This Is Hell!

Filmmaker Astra Taylor explores what democracy has been, and what it might someday become. Astra's new film is What Is Democracy?. The film is out now / soon depending on the city.

Journalist Jesse Eisinger explains how a decaying, defunded IRS set its sights on poor people's money. Jesse co-authored the report "How the IRS Was Gutted" with Paul Kiel for ProPublica.

Journalist Amanda Sperber reports on the known unknowns of the US drone program in Somalia. Amanda wrote the article "Inside the Secretive US Air Campaign In Somalia" for The Nation.

Drones over Somalia [20:27] / Gutting the IRS [1:03:40] / What is Democracy? [2:05:28] / Building dockworker solidarity [3:14:12] / Leftover vengeance [3:50:13]

Writer DaMaris Hill traces a history - and present - of Black women imprisoned in America. DaMaris is author of the book A Bound Woman is a Dangerous Thing: The Incarceration of African American Women from Harriet Tubman to Sandra Bland from Bloomsbury. / In a Moment of Truth, Jeff Dorchen handles the dinosaur problem.

Writer Richard Seymour surveys what remains of Labour under Brexit's combustible, nationalist unity project. Richard is author of the essay "Brexit and the "white working class" posted at his Patreon page.

Geographer Lavinia Steinfort examines the potential of creating new, public money in the people’s interest. Lavinia wrote the essay "The Power of Public Finance for the Future we Want" for the Transnational Institute's State of Power 2019 report. / Anthropologist Jason Hickel explains what Bill Gates and Steven Pinker don't understand about global poverty. Jason wrote the post "A letter to Steven Pinker (and Bill Gates, for that matter) about global poverty" at his site. We talked with Jason in June 2018 about his book The Divide.

Critical theorist Kanishka Goonewardena explores the roots of Sri Lanka's neoliberal / ethno-nationalist crisis. Kanishka wrote the article "The Crisis in Sri Lanka" for Jacobin.

Sri Lanka's political crisis [21:24] / Pay for the future with public money [1:04:36] / Steven Pinker doesn't understand global poverty [1:37:43] / A Brexit tour of British politics [2:07:50] / On the incarceration of Black woman in America [3:13:04] / Dinosaur fuel [3:54:00]

Computer scientist Kate Devlin explores the human questions raised by sex with robots. Kate is author of the book "Turned On: Science, Sex and Robots" from Bloomsbury. In a Moment of Truth, Jeff Dorchen shares his Ode to the Farmer.