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Charles Booker is a former Kentucky state representative and the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in Kentucky. His campaign centers on Medicare for All, ending endless war, strengthening labor rights, raising wages, and building a multiracial working-class coalition from “the hood to the holler.”

Booker joined Current Affairs associate editor Alex Skopic to discuss why Kentucky should not be written off as a “red state,” how progressive policies can win in places ignored by the national Democratic Party, what the left can learn from Mitch McConnell’s coalition-building, and why working people need leaders willing to fight for health care, peace, and economic justice.

⛰️ Charles Booker's Website: https://charlesbooker.org/

0:00-9:32 Why Charles Booker Supports Medicare for All

9:32-20:42 Ending Endless War

20:42-23:10 Why Kentucky Isn’t Just a “Red State”

23:10-25:05 Why Progressive Policies Can Win in Red States

25:05-26:43 What “From the Hood to the Holler” Means

26:43-28:19 What the Left Can Learn From Mitch McConnell

28:19-33:34 Building Coalitions With Republicans

33:34-35:56 Andy Barr’s Racist Campaign

35:56-37:16 JD Vance and the Exploitation of Appalachia

37:16-42:02 Labor, Unions, and Working People

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They rejected kings and were sincerely concerned about the possibility of a dictatorship. But we need to move past founder-worship and focus on justice.

👑 Full article by Nathan J. Robinson: https://www.currentaffairs.org/news/of-course-the-founding-fathers-would-have-hated-trump

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There’s barely any pretense that Trump cares about Cuban democracy. This is about privatizing Cuba’s public assets and getting them into the hands of Trump’s cronies.

🇨🇺 Read the article: https://www.currentaffairs.org/news/the-u.s.-is-terrorizing-cuba-to-make-rich-men-richer

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Kshama Sawant is a socialist organizer, former Seattle City Council member, and candidate for Congress in Washington’s 9th congressional district. Sawant joined Current Affairs editor-in-chief Nathan J. Robinson to discuss Adam Smith’s record on war, why she believes Democrats cannot be relied on to fight for working people, and why revolutionary socialists should fight for immediate reforms while building power outside the two-party system.

0:00-2:48 Adam Smith, Warmonger

2:48-9:27 Why Democrats Keep Failing

9:27-19:39 How to Build Power Outside Congress

19:39-27:53 Why Socialists Fight for Reforms

27:53-33:01 Kshama Sawant’s Agenda

🌹 Kshama Sawant's Website: https://www.kshamasawant.org/

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The Israel lobby’s attempt to destroy Abdul El-Sayed’s campaign is a disturbing example of how money warps democracy.

🌹 Full article by Nathan J. Robinson: https://www.currentaffairs.org/news/how-an-aipac-smear-campaign-works

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Eric Beinhocker is a professor at the University of Oxford and executive director of the Institute for New Economic Thinking at the Oxford Martin School. Nick Hanauer is an entrepreneur, venture capitalist, and founder of Civic Ventures. Together, they are the authors of the booklet Markets Built for Humans.

Beinhocker and Hanauer joined Current Affairs editor-in-chief Nathan J. Robinson to discuss why they believe neoliberal economics has failed, what the evidence really shows about the minimum wage and inequality, how bad economic ideas have shaped climate policy, and why they argue a thriving middle class is the foundation of a healthy economy and democracy.

📘 Get the book for FREE: https://www.marketsbuiltforhumans.org/

0:00-9:14 How Neoliberalism Broke the Economy

9:14-15:07 How Much Better Off Americans Could Be

15:07-20:04 Why Markets Naturally Produce Plutocracy

20:04-30:39 How Economists Got the Minimum Wage Wrong

30:39-34:53 How Neoliberal Economics Failed on Climate Change

34:53-44:42 Building an Economy for the Middle Class

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When you stand for nothing, nobody wants to stand with you.

🌹 Full article by Alex Skopic: https://www.currentaffairs.org/news/keir-starmers-downfall-is-a-warning-for-the-democrats

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Trita Parsi is the co-founder of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft and one of the leading analysts of U.S.–Iran relations. He joins Current Affairs editor in chief Nathan J. Robinson to explain how the ceasefire between the United States and Iran unraveled, why he believes both Washington and Tehran miscalculated, and what the renewed fighting means for the prospects of diplomacy.

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🌹 The Quincy Institute: https://quincyinst.org/

0:00–7:05 Collapse of the MOU & Return to War

7:05–11:44 Trump's Strategy & U.S. Miscalculation

11:44–14:52 Why Endless Wars Continue (John Mearsheimer)

14:52–17:31 Best- & Worst-Case Scenarios

17:31–20:22 Trump's Anti-War Promises & the MAGA Split

20:22–25:26 Biden, Gaza & Democratic Accountability

25:26–29:57 The Future of International Law & the ICC

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🦩THE MYTH OF AMERICAN IDEALISM: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/738224/the-myth-of-american-idealism-by-noam-chomsky-and-nathan-j-robinson/