Current Affairs

Cory Doctorow is the author of over 20 books, including The Internet Con, How to Destroy Surveillance Capitalism, and the science fiction novels Unauthorized Bread and Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom. He’s also an activist for civil liberties on the internet with the Electronic Frontier Foundation, and a prolific blogger at his website Pluralistic. Doctorow joined Current Affairs editor-in-chief Nathan J. Robinson and associate editor Alex Skopic to discuss his newest book, Enshittification: Why Everything Suddenly Got Worse and What to Do About It.

💩 Transcript: https://www.currentaffairs.org/news/cory-doctorow

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Current Affairs presents a new “anti-woke” manifesto by Dr. Peter B. Jordanson, a man who refuses to be canceled even when nobody is canceling him, and who dares to angrily speak up for Facts in an age of mushy Feelings. The book is called The Silencing of Me: How Feminism, Wokeness, DEI, Marxism, Transness, and Several Other Things Brought Western Civilization To Its Knees, Ruined My Marriage, and Made Me Late For Work. Today, editor in chief Nathan J. Robinson reads selected excerpts.

Written by Nathan J. Robinson, with additional contributions by Devin Schiff, Stephen Prager, and Michael Lodato.

0:00-17:15 Introduction

17:15-27:24 How Things Used to Be

27:24-36:17 Education as Child Abuse

36:17-40:25 Guns: What Harm Have They Ever Done?

40:25-44:50 The Left’s War on War

44:50-53:00 How I Learned Everything About China

53:00-59:29 A Culture’s Decline

59:29-1:04:39 Everything Is Censored

1:04:39-1:11:20 The "So-Called" Environment

1:11:20-1:17:35 The Eclipse of Traditional Marriage

1:17:35-1:39:04 Why Won’t They Stop Complaining?

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The New York Times editorial board is wrong. Principled progressive politics on the Bernie Sanders model is still the path forward.

🌹 Read the article: https://www.currentaffairs.org/news/the-case-for-centrism-does-not-hold-up

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This is how you run. This is how you win. This is the politics we need right now. Democratic socialist candidates can inspire people again, and fight the right effectively.

🌹 Read the article: https://www.currentaffairs.org/news/follow-mamdanis-example

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The viral pistachio-filled candy bar is everywhere—but there’s nothing sweet about the United Arab Emirates and its human rights record. 

🍫 Read the article: https://www.currentaffairs.org/news/dubai-chocolate-is-regime-propaganda 

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John Fugelsang is a political commentator and author of Separation of Church and Hate: A Sane Person’s Guide to Taking Back the Bible from Fundamentalists, Fascists, and Flock-Fleecing Frauds. He joins Current Affairs editor-in-chief Nathan J. Robinson to discuss how right-wing Christian nationalism has twisted the teachings of Jesus into a tool of hate and domination.

0:00-6:37 Putting Jesus Back in Christianity

6:37-11:55 Debating the Right

11:55-15:00 John's Religious Background

15:00-18:25 Trump & Erika Kirk on Forgiveness

18:25-22:12 What the Right Really Worships

22:12-34:30 Allie Beth Stuckey & "Toxic Empathy"

34:30-41:35 Why Nonbelievers Should Care

✨ Get the book: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Separation-of-Church-and-Hate/John-Fugelsang/9781668066898

✨ John's Twitter: https://x.com/JohnFugelsang

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A neo-Nazi is trying to fill the void left by the failures of the two major parties. Unless Americans are offered a visionary alternative, Fuentes’ toxic ideology may flourish.

🌹 Read the article: https://www.currentaffairs.org/news/the-rise-of-nick-fuentes-should-horrify-us-all

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David Sirota, founder and editor-in-chief of The Lever, joins Current Affairs Editor-in-Chief Nathan J. Robinson to discuss his new book Master Plan: The Hidden Plot to Legalize Corruption in America. They trace how corporate America seized control of U.S. politics, from the Powell Memo and Watergate to the rise of the Heritage Foundation, Roger Ailes, and the corporate capture of the courts. 

0:00-13:48 Corruption Is the Water We Swim In 

13:48-24:19 The Powell Memo 

24:19-34:44 It's Part Of The Plan 

32:44-38:02 How Corruption Changes Policy 

38:02-43:16 Obama 

43:16-46:07 Becoming Disillusioned 

46:07-57:25 Undoing the Damage 

🔎 David's Twitter: https://x.com/davidsirota 

🔎 The Lever: https://www.levernews.com/ 

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Nathan J. Robinson, Editor-in-Chief of Current Affairs, speaks with Nika Soon-Shiong, founder and Executive Director of the Fund for Guaranteed Income, and Alanah Odoms, Executive Director of the ACLU of Louisiana. They discuss their collaboration on The Cost of Freedom: Truth and Reconciliation Guaranteed Income Program, a pilot exploring reparations through direct cash payments.

Together, they examine how economic justice underpins civil rights, the historical links between slavery and mass incarceration in Louisiana, and how guaranteed income can reshape policy around public safety and justice.

0:00-5:09 The State of Civil Liberties in Louisiana

5:09-8:11 Connecting Universal Basic Income to Civil Liberties

8:11-13:03 Guaranteed Income as Reparations

13:03-19:34 How Guaranteed Income Changes Lives

19:34-23:53 Responding to Critiques of Basic Income

23:52-30:28 ACLU Louisiana’s Current Battles

30:28-34:52 Impact & Policy Recommendations

34:52-39:26 Drop Site News

⚖️ Read The Cost of Freedom Report: https://www.laaclu.org/app/uploads/2025/06/the_cost_of_freedom_truth_reconciliation_guaranteed_income_program_final_report.pdf

⚖️ Fund for Guaranteed Income: https://f4gi.org/

⚖️ ACLU Louisiana: https://www.laaclu.org/

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Supposedly, the world is divided into good, noble “lions” and evil, grasping “scavengers.” Guess which one Ben thinks he is?

Script by Matt McManus & Nathan J. Robinson

🦁 Read the article: https://www.currentaffairs.org/news/ben-shapiros-latest-book-adopts-a-horrifying-creators-vs.-parasites-worldview

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