In this episode, Alyson and Breht welcome Brendan back on the show for the first time in a few years. Together, we dive deep into Leon Trotsky’s Fascism: What It Is and How to Fight It, a sharp and urgent intervention written in the shadow of the Nazi rise to power. We unpack Trotsky’s class analysis of fascism, the role of the petite bourgeoisie, his searing critiques of both sectarian isolationism and liberal class collaboration, and his insistence on the United Front as the only viable revolutionary response. Alongside historical context, we explore in depth whether Trotsky’s framework still applies to today’s far-right movements, neoliberal authoritarianism, Trump's Oligarchic second term, and a decaying capitalist order teetering on the edge. What does fascism look like in 2025—and what must we do to resist it? Outro Song: May All The Lower Realms Be Empty by Friends in Real Life

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In this episode Breht sits down with Brian Becker, a longtime socialist organizer and leading member of the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL), to break down the current political and economic crisis in the United States and the urgent need for revolutionary organization. As Trump-aligned forces consolidate power, billionaires tighten their grip over the state, and the feckless Democratic Party continues its self-imposed paralysis, Brian and Breht examine what this moment signals about the trajectory of U.S. capitalism and imperialism. Is the U.S. empire in irreversible decline, or is it adapting to sustain itself through repression and restructuring?

Brian shares insights from decades of organizing, discussing the lessons PSL has learned in building a revolutionary party, the importance of anti-imperialism in U.S. revolutionary work, and the key weaknesses and strengths of today’s left. Finally, Brian offers concrete advice for listeners looking to move from political awareness to active participation in the struggle.

If you’re serious about understanding and engaging in revolutionary politics, this is an episode you won’t want to miss. Outro Song: "Gangster" by Good Luck Chuck Feat. Rocky Rivera & Bambu

Learn about and Join the PSL HERE

Check out Liberation News HERE

Check out Brian's podcast "The Socialist Program" on YOUTUBE or subscribe to the show on your preferred podcast app

Learn more about the ANSWER Coalition HERE Check out BreakThrough News HERE

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(There was a small audio issue at the end of this episode, we fixed it and are re-releasing it) Breht goes on the Pokepreet Podcast as a guest to have a fun and fiery conversation about his ideological development, why the United States is so hostile to socialism even relative to other hyper-capitalist countries, the current grotesque state of global capitalism-imperialism, and much more! "In this thought-provoking conversation, we sit down with Breht O'Shea to dive deep into the current state of world imperialism, the decline of the American empire, and the evolving global power dynamics. Brett opens up about how his ideology has transformed over time, offering a candid and enlightening perspective on his journey.  This is one of the best conversations we've had on the podcast and I hope you enjoy!"

If you like the episode, go leave him a good review on Apple or Spotify and show him some Rev Left Love!  Find Pokepreet:

Podcast main webiste: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/pokepreetpod  Twitter: https://x.com/Thepokepreetpod  

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pokepreet_1/?locale=es&hl=en

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

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Todd McGowan joins the show once again, this time to discuss his newest book "Pure Excess: Capitalism and the Commodity". Together, he and Breht discuss commodity fetishism, the tensions between Marxism and psychoanalysis, what a critique of the subjective aspects of capitalism offers anti-capitalist politics, the "superstructural malaise" of late capitalism, Desire and Lack, capitalism's death drive, how to resist becoming a neoliberal subject, and much more.  "Drawing on psychoanalytic theory, McGowan shows how the production of commodities explains the role of excess in the workings of capitalism. Capitalism and the commodity ensnare us with the image of the constant fulfillment of our desires―the seductive but unattainable promise of satisfying a longing that has no end. To challenge this system, McGowan turns to art, arguing that it can expose the psychological mechanisms that perpetuate capitalist society and reveal the need for limits. Featuring lively writing and engaging examples from film, literature, and popular culture, Pure Excess uncovers the hidden logic of capitalism―and helps us envision a noncapitalist life in a noncapitalist society."

Check out all our other episodes with Todd HERE

Check out Todd's podcast Why Theory? on your preferred podcast app!

Outro Song: I Want to Work Less by Grand Commander

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Breht listens to, reflects on, and critically engages with a public lecture by the late philosopher Michael Sugrue titled Marcus Aurelius' Meditations: The Stoic Ideal. He discusses the philosophy of Stoicism, its insights as well as its limitations, its commodification and bastardization under late capitalism, the dialectical inversion of the philosophy of a Roman Emperor for proletarian revolutionaries, Virtue Ethics, Mahayana Buddhism and The Four Brahmaviharas, the importance of courage and discipline and responsibility, Momento Mori, the Cardinal Virtues, equipping ourselves mentally and emotionally for a lifetime of class struggle, seeking the balance of the Middle Path, Marxist Dialectics, and much more! 

Professor Sugrue passed away last year, and Breht has always found his free, public lectures on philosophy to be helpful and really well done. In the spirit of free and open access to education, Breht offers his knowledge of philosophy alongside this offering by Professor Sugrue. The use of this lecture series falls under the protections of the Fair Use doctrine. 

Outro Music: "Lilac Wine" by Nina Simone

SUPPORT SOCIALIST NIGHT SCHOOL HERE

Check out all our other Philosophy Series episodes HERE

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Dawson Hicks from Project Hope to Abolish the Death Penalty joins Breht to discuss the organization, its founding by prisoners, its strategies and vision, the Alabama carceral system, the use of nitrogen hypoxia as the newest method of murdering inmates, the benefits of rehabilitation over punishment and slaughter, the utter moral depravity and intellectual mediocrity of U.S. politicians deciding who lives and who dies, the racial and class inequalities of the American injustice system, the question of free will as it relates to the legal system, and much more. 

Learn more about, Follow, Donate, Join, or Support PHADP 

Get 15% off any book at Left Wing Books HERE

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In this episode of the brand new Adnan Husain Show, Professor Adnan Husain is joined by two outstanding scholars and thinkers, Drs. Peter Beattie and Karim Bettache of BettBeatMedia (‪@BettBeat_Media‬) .They discuss a number of interrelated topics including: the current geopolitical order, China’s role in it, BRICS and political economy, anti-imperialist politics in the Trump era, the media, as well as the politics of race and Islamophobia beyond “left and right" in “the West”. Please subscribe, share, and support this channel @adnanahusain786 Adnan's Substack: https://adnanahusain.substack.com/ Support Adnan: Patreon.com/adnanhusain Learn More: https://www.adnanhusain.org     Check out BettBeat's Substack: https://substack.com/@bettbeat Subscribe to the channel here    / @bettbeat_media  

 

 

Dr. Rory Dickson is a professor of Islamic Religion and Culture and author of several publications on Sufism, the mystical path within Islam. He joins Breht to have an incredibly deep conversation about the Sufi poet Rumi, his life and work, Rumi's relationship to his teacher Shams of Tabriz, the concepts of fana (annihilation of the self) and baqa (subsistence in God), the spiritual practices of Sufism, non-duality and perennialism, "dying before you die", Buddhist enlightenment, the Quran, Serving the People in politics and religion, the role of Divine Love in spiritual transformation, transcending the ego, Bodhicitta and the Heart of the Bodhisattva, the counter-cultural aspects of the historical dervishes, The Masnavi  (aka the "Persian Quran"), Christian Mysticism, the evolution of human consciousness, the linguistics of translation, and much, much more!

Check out Rory's book "Dissolving into Being: The Wisdom of Sufi Philosophy"

Recommendations for Further Exploration:

• Rumi's World: The Life and Work of the Great Sufi Poet

• The Sufi Path of Love: The Spiritual Teachings of Rumi

Check out our related episodes with Dr. Adnan Husain:

• Sufism: Islamic Mysticism and the Annihilation of Self in God

• St. Francis of Assisi: Patron Saint of Ecology & Brother to All Creation

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Outro Music: Something's Out There by Neva Dinova

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Willy Massay returns to the show to discuss his recent (second) trip to Gaza as a medical volunteer. He got back two weeks ago and stayed for over a month. He discusses his heart-wrenching experiences, the wintry conditions and terrible air quality in Gaza and how both are impacting the health of every single Palestinian on the ground. He also discusses the ceasefire, the spirit of the Palestinian people, the insane cruelty and horrific war crimes of Israel, and his personal relationships and experiences with Palestinians. Outro Song: "Kettering" by The Antlers

Donate to 3 displaced families in Gaza HERE

Donate to Fidaa and her children in Gaza HERE

Learn more about Rahma Worldwide HERE

Learn more about Jewish Voices for Peace HERE

Learn more about Nebraskans for Palestine HERE

 

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