Wide Left

Arif and Ben talk about Biden's cabinet, which is to say they talked about the potential cabinet back in December and are publishing the episode in late January. It's all relevant information and covers topics ranging from the overall budget, health care, climate change, foreign policy, "national security," immigration and more.

Arif Hasan and Ben Natan take a look at the insurrection at the Capitol and what it tells us about the challenges posed by fascists, white supremacists as well as how to frame the events in the larger political environment.

The first solo episode of Wide Left -- Arif Hasan goes into detail about his thoughts on what the 2020 election means for leftism, the limits of our joy, how compromise is being weaponized and why "normalcy" is a curse, not a goal.

Arif Hasan and Ben Natan take on the statue debate, in particular discussing their function in society, the history of history, the way history is taught and the specific historical legacies of Christopher Colombus, Robert E. Lee, John Brown, Ulysses S. Grant and more.

In this 3-hour-long episode, Minneapolis resident Arif Hasan talks to co-host Ben Natan about living in Minneapolis while it captures national headlines and they discuss the state of policing in the United States, systemic racism, "politics" and more.

Ben Natan and Arif Hasan discuss the COVID-19 pandemic through the lens of their leftism, whatever that means. We discuss the intersection of race and class in this pandemic and how the social factors of the pandemic are even more important than the raw science. Check out full show notes . Quick cites: in COVID-19 mortality in COVID-19 contraction New York spread Worries about Racism and Vietnam's Kerala's FEMA

Arif and Ben talk about a term we've been seeing a lot over the past few years -- Neoliberalism. What does it mean and has the term been bandied about too loosely? If not, how can a term like that still have meaning? How is neoliberalism distinct from "liberalism" in all its different meanings and can it be meaningfully be disassociated from "capitalism"? As always, full show notes at wideleftpodcast.com

Arif Hasan and Ben Natan talk recent shootings, with a particular focus on the El Paso shooting and its relationship to white nationalist extremism. There's a discussion about modern radicalization, as well as a discussion about the intractability of gun culture and the obstacles it creates politically to reduce violence. . Ben mentioned two organizations. One is JFREJ, . He also mentioned PSL and their GoFundMe for migrant children, .

Arif Hasan and Ben Natan talk about immigration and fascism in the United States. Check out the full show notes at WideLeftPodcast.com; .

Arif Hasan and Ben Natan take on a cavalcade of topics and try to look past the political theatre of the news cycle surrounding he "explosive" revelations like Michael Wolff's book Fire and Fury. We also look at the Iranian protests from the perspective of the domestic triggers and American culpability for some of those triggers. They also take on Raw Water, because once you hear about it, you have to vent about it at least once.

Arif and Ben break down the Senate and House versions of the tax bill — the "Donor Relief Act" — and go into detail about what's in it and why it represents a threat to governance and provides the basis for GOP donor payback in a year without many legislative victories. After that, they discuss the rampant problem of sexual harassment and assault in the halls of power.

Arif and Ben are back with takes on the Donna Brazile "revelations" about the DNC and potential rigging of the Democratic Primary, as well as more words on gun violence in the United States. They talk about the role of the DNC, what people might mean by the word "rigging" and fundraising loopholes. After that, they talk about the Texas shooting and the history of the second amendment.

Ben and Arif talk about the "kneeling" controversy brewing in the NFL, a rare opportunity to mix their two passions of sports and politics. Colin Kaepernick's kneeling (or having had kneeled) has intersected with one of Donald Trump's rallies, where he asked owners to fire the "sons of bitches" who kneel for the anthem. The NFL responded with what seemed to be repudiation but is a lot more complicated than that.

In this episode of the Wide Left Podcast, Ben Natan and Arif Hasan talk about the relief efforts of Hurricane Harvey, discuss the clear connection to climate change and discuss what it means for a government to be understaffed in that scenario. After that, they talk about the troop deployments in Afghanistan and what the Trump administration could possibly hope to accomplish with it.

Ben Natan and Arif Hasan talk about the only thing dominating the news cycle right now, the Charlottesville demonstration and the administration's poor response. We talk about what can be done, how these things can begin and the thread of white supremacy that runs through American culture and politics.

Arif Hasan and Ben Natan return from a two-week break to talk about the ongoing ridiculousness surrounding the health care debate, as well as discuss the hastily constructed ban against trans service members in the military. Then they talk about the least controversial subject of all, Israel.

Arif Hasan and Ben Natan talk about the nature of a free press and how it's eroding in both structural ways and through deterrence. We discuss different types of press infringements and freedoms before moving onto the recent escalation of words and missiles in North Korea.

Arif and Ben talk about their experiences at their respective cities' Pride parades as well as some of the issues that have made their way into the headlines when it comes to Pride. After that, they talk about the clearly broken Senate health care bill and it's odds of passing as they see it today.

Arif Hasan and Ben Natan discuss legalized slaughter from law enforcement officers on people of color and how modern valorization of police leads to holding them to lower standards while holding blacks up to impossible standards. We also discuss the complex divisions forming among the gulf states in the Middle East and how that informs the conflict in Syria.

Arif Hasan and Ben Natan discuss the nefarious acts the Senate and House have been up to while the country has had their attention focused on the Comey and Sessions hearings, including a budget reconciliation strategy for health care in the Senate and a repeal of Dodd-Frank having already passed the House. We also cover Labour's surprisingly positive showing in the United Kingdom before we invite our special guest, Katelyn Burns, to talk about the history of pride, what issues come with organizing pride and what issues face the trans and queer community today beyond the headlines.

Arif Hasan and Ben Natan discuss the President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw from the Paris Climate Accords and what it means for the United States and the world when it comes to climate change. A quick rundown on the realities of climate change precedes a discussion about solutions. They also briefly touch on the politics of terror and the new Wonder Woman movie.

Arif Hasan and Ben Natan talk about the most recent Jared Kushner revelations with attempting to establish a backchannel with Russia and then delve into the largely successful H-1B visa program that is now under fire. After that, they briefly discuss the budget once more and talk about why the budget proposed by Donald Trump is both politically and structurally untenable.

Arif Hasan and Ben Natan do a quick rundown on all the updates with the Trump scandal, but they also cover a bevy of news that's been easy to miss over the past week, including updates in health care news, education policy, prison and criminal justice reform, trade policy, Iran, North Korea, free speech and more.

Arif Hasan and Ben Natan review a particularly hectic week for the Trump administration that includes three separate (at least) scandals, including a new one involving Israeli intelligence and the old bogey, Russia. That also means talking about the new developments in the Comey scandal and touching briefly on the Flynn scandal.

Arif Hasan and Ben Natan return to talk about the AHCA, single-payer and the French elections. Once again, a deep dive into policy analysis for the health care bill is interspersed with a larger philosophical discussion about the nature of government services and an ethic of care. After that, they try to divine potential lessons learned from the Macron victory and Le Pen defeat.

There's no podcast this week! Arif Hasan and Ben Natan have been swamped covering the NFL Draft in their other job, so they won't be able to provide you with the fully-researched, detailed podcast you deserve. If you missed it, be sure to listen to last week's podcast, where we discuss the benefits and drawbacks of political strategies centered around purity.

This week, Arif and Ben talk about the controversy surrounding the late-breaking Bernie Sanders endorsement for Jon Ossof and how it contrasts with the easy endorsement he gave Heath Mello. From there, they engage in a wider discussion about the pragmatic implications of demanding ideological purity and how it relates to primaries and general elections.

Arif Hasan and Ben Natan use the Berkeley protests as a jumping off point to discuss the place violence has in politics and how the lens with which we should view violence should start at the structure of politics. Is it ethical to punch Richard Spencer but protest the violence of Nathan Damigo, and what contexts separate the two acts? They also discuss the conflicting definitions of white supremacy and why that distinction is critical to this discussion.

Arif and Ben once again return to the Middle East to talk about the gas attacks by Bashar al-Assad and the retaliatory strikes authorized by Donald Trump at Shayrat airfield. We go through the timeline of the civil war, the nature of deterrence and the importance of policy coherence.

Arif and Ben open with a discussion on the bizarre Mike Pence controversy and then move into a discussion about drone strikes and civilian casualties in Iraq, Syria and other theaters in the War on Terror. Also, a brief discussion on having a "War on Terror"

Ben Natan and Arif Hasan decide to delve deep into the heart of the talk about Russia, and examine not just all of the connections built between Trump, his associates and Russia but the risks the Democrats may incur by pursuing the story and the intentions of Russia as a geopolitical actor.

Ben Natan and Arif Hasan break down a bad budget and dig deep on a nuclear North Korea. We figure out the significance of arts and sciences funding to the fabric of a nation and check out congressional testimony and publicly available intelligence reports on North Korea.

In this week's episode, Ben and Arif devote the entire hour to a tweet sent out from representative Steve King of Iowa, about "restoring civilization with someone else's babies." We talk about the concepts of civilization, culture and boundaries, as well as how the very real history of race implicates the modern rise in hate crimes.

Arif Hasan and Ben Natan take on the repeal-and-replace debate with health care and go deep in the weeds when it comes to health care law. After that, they take on the US-Iranian relationship and it's complicated but important history—especially with clarity on the deal that President Barack Obama struck with Iran not too long ago.

In the inaugural episode for Wide Left, Ben Natan and Arif Hasan not only introduce themselves, they also tackle the recent DNC chair elections featuring Tom Perez and Keith Ellison. After that they have a broad discussion about the refugee crisis and what it means to act as an international actor beyond immediate economic or security gains.