In this podcast episode, we interview Dr. Andy Lee Roth, a sociologist, media scholar, and editor known for his leadership role in the media watchdog group Project Censored. The discussion centers on their latest publication, State of the Free Press 2026, which marks the project's 50th anniversary of highlighting the year's most vital yet underreported news stories. Dr. Roth explains how corporate media systematically censors or distorts critical information and delves into specific examples from the book, including U.S. immigration authorities monitoring social media critics and tech giants like Facebook conducting mass takedowns of content at a government's request.

The conversation broadens to examine the precarious state of press freedom, touching on the decline of local newspapers, the threat of AI-powered misinformation, and the chilling effect of widespread surveillance. While acknowledging these serious challenges, the podcast also strikes a note of cautious optimism, celebrating the rise of a robust independent media landscape and the enduring importance of critical media literacy. Dr. Roth makes a compelling case for supporting non-corporate journalism as an essential tool for defending democracy and an informed public.

Andy Lee Roth is the associate director of Project Censored, a nonprofit media watchdog organization. He coordinates the Campus Affiliates Program, a network of students and faculty at colleges and universities across North America who research and identify the top "censored" news stories. He earned a PhD in Sociology from the University of California–Los Angeles and a BA in Sociology and Anthropology from Haverford College.

Resources:

Order the book: https://www.project-censored.org/shop/p/state-of-the-free-press-2026

Project Censored Website: https://www.project-censored.org/

Beyond Fact-Checking: A Teaching Guide to the Power of News Frames: https://www.projectcensored.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Beyond-Fact-Checking-web.pdf

Movement Media Alliance: https://movement-media.org/

Greg’s Blog: http://zzs-blg.blogspot.com/

Pat’s Substack: https://patcummings.substack.com/

AndyLeeRoth#AndyRoth#MickeyHuff#ShealeighVoitl#StateoftheFreePress2026#ProjectCensord#FreePress2026#AI#algorithms#SocialMedia#MediaBias#Censorship#FirstAmendment#ICEsurveillance#socialmediamonitoring##AlgorithmicLiteracy#AlanMacleod#KevinGosztola#RobertMcChesney#Censorshipbyproxy#PatCummings#PatrickCummings#GregGodels#ZZBlog#ComingFromLeftField#ComingFromLeftFieldPodcast#zzblog#mltoday

In this timely interview, author and civil rights attorney Alex Karakatsanis unpacks the powerful thesis of his book, “Copaganda: How Police and the Media Manipulate Our News.” He argues that the mainstream news media—including trusted liberal outlets like NPR, the New York Times, and PBS—operates in collaboration with politicians, prosecutors, and the multi-billion dollar prison industry to systematically distort our understanding of crime and safety. Through what he terms "copaganda," these institutions manipulate well-meaning people by narrowing our concept of threat to focus on offenses by the poor and marginalized, while ignoring far greater harms like wage theft and pollution. Karakatsanis masterfully explains how the media uses "selective anecdotes" and sheer volume of coverage to create a false perception that crime is perpetually rising, even when data proves it’s at historic lows, all to justify ever-increasing investments in what he calls the "punishment bureaucracy."

Moving beyond critique, the conversation delves into the real-world consequences of this propaganda machine. Karakatsanis reveals how every crisis, even a police killing, is funneled by the media into demands for more system funding—like more training or more officers—instead of prompting deeper questions about the system's purpose. He dismantles the "common sense" idea that more policing means more safety, presenting compelling data that shows investments in healthcare, housing, and education are vastly more effective. Ultimately, this podcast is a powerful call to recognize how we’ve been deceived and to shift the focus from punishment to addressing the root material conditions—like poverty and inequality—that truly determine community safety.

Alex Karakatsanis is a civil rights attorney, founder of the nonprofit Civil Rights Corps, and author of Usual Cruelty and Copaganda. A former public defender, he has dedicated his career to challenging the inhumanity of the American legal system. His work has been featured in major publications, and he is a leading voice in the movement for abolition and transformative justice.

Follow Alex & Civil Rights Corps:

Order the book: https://thenewpress.org/books/9781620978535/

Civil Rights Corps: https://civilrightscorps.org/

Alex on Twitter/X: @equalityAlec

Subscribe to his newsletter: https://equalityalec.substack.com/

Greg’s Blog: http://zzs-blg.blogspot.com/

Pat’s Substack: https://patcummings.substack.com/

#copaganda#alexkarakatsanis#criminaljusticereform#policereform#mediabias#massincarceration#prisonindustrialcomplex#defundthepolice#abolition#criminaljusticesystemexplained#UsualCruelty#PatCummings#GregGodels#ZZsBlog#ComingFromLeftField#Podcast#zzblog#mltoday

Carranza Medina was a 42-year-old fisherman killed when the U.S. military bombed his small boat in the Caribbean off Colombia’s coast on September 15, 2025, in a strike the Trump administration described as targeting drug traffickers. In this podcast, we have a conversation with human rights lawyer and author Dan Kovalik, who represents the Carranza family and has filed a petition before the Inter‑American Commission on Human Rights arguing that the United States carried out an extrajudicial killing and violated both his right to life and Colombia’s sovereignty.

Kovalik discusses the escalating U.S. military intervention in the Caribbean, analyzing the blockade of Venezuela, deadly strikes on suspected drug boats, and the return of "gunboat diplomacy" under the Trump administration's new "Monroe Doctrine."

The conversation broadens to include the political struggle across Latin America, speculating why the progressive "Pink Tide" has receded and how right-wing forces have become ascendant. From the coups in Bolivia to the resilience of Cuba and Nicaragua, Kovalik draws crucial lessons for the left. Finally, the hosts confront the parallel erosion of democratic norms at home, the weaponization of the law, the dismantling of the administrative state, and the silent crisis in due process. This is a sobering yet essential analysis of modern imperialism and the urgent fight to inform and mobilize public resistance.

Dan Kovalik has taught International Human Rights at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, where he has shared his experience with students and broader audiences on labor struggles, Colombia, and international law. He has lectured internationally on human rights and U.S. foreign policy and has been active in public forums, media appearances, and conferences, including talks on Venezuela and other conflict zones.

He is the author of several books, including:

• • The Plot to Scapegoat Russia (2017), on efforts in U.S. politics to vilify Russia.
  • The Plot to Attack Iran and The Plot to Control the World, extending his critique of U.S. foreign policy and election interference abroad.
  • The Plot to Overthrow Venezuela: How the US Is Orchestrating a Coup for Oil, with a foreword by filmmaker Oliver Stone.
  • No More War: How the West Violates International Law by Using “Humanitarian” Intervention to Advance Economic and Strategic Interests (co-authored, 2020).
  • The Case for Palestine: Why It Matters and Why You Should Care (2024), with a foreword by George Galloway.

Dan Kovalik’s Wikipedia Page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dan_Kovalik

Dan Kovalik’s Books: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Dan-Kovalik/author/B06XZ9ZRSD

Greg’s Blog: http://zzs-blg.blogspot.com/

Pat’s Substack: https://patcummings.substack.com/

DanKovalik#Venezuelablockade#USinterventionVenezuela#MonroeDoctrine#extrajudicialkillings#Colombiafishermanlawsuit#Inter-AmericanCommissionHumanRights#regimechange#gunboatdiplomacy#LatinAmericapolitics#PinkTide#USLatinAmericapolicy#Trumpforeignpolicy#oilwars#politicalassassination#dueprocess#humanrightslaw#NicaraguaCuba#socialisminLatinAmerica#USimperialism##PatCummings#GregGodels#ZZsBlog#ComingFromLeftField#Podcast#zzblog#mltoday

In this deep-dive episode, we sit down with legendary investigative journalist and author John Dinges to discuss his acclaimed book, “Chile in Their Hearts: The Untold Story of Two Americans Who Went Missing After the Coup.”

Journey back to the early 1970s, when Chile became the global epicenter for progressive hope, attracting thousands of idealistic foreigners, including young Americans, to witness Salvador Allende's democratic "revolution with red wine and empanadas." Dinges, who was there, sets the scene of this vibrant, politically charged moment.

The heart of the conversation is Dinges's decades-long investigation into the fates of two such Americans—Charles Horman and Frank Teruggi—who were killed after Pinochet's brutal 1973 coup. We tackle difficult truths and enduring myths, including the 1982 Academy Award-winning film, “Missing.” Dinges reveals his startling conclusion: while the U.S. government did not directly order their deaths, it was utterly complicit in the regime's terror and the ensuing cover-up.

We also explore Operation Condor, the sinister international assassination network Dinges helped expose, detailing the intimate and damning role of U.S. intelligence. This is a masterclass in investigative journalism, as Dinges explains why following the evidence—even when it contradicts your beliefs—is paramount.

John Dinges is an American investigative journalist, author, and longtime chronicler of U.S. involvement in Latin America, especially during the era of military dictatorships. He began his career at the Des Moines Register & Tribune and later worked as a freelance correspondent in Latin America, serving as a special correspondent for Time, The Washington Post, and ABC Radio. Dinges worked on the foreign desk of The Washington Post and then at NPR, where he became managing editor and helped shape the network’s foreign coverage.

Get the Book: https://www.ucpress.edu/books/chile-in-their-hearts/paper

John Dinges’s Homepage: https://johndinges.com/

Greg’s Blog: http://zzs-blg.blogspot.com/

Pat’s Substack: https://patcummings.substack.com/

JohnDinges#Chile#ChileInTheirHearts#1973#Chilemilitarycoup#SalvadorAllende#Pinochetdictatorship#OperationCondor#CharlesHorman#FrankTeruggi#Missingmovie1982#USinterventionChile#CIALatinAmerica#HenryKissingerChile#Investigativejournalism#LatinAmericanhistory#ColdWarChile#PatCummings#GregGodels#ZZsBlog#ComingFromLeftField#Podcast#zzblog#mltoday

In this podcast is an interview with Dr. Carla Kaplan, author of the biography "Troublemaker: The Life and Times of Jessica Mitford." The conversation centers on the extraordinary life of Jessica "Decca" Mitford, one of the famous (and famously eccentric) Mitford sisters.

Jessica "Decca" Mitford was an aristocratic British rebel who became a formidable American left-wing activist and muckraking journalist. Born into the famously eccentric Mitford family—where her sisters included a Nazi sympathizer and a fascist—Decca rejected her life of privilege to join the Communist Party in the United States. As the author explains, Decca was a "biographer's gift": fiercely principled, incredibly hard-working, and gifted with a brilliant sense of humor that she used as a powerful tool for activism. Her training in the Communist Party, particularly on the West Coast, taught her to listen to marginalized communities, shaping her into a highly effective and empathetic ally in the civil rights movement.

Dr. Carla Kaplan is a distinguished scholar in American literature, women’s writing, African American literature, and feminist theory. She holds the Davis Distinguished Professorship in American Literature at Northeastern University and founded the Humanities Center to encourage diversity and interdisciplinary dialogue. Her academic career includes roles at Yale University, the University of Southern California, Wellesley College, and the University of Illinois. Dr. Kaplan also teaches writing through various arts councils and writers’ centers. She earned a Ph.D. in English from Northwestern University.

Get the Book: https://www.harpercollins.com/products/troublemaker-carla-kaplan

Dr. Kaplan’s Homepage: https://carlakaplan.com/

Greg’s Blog: http://zzs-blg.blogspot.com/

Pat’s Substack: https://patcummings.substack.com/about

JessicaMitford#Troublemakerbiography#CarlaKaplaninterview#Mitfordsisters#DeccaMitford#AmericanWayofDeath#CommunistPartyUSA#muckrakingjournalism#leftwingactivism#biographypodcast#Britisharistocracy#fascistMitfordsisters#DianaMitford#UnityMitford#civilrightsmovement#investigativejournalism#funeralindustryexpose#famouswritersschool#historicalbiography#PatCummings#GregGodels#ZZBlog#ComingFromLeftField#ComingFromLeftFieldPodcast#zzblog#mltoday

In this podcast we discuss the just released book, “No Neutrals There,” in which labor historian Dr. Jeff Schuhrke outlines the US labor movement's century-long, official alliance with Zionism and Israel, arguing that this stance was driven both by early ideological sympathy for Labor Zionism and, more significantly, by the labor bureaucracy's strategic alignment with US imperial aims during the Cold War and the "War on Terror." He reveals a history of top-down suppression of internal dissent, where national leaders routinely quashed rank-and-file efforts to support Palestinian rights and the BDS movement.

However, Dr. Schuhrke also highlights a persistent tradition of grassroots solidarity, a movement galvanized by the ongoing genocide in Gaza, which has created significant cracks in the official position and serves as a critical litmus test for a labor movement at a crossroads, forcing it to choose between entrenched power and principled internationalism.

This book, “No Neutrals There,” was released three weeks ago, and we were honored to be one of his first interviews. Other publications to feature his work which focus on the intersections of labor, foreign policy, and political organizing, with a particular emphasis on current events and historical trajectories within the US labor movement include Democracy Now!, Jacobin, In These Times, Common Dreams, Jewish Currents, and Workday Magazine.

Dr. Jeff Schuhrke is a labor historian, journalist, union activist, and assistant professor at the Harry Van Arsdale Jr. School of Labor Studies, SUNY Empire State University in New York City. He has a Ph.D. in History from the University of Illinois at Chicago and a Master's in Labor Studies from UMass Amherst.

Get the Book: https://www.haymarketbooks.org/books/2608-no-neutrals-there

Greg’s Blog: http://zzs-blg.blogspot.com/

Pat’s Substack: https://patcummings.substack.com/about

JeffSchuhrke#NoNeutralsThere# USLaborZionismandthe StruggleforPalestine#AFL#CIO#AFLCIO#CIA#AFCIO#Zionism#Palestine#LaborHistory#Imperialism#AntiCommunism#Genocide#Gaza#RankandFileOrganizing#GeorgeMeany#LaneKirkland#PatCummings#GregGodels#ZZBlog#ComingFromLeftField#ComingFromLeftFieldPodcast#zzblog#mltoday

Think you know the story of the American Revolution? Think again. In this episode, acclaimed author and history professor Dr. Richard Bell joins the podcast to discuss his book "The American Revolution and the Fate of the World,” where he dismantles the myths and explores the shocking global story behind America's founding.

Forget the simple tale of colonists vs. the British crown. Dr. Bell reveals the Revolution as a world war, a chaotic and contingent struggle whose outcome was never certain. We dive into the fascinating, often overlooked connections to China, India, and the Caribbean, and uncover the critical roles played by Native Americans, enslaved Africans, and European powers.

Dr. Richard Bell is a historian and professor specializing in early American history, currently serving as a Professor of History at the University of Maryland.

Dr. Bell received his BA from the University of Cambridge and his PhD from Harvard University. He joined the University of Maryland in 2006, earned tenure in 2012, and was promoted to full professor in 2020. His teaching and research focus on American history between 1750 and 1877, with a particular emphasis on social history, slavery, and revolutionary transformation.

Get the Book: https://kingsbookstore.com/book/9780593719510

Richard Bell’s Website: https://www.richard-bell.com

Greg’s Blog: http://zzs-blg.blogspot.com/

Pat’s Substack: https://patcummings.substack.com/about

RichardBell#TheAmericanRevolutionandtheFateoftheWorld#AmericanRevolution#RevolutionaryWar#USHistory#WorldHistory#GlobalHistory#FoundingFathers#EarlyAmerica#MythvsHistory#Loyalists#250thAnniversary#Washington#KenBurns#ThomasJefferson#KingGeorgeIII#MollyBrant#HarryWashington#Hessians#MarquisdeLafayette#BenedictArnold#PeggyShippen#BaronvonSteuben#PatCummings#GregGodels#CFLF#ComingFromLeftField#Podcast#zzblog#mltoday

In this episode, acclaimed author and law professor Joan Williams joins the podcast to discuss her book "Outclassed: How the Left Lost the Working Class and How to Win Them Back."

Williams delivers a powerful diagnosis of the political rift dividing America, arguing that the Democratic Party has become dominated by a cosmopolitan elite and has alienated the "middle 50%" of Americans through economic neglect and cultural condescension. She describes how alienation is a primary reason for Trump’s appeal.

The conversation offers a roadmap for how the left can reconnect by acknowledging a rigged economy, ditching neoliberal policies, and finally showing respect for the communities it has left behind. The New York Times Magazine described Joan Williams as having “something approaching rock star status” in a 2007 profile highlighting her influence as a leading voice on gender equality and workplace reform. She is currently Distinguished Professor of Law (emerita) at the University of California College of the Law, San Francisco, and previously at American University. As Founding Director of WorkLife Law (WLL), Williams has played a leading role in documenting workplace bias against mothers. In 2012, Williams was honored with the American Bar Foundation's Outstanding Scholar Award.

Get the Book: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250368980/outclassed/

Mentioned in the podcast- Class Bubble Quiz: https://www.classbubblequiz.com/

Greg’s Blog: http://zzs-blg.blogspot.com/

Pat’s Substack: https://patcummings.substack.com/about

#JoanWilliams#Outclassed#WorkingClass#DemocraticParty#TrumpVoters#PoliticalDivide#ClassDynamics#DEI#CulturalElites#EconomicInequality#Wages#GigEconomy#Neoliberalism#Populism#Classism#Cosmopolitanisvs.Rootedness#WhiteWorkingClass#EconomicAnxiety#PoliticalRealignment#UnionDecline#StoptheSteal#BrahminLeft#CulturalCondescension#HillaryClintonDeplorables#DonaldTrump#JDVance#JohnFetterman#RubenGallego#RachelMaddow#TeaParty#JenniferSherman#NewDealCoalition#PatCummings#GregGodels#CFLF#ComingFromLeft Field#Podcast#zzblog#mltoday