Left Anchor - podcast cover

Left Anchor

Ryan Cooper & Alexi the Greek•www.leftanchor.com
News
Politics
History
Philosophy, politics, and the left.
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Episodes

Stonks - 348

What the heck is going on with the economy and the markets? We've got financial expert George Pearkes on to discuss tariffs, stocks, whether the bond market is blowing up, and the economy writ large.

Apr 12, 2025•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 358

Late Star Trek - 347 PREVIEW

Today we are speaking with professor Adam Kotsko about his new book Late Star Trek: The Final Frontier in the Franchise Era . Why Trek so successful and beloved through the 1990s, why have the recent shows struggled to recapture the magic, and how does that relate to changing dynamics in the entertainment industry? Subscribe now to hear the whole thing!...

Apr 03, 2025•21 min•Ep. 357

Abundance Incoherence - 346

Today we have Matt Bruenig of the People's Policy Project , NLRB Edge , and The Bruenigs podcast on to talk about Ezra Klein's and Derek Thompson's book Abundance . We discuss the strengths and accuracies of the book, but also where it turns squirrelly, why it's gotten so much attention, and the suspicious cast of characters behind it. Check out Matt's review of the book here ....

Mar 28, 2025•58 min•Ep. 356

How the Union Movement Can Rebuild - 345 EXCERPT

Today we are talking with Professor Eric Blanc about his book We Are the Union: How Worker-to-Worker Organizing Is Revitalizing Labor and Winning Big . It's all about how innovative organizers have managed to unionize some highly dispersed workplaces like Starbucks, but also how institutional labor unions have failed to take advantage of that knowledge. We also discuss what labor should do given the Trump administration's unprecedented threat to labor power as such. Check out Eric's Substack her...

Mar 23, 2025•30 min•Ep. 355

Trump's Assault on Universities - 344

Today we are bringing back David Austin Walsh to talk about the Trump/Musk attack on American higher education--not just DEI programs, but advanced science and research of any kind. Why are they doing this and what damage will it cause? Check out David's book Taking America Back: The Conservative Movement and the Far Right here , our previous interview with him here , and Chuck Schumer's ridiculous interview with The New York Times here ....

Mar 18, 2025•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 343

The Power of Propaganda with Hannah Arendt - 220 UNLOCKED

Ryan is on vacation this week, so here's an episode from the archives. Today we're discussing the article " Truth and Politics " by Hannah Arendt. We talk about her idea that truth has both a weakness and a power to it, what the Herman Cain Award subreddit tells us about the power of propaganda, Joe Rogan getting owned on his own show, why Bernie Sanders is better at science communication than the CDC, and more. Enjoy!...

Mar 08, 2025•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 354

The Failure of Constitutional Theory - 343

Today we are talking to Harvard Law Professor Mark Tushnet about his book Who Am I to Judge: Judicial Craft versus Constitution Theory . It’s common today for Supreme Court justices to outline a theory of constitutional interpretation, but it turns out that not only is this dishonest, but also something that only developed in the late 20th century. Enjoy! The Ian Toll book series Ryan mentions can be found here ....

Mar 01, 2025•54 min•Ep. 353

The Biggest Asshole in History PREVIEW

Today we are discussing the book Assholes: A Theory, by Aaron James . It turns out there are important distinctions between the asshole, the douchebag, the jerk, and the psychopath, and they are highly relevant to the men (they are usually men) running the American government. Subscribe now to hear the whole thing!

Feb 21, 2025•10 min•Ep. 352

The Tech Oligarch Consent Machine - 341

This time we've got Eoin Higgins on to talk about his book Owned: How Tech Billionaires on the Right Bought the Loudest Voices on the Left . He uses Glenn Greenwald and Matt Taibbi as case studies in how shifting monetary incentives created by tech oligarchs like Peter Thiel and Marc Andreessen combined with certain personal pathologies turned formerly respected progressive journalists into right-wing blowhards. Coincidentally, Ryan also made videos on both Greenwald and Taibbi , which make for ...

Feb 13, 2025•1 hr•Ep. 351

The Elon Musk Coup - 340 PREVIEW

This time we are taking a step back to consider just what is going on with shadow president Musk and his gang of thugs seizing control of core government functions. It's important, we feel, to foreground the grave political implications of what is happening. Subscribe now to hear the rest of the episode!

Feb 04, 2025•32 min•Ep. 350

Trump's First Days - 339

Today we're bringing back Professor Harvey Kaye to talk about Trump's inaugural address and some of his first executive orders. Check out the Prospect's coverage of Trump's actions: day 1 , day 2 , day 3 , day 4 ....

Jan 25, 2025•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 349

The Trump Tsunami Approacheth - 337

Alexi is off, so David Dayen joins Ryan to discuss the events over the holiday. What are Republicans going to do? Is anyone driving the GOP train--maybe Elon Musk? And what in God's name is Trump going on about with conquering Greenland, Canada, and Panama? We live in hell.

Jan 10, 2025•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 347

The Oligarch Class - 324 UNLOCKED

Today economics professor Rob Larson comes on to discuss his new book Mastering the Universe: The Obscene Wealth of the Ruling Class, What They Do with Their Money, and Why You Should Hate Them Even More . We discuss how the ultra-rich got their money, what they do with it, why it's a problem, and what to do about it. Enjoy!

Jan 04, 2025•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 346

Bidenomics Retrospective - 335

What worked and what didn't about the Biden administration's program, and why didn't it pay off politically? We discuss, and at the end we give a brief update on what's going on in Syria. Read President Biden’s defense of his record here.

Dec 20, 2024•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 344

Chaos on the March - 334 PREVIEW

Today we are talking the United Healthcare CEO assassination, the attempted coup in Korea, and the revolution in Syria. Subscribe now to listen to the whole thing!

Dec 09, 2024•8 min•Ep. 343

On the Ground in Philly - 333

Pennsylvania Senator Nikil Saval, who represents the First District in South Philadelphia, talks about what went wrong with the Harris campaign in Philadelphia and across the nation, and how the left might rebuild going forward. Check out Nikil's recent book Rage in Harlem: June Jordan and Architecture .

Nov 28, 2024•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 342

What Now? - 332 PREVIEW

This time we are talking about what went wrong and what to do going forward. Subscribe now to hear the whole thing !

Nov 20, 2024•4 min•Ep. 341

Welp - 331

Trump won. Ryan and the Prospect's David Dayen discuss.

Nov 11, 2024•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 340

What's Downballot in 2024? - 330

Less than a week to go before the election, so we've got Daniel Nichanian on from the great publication Bolts. We talk about Trump's Nuremburg Rally in New York and what effects it might have, how the Republican ground game is shaping up, and the most important races for state supreme court , prosecutors, and sheriffs . Check out the rest of Bolts' excellent 2024 coverage here ....

Oct 30, 2024•1 hr•Ep. 339

Lake Powell Is Doomed - 329 PREVIEW

The second-largest reservoir in the United States is called Lake Powell on the Colorado River. It has not been filled since 1999, and in 2022 reached a record low of about 23 percent full--nearly the point of "dead pool," where the lake would be below the outlet pipes. The reason is that with climate change and reservoir overcapacity (the largest reservoir of all, Lake Mead, is downstream of Powell), there is too much storage on the river relative to demand for agriculture, cities, and water los...

Oct 23, 2024•22 min•Ep. 338

The 2024 Election Home Stretch - 328

Today we are talking the killing of Yahya Sinwar, Kamala Harris's outreach to Black male voters , and most importantly, Trump's unbelievably crappy line of merch. Enjoy!

Oct 20, 2024•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 337

The BS Epidemic - 326

Today we are talking about philosopher Harry Frankfurt's famous essay " On Bullshit ," and how it applies to Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and J.D. Vance. We also discuss the damage caused by Hurricane Helene in North Carolina, aid links here. Check out the new book by Ryan Mac and Kate Conger as well. Character Limit: How Elon Musk Destroyed Twitter....

Oct 01, 2024•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 335

The Flailing Trump Campaign - 322 UNLOCKED

Hey folks, Ryan has been sick with Covid, so this week we're unlocking a bonus episode. Donald Trump visited Wilkes-Barre, much to Ryan's surprise, but his appearance fell flat. What's going on with his campaign? We discuss that, plus Kamala Harris's policy rollout, and the outbreak of riots in the UK. Enjoy!

Sep 19, 2024•1 hr 16 min•Ep. 333

The Oligarch Class - 324 PREVIEW

Today economics professor Rob Larson comes on to discuss his new book Mastering the Universe: The Obscene Wealth of the Ruling Class, What They Do with Their Money, and Why You Should Hate Them Even More . Subscribe now to hear the whole thing!

Sep 11, 2024•17 min•Ep. 332

DNC Recap - 323

We've got historian Harvey Kaye back on to talk about the major DNC speeches and what they reveal about the state of the Democratic Party. Enjoy!

Aug 28, 2024•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 331