Jacobin Radio

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 Capitalism, Vivek Chibber addresses the age-old question of whether unions are inherently political, the importance (and limits) of internal democracy within unions, and why socialists have always been at the heart of the labor movement. The latest issue of Catalyst is out and you can subscribe for just $20 using the code CONFRONTINGCAPITALISM: https://catalyst-journal.com/subscribe/?code=CONFRONTINGCAPITALISM Have a question for us? Write to us by email: [email protected] Confronting Capitalism with Vivek Chibber is produced by Catalyst: A Journal of Theory and Strategy, and published by Jacobin. Music by Zonkey.

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 inflation. Is a recession or a depression imminent? The media financial and economic discourse is wildly different from what we experience in our day-to-day struggles; we unpack why that is, and how anxiety at the top of this K-shaped economy will still have real consequences for the US working class. Jacobin Radio with Suzi Weissman features conversations with leading thinkers and activists, with a focus on labor, the economy, and protest movements.

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 Insurance for All: Single-Payer Disaster Insurance and Community Resilience Investments for Safer and More Affordable Housing”: climateandcommunity.org/research/national-disaster-insurance-for-all-single-payer-disaster-insurance-and-community-resilience-investments-for-safer-and-more-affordable-housing/ Find out more about the Late Victorian Holocausts: El Niño Famines and the Making of the Third World reading group here: equator.org/events/late-victorian-holocausts Find When We Are Kin and The Veiled Prophet at Haymarketbooks.org The Dig goes deep into politics everywhere, from labor struggles and political economy to imperialism and immigration. Hosted by Daniel Denvir.

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 their complex interactions, from the local to the global.

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 development put Los Angeles in harm’s way while shifting costs onto the public and the poor. Our sponsor Equator magazine is running an online reading group of Mike’s Late Victorian Holocausts, his landmark study of how climate shocks, empire, and the world market combined to produce mass famine and deepen global inequality. Check it out at equator.org/events Jacobin Radio with Suzi Weissman features conversations with leading thinkers and activists, with a focus on labor, the economy, and protest movements.

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 economics and politics and their complex interactions, from the local to the global.

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 keynote address from the 2026 IFAR Consortium Conference, hosted by the Indonesian International Islamic University. He discusses how developing countries used industrial policy in the past, why the US and Europe are now turning to greater state intervention, and how one could build a new social-democratic alliance between the state and labor. The latest issue of Catalyst is out and you can subscribe for just $20 using the code CONFRONTINGCAPITALISM: https://catalyst-journal.com/subscribe/?code=CONFRONTINGCAPITALISM Have a question for us? Write to us by email: [email protected] Confronting Capitalism with Vivek Chibber is produced by Catalyst: A Journal of Theory and Strategy, and published by Jacobin. Music by Zonkey.

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 politics and their complex interactions, from the local to the global.

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 everywhere, from labor struggles and political economy to imperialism and immigration. Hosted by Daniel Denvir.

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 promoted by the former US president, Joe Biden, who claimed to have seen “pictures of terrorists beheading children.” Of course, Biden was lying — it never happened. This failure to ask any serious questions before reporting the most inflammatory claims set the tone for media coverage of Gaza, right up to the present day. Adam Johnson joins Long Reads to discuss a pattern of journalistic malpractice by some of the world’s most prestigious newspapers and broadcasters. Adam is a media critic and the author of a new book about Gaza and the US media, How to Sell A Genocide. It chronicles how influential media outlets, instead of reporting on the crimes Israel was committing in Gaza, helped the Biden administration whitewash them. Long Reads is a Jacobin podcast looking in-depth at political topics and thinkers, both contemporary and historical, with the magazine’s writers. Hosted by features editor Daniel Finn. Produced by Conor Gillies with music by Knxwledge.

“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 more precarious. That’s playing out now at UVM Medical Center, where Vermont's own regulator found the nonprofit hospital was over-earning. Its response? Cut union jobs while nineteen top executives split $3 million in bonuses. Three union leaders — Melissa LaVallee, Teagan Cook, and Emma Galvin — from AFT Vermont, a branch of the American Federation of Teachers, describe the fight from inside for safe staffing and common-good demands. Their contract expires midnight on August 13th. The stakes are national. Jacobin Radio with Suzi Weissman features conversations with leading thinkers and activists, with a focus on labor, the economy, and protest movements.

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 economics and politics and their complex interactions, from the local to the global.

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 labor struggles and political economy to imperialism and immigration. Hosted by Daniel Denvir.

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 rights. On this latest episode of Confronting Capitalism, Vivek Chibber and Melissa Naschek examine the worker struggles central to the rise of democracy, and why, in a system built around profit, the ruling class opposes it. The latest issue of Catalyst is out and you can subscribe for just $20 using the code CONFRONTINGCAPITALISM: https://catalyst-journal.com/subscribe/?code=CONFRONTINGCAPITALISM Have a question for us? Write to us by email: [email protected] Confronting Capitalism with Vivek Chibber is produced by Catalyst: A Journal of Theory and Strategy, and published by Jacobin. Music by Zonkey.

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 promise was soon betrayed, laying the groundwork for the rise of Prabowo Subianto, a scion of Suharto who represents nearly everything repugnant about the New Order regime. And yet Prabowo’s rule remains beset by contradiction and controversy — and Indonesia’s political future remains uncertain. Featuring Rianne Subijanto, Made Supriatma, Iqra Anugrah, and Farabi Fakih. Support The Dig at Patreon.com/TheDig Check out IndoPROGRESS promotion of Nusantara in Bahasa Indonesia: instagram.com/reel/DafhG9-qdPW/ Watch Pig Feast: Colonialism in Our Time: youtube.com/watch?v=A-pPemC8m_M Buy The Extended Universe at Haymarketbooks.org Find Money In The Mountains at Plutobooks.com The Dig goes deep into politics everywhere, from labor struggles and political economy to imperialism and immigration. Hosted by Daniel Denvir.

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 authorities have announced plans to reform the hukou system that controls the movement of workers around the country. They’ve also published their latest five-year plan setting out development goals for the rest of the decade. Eli Friedman joins Long Reads to talk about what’s been happening in China. Eli is a professor of global labor at Cornell University and the coauthor of China in Global Capitalism. Long Reads is a Jacobin podcast looking in-depth at political topics and thinkers, both contemporary and historical, with the magazine’s writers. Hosted by features editor Daniel Finn. Produced by Conor Gillies with music by Knxwledge.

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 between Spain and Argentina, reflects on what has defied, met, or exceeded his expectations about this year’s men’s World Cup soccer tournament. What lasting impact might the most profitable, largest, and longest major soccer tournament in history have on the global game? What does a 39-day carnival of soccer staged during a time of global and national crisis reveal about 21st-century society? We also ask One Fair Wage organizer Saru Jayaramen, political scientist Vanessa Tyson (who played varsity soccer at Princeton), and left progressive congressional candidates Chris Rabb (PA-3) and Randy Villegas (CA-22) for their take on the tournament. Meanwhile, former UK Member of Parliament George Galloway says the corruption has gone too far, and promises to expose the depths of FIFA’s mendacity to the world. Finally, the People’s Game’s co-hosts and co-producers — Alan Minsky, Meleiza Figueroa, and Fernando Romero — summarize their thoughts and feelings about the North American World Cup. An equal measure of triumph and disgrace? Did the excitement of so many great games once again earn FIFA a pass? Or was this the year that fans finally have had enough? Jacobin Radio with Suzi Weissman features conversations with leading thinkers and activists, with a focus on labor, the economy, and protest movements.

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 local to the global.

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 effectiveness of salting in working-class jobs, and disentangles class locations and occupations. The latest issue of Catalyst is out and you can subscribe for just $20 using the code CONFRONTINGCAPITALISM: https://catalyst-journal.com/subscribe/?code=CONFRONTINGCAPITALISM Have a question for us? Write to us by email: [email protected] Confronting Capitalism with Vivek Chibber is produced by Catalyst: A Journal of Theory and Strategy, and published by Jacobin. Music by Zonkey.

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 Empowerment Coalition, basically an AIPAC front group. Behind the News, hosted by Doug Henwood, covers the worlds of economics and politics and their complex interactions, from the local to the global.

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 himself notoriously weighed in after a US player received a red card before their game against Belgium; FIFA agreed to cancel the player’s suspension as a favor to the US president. To discuss the politics of the World Cup, Long Reads is joined by David Goldblatt. David is one of the leading historians of the sport. His books include The Ball Is Round: A Global History of Football, The Age of Football: The Global Game in the Twenty-First Century, and, most recently, Injury Time: Football in a State of Emergency. This interview was conducted Tuesday, July 14th, before the semi finals between France and Spain and between Argentina and England. Long Reads is a Jacobin podcast looking in-depth at political topics and thinkers, both contemporary and historical, with the magazine’s writers. Hosted by features editor Daniel Finn. Produced by Conor Gillies with music by Knxwledge.

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 freedoms were established but the transition to democracy never included a transition away from oligarchy. And it happened in the absence of a mass organized left — a left that had been destroyed through the mass anti-communist killings of 1965 and ’66. We also trace the arc of three conflicts on Indonesia’s colonial periphery that have decisively shaped its recent history: West Papua, East Timor, and Aceh. Support The Dig at Patreon.com/TheDig Buy Song For Hard-Hit People at Haymarketbooks.org Find Money In The Mountains at Plutobooks.com The Dig goes deep into politics everywhere, from labor struggles and political economy to imperialism and immigration. Hosted by Daniel Denvir.

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 to put his thumb on the scale, the World Cup — and the game itself — will always belong to the people. Josh Pechtalt, a longtime union activist in Los Angeles, also joins us live on air to talk about America’s previous pastime, baseball, and a campaign urging the champion Dodgers to reject Trump’s invitation to the White House. Finally, we speak to comedian Ron Placone about the surreal and sometimes hilarious contradictions surrounding this year’s World Cup in Trump’s America. Jacobin Radio with Suzi Weissman features conversations with leading thinkers and activists, with a focus on labor, the economy, and protest movements.

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.

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 Chibber and Melissa Naschek discuss the radical origins of Bastille Day, examine the class politics of the French revolutionaries, and challenge the old Marxist notion of a bourgeois revolution. The latest issue of Catalyst is out and you can subscribe for just $20 using the code CONFRONTINGCAPITALISM: https://catalyst-journal.com/subscribe/?code=CONFRONTINGCAPITALISM Have a question for us? Write to us by email: [email protected] Confronting Capitalism with Vivek Chibber is produced by Catalyst: A Journal of Theory and Strategy, and published by Jacobin. Music by Zonkey.

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 Figueroa are joined by Laurent Dubois, a professor of history at the University of Virginia. Laurent has two bodies of work of equal importance to the People’s Game: one on the history and culture of the Atlantic world, focusing on the Caribbean, Haiti, North America, and France, the second on fútbol, with a focus on the game in Africa, France, and the African diaspora. Laurent sings the praises of the French national team, who remain the favorites to win the tournament, celebrates a strong showing by Haiti, marvels at the brilliance of African diasporic players on countless teams, and explains why African soccer has developed so spectacularly in recent decades. Then we’re joined by Hartzell Gray, a DSA- and PDA-endorsed candidate for Congress and Missouri’s 4th District. Until recently, Hartzell was the voice of Kansas City’s Major League Soccer team. He shares his thoughts about late capitalism’s greatest spectacle coming to his hometown — including the harrowing ICE raids across the Kansas City metropolitan area that coincided with the tournament. Jacobin Radio with Suzi Weissman features conversations with leading thinkers and activists, with a focus on labor, the economy, and protest movements.

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 interactions, from the local to the global.

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 speech, Musk has become the world’s first trillionaire, boosting his war chest even further. Today’s episode is the second part of an interview with Quinn Slobodian and Ben Tarnoff, the authors of Muskism: A Guide for the Perplexed. The interview was conducted shortly before the SpaceX IPO that gave Musk his trillion-dollar valuation. The first part of the interview concentrates on the growth of Musk’s business empire with companies like SpaceX and Tesla. This episode focuses on his political turn over the last decade. Read Jacobin’s reviews of Muskism here: https://jacobin.com/2026/03/muskism-futurism-fordism-sovereignty-technology And here: https://jacobin.com/2026/03/musk-slobodian-tarnoff-neoliberalism-right Long Reads is a Jacobin podcast looking in-depth at political topics and thinkers, both contemporary and historical, with the magazine’s writers. Hosted by features editor Daniel Finn. Produced by Conor Gillies with music by Knxwledge.

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 US-backed mass murder of Indonesian communists. The military’s mass slaughter inaugurated Suharto’s oligarchic, authoritarian, and corrupt New Order regime — a regime that would endure for three decades and continues to shape Indonesia to this day. Featuring Rianne Subijanto, Made Supriatma, and Farabi Fakih. Support The Dig at Patreon.com/TheDig Subscribe to Dissent Magazine at dissentmag.org/subscribe Get 50% off From the Clinics to the Streets, or any first book purchase from plutobooks.com with code DIG50. The Dig goes deep into politics everywhere, from labor struggles and political economy to imperialism and immigration. Hosted by Daniel Denvir.

Two views from Behind the News regulars on the US-Iran negotiations: Anatol Lieven and Mouin Rabbani. Behind the News, hosted by Doug Henwood, covers the worlds of economics and politics and their complex interactions, from the local to the global.

On this edition of Jacobin Radio with Suzi Weissman, guest co-hosts Alan Minsky and Mel Figueroa present another installment of The People's Game, a quadrennial series that looks at the economic and political subtexts of the world’s most popular sport. They are joined by Ryan McKnight, a doctoral researcher at Manchester Met University in the UK who is researching the impact of neoliberalism on what he calls “the opportunity of football fandom.” According to Ryan, football fandom is one of the last remaining forms of large-scale collectivism in the UK, offering a unique window into the nature of society. Next, Alan Minsky speaks to former Congressman Jamaal Bowman to get his thoughts on the World Cup, the victory of his hometown Knicks, and how both are being experienced in Mayor Mamdani’s NYC. Jacobin Radio with Suzi Weissman features conversations with leading thinkers and activists, with a focus on labor, the economy, and protest movements.

Donald Trump has made the issue of immigration a key battleground in US politics. But with public opinion swinging against the brutal ICE raids and deportations over the past year, how should the Left respond? On the latest episode of Confronting Capitalism, Vivek Chibber and Melissa Naschek are joined by Catalyst board member Suzy Lee. Suzy has written extensively on the political economy and politics of American immigration and migration more broadly. Together, they look at how Trump capitalized on the post-COVID surge in immigration and offer an alternative vision around immigrant rights and border politics. Read Suzy Lee’s recent essay here: https://catalyst-journal.com/2026/04/the-logic-of-mass-deportation The latest issue of Catalyst is out, and you can subscribe for just $20 using the code CONFRONTINGCAPITALISM: https://catalyst-journal.com/subscribe/?code=CONFRONTINGCAPITALISM Have a question for us? Write to us by email: [email protected] Confronting Capitalism with Vivek Chibber is produced by Catalyst: A Journal of Theory and Strategy and published by Jacobin. Music by Zonkey.

Stuart Schrader, author of Blue Power, explains how the political heft of cops allows them to get away with murder. Angela Jones, author of Sex in Public, looks at the social and political factors shaping our sexual lives. Behind the News, hosted by Doug Henwood, covers the worlds of economics and politics and their complex interactions, from the local to the global.

Elon Musk became the world’s first trillionaire last week after the record-breaking IPO of his company SpaceX. Musk presents the firm’s economic take off as the necessary means to a wider end for humanity, to become a multi-planetary species. “That’s what SpaceX is all about,” Musk recently said at the company’s headquarters. “To take the fiction out of science fiction.” While Musk was looking to the stars, the people of Belfast were still reeling from several days of racist violence. The Belfast pogrom drew strength from the far-right ecosystem that Musk has nurtured with the money from SpaceX, Tesla, and other companies. Musk himself repeatedly called for anti-immigrant protests and boosted the messaging of Britain’s neofascist right. His social-media platform generated the atmosphere of a frenzied lynch mob. Over two episodes, Long Reads will explore the two sides of Elon Musk and his impact on the world. Our guests are Quinn Slobodian and Ben Tarnoff, authors of Muskism: A Guide for the Perplexed. This interview was conducted a few days before the SpaceX IPO. Read Jacobin’s reviews of Muskism here: https://jacobin.com/2026/03/muskism-futurism-fordism-sovereignty-technology And here: https://jacobin.com/2026/03/musk-slobodian-tarnoff-neoliberalism-right Long Reads is a Jacobin podcast looking in-depth at political topics and thinkers, both contemporary and historical, with the magazine’s writers. Hosted by features editor Daniel Finn. Produced by Conor Gillies with music by Knxwledge.

The show’s co-producers Alan Minsky and Meleiza Figueroa fill in for Suzi with a special installment of their quadrennial podcast series, The People’s Game⁠, which covers the world's most popular spectacle from a socialist internationalist perspective. Alan and Mel talk with their fellow People’s Game co-host Fernando Romero about, well, “everything” going on in the world. How surreal it feels to be passionate fans of the beloved global game when the political circumstances inside the World Cup’s primary host country are so fraught and dire for so many people inside and outside US borders. Fernando Romero is beaming! We spoke with him on the eve of his journey to Mexico. First stop is Mexico City for the opening game, then onto Guadalajara and Monyterrey, all three World Cup cities in Mexico. We then speak with Thomas Hanna from the Democracy Collaborative, a longtime fan and player, about the problems — and potential — for the people’s game as a vehicle for democracy rather than capitalism. As a fútbol fan, Thomas mirrors his work with the Democracy Collaborative, which advocates for worker ownership of businesses and industry, and assists worker-led efforts to own and control their workplaces. Thomas helps organize a growing global movement for fans to own their favorite clubs. Jacobin Radio with Suzi Weissman features conversations with leading thinkers and activists, with a focus on labor, the economy, and protest movements.

J.W. Mason and Arjun Jayadev, authors of the new book Against Money, explain that curious stuff and enumerate its problems. Moira Weigel, author of a recent article for the journal October, takes a look at why the right hates theory. Behind the News, hosted by Doug Henwood, covers the worlds of economics and politics and their complex interactions, from the local to the global.

The fifth 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 traces the armed conflicts—civil wars and then confrontations with the Dutch and British — that propelled Indonesia into Sukarno’s authoritarian Guided Democracy system and cascading economic crisis. Both the military and the Communist Party of Indonesia (PKI) became increasingly powerful forces on the eve of 1965–when the armed forces would slaughter the communists and inaugurate Suharto’s New Order. Featuring Rianne Subijanto, Made Supriatma, and Farabi Fakih. Support The Dig at Patreon.com/TheDig Register for the Socialism Conference by June 19th for the early bird rate! Socialismconference.org Get 50% off Backlash: The Global Rise of the Radical Right , or any first book purchase from plutobooks.com with code ‘DIG50’ The Dig goes deep into politics everywhere, from labor struggles and political economy to imperialism and immigration. Hosted by Daniel Denvir.

In the midst of Graham Platner’s high-profile senate race in Maine, several media commentators jumped on whether he would fit within his own definition of the working class. Do we know how to pick out workers from other classes? And what bearing does this have for socialist politics? On the latest episode of Confronting Capitalism, Vivek Chibber and Melissa Naschek offer a full definition of who’s in the working class, how to understand the modern US class structure, and why workers are central to left political strategy. The latest issue of Catalyst is out, and you can subscribe for just $20 using the code CONFRONTINGCAPITALISM: https://catalyst-journal.com/subscribe/?code=CONFRONTINGCAPITALISM Have a question for us? Write to us by email: [email protected] Confronting Capitalism with Vivek Chibber is produced by Catalyst: A Journal of Theory and Strategy and published by Jacobin. Music by Zonkey.

Featuring Maine candidate for governor Troy Jackson, Wisconsin candidate for governor Francesca Hong, New York State Senate candidate Aber Kawas, and victorious Tempe, Arizona City Council candidate Bobby Nichols. The third episode in a series of short interviews with left-wing and socialist candidates at every level of US politics. Support The Dig at Patreon.com/TheDig Our huge new Thawra study guide and resource website thawraproject.com Dan and Thea’s Berlin event: “Trump 2.0 and the Rebirth of the American Left.” June 12, 6pm at Technische Universität Berlin (TU Berlin) in room EB 202 of the Erweiterungsbau (Straße des 17. Juni 145, 10623 Berlin). Part of the Take Back the Future conference hosted by Socialist Democratic Student League, the campus affiliate of Die Linke. Followed by drinks with Dig listeners and friends of the pod. Register for the Socialism Conference by June 19th for the early bird rate! Socialismconference.org Find Unpaid at Versobooks.com The Dig goes deep into politics everywhere, from labor struggles and political economy to imperialism and immigration. Hosted by Daniel Denvir.

On January 1 this year, Mohammed Harbi died at the age of 92. Harbi was one of the leading historians of modern Algeria and the movement that led it towards independence. Harbi began writing about the Algerian revolution after taking part in it himself. Born under French colonial rule, Harbi became a member of the National Liberation Front in the 1950s. He was an adviser to Algeria’s first president, Ahmed Ben Bella. But Harbi was sent to prison after Ben Bella was removed from power in a military coup. He later escaped from house arrest and went into exile. Harbi remained deeply engaged with political events inside the country, from the civil war of the 1990s to the hirak protest movement of the last decade. Muriam Haleh Davis joins Long Reads for a discussion of Harbi’s life and work. Muriam is a professor of history at the University of California, Santa Cruz. She’s the author of Markets of Civilization: Islam and Racial Capitalism in Algeria. Read her obituary for Jacobin, “Mohammed Harbi Was Algeria’s Revolutionary Historian”: https://jacobin.com/2026/02/mohammed-harbi-algeria-historian-obituary Long Reads is a Jacobin podcast looking in-depth at political topics and thinkers, both contemporary and historical, with the magazine’s writers. Hosted by features editor Daniel Finn. Produced by Conor Gillies with music by Knxwledge.

The fourth 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 picks up with the Indonesian Revolution securing sovereignty from the Dutch in 1949. The Communist of Party of Indonesia, or PKI, revived after its repression to once again become a mass force in politics and society. All while Sukarno put Indonesia at the vanguard of global Third World revolution, hosting the legendary Bandung Afro–Asian Conference. Featuring Rianne Subijanto, Made Supriatma, and Farabi Fakih. Support The Dig at Patreon.com/TheDig Dan’s Berlin event: “Trump 2.0 and the Rebirth of the American Left.” June 12, 6pm at Technische Universität Berlin (TU Berlin) in room EB 202 of the Erweiterungsbau (Straße des 17. Juni 145, 10623 Berlin). Part of the Take Back the Future conference hosted by Socialist Democratic Student League, the campus affiliate of Die Linke. Followed by drinks with Dig listeners and friends of the pod. For drink details come to the talk or keep an eye on The Dig’s Instagram @thedigradio. Our huge new Thawra study guide and resource website thawraproject.com Find Unpaid at Versobooks.com Get 50% off From the Clinics to the Streets, or any first book purchase from plutobooks.com with code ‘DIG50’ The Dig goes deep into politics everywhere, from labor struggles and political economy to imperialism and immigration. Hosted by Daniel Denvir.

Greg Grandin, author of a recent article for the New York Review of Books, looks at how Pope Leo was shaped by his time in Peru. A.J.A. Woods, author of The Cultural Marxism Conspiracy, explains why the right sees the Frankfurt School as the root of modern decay. Behind the News, hosted by Doug Henwood, covers the worlds of economics and politics and their complex interactions, from the local to the global.

Socialists have long predicted capitalism’s overthrow and replacement by a better system. But do we have any reason to believe capitalism must come to an end? On the latest episode of Confronting Capitalism, Melissa Naschek and Vivek Chibber discuss the role of economic and ecological crises in capitalism’s possible demise. Just as it is a mistake to think that capitalism will last forever, it’s also unrealistic to think that it is destined to collapse. The latest issue of Catalyst is out, and you can subscribe for just $20 using the code CONFRONTINGCAPITALISM: https://catalyst-journal.com/subscribe/?code=CONFRONTINGCAPITALISM Have a question for us? Write to us by email: [email protected] Confronting Capitalism with Vivek Chibber is produced by Catalyst: A Journal of Theory and Strategy and published by Jacobin. Music by Zonkey.

Jake Werner of the Quincy Institute analyzes the Trump–Xi summit and US–China relations generally. Gareth Gore, author of Opus, talks about Opus Dei, a secretive, cult-like Catholic organization involved in right-wing politics around the world (and very much in the US). Behind the News, hosted by Doug Henwood, covers the worlds of economics and politics and their complex interactions, from the local to the global.

The rise of the far right is the defining political crisis of our time. But are we analyzing it correctly? Suzi speaks with David Ost about his book Red Pill Politics: Demystifying the Far Right from Fascism to Right-Wing Populism. David argues that by focusing on whether Trump, Orban, or Netanyahu is or isn’t a fascist, we’re missing the deeper question: what political species do fascism and right-wing populism share? And what does understanding that species tell us about why the left keeps losing workers it once counted as its core constituency? It’s a sweeping comparative political analysis that argues fascism and today’s right-wing populism are not separate phenomena but two expressions of the same underlying political species, that of the Red Pill (a loose acronym of Right-wing, Exclusionary Nationalist-Democratic, Populist Illiberalism). From the Boulanger Affair in 1880s France to Tucker Carlson, from Mussolini's syndicalist unions to Orban’s welfare chauvinism, the radical right has won by offering workers something — economic recognition, belonging, enemies to hate — that the neoliberal center-left abandoned along with NAFTA and the Third Way. David ends with a diagnosis of the left’s own failures and a prescription for what it would take to turn things around. Jacobin Radio with Suzi Weissman features conversations with leading thinkers and activists, with a focus on labor, the economy, and protest movements.

This one is different: an episode cross-posted from the new podcast Fighting Fascism, where Dig host Daniel Denvir gets behind the guest mic to discuss his political work beyond the pod. Speaking at length for the first time about his own organizing project in Rhode Island, he elaborates his theory of class and political power building. Check out Fighting Fascism and subscribe at thenation.com/content/fighting-fascism Support The Dig at Patreon.com/TheDig Our huge new Thawra study guide and resource website thawraproject.com RSVP to the May 26 Dig party in LA! eventbrite.com/e/a-party-in-la-for-the-dig-friends-tickets-1987008568116? The Dig goes deep into politics everywhere, from labor struggles and political economy to imperialism and immigration. Hosted by Daniel Denvir.

Britain held local and regional elections earlier this month that proved to be catastrophic for the Labour government of Keir Starmer. Labour fell behind the right-wing party Reform UK, which is led by Nigel Farage. Ten years after the Brexit referendum of 2016, could Farage be on track to become Britain’s next prime minister? Phil Burton-Cartledge, lecturer in sociology at the University of Derby and the author of The Party’s Over: The Rise and Fall of the Conservatives from Thatcher to Sunak, joins Long Reads for a conversation about the state of British politics. Phil spoke with us two years ago to discuss the UK general election that brought Starmer to power. Read or listen to that interview here: https://jacobin.com/2024/07/uk-elections-tory-party-conservatives-defeat-labour Long Reads is a Jacobin podcast looking in-depth at political topics and thinkers, both contemporary and historical, with the magazine’s writers. Hosted by features editor Daniel Finn. Produced by Conor Gillies with music by Knxwledge.

Featuring New York U.S. House candidate Claire Valdez, Colorado U.S. House candidate Melat Kiros, Michigan U.S. House candidate William Lawrence, Massachusetts state Senate candidate Erika Uyterhoeven, New York State Assembly candidate Conrad Blackburn, and Washington D.C. mayoral candidate Janeese Lewis George. The second episode in a series of short interviews with left-wing and socialist candidates at every level of US politics. Support The Dig at Patreon.com/TheDig Our huge new Thawra study guide and resource website thawraproject.com RSVP to the May 20 Dig party in Seattle! eventbrite.com/e/the-dig-x-house-our-neighbors-party-tickets-1986843010930 RSVP to the May 26 Dig party in LA! eventbrite.com/e/a-party-in-la-for-the-dig-friends-tickets-1987008568116? Buy Revolutions of Our Times at Haymarketbooks.org Find Queering Economics at UCPress.edu The Dig goes deep into politics everywhere, from labor struggles and political economy to imperialism and immigration. Hosted by Daniel Denvir.

Suzi speaks with Simon Pirani about his book Voices Against Putin’s War: Protesters’ Defiant Speeches in Russian Courts and the film Try Me For Treason. Russian exile activist Aleksandra Zapolskaia also joins the conversation to discuss Azat Miftakhov’s case, one of thousands. Currently, there are more political prisoners in Russia than at any time since the post-Stalin thaw of the 1950s, and the state is killing them; at least seven political prisoners died in Russian custody in the first four months of 2026. We will also hear actors from the film read courtroom speeches from Igor Paskar and Andrei Trofimov. Paskar, who was tortured after protesting at an FSB office, asked the court what future generations will be told about these times. Trofimov received three additional years of imprisonment for his initial courtroom statements; his second speech concludes with the line that gave the film its title: “Try me for treason. I betrayed your deranged state.” Aleksandra Zapolskaya (Sasha) shares the story of Azat Miftakhov, the mathematician and anarchist who was tortured at an Arctic penal colony just down the road from where Navalny was killed. After his torturers were publicly identified, prison officials called Azat to their office and promised to treat him “respectfully” if he would stop talking to the media. “Being silent doesn’t help,” Sasha says. “Being loud helps.” The discussion covers prisoner solidarity, the duration of the war, and the implications of Russia’s current trajectory. Sasha offers a warning to Western listeners regarding the speed of political shifts: “It changes very slowly. And then it happens very fast.” Watch the film: youtube.com/watch?v=7FHacVH8tK8 Jacobin article: https://jacobin.com/2026/05/film-russia-ukraine-antiwar-prisoners Jacobin Radio with Suzi Weissman features conversations with leading thinkers and activists, with a focus on labor, the economy, and protest movements.

Two views of the US–Israeli war on Iran: Laleh Khalili and Mouin Rabbani. Behind the News, hosted by Doug Henwood, covers the worlds of economics and politics and their complex interactions, from the local to the global.