Jacobin Radio

David Austin Walsh, author of Taking America Back, looks at the relationship between the kooks and respectables on the Right. Laura Field, author of Furious Minds, examines the intellectual wing of Trumpism. 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 Emilia González Avalos, Greg Nammacher, and JaNaé Bates Imari on how Minneapolis achieved its fight back against ICE/Border Patrol occupation. A decade building aligned mass movements has made Minneapolis among the best-organized cities in the country. Those carefully built structures, however, had to be nimble in confronting the federal onslaught. Support The Dig at Patreon.com/TheDig Listen to Unruly Subjects, a new podcast from Chenjerai Kumanyika and The Dig's producer, Alex Lewis https://pod.link/1849696769 Check out equator.org for long-form articles, public events, and reading groups The Dig goes deep into politics everywhere, from labor struggles and political economy to imperialism and immigration. Hosted by Daniel Denvir.

As this episode was being finalized, the Trump administration was threatening to attack Iran for the second time in less than a year. The threats come against the backdrop of mass protests inside Iran that appear to have been repressed by the state security forces for the time being. Long Reads is joined by Eskandar Sadeghi-Boroujerdi. He's a lecturer on the international politics of the Middle East at the University of St Andrews. And the author of Revolution and Its Discontents: Political Thought and Reform in Iran. Eskandar joined us last summer to talk about the situation in Iran, and we spoke again earlier this week to cover the latest developments. This interview was recorded on Tuesday January 27th. Read a transcript of this interview: https://jacobin.com/2026/01/iran-protests-authoritarianism-trump-israel Listen to our interview from last summer here: https://apple.co/4rI5ekr Long Reads is a Jacobin podcast looking in-depth at political topics and thinkers, both contemporary and historical, with the magazine's longform writers. Hosted by features editor Daniel Finn. Produced by Conor Gillies with music by Knxwledge.

David Bier of the Cato Institute looks at what's behind Trump's war on immigrants. Aurélie Daher examines the current state of Hezbollah and why Israel is bombing Lebanon. 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 Nick Srnicek on Silicon Empires: The Fight for the Future of AI. A deep exploration of the political economy of AI: the fulcrum of the authoritarian tech oligarchy — and of global contests for economic and military dominance. Support The Dig at Patreon.com/TheDig Buy Cold War on Five Continents at Haymarketbooks.org Check out equator.org for long-form articles, public events, and reading groups The Dig goes deep into politics everywhere, from labor struggles and political economy to imperialism and immigration. Hosted by Daniel Denvir.

Suzi speaks with historian Robert Brenner and sociologist Dylan Riley about the deeper meaning of Trump's return to power. Is Trump just a narcissistic strongman — or the carrier of a coherent counterrevolutionary project? Brenner and Riley argue that Trumpism is not a return to the past but an attempt to reorganize society for a future in which capitalism can no longer grow — only command, police, and exclude. They trace the roots of Trump Two to decades of economic stagnation, the collapse of US hegemony, the failure of Bidenomics, and a deep class split between credentialed and non-credentialed workers. They describe Trumpism as a reactionary social revolution from above, aimed at dismantling the social bases of liberal democracy. Its pillars include the attack on universities, the expansion of the security state as an ICE jobs program, AI as a form of class warfare undermining credentialed labor, and the dismantling of the international order. It's a wide-ranging conversation about empire without growth, class politics under stagnation, and the future of the left in what Brenner and Riley call the wilderness of contemporary capitalism. Jacobin Radio with Suzi Weissman features conversations with leading thinkers and activists, with a focus on labor, the economy, and protest movements.

Forrest Hylton, contributor to the London Review of Books, discusses Venezuela past, present, and 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.

While European labor movements established foundations for their welfare states in the late 19th century, it was not until the New Deal that the US began instituting policies like unemployment insurance and old-age pensions. But although working-class struggle was also key to this success, several unique factors in American history proved an impediment to more egalitarian policies. In this episode of Confronting Capitalism, Vivek Chibber and Melissa Naschek continue their deep dive into the history of social democracy. Together, they look at the impacts of craft unionism, mass immigration, racial tensions, and employer violence in explaining American exceptionalism. 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: confronting.capitalism@jacobin.com Confronting Capitalism with Vivek Chibber is produced by Catalyst: A Journal of Theory and Strategy and published by Jacobin. Music by Zonkey.

Over the past several weeks, Iran has experienced its most serious wave of protests since the Woman, Life, Freedom uprising of 2022. What began as an economic protest quickly turned political, with chants calling for an end to the Islamic Republic — and the most brutal response of repression in the history of the Islamic Republic, with killings, mass arrests, executions, and an internet blackout. UCLA historical sociologist Kevan Harris reconstructs the spark that ignited the protests — a technocratic reform perceived as an unjust tax, adding to economic and political grievances that exploded into a broader uprising. Iranian scholar and political activist Yassamine Mather examines the brutal repression that followed and the dangerous media distortions surrounding the uprising as exile groups promote monarchist fantasies and openly flirt with US and Israeli intervention.  Mather says Iranian protesters overwhelmingly reject both the Islamic Republic and the shah's dictatorship — and foreign intervention threatens to crush the very movement it claims to support. Jacobin Radio with Suzi Weissman features conversations with leading thinkers and activists, with a focus on labor, the economy, and protest movements.

This is a special, extra episode of Long Reads. It's now two weeks since the US attack on Venezuela and the kidnapping of Nicolás Maduro. Donald Trump and Marco Rubio made explicit threats to countries like Colombia and Cuba in the aftermath, washed down with the usual fantasies about drug trafficking. Tony Wood joins Long Reads to discuss the attack on Venezuela and what it means for the Latin American left. How have left-wing governments and parties been reacting, and what are the long-term implications going to be? Tony is a professor of Latin American history at the University of Colorado Boulder and a regular contributor to publications such as New Left Review, the London Review of Books, and Jacobin: https://jacobin.com/author/tony-wood Long Reads is a Jacobin podcast looking in-depth at political topics and thinkers, both contemporary and historical, with the magazine's longform writers. Hosted by features editor Daniel Finn. Produced by Conor Gillies with music by Knxwledge.

Featuring Aslı Bâli and Greg Grandin on the MAGA model of US imperialism. Support The Dig at Patreon.com/TheDig Subscribe to the Unite and Win podcast at podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/unite-and-win-a-guide-to-workplace-organizing/id1866713309 Check out equator.org for longform articles, public events, and reading groups. The Dig goes deep into politics everywhere, from labor struggles and political economy to imperialism and immigration. Hosted by Daniel Denvir.

This week's episode of Long Reads is the second part of a two-part interview about the history of Western Sahara. Our last episode covered events leading up to Morocco's invasion of the country. This episode examines the fifty years of occupation and the recent push by the Trump administration to legitimize Moroccan rule. Our guest Jacob Mundy is a professor of peace and conflict studies at Colgate University. He's the co-author of Western Sahara: War, Nationalism, and Conflict Irresolution. Read his piece for Jacobin, “For 50 Years, Morocco Has Denied Western Sahara Freedom”: https://jacobin.com/2025/11/morocco-western-sahara-freedom-colonialism Long Reads is a Jacobin podcast looking in-depth at political topics and thinkers, both contemporary and historical, with the magazine's longform writers. Hosted by features editor Daniel Finn. Produced by Conor Gillies with music by Knxwledge.

Alejandro Velasco analyzes the situation in Venezuela. Eric Blanc defends Victor Berger, Milwaukee's sewer socialist, against charges of racism. 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 kidnapping of Nicolás Maduro on January 3rd was a shocking escalation in the United States's ongoing strangulation of Venezuela. This has immediately provoked questions about the domestic Venezuelan power struggle and the demise of the Bolivarian Revolution. In this episode of Confronting Capitalism, Vivek Chibber is joined by Gabriel Hetland, author of the Catalyst essay titled “From Chávez to Maduro.” Together, they analyze the US's imperial meddling, Delcy Rodríguez's shaky interim leadership, and Maduro's legacy in the context of the Pink Tide. Read the essay here: https://catalyst-journal.com/2024/12/from-chavez-to-maduro 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: confronting.capitalism@jacobin.com Confronting Capitalism with Vivek Chibber is produced by Catalyst: A Journal of Theory and Strategy and published by Jacobin. Music by Zonkey.

Trump's January 3rd military assault on Venezuela and abduction of President Nicolas Maduro marks a turning point in global politics. Trump made no humanitarian or democratic claims — only a blunt assertion of power, resources, and control. Suzi talks to Brazilian political economist Pedro Paulo Zahluth Bastos who says this new “Donroe Doctrine” is openly transactional, unapologetically imperial, and signals weakness: a declining hegemon turns to force to secure oil, minerals, and supply chains. We discuss why Venezuela was targeted, how China figures centrally in US strategy, and the trouble of defending Maduro in the name of “anti-imperialism.” That question — how to oppose US imperialism without defending corrupt regimes — leads directly to Ukraine. Denys Pilash of Ukraine's democratic socialist organization Sotsialnyi Rukh draws on his scholarly work on Venezuela. He is speaking from Kyiv in blackout conditions, under bombardment and infrastructure attacks. We discuss why the struggle against Maduro's government and the struggle against American imperialism are not opposites, but two sides of the same conflict, in which people become pawns in political games. Pilash says for this reason, as internationalists, "we must speak out in solidarity with the people of Venezuela, the same solidarity that Venezuelans showed towards Ukraine in its resistance to Russian aggression." He argues that accepting a world divided into imperial spheres of influence fatally undermines any consistent opposition to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Jacobin Radio with Suzi Weissman features conversations with leading thinkers and activists, with a focus on labor, the economy, and protest movements.

Featuring Alejandro Velasco, Gabriel Hetland, and Yoletty Bracho on the US attack on Venezuela and kidnapping of President Nicolás Maduro. An expansive conversation analyzing Trump's imperialist project and assessing Chavismo and its oppositions from Chávez through Maduro. Support The Dig at Patreon.com/TheDig Check out equator.org for longform articles, public events, and reading groups Buy Middle Class New Deal at UCPress.com Jacobin Radio with Suzi Weissman features conversations with leading thinkers and activists, with a focus on labor, the economy, and protest movements.

Over the past year, Democrats have learned to embrace economic abundance thanks to Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson's bestselling book. But is this the same kind of abundance the Left has traditionally argued for? In this episode of Confronting Capitalism, Vivek Chibber is joined by Matt Huber, co-author alongside Fred Stafford and Leigh Phillips of a new Catalyst essay titled “The Left Has Always Fought for Abundance.” Together, they discuss the need for an energy infrastructure build out, the historic origins of stagnant state capacity, and what socialist abundance entails. Read the essay here: https://catalyst-journal.com/2025/12/the-left-has-always-fought-for-abundance 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: confronting.capitalism@jacobin.com Confronting Capitalism with Vivek Chibber is produced by Catalyst: A Journal of Theory and Strategy and published by Jacobin. Music by Zonkey.

Emile Torres on the posthumanists. Quinn Slobodian on eugenics and neoliberalism. Femi Taiwo on DEI and the war on it. Kristin Du Mez on white Christian nationalism. Anatol Lieven on the Trumpian worldview. Laleh Khalili on the relationship between the Pentagon and US capitalism. And Susannah Glickman on similar. 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 Andrew Epstein on the Zohran campaign's savvy, funny, sharp, disciplined, and moving comms operation. As one hundred thousand volunteers knocked three million doors, Andrew and a team of strategists, speechwriters, designers, and filmmakers wrote a giant love letter to New York City and inoculated voters against a lavishly-funded fusillade of smears and attacks. Support The Dig at Patreon.com/TheDig Buy After Savagery at Haymarketbooks.org Buy From Apartheid to Democracy at UCPress.com The Dig goes deep into politics everywhere, from labor struggles and political economy to imperialism and immigration. Hosted by Daniel Denvir.

Chile has just elected its most extreme far-right president since the Pinochet dictatorship. José Antonio Kast won the December 14 runoff by a commanding margin — a stunning reversal in a country that in 2019 experienced a massive social uprising over the unaffordability of life and extreme inequality. The social revolt ended with the pandemic lockdown, but the following year a broad leftist coalition swept into power, electing the 34-year-old former radical student leader Gabriel Boric, whose government promised to bury neoliberalism once and for all. How did Chile move so quickly from an anti-neoliberal social rebellion to the return of the hard right? Was this a vote for authoritarianism — or a vote against insecurity, inflation, and political stalemate? What does Kast's victory tell us about the global resurgence of the far right, from Latin America to Europe and the United States? Suzi examines Chile's political reversal with two Chilean analysts: Oscar Mendoza explains this electoral shift by looking at the failed constitutional process, the role of mandatory voting, media panic over crime and immigration, and the institutional constraints Kast will face in office. Pablo Abufom situates Kast's victory in a longer historical trajectory, arguing that this is the first democratic government of pinochetismo — a project combining authoritarian neoliberalism, moral conservatism and anticommunism, now aligned with a global far-right resurgence. Jacobin Radio with Suzi Weissman features conversations with leading thinkers and activists, with a focus on labor, the economy, and protest movements.

After World War II, political parties championing redistribution, full employment, and egalitarianism gained power across the globe, especially in Western Europe. But why did these social democrats give up the ambition to transition to socialism? In this episode of Confronting Capitalism, Vivek Chibber explains why the golden age of capitalism was a rare period of triumph for the Left, even though the movement faced serious challenges from class enemies, state structures, and tensions within its own coalition. Any leftist trying to change the balance of class power would benefit from understanding why social democracy achieved such lasting success even as it remains in the political minority today. 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: confronting.capitalism@jacobin.com Confronting Capitalism with Vivek Chibber is produced by Catalyst: A Journal of Theory and Strategy, and published by Jacobin. Music by Zonkey.

Thea Riofrancos, author of Extraction: The Frontiers of Green Capitalism, looks at the complications of using lithium batteries to green our future. Alyssa Battistoni, author of Free Gifts, examines the weird relationship between capitalism and nature. 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 Sumaya Awad, Sumathy Kumar, and Nathan Gusdorf on building power on the ground as our allies exercise it from above in the service of a larger hegemonic project to transform the United States. As Zohran Mamdani takes office on January 1, it's time for governance—and all of the opportunities, constraints, and contradictions that entails. A recording of last week's live Dig in Brooklyn. Support The Dig (and check out our cool new merch) at Patreon.com/TheDig Buy After Savagery at Haymarketbooks.org Buy From the Clinics to the Capitol at UCPress.com The Dig goes deep into politics everywhere, from labor struggles and political economy to imperialism and immigration. Hosted by Daniel Denvir.

The occupation of Western Sahara by Morocco has now lasted for half a century. The anniversary of the invasion passed at the beginning of November. It came just as the Trump administration was working at the United Nations to legitimize permanent Moroccan rule over the land and its people, including the indigenous Sahrawis. Today's episode is the first part of a two-part interview on the history of Western Sahara. Part one is going to cover the experience of Spanish colonial rule and the emergence of a movement for independence before the invasion by Morocco in 1975. Part two will carry the story up to the present day. Our guest Jacob Mundy is a professor of peace and conflict studies at Colgate University. He's the co-author of Western Sahara: War, Nationalism, and Conflict Irresolution. Read his piece for Jacobin, “For 50 Years, Morocco Has Denied Western Sahara Freedom”: https://jacobin.com/2025/11/morocco-western-sahara-freedom-colonialism Long Reads is a Jacobin podcast looking in-depth at political topics and thinkers, both contemporary and historical, with the magazine's longform writers. Hosted by features editor Daniel Finn. Produced by Conor Gillies with music by Knxwledge.

Suzi talks to Oleksandr Kyselov and Alyssa Oursler about what's being sold to the world as “peace” in Ukraine, and what it looks like from the standpoint of Ukrainians who are actually living through the war. Trump's 28-point plan for Ukraine — drafted behind closed doors by his real estate ally Steve Witkoff and a Russian sovereign wealth fund chief — reads less like diplomacy and more like a property deal: Russia gets the land, the US takes its cut, Europe foots the bill, and Ukraine is told to choose between surrendering now or surrendering later — with little input in the process. Ukrainian political analyst Oleksandr Kyselov argues that what's on the table is not a just peace but an “imperial carve-up,” and that Ukrainians are forced to fight for “the least unjust peace” that can realistically be won today. Then journalist Alyssa Oursler, reporting from Kyiv, describes how Ukrainians are reacting to the plan — from sudden funerals to conversations with leftists and soldiers who say Trump has prolonged the war and treated Ukraine as a bargaining chip. Read Oleksandr's Jacobin article, “Ukraine Faces and Imperial Carve-Up”: https://jacobin.com/2025/12/ukraine-russia-war-concessions-trump We ask what a real peace would look like, why Ukrainians fear being forced into this deal, and what international solidarity from the Left ought to mean now. Jacobin Radio with Suzi Weissman features conversations with leading thinkers and activists, with a focus on labor, the economy, and protest movements.

Anatol Lieven of the Quincy Institute analyzes Trump's official national security strategy. Susannah Glickman, recently interviewed by the New York Review of Books, looks at the transformation of the US government into a private equity firm. 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 Eric Blanc, Leah Greenberg, and Waleed Shahid on the liberal resistance's sharp left turn since Trump returned to the White House. Libs are voting Zohran at the ballot box, fighting ICE in the streets, and just generally looking favorably upon socialism. This discussion puts the moment in historic context and plots out the strategic exigencies and opportunities ahead. Rest in power Asad Haider. Check out our 2018 interview with Asad on his book Mistaken Identity: Race and Class in the Age of Trump thedigradio.com/podcast/mistaking-identity-politics Support The Dig at Patreon.com/TheDig Buy Learning to Live in the Dark at Haymarketbooks.org Buy Will Work for Food at UCPress.com The Dig goes deep into politics everywhere, from labor struggles and political economy to imperialism and immigration. Hosted by Daniel Denvir.

Social-democratic politics have been part of the socialist movement for over a century. Some features, like the commitment to pursuing economic rights for the working class via the state, have remained consistent over time. But when did social-democratic ambitions to overthrow capitalism turn into efforts to reform the system? In this episode of Confronting Capitalism, Vivek Chibber takes a broad look at the early agenda of social-democratic parties. Through an examination of their views on the state, class, and socialism, he unpacks social democracy's relationship to the Left's politics today. 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: confronting.capitalism@jacobin.com Confronting Capitalism with Vivek Chibber is produced by Catalyst: A Journal of Theory and Strategy, and published by Jacobin. Music by Zonkey.

David Adler and Matt Kirkegaard of the Progressive International debrief the Honduran elections. Elfadil Ibrahim examines the Sudanese civil war. And finally Eric Blanc, drawing from Milwaukee's decades of “sewer socialism,” offers lessons for Mamdani and Wilson. 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 Tascha Van Auken on how Zohran's campaign mobilized an army of 100,000 volunteers to knock three million doors. Van Auken has been an architect of NYC-DSA's field operation and its general electoral strategy since the beginning. Organizers everywhere have a lot to learn. Guest hosted by Micah Uetricht. Support The Dig at Patreon.com/TheDig Live Dig episode in Brooklyn on December 10: Zohran and the Return of Municipal Socialism. Navigating opportunities and contradictions of governance with NYC-DSA leaders Sumathy Kumar and Sumaya Awad alongside the Fiscal Policy Institute's Nathan Gusdorf. Free entry but please RSVP. Party afterwards! eventbrite.com/e/zohran-and-the-return-of-municipal-socialism-tickets-1972951976472 Buy No Neutrals There: US Labor, Zionism, and the Struggle for Palestine at Haymarketbooks.org Read the latest issue from The Nation‘s Books & the Arts section TheNation.com/books-and-the-arts The Dig goes deep into politics everywhere, from labor struggles and political economy to imperialism and immigration. Hosted by Daniel Denvir.

Featuring Malcolm Harris on What's Left: Three Paths Through the Planetary Crisis. An open-minded and anti-sectarian discussion about an ecumenical book that plots out three paths forward for the Left — arguing we must embrace all three simultaneously. Support The Dig at Patreon.com/TheDig Live episode of The Dig in Brooklyn on December 10: “Zohran and the Return of Municipal Socialism.” Navigating opportunities and contradictions of governance with NYC-DSA leaders Sumathy Kumar and Sumaya Awad alongside the Fiscal Policy Institute's Nathan Gusdorf. Free entry but please RSVP. Party afterwards! eventbrite.com/e/zohran-and-the-return-of-municipal-socialism-tickets-1972951976472 Buy No Neutrals There: US Labor, Zionism, and the Struggle for Palestine and Solidarity With Children: An Essay Against Adult Supremacy at Haymarketbooks.org The Dig goes deep into politics everywhere, from labor struggles and political economy to imperialism and immigration. Hosted by Daniel Denvir.

Since Donald Trump announced a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, Israeli forces have killed more than 300 Palestinians. They also continue to occupy large parts of Gaza and have vowed not to withdraw. Despite the ongoing violence in Gaza and the West Bank alike, Western states clearly want to move on as if the atrocities of the past two years had never happened. Yet Israel is still facing efforts to hold it accountable under international law. South Africa has brought a case before the International Court of Justice accusing it of violating the Genocide Convention. And the International Criminal Court has issued a warrant for the arrest of Benjamin Netanyahu on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity. To discuss the ongoing case, Long Reads is joined by John Reynolds, a professor of law at Maynooth University. He's the author of Empire, Emergency, and International Law. Find John's previous interviews with Long Reads here: https://jacobin.com/author/john-reynolds Support for this episode comes from Revol Press: revolpress.com Long Reads is a Jacobin podcast looking in-depth at political topics and thinkers, both contemporary and historical, with the magazine's longform writers. Hosted by features editor Daniel Finn. Produced by Conor Gillies with music by Knxwledge.

Suzi talks with historian Eric Blanc about a timely chapter in American socialist history: the rise — and limits — of Milwaukee's “sewer socialists.” His article, “Socialists in City Hall? A New Look at Sewer Socialism in Wisconsin,” reexamines this often-disparaged experiment in municipal socialism at a moment when New York prepares for Zohran Mamdani's administration. Mamdani's victory — built on years of organizing in immigrant and working-class neighborhoods — reopens the question of whether socialists can not only win, but govern in America's most unequal cities. A century ago, Milwaukee elected socialist mayors who delivered clean, efficient, working-class governance — public power, parks, housing, and real material improvements. They weren't making a revolution; they were governing within capitalism, and ran up against its limits: employer backlash, national political shifts, and the hard reality that municipal power can only go so far without broader working-class strength. Eric argues that this history offers essential lessons for the Left today: how to build durable political organization, use office to win tangible gains, and govern competently while expanding working-class power — without mistaking municipal office for municipal socialism, or making the sewers more important than the socialism. Support for Jacobin Radio comes from The Regrettable Century podcast: https://regrettablecentury.buzzsprout.com/220523 Jacobin Radio with Suzi Weissman features conversations with leading thinkers and activists, with a focus on labor, the economy, and protest movements.

Mosaab Baba, who wrote an article about Sudan for Black Agenda Report, looks at what's behind the horrendous civil war. Jake Adelstein, an American journalist who's been living in Japan for almost 40 years, discusses that country's reactionary new prime minister. 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 Brace Belden, Liz Franczak, Gabriel Winant, Aziz Rana, Sumaya Awad, Thea Riofrancos, and Alex Lewis. Toasts and roasts celebrating 500 episodes of The Dig. Plus a short speech from Dan. Live at Brooklyn's Littlefield. Support The Dig at Patreon.com/TheDig On December 10th in Brooklyn, join us for a live-recorded Dig episode: “Zohran and the Return of Municipal Socialism.” Navigating opportunities and contradictions of governance with NYC-DSA leaders Sumathy Kumar and Sumaya Awad alongside the Fiscal Policy Institute's Nathan Gusdorf. Free entry but please RSVP. Party afterwards! eventbrite.com/e/zohran-and-the-return-of-municipal-socialism-tickets-1972951976472 The Dig goes deep into politics everywhere, from labor struggles and political economy to imperialism and immigration. Hosted by Daniel Denvir.

While Democrats recently scored some much-needed electoral wins, the party remains in crisis. Recent reports like Welcome PAC's “Deciding to Win” argue that the Democrats must drop unpopular cultural positions and recenter economic demands. Can a populist economic agenda shorn of unpopular identity politics get the party back on track? On this episode of Confronting Capitlism, Vivek Chibber evaluates these reports and examines the pros and cons of this approach. Based on recent polling data, working class voters have rejected elitist cultural demands but support social-democratic economic solutions. The latest issue of Catalyst Journal 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: confronting.capitalism@jacobin.com Confronting Capitalism with Vivek Chibber is produced by Catalyst: A Journal of Theory and Strategy and published by Jacobin. Music by Zonkey.

Zohran Mamdani's decisive mayoral victory was powered by a coalition of tenants, immigrants, and workers. Suzi talks to Alina Shen, Organizing Director of CAAAV (Committee Against Anti-Asian Violence), Jagpreet Singh, Political Director of DRUM Beats (Desis Rising Up and Moving), and Alicé Nascimento, Political Director of NYCC (New York Communities for Change) — representatives of three organizations that, along with the New York City branch of the Democratic Socialists of America, helped make this victory possible. They discuss how grassroots groups expanded the electorate and built the People's Majority Alliance, a movement for housing, justice, and democracy. Jacobin Radio with Suzi Weissman features conversations with leading thinkers and activists, with a focus on labor, the economy, and protest movements.

Featuring Thea Riofrancos on Extraction: The Frontiers of Green Capitalism. The green energy transition requires a vast array of inputs: copper, cobalt, rare earth elements, and the focus of this discussion, lithium — all of which must be mined from the earth. This is a wide-ranging discussion stretching from Chile to Nevada, and from the dawn of colonialism to the geoeconomic conflict between the US and China — and a lot more. In New York City? See Thea discuss Extraction with David Wallace-Wells tonight, Friday, November 14, at McNally Jackson Seaport. Say hi to Dan if you attend! Tickets here: mcnallyjackson.com/event/thea-riofrancos-david-wallace-wells Support The Dig at Patreon.com/TheDig Buy Black History is for Everyone at Haymarketbooks.org Get your first month free at OVID.tv using promo code DIG25 The Dig goes deep into politics everywhere, from labor struggles and political economy to imperialism and immigration. Hosted by Daniel Denvir.

Suzi speaks with Jacobin writers Alex Press and Luke Savage about Zohran Mamdani's insurgent — and successful — New York City mayoral campaign. Alex Press takes us out after dark in Queens with the democratic socialist mayor-elect, meeting taxi drivers at LaGuardia, nurses and residents at Elmhurst Hospital, delivery workers on the night shift — the people who keep New York running while the city sleeps. Luke Savage analyzes the bipartisan meltdown that Mamdani's campaign provoked among billionaires, media moguls, and the Democratic Party establishment — all united to stop a democratic socialist from gaining power. We talk about Mamdani's agenda: free public transit and childcare, a $20 minimum wage, regulation of gig companies and labor rights for delivery drivers, freezing rents, and more. And we discuss why the working-class movement behind him has elites so terrified. Read Alex's report on Mamdani and late-night New York: https://jacobin.com/2025/11/mamdani-night-shift-nyc-mayoral-election Read Luke's report on the establishment meltdown: https://jacobin.com/2025/11/socialism-barbarism-mamdani-cuomo-trump Jacobin Radio with Suzi Weissman features conversations with leading thinkers and activists, with a focus on labor, the economy, and protest movements.

Gabriel Hetland, author of a [recent article](https://jacobin.com/2025/11/mamdani-chavez-torres-municipal-democracy-socialism) for Jacobin, looks to Venezuela for a model of municipal socialism. Lea Ypi, author of [Indignity](https://us.macmillan.com/books/9780374614096/indignity/), looks into her grandmother's story and unfolds a rich history of Albania and its environment. Read “Mamdani Can Learn From Latin American Municipal Socialism” here: [https://jacobin.com/2025/11/mamdani-chavez-torres-municipal-democracy-socialism](https://jacobin.com/2025/11/mamdani-chavez-torres-municipal-democracy-socialism) [Behind the News](https://www.leftbusinessobserver.com/radio.html), hosted by Doug Henwood, covers the worlds of economics and politics and their complex interactions, from the local to the global.

Featuring Fernando Haddad on Brazilian political economy and where Brazil fits into a world capitalist system structured by relationships of domination and unequal exchange. Haddad is Finance Minister of Brazil. He served as mayor of São Paulo and in 2018 was the Workers' Party (PT) presidential candidate. Support The Dig at Patreon.com/TheDig Buy From Apartheid to Democracy at UCPress.com Read the latest issue from The Nation‘s Books & the Arts section TheNation.com/books-and-the-arts The Dig goes deep into politics everywhere, from labor struggles and political economy to imperialism and immigration. Hosted by Daniel Denvir.

There has been a lot of attention on the origins and rise of the ideas underlying neoliberalism. But too often, these idea-centered accounts obscure the real class dynamics that drive political change. On this episode of Confronting Capitalism, Vivek explains how neoliberal ideas overtook post-war Keynesianism and why those ideas took hold — not because of their appeal but because of the balance of class forces. 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: confronting.capitalism@jacobin.com Confronting Capitalism with Vivek Chibber is produced by Catalyst: A Journal of Theory and Strategy, and published by Jacobin. Music by Zonkey.

Jacob Silverman, author of Gilded Rage, examines the rightward move of the Silicon Valley elite. Forrest Hylton conducts a political tour d'horizon of South America. 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're joined again today by Eoghan Gilmartin to continue our discussion about the government of Pedro Sanchez in Spain. Eoghan is an Irish journalist based in Madrid, a regular contributor to Jacobin, and co-host of the Sobremesa podcast about Spanish politics. In contrast with Greece and Portugal, Spain still has a government today headed by the center left. The Spanish Socialist leader Pedro Sanchez has attracted a lot of interest from the international media for appearing to buck the trend as many European countries shift to the right. He's been unusually outspoken on the subject of Gaza. And Sanchez was the only European leader to directly challenge Donald Trump over his demand for a big increase in military spending. Sanchez feels confident that he will lead the Socialist Party in the next general election, but his government is facing a number of challenges, including a corruption scandal that implicated some of his political allies. Today, we're going back to the early stages of the Sanchez government, before asking whether it has a future in the years to come. Hear part one of our interview: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/long-reads-pedro-sanchez-and-spanish-politics-w/id791564318?i=1000732303080 Find Eoghan's recent articles, including “Spain Is Right to Reject Increased Military Spending,” on the Jacobin website: https://jacobin.com/2025/06/trump-nato-spain-military-sanchez Long Reads is a Jacobin podcast looking in-depth at political topics and thinkers, both contemporary and historical, with the magazine's longform writers. Hosted by features editor Daniel Finn. Produced by Conor Gillies with music by Knxwledge.

Featuring Walden Bello and Jane Nalunga on neoliberalism's defeat of Third Worldist radical projects and the Global South social movement and civil society networks that rose from the ashes to take on neoliberal globalization. A wide-ranging interview with two important, long-standing Global South leaders. Call in to leave a question for The Dig's mailbag episode: speakpipe.com/ListenerMailbag Support The Dig at Patreon.com/TheDig Dan in the New Yorker newyorker.com/magazine/2025/11/03/daniel-denvir-digs-zohran-mamdani Buy From Apartheid to Democracy at UCPress.com Read the latest issue from The Nation‘s Books & the Arts section TheNation.com/books-and-the-arts/

Margaux MacColl, co-author of a series of articles in the SF Standard, discusses Zoomer tech bros. Susannah Glickman, who wrote a recent piece for the New York Review of Books, looks at the new arms makers who want to disrupt the legacy prime contractors. 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 Alexandra Wandel, Gonzalo Berrón, and Paul Adlerstein on the 1999 mass protest against the World Trade Organization in Seattle and on the giant global justice movement that mobilized unions, farmers, environmentalists, public interest advocates, and various radical leftists all over the world. Recorded live in Brussels with the European Trade Justice Coalition. First in a two-part series. Next up: a view from the Global South with Jane Nalunga and Walden Bello. Call in to leave a question for The Dig's mailbag episode: speakpipe.com/ListenerMailbag Support The Dig at Patreon.com/TheDig Buy Their End is Our Beginning at Haymarketbooks.org Read the latest issue from The Nation‘s Books & the Arts section TheNation.com/books-and-the-arts The Dig goes deep into politics everywhere, from labor struggles and political economy to imperialism and immigration. Hosted by Daniel Denvir.

Grab your coffee and your backpack — it's time for Professor Chibber's Office Hours! On this episode of Confronting Capitalism, Vivek answers YOUR questions. We received so many interesting and thoughtful emails from listeners, we decided to dedicate a whole podcast to them. Vivek talks about how socialists should confront discrimination in their organizing, the relevance of the concept of monopoly capitalism, and the class implications of home ownership. 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:  confronting.capitalism@jacobin.com Confronting Capitalism with Vivek Chibber is produced by Catalyst: A Journal of Theory and Strategy, and published by Jacobin. Music by Zonkey.

Suzi talks to Capital & Main reporter Jesse Baum and David Williams, a Dollar General stocker and organizer with Step Up Louisiana, about how workers are fighting for dignity and better working conditions in “right-to-work” states — places where an anti-union climate, legal roadblocks, and intimidation make winning union recognition nearly impossible. Dollar Store workers in Louisiana organized with Step Up Louisiana and won tangible gains despite the system being rigged against them. They used the Pre-Majority Unionism strategy — acting like a union without having one — walking out, marching on shareholders, and forcing companies to raise wages and improve safety and respect on the job. We talk about whether this organizing could chart a path forward for labor in the US's low-wage sectors, short of unionizing. Jacobin Radio with Suzi Weissman features conversations with leading thinkers and activists, with a focus on labor, the economy, and protest movements.

Ilan Pappé, author of Israel on the Brink, gives an update on the ceasefire and how the deepening crisis of Israeli society could lead to something better. Jennifer Berkshire examines the appalling Trump educational agenda. Behind the News, hosted by Doug Henwood, covers the worlds of economics and politics and their complex interactions, from the local to the global.

Long Reads continues our recent focus on the politics of southern European countries over the last decade. This week and in our next episode, we're looking in detail at what's been happening in Spain. In contrast with Greece and Portugal, Spain still has a government today headed by the center left. The Spanish Socialist leader Pedro Sanchez has attracted a lot of interest from the international media for appearing to buck the trend as many European countries shift to the right. He's been unusually outspoken on the subject of Gaza. And Sanchez was the only European leader to directly challenge Donald Trump over his demand for a big increase in military spending. Sanchez may be gaining admirers as well as enemies on the international stage. But his position at home is quite precarious. His governing coalition with the left-wing party Sumar doesn't have a majority in parliament. And some of his political allies have been accused of corruption. Over the next two episodes, Long Reads will concentrate on how Sanchez came to power, what his record in office has been, and whether his government is likely to endure. Eoghan Gilmartin is an Irish journalist based in Madrid. He's a regular contributor to Jacobin, and he co-hosts the Sobremesa podcast about Spanish politics. Find his recent articles, including “Spain Is Right to Reject Increased Military Spending,” on the Jacobin website: https://jacobin.com/2025/06/trump-nato-spain-military-sanchez Long Reads is a Jacobin podcast looking in-depth at political topics and thinkers, both contemporary and historical, with the magazine's longform writers. Hosted by features editor Daniel Finn. Produced by Conor Gillies with music by Knxwledge.