Scheer Intelligence

Welcome to Scheer Intelligence, where the insights come straight from the voices of our guests. In this episode, we explore the turbulent political and social landscape of Los Angeles and the United States, featuring a compelling conversation with Dr. Frances Gill—a psychiatrist, community advocate, and labor supporter. Join us as we delve into the rise of madness, the threat of authoritarianism, the power of organized labor, and the urgent need for collective action in times of crisis.

Join Robert Scheer in this illuminating episode of Scheer Intelligence as he explores the complex truths of Jewish identity, the fight for religious and political freedom, and the urgent need for justice in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Through candid conversations with voices rooted in Jewish tradition and progressive activism, this series delves into how the principles of debate, human rights, and democratic liberty can guide us toward a more compassionate and equitable future. It's a heartfelt discussion about what it truly means to stand "Not in Our Name."

In this compelling edition of Scheer Intelligence, Robert Scheer engages with journalist Kit Klarenberg to explore the complex dynamics shaping our world. From the enigmatic diplomacy of Donald Trump to the evolving landscape of Middle Eastern geopolitics, Klarenberg offers a nuanced perspective on shifts in U.S. foreign policy, the decline of American exceptionalism, and the rise of a multipolar global order. Their conversation sheds light on contradictions, realignments, and the potential for a fairer, more collaborative international system in uncertain times.

oin Robert Scheer and guest Peter Byrne as they delve into the dark side of artificial intelligence, exploring its militarization, misuse, and impact on global security and democracy. Through a series of in-depth investigations sponsored by Project Censored, they reveal how AI is being used to control societies, threaten peace, and undermine human rights—exposing what mainstream media often overlooks. Essential listening for those concerned about the true power of technology shaping our future.

Welcome to Scheer Intelligence, where the insights come directly from leading experts and insiders. In this episode, Robert Scheer sits down with Judy Karofsky, author of Diselderly Conduct, to explore the troubled landscape of assisted living and hospice care in America. From personal tragedy to systemic neglect, they delve into how a lack of regulation, corporate greed, and profit motives endanger our elders and what society must do to ensure dignity and safety in their final years. Stay tuned for an urgent conversation that affects all of us.

Welcome to our latest episode, where we delve into the complex international landscape shaping our world today. Joining us is Ray McGovern, a former CIA analyst with over 27 years of experience and a seasoned observer of Russian and Soviet history. Currently in Russia, Ray shares his on-the-ground insights from the heart of Moscow, reflects on decades of Cold War tensions, and explores potential pathways toward peace amid ongoing conflicts. Stay tuned for a thought-provoking discussion on geopolitics, history, and the pursuit of diplomacy in a turbulent era.

Welcome to a compelling episode of Scheer Intelligence, where host Robert Scheer engages in a thought-provoking dialogue with political stalwart Dennis Kucinich. Join us as we delve into Kucinich's reflections on the devastating consequences of war, specifically addressing the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the broader implications for both Israeli and Palestinian lives. In a time when questioning government policies can lead to severe backlash, Kucinich's courage shines through as he confronts the repercussions of warfare and the moral responsibilities we all share. Together, they explore the intertwined destinies of oppressors and the oppressed, the erosion of free speech, and the urgent need for a complete reevaluation of our approach to conflict. Tune in for a deep conversation that challenges us to think critically about peace, justice, and the shared humanity that binds us all.

Welcome to another edition of Scheer Intelligence, where host Robert Scheer dives into critical discussions with renowned guests. Today, we have Dr. Charles LeBaron, a distinguished physician and CDC veteran, who has authored a compelling and essential book, 'Greed to Do Good: The Untold Story of the CDC's Disastrous War on Opioids.' Dr. LeBaron offers a unique perspective on the opioid crisis, drawing from his extensive experience and personal encounters. Through his well-crafted narrative, he sheds light on the complexities of pain management, the challenges of public health policies, and the human stories behind addiction. Join us as we explore these pressing issues with honesty and depth."

Welcome to this week's episode of Scheer Intelligence, where host Robert Scheer dives deep into the compelling and complex world of international relations. In today's episode, we are joined by Ben Norton, a distinguished journalist based in China, and editor at Geopolitical Economy Report. With a profound understanding of the intricacies of China's economy, Ben offers invaluable insights into the ongoing trade tensions under the Trump administration and the shifting sands of global power dynamics. As we discuss everything from tariffs and trade wars to the implications of a multipolar world, prepare to gain a clearer picture of the challenges and realities facing not just the U.S. and China, but the global community at large. Join us for an enlightening conversation that goes beyond the headlines!

Welcome to another gripping episode of Scheer Intelligence, where we delve deep into the stories that shape our understanding of freedom, power, and the human experience. I'm your host, Robert Scheer, and today, I'm joined by the insightful Joel Whitney. We will uncover the harrowing tale of Pramodia Ananta Toer, a celebrated Indonesian writer whose life was turned upside down by U.S. intervention during a turbulent chapter of history. His imprisonment for over a decade serves as a stark reminder of the consequences of geopolitical maneuvering, and his writing offers a profound reflection on resilience and the quest for freedom. Join us as we discuss the echoes of this past in our current political landscape and explore what it means to truly stand against oppression.

Welcome to Scheer Intelligence, where the true brainpower comes from our guests. Today, join Robert Scheer as he engages in a thought-provoking conversation with the talented Natasha Hakimi Zapata. A former award-winning poet and influential journalist at Truthdig, she now sheds light on her new book, Another World is Possible: Lessons for America from Around the Globe. With insights drawn from her unique upbringing and experiences across nine different countries, Natasha brings forth stories and solutions that challenge the prevailing narratives about our world today. In a time when despair seems so pervasive, she offers a refreshing look at what has been achieved globally—combined with actionable lessons that could inspire real change in America. Don't miss this enlightening discussion as we explore how we can pave the way toward a more equitable and hopeful future.Copy

Welcome to another edition of Scheer Intelligence with your host, Robert Scheer. Today, we delve into the profound implications of the Ferguson movement, a pivotal moment in American history that continues to resonate throughout our society. Joining us are two exceptional guests: State Senator Marie Chappelle Nadal, who was on the ground in St. Louis during the turbulent aftermath of Michael Brown's tragic shooting, and filmmaker Ray Nowaselski, known for his compelling documentaries that tackle critical societal issues.As we explore their investigative efforts and the stories of those affected by violence and injustice, we'll uncover the essential lessons we've learned over the past decade. From the profound impact of police accountability to the importance of understanding our history, this conversation aims to shed light on systemic challenges and the ongoing fight for justice. Join us as we navigate the complexities of these intertwined narratives, seeking to learn from the past and advocate for a better future.

Welcome to another edition of Scheer Intelligence, where insights come alive through the voices of our guests. I'm your host, Robert Scheer, and today we have the privilege of speaking with the insightful Vijay Prashad, a prolific author and the Director of the Tri-Continental Institute for Social Research. With an impressive body of work that includes over 40 books, Prashad has established himself as a leading voice on global affairs.In our conversation, we explore the complexities of international relations, particularly focusing on the rising influence of China, the dynamics of capitalism, and the implications of a multipolar world on the global economy. We discuss critical issues, from technological advancements to the evolving nature of democracy, and reflect on the historical context that shapes today's geopolitical landscape.Join us as we unravel the narratives behind global events and seek to understand the balance of power in a world that's rapidly changing.

Welcome to another episode of Scheer Intelligence! I'm your host, Robert Scheer, and today we're diving into a critical conversation about the state of media, censorship, and the role of independent journalism in our society. Joining me are two passionate advocates from the organization Project Censored: Shealeigh Voitl and Andy Lee Roth.In this episode, we explore the alarming trends of censorship, particularly in an era where many attribute societal issues to the influence of the internet rather than systemic inequalities or failures within our democratic structures. We'll discuss Project Censored's important work in highlighting underreported stories—stories that often reveal systemic injustices overlooked by corporate media.Shealeigh and Andy share insights from their recent list of the top 25 censored stories, touching on crucial topics such as environmental crises, reproductive rights, and the growing influence of big tech on our information landscape. As we reflect on the historical context of media censorship, we'll also examine how today's media environment serves to obscure the significant challenges faced by working people and marginalized communities.With the 2024 elections looming and the political landscape becoming increasingly polarized, this conversation is more relevant than ever. Together, we aim to illuminate the cracks in our media system and empower listeners to seek out independent voices that challenge the dominant narratives.So, stay tuned as we unpack these pressing issues and advocate for a more informed and engaged public.For more information go to https://www.projectcensored.org/Article link: https://www.projectcensored.org/top-25-most-censored-stories-2024/Photo from Project Censored

Welcome to another edition of Scheer Intelligence. I'm your host, Robert Scheer, and today marks a significant new chapter for our program as we transition to Scheerpost, where we'll continue our mission of exploring vital issues with depth and clarity. After nearly a decade of broadcasting through KCRW, we're excited to bring you more frequent conversations, allowing us to engage with the news as it unfolds.In this inaugural episode under the Scheerpost banner, I'm joined by the esteemed Ray McGovern, a former CIA analyst with over 27 years of experience, who has briefed three U.S. presidents and witnessed history from the inside. Together, we'll delve into pressing topics, including the current geopolitical landscape shaped by figures like Trump and Netanyahu, and the ongoing crises in places like Gaza.As we navigate this complex terrain, we'll reflect on the challenges posed by the current administration's foreign policy and the implications for international relations, particularly with Russia and China. Our discussion will not shy away from the harsh realities of war and the moral imperatives that arise from them.At Scheer Intelligence, we believe in the power of informed dialogue to shed light on the issues that matter. So, whether you're a long-time listener or new to our show, we invite you to join us as we seek to uncover the truth and engage in meaningful conversations about the most pressing issues of our time.

On this final episode of the Scheer Intelligence podcast hosted on KCRW but continuing on ScheerPost.com,  host Robert Scheer welcomes Larry Gross, author and Professor Emeritus of Communication at the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. The two cover Zionism, specifically through the lens of Gross, who lived in Israel and personally witnessed the country’s evolution from its earlier claim to progressive idealism under its Labor party founders to the brutalizing occupation of Gaza and the West Bank Palestinians. Although the term Zionism carries negative international weight today, Gross tells the story of his family, who came to Israel after his father left the United States in response to McCarthyism. Israel’s early labor connected and progressive politics represented a symbol of opportunity and hope for the Jewish diaspora community, such as Gross’ family. His father, who worked for, and was friends with then Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir, thought Israel was “realizing this dream of the Zionist left, which was the party that had governed Israel… and was purporting to be creating both a Jewish state [and] also a progressive state.” As Gross aged, however, Zionism’s mask slowly began to peel and the ugliness would emerge. “As a teenager growing up in Israel, some of the contradictions were already becoming apparent, ones that today are all too unmistakable,” Gross tells Scheer. Israel has sharply broken from its labor affiliated days after the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin by a Jewish religious fanatic to the ascendancy of Benjamin Netanyahu’s far right Zionist government. Zionism turned on itself and now threatens the very Jews who initially looked upon it with hope. Gross’s family escaped McCarthyism, but now Jews like him in America working in groups like Jewish Voice for Peace, objecting to Israel’s uncontrolled militarism, face a more virulent repression from the Trump Administration inspired by Israel's right-wing militancy. Gross cites the pro-Palestine campus protests and explains, “what is happening in universities today… they are performing anticipatory compliance. They are failing to stand up, just as universities unfortunately did in the 1950s in that era we call McCarthyism, in which they fired people, they refused to hire them, they rewrote policies.” Gross remarks that there are many voices of reason, including many Jews, that speak out against Israel’s atrocities today. “The slogan ‘never again’ has to mean never again, including to Palestinians,” he says.

Tariffs, artificial intelligence, semiconductors, electric cars: there is much to be said about the evolving relationship between China and the United States. While Donald Trump’s recent tariffs on the country are just the latest story, it is only a fraction of the news coming out of China that directly affects the U.S. and the future prospect for business and the government. Joining host Robert Scheer from China on this episode of Scheer Intelligence is Geopolitical Economic Report editor-in-chief and journalist Ben Norton. The two discuss what the incoming Trump administration represents for U.S.-China relations as well as the state of China from the ground. Norton reports on his experiences living there and the local reaction to the U.S. political scene.  

This is the political season to be thankful for small favors of optimism, and in this edition of Scheer Intelligence, host Robert Scheer and guest Joe Lauria, editor of the Consortium News website, are excited to have found a gift of striking significance to what remains of the practice of serious journalism on the internet. It is Donald Trump’s delivery on a promise in his inauguration address that “After years and years of illegal and unconstitutional federal efforts to restrict free expression, I will also sign an executive order to immediately stop all censorship and bring back free speech to America.” What Trump is referring to is summarized in his executive order, “Restoring Free Speech and Ending Federal Censorship,” asserting: “Over the last four years, the previous administration trampled free speech rights by censoring Americans’ speech on online platforms, often by exerting substantial coercive pressure on third parties, such as social media companies, to moderate, deplatform, or otherwise suppress speech that the Federal Government did not approve.” Under the guise of combatting ‘misinformation,’ `disinformation’ and ‘malinformation,’ the Federal Government infringed on the constitutionally protected speech rights of American citizens across the United States.”  Despite its presence In the egregious pile of Donald Trumps otherwise deeply frightening Executive Orders assaulting logic and decency, both Scheer and Lauria, who edit internet publications that have been targeted in this manner, argue that this particular executive order is a gem of sharp brilliance that should not be shunned for the 

The wildfires in Los Angeles county have brought a multitude of difficult and prevailing questions to the forefront of the region as well as the system of capitalism. Joining host Robert Scheer on this episode of the Scheer Intelligence podcast is Jacobin Magazine columnist Ben Burgis to discuss writer Mike Davis and how his book, “The Ecology of Fear: Los Angeles and the Imagination of Disaster,” (February 1998) serves as a kind of prognosis for everything going wrong in Los Angeles today. The two dissect the multitude of issues at play in the wildfire disasters: the conceit of real estate developers testing the limits of nature, the passive and active exploitation of the working class to make and now handle the disaster, the greed of for-profit insurance companies cancelling policies, and the decisions by a major county like Los Angeles in foregoing budgets to handle these inevitable disasters. Burgis asks, “If the public is just frankly going to be on the hook for it, do we, in fact, need to be building this densely in areas this prone to fire? I think at the very least, that's something that should be a question for public discussion in a way that it's just not.”

The American saber-rattling against China has been increasing almost as fast as China’s own development in the past few years. China’s economic prosperity and international influence is undeniable yet American politicians continue to treat their rise as a threat to their global hegemony. Joining host Robert Scheer on this episode of Scheer Intelligence is Megan Russell, a writer, academic and CODEPINK's China is Not Our Enemy Campaign Coordinator. Scheer is quick to point out the intergenerational dynamic between his own work on China as a fellow in the Center for Chinese Studies at the University of California, Berkeley in the 1960s and Russell’s recent experience living in China and studying in Shanghai. Both witnessed and experienced the American perspective of China and how it has continued to undermine it. Scheer and Russell focus on her latest article, which calls out New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman for his portrayal of China and how his deficient op-ed mirrors the broader perception of China in the United States. While many may think that China is an authoritarian country with people living under the heel of Xi Jinping, the actual material conditions of its population are often left out. “Something [people] don't talk about enough, in my opinion, is how China managed to eradicate extreme poverty. And that's not just a minimum income level, it also means access to food, to clothes, healthcare, clean housing, free education. It means infrastructure, means functioning systems,” Russell says. People also point to working conditions and the outsourcing of American jobs to China as a means of attacking them. To this, Russell explains, “All China has done is use the system in place to develop and try to provide opportunities to its incredibly vast population, while still maintaining its proto-socialist policies. It's us that has exported the production of all our goods to make a few more dollars.” In the end, the US stands to lose, not only in a trade war, but also in the climate aspect, since China has also made great strides towards combatting the climate crisis. Russell cites their plan of reaching carbon neutrality by 2060 and tells Scheer, “China has really undergone this internal green energy revolution, doing far more than any other country to combat climate change.”

*This episode originally aired on December 21, 2018.This is part two of a two-part interview. To listen to part one, click here.In part two of this two-part interview, Death Row inmate Kevin Cooper, once coming within four hours of execution, details how he copes with the daily torment of impending death as his legal team fights to prove his innocence with new exonerating evidence Gov. Jerry Brown has refused to allow to be examined. For the past 33 Christmas holidays, Kevin Cooper has inhabited an 11-by-4 ½-foot cell in California's San Quentin State Prison, the last eight waiting for Brown to grant him a new hearing and advanced DNA testing that would support what federal Appellate Judge William C. Fletcher has said: “Kevin Cooper is on Death Row because the San Bernardino sheriff’s department framed him.” Cooper, at the top of the list to be killed when the state resumes executions, talks to Robert Scheer in the latest installment of "Scheer Intelligence" about the unfairness of the justice system and the difficulty of proving one’s innocence once convicted: “”Whenever you have a judge that comes forward and stands up and says no, this person innocent…this person was framed, we need to take that serious as a society.” He discusses his ongoing struggle to preserve his basic humanity: "I’ve been blessed, in a sick sense of the word. I’ve been cursed by putting me here, but while I’m in here, I’ve been blessed, because there are a lot of death row inmates who commit suicide every time you turn around. They took a guy past this cage last night on a gurney, ‘cause he was ‘man down’...Don’t know if he lived or died. But they’ve been committing suicide up here, they’ve been killing each other up here. All types of craziness has been going on up in here."  Cooper explains how he has kept hope alive when he could so easily succumb to desperation and despair.  He paints, writes and reads voraciously but is most passionate when speaking out against the death penalty: "When you find yourself in a fight that is bigger than you—[capital punishment] affects the lives of many people—and you can do something to help in that fight, you can’t give up...You can’t stop, you can’t quit. You just can’t do it...I did not choose this, to speak out against the death penalty; I didn’t. This [struggle] chose me."

Much needed attention has been brought upon the for-profit health insurance industry in the wake of the assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Personal stories about people’s tragic experiences involving not only UnitedHealthcare but many other insurance companies have spelled out a deeper issue that resonates across the American political spectrum. Sean Morrow, a journalist and writer for More Perfect Union—a nonprofit newsroom that focuses on working class issues—has gained significant attention lately as a result of the shooting. Morrow joins host Robert Scheer on this episode of Scheer Intelligence to further elaborate on the issues millions of Americans are facing and why Brian Thompson’s assassination led to such a widespread public reaction. Morrow dives into some of his reporting, which has dealt with the internal processes behind the health insurance system. Among insurance companies, there is a consolidation process in the form of vertical integration. Companies like UnitedHealthcare can own multiple parts of the healthcare process and thus set up toll booths along each route people can expect to take. “They'll have pharmacy benefit manager companies, they'll have data companies, and then they kind of own this entire system, so that they're always routing you through there,” Morrow says.  “If you have a health issue, you could theoretically be giving UnitedHealthcare a little bit of money from every step of the process. And they're their own vendors in all of that,” he explains. “The system's not broken. The system's working as it's intended,” Morrow tells Scheer. The system, Morrow says, is intended “to funnel more and more money to a certain handful of people at the cost of all others.” Despite the legality of this system, the rigging of it against the interests of the working class is what enables their suffering as well as their anger against it.

The assassination of Brian Thompson, the former CEO of UnitedHealthcare insurance company, has prompted a national reckoning of how corporate entities commit crimes on a daily basis and are not only not punished but rewarded for their profit-making prowess. Many point to Luigi Mangione, the alleged assassin, as an example of vigilante justice, murdering someone who is responsible for the deaths of thousands who are denied medical care. Joining host Robert Scheer on this episode of Scheer Intelligence is Anthony Grasso, professor of political science at Rutgers University and author of the new book, “Dual Justice: America’s Divergent Approaches to Street and Corporate Crime.” The book, published a day before the assassination, dives into how the justice system is really set up in two separate ways which Grasso describes as “poor people, people of color, we want to crack down on them.” But as Donald Trump puts it, when he doesn’t pay his taxes, he’s not a criminal, he’s smart. The criminal justice system fails ordinary people by bypassing the criminal activity occurring in corporate boardrooms. “A lot of corporate actions that are legalized or regulated, things like denials of life saving medical care that companies make in pursuit of profit maximization,” Grasso says. “We don't understand these things as crimes. We say these are byproducts of business decision making. It comes down to the U.S. being rooted in the principles of capitalism and how those with the wealth and power to be in positions that affect the lives of thousands can harm them as long as they follow the rules. “You can prioritize profit maximization over human life. You can deny people coverage because it increases shareholder value maximization,” Grasso tells Scheer. “Those things are okay, as long as you're doing it within the regulatory confines we give you."

Though one can debate the reasons, statistics and precedent of nuclear war, what is often left out of the conversation is the reality of it: destruction of the world as a whole. In her new immersive art experience titled, “Any War, Any Enemy,” immersive artist Lena Herzog throws this reality literally right in the faces of viewers. The film can uniquely be experienced via virtual reality as well as a traditional screen and it plainly shows what nuclear war looks like. Herzog begins the film with a quote stating nuclear war is not war. She tells host Robert Scheer on this episode of Scheer Intelligence that she begins with this because “the word ‘war’ is disorienting, because in war, you can have a battle, you can lose a battle, you can win a war. You cannot win a nuclear exchange. It's omnicide. It's not war.” Part of a trilogy which tries to invoke art in a novel form, the film follows "Last Whispers," another piece of immersive art that focuses on the destruction of language. For “Any War, Any Enemy,” Herzog wants people to “experience [nuclear war] inside the frame, to feel it in the fiber of your being.” For Scheer, the film’s power comes from viscerally showing the reality most people have no idea will happen in the event of a nuclear war. “You are forced to be immersed into an environment where your voice means nothing, your brain means nothing, your eyes mean nothing, because this weapon has destroyed any means of sustaining life,” Scheer says. “So you are these figures floating around in the water dead.” Foreign policy discussions centering around the U.S., Russia, China, Israel and others become moot points as Herzog points out, “This is a question of existence versus nonexistence.” Scheer and Herzog agree that the time for nuclear disarmament is now. As opposed to the middle of the 20th century with the Cuban Missile Crisis, where leaders had hours and days to talk about any provocations and would actually speak to one another. Nowadays, leaders avoid each other and the response time to any kind of strike, Herzog says, “it's 90 seconds. It's four minutes.”

Gaza today symbolizes nothing but death, destruction and oppression. Israel’s genocide and scorched earth bombing campaign has not only wiped out its people but the rich history that stretches back thousands of years. Juan Cole, University of Michigan history professor and renowned Middle East historian, joins host Robert Scheer on this episode of the Scheer Intelligence podcast to clearly lay out the history behind Gaza through his newest book, “Gaza Yet Stands.” Gaza, Cole says, was a cosmopolitan place, a place people went through for travel, trade and its rich civilization. “If you were in Beirut and you wanted to go to Cairo by land, you would go through Gaza. It was a crossroads,” Cole tells Scheer. A unique, multinational city with diverse religious significance, Gaza used to represent something grand in the heart of the Middle East. Today, after it was stolen by Israel and Western colonialism, even the history is in jeopardy.  “The Palestinians were 1.3 million, and the British envisaged in the White Paper of 1939 that they'd make a state of Palestine in which the Jews would be a substantial minority,” Cole explains. “It would be a Palestine, just as the British Mandate of Iraq eventuated in the country of Iraq, and the French mandate of Syria eventuated in the country of Syria, there would be a Palestine.” This arrangement, Cole contends, was uncomfortable for all parties involved and made things worse in each affected region. Many of the Jews persecuted in the Holocaust were now destined to repatriate to this foreign land instead of to Poland and Germany, which displaced the Palestinians and welcomed havoc from settlers. In a world emerging from colonial rule following World War II, Cole explains that Israel’s creation was just a reversion back to that model. “That's what Israel is, it's a Western colonial instrument,” Cole says. “What's been done to the Palestinians is considered extremely unfair by almost everybody in the world, outside of Western Europe and the United States.”

The election came and went, and despite Democrats’ heavy emphasis on abortion rights, the election of Donald Trump makes it clear that the rights of women across the country are in grave danger. Joining host Robert Scheer on this episode of Scheer Intelligence to spell out this danger and talk about his new book, “Abortion in the Age of Unreason: A Doctor's Account of Caring for Women Before and After Roe v. Wade” is “America's Abortion Doctor” Dr. Warren Hern. Hern possesses vast experience with abortion and abortion rights, from his days at the first private nonprofit abortion clinic in Colorado in 1973 to his having to shield himself behind bulletproof windows today as a response to the violent right-wing anti-abortion protests in America.  “There's no debate in abortion. It's a civil war. The anti-abortion people have assassinated five of my medical colleagues, including one of my best friends, Dr. George Tiller, and I'm on all the hit lists,” Hern tells Scheer. Abortion goes beyond politics, Hern argues. He states plainly that politicians have no right to be involved in the decision-making process behind abortions: “This is a medical issue. Politicians should get the hell out of this, and we should have a constitutional right to a safe abortion.” Hern likens abortion to a medical condition, and women should always have the fundamental right to choose how to treat themselves. “What my point has been since 1970 [is] that the treatment of choice for pregnancy is abortion unless the woman wants to have a baby,” Hern says. “There is no justification for any law or any restriction on access to safe abortion services as part of medical care. Safe abortion is a fundamental and essential component of medical care for women.”

Reporting on the election often involves being glued to computer screens dictating the polling numbers around the country and using statistics revolving around race and gender to make assumptions about how the country is politically swaying. Journalist and online host Michael Tracey actually went out to many prominent swing states throughout the election and spoke to various swaths of voters, engaging in what their vote really means and how ordinary Americans view newly appointed Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris. Tracey joins Scheer Intelligence host Robert Scheer to discuss the election, why Trump won and what his second term holds for the future of the country and the globe. On the side of foreign policy, Tracey says people ought to be wary of Trump’s peace rhetoric and look at his record as president. “Although Trump was seen as in conflict with the so-called neocons in 2016, he then undertook a foreign policy in which he escalated virtually every conflict that he inherited,” Tracey tells Scheer. Tracey cites regime change in Venezuela, trouble with Iran and bolstering NATO. When it comes to domestic issues and why the US went for Trump in such a grand way, Tracey points to the failures of the Democrats to appeal to common voters, pay attention to the issues they truly care about and allowed them to succumb to Trump’s everyman rhetoric, despite what he might actually do once in office. “What is deficient about [the Democrats’] own messaging, it has alienated such wide swaths of people who, in earlier eras, would have been considered squarely within their coalition,” Tracey asserts.  In the end, the Democrats parading around people like Liz Cheney and ignoring crucial issues like the genocide in Palestine hurt them, as was proven through the popular vote. Tracey indicts their strategy: “Liberalism is so oriented itself around the personage of Trump that it's kind of been given a free pass from defining itself on its own terms.”

Amidst the hype, excitement and nervousness of the election, the bigger picture of what the United States is and how it operates often gets lost on people. Many think that choosing one or another candidate will significantly alter their future to better represent their values, but in reality there is only one group of people that matter the most: those who Dr. Peter Phillips, professor emeritus at Sonoma State University, calls the “titans of capital.” In his new book by the same name, Phillips studies the economic trends following the COVID-19 pandemic and how the wealth concentration in the world took a dramatic turn towards the already ultra-wealthy. He joins host Robert Scheer on this episode of Scheer Intelligence to further analyze these trends and how dire inequality is becoming. The main problem is simple to understand: the ultra-wealthy “doubled their wealth concentration.” That means, according to Phillips, that “the upper one half of 1% of the people got richer and basically, the rest of the world got poorer.” Phillips names the top 10 capital investment companies, such as BlackRock, Vanguard, State Street, Morgan Stanley and others as the main culprits. Over $50 trillion are controlled by 117 people across these 10 companies, according to Phillips. This immense concentration of wealth inevitably renders any semblance of democracy almost useless, as the main decision makers are those who hold the biggest bag. “Whoever we elect as President is not going to make any difference because they're managed by capital,” Phillips tells Scheer.  “They're there to protect global capital. That's what the American political system is about. That's what the political systems in the West are about. They see capital as a vital interest of the West, and that's why we have military bases all over the world to protect capital and to ensure that debts get repaid and that this capital continues to grow and expand.”

Fewer people in the world had access to the personal moments experienced by Steve Wasserman, Heyday Books publisher, former LA Times Book Review editor and former editor at several of the nation’s most prominent book publishing houses. In his latest book, “Tell Me Something, Tell Me Anything, Even If It's a Lie,” he details his close encounters with a handful of some of the most significant people in the 20th century, including Jackie Kennedy, Susan Sontag, Christopher Hitchens, Gore Vidal, Barbra Streisand, Huey Newton and others. Wasserman describes these accounts, or portraits, as focusing on people who “inspired me to do what I could, however modestly, to live a life of passionate engagement.” From the intimate details of a lunch with Jackie O to a deathbed conversation with writer and journalist Hitchens, Wasserman features a multitude of essays that cover a range of issues from politics to literature to culture and life. One memory of Wasserman included how he “never experienced Susan Sontag as a hostage to nostalgia.” Wasserman found inspiration in that and thought “it was a great, great lesson not to become pickled in your own prejudices such that you couldn't be open to the world.” Scheer attests that these portraits are brilliant, especially when dealing with controversial figures. He tells Wasserman, “These are famous intellectuals, but you humanize them, and you involve your own criticism.”

Any urban street in America is guaranteed to be lined with popular fast food chains, the readily available nature of their products being the main attraction, with people barely giving a thought to the process behind getting the food from the farm to the table — or more likely, the take-out box.  Joining host Robert Scheer on this week’s Scheer Intelligence are two people who dedicated their recent film, “Food and Country,” to understanding this process behind food in the United States and how big business, as usual, has almost complete control of the system. Renowned former food critic for the La Times and New York Times, former editor of Gourmet magazine, author of cookbooks and memoirs and PBS food guru, Ruth Reichl and film director Laura Gabbert discuss some of the key takeaways from the film. Gabbert asserts that big agriculture’s firm grasp on the industry is where the problems begin. Its lobby is amongst the biggest and Gabbert explains that there is no incentive to try and remedy the problems that come from this monopolization of an industry so essential to human survival. “I think that is really the crux of the whole problem, is money in politics,” Gabbert says. Reichl takes it back to what happened after World War II and how the U.S. government made an attempt to fight communism by cheapening the food making process, which turned farms into factories. “Almost everything that's wrong with America comes from that policy. We've destroyed our health, our environment, our communities,” Reichl tells Scheer. The heart of their story lies with the farmers themselves, and how, despite being in charge of the most important aspect of human survival, they still tend to struggle the most in society. Reichl explains their significance in the film, stating, “I just wanted for us to be able to listen to their stories that they tell themselves about what has happened to them and what the American system has done to them.” Check out the film’s website here for screening information.

In the 365 days following the events of Oct. 7, the situation in the Middle East is as complicated as ever. Israel’s genocide in Gaza agonizingly continues, and its invasion of Lebanon and subsequent retaliation at the hands of Hezbollah and Iran has added more fuel to the fire. Tensions are escalating and Middle East expert and writer Juan Cole joins host Robert Scheer on this episode of the Scheer Intelligence podcast to explain its precedent and what the future may hold. The extremism of the Netanyahu cabinet in Israel, Cole explains, is the basis for the sharp increase in violence and tension in the region. While the Israeli government justifies their actions as necessary for the protection of Jews in the region, Cole argues their actions do the opposite. “The extreme goals of Netanyahu to completely control the lives of people in Gaza and the West Bank and Lebanon are endangering the lives of ordinary Jews. They're not making them safer,” he says. The attempted expansion into Lebanon, which has brought global attention to the country, is something seen before in the recent history of Israel, Cole says. “It's 1982 all over again. 1982 was an enormous failure, and it produced more radicalization and more headaches in the long term for Israel,” he tells Scheer. Despite their claims of self-defense against “terrorist” organizations like Hezbollah, Cole explains that much like Hamas, Hezbollah’s rise was a direct consequence of Israeli policies. “The Israelis occupied 10% of Lebanese soil, southern Lebanon, for 18 years. And the Lebanese wanted them right back out of their country,” he explains. “The Shiites of southern Lebanon, who nobody ever heard of… before Israel occupied that area, threw up these resistance movements like Hezbollah. It was Israel that radicalized the Shiites of southern Lebanon,” Cole states.

At a time of book bans and the withholding of critically important struggles in our history, our education system has increasingly failed to provide our young with the tools to become engaged citizens in our much celebrated experiment in democracy. This miseducation of the young has been vastly accelerated by the shocking erosion of civic education in the standardized testing that separates winners and losers in the ranking of our meritocracy. This reality has been made painfully obvious to Lindsey Cormack, a parent of two young children and a professor of political science at the prestigious Stevens Institute of Technology, teaching a generation of young engineering students in the diminished art of civics education. Sadly, Cormack tells host Robert Scheer that many of her students don’t understand the basics of our government: “They think they're going to do this big adult thing, participate in democracy, but then they're crestfallen and they're a little heartbroken because someone didn't explain the rules to them.” Scheer responds that the failure to educate all students in civics is built into the design of national tests that omit the tools needed for participation in a vibrant democracy, and Cormack agrees: “You brought up ACT and SAT scores ... . When we have this obsession with making higher scores for all of our students and higher aggregate scores for our schools, neither one of these tests has a civics component. So in a compressed classroom day, you're going to have things that get squeezed out. And when we were interviewing teachers, we know that the things that get squeezed out are the things that aren't tested. So civics gets to the side.” In her despair at the failure of our national education system at every level to fulfill the basic condition for an informed public, Professor Cormack turned to providing parents with a comprehensive and yet highly accessible civics primer: “How to Raise a Citizen (And Why It's Up to You to Do It).” Scheer and Cormack agree that schools often gloss over topics like slavery, women’s right to vote, the Vietnam war and Native American genocide, among other topics. Cormack agrees that “governments are less accountable when their people do not understand what's happening.” She defends her book as encouragement for parents to fill the educational void. Scheer praises the book as an important effort in civics education but questions it’s dependence on those parents who have the time and knowledge to perform this educational task that should be guaranteed to all children by a responsibly functioning public education system: “It's admirable that you would write this book and get parents to do the right thing by their children and by their society. But in order for a society to be healthy, its main structures, certainly of education, have to be healthy. Cormack accepts that better parenting is not the full answer but defends her efforts as the beginning of a needed solution: “I think it is an injustice and a disservice to put a child through a K through 12 schooling environment, especially in a public taxpayer funded schooling environment and not let them know with certainty the government that they are graduating into and how they can influence it ... Do parents solve everything? No. But do enough parents ... see that there is a problem ... want schools to get involved ... have the power to lobby for school boards or to be in state legislatures to change this? I think the answer is yes. But it's not clear how we get that ball rolling unless we point out the problem, which is our kids are not learning this.”

In the midst of election season, conversations revolving around the levers of power become more frequent, and in the case of a U.S. presidential election, that often includes debates around the so-called “deep state”. Joining host Robert Scheer on this episode of Scheer Intelligence, Professors Charles Derber and Yale Magrass discuss their new book, “Who Owns Democracy?: The Real Deep State and the Struggle Over Class and Caste in America.”There are many interpretations of what the 'deep state' actually represents in government, but Magrass offers a clear definition, breaking it down into two parts: the official state and the deep state. The official state, according to Magrass, consists of the elected officials people know very well, who are always in the media spotlight and soak in the blame for the issues that arise from their perceived rule. Meanwhile, the deep state operates largely unnoticed, with the official state serving as cover.  “It gives free reign to corporations, free reign to the very rich, and they can more or less do whatever they want, with the official state carrying almost all the blame for what happens,” Magrass says. The two professors dive into the history of the deep state concept, as Derber describes, “when you look carefully at American history, you see a whole evolution of American fascism, which came at the very beginning of the country and went through evolutionary stages.” Derber and Magrass argue that the deep state has always been embedded in the power dynamics of the U.S., tracing its roots from the Magna Carta—which they contend was designed to expand the freedoms of the English noble elites. They also invoke the Civil War, which they see as a divorce between “northern capitalism, the capitalist Deep State and the southern proto-fascist deep state.” Today, each of the U.S. political parties represent a further expansion of this subversive ruling elite and Derber and Magrass argue that only an expanded public awareness of this hidden power structure will bring accountability to those who operate behind the scenes. Scheer summarizes the importance of understanding how real power works in the U.S.: “There's a reason why we don't talk about class and caste in America, because the illusion of this egalitarian society is the main cover up of how the system works.”

The genocide in Gaza has brought the issue of Israel — and what it represents for Jewish people — into the forefront of Jewish communities worldwide. The powerful influence of the Israel lobby on Israel’s image in the United States makes this issue highly contentious and deeply complex. In this episode of the Scheer Intelligence podcast, host Robert Scheer and Lara Friedman, president of the Foundation for Middle East Peace (FMEP), a nonprofit dedicated to fostering peace between Israel and Palestine, explain — as two Jewish individuals — how they navigate these complex issues, both in their professional work and personal lives. Drawing on her experience working with the U.S. Foreign Service in Jerusalem around the time of the Oslo Accords, Friedman offers a complex view of the politics of the situation. Friedman discusses not only the evolving Jewish relationship to Israel but also the plight of the Palestinians who are often subjected to displacement, violence and death. Friedman highlights a critical distinction when discussing the Oslo Accords: unlike most treaties, which are based on a balance of interests, the Israel-Palestine agreement is rooted in a balance of power. This dynamic, which heavily favors Israel, was recognized by Friedman: “I think that became very clear as the underlying dynamic of Oslo very, very quickly.” When it comes to interpreting Israel, Friedman points out the difficulty in engaging with its defenders. “The entirety of Israel's existence has been grounded in a series of narratives, and it's almost a pick a long menu for which narrative best suits you at what moment,” she tells Scheer. The narrative turning Hamas’ recent attack on Israel into a justification of the genocidal attack on Gaza has made it very difficult for anti-Zionist or non-Zionist Jews to express themselves. Friedman conveys her frustration: “I'm now living in a world where it doesn't matter what your level of faith is, it doesn't matter what your genealogy is, it doesn't matter your self identification. If you're not deeply Zionist in your political outlook, then you're not really a Jew.”

Israel and its lobby today try to conflate the state with Jews around the world, that it speaks for Jews and encompasses the entire diaspora. Richard Silverstein, author and journalist of the Tikun Olam blog, says that this couldn’t be further from the truth. As the genocide in Gaza rages on, along with the killing of Israeli citizens and the mass torture of Palestinians, the support for Israel among Jews, particularly the younger generation, will continue to falter as the state itself plunges deeper into despair. Silverstein speaks to host Robert Scheer on this episode of the Scheer Intelligence podcast to detail his relationship with Israel and Zionism and how his views have evolved over time, ultimately leading to a complete disconnection from the state, especially in light of the ongoing genocide, and now calling himself an anti-Zionist. Being raised Jewish and earning degrees from Jewish Theological Seminary and Columbia University, as well as studying Hebrew literature at the Hebrew University in Israel, Silverstein makes clear: “[F]or you and for me and for most American Jews, Judaism is not genocide in Gaza, is not $20 billion or $80 billion in arms being sent by the US to Israel to kill Palestinians. That's not the kind of Judaism that I represent.” Not only is the genocide a driving force behind the alienation of the Israel state but also the way it treats its own citizens, looking at them as expendable in its objective to kill Hamas operators. Silverstein refers to the Hannibal Directive, a procedure used by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) to prevent the capture of soldiers by killing them and their captors. “[Y]ou now have a code that is expanded to also killing your own civilians. And that's, I think, what is even more profoundly upsetting, disturbing about the way in which Hannibal is being used right now,” Silverstein tells Scheer. Torture and rape of Palestinian prisoners is also something that has emerged from Israel’s onslaught on Gaza and the West Bank, according to Silverstein. “We have Palestinians in Gaza who were swept up in detention raids and brought to concentration camps, really, in Israel, and there they're tortured,” he states. Silverstein insists that what is happening in Gaza does not represent Judaism worldwide like Israel claims, and that “American Judaism needs to stand on its own.” American Jews, Silverstein says, “really have to separate [themselves] from the hostility, the anger, the violence that Israel represents.”

The CIA’s destructive role in world politics since the end of World War II as a secret rogue spy agency controlled by unelected intelligence officers has become so ubiquitous that it can be joked about. But behind the jokes lies a far darker reality: the agency's imperial ambitions have fueled a legacy of death and destruction in the name of expanding American power. Hugh Wilford, author and professor of history at California State University Long Beach, joins host Robert Scheer on this episode of the Scheer Intelligence podcast to delve into the specifics of CIA operations and their impact on geopolitics from its inception to the present day. Wilford’s book, “The CIA: An Imperial History,” emphasizes how the CIA is an unprecedented force in the world, advancing the goals of a global empire with a facade of spreading democracy. Although it makes for good Hollywood stories, the subversiveness of the agency alongside its brutal methods made it such an effective power that Scheer describes as capable of “destroying the right of people to make their own history.” The two mention the coup in Iran in 1953, choreographed by the CIA, and operations in Vietnam in the ‘60s and most odious examples. The CIA’s bloody worldwide campaigns would leave populations dazed and confused, all under the pretense of acting in their best interest, while the rest of the world remained similarly in the dark. Wilford explains, “It's not just that America is trying to hide its imperial role from world audiences, from people in the post-colonial world in the Global South, it's also somewhat trying to hide what it's doing from U.S. citizens.” These imperial ambitions, Wilford warns, inevitably have a way of backfiring, and the CIA’s history is proof of that. The CIA’s consistent meddling in the Middle East in the 20th century resulted, for instance, in the occupation of the Palestinian people, which has translated to the genocide today. “The growth of this massive secret state to carry out this globalist foreign policy has had baleful consequences, disastrous consequences, not just for people living overseas, but for people within the United States as well,” Wilford explains.

The CIA’s destructive role in world politics since the end of World War II as a secret rogue spy agency controlled by unelected intelligence officers has become so ubiquitous that it can be joked about. But behind the jokes lies a far darker reality: the agency's imperial ambitions have fueled a legacy of death and destruction in the name of expanding American power. Hugh Wilford, author and professor of history at California State University Long Beach, joins host Robert Scheer on this episode of the Scheer Intelligence podcast to delve into the specifics of CIA operations and their impact on geopolitics from its inception to the present day. Wilford’s book, “The CIA: An Imperial History,” emphasizes how the CIA is an unprecedented force in the world, advancing the goals of a global empire with a facade of spreading democracy. Although it makes for good Hollywood stories, the subversiveness of the agency alongside its brutal methods made it such an effective power that Scheer describes as capable of “destroying the right of people to make their own history.” The two mention the coup in Iran in 1953, choreographed by the CIA, and operations in Vietnam in the ‘60s and most odious examples. The CIA’s bloody worldwide campaigns would leave populations dazed and confused, all under the pretense of acting in their best interest, while the rest of the world remained similarly in the dark. Wilford explains, “It's not just that America is trying to hide its imperial role from world audiences, from people in the post-colonial world in the Global South, it's also somewhat trying to hide what it's doing from U.S. citizens.” These imperial ambitions, Wilford warns, inevitably have a way of backfiring, and the CIA’s history is proof of that. The CIA’s consistent meddling in the Middle East in the 20th century resulted, for instance, in the occupation of the Palestinian people, which has translated to the genocide today. “The growth of this massive secret state to carry out this globalist foreign policy has had baleful consequences, disastrous consequences, not just for people living overseas, but for people within the United States as well,” Wilford explains.

The “big club” that “you ain’t in,” as George Carlin famously put it, is increasingly visible as the presidential election rolls on toward November. Politicians and the donor class that controls them have made it known to the public that they are not representatives of the majority but rather the small elite minority. Nomi Prins, financial historian, author and former Goldman Sachs managing director, joins host Robert Scheer on this episode of the Scheer Intelligence podcast to describe exactly how this process works as well as touch on the evolution of the world economy away from the U.S. As a result of U.S. mishaps in 2008 with the financial crisis as well as the current geopolitical involvements in Ukraine and growing disruptions between the U.S. and China, Prins explains how the world is recognizing the ability to move past the U.S. as well as the dollar: “What's happened is the alliance of nations that needed the U.S. and needed the dollar to trade don't need it anymore.” China’s rise with the BRICS nations alongside has encouraged this, and the U.S.’s policies of supporting the financial system and allowing the banks to run things has led to the rest of the world to say, “We will compete, we'll do exactly what you're doing, but we're going to do it on our own terms.” Back at home, when it comes to economic justice, the two party system, in short, is a farce, and the difference between how the internal system of each party works is hardly noticeable. “Everything kind of moves upward and gets smaller as it moves upward in terms of who has the power and who wants to retain the power,” Prins tells Scheer. That’s why, she asserts, “even if things get questioned on the surface, the idea of changing them doesn't really get pushed throughout party policy.” As much as people try to push for or enact change, the questions fall on deaf ears, Prins says. People “can blame the other party, they can blame each other, but they don't get to blame the system, because they don't feel that there's any real connection or control that they could have over the system.”

It is around that time in an election year where the typical platitudes and ultimatums exclaiming it is “do or die,” “now or never” are being thrown around. The overarching narrative from the past two elections remains the same: the Democrats are not great: they bolster the military industrial complex, make empty promises to working people and maintain sometimes identical policies to their right wing counterparts on issues like immigration … but we must choose them or face the wrath of Donald Trump and the Republicans. In this spirited debate on the Scheer Intelligence podcast, host Robert Scheer spars with Jeff Cohen—author, co-founder of RootsAction.org, founder of FAIR (Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting), and retired journalism professor at Ithaca College. The two butt heads around the issue of lesser evilism, questioning whether this year will bring actual change from the Democrats in their support for Israel’s suppression of the Palestineans alongside a range of other pressing issues. Cohen stresses that while the Biden administration’s actions involving Gaza, Ukraine and its saber-rattling of China and Russia are “inexcusable,” a Trump reelection will prove to be worse on all fronts. “Trump's second term will be very, very different than the first. He had no plan, it was chaotic. They [now] have a plan,” Cohen tells Scheer. “They're going to implement ‘Drill, baby, drill!’ which threatens the whole planet. And trust me, they have a plan to suppress progressive dissent.” Scheer fires back, arguing that this is the exact same argument that has been heard not only in recent elections but for most of his long life. “What we do is we center most of our political discussion, knowledge in this country around the character of the president and these periodic elections: who are the virtuous, who are the evil?” Scheer retorts. “Whereas, in fact, we face very profound, systemic problems that the election tends to obscure.”

Those seeking systemic change often aim to radically overhaul the existing structure and directly challenge the rot they see within. Although history has shown this to be successful at times, it is usually extinguished by the powers that be and perhaps more pragmatic approaches could have brought about the sought change. This is the story told by Dr. Donna J. Nicol, an author and academic, about Dr. Claudia Hampton and her journey to preserve affirmative action. Nicol joins Scheer Intelligence host Robert Scheer to discuss her new book, “Black Woman on Board: Claudia Hampton, the California State University, and the Fight to Save Affirmative Action.” Nicol sets the scene for her protagonist, introducing the time period in which Black radicalism is at a particular high following the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. According to Nicol, Hampton chooses an approach that relies on the tedious path of making inroads with those in power. “[Hampton’s] working in the system not as a Black radical, but as someone who chooses a different way of operating, of a different way of leading, which I refer to in the book as ‘sly civility,’” Nicol tells Scheer. Self-awareness led her down this path, Nicol said. “She understands that her race and her gender are things that can be held against her.” The radicalism is still relevant, however, and Nicol describes how a person like Hampton is able to render that spirit into meaningful legislation. “We need that agitation on the outside, but we need somebody on the inside to translate this into policy, to translate this into resources for the community,” Nicol said. Without Hampton, affirmative action wouldn’t have looked the way it ended up. Nicol tells Scheer about Hampton’s time on the California State University board of trustees from 1974 to 1994, including how “during her 20 years on the board, you see the highest increase of students of color, of faculty of color, and those numbers have not been replicated since then.”

Seventy-nine years ago, the Truman administration dropped atom bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, instantly killing approximately 100,000 innocent civilians. Host Robert Scheer calls these horrific incidents among the major instances of terror ever committed in human history. Bill Hartung of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft joins Scheer Intelligence to discuss the history and legacy of nuclear weapons in relation to the military industrial complex, as a $2 trillion effort from the Pentagon to build “a new generation of nuclear-armed missiles, bombers, and submarines” takes place. The central question underlying the conversation is asked by Scheer; “How could they, in good conscience, be talking about modernizing the devil's weapon?” Hartung claims that the Pentagon and arms manufacturers are doing so under the guise of deterrence, but also because of false stories of controllable nuclear war and even the “evil” consideration that it may be necessary to use nuclear weapons on certain populations. “I think some of the folks promoting this stuff would like to believe that they're not putting the future of humanity at risk. So they kind of tell themselves these stories, which they then tell to the public and hope they can persuade them.” In the past, the horror of nuclear war was widely acknowledged to some extent by the public and the political class alike, as even Reagan said a nuclear war could never be won and should never be fought. Hartung claims that the belief that nuclear war could be winnable was previously “pushed off the agenda,” but it “seems to be back.” Despite movies like Oppenheimer, which to some extent injected the issue of nuclear war into public discussion, citizens and the media remain largely uninterested and unaware of the dangers of nuclear war, especially with regard to the war in Ukraine. This is reflected in the opinions of the American political class. Hartung points out that “if you go to Washington, there's this sort of atmosphere that, if you're for reducing these things, you know, you're the one who's unrealistic. The logic is flipped on its head ...”

Any threat to the status quo within the American empire has led to the censorship, jailing and escape of the dissidents brave enough to stand against it. One may think of Edward Snowden’s asylum in Russia or Julian Assange’s refuge in the Ecuadorian embassy in London as recent examples. However, the history of dissidents fleeing American persecution runs deep. Joining host Robert Scheer on this episode of the Scheer Intelligence podcast to discuss his new book, “Flights: Radicals on the Run,” is author and journalist Joel Whitney. The book exemplifies this missing history of dissent in America through accounts of people such as Angela Davis, Paul Robeson, Graham Greene and Malcolm X. Also included are the accounts of Lorraine Hansberry and her mentor, W.E.B. Du Bois. Whitney refers to De Bois’ time starting an anti-nuclear peace movement and subsequently being persecuted by the U.S. government. “[Du Bois’] reputation took severe damage, so when Hansberry knew him, he could barely afford to buy groceries,” Whitney told Scheer. “Flights” examines the stories of historic struggle of progressive thinkers and political activists who faced the onslaught of Cold War propaganda and McCarthyism, becoming refugees as a result of their political work. The book chronicles a counter-narrative of American history, where the bravest and most outspoken figures criticizing the system are crushed by it and their lives ruined. The book title, according to Whitney, refers to “flights that are political persecution in some form or another. In a way, you could think of it as 50 or 60 years of counter revolution, massive amounts of funding to chase people … across borders, out of print and, in some cases, unfortunately, into an early grave.” In the case of people like Graham Greene and his famous novel, “The Quiet American,” the blacklisting of himself and others for their exposure of American activities during the Vietnam War led to Americans “hav[ing] to wait about a decade or a little bit more to actually understand what carnage, what incredible, cynical violence the anti-communist Americans are overseeing in Vietnam as they're taking it over from the French.”