PODCAST · news
Jacobin Radio
by Jacobin
News, politics, history and more from Jacobin. Featuring The Dig, Long Reads, Confronting Capitalism, Behind the News, Jacobin Radio with Suzi Weissman, and occasional specials.
Episodes
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Behind the News: The Legacy of Eugene V. Debs w/ Shawn Gude
Rodrigo Nunes, author of Anatomy of Disintegration, speaks about Bolsonaro, Brazil, and the global far right. Shawn Gude, author of American Socialist, details the life and legacy of Eugene V. Debs Behind the News, hosted by Doug Henwood, covers the worlds of economics and politics and their...
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The Dig: Who Moves America w/ Yael Bridge, Jeremy Flood, and Erick Stoll
Featuring Yael Bridge, Jeremy Flood, and Erick Stoll on Who Moves America, a powerful documentary about the massive 2023 Teamsters strike against UPS that ultimately did not happen. Find or request a screening of Who Moves America at whomovesamerica.com Support The Dig at Patreon.com/TheDig Check...
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Jacobin Radio: Uprisings in France and Spain w/ Sebastian Budgen
From Madrid to Paris, tenants and teenagers are forcing their crises onto the agenda. Suzi talks to Agustín Santos Maraver, Spain’s former UN ambassador and Sumar MP, who explains how the eviction of 87-year-old Maricarmen Abascal ignited a national housing uprising, why the Catalan right sank…
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Confronting Capitalism: Socialists in the Capitalist State
The Left looks poised to pick up some big electoral wins in the midterm elections. But with virtually all of the Left’s victories since the first Sanders presidential primary coming through elections, are socialists and progressives at risk of devolving into electoralism? On this latest episode…
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Behind the News: Housing for All w/ Sam Stein
Sam Stein, author of A Right to Housing?, investigates that proposition skeptically. Natasha Lennard, author of On Un/Certainty, talks about how doubt can be a mask for certainty. Behind the News, hosted by Doug Henwood, covers the worlds of economics and politics and their complex interactions,...
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Long Reads: Telling the Truth About Biden and Gaza w/ Akbar Shahid Ahmed
After three years of slaughter in Gaza, some leading officials of the Biden administration are trying to justify their record. Figures like Antony Blinken and Brett McGurk have been on media tours recently giving their version of the story. Meanwhile Akbar Shahid Ahmed, diplomatic correspondent…
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The Dig: Confronting Labor’s Crisis w/ Chris Brooks
Featuring Chris Brooks on labor’s crisis and the strategic, militant class struggle that can turn it all around. Brooks, former chief of staff to UAW President Shawn Fain, urges organizers to be flexible in their methodology, explains the federal monitor’s anti-left lawfare against the UAW over...
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Behind the News: The Hidden 1 Percent w/ Owen Zidar
Owen Zidar, co-author of The Everywhere Millionaire, reveals the world of the hidden rich. Plus: Jake Werner surveys the latest in US-China relations. Behind the News, hosted by Doug Henwood, covers the worlds of economics and politics and their complex interactions, from the local to the global.
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The Dig: Muskism w/ Ben Tarnoff and Quinn Slobodian
Featuring Ben Tarnoff and Quinn Slobodian on their book Muskism: A Guide for the Perplexed. What the world’s bizarre richest man reveals about our financially fabulist, hard tech, far-right political-economic era. Support The Dig at Patreon.com/TheDig Find Against Tech Oligarchy at...
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Confronting Capitalism: What Makes a Marxist?
Karl Marx famously declared that he was not a Marxist. But his theoretical work spawned many branches of research, political movements, and heated debate. Can we identify a set of unifying ideas that make up Marxism? On this latest episode of Confronting Capitalism, Vivek Chibber and Melissa...
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Jacobin Radio: Jewish Anti-Zionists w/ Benjamin Moser
Pulitzer Prize winner Benjamin Moser joins Suzi to discuss his new book, Anti-Zionism: A Jewish History, which recovers a century of Jewish opposition to Zionism, told through twelve lives, from an assassinated Dutch dissident to Hannah Arendt to the photographer Nan Goldin. Moser opens with his...
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Behind the News: The Gospel of Live, Laugh, Love w/ Kristin Kobes Du Mez
Kristin Kobes Du Mez, author of Live Laugh Love, dives into the world of right-wing evangelical Christian women. Behind the News, hosted by Doug Henwood, covers the worlds of economics and politics and their complex interactions, from the local to the global.
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Long Reads: Ansar Allah’s Offensive in Yemen w/ Helen Lackner
Over the past few weeks, Yemen’s Ansar Allah movement, also known as the Houthis, has launched a major offensive. The offensive could have major implications for the world economy, as it involves one of its most important trade routes through the Red Sea. It certainly has major implications for...
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Behind the News: The Backlash to School Vouchers w/ Jennifer Berkshire
Jennifer Berkshire talks about the anti-school voucher backlash. Heather Berg, author of Notes from the Sex Worker Left, discusses what that formation brings to politics. Read Jennifer’s article for Jacobin, “Americans Are Turning Against School Vouchers,” here:...
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The Dig: Winning Providence w/ Ben Shanahan
Featuring Ben Shanahan, the architect of socialist David Morales’ victorious campaign to be the Democratic nominee for mayor of Providence, Rhode Island. The Providence left ran a slate of left-wing candidates that not only elected Morales but also swept every single contested city council seat…
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Confronting Capitalism: Socialists and Markets
It’s all too common for people to associate the mere existence of markets with capitalism. But because we know markets had a life before capitalism, we can also imagine them having a life after. On this latest episode of Confronting Capitalism, Vivek Chibber and Melissa Naschek compare how…
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Jacobin Radio: The Machinery of ICE Detention w/ John Washington
A prisoner is held, in theory, for something they did. The people inside America’s roughly 250 immigration detention camps are held for who they are, or where they’re from. That distinction anchors journalist John Washington’s new book, How to Close a Camp: Dispatches from the Fight Against...
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Behind the News: The Terrors (and Promise) of AI w/ Garrison Lovely
Garrison Lovely, author of Obsolete, discusses the terrors and possible promise of artificial intelligence. Dave Zirin looks back on the life and work of Howard Zinn, the subject of his new biography. Behind the News, hosted by Doug Henwood, covers the worlds of economics and politics and their...
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Long Reads: The Class Politics of Central Banking w/ Martijn Konings
The US Federal Reserve appointed a new chair earlier this year. Kevin Warsh replaced Jerome Powell, who had been under constant fire from the Trump administration. For many, Warsh’s appointment represented a turn towards the overt politicization of monetary policy. Is the age of central bank...
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The Dig: Mailbag! w/ Ben Mabie
Featuring Daniel Denvir and Ben Mabie answering questions posed by you, our listeners. Submit a question for our next mailbag: speakpipe.com/ListenerMailbag Support The Dig at Patreon.com/TheDig Read the piece Ben mentioned, “From the Camp to the Picket: Reflections from the UC Strike for...
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Behind the News: Trump’s Venezuelan Oil Grab w/ Alejandro Velasco
Alejandro Velasco looks at Trump’s oil grab in Venezuela. Alex Vitale imagines a post-carceral future. Behind the News, hosted by Doug Henwood, covers the worlds of economics and politics and their complex interactions, from the local to the global.
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Confronting Capitalism: Labor Needs Socialists and Socialists Need Labor
Unions have more public support than just about anything else in the US, and yet, their membership has cratered. This poses an immense challenge to left-wing politicians, who won't be able to enact lasting change without a robust labor movement beside them. On this latest episode of Confronting...
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Jacobin Radio: Is a Recession Imminent? w/ Michael Roberts
Producer and guest host Mel Figueroa speaks with economist Michael Roberts about the teetering house of cards that is the US and global economy, and how it is all connected to the Iran war and more: Scott Bessent, bond markets, the crisis in private credit, the AI bubble, de-dollarization, and...
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The Dig: Insuring Catastrophe w/ David Wallace-Wells
Featuring David Wallace-Wells, Madison Condon, and Moira Birss on how insurance companies profit off climate catastrophe — and, in doing so, ensure that people and the planet suffer the consequences. Guest hosted by Astra Taylor. Support The Dig at Patreon.com/TheDig Read “National Disaster...
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Behind the News: The Political Economy of Slavery w/ David McNally
David McNally, author of Slavery and Capitalism, discusses the political economy of the institution. Plus: Billy Fleming, author of Building Postcarbon Futures, explains how we might get from here to there. Behind the News, hosted by Doug Henwood, covers the worlds of economics and politics and...
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Jacobin Radio: Rethinking Natural Disaster w/ Mike Davis
Mike Davis died in 2022, but his work is more urgent than ever. As record temperatures, fires, floods, El Niño, and megadroughts threaten the planet, we hear his prescient 1995 talk, “Reconceptualizing the Environment.” Mike challenged the idea of “natural disaster,” showing how market-driven...
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Behind the News: Israel’s Assault on Southern Lebanon w/ Aurélie Daher
Aurélie Daher, author of a piece for Responsible Statecraft, looks at the destruction Israel is visiting upon southern Lebanon. Annie McClanahan, author of Beneath the Wage, discusses nonstandard forms of work and compensation. Behind the News, hosted by Doug Henwood, covers the worlds of…
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Confronting Capitalism: The Return of Industrial Policy
Advanced capitalist countries have recently rediscovered the role of industrial policy to build out key economic sectors like semiconductors and AI. But what happens if business is the one calling all the shots? On this latest episode of Confronting Capitalism, we’re sharing Vivek Chibber’s…
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Behind the News: Capital’s Chatbots w/ Jodi Dean
Jodi Dean, who has a new Substack on the issue, surveys how AI has been terrible. Anatol Lieven, author of a new article for New Left Review’s Sidecar blog, looks at the bloody stalemate that is the Russia–Ukraine war. Behind the News, hosted by Doug Henwood, covers the worlds of economics and...
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The Dig: Destruction of the Jewish Bund w/ Molly Crabapple
Featuring Molly Crabapple on her book Here Where We Live Is Our Country: The Story of the Jewish Bund. The second in a two-part interview. Support The Dig at Patreon.com/TheDig Buy Decolonizing Money at Plutobooks.com Buy Femmephilia at Haymarketbooks.org The Dig goes deep into politics…
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Long Reads: How US Media Whitewashed the Gaza Genocide w/ Adam Johnson
From the very start of the Gaza genocide, Western media outlets were happy to repeat the most outlandish claims from Israeli government officials. One of the most notorious examples was the allegation that dozens of Israeli babies were beheaded on October 7, 2023, a story amplified by CNN and...
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Jacobin Radio: Health Care Class Struggle w/ Gabriel Winant
“Men in hard hats were once the heart of America’s working class. Now it is women in scrubs,” says historian Gabriel Winant, author of The Next Shift, who joins Suzi to explain how deindustrialization made health care the country’s largest employer, but the jobs are lower paid, understaffed, and...
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Behind the News: The Rise of India’s “Cockroach” Movement w/ Aditya Nigam
Aditya Nigam looks at the “Cockroach” protest movement in India. Then, Gerald Epstein and Juliet Schor outline a detailed set of proposals to transform the US economy. Read their papers here: https://peri.umass.edu/gamechangers/ Behind the News, hosted by Doug Henwood, covers the worlds of...
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The Dig: Making the Jewish Bund w/ Molly Crabapple
Featuring Molly Crabapple on her book Here Where We Live Is Our Country: The Story of the Jewish Bund. The first episode of a two-part interview. Support The Dig at Patreon.com/TheDig. Buy Unions of Our Own and Femmephilia at Haymarketbooks.org. The Dig goes deep into politics everywhere, from...
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Confronting Capitalism: How Capitalism Undermines Democracy
Libertarian thinkers like Milton Friedman like to say that capitalism not only gave birth to democracy but also is the ideal economic system to complement democracy. But while capitalism may have created the conditions for democracy, it’s actually the main obstacle to securing full democratic...
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The Dig: Nusantara Ep. 8 — Reform Stalls, Oligarchy Triumphs
The eighth and final episode in a series on the history of Indonesia: a hinge in the world system where colonialism and revolution have decisively shaped the trajectory of global history. This last installment picks up with the 2014 election of Joko Widodo, or Jokowi, to the presidency. That...
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Long Reads: China’s Next Decade w/ Eli Friedman
Over the last couple of years, media coverage of China has focused on the trade war launched by the Trump administration. While Trump and his tariffs have been grabbing the headlines, there have been some major developments in China’s domestic political economy. So far this year, the Chinese...
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Jacobin Radio: The World Cup’s Impact and FIFA’s Mendacity
In a jam-packed final installment of The People’s Game on Jacobin Radio, Mel and Alan speak with five distinguished guests. The feature interview is with Jules Boykoff, author of Red Card: The 2026 World Cup, Sportswashing, and the FIFA Greed Machine. Boykoff, speaking on the day before the final...
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Behind the News: A Vision of Democratic Socialism w/ Michaela Brangan
Michaela Brangan, co-chair of the group that wrote DSA’s new platform, speaks about the group’s vision. Hagen Blix, co-author of Why We Fear AI, examines exactly that. Behind the News, hosted by Doug Henwood, covers the worlds of economics and politics and their complex interactions, from the…
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Confronting Capitalism: Socialism and Class Traitors
We try to cover a lot of topics on this show, and that inevitably leads to many more follow-up questions. Luckily for you, on this latest episode of Confronting Capitalism, Vivek Chibber answers YOUR questions! In particular, Vivek explains property under market socialism, assesses the...
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Behind the News: The US Tradition of Inequality w/ Kim Phillips-Fein
Kim Phillips-Fein, author of Country of Lords, traces the anti-egalitarian tradition in American politics. Aziz Rana discusses the tensions between the Declaration and the Constitution (from a 2024 interview). And Jasmine Wynn, author of a recent Jacobin article, looks at the National Black...
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Long Reads: Football’s State of Emergency w/ David Goldblatt
The World Cup has entered its final week, and so far we’ve seen unprecedented levels of direct political interference in the organization of the tournament. The FIFA president Gianni Infantino gave his ally Donald Trump a blank check to exclude anyone he liked from the US, even referees. Trump...
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The Dig: Nusantara Ep. 7 — Suharto’s Fall
The seventh episode in a series on the history of Indonesia: a hinge in the world system where colonialism and revolution have decisively shaped the trajectory of global history. This penultimate installment analyses the 1998 fall of Suharto and his New Order dictatorship. Basic political…
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Jacobin Radio: The Surreal Contradictions of the World Cup w/ Ron Placone
In another installment of The People’s Game on Jacobin Radio, co-hosts Alan Minsky and Meleiza Figueroa speak with eminent sports historian David Goldblatt, who lays out all the ways in which, despite the corruption and controversy surrounding FIFA’s oligarchic nature and Trump’s bumbling attempt...
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Behind the News: The Devastating Effects of Private Equity w/ Hettie O’Brien
Hettie O’Brien, author of The Asset Class, on the private equity racket — who they are, what they do. Behind the News, hosted by Doug Henwood, covers the worlds of economics and politics and their complex interactions, from the local to the global.
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Confronting Capitalism: Why the French Revolution Matters
On July 14, 1789, the storming of the Bastille in Paris marked the transition of the French Revolution from an elite negotiation into a truly mass event. But what kicked off this insurgency and what does it have to do with left politics? On the latest episode of Confronting Capitalism, Vivek...
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Jacobin Radio: World Cup Update w/ Laurent Dubois
On Jacobin Radio, the team behind the People’s Game podcast continue their unique coverage of the 2026 World Cup, analyzing the men’s football games on the field as well as the political, social and economic subtexts of the world’s most popular sporting event. Guest hosts Alan Minsky and Meleiza...
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Behind the News: Outlines of a Socialist Economy w/ Aaron Benanav
Aaron Benanav, author of a report for the Autonomy Institute, on what a future socialist society might look like. Amy Laura Hall, author of Erecting the Pulpit, on muscular Christianity. Behind the News, hosted by Doug Henwood, covers the worlds of economics and politics and their complex...
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Long Reads: Trillion Dollar Baby w/ Quinn Slobodian and Ben Tarnoff (Part 2)
In September 2025, Elon Musk spoke by video link to a fascist rally in London. Tommy Robinson, the organizer of the rally and a convicted criminal, has been trying to incite a racial war on the streets of Britain. That record of incitement won him the admiration of Musk. Since delivering the...
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The Dig: Nusantara Ep. 6 — Mass Killing, New Order
The sixth episode in a series on the history of Indonesia: a hinge in the world system where colonialism and revolution have decisively shaped the trajectory of global history. This installment details Suharto’s right-wing military coup and the horrific political crime that accompanied it: the...
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