Movement Memos

In this episode, Kelly talks with organizer Ash-Lee Woodard Henderson about what it means to defend an election under authoritarianism, beyond simply telling people to “vote harder.” They discuss the “win, prove, enforce” framework, the strategic case for early voting, how ordinary people can help protect the voting process, and why relational organizing and staying in right relationship across political differences will matter in the months ahead.

Music: Son Monarcas and Sarah the Illstrumentalist

You can find a transcript and show notes (including links to resources) here: truthout.org/series/movement-memos/

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What happens when machines become easier to relate to than other people? In this episode, Kelly talks with author Sherry Turkle about artificial intimacy, the erosion of empathy and social skills, and the political dangers of replacing human connection with frictionless simulations of care.

Music: Son Monarcas and Sarah the Illstrumentalist

You can find a transcript and show notes (including links to resources) here: truthout.org/series/movement-memos/

If you would like to support the show, you can donate here: bit.ly/TODonate

If you would like to receive Truthout's newsletter, please sign up: bit.ly/TOnewsletter

Our current infrastructure was built for a world that no longer exists. How do we build the power to survive when the systems we depend on fail us? In this episode, Kelly talks with guests Keyante Aytch, Alice Liu, and Brandon Bunt about the tools and relationships that can help make communities resilient—from mesh networks and off-grid solar to neighborhood disaster hubs.

“We can have billionaires or we can have democracy. We cannot have both,” Gil Durán says. In this episode, Gil and Kelly discuss the bizarre fixations and political fantasies of tech billionaires like Peter Thiel, and how those ideas are being translated into real-world governance. Durán and Hayes also discuss Silicon Valley’s Christian cosplay, and how traditional Christian ideas are being used as wrapping paper for the pursuit of AI-first, corporate fiefdoms.

Music: Son Monarcas and Dusty Decks

“It comes down to the stealing of everything that is and the taking of everything that is,” says Joseph White Eyes. In this episode, Kelly talks with Native organizers Joseph White Eyes and Krystal Two Bulls about the struggle against data centers in Native communities. The conversation explores how the AI boom is advancing a new era of colonial extraction, and how Native communities are resisting land grabs and exploitative technologies.

Music: Son Monarcas and Sarah the Illstrumentalist

A lot of AI technology may not work very well, but providing consumers with reliable information was never its major commercial promise. Investors have poured billions into generative AI because of the promise that it will eliminate jobs on a massive scale. Tech journalist Brian Merchant joins Kelly to discuss how the AI boom is being used to displace workers, degrade information, expand surveillance and strengthen state violence—and why this brittle corporate project can be disrupted.

As climate disasters intensify and authoritarian threats escalate, most of us are underprepared for moments when systems fail or are weaponized against us. In this episode, Kelly talks with Chris Begley and Amy Edelman, authors of The Emergency Playbook: A Bunker-Free Guide to Disaster Preparation, about how preparedness can move us away from fear, isolation and bunker fantasies, and toward community, care and collective survival. They discuss how practical planning, community relationships and collective care can help us face climate disasters, political unrest and everyday crises with more courage and less panic.

Music: Son Monarcas and Mizlo

You can find a transcript and show notes (including links to resources) here: truthout.org/series/movement-memos/

If you would like to support the show, you can donate here: bit.ly/TODonate

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“The immigration camp, it really depends on a lot of local infrastructure. It is not this untouchable federal abstraction. It is up to us, neighbors, community members, and we have the actual power to shut them down,” says journalist John Washington. In this episode, John and Kelly Hayes discuss his book How to Close a Camp: Dispatches from the Fight Against Immigrant Detention, the rapid expansion of ICE detention, and how communities can fight camps before and after they open.

Music: Son Monarcas and Sarah the Illstrumentalist

You can find a transcript and show notes (including links to resources) here: truthout.org/series/movement-memos/

If you would like to support the show, you can donate here: bit.ly/TODonate

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“Trump is banking on the idea that the entire U.S. population is as cynical and hateful as he is. And evidently, it's not true,” says Khury Petersen-Smith. In this episode, Kelly and Khury discuss Trump’s “whenever wars,” the spectacle of militarized violence, and the anti-war movement this moment demands. From ICE raids in U.S. cities to military violence abroad, Kelly and Khury explore how fascism at home and empire abroad are part of the same political project, and why our resistance must be rooted in solidarity, anti-militarism, and an ever-expanding sense of who belongs to us.

Music: Son Monarcas, Dylan Sitts, and Mizlow

You can find a transcript and show notes (including links to resources) here: truthout.org/series/movement-memos/

If you would like to support the show, you can donate here: bit.ly/TODonate

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“One of the greatest cures for despair and depression is to do something, and to do something with the people who care,” says Rebecca Solnit. In this episode, Kelly talks with Rebecca about hope, backlash, political memory, and why history can help us understand our own power. Their conversation explores feminism, climate grief, authoritarianism, misogyny, interdependence, and why the right’s push to roll back hard-won freedoms is also a reaction to how much movements have already changed the world.

Music: Son Monarcas, David Celeste & Sarah, the Illstumentalist

You can find a transcript and show notes (including links to resources) here: truthout.org/series/movement-memos/

If you would like to support the show, you can donate here: bit.ly/TODonate

If you would like to receive Truthout's newsletter, please sign up: bit.ly/TOnewsletter