Episodes

  • Against the Grain – February 18, 2026

    Against the Grain – February 18, 2026
    Feb 18 2026
    A radio and web media project whose aim is to provide in-depth analysis and commentary on a variety of matters — political, economic, social and cultural — important to progressive and radical thinking and activism. The post Against the Grain – February 18, 2026 appeared first on KPFA.
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr
  • Fund Drive Special: The Fortunes of the Wealthy

    Fund Drive Special: The Fortunes of the Wealthy
    Feb 17 2026
    A year into Trump’s second term, the power and fortunes of the ultra-wealthy have only grown — following half a century of policies boosting the rich. Economist Rob Larson discusses Trump’s economic agenda, the pillars of his support in tech, and the ways the 1% exercises power, including through the media. The post Fund Drive Special: The Fortunes of the Wealthy appeared first on KPFA.
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr
  • Zionism and U.S. Unions

    Zionism and U.S. Unions
    Feb 16 2026
    Last autumn Italian workers shut down their country in opposition to the Gaza genocide. In the United States, in contrast, labor activists wanting to take a stand in solidarity with Palestinian workers are frequently chastised for trying to involve their unions in the affairs of other countries. Yet labor historian Jeff Schuhrke illustrates that U.S. unions have long been involved in Palestine — for almost a century supporting Zionism and then the state Israel. (Encore presentation.) National Labor Network for Ceasefire Jeff Schuhrke, No Neutrals There: US Labor, Zionism, and the Struggle for Palestine Haymarket Books, 2025 Photo by Nikolas Gannon on Unsplash The post Zionism and U.S. Unions appeared first on KPFA.
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr
  • The Long Shadow of Criminal Records

    The Long Shadow of Criminal Records
    Feb 11 2026
    Employers regularly check the background of potential workers for criminal records, even though claims that such checks predict their diligence or trustworthiness are dubious. Anthropologist Melissa Burch reflects on how criminal background checks became commonplace — and what vested interests maintain their ubiquity. Afterlives of Conviction Project Melissa Burch, The Criminal Record Complex: Risk, Race, and the Struggle for Work in America Princeton University Press, 2026 The post The Long Shadow of Criminal Records appeared first on KPFA.
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr
  • Darwin and Marx

    Darwin and Marx
    Feb 10 2026
    Did Charles Darwin influence Karl Marx? Joel Wainwright argues that Darwin significantly shaped Marx’s understanding of historical change — with implications for how we meet the ecological crisis today. And he reflects on the potential role of strikes and boycotts in moving beyond capitalism. Joel Wainwright, The End: Marx, Darwin, and the Natural History of the Climate Crisis Verso, 2025 The post Darwin and Marx appeared first on KPFA.
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr
  • The Neoliberal Roots of Rightwing Populism

    The Neoliberal Roots of Rightwing Populism
    Feb 9 2026
    Was the populist far right a reaction to neoliberal free market fundamentalism? Or, as historian Quinn Slobodian argues, did such rightwing currents come out of the ideas of neoliberalism itself? Slobodian reflects on neoliberal thinkers’ preoccupation with racist and misogynistic ideas of human nature and intelligence, borders and gold — all in service to their war on the left. (Encore presentation.) Quinn Slobodian, Hayek’s Bastards: Race, Gold, IQ, and the Capitalism of the Far Right Zone Books, 2025 The post The Neoliberal Roots of Rightwing Populism appeared first on KPFA.
    Show More Show Less
    2 mins
  • Exposing the Far Right

    Exposing the Far Right
    Feb 4 2026
    The Trump administration uses antifascism as a term of abuse and has branded Antifa domestic terrorists. Yet antifascism has a long but often little known history in the U.S. Journalist Christopher Mathias describes the efforts of radicals to unmask and dismantle the far right. Christopher Mathias, To Catch a Fascist: The Fight to Expose the Radical Right Atria Books, 2026 The post Exposing the Far Right appeared first on KPFA.
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr
  • Immigrants Fighting Back

    Immigrants Fighting Back
    Feb 2 2026
    The groundswell of opposition to Trump’s deportation agenda has been astounding. But there has been a long history of immigrants opposing the U.S. state’s efforts to terrorize and deport them. Historian Adam Goodman discusses the struggles mounted by immigrant workers in the 1970s, the 2006 immigrant workers general strike, and the necessity of organizing lasting movements for change. Adam Goodman, The Deportation Machine: America’s Long History of Expelling Immigrants Princeton University Press, 2021 Adam Goodman, “Barring the Gates: A History of Political Exclusion and Family Separation in Cold War America,” Labor (2021) 18 (1): 54–66. The post Immigrants Fighting Back appeared first on KPFA.
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr