Better Future with Michael Mezz

My guest today is Saikat Chakrabarti – former chief of staff to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, co-founder of Justice Democrats, co-author of the Green New Deal, and now a candidate for Congress running to replace Nancy Pelosi in San Francisco. We discuss whether the Democratic Party can be transformed from within, why corporate money has hollowed out American politics, and what it would take to build an economy that works for everyone. We also dive deep into AI – who should control it, and why leaving decisions about humanity’s future in the hands of a handful of tech CEOs may be the most dangerous form of deregulation yet.

Support Saikat’s campaign for Congress: https://www.saikat.us/

Support the Better Future podcast on Substack: https://michaelmezzatesta.substack.com/

Follow Saikat on social media:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/saikatforcongress

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@saikatforcongress

X: https://x.com/saikatc

Subscribe to the Better Future podcast:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@michaelmezz

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/16K0dkbk35q0mTslKJJ7z0

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/better-future-with-michael-mezz/id1823942833

Follow Michael on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michael__mezz/

Follow the Better Future podcast on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/betterfuturepod/

0:00 Who controls AI’s future?

0:46 Intro: Saikat Chakrabarti

1:19 Corporate capture in the democratic party

7:03 From tech millionaire to “class traitor”

10:57 Scapegoating immigrants and abolishing ICE

13:48 Reagan’s neoliberal legacy and the case for public investment

22:02 The “March for Billionaires” and wealth inequality

31:33 Building a net zero, high wage economy

42:00 A new foreign policy beyond colonialism

48:43 AI, China, and democratic control of technology

56:46 Replacing corporate Democrats

1:00:16 Cutting funding to Israel

1:02:46 Supporting Saikat

Host/Creator: Michael Mezzatesta

Guest: Saikat Chakarbarti

Editor: Nuria Salgado

Designer: Amea Wadsworth

Thanks for watching episode 009. Lots more on the way :)

My guest is Aru Shiney-Ajay, Executive Director of the Sunrise Movement. We spoke while Aru was on the ground in Minneapolis during an unprecedented wave of ICE raids that have shaken the city – and sparked a powerful, decentralized organizing response.

We go beyond the headlines to what’s actually working: neighborhood-level organizing, mutual aid networks, logistical disruption, and new strategies for building power. We also zoom out to reflect on what this moment means for the broader left: how movements can shift from defense to offense, and what lessons from Minneapolis can be applied elsewhere as people across the country (and the world) grapple with authoritarianism, repression, and political paralysis.

Join the Sunrise Movement and/or learn more about their work: https://www.sunrisemovement.org/

Follow Aru on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aru_sa/

Support the Better Future podcast on Substack: https://michaelmezzatesta.substack.com/

Subscribe to the Better Future podcast:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@michaelmezz

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/16K0dkbk35q0mTslKJJ7z0

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/better-future-with-michael-mezz/id1823942833

Follow Sunrise Movement on social media:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sunrisemvmt/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@sunrisemvmt

X: https://x.com/sunrisemvmt/

Follow Michael on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michael__mezz/

Follow the Better Future podcast on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/betterfuturepod/

0:00 ICE targets mutual aid deliveries

0:44 Intro: Aru Shiney-Ajay

1:45 On the ground in Minneapolis

6:13 Organizing: What’s working?

13:40 Going on the offensive

20:58 Strikes & worker power

24:54 Lessons for the broader movement

34:12 How to get involved

37:22 Conclusion

Host/Creator: Michael Mezzatesta

Guest: Aru Shiney-Ajay

Editor: Nuria Salgado

Designer: Amea Wadsworth

Thanks for watching episode 008. Lots more on the way :)

My guest today is Steven Donziger, a human rights and environmental lawyer best known for leading a historic legal case against Chevron on behalf of Indigenous communities in the Ecuadorian Amazon.

We discuss Chevron’s environmental crimes, the weaponization of the legal system, the implications of the recent $600+ million verdict against Greenpeace USA, and what all of this means for climate activism, democracy, and political resistance today.

Support the campaign to restore Steven’s law license: https://chuffed.org/campaign/standwithdonziger

Sign Greenpeace’s open letter against the Energy Transfer verdict: https://www.greenpeace.org/usa/energy-transfer-lawsuit/

Read Steven’s writing on Substack: https://substack.com/@stevendonziger

Follow Steven on social media:

Twitter: https://x.com/SDonziger

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stevendonziger/

Support the Better Future podcast by subscribing:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@michaelmezz

Substack: https://substack.com/@michaelmezzatesta

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/16K0dkbk35q0mTslKJJ7z0

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/better-future-with-michael-mezz/id1823942833

Michael on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michael__mezz/

The Better Future podcast on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/betterfuturepod/

00:00 Chevron doesn’t want you to hear this

00:34 Introducing Steven Donziger

02:12 The legal battle against Chevron

09:05 Chevron’s power in Ecuador

11:28 Shifting the cultural narrative 

17:05 The legacy of the Ecuadorian people’s win

18:59 Chevron’s retaliation strategy against Donziger

24:10 Personal struggles & resilience

27:43 House arrest & disbarment

34:40 History repeats: Energy Transfer vs. Greenpeace

39:34 The ongoing criminalization of climate advocacy

44:00 The lack of opposition & what to do about it 

52:06 Elite capture & lessons from history

54:42 A movement towards democratic socialism?

58:38 Reasons for hope (& skepticism)

1:02:20 Historical examples of political transformation

1:07:06 Actions to take now

1:10:15 Self-care, resilience & solidarity

1:12:18 The campaign to restore Steven’s law license

1:14:58 Conclusion & links

Host/Creator: Michael Mezzatesta

Guest: Steven Donziger

Editor: Nuria Salgado

Designer: Amea Wadsworth

Thanks for watching episode 007. Lots more on the way :)

My guest today is Donnie Maclurcan, founder of the Post Growth Institute and a thinker who played a major role in my own journey. In this episode, Donnie breaks down why money accumulation under capitalism necessarily produces rising debt and inequality, leading to human suffering and ecological breakdown. We also go deep into possibilities for a better future – including the ways not-for-profit business models are quietly succeeding inside capitalism, what a post-capitalist economy could feel like, and what we can do now to participate in a post-growth future.

Thanks to Vista House Marin for providing us with such a lovely space for this shoot.

Follow Donnie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/donniemaclurcan/

Dive into the work of the Post Growth Institute: https://postgrowth.org/

Read their writing on Medium: https://medium.com/postgrowth

Support the Better Future podcast by subscribing:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@michaelmezz

Substack: https://substack.com/@michaelmezzatesta

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/16K0dkbk35q0mTslKJJ7z0

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/better-future-with-michael-mezz/id1823942833

Follow the PGI on social media:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/postgrowth/

X: https://x.com/postgrowth

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/postgrowth.org

Michael Mezz on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michael__mezz/

The Better Future Podcast on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/betterfuturepod/

I originally discovered Donnie and his work thanks to the Denizen community and podcast. Learn more about Denizen here: https://www.becomingdenizen.com/

00:00 Intro: Planting seeds for the future

01:04 Introducing Donnie Maclurcan

02:38 What is post-growth?

06:37 Capitalism's inherent inequality and debt

10:06 The monetary system and debt creation

18:49 The human and ecological impacts of debt

28:08 Why efficiency can’t solve the climate crisis

30:21 Why inequality is inherent to capitalism

33:39 Imagining a post-capitalist future

37:25 Existing examples of post-capitalist businesses

47:37 Why money circulation is key

51:58 How to participate in post-capitalism now

57:18 The importance of indigenous wisdom

1:06:00 The wisdom of marginalized communities

1:08:32 Collapse and post-capitalism

1:18:28 Conclusion

Host/Creator: Michael Mezzatesta

Guest: Donnie Maclurcan

Editor: Nuria Salgado

Designer: Amea Wadsworth

Sorry I forgot to put on socks before starting the shoot 😅

Thanks for watching episode 006. Lots more on the way.

My guest today is Grace Blakeley – UK-based political economist and author of three books, including her most recent: Vulture Capitalism. We discuss how political and corporate elites work together to protect their interests, why governments prop up monopolies, and how “the system” isn’t broken – in fact, it’s working exactly as it’s designed. We also touch on the history of capitalism and enclosure, the global legacy of imperialism, and why the struggle for a better future is ultimately a struggle over power.

Learn more about Grace, her work, and her books: https://graceblakeley.co.uk/

Read Grace’s writing on Substack: https://graceblakeley.substack.com/

Support the Better Future podcast by subscribing:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@michaelmezz

Substack: https://substack.com/@michaelmezzatesta

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/16K0dkbk35q0mTslKJJ7z0

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/better-future-with-michael-mezz/id1823942833

Follow Grace on social media:

Twitter: https://x.com/graceblakeley

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/grace.blakeley/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@graceblakeley0

00:00 Intro: Rich people don’t create jobs

01:16 Introducing Grace Blakeley

03:05 The system isn’t broken – it’s working as designed

10:46 Keynesianism, Marxism, and dialectical materialism

16:45 How state and corporate elites work together

22:44 The moral hazard of neoliberal capitalism

27:26 Who actually takes risk?

31:19 The history of enclosure & primitive accumulation

37:09 Capitalism’s expansion through colonialism & imperialism

43:40 The myth of “prosperity for all” under capitalism

51:28 The myth of innovation under capitalism

56:22 Trumpism’s destruction of visions for the future

59:08 The importance of unions & collective action

1:05:33 The importance of community & mutual aid

1:12:12 Diagnosing the recent success of the right

1:14:24 Embedding democracy in work & politics

1:18:24 Conclusion

Host/Creator: Michael Mezzatesta

Guest: Grace Blakeley

Editor: Nuria Salgado

Sound editor: Andre Corea

Designer: Amea Wadsworth

Thanks for watching episode 005. Lots more on the way :)

My guest today is Elizabeth Booker Houston – lawyer, comedian, and political commentator based in Washington DC. We discuss white supremacy in US politics, how to integrate class consciousness with anti-racism, the false myth of “rugged individualism,” and how to build a bridge between identity politics and class politics within the progressive movement.

Follow Elizabeth Booker Houston on social media:

Substack: https://bookersquared.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bookersquared

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@bookersquared

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elizabeth.booker.houston

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@bookersquared

Support the Better Future podcast by subscribing:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@michaelmezz

Substack: https://substack.com/@michaelmezzatesta

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/16K0dkbk35q0mTslKJJ7z0

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/better-future-with-michael-mezz/id1823942833

Note: This conversation was recorded before the recent Wired article about Chorus – a liberal content creator incubator program, of which Elizabeth is a member – so I didn’t ask about it during this interview.

00:00 Introduction: leftism & whiteness

03:18 White supremacy in MAGA & US politics

07:23 Bridging the gap between race & class politics

13:57 Intersections between race & other leftist issues

17:20 Black leadership in the history of US leftism

20:43 The politics of disability & neurodivergence

23:43 The myth of rugged individualism

30:42 Elizabeth is MAGA-coded?

32:08 Do souls exist?

34:08 Raw milk and micro-aggressions

36:36 Politician lightning round: RFK & Elon Musk

38:49 Politician lightning round: Newsom, Harris, Booker

41:42 AOC, Mamdani, Buttigieg, Crockett

45:26 The progressive movement needs leaders

48:32 What a better future looks like

50:03 Conclusion

Host/Creator: Michael Mezzatesta

Guest: Elizabeth Booker Houston

Video editor: Nuria Salgado

Sound editor: Andre Corea

Designer: Amea Wadsworth

Thanks for watching episode 004. Lots more on the way :)

My guest today is Jason Hickel, Professor at the Institute for Environmental Science & Technology (ICTA) at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, and author of two books: The Divide and Less is More. We discuss why a growth-based capitalist economy is incompatible with a livable planet, and what a truly democratic, post-capitalist economy could look like. We cover lots of topics – including degrowth, AI, the history of capitalist imperialism, and how to achieve a democratic ecosocialist transition.

Thanks to Pompeu Fabra University (UPF) for generously providing us with a space for this interview.

Learn more about Jason Hickel and his work: https://www.jasonhickel.org/

Check out https://globalinequality.org/ to view Jason’s recent project (created in collaboration with a team of fellow researchers) which visualizes data and research on global inequality.

Support the Better Future podcast by subscribing:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@michaelmezz

Substack: https://substack.com/@michaelmezzatesta

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/16K0dkbk35q0mTslKJJ7z0

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/better-future-with-michael-mezz/id1823942833

Follow Jason Hickel on social media:

Twitter: https://x.com/jasonhickel

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drjasonhickel/

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/jasonhickel.bsky.social

00:00 Introduction: the climate crisis myth

00:35 Introducing Jason Hickel

02:07 The disconnect between GDP and wellbeing

04:08 Capitalism's flawed production priorities

07:05 The need for economic democracy

11:04 Public finance and climate mitigation

16:12 AI and capitalism

20:52 Building political power for change

25:04 The public job guarantee

34:06 Taxing the rich for a better future

37:00 The benefits of an ecosocialist transition

43:42 Imperialism and the military-industrial complex

48:54 US foreign policy and imperialism

57:31 The hypocrisy of liberalism

1:06:42 Some questions from the audience

1:08:48 Gramsci & other historical figures

1:15:18 Conclusion

Host/Creator: Michael Mezzatesta

Guest: Jason Hickel

Editor: Nuria Salgado

Designer: Amea Wadsworth

Thanks for watching episode 003. Lots more on the way :)

My guest today is Raymond Wei – filmmaker, community organizer, and co-founder of The Conscious Citizens. Ray creates sharp, accessible videos about everything from geopolitics to community organizing, and his work is rooted in on-the-ground experience. In this episode, we talk about building community power, the rise of the authoritarian police state, and how to lay the bricks for a better future – even when it feels like things are going in the wrong direction.

Support the Better Future podcast by subscribing:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@michaelmezz

Substack: https://substack.com/@michaelmezzatesta

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/16K0dkbk35q0mTslKJJ7z0

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/better-future-with-michael-mezz/id1823942833

Follow Ray and his work:

The Conscious Citizens: https://www.theconsciouscitizens.org/

Ray on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/raytrospectively/

Ray on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@raytrospectively

Ray on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@raytrospectively

Thanks for watching episode 002. Lots more on the way :)

Host/Creator: Michael Mezzatesta

Guest: Raymond Wei

Producer: Andre CoreaDesigner: Amea Wadsworth

Intro/Outro music: Carlos Carty

0:00 Intro

1:56 Hypernormalization explained

6:53 Capitalist realism

12:42 What would a better future look like?

16:42 Shifting our values

21:25 The solidarity economy

25:36 Is capitalism required for innovation?

35:06 Everything is connected to Palestine

39:29 The rise of the surveillance state

49:33 Concrete steps toward building a better future

59:21 Outro

Welcome to the Better Future podcast. My guest today is Aru Shiney-Ajay, Executive Director of the Sunrise Movement. We discuss the state of the left, the importance of activism, the future of the Democratic Party, and how to align our political and economic systems with a better future.

To join the Sunrise Movement and/or learn more about their work, visit their website.

Support the Better Future podcast by subscribing:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@michaelmezz

Substack: https://substack.com/@michaelmezzatesta

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/16K0dkbk35q0mTslKJJ7z0

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/better-future-with-michael-mezz/id1823942833

Host/Creator: Michael Mezzatesta

Guest: Aru Shiney-Ajay

Producer: Andre Corea

Designer: Amea Wadsworth

Intro/Outro music: Carlos Carty

Thanks for watching episode 001. Lots more on the way :)