We hear from citizen activist, Diana Kastenbaum, who organized a town meeting in her congressional district in Western New York State filled with both Democrats and Republicans airing their concerns. How did the district’s representative respond? We’ll hear the whole story. Then, Ralph welcomes back Washington Post tech reporter, Geoffrey Fowler, to discuss his latest report about how Meta promised parents it would automatically shield teens from harmful content. Find out what happened when Mr. ...
May 31, 2025•1 hr 42 min
In the midst of the terrible Trump tax bill moving through Congress, Ralph invites Sarah Anderson who directs the Global Economy Project at the Institute for Policy Studies to discuss the massive tax loopholes huge companies like Amazon get that allow them to pay far less in taxes than ordinary working people. Then, Greg LeRoy from Good Jobs First joins us to discuss how state taxpayers are footing the bill for these massive data centers companies like Google are building all over the country. P...
May 24, 2025•1 hr 15 min
We spend the whole program with Nadav Wieman, a former IDF sniper and now executive director of Breaking the Silence, an organization of Israeli veterans who expose the reality of life in the Occupied Territories and work to end the occupation. He and Ralph discuss Nadav’s experience in the IDF and his work trying to turn the tide of sentiment in Israel against the ongoing genocide. Nadav Weiman is the executive director of Breaking the Silence , an organization of Israeli veterans who expose th...
May 17, 2025•1 hr 20 min
This week is mainly devoted to listener questions and feedback. First, Ralph answers some of the questions you have submitted over the past few weeks. Then we invite back last week’s guest, Erica Payne, of Patriotic Millionaires, to respond to your very thoughtful comments on the interview we did with that group's plan for preserving democracy by taxing the rich. Plus, Ralph highlights the outrages of the Trump/Musk assault on government programs that help ordinary people. Erica Payne is the fou...
May 10, 2025•1 hr 15 min
Ralph welcomes back Erica Payne, founder of Patriotic Millionaires, to update us on that group’s latest efforts to save American democracy by lobbying to raise wages for workers and tax the rich. Plus, according to our resident constitutional expert, Bruce Fein, the count of Trump’s impeachable offenses is now up to twenty-two and rising faster than a Space X rocket. Erica Payne is the founder and president of Patriotic Millionaires , an organization of high-net-worth individuals that aims to re...
May 03, 2025•1 hr 19 min
First, Ralph welcomes Washington Post tech journalist Faiz Siddiqui to discuss his new book "Hubris Maximus: The Shattering of Elon Musk." Then, our resident legal expert Bruce Fein stops by to explain how Elon Musk and DOGE are breaking the law. Finally, David picks up our interview with Ralph about Ralph's new book "Civic Self-Respect." Faiz Siddiqui is a technology journalist who writes for the Washington Post and has covered companies such as Tesla, Uber, and Twitter (now X) for the Business...
Apr 26, 2025•1 hr 16 min
Ralph talks about his new book, “Civic Self Respect” which reminds us that our civic lives have different primary roles—not only voter, but also worker, taxpayer, consumer, sometimes soldier and sometimes parent—and how each one offers special opportunities for people to organize to make change. Plus, we welcome back former commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service, John Koskinen, who tells us exactly how the Trump/Musk cabal is both gutting and weaponizing the IRS. John Koskinen served as th...
Apr 19, 2025•1 hr 23 min
Ralph speaks to Washington Post columnist Dana Milbank about the Trump Administration's path of destruction in our federal government. Then, Ralph welcomes legendary public interest lawyer Alan Morrison to discuss the President's authority to impose tariffs and other constitutional questions. Dana Milbank is a nationally syndicated op-ed columnist for the Washington Post . He also provides political commentary for various TV outlets, and he is the author of five books on politics, including the ...
Apr 12, 2025•1 hr 37 min
Ralph welcomes Robert Weissman, co-president of Public Citizen, whose group has filed eight lawsuits that have significantly slowed the Trump/Musk cabal’s attempt to dismantle the government. Then, our resident Constitutional scholar Bruce Fein reports on Public Interest Law Day at Harvard Law School and how important it is for law schools in general to step up to meet this constitutional crisis. Plus, Ralph answers listener questions! Robert Weissman is a staunch public interest advocate and ac...
Apr 05, 2025•1 hr 48 min
Ralph welcomes journalist Chris Hedges to talk about his new book "A Genocide Foretold: Reporting on Survival and Resistance in Occupied Palestine." Then, Ralph speaks to David Swanson of World BEYOND War about what his organization is doing to resist this country’s casual acceptance of being constantly at war. Finally, Ralph checks in with our resident constitutional scholar Bruce Fein. Chris Hedges is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, who spent nearly two decades as a foreign correspondent ...
Mar 29, 2025•1 hr 39 min
Ralph welcomes New York Times journalist, David Enrich, author of “Murder the Truth” an in-depth exposé of the attack on freedom of the press as protected by the landmark Supreme Court decision “Sullivan v. The New York Times.” Also, Professor Michael Graetz a leading authority on tax politics and policy joins to discuss his book “The Power to Destroy: How the Antitax Movement Hijacked America.” Plus, our resident constitutional scholar, Bruce Fein, updates us on his latest efforts to push for t...
Mar 22, 2025•2 hr 18 min
Ralph welcomes Peter Beinart, to discuss his book Being Jewish After the Destruction of Gaza. An observant Jew, Beinart argues “We are not history’s permanent virtuous victims. We are not hardwired to forever endure evil but never commit it.” Plus, premier global trade expert, Lori Wallach, joins to help sort out the on again, off again tariffs Donald Trump is assessing U.S. trade partners. What kind of a tool is a tariff? When should it be used? Who should it be used against? And are the curren...
Mar 15, 2025•1 hr 33 min
First up, Ralph welcomes former FBI agent Mike German to discuss his new book (co-written with Beth Zasloff), Policing White Supremacy: The Enemy Within. Then, Ralph speaks to Dr. Bandy Lee about her psychological analysis of the second Trump presidency. Finally, Ralph talks about Trump's latest Congressional address. Mike German is a fellow with the Liberty and National Security program at the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law School. He has worked at the ACLU and served sixteen years as an...
Mar 08, 2025•1 hr 50 min
Ralph welcomes acclaimed investigative report, Jeremy Scahill of Drop Site News to give us his report on the state of the ceasefire in Gaza, why both sides tend to undercount the deaths and casualties, the nature of the October 7th assault, and the threat of a wider war with Iran. Plus, Ralph responds to a DOGE supporter, who on social media called him a hypocrite. Jeremy Scahill is an investigative reporter, war correspondent, and author of the books Dirty Wars: The World Is a Battlefield and B...
Mar 01, 2025•1 hr 3 min
First, Ralph welcomes economist James Henry to discuss the Trump administration's latest attempts to disable our corporate watchdogs and dismantle the IRS. Then, Ralph is joined by America's Number One Populist Jim Hightower to get his take on what's been happening in our government, and how to fight back. James Henry is an economist, attorney, and investigative journalist who has written numerous articles and several books about international private banking, offshore havens, debt, capital flig...
Feb 22, 2025•1 hr 41 min
Ralph welcomes back Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson to share his view of Pete Hegseth as Secretary of Defense and to get his take on the military and political situation in the Middle East. Then, from Tel Aviv we are joined by Alon-Lee Green, co-director of the Israeli peace organization “Standing Together” a progressive grassroots movement based in Israel that organizes Jewish and Palestinian citizens against the occupation and the ethnic cleansing of Gaza. Lawrence Wilkerson is a retired U.S. Army ...
Feb 15, 2025•1 hr 15 min
Ralph welcomes Constitutional law expert Bruce Fein to analyze Congress' abdication of power in the face of President Trump and Elon Musk's actions to dismantle the federal government, and whether any of it is legal. Then, Ralph is joined by Norman Solomon from RootsAction to discuss the new Chair of the Democratic National Committee, Ken Martin, and whether we should be optimistic about his agenda for the Democrats. Bruce Fein is a Constitutional scholar and an expert on international law. Mr. ...
Feb 08, 2025•2 hr 23 min
Ralph welcomes Deepa Padmanabha, senior legal advisor to Greenpeace USA, to discuss that organization’s looming trial against Energy Transfer Partners (builder of the Dakota Access Pipeline at Standing Rock) that threatens the constitutionally protected First Amendment right of citizens and citizen groups to protest. Plus, Josh Paul, former State Department employee, who resigned in protest over the Biden Administration’s policy of sending weapons to support Israel’s genocide in Gaza, returns to...
Feb 01, 2025•1 hr 34 min
First up, Ralph welcomes back constitutional law expert Bruce Fein to talk about his reaction to Donald Trump's inaugural address. Then Ralph is joined by Public Citizen Co-President Robert Weissman to discuss Public Citizen's lawsuit against Trump regarding Elon Musk's D.O.G.E task force. Finally, Ralph speaks with Public Citizen's Government Affairs lobbyist Craig Holman about the flood of donations from corporations and billionaires to Trump's inaugural fund. Bruce Fein is a Constitutional sc...
Jan 25, 2025•1 hr 34 min
In the immediate aftermath of the mammoth fires in Los Angeles, Ralph welcomes Douglas Heller, Director of Insurance at Consumer Federation of America to fill us in on what to expect from the industry and how to get the most out of your fire insurance claims. Then, our resident constitutional scholar, Bruce Fein, returns to present a list of constitutional crises to expect upon the second coming of Donald Trump. Douglas Heller is a nationally-recognized insurance expert and Director of Insurance...
Jan 18, 2025•1 hr 38 min
Ralph welcomes historian Douglas Brinkley (author of "The Unfinished Presidency: Jimmy Carter's Journey Beyond the White House") as well as journalist and former Carter speechwriter James Fallows to reflect on the life and legacy of the late, great President Jimmy Carter. Douglas Brinkley is the Katherine Tsanoff Brown Chair in Humanities and Professor of History at Rice University , presidential historian for the New-York Historical Society, trustee of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Lib...
Jan 11, 2025•1 hr 19 min
Steve, David, Hannah, Jimmy, and Francesco give Ralph a well-deserved break and highlight some of the clips they want to revisit from this challenging, inspiring, fascinating, infuriating, and galvanizing year. Featuring interviews with Mumia Abu-Jamal, Dr. Feroze Sidhwa, Ryan Grim, Craig Mokhiber, and more. Featured Clips Dr. Feroze Sidhwa — Boobytraps, Bombs & Blowback (September 28, 2024) Craig Mokhiber — Israel's Wall of Impunity (December 7, 2024) Ryan Grim — Cabinet of Curiosities (Novembe...
Jan 04, 2025•1 hr 15 min
First up on today's wide-ranging show, Ralph speaks to political scientist Adolph Reed about how American politics has started taking its cues from professional wrestling and how the left can rebuild itself. Then, we welcome Steve Silberstein from National Popular Vote to update us on their interstate compact's progress. Finally, we're joined by three interns from the American Museum of Tort Law—Dylan Bird, Gabriel Duffany, and Rachel Donovan discuss a rather unique summer assignment. Adolph Ree...
Dec 28, 2024•1 hr 21 min
Ralph and team spend the entire hour with Israeli reporter, Gideon Levy, a singular voice in an otherwise compliant domestic press to discuss his book “The Killing of Gaza: Reports on a Catastrophe” a series of columns written before and after the October 7th, 2023 attacks that put this ongoing tragedy in historical context. Gideon Levy is a Haaretz columnist and a member of the newspaper's editorial board. He is the author of the weekly “Twilight Zone” feature, which covers the Israeli occupati...
Dec 21, 2024•1 hr 18 min
Ralph welcomes retired diplomat Ambassador Chas Freeman to discuss the United States' disregard for international law, the incoming Trump administration's approach to foreign policy, and the decline of the American Empire (among other topics). Ambassador Chas Freeman is a retired career diplomat who has negotiated on behalf of the United States with over 100 foreign governments in East and South Asia, Africa, Latin America, the Middle East, and both Western and Eastern Europe. Ambassador Freeman...
Dec 14, 2024•1 hr 24 min
Ralph welcomes international human rights lawyer and activist, and former senior United Nations human rights official Craig Mokhiber to discuss Israel and Gaza—if Israel should be thrown out of the UN, how Trump's positions will compare to Biden's, and whether we're starting to see cracks in Israel's wall of impunity. Plus, Ralph shares a possible ray of light in Trump's cabinet, a warning about the cost of credit cards for small businesses, and some tough love for AARP. Craig Mokhiber is an int...
Dec 07, 2024•1 hr 16 min
Ralph welcomes Marc Rotenberg, founder and president of the Center for AI and Digital Policy to fill us in on the latest international treaty aimed at putting guardrails on the potential Frankenstein monster that is Artificial Intelligence. Plus, as we get to the end of the Medicare enrollment period, we put out one last warning for listeners to avoid the scam that is Medicare Advantage. Marc Rotenberg is the founder and president of the Center for AI and Digital Policy , a global organization f...
Nov 30, 2024•1 hr 12 min
Ralph welcomes Vani Hari, also known as “The Food Babe,” to tell us about her campaign against Kellogg’s to stop using artificial dyes in their cereals that have been linked to various health problems and have been banned in Europe. Plus, noted labor organizer, Chris Townsend gives us his take on the AFL-CIOs obeisant relationship to the Democratic Party. Vani Hari is an author and food activist. A former corporate consultant, she started the Food Babe blog in 2011, and she is the co-founder of ...
Nov 23, 2024•1 hr 53 min
First on today's show, Ralph welcomes author, statistician, and professor Nassim Nicholas Taleb to discuss the wars in Gaza and Lebanon and give us his take on the election results. Then, Ralph and journalist Ryan Grim speak about President-Elect Trump's cabinet appointments and what we can expect from the upcoming Trump Administration. Finally, we're joined by constitutional law expert Bruce Fein for a post-election Donald Trump legal roundup. Nassim Nicholas Taleb spent twenty-one years as a d...
Nov 16, 2024•1 hr 20 min
Ralph and the team invite cofounder of RootsAction, Norman Solomon, to autopsy the carcass of the Democratic Party after Donald Trump’s decisive defeat of Kamala Harris in the presidential election. They dissect what happened on November 5th and report what needs to be done about it. Norman Solomon is co-founder of RootsAction.org and executive director of the Institute for Public Accuracy . He is the author of War Made Easy , Made Love, Got War , and his newest book, War Made Invisible: How Ame...
Nov 09, 2024•1 hr 22 min
