincoln at /lincolnmitchell.substack.com/.
Aaron Rosenthal is the research director for North Star Policy Action and the author of “The State You See: How Government Visibility Creates Political Distrust and Racial Inequality”

We discuss taxes, and how tax cuts are structured to favor the very rich. If there are no taxes, there is no functioning government.  

Music: David Rovics
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Part 1:
We talk with Harvey Kronberg, Publisher of the Texas Quorum Report.
We discuss how Gov. Abbott has characterized criticism of Israel as 'anti-Israel' policies, and therefore 'anti-Texas' policies.
We also discuss the latest Texas Senate-adopted criminalizing the 'morning-after' pill. This, despite Texas having a high maternal mortality rate. Since the Dobbs decision, the number of abortions has increased nationwide.
We discuss the upcoming elections in Texas. Cornyn, Paxton, and possible candidates for the governorship.
The Texas economy is contracting. The amounts collected by sales taxes have declined. Texas has no income tax. Small business owners are worried because of the tariffs.

Part 2:
We talk with Bill Curry and Ryan Cooper.
Bill Curry was a Connecticut state senator, comptroller and two time Democratic nominee for governor who served as Counselor to the President in the Clinton White House. He has written for Salon, the Daily Beast, the Huffington Post and the Hartford Courant and has provided commentary on National Public Radio, MSNBC and many other news outlets.
Ryan Cooper is the Prospects managing editor, and author of How Are You Going to Pay for That?: Smart Answers to the Dumbest Question in Politics. He was previously a national correspondent for The Week. His work has also appeared in The Nation, The New Republic, and Current Affairs.
We discuss the speech recently by Gov. Pritzker (D-Ill). We note that Democrats MUST fight every fight. We discuss various methods to bring together most of the American voters: their own lives as they struggle in this economy. What is the divide between people? How can it be overcome?

Music: David Rovics
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Part 1:
Benjamin T. King, Esquire, is a partner in the Concord law firm of Douglas, Leonard & Garvey, P.C., concentrating in employment litigation, civil litigation, workers compensation, and personal injury litigation. Attorney King, who has been a New Hampshire trial lawyer since 1997, is the current President of the New Hampshire Chapter of the National Employment Lawyers Association and is a Past President of the New Hampshire Association for Justice. Attorney King graduated from Dartmouth College and the University of Virginia School of Law
We discuss employee rights, particularly in the right-to-work states, where the employees are "At-will", and not covered by union contracts. There are some exceptions to the employer's ability to fire employees, and these are covered by specific laws. We also talk about the role of the NLRB.

Part 2:
Eugene Carroll, a longtime labor educator and organizer and a Worker Institute Fellow at Cornell University's School of Industrial and Labor Relations.
His previous positions included executive director of New York Jobs with Justice; communications specialist for the United Mine Workers of America; national labor coordinator and organizing director for the National Campaign for a Nuclear Weapons.
Freeze; and organizer for the Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers Union.
We discuss the origins of the labor movement. We also look at the history of May Day worldwide. We discuss some of the current threats to the labor movement.
 
Music: David Rovics

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