PODCAST · education
Hitting Left
by Klonsky brothers.
Each week brothers Mike and Fred Klonsky, bloggers and activists engage in conversation, often with in-studio guests. Topics may be local, national or international, but always with a Chicago sensibility and perspective, and always from "the Left side of the plate."
Episodes
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With Renaldo Hudson and Liz Futrell
Renaldo Hudson and Liz Futrell from The Death Penalty Project join Mike for a sharp conversation on the future of capital punishment — including President Trump's plan to livestream the Ft. Hood execution, a state‑sanctioned killing spectacle. Renaldo brings lived experience as a death penalty...
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With Floyd Webb and Peter Kuttner.
On this edition of Hitting Left we're joined by two legendary Chicago filmmakers — Floyd Webb and Peter Kuttner — artists whose work has shaped how this city tells its stories. Webb, known for his decades documenting Black Chicago's cultural and political life, and Kuttner, a longtime member of…
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With Marie Newman
Joining Mike on this edtion of Hitting Left is Marie Newman in a conversation focusing on Chicago politics, national stakes, and her personal political evolution as a progressive activist. Newman, who unseated conservative Democrat Dan Lipinski in the 2020 primary for Illinois's 3rd district,...
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With Bob Reiter.
Joining Mike in the Lumpen studio is Chicago Federation of Labor President Bob Reiter. This is a Labor Day conversation about power, organizing, and the future of Chicago's working class.
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With Alaina Hampton and Representative Kelly Cassidy.
We're digging into sexual harassment inside Illinois politics, where power has a long habit of circling the wagons. In studio with us: Rep. Kelly Cassidy(R) and Alaina Hampton, two women who've forced this state to confront what it prefers to ignore. We'll talk about the fallout from the Ex-Rep....
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With Joanna Klonsky and Fred Klonsky.
It's a family affair on this edition of Hitting Left as political strategist Joanna Klonsky and activist Fred Klonsky join Mike in a discussion of last Tuesday's Michigan election, Mamdani's New York, the troubles of the Democratic Party establishment, and the race for Chicago's mayor. Also,...
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With Lori Lighfoot
Joining Mike on this edtion of the HItting Left podcast is former Chicago Mayor Lori LIghtfoot. Mike and Mayor Lightfoot talk WNBA basketball, recent MAGA attacks on LIghtfoot and her role in the fight against ICE.
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With Flint Taylor.
Joining Mike is Flint Taylor, the Chicago attorney who co-founded the People's Law Office and who has spent fifty years putting the city's power structure on trial, from the killing of Fred Hampton to the CPD torture chambers run by Jon Burge. Flint is back on Hitting Left to talk about his new...
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With Ben Lorber
Mike is joined by researcher and writer Ben Lorber, whose work tracks the strange new alliances reshaping the American right — from Christian Zionists to the Gen‑Z 'America First' crowd — and what all this means for antisemitism, Palestine, and the future of Jewish politics."
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With Michael Rabbitt and Jocelyn Walsh of the Broadview Six.
This week on Hitting Left, Mike sits down with Michael Rabbitt and Joselyn Walsh, members of the Broadview 6, whose arrests during an anti‑ICE protest have become a flashpoint in Chicago's struggle for immigrant rights and the right to protest. They share their story and the broader stakes of...
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With Zayd Ayers Dohrn.
Mike and Susan Klonsky are joined by Zayd Ayers Dohrn, playwright, screenwriter, and author of the new memoir Dangerous, Dirty, Violent & Young: A Fugitive Family in the Revolutionary Underground. Dohrn's story cuts straight into the contradictions we talk about every week on Hitting Left — the...
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With Frank London of the Klezmatics.
Joining Mike this week is the co-founder and trumpeter of the Grammy-winning klezmer group, the Klezmatics. The Klezmatics are a fiercely inventive New York klezmer band that fuses Jewish musical tradition with jazz, punk, folk, and political fire.
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With Ivan Weiss.
Joining Mike on May Day is Ivan Weiss, retired journalist, union organizer and the son of a Philadelpia family of McCarthy era political survivors. Now a small family farmer near Seattle, Wahington, Ivan shares with Mike family stories of life growing up during the notorious Red Scare and the...
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With Jay Schaffner and Geoffrey Jacques.
Jay Schaffner and Geoffrey Jacques join Mike to talk about their new volume, Red Lives: Our Years in the U.S. Communist Party (1950–2000).
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With Shirin Vossoughi and Elham Hoominfar.
Joining Mike in the Lumpen Radiio studio on this editon of Hitting Left are Shirin Vossoughi and Elham Hoominfar — two Northwestern scholars who bring depth, clarity, and a refusal to let Iran be reduced to headlines or talking points.
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With brother Fred
Back in February of 2017 the Klonsky brothers decided to do a radio show. Hitting Left is still on the air with Mike as the host. This edition of the show has the two joiining up qgain to talk about today and the last ten years of politics and strugglle. Fred zooms in from Brooklyn.
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With Floyd Webb and Peter Hudis.
Mike's guests on this edition of Hitting Left are filmmaker and cultural historian Floyd Webb, who is promoting a new film, 'Rediscovering Fanon'. Floyd joins us with his ongoing excavation of Frantz Fanon's legacy, how Fanon's ideas move through film, memory, and current anti-colonial movements....
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With Lori Lightfoot
Joining Mike in the Lumpen Radio studio today is former Chicago mayor Lori Lightfoot. They discuss Trump, his SOTU address and the threat of war.
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With Michael Ansara
Joining Mike and Susan Klonsky in the Lumpen Radio studio is Michael Ansara. Michael is an organizer, writer, and longtime movement builder.
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with David Stovall
Joining Mike in the Heading Left Lumpen Radio studio is David Stovall, professor of Black Studies and Criminology, Law & Justice at UIC, and one of the sharpest voices on the intersections of race, education, and the carceral state.
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With Mae Ngai.
On this cold artic-like day in Chicago Mike is joined by Mae Ngai, one of the most influential historians of immigration, labor, and Asian American politics. Her work has reshaped how we understand the making of "illegal immigration," the global forces behind anti‑Chinese politics, and the long…
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With Carlos Martinez.
We're closing out the year with a compelling guest. Carlos Martinez, London‑based writer, researcher, and co‑founder of Friends of Socialist China. Martinez is known for his sharp analysis of global politics, U.S.–China relations, and the shifting landscape of a multipolar world. His work...
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With Ilya Sokolov
On this edition of Hitting Left Mike is joined by Ilya Sokolov, the manager behind two powerhouse acts: the Roma punk energy of Fugu Dugu and the legendary klezmer innovators The Klezmatics. They talk about the politics of music, the labor of keeping bands alive, and how art rooted in tradition…
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With Prexy Nesbitt
Joining Mike on this edition of Hitting Left is Prexy Nesbitt. Prexy is a veteran activist, educator, and internationalist whose decades of work have connected Chicago's struggles with global movements for justice. From fighting apartheid to challenging systemic racism here at home, his voice...
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With Martha Biondi.
Joining MIke on this edition of HItting Left is Martha Biondi. Martha is a historian and the Lorraine H. Morton Professor of African American Studies and Professor of History at Northwestern University. She is author of We Are Internationlists: Prexy Nesbitt and the Fight for African Liberation.
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Wirth Meredith Shiner.
Joining Mike in the Lumpen Radio studio is nationally recognized journalist and communications expert, Meredith Shiner. We'll be unpacking the widening rift within the Democratic Party over the vote to end the government shutdown.
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With Bob Reiter, Jr.
Joining Mike on Hitting Left this week is President of the Chicago Federation of Labor, Bob Reiter, Jr. to discuss the role of organized labor in Chicago and nationally and the fight against Trumpism and fascism.
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With brother Fred Klonsky.
Joining Mike in the Hitting Left studio this week is brother Fred Klonsky Zooming in from Brooklyn, taking a deep dive into last week's No Kings protests.
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With Jimmy Garrett and Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz.
Joining Mike on this edition of Hitting Left are veteran civil rights activist/educator Jimmy Garrett and movement historian Roxanne Dunbar Ortiz. Jimmy Garrett, A founding force behind the Black Student Union movement, helped ignite a wave of campus activism that reshaped American education. As…
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With Colin Kramer.
Joining Mike in the Lumpen Radio studio is Colin Kramer, an environmental scientist with the EPA's Region 5 office in Chicago, where he monitors pollution, enforces cleanups, and responds to hazardous waste emergencies across the industrial Midwest. He's also an active member of AFGE Local 704,...
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With Kathy Tholin and Laura Tanner.
Mike's guests on this edition of Hitting Left show are two militant voices from Chicago's grassroots resistance. Kathy Tholin and Laura Tanner of Indivisible. Kathy is the Board Chair of Indivisible Chicago. She helped lead the massive "No Kings" protest that brought tens of thousands to Daley...
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With Flint Taylor.
Joining Mike in the Lumpen Radio studio today is Flint Taylor. Flint is a founding partner of the People's Law Office in Chicago. His career has spanned more than five decades of legal resistance to state violence and police misconduct. Flint was part of the original legal team that investigated...
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With Floyd Webb and Fred Klonsky.
Joining Mike in the studio this week is film maker Floyd Webb. Zooming in from Brooklyn is Fred Klonsky. A brief report on the New York mayoral race is followed by a discussion of the fight against Trump fascism and the role of the Arts in that fight. All this as Trump threatens a military...
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With Dick Flacks.
On this edition of Hitting Left Mike is joined by legendary sociologist and veteran activist Dick Flacks, whose work has shaped generations of movement thinkers and doers. From SDS to Santa Barbara, Flacks is still asking what it means to make history—and how we do it together. Listen in for a...
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With Fred Klonsky
Brother Fred joins Mike on this edition of Hitting Left. The brothers engage in a lively conversation about New York politics and the race for mayor now that Zohran Mamdani, a democratic socialist and Muslim, has won the Democratic nomination.
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With Joanna Klonsky and Ray Long.
Mike is joined in studio on this edition of Hitting Left by co-host Joanna Klonsky. Joanna is a political strategist and consultant. Also joining Mike is Ray Long, recently retired political reporter for the Chicago Tribune.
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With two members of Chicago Jewish Voice for Peace, Benjamin Teller and Jimmy Rothschild.
Joining Mike in the Hitting Left studio are two members of Chicago Jewish Voice for Peace, Benjamin Teller and Jimmy Rothschild. Jimmy Rothschild is a community organizer based in Chicago who's been active with Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) and other progressive Jewish organizations. Benjamin…
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With Sarah Saheb and Lindsay Eanet.
Joining Mike this episode of Hitting Left are labor organizer Sarah Saheb and writer Lindsay Eanet to discuss Trump's Big Ugly Budget, DOGE, and their impact on Chicago and elsewhere. They have both been on top the new assault on the living standards of poor and working families and cuts to…
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With Ken Cloke.
Joining Mike on this edition of Hitting Left is Ken Cloke. Ken is a renowned mediator, arbitrator, and expert in conflict resolution. As the Director of the Center for Dispute Resolution, Ken has spent decades navigating complex disputes, fostering dialogue, and advocating for transformative...
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With Thorne Dreyer and Alice Embree.
Joining Mike on this episde of Hitting Left are Texas 60's activists and authors Thorne Dreyer and Alice Embree.
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With Bill Ayers
Joining Mike on this edition of Hitting Left is Bill Ayers, teacher, activist, and author. They discuss the current assault on academic freedom.
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With Marie Newman.
Joining Mike on this editon of Hitting Left is former Congresswomen Marie Newman who returns to the studio to talk about her new book, A Life Made from Scratch. We used to call her the "machine buster."
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With Elizabeth Todd-Breland.
Joining Mike on this edition of Hitting Left is educator, author, and Chicago Board of Ed member, Elizabeth Todd-Breland. She's written a biography of the late, great, former CTU President, Karen Lewis.
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With Jason Rieger, Tom Grace and Jerry Harris.
Joining Mike on this edition of Hitting Left are Jason Rieger from Indivisible Chicago, Tom Grace, historian, author, and veteran of the Kent State shootings of 1970, and Jerry Harris, author and prominent figure in the study of globalization and its impact on society.
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With Fred Klonsky
Brother Fred joins Mike in this edition of Hitting Left to discuss New York mayoral politics, the spineless national Democrats and Signalgate.
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With former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot.
Joining Mike on this edition of Hitting Left is former Chicago Mayor Lori LIghtfoot to discuss Trump's attack on the cities.
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With Ray Long and Alaina Hampton
Joining Mike this edition of Hitting Left is Chicago Tribune reporter Ray Long and Democratic Party consultant Alaina Hampton to disucuss convicted former Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan and Illinois' culture of corruption
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With Hilton Obenzinger
Joining Mike and Susan on this edition of Hitting left is author ands poet Hilton Obenzinger. They discuss the Judaism v. Zionism debate, Trump's plan for a Gaza Riviera, and other madman MAGA tactics.
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With Ryan Alexander-Tanner and Sandra Castilo.
Joining MIke as cohost this editon of Hitting Left is Susan Klonsky. The guests are the author and cartoon artist Ryan Alexander-Tanner and immigrant rights activist Rev. Sandra Castillo. Ryan Alexander-Tanner has written and illustrated a book about Muhammad Ali. Susan and Mike will get the…
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With Liz Futrell, Renaldo Hudson and Stanley Howard.
Former death row inmates, now Chicago anti-death-penalty activists Renaldo Hudson and Stanley Howard joined by Liz Futrell, author of "Lessons from Death Row."
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Each week brothers Mike and Fred Klonsky, bloggers and activists engage in conversation, often with in-studio guests. Topics may be local, national or international, but always with a Chicago sensibility and perspective, and always from "the Left side of the plate."
HOSTED BY
Klonsky brothers.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Hitting Left have?
Hitting Left currently has 100 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Hitting Left about?
Each week brothers Mike and Fred Klonsky, bloggers and activists engage in conversation, often with in-studio guests. Topics may be local, national or international, but always with a Chicago sensibility and perspective, and always from "the Left side of the plate."
How often does Hitting Left release new episodes?
Hitting Left has 100 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Hitting Left?
You can listen to Hitting Left on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Hitting Left?
Hitting Left is created and hosted by Klonsky brothers..
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