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KPFA - Against the Grain

KPFA - Against the Grain

Written by: KPFA
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 Acclaimed program of ideas, in-depth analysis, and commentary on a variety of matters—political, economic, social, and cultural—important to progressive and radical thinking and activism. Against the Grain is produced and hosted by Sasha Lilley.2026KPFA 312700 Political Science Politics & Government
Episodes
  • The Afterlives of Viral Infection

    The Afterlives of Viral Infection
    Jan 7 2026
    As influenza cases reach a twenty-five year high, a look at the complicated history of long lasting post-viral conditions. Medical anthropologist Emily Mendenhall considers how the medical establishment has frequently ignored chronic but often invisible illnesses like long Covid and long flu, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Lyme disease. Emily Mendenhall, Invisible Illness: A History, from Hysteria to Long COVID UC Press, 2025 Photo by Helenn Melo on Unsplash The post The Afterlives of Viral Infection appeared first on KPFA.
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    1 hr
  • Protesting Endless Wars

    Protesting Endless Wars
    Jan 6 2026
    As the United States seizes control of Venezuela, what lessons can be drawn from the movement against the US occupations of Afghanistan and Iraq? Historian Jeremy Varon reflects on how the anti-war movement grew into the millions in the face of jingoism and media complicity with the US state. Jeremy Varon, Our Grief Is Not a Cry for War: The Movement to Stop the War on Terror University of Chicago Press, 2025 The post Protesting Endless Wars appeared first on KPFA.
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    1 hr
  • The Trillion Dollar War Machine

    The Trillion Dollar War Machine
    Jan 5 2026
    The United States spends over a $100 billion dollars more a year on the military than it did at the height of the Cold War. What does it get year upon year for that money? Since 2001, America’s overseas war have led to nearly a million deaths. Ben Freeman discusses the intersection of interests that drive America’s military spending, including the private contractors who receive half of the US military budget and the universities, Hollywood movies, and media funded by the Pentagon or their arms manufacturers. William D. Hartung and Ben Freeman, The Trillion Dollar War Machine: How Runaway Military Spending Drives America into Foreign Wars and Bankrupts Us at Home Bold Type Books, 2025 Think Tank Funding Tracker The post The Trillion Dollar War Machine appeared first on KPFA.
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    1 hr
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