Left Anchor

With Democrats looking likely to win a blowout victory in the upcoming midterms, the Trump regime has decided to start fake prosecutions of their political opponents. The first target is Ilhan Omar, because she is a Black Muslim woman, but if they succeed, she won't be the last. Subscribe now to hear the whole episode!

This time we've got the organizer and activist Yotam Marom on to talk about his new book For Louder Days: Reaching Beyond a Politics of Powerlessness. It's all about his experience in Occupy Wall Street and his experience organizing on the left over the subsequent 15 years. What did OWS get right, why did it fail, and how has the left built on that experience? We get into that and more.

Today we've got our old pal Astra Taylor on to talk about the new book she co-wrote with Naomi Klein: End Times Fascism and the Fight for the Living World. What distinguishes today's neofascists--from MAGA to the AfD in Germany--from their predecessors in the 1930s, what is their plan for the world, and how do we defeat them?

Today we've got the classicist Jase Short back on to discuss Christopher Nolan's new film. Is it any good, does it illuminate our present issues or those of humanity in general, and most importantly, is it loyal enough to the source material to please the die-hard Homer fanbase? Enjoy!

Trump is back to escalating his shooting war against Iran, and his trade war against Canada, and he's quite obviously losing both of them. Subscribe now to hear the whole episode!

Joe Biden was the best American president on climate change by maybe three orders of magnitude. Yet it didn't cement a Kamala Harris victory in 2024, and Trump has since rolled back most of Biden's signature climate law, the Inflation Reduction Act. Today we've got UC Santa Barbara Professor Leah Stokes on to discuss her upcoming book The Carbon Wave: A Story of Democracy, Parenthood, and the Race to Protect Our Planet, to talk about her role in the passage of the IRA, what's left of it, what Trump's victory says about climate policy, and what we should do next time. Check out Leah's newsletter here, her podcast A Matter of Degrees here, and her Atlantic piece about the political success of Bidenomics here.

In this excerpt we discuss why so many American leftists struggled to get to the correct understanding in Ukraine, and why so many liberals have struggled to get to the correct understanding in Israel-Palestine. Subscribe now to hear the whole episode!

Today we've got David Dayen back on to talk about his reporting on how awful it is to attempt to make it as a franchisee for the Kitchen and Bath Tune-Up company. We also discuss the flailing incompetence of various Trump lawyers in their efforts to persecute critics of the regime, the return of tariffs, and the resumption of endless war with Iran, again. Enjoy!

We are still recovering from vacation and travel, so enjoy this premium episode from awhile back. Zohran Mamdani is now arguably the most politically successful socialist in American history, having won the mayoralty of New York City. So we've got longtime socialist organizer and DSA member David Duhalde back on the podcast to discuss his recent review of Organize or Burn: How New York Socialists Fight for Climate Survival, by Fabian Holt, as well as the overall state of DSA nationally under the second Trump regime.

Today we have Professor Harvey Kaye back on to talk about so-called Christian nationalism, and not only why all the Founding Fathers would have regarded such an idea with horror, but also so would have Jesus Christ. People like Elon Musk and Pete Hegseth loudly proclaim their religiosity while simultaneously massacring innocent children, starving poor people by the millions, and welcoming the moneychangers into the temple. Subscribe now to hear the whole thing!

Today we've got noted author and historian Rick Perlstein on to discuss the late Alan Greenspan's 20-year reign as the chair of the Federal Reserve, the damage he did to the American working class and New Deal financial regulations, and what that says about the history of the 1990s and 2000s. Then we turn to what the rise of bareknuckle boxing has to say about MAGA's particularly chintzy and gross brand of fascism. Enjoy! Check out Rick's newsletter here, and his books here.

In this latest bonus episode, we are talking about how former Labour Prime Minister Kier Starmer frittered away one of the biggest parliamentary majorities in British history, and what lessons that holds in general. Then we talk about the on-again-off-again Iran deal, and Trump's epic debacle with the Reflection Pool on the National Mall. Subscribe now to hear the whole thing!

Alexi is off today, so this time we are cross-posting a conversation Ryan had with Shawn Howard, who runs the newsletter American Vets in Defense of Democracy. They discussed why the economy hasn't collapsed, how the green energy transition has accelerated, why so much of the world is struggling to come to grips with the fact that the American president is a senile madman, and more. Enjoy!

Today we are unlocking our episode with William Lawrence, who is running to represent Michigan's 7th congressional district in and around Lansing, and has the geographical hand tattoo to prove it. Unlike the previous Democrat to represent the seat, current junior Senator Elissa Slotkin, William is a strong progressive. How does he plan to win a swing district on a platform of social housing, taxing the rich, bolstering union rights, and so on? Listen to find out! Check out William's campaign website here.

Today we're are talking Trump's latest on-again, off-again deal with Iran, Zohran Mamdani's record after a few months as mayor of New York City, and whether AOC is worth considering as a presidential candidate in 2028.  Subscribe now to listen to the whole thing!

The dumbest president in American history, with his world-historically stupid war on Iran choking off trade through the Strait of Hormuz, with no end in sight, has de facto imposed a gigantic carbon tax on the entire planet. As a result, the green energy transition is leaping ahead at the fastest pace yet--led by China, which is cementing its position as the economic and technological powerhouse of the 21st century. That's...good? We also discuss the Supreme Court's latest bowel movement in Callais vs. Louisiana, the continual acceleration of Republican gerrymandering, and more. Enjoy!

Today we have William Lawrence, who is running to represent Michigan's 7th congressional district in and around Lansing, and has the geographical hand tattoo to prove it. Unlike the previous Democrat to represent the seat, current junior Senator Elissa Slotkin, William is a strong progressive. How does he plan to win a swing district on a platform of social housing, taxing the rich, bolstering union rights, and so on? Listen to find out! Check out William's campaign website here, and listen to the rest of the episode here.

Today we've got Bethany Andres-Beck, a DSA member who is running for Congress in the 6th District of Massachusetts, on to discuss why that state and the House of Representatives could use a nonbinary trans socialist with a lot of coding experience. Enjoy!

Trump's war on Iran has led to Iran closing the Strait of Homuz, and hence probably the worst single energy shock since oil became a bulk commodity. There is no end in sight. We discuss why it was such a catastrophically stupid decision, what it reveals about Trump's decaying brain, how Iran has gained the upper hand, and more. We also discuss the elections in Hungary and Mexico's forthcoming single payer healthcare system.  Subscribe now to listen to the whole episode!

Today we have Adam Johnson on to discuss his forthcoming book How to Sell a Genocide: The Media’s Complicity in the Destruction of Gaza. He brings elaborate receipts about how centrist and liberal media downplayed, excused, and denied the Gaza genocide, and in general treated Palestinians as subhumans.  Check out Adam's newsletter here and his podcast here.

Today we have Rep. Rick Krajewski, who represents the 188th District--entirely contained within West Philadelphia--in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. A DSA member and longtime organizer, Rick primaried the longtime incumbent in 2020, and has spent the last several years learning the political ropes. We discuss the state of play in Harrisburg, what he has learned and gotten done in office, the prospects of Democrats taking full control of the state government in the elections this year, and more. Enjoy!

Zohran Mamdani is now arguably the most politically successful socialist in American history, having won the mayoralty of New York City. So we've got longtime socialist organizer and DSA member David Duhalde back on the podcast to discuss his recent review of Organize or Burn: How New York Socialists Fight for Climate Survival, by Fabian Holt, as well as the overall state of DSA nationally under the second Trump regime. Subscribe here to listen to the rest of the episode!

Today we have the philosopher Jase Short on to discuss what is going on in Iran: What is happening, why did Trump and Israel do such a crazy thing, and what can be done about it? Check out Jase's newsletter here.

Today we have the philosopher Jase Short on to discuss what is going on in Iran: What is happening, why did Trump and Israel do such a crazy thing, and what can be done about it? Check out Jase's newsletter here. For the second half of the episode, subscribe here!

Today we're zooming out and taking a broader look at the Jeffrey Epstein phenomenon. How did an evidently barely-literate freak end up as one of the linchpins of the global oligarchic elite? It's a highly telling indication of the rot in post-Cold War democracies, above all the United States. Also, we are changing the way our Patreon tiers work. The Prospect is getting rid of digital memberships and subscriptions, so our $10 Leftenants will instead get a discount code for 60 percent off a print subscription. Hopefully that's both simpler and easier!

Today we are unlocking our episode on the update on the situation in Minneapolis. Note that most of the episode was recorded before Alex Pretti was martyred by CBP thugs, but Ryan provides a brief update on that at the start. This might just be seen as the turn of the tide. Then we move on to discuss Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's remarkable speech and Davos, what it revealed about the previous "rules-based international order," and just how deliriously insane Trump's aggression against Canada and Greenland is. Check out some excellent coverage of the Minneapolis resistance here and here.

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Today we've got an update on the situation in Minneapolis. Note that most of the episode was recorded before Alex Pretti was martyred by CBP thugs, but Ryan provides a brief update on that at the start. This might just be seen as the turn of the tide. Subscribe here for the full episode! Also, check out some excellent coverage of the Minneapolis resistance here and here.

Today Will Stancil joins Ryan to discuss the organized community efforts to stymie ICE ethnic cleansing in Minneapolis. What are these goons doing there, how are people fighting back, and what can others learn from their experience?

Today we've got NYU historian Alejandro Velasco on to discuss Trump's kidnapping of Venezuela's now-former president Nicolas Maduro. We talk about the historical context, details about the oil sector there, what Trump's goals might be and whether they make any sense, and what it all might mean. Enjoy! Check out Alejandro's recent article in the Guardian here.

This time we are discussing Wake Up Dead Man, the latest Knives Out picture, and its themes of faith, humility, forgiveness, and right-wing assholes in the pulpit. We hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday break! Subscribe here to hear the whole thing!

The dumbest people in politics are always going on about how we need more "debate" between various factions. But Stanford political scientist James Fishkin has a much more sophisticated argument that actual deliberation--not cable news morons shouting at each other--has a vital role to play in democratic functioning, and has actually carried out several experiments to that effect. He joins us to talk about his book Can Deliberation Cure the Ills of Democracy?

Today we've got Rutgers labor historian Eric Blanc back on to discuss his recent article on the sewer socialists of Milwaukee. Back in the early 20th century, Wisconsin was the epicenter of the most successful socialist movement in American history, with socialists running Milwaukee for nearly 50 years starting in 1910. How did they win, how did they build power, and what did they do with it? With Zohran Mamdani poised to take charge of New York, this is some highly relevant history. Check out the second half of the episode here!

Today we have Dr. Lucian Staiano-Daniels on to talk about his book The War People: A Social History of Common Soldiers during the Era of the Thirty Years War. It is something of an obscure conflict these days, but he explains why understanding it matters today, and in particular how the era is quite similar to 2025 in many ways—we also are experiencing a severely destabilizing revolution in information technology (social media now, the printing press then), political problems in a federalized empire with a rickety, anachronistic structure (America now, the Holy Roman Empire then), and a good old crisis of state finance (Trump’s illegal budget moves now, how Charles II infringed on the rights of the English parliament, along with many others, then). Enjoy!

Today we have economics professor Marshall Steinbaum on to talk about the potential fall of Larry Summers due to his association with Jeffrey Epstein, and what it reveals about the culture of the economics profession and policymaking in the Democratic Party. Subscribe now to hear the whole episode! Here are the articles mentioned in the discussion: 1. Claudia Sahm’s initial post: “Economics is a Disgrace.” 2. Claudia’s account of the retaliation she faced for that post: “Economics Truly is a Disgrace.” 3. Writeup of the resulting controversy in the Georgetown student newspaper. 4. “Breach of Trust in Hostile Takeovers”— Andrei Shleifer and Summers’s indictment of capitalism. 5. “How Harvard Lost Russia,” a journalistic account of the USAID-Harvard-Shleifer-Summers fraud case. 6. Marshall’s article on what happened in the last decade-plus of Democratic economic policy-making: “A Real Post-Neoliberal Agenda.” 7. Marshall’s recent essay in LPE Blog about antitrust: “Anti-monopolism as an Ideology of the Left.”

Zohran Mamdani won in New York City, and so did Democrats in New Jersey, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and even Mississippi. What happened and why? We dig in. Check out Ryan's articles on Zohran and Chuck Schumer, as well as our previous episode on Zohran.

Today we are discussing the home stretch of the New York City mayoral race, Andrew Cuomo's decent into outright gutter racism and Islamophobia, the ongoing ICE raids across the country, Trump's escalating war on Venezuela, and the surprising story of how rent control in Hong Kong led to a building boom in the 1920s.

Is it possible to reform America's blighted hellscape of car-dependent suburban sprawl, big box stores, strip malls, and stroads into something more healthy and human? Sarah Goodyear and Doug Gordon (of the podcast The War on Cars) argue yes, in their new book Life After Cars: Freeing Ourselves from the Tyranny of the Automobile. They outline the gruesome history of automobiles, what they've done to American lives and cities, and how we might RETVRN. Check out the famous Andre Gorz essay "The Social Ideology of the Motorcar" here.

Today Ryan has Sarah Taber, a small farmer and proprietor of the Farm to Taber YouTube channel, on to talk about just what is going on with American farming--the collapse in soybean exports, what farmers thought they would by voting for Trump, how he has made the H-2A visa program even more exploitative, why so many farmers are addicted to producing corn and soybeans, and more. Subscribe now to listen to the whole thing!

Now that the dust has started to settled around the whole Charlie Kirk thing, we've brought on Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò, associate professor of philosophy at Georgetown, to discuss his Boston Review piece about Ezra Klein's hagiography of Kirk, the discussion Klein had with Ta-Nehisi Coates, and why moderate liberals seem so at sea politically. Other readings mentioned in the discussion: Waging a Good War: A Military History of the Civil Rights Movement, 1954-1968, by Thomas Ricks, and "Democrats Must Embrace War Mindset," by Samantha Hancox-Li.

Today we have Danish MP Pelle Dragsted on to talk about his book Nordic Socialism: The Path Toward a Democratic Economy. We discuss what is distinctive about the Nordic socialist tradition, how much of it is left after many decades of neoliberal attacks, what people can learn from it today, and more.  Subscribe here to listen to the whole thing!

Today we have Phil Christman on to talk about his book Why Christians Should Be Leftists. Is there a model of Christianity aside from right-wing fundamentalism--something more in like with the teachings of this fellow Jesus Christ? The David Bentley Hart essay mentioned can be found here.

Today we have Dr. Jonathan Howard, who writes at Science Based Medicine, on to discuss his new book Everyone Else Is Lying to You: How the medical establishment weaponized doubt to spread COVID, normalize quackery, and undermine public health. It's all about a cohort of highly credentialed and elite doctors who spread grotesque disinformation about Covid from the very start of the pandemic, and kept doing so even as their predictions were repeatedly proven wrong. And now many of those people are in charge of America's public health bureaucracy, tearing it to shreds--when they aren't getting Jonathan's YouTube channel nuked by abusing the company's copyright policy. Why and how did they do this, and what might we do to stop this from happening in the future?

Today we have writer and friend of the pod Osita Nwanevu on to talk about his new book The Right of the People: Democracy and the Case for a New American Founding. He goes back to political brass tacks--what democracy actually is, why it's important, why we don't have it, and why we should work to achieve the goals set forth in the Declaration of Independence for the first time.

Ryan recently visited Greenland to report on their public sector, which turns out to be extremely large and critical to the local economy. How and why did this develop? Then we discuss some recent gerrymandering news. Stay tuned for the full article in the next issue of the Prospect! And subscribe here to hear the rest of the episode.

Today we're interviewing Katie Brennan, who just won the primary for the New Jersey state Assembly in Hudson County. She explains how the state Democratic machine de facto abolished democracy with a rigged ballot design, how it changed, and how she overcame a tidal wave of money to win. Subscribe now to hear the rest of the episode!

Today we've got Layla Al-Sheik on to discuss recent events in Gaza, where an onrushing famine has suddenly become widely acknowledged, even among parts of the Israeli far right. Is it because reality finally broke through, or Europe getting fed up--or perhaps an Ezra Klein column? And is there a chance to save Gazans and get a permanent peace settlement? Check out our previous episode with Layla here and the Isaac Chotiner interview of Amit Segal here.

Alexi is still on vacation, so this time we are replaying a recent American Prospect Weekly Roundup show, in which Evan Urquhart of Assigned Media helps Ryan dig into the Supreme Court's latest transphobic decision and how The New York Times played a vital role in it.

Today we've got David Dayen on to discuss the One Big Beautiful Bill Act: massive tax cuts for the rich, massive cuts to Medicaid, food stamps, evisceration of Joe Biden's climate program, and huge subsidies for oil and coal companies, plus a number of bizarre smaller items. Republicans seemingly also forgot to waive another budget law, meaning there will also be $500 billion in cuts to Medicare over the next decade. Not great! Subscribe here to listen to the whole thing!

Back in 2011 Peter Frase wrote an article for Jacobin called "Four Futures," later turned into a book, speculating about how politics and the economy might evolve in the future as automation progresses. The four possibilities, outlined in broad strokes, are: communism, rentism, socialism, and exterminism. Fourteen years on, how have his predictions borne out, with the rise of global temperatures, green energy, and artificial intelligence?

Today we’ve got New York City politics expert Michael Caley on to discuss how Zohran Mamdani managed to assemble a coalition that bested Andrew Cuomo—where did he rack up big margins and why, how did Cuomo’s campaign fail, and what does it mean? Check out Michael’s Substack here, and Michael Lange’s voting analysis here.

Today we have Dr. Matthew McManus on to discuss his book The Political Theory of Liberal Socialism. It turns out that there is an extensive tradition of socialism emerging out of classical liberal theory in the 19th century that is clearly relevant for today. What can modern leftists learn from John Stuart Mill, Mary Wollstonecraft, John Rawls, and many others? Listen to find out.

Today we've got Derek Davison of the Foreign Exchanges newsletter and American Prestige podcast on to talk about Israel's sweeping attack on Iran. What is happening and why, how much has each side suffered, and is there a chance that the U.S. might get involved? It doesn't look good. Check out Kerry Howley's essay on Pete Hegseth here. Subscribe now to hear the whole episode!

Back in 1943 the Polish economist Michał Kalecki published one of the all-time great essays about political economy, “The Political Aspects of Full Employment.” We dig into his argument and how it holds up applied to the 2024 election. Then we turn to an essay in Spectre Journal called “‘Experience’ as the Best Teacher” by Vanessa Wills about the intellectual approach (or lack thereof) of Joe Rogan, and what it reveals about his class position. Subscribe now to hear the whole episode!

Today we are talking Elon Musk’s alleged retreat from DOGE, the ungodly horrors he has unleashed in that time, and why someone would commit such evil. Then we move on to Trump’s loss in tariff court, his prospects at the Supreme Court, the lie about “white genocide” in South Africa, and what’s going on in Gaza and Ukraine. Check out Ryan’s piece on Musk leaving here, David Dayen’s piece on Trump’s tariff smackdown here, and the documentary series on Larry Krasner here.

Back in 2011 Peter Frase wrote an article for Jacobin called "Four Futures," later turned into a book, speculating about how politics and the economy might evolve in the future as automation progresses. The four possibilities, outlined in broad strokes, are: communism, rentism, socialism, and exterminism. Fourteen years on, how have his predictions borne out, with the rise of global temperatures, green energy, and artificial intelligence? Subscribe now to hear the full episode!

Today we have economist and YouTuber Cahal Moran on to talk about his book Why We're Getting Poorer: A Realist’s Guide to the Economy and How We Can Fix It. We discuss what the economics profession has learned since 2008, what lessons the left can learn from it, why lefty YouTubers seem to be rather weak in this area, and more. Enjoy!

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Today we've got David Dayen on to talk about the big Apple decision limiting fees on the company's app store, and then the building supply disruptions thanks to Trump's tariffs, which look to be comparable to what happened during the pandemic. Gulp.

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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.

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!

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.

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 here. As Eric mentions, if you want to organize your workplace visit here, if you want to get another job so you might organize that workplace visit here, and if you want to support federal workers visit here. To listen to the second half of the episode subscribe here!

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.

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!

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.

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!

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 a nice pairing.

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!

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.

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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.

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!

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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.

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!

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.

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

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

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.

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 lost from reservoir evaporation. What to do? Science writer Zak Podmore examines the question in his book Life After Dead Pool: Lake Powell's Last Days and the Rebirth of the Colorado River, where he argues it's time to drain the lake, save a lot of water, and restore the wondrous beauty of flooded Glen Canyon. Zak and University of Utah economist Marshall Steinbaum join us to talk about the political economy behind the construction of Glen Canyon Dam, how environmentalists went wrong attacking it with conservative arguments, and how the Colorado can be better managed as a resource for both people and nature. Subscribe now to hear the whole thing!

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!

Israel's occupation is much worse than South African apartheid. Subscribe here to listen to the whole episode.

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.

This time we are talking Mark Robinson and the Olivia Nuzzi-RFK Jr affair. Subscribe now to hear the whole thing!

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!

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!

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!

Today we're talking Trump, Harris's policy rollout, and UK riots. Subscribe now to hear the whole thing!

Today we've got Prospect columnist and historian Rick Perlstein on to talk about the last month of political history—the Harris switcheroo, Tim Walz as running mate, JD Vance’s online brain poisoning, and more. Enjoy! Check out Rick’s books here.

Today we are discussing two readings: “The Perils of Presidentialism,” by political scientist Juan Linz, and a selection from On Violence by Hannah Arendt, and what they tell us about the crumbling American constitutional order. Next time we'll be back with historian Rick Perlstein, stay tuned!

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Today we are bringing back John Ganz to talk about his book When the Clock Broke: Con Men, Conspiracists, and How America Cracked Up in the Early 1990s, as well as the recent French elections. Enjoy!

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This time we are talking to returning guest Astra Taylor with her co-author Leah Hunt-Hendrix about their book Solidarity: The Past, Present, and Future of a World-Changing Idea.

We’re continuing our discussion with David Austin Walsh regarding his book Taking America Back: The Conservative Movement and the Far Right. Check out the previous episode to hear about his attempted recruitment from the far right. Subscribe now to hear the whole thing!

Historian David Austin Walsh, who just published a book called Taking America Back: The Conservative Movement and the Far Right, did some bad tweets. But this led to something interesting: a concerted recruitment attempt from the conservative movement, including personal outreach from Chris Rufo, Richard Hanania, James Taranto, and others. We discuss why the tweets were bad and the surrounding context in academia, the pitch from Rufo et al, and the book. The conversation went long, so tune in next week for part II.

This episode is a recording of Ryan talking with The New York Times's Jamelle Bouie about the recent spate of deranged Supreme Court decisions on The American Prospect's weekly livestream. Enjoy!