State legislatures have a lot of power in America—the States Project focuses on expanding that. Daniel Squadron explains. His new book is T he Fourth Branch: How State Government can Save Our Union . Also: this week’s polls and this week’s primaries have nothing but bad news for Trump and his followers.John Nichols has our analysis. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy...
May 20, 2026•38 min
Danny and Derek welcome back to the show political scientist Thea Riofrancos to talk about the politics of extraction in the global energy transition. They explore the contradictions of green capitalism, the debate over degrowth and abundance, China’s role in lithium battery production, the history of lithium batteries, green industrial policy, U.S. oil and gas power, popular resistance to data centers and mining, where the Global South falls in renewable supply chains, and the environmental cos...
May 19, 2026•56 min
Aaron and Jonathan talk to Dan Denvir, not about his famous lefty podcast The Dig, but about his not-so-famous local organizing project, Reclaim RI. We swap stories about what it really looks like to build the power necessary to turn the Democratic Party into an institution that can actually fight fascism. It's practical! It's theoretical! It's praxis-tical! Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy...
May 18, 2026•1 hr 22 min
CNN is reporting that the CIA has been actively engaged in assassination campaigns in Mexico targeting alleged members of drug cartels. While both the CIA and the Mexican government have denied these allegations, there is clear evidence of an escalating war in the country that is destabilizing the government. I spoke with Alexander Aviña, a historian at Arizona State University , about the CIA’s activities in the context of the Trump administration’s wider assertion of imperial dominance over th...
May 17, 2026•41 min
Danny and Derek fight fake news as they fight their allergies. In this week’s news: Trump and Xi meet; Trump rejects Iran’s ceasefire terms (3:09); Gulf states continue strikes against Iran-linked targets (5:53); U.S. intelligence estimates show Iran retains most missiles (8:48); Asian economies cut energy use with fertilizer shortages threatening crops (10:24); Gaza ceasefire plans appear to proceed without Hamas disarmament (12:58), Israel moves closer to an early election (15:47), and Netanya...
May 15, 2026•39 min
What happens when a government goes all in on AI? It creates some huge vulnerabilities. Will Dunn joins Paris Marx to dig into how the UK government is using chatbots to write laws without public consultation and why it isn’t asking the hard questions about the risks of that growing reliance on US technology. Will Dunn is the business editor at the New Statesman . Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy...
May 14, 2026•59 min
Last week was one of the roughest for Democrats since Trump won the election in 2024 - the Supreme Court ended Black congressional representation in most of the South and opened the door to the creation of several more Republican House seats – and then the Virginia Supreme Court ruled that the state’s initiative that created four more Democratic House seats was invalid. Nevertheless Trump is so unpopular that Democrats remain strong favorites to retake the House in November. Harold Meyerson comm...
May 13, 2026•40 min
Danny and Derek speak with David Sirota, founder and EIC of The Lever , about journalism, independent media, and the consolidation of presidential power. They discuss the difference between journalism and media, the attention economy, capitalist media, audience capture, the decline of local news, the Powell Memo, the unitary executive theory, war powers, and Donald Trump’s use of executive power. Be sure to listen to The Kingmakers , the second season of David’s investigative podcast Master Plan...
May 12, 2026•1 hr 3 min
You've already heard us rant about AI. What if you could hear someone who's actually super smart and profoundly informed... also rant about AI? We're joined by tech expert Sarah Myers West, who lays out why AI, as it's currently structured, is all about the consolidation of power among a handful of oligarchs, but also how that's not how it needs to be. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy...
May 11, 2026•57 min
The late Jeffrey Epstein was friends with all sorts of elite figures in the US and many other countries. This extensive network is now sometimes described as “the Epstein class.” The question is, was this class held together merely by the opportunistic trading of favors or did it have a coherent worldview and agenda? Branko Marcetic has written a series of articles in Jacobin that clarify this issue by looking at relationships Epstein had with the billionaire Peter Thiel and the political operat...
May 10, 2026•38 min
Producer Jake regrettably had his pet rat confiscated after an ill-fated cruise. In this week’s news: Iran considers a U.S. peace proposal (1:37), Project Freedom fails in the Strait of Hormuz (7:45), and new details emerge about damage by Iranian strikes on U.S. military sites (11:25); Israel kills civilians in Lebanon (14:53) and targets Gaza police (16:24); U.S.-China tensions rise before Trump’s summit (18:10); Sudan accuses Ethiopia of drone strikes while Ethiopia accuses Sudan of arming Ti...
May 08, 2026•37 min
Paris Marx is joined by Ben Tarnoff and Quinn Slobodian to discuss their new book Muskism which explores how Elon Musk exemplifies a new economic system shaping our lives, similar to Fordism in the twentieth century. Ben Tarnoff and Quinn Slobodian are the authors of Muskism . Ben is a writer and technologist based in Massachusetts and the author of Internet for the People . Quinn is professor of international history at Boston University, and the author of books like Crack-Up Capitalism . Adver...
May 07, 2026•1 hr 5 min
Trump’s efforts to block Democratic voting in the midterms, or overturn the results, is not going to work—Ian Bassin explains the widespread preparations underway for defending the election in November. Ian is co-founder of the organization Protect Democracy and winner of a MacArthur genius grant. Also: In the aftermath of WWII, racists and antisemites organized to reverse the changes brought by the New Deal and the war, but their organizations were infiltrated and undermined by activists from t...
May 06, 2026•44 min
Danny and Derek welcome to the show Alex Zakaras, professor of political science at the University of Vermont, to talk about the history and future of radical liberalism. They discuss liberalism’s relationship to republicanism, the American liberal tradition, equal freedom, defensive liberalism after 2016, neoliberalism, Cold War liberalism, socialism, racial hierarchy, labor power, democratic crisis, and whether liberalism can still offer a politics of freedom and equality. Be sure to grab a co...
May 05, 2026•56 min
Tara Raghuveer joins us to talk about her work building tenant unions, her belief that tenant unions can be to working-class people in the 21st century what labor unions were in the 20th century, and her faith that, if we have a chance to beat fascism, the chance lives in the tenant union. Tara rocks. Listen to this conversation with her right now. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy...
May 05, 2026•1 hr 5 min
King Charles paid his respects at AP HQ, but was put off by Danny’s pet ferrets. In this week’s news: Iran talks collapse as Trump weighs a blockade and strikes (1:56); the UAE leaves OPEC (7:45); Mali rebels and jihadists seize Kidal (16:49); Derek interviews Alex Thurston about Mali’s escalating rebel offensive and the implications for the junta government (18:08); Israel kills civilians and expands evacuation zones in Lebanon (33:43) as the US and Israel demand a Hezbollah disarmament plan fr...
May 01, 2026•55 min
Paris Marx is joined by Brian Merchant to discuss Apple’s announcement that Tim Cook is stepping down as CEO, including his history and legacy, and what may be next for the company. Brian Merchant is the author of The One Device and Blood in the Machine and writes a newsletter of the same name. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy...
Apr 30, 2026•1 hr
In this week’s political rundown, John Nichols explains why Trump may never succeed at building any of his ICE prison camps, and how this Friday’s May Day strike is a test of our power to resist. Also: MOCA’s “Monuments” show in LA critiques Confederate monuments that have been taken down in response to protests. Critic Christopher Knight has our evaluation. The show closes Sunday. (Originally broadcast Oct. 31, 2024.) Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: ht...
Apr 29, 2026•35 min
Derek speaks with Danny and Mike Brenes about Cold War liberalism, its shaping of the American empire, and more from their new co-edited volume . They discuss the meaning of “Cold War liberalism,” the book’s essays, the relationship between liberalism and mass democracy, emergency politics, the continuity between New Deal liberalism and Cold War liberalism, military Keynesianism, US empire, neoconservatism, Joe Biden, and the persistence of Cold War liberal ideas in long after the end of the Col...
Apr 28, 2026•58 min
Aaron and Matt are joined by Eric Rauchway, author of Why the New Deal Matters , to discuss America’s OG antifascist, FDR. What lessons can we learn from his successes in battling back the threat of American fascism in the 1930s? Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
Apr 27, 2026•1 hr 5 min
The conflict in the Middle East is currently in an intermittent holding action with an extended ceasefire but no diplomatic breakthrough. To assess where things are going, I sat down with the foreign policy analyst Anusar Farooqui, who runs an excellent substack called Policy Tensor and posts on Twitter here . We discussed the resiliency and growing stature of Iran, as well as the signs that unipolar US hegemony is coming to an end, to be replaced by a multipolar world. Advertising Inquiries: ht...
Apr 26, 2026•41 min
Danny and Derek will livestream from Route 3 as they take to the World Cup on foot. This week’s news: in Iran, Trump extends the ceasefire after talks fail (1:02), Iran reimposes its Strait of Hormuz blockade (6:05), the Islamic Republic’s leadership rejects unilateral concessions (9:11), and Persian Gulf mines and oil spills threaten commerce (13:13); the UAE seeks a currency swap after the Iran war’s economic shocks (16:28); Israel violates the Lebanon ceasefire amid extension talks (18:11) wh...
Apr 24, 2026•45 min
Paris Marx is joined by Karl Bode to discuss how tech journalists coupled with corporate interests are irresponsibly boosting the profile of tech CEOs, further damaging public trust in institutional journalism and highlighting the need for publicly funded media organizations. Karl Bode is a freelance reporter and writes The Fine Print newsletter. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy...
Apr 22, 2026•1 hr
We need an AI revolution that works for the people, not just the billionaires. That’s Ro Khanna’s “AI Manifesto.” He’s the member of Congress who represents Silicon Valley, and also a leader of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. His manifesto is the cover story in The Nation magazine’s new issue. Also: Trump’s support continues to decline on everything he does, especially the war with Iran. But as he becomes weaker, he becomes more dangerous. Harold Meyerson comments; he’s editor-at-large of ...
Apr 22, 2026•33 min
Danny and Derek welcome to the show Oren Ziv to talk about Israeli settlement expansion and political changes in the West Bank. They discuss the legal and political structure of Areas A, B, and C; the proliferation of settler outposts; displacement of Palestinian communities; state support for settlers; Bezalel Smotrich’s sovereignty plan; new settlement approvals; the weakening of the Palestinian Authority; and potential future scenarios for the territory. Read Oren’s article in The Nation , “E...
Apr 21, 2026•1 hr 2 min
We have, of course, always been experts on Hungary…but just in case we’re missing something, we brought on two actual experts. Senior Vox reporter Zack Beauchamp and political scientist Dr. Jennifer McCoy help us understand the rise and—hurray, it finally happened!—fall of Viktor Orban. How did Peter Magyar beat Hungary’s longtime authoritarian leader? What lessons does this victory hold for our fight here in the U.S.? And, of course, how much does all of this prove our priors and agenda and nob...
Apr 20, 2026•1 hr 7 min
As negotiations proceed in ending the Iran War, the question of the relationship between the US and Israel becomes more salient. I spoke with Middle East expert Yousef Munayyer on the agenda of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose interest in a securing his country’s hegemony in the region is now in conflict with efforts to end the war. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy...
Apr 19, 2026•36 min
Subscribe now to get lots of bonus content (and no ads). Danny and Derek are considering attending the Met Gala. In this week’s news: Iran talks amble along despite U.S. forces building up in the region (1:55); the U.S. blockade restricts oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz (9:49); Lebanon and Israel declare a 10-day ceasefire (12:23); Hamas meets U.S. officials in Cairo to advance the talks over Gaza (19:37); Iraq’s parliament elects Nizar Ahmed as president (21:52); Sudan’s war enters its f...
Apr 17, 2026•50 min
Paris Marx is joined by Dara Kerr to discuss how Elon’s decision to prioritize aesthetics over safety has created a safety crisis, causing people to burn alive in their Cybertrucks and other Tesla vehicles. Dara Kerr is a technology reporter at Guardian US. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
Apr 16, 2026•54 min
🗳️VOTE FOR A PEOPLE’S CLIMATE HERE 🗳️ https://wbby.co/57463N Be sure to confirm your vote via email for it to count. A People’s Climate is a top 5 Webby nominee (out of 13K+ entries) in the Sustainability & Environment category. And it’s an extremely tight race for the People’s Voice Award — which is decided entirely by public vote. We’re currently in 2nd place by just 1% point, so every vote counts. If you support independent media and care about the climate, please cast a vote for A Peop...
Apr 15, 2026•40 sec
