KPFA - Behind the News

KPFA - Behind the News episodes:

• 04.25.2024

  Professor silenced for controversial article, the lingering effects of antebellum Southern society

  Jodi Dean talks about being suspended from teaching at Hobart and William Smith Colleges for writing an article the administration didn’t like • Keri Leigh Merritt on the lingering effects of antebellum Southern society (article here) • excerpts from an...

  
• 04.18.2024

  Yanis Varoufakis on being banned in Germany, and on the new post-capitalist world of technofeudalism

  Yanis Varoufakis talks about being banned in Germany for supporting the Palestinian cause, and then about the transformation he analyzes in his new book, Technofeudalism: What Killed Capitalism The post Yanis Varoufakis on being banned in Germany, and on the new post-capitalist...

  
• 04.11.2024

  The World Court, and the world of Jelly Roll Morton

  Heidi Matthews on the World Court and the cases against Israel pending there • Elijah Wald, author of Jelly Roll Blues, on Jelly Roll Morton and the hidden history of early blues The post The World Court, and the world of...

  
• 04.04.2024

  Why Israel is expanding its war, Zionists’ appropriation of safe space discourse, and the shipping industry and the Key Bridge disaster

  Trita Parsi explains why Israel is trying to expand its war to Iran and Hezbollah • Natasha Lennard analyzes the Zionist appropriation of leftish “safe space” discourse • Stefan Yong explores the structure of the global shipping industry in light...

  
• 03.28.2024

  The Shoah after Gaza, valuing care work

  Pankaj Mishra, author of this article, on the propaganda-induced debasement of the Holocaust • Nancy Folbre, one of four authors of this report, on assigning a monetary value to care work The post The Shoah after Gaza, valuing care work appeared...

  
• 03.21.2024

  AIPAC targets leftish Dems, how Schumer and the ICJ are playing in Israel, troubled youth as a symptom of social problems

  David Moore on how AIPAC is using Republican contributors’ money to go after progressive Dems • Meron Rapoport on how Schumer and the ICJ are being received in Israel • Jamieson Webster on the social aspects of mental disorder among...

  
• 03.14.2024

  Haitian chaos, the death of the future

  Robert Fatton explains Haiti’s further descent into poverty and chaos • Steve Fraser, author of this article, analyzes and mourns the death of any sense of a better future The post Haitian chaos, the death of the future appeared first on...

  
• 03.07.2024

  Global bourgeois rot

  Vijay Prashad on how the North American and European bourgeoisies are a spent force, with nothing to offer the world (article here) The post Global bourgeois rot appeared first on KPFA.

  
• 02.29.2024

  Correcting the record on the Black Panthers

  Historian Donna Murch, author of Living for the City, takes on some myths about the Black Panther Party. The post Correcting the record on the Black Panthers appeared first on KPFA.

  
• 02.22.2024

  Fundraising special: the Desi diaspora, the newest finance capital

  Jeet Heer on Indian Americans in politics and society (article here) • Stephen Maher and Scott Aquanno, authors of The Fall and Rise of American Finance, on the new finance capital The post Fundraising special: the Desi diaspora, the newest finance capital appeared...

  
• 02.22.2024

  Behind the News 02-22-24

  The post Behind the News 02-22-24 appeared first on KPFA.

  
• 02.15.2024

  The bankers’ club and how to bust it • the culture of immediacy

  Gerald Epstein, author of Busting the Bankers’ Club, on the finance racket and how to transform it • Anna Kornbluh, author of Immediacy, on our sped-up, unmediated cultural eternal present The post The bankers’ club and how to bust it • the culture of immediacy...

  
• 02.08.2024

  Exhaustion and the climate crisis • shocker: recessions increase life expectancy

  Ajay Singh Chaudhary talks about his new book, The Exhausted of the Earth: Politics in a Burning World • Matt Notowidigdo, co-author of this paper, on how recessions increase life expectancy The post Exhaustion and the climate crisis • shocker: recessions increase life...

  
• 02.01.2024

  Why did South Africa charge Israel at the ICJ? • organizing unions in the society of sprawl • the widening war in the Middle East

  Sean Jacobs explores why South Africa brought the genocide case against Israel in the World Court • Eric Blanc (Substack post here) on organizing in a scattered and atomized society • Hassan El-Tayyab on the widening war in the Middle East The...

  
• 01.25.2024

  Who are the Houthis? • more on Hezbollah

  Shireen Al-Adeimi of Michigan State and the Quincy Institute, on the Houthis • political scientist Aurélie Daher with another view of Hezbollah The post Who are the Houthis? • more on Hezbollah appeared first on KPFA.

  
• 01.18.2024

  Electronic monitoring, and who is Hezbollah?

  Wanda Bertram of the Prison Policy Initiative on electronic monitoring (the ankle bracelet kind) • Joseph Daher, author of Hezbollah: The Political Economy of the Party of God, on that demonized organization The post Electronic monitoring, and who is Hezbollah? appeared first...

  
• 01.11.2024

  More on Argentina, and Americans’ complicated relationship with psychoactive drugs

  political scientist Jacqueline Behrend on Argentina’s new president, Javier Milei • Benjamin Fong, author of Quick Fixes, on Americans’ love/hate relationship with drugs The post More on Argentina, and Americans’ complicated relationship with psychoactive drugs appeared first on KPFA.

  
• 01.04.2024

  Perils of striking Trump from the ballot and the year in organized labor

  Samuel Moyn, law prof and historian, on the political and legal dubiousness of excluding Trump from the presidential ballot • labor journalist Alex Press on the year in labor (articles on that topic here and here) The post Perils of striking...

  
• 12.28.2023

  transcending the family, questioning homeownership

  slaying sacred cows: M.E. O’Brien, author of Family Abolition, on doing that and “communizing care” • Jane Chung, author of this article, on what’s wrong with our cult of homeownership [holiday encore presentation of a show first broadcast in June] The post transcending the family,...

  
• 12.21.2023

  COP28 and Argentina’s new president

  environmental journalist Tina Gerhardt on the recently concluded COP28 environmental summit, where limited good intentions were uttered and oil contracts were signed • historian Forrest Hylton on Javier Milei, the new libertarian/authoritarian president of Argentina The post COP28 and Argentina’s new...

  
• 12.14.2023

  Fundraising special: problems of philanthropy, and what in Israel is producing the carnage in Gaza?

  Amy Schiller, author of The Price of Humanity, on what’s wrong with philanthropy and how to fix it • Joel Schalit, editor of The Battleground, on what it is in Israeli politics and society that’s behind the carnage in Gaza The post Fundraising special:...

  
• 12.07.2023

  Fundraising special, featuring Angela Davis

  Fundraising special featuring a speech from a November 1 teach-in on Gaza by Angela Davis. The post Fundraising special, featuring Angela Davis appeared first on KPFA.

  
• 11.30.2023

  Cats and capitalism, understanding capitalism in order to fight it

  Leigh Claire La Berge, author of Marx for Cats, on political economy and the human–feline relationship • Michael Zweig, author of Class, Race, and Gender, on understanding capitalism in order to transform it The post Cats and capitalism, understanding capitalism in order to...

  
• 11.23.2023

  Small island nations, libertarian enclaves

  Tina Gerhardt, author of Sea Change, on the effects of rising oceans on small island nations • Quinn Slobodian, author of Crack-Up Capitalism, on libertarian enclaves insulated from democracy [rebroadcast of a May 2023 show] The post Small island nations, libertarian enclaves appeared first on...

  
• 11.16.2023

  Profile of an “ecoterrorist” • What makes Israel do the things it does

  Christopher Ketcham, author of this article, looks inside the mind of an “ecoterrorist” • Neve Gordon on what in Israeli society leads to bombing hospitals The post Profile of an “ecoterrorist” • What makes Israel do the things it does appeared...

  
• 11.09.2023

  Wars in Ukraine and Gaza; preferences in economic policies

  Anatol Lieven on the wars in Gaza and Ukraine and the global standing of US power • Ilyana Kuziemko and Suresh Naidu, co-authors of this paper, on class differences in economic policy preferences (predistributionist vs. redistributionist) The post Wars in Ukraine...

  
• 11.02.2023

  Palestinians in Israel and Israel’s plans for Palestinians, and how Nagorno-Karabakh is a taste of the newest world disorder

  Amjad Iraqi on what it’s like to be a Palestinian citizen of Israel, and when what the Israeli state has in mind for Gaza • Georgi Derluguian (author of this article) on how the expulsion of Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh is...

  
• 10.26.2023

  A Palestinian American view of the Gaza war; the life and work of Joan Didion

  Rami Khouri, a Palestinian American journalist and scholar, analyzes the war in Gaza • Evelyn McDonnell, author of The World According to Joan Didion, on her life and work The post A Palestinian American view of the Gaza war; the life...

  
• 10.19.2023

  The UAW’s innovative strike strategy, and how corporate America steals public research

  Stephanie Ross on the UAW’s innovative strike strategy against the Big Three automakers • Christopher Morten and Amy Kapczynski on how Corporate America profits off publicly funded research and how to stop them from doing that The post The UAW’s innovative...

  
• 10.12.2023

  The decade of disappointing protest, and an Israeli leftist’s view of the current horror

  Vincent Bevins, author of If We Burn, on the decade of protest movements that began with high hopes and ended up with things little changed or worse • Haggai Matar, executive director of +972 Magazine, on the latest horror in Israel–Palestine The post...

  
• 10.05.2023

  Fundraising special: two looks at Haiti’s chronic crisis

  Two views of Haiti: Jake Johnston of the Center for Economic and Policy Research, and Robert Fatton of the University of Virginia. The post Fundraising special: two looks at Haiti’s chronic crisis appeared first on KPFA.

  
• 09.28.2023

  Fundraising special: the coup in Niger and the biology of sexuality

  Samar Al-Bulushi on the coup in Niger, political unrest in France’s former colonies in Africa, and the US-led “war on terror” on that continent • Joanna Wuest, author of Born This Way, on the biology of sexuality The post Fundraising special: the coup...

  
• 09.21.2023

  Capitalism: how sick is it?

  Aaron Benenav, sociologist and frequent contributor to New Left Review, and Seth Ackerman, an editor at Jacobin and author of this article, discuss the long-term health of capitalism: is stagnation really the problem? The post Capitalism: how sick is it? appeared first on...

  
• 09.14.2023

  Postliberalism; the meaning of the G20 and the BRICS

  Jodi Dean, author of this review, on the postliberalism of Ahmari, Vermeule, Deneen, et al. • Sarang Shidore of the Quincy Institute on the G20, the BRICS, and the erosion of US imperial power The post Postliberalism; the meaning of the...

  
• 09.07.2023

  The Teamsters, class-struggle unionism and UPS • How liberalism ate itself

  Sam Gindin, writer and activist on labor issues, on the shortcomings of the UPS–Teamster deal • Samuel Moyn, author of Liberalism Against Itself, on how the Cold War crushed the tendency’s emancipatory side The post The Teamsters, class-struggle unionism and UPS...

  
• 08.31.2023

  CFA franc, coup in Niger

  Francisco Pérez of the University of Utah on the CFA franc • Caitlin Chandler, author of this Harper’s magazine article, on US interests in Niger The post CFA franc, coup in Niger appeared first on KPFA.

  
• 08.24.2023

  Engineered austerity at WVU, the social history of the internet

  Lisa Corrigan, author of this Nation article, on savage cuts at West Virginia University and what they mean for higher ed • Taylor Lorenz, author of Extremely Online, on the social history of the internet The post Engineered austerity at WVU, the social history of...

  
• 08.17.2023

  The tyranny of capital, the state of trans politics

  Sohrab Ahmari, author of Tyranny, Inc., on the dictatorship of capital • Erin Reed, aka Erin in the Morning, on the state of trans politics The post The tyranny of capital, the state of trans politics appeared first on KPFA.

  
• 08.10.2023

  Behind the News – August 10, 2023

  Host Doug Henwood covers the worlds of economics and politics and their complex interactions, from the local to the global. The post Behind the News – August 10, 2023 appeared first on KPFA.

  
• 08.03.2023

  Hunger on campus, whitewashing Meloni

  Sara Goldrick-Rab on rampant food and housing insecurity among undergraduates and graduate students • David Broder, author of Mussolini’s Grandchildren, on the whitewashing of far-right Italian PM Giorgia Meloni (NYT article here) The post Hunger on campus, whitewashing Meloni appeared first on KPFA.

  
• 07.27.2023

  Tensions mounting on the Korean peninsula, and the evil uses to which the drug industry puts intellectual property restrictions

  Tim Shorrock marks the 70th anniversary of the armistice that ended the Korean war as tensions mount across the region • Christopher Morten on how the drug industry uses patents and secrecy to fatten its profits at the expense of...

  
• 07.20.2023

  Fundraising special: austerity and fascism revisited

  Fundraising reprise of an interview with economist Clara Mattei, author of The Capital Order. The post Fundraising special: austerity and fascism revisited appeared first on KPFA.

  
• 07.13.2023

  French riots, US social collapse

  Harrison Stetler on the riots in France • Peter Turchin, complexity theorist and author of End Times, on why the US is heading for a smashup The post French riots, US social collapse appeared first on KPFA.

  
• 07.06.2023

  Austerity, economics, and fascism • AMLO’s presidency in Mexico

  Clara Mattei, author of The Capital Order, explores the links among neoclassical economics, austerity, and fascism • Edwin Ackerman, author of this article, looks at AMLO’s presidency in Mexico The post Austerity, economics, and fascism • AMLO’s presidency in Mexico appeared first on...

  
• 06.29.2023

  The Wagner uprising, the Confederate diaspora

  Anatol Lieven, Eurasia director of the Quincy Institute, on Prigozhin’s aborted uprising in Russia and Putin’s status • Samuel Bazzi, co-author of this paper, on the effects of the white migration out of the South after the Civil War on...

  
• 06.22.2023

  Family abolition, the cult of homeownership

  Slaying sacred cows: M.E. O’Brien, author of Family Abolition, on doing that and “communizing care” • Jane Chung, author of this article, on what’s wrong with our cult of homeownership The post Family abolition, the cult of homeownership appeared first on KPFA.

  
• 06.15.2023

  Corey Robin on Clarence Thomas

  While other shows are getting applause for interviewing Corey Robin about his excellent book on Clarence Thomas (who is very much in the news these days), Behind the News was there first, as it so often is. This is a...

  
• 06.08.2023

  Why are we in Ukraine?, and using art to stimulate consciousness about slavery

  Christopher Layne, co-author of the Harper’s magazine article “Why are we in Ukraine?” • Marcus Brown on his augmented reality exhibit that evokes the eighteenth-century Wall Street slave market The post Why are we in Ukraine?, and using art to stimulate...

  
• 06.01.2023

  Varieties of correctional control and how to get around the mystifications of economics

  Wanda Bertram of the Prison Policy Initiative talks about some underappreciated aspects of the carceral state: probation, parole, and civil commitment • Francisco Perez of the Center for Economic Democracy on why mainstream economics is so terrible and an online...

  
• 05.25.2023

  Islands in a rising sea, and libertarian enclaves

  Tina Gerhardt, author of Sea Change, on the effects of rising oceans on small island nations • Quinn Slobodian, author of Crack-Up Capitalism, on libertarian enclaves insulated from democracy The post Islands in a rising sea, and libertarian enclaves appeared first on KPFA.