Rising Up with Sonali

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Rising Up With Sonali is a women-run daily one-hour radio and television broadcast offering progressive news analysis with an emphasis on racial and gender justice. Created, hosted, and executive produced by Sonali Kolhatkar.

Sonali Kolhatkar


    • Jun 25, 2025 LATEST EPISODE
    • weekdays NEW EPISODES
    • 18m AVG DURATION
    • 942 EPISODES

    4.8 from 63 ratings Listeners of Rising Up with Sonali that love the show mention: need, like, work, great, sonali.


    Ivy Insights

    The Rising Up with Sonali podcast is a gem in the world of independent news and political commentary. As a listener who initially followed the show on KPFK and now enjoys it through the podcast format, I am thrilled to have access to Sonali's insightful discussions and thought-provoking topics. This podcast offers unique coverage that I can't find anywhere else, tackling issues that are often overlooked or marginalized by mainstream media. Sonali's affiliation with YES is another reason to celebrate, as it adds even more credibility and depth to the content.

    One of the best aspects of The Rising Up with Sonali podcast is its ability to cover a wide range of topics and bring on guests that offer diverse perspectives. From discussing the need for Medicare for All and the Green New Deal, to examining prison reform and police demilitarization, this podcast leaves no stone unturned when it comes to important issues. Sonali does an excellent job of asking probing questions that challenge prevailing narratives, allowing listeners to gain a deeper understanding of complex topics. The intelligence and pertinence of the content produced each day make this show a must-listen for anyone seeking in-depth analysis.

    While there may not be any glaring flaws with The Rising Up with Sonali podcast, some listeners may find that it leans heavily towards progressive viewpoints. However, as someone who thinks like millennials/progressives despite being a boomer myself, I appreciate the show's unapologetic stance on important issues. It provides a refreshing alternative to mainstream media's often biased coverage. That being said, those who hold more conservative views may feel alienated or frustrated by the lack of balance in perspectives offered.

    In conclusion, The Rising Up with Sonali podcast delivers intelligent and relevant content that challenges conventional wisdom and dives into crucial topics often overlooked by mainstream media. It is a valuable resource for anyone seeking alternative perspectives on current events and politics. With its thought-provoking interviews and commitment to shedding light on important issues, Sonali and her show have established themselves as a vital voice in the world of free press.



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    Latest episodes from Rising Up with Sonali

    What's at Stake in the US/Israel War on Iran?

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 25, 2025


    Thousands of scholars in the US and beyond have signed on to a petition calling for an end to the war on Iran.

    Time for an Alternative to Democratic Party?

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 20, 2025


    The Democratic Party offered itself up as an alternative to Trump near the end of his first term, but the time is ripe for a complete reconfiguration of the liberal party–if not a replacement. 

    Juneteenth in the Context of Authoritarian White Supremacy

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 19, 2025


    How can we reset Juneteeth within the context of authoritarian white supremacy? 

    Rising Up In the Streets From Pasadena to LA: No Kings, No ICE

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 18, 2025


    While reports from DC suggest Trump's spectacle was a bust, an estimated 6-12 million people marched against his policies in more than 2000 cities nationwide.

    Southern Californians Troll ICE Agents At Hotels

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 12, 2025


    On Sunday June 8, hundreds of protesters mobilized outside the AC Hotel in Pasadena, upon hearing reports that ICE agents were hotel guests.

    Elder Care is Broken–How Do We Fix It?

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 6, 2025


    Through personal experience with navigating the system to care for her mother, Judy Karofsky explores how elder care is broken and how to fix it.

    Creating Safer Journalism for Safer Communities

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 5, 2025


    A new project called the Philadelphia Safer Journalism Project aims to change harmful crime coverage.

    Anti-Genocide Activists Sail To Gaza Again to Break Israeli Siege

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 4, 2025


    A dozen anti-genocide international activists are on board a ship called the Madleen, sailing to Gaza to break Israel's blockade of humanitarian aid.

    How to Recognize When Marketers Hoodwink You

    Play Episode Listen Later May 30, 2025


    A new book makes the compelling case that most social media feeds are now filled with content that's been created using the same marketing tactics as cults do.

    How to Recognize When Marketers Hoodwink You - EXTENDED CUT

    Play Episode Listen Later May 30, 2025


    A new book makes the compelling case that most social media feeds are now filled with content that's been created using the same marketing tactics as cults do. This is an EXTENDED CUT of the interview.

    Students at Univ. of Washington Challenge Ties to Boeing

    Play Episode Listen Later May 29, 2025


    In early May 2025, dozens of students and activists protested UW's ties to Boeing, a company whose weapons Israel is using to it its genocide of Palestinians.

    Here's How Wisconsin's Immigrant-led Movement is Fighting Trump's Agenda

    Play Episode Listen Later May 28, 2025


    Wisconsin's immigrant rights movement is strong and is standing up to the Trump regime's attacks creatively and persistently.

    How To Win a Living Wage: Strike, Protest, Persist

    Play Episode Listen Later May 23, 2025


    The Los Angeles City Council passed a resolution raising the minimum wage for tourism workers to $30 an hour, the highest minimum in the nation. 

    Black Lives Matter, Five Years After George Floyd

    Play Episode Listen Later May 22, 2025


    Five years after the police murder of George Floyd, where is the movement for racial justice?

    77 Years After Nakba, World Rises Up for Palestinians

    Play Episode Listen Later May 21, 2025


    Most mainstream media are missing the mass global solidarity movement rising up in support of Palestinians.

    Malcolm X Lives On, 100 Years After His Birth

    Play Episode Listen Later May 16, 2025


    On May 19, 2025, the great American revolutionary Malcolm X would have been 100 years old. Dr. Ibram X Kendi has a new YA book about his life.

    How Muslims are Clawing Back Their Digital Speech Rights

    Play Episode Listen Later May 15, 2025


    Understanding the importance of narrative power, the Muslim Counterpublics Lab has released a new report underscoring how people can fight for their right to online speech.

    Explainer: What's In the GOP Tax Bill?

    Play Episode Listen Later May 14, 2025


    Here's what's in the GOP's "Big, BEAUTIFUL BILL," a piece of legislation built on individualist ideals over collective care.

    The Pleasure and Promise of Anti-Caste Speculative Fiction

    Play Episode Listen Later May 9, 2025


    Rarely do we see literature tackling South Asia and India's biggest social issue: caste, and particularly anti-caste justice. A newly published groundbreaking anthology aims to change that.

    What If There Was a Feminist Playbook To End U.S. Militarism?

    Play Episode Listen Later May 8, 2025


    A new “Feminist Peace Playbook” offers a transformative approach to U.S. foreign policy. 

    Setting the Record Straight on MS-13

    Play Episode Listen Later May 7, 2025


    In the face of rampant deception about MS-13 and its dangers to U.S. residents, journalist and writer Luis Rodriguez aims to set the record straight. 

    Millions Say to Trump, “Hands Off”

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 18, 2025


    An estimated 3 million people protested at about 1,300 gatherings around the United States on April 5th in what was the first coordinated mass action against Donald Trump's regime.

    Millions Say to Trump, “Hands Off”

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 18, 2025


    An estimated 3 million people protested at about 1,300 gatherings around the United States on April 5th in what was the first coordinated mass action against Donald Trump's regime.

    Students Continue Resisting Israeli Genocide

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 17, 2025


    Student activists at U.S. universities grapple with the Israeli genocide in Gaza and the Trump administration's criminalization of their protests.

    Organizing Principles for Anti-Trump Resistance

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 16, 2025


    Seasoned activist and journalist Arun Gupta has identified ten organizing principles for defeating Trumpism.

    How to Keep Going in the Face of Fascism

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 4, 2025


    In the face of relentless news about the mass dehumanization of people of color and immigrants in the U.S., there is growing fatigue among Americans. But artist and activist Favianna Rodriguez has advice on how we can push through the burnout and move forward.

    Activists Demand No Tax Dollars for Israel's Genocide

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 3, 2025


    As Americans prepare their taxes, activists have released a handy map where anyone can locate their city and learn how many federal tax dollars are diverted from their community's needs to funding Israel's genocide in Palestine. 

    Report from Trans Day of Visibility, 2025

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 2, 2025


    Hundreds of people gathered in Washington D.C. on Monday March 31, 2025 to mark Transgender Day of Visibility.

    Transgender College Student Speaks Out on Trumpism

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 28, 2025


    The Trump administration has made the targeting of transgender people a central tenet of its approach to government. A transgender teen reflects on the importance of resistance.

    Texas Abortion Providers Fight Back

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 27, 2025


    Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has arrested two abortion providers, a new stage in a crackdown against reproductive rights, after the state enacted its near total ban on abortion.

    Trump Disappears Hundreds of Venezuelans Into Gulag

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 26, 2025


    Within weeks of Donald Trump's second-term inauguration, he rescinded the designation of Temporary Protected Status for hundreds of thousands of Venezuelan nationals living in the U.S.

    Can Public Education Survive Trump's Attacks?

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 21, 2025


    Donald Trump's Secretary of Education Linda McMahon announced her intention to eliminate the department she was chosen to lead within weeks of her confirmation.

    Understanding Congress's Billionaire Budget

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 20, 2025


    Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer joined forces with President Donald Trump on March 13, 2025 to pass one of the most reactionary federal budgets in recent memory.

    Protests Across California Target Trump-Musk Assault on the Public

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 19, 2025


    A California coalition of advocacy organizations has come together this week to protest the impacts of the pro-billionaire budgeting decisions being taken in Washington.

    Rising Up In the Streets: Women's March 2025

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 14, 2025


    On Saturday March 8, 2025, thousands of women and others gathered for a march and rally in downtown Los Angeles to mark International Women's Day organized by the Women's March.

    How Tariffs Can Be a Good Idea for People and the Planet

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 13, 2025


    While liberal critics are blaming Trump for upending the economy, some on the left are reminding us that tariffs can be a force for good–if done correctly. 

    Trump Unleashes New McCarthyism Against Palestine Activism

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 12, 2025


    The Trump administration sent federal immigration enforcement agents to arrest Mahmoud Khalil, a prominent Palestinian student activist at Columbia University.

    The Solution to Family Violence Is Not Incarceration

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 7, 2025


    The United States criminal justice system treats the issue of family violence, also known as domestic violence, as a problem to be solved by police intervention and incarceration.

    Clawing Back Public Protections of Our Land, Air & Climate

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 6, 2025


    The Center for Biological Diversity has filed a lawsuit against several federal agencies over Donald Trump's so-called Department of Government Efficiency.

    What Does Trump Really Want from Russia's War on Ukraine?

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 5, 2025


    An extraordinary confrontation took place last week in the Oval Office between Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy and U.S. President Donald Trump and his Vice President J.D. Vance.

    Can the Movement for Reparations Survive Under Trump?

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 28, 2025


    Where is the movement for reparations today? In a new report, economist Kyle Moore writes “Reparations is our North Star for equity, providing a counterweight against a backslide into white supremacy.”

    An Easy Fix for Corporate Tax Cheating

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 27, 2025


    Corporations have been fleet footed in tax avoidance but a new report suggests an elegant solution: “mandatory worldwide combined reporting.”

    How California's Fast Food Wage Hike Benefits Everyone

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 26, 2025


    In April 2024, California became the first state in the nation to raise its minimum wage for fast food workers of major corporate chains to $20 an hour.

    How to Start Making Change with Those You'd Rather Cancel

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 21, 2025


    New York Passes Climate Superfund To Make Polluters Pay

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 20, 2025


    New York Governor Kathy Hochul in December 2024 signed a bill into law fining fossil fuel corporations $75 billion to pay into a superfund the state can use to pay for climate-related damage.

    Who Will Hold Trump Accountable for Violating the Constitution?

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 19, 2025


    Trump is doing what he said he would–undermining the U.S. Constitution to expand his own power. The question is, what recourse is there? And is it too late to save U.S. democracy?

    Migrant Workers Shape Their Own Narratives

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 14, 2025


    While the migrant workers who participated in the Job Center's volunteer clean up operations are regularly demonized by politicians, they are also busy telling their own stories and crafting their own narratives. 

    Migrant Workers Lead Cleanup Efforts in Altadena

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 13, 2025


    The day after the Eaton Fire, organizers sprang into action and put together “fire relief brigades” comprising of volunteers from the community and day laborers.

    How Migrant Workers Are Organizing Against Trumpism

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 12, 2025


    The National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON) which runs the Pasadena Community Job Center, had been preparing for the on-slaught of anti-immigrant policies from the incoming Trump administration.

    Chicago's Guaranteed Income Project Shows Promising Results

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 7, 2025


    A Guaranteed Income pilot project called the Chicago Future Fund has just released its latest report.

    How DEI Initiatives Can Continue In Spite of Trump

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 6, 2025


    Trump has blamed everything from the devastating Los Angeles fires to the deadly Washington D.C. plane crash on DEI initiatives. 

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