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Two views from Behind the News regulars on the US-Iran negotiations: Anatol Lieven and Mouin Rabbani. Behind the News, hosted by Doug Henwood, covers the worlds of economics and politics and their complex interactions, from the local to the global.
Behind the News, 6/25/26 - guests: Anatol Lieven and Mouin Rabbani (separately) on the Iran negotiations - Doug Henwood
Stuart Schrader, author of Blue Power, explains how the political heft of cops allows them to get away with murder. Angela Jones, author of Sex in Public, looks at the social and political factors shaping our sexual lives. Behind the News, hosted by Doug Henwood, covers the worlds of economics and politics and their complex interactions, from the local to the global.
Behind the News, 6/18/26 - guests: Stuart Schrader on cop power • Angela Jones on sex and the social - Doug Henwood
J.W. Mason and Arjun Jayadev, authors of the new book Against Money, explain that curious stuff and enumerate its problems. Moira Weigel, author of a recent article for the journal October, takes a look at why the right hates theory. Behind the News, hosted by Doug Henwood, covers the worlds of economics and politics and their complex interactions, from the local to the global.
Behind the News, 6/11/26 - guests: J.W. Mason and Arjun Jayadev on money • Moira Weigel on hatred of theory - Doug Henwood
Greg Grandin, author of a recent article for the New York Review of Books, looks at how Pope Leo was shaped by his time in Peru. A.J.A. Woods, author of The Cultural Marxism Conspiracy, explains why the right sees the Frankfurt School as the root of modern decay. Behind the News, hosted by Doug Henwood, covers the worlds of economics and politics and their complex interactions, from the local to the global.
Behind the News, 5/28/26 - guests: Greg Grandin on Pope Leo • AJA Woods on the Cultural Marxist conspiracy - Doug Henwood
Jake Werner of the Quincy Institute analyzes the Trump–Xi summit and US–China relations generally. Gareth Gore, author of Opus, talks about Opus Dei, a secretive, cult-like Catholic organization involved in right-wing politics around the world (and very much in the US). Behind the News, hosted by Doug Henwood, covers the worlds of economics and politics and their complex interactions, from the local to the global.
Two views of the US–Israeli war on Iran: Laleh Khalili and Mouin Rabbani. Behind the News, hosted by Doug Henwood, covers the worlds of economics and politics and their complex interactions, from the local to the global.
Excerpts from an event sponsored by the NYC DSA's Academy for Socialist Education on the domestic and foreign aspects of Trumpism, featuring historians Nikhil Pal Singh and Greg Grandin, moderated by DSA's Gaya Sriskanthan. Behind the News, hosted by Doug Henwood, covers the worlds of economics and politics and their complex interactions, from the local to the global.
Dylan Gottlieb, author of the new book Yuppies, explores how that often risible but pioneering social formation took over NYC. Ervand Abrahamian looks at the politics of Iran, a country under siege. Behind the News, hosted by Doug Henwood, covers the worlds of economics and politics and their complex interactions, from the local to the global.
Quinn Slobodian and Ben Tarnoff, authors of Muskism: A Guide for the Perplexed, on Elon's world and what he wants to do to ours. Behind the News, hosted by Doug Henwood, covers the worlds of economics and politics and their complex interactions, from the local to the global.
Behind the News, 4/23/26 - guests: Quinn Slobodian and Ben Tarnoff on Muskism—Elon's world and the one he wants for us - Doug Henwood
Hungary's long-serving authoritarian prime minister Viktor Orbán was defeated in an April 12 election. We get two views of what that means, from historian Kyle Shybunko and independent scholar Anita Zsurzsán. Behind the News, hosted by Doug Henwood, covers the worlds of economics and politics and their complex interactions, from the local to the global.
Andrew Cockburn, author of Washington Is Burning, examines “the spectacular greed at the heart of the nation's political system.” Hadas Thier then discusses crypto in the age of Trump. Read Hadas's article for Jacobin: https://jacobin.com/2026/04/crypto-trump-etfs-stablecoins-regulation/ Behind the News, hosted by Doug Henwood, covers the worlds of economics and politics and their complex interactions, from the local to the global.
Behind the News, 4/9/26 - guests: Andrew Cockburn on the corruptions of our ruling order • Hadas Thier on crypto in the Trump era - Doug Henwood
Gabriel Hetland, author of a recent article for the Intercept, looks at what's been happening in Venezuela since the kidnapping of Maduro. David Griscom, author of The Myth of Red Texas, discusses that state's forgotten radical history. Read Gabriel's article: https://theintercept.com/2026/03/31/trump-iran-war-venezuela-maduro/ Find David's book: https://orbooks.com/catalog/the-myth-of-red-texas/ And catch The Jacobin Show with David Griscom Fridays at 3pm on our YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/@JacobinMag Behind the News, hosted by Doug Henwood, covers the worlds of economics and politics and their complex interactions, from the local to the global.
Mouin Rabbani talks about the Iran war and its many complications. Helen Yaffe talks about Trump's oil embargo on Cuba — its effects and how Cubans are reacting. Behind the News, hosted by Doug Henwood, covers the worlds of economics and politics and their complex interactions, from the local to the global.
Nancy Fraser goes beyond the class/identity disputes. Natalie Y. Moore, who wrote a recent article for Hammer and Hope and EHRP, looks at effects of federal layoffs on black women. Behind the News, hosted by Doug Henwood, covers the worlds of economics and politics and their complex interactions, from the local to the global.
Behind The News [untitled] - - Doug Henwood
Behind the News, 3/19/26 - guests: Nancy Fraser on class/identity • Natalie Y. Moore on federal layoffs & black women - Doug Henwood
Historian Nikhil Pal Singh, author of a recent article for Equator, talks about how the Trump regime weaves foreign and domestic policy into a single domain of impunity, Homeland Empire. Behind the News, hosted by Doug Henwood, covers the worlds of economics and politics and their complex interactions, from the local to the global.
Behind the News, 3/12/26 - guest: Nikhil Pal Singh on Trump’s homeland empire, merging foreign and domestic policy into a single domain of impunity - Doug Henwood
Behrooz Ghamari, author of The Long War on Iran, looks at the politics and culture of the country. Anatol Lieven analyzes the effects of the war on Iran on the region and world. Behind the News, hosted by Doug Henwood, covers the worlds of economics and politics and their complex interactions, from the local to the global.
Tessa West, professor of psychology at NYU, examines the social dynamics that kept the Epstein gang together. Nick Srnicek, author of Silicon Empires, discusses AI. And Wanda Bertram breaks down the costs of mass incarceration following a new report from the Prison Policy Initiative: https://www.prisonpolicy.org/reports/money2026.html Behind the News, hosted by Doug Henwood, covers the worlds of economics and politics and their complex interactions, from the local to the global.
Naomi Hossain analyzes politics in Bangladesh generally and the recent election specifically. Stuart Schrader discusses “authoritarianism from below” — the role of local cops in the Trump crackdowns. Behind the News, hosted by Doug Henwood, covers the worlds of economics and politics and their complex interactions, from the local to the global.
Behind the News, 2/19/26 - guests: Naomi Hossain on Bangladesh • Stuart Schrader on how local cops aid Trump's crackdown - Doug Henwood
Stacy Horn, author of The Killing Fields of East New York, on the damage mortgage fraud did to that neighborhood. David Backer, author of As Public as Possible, on how we finance schools and how we could do better. Behind the News, hosted by Doug Henwood, covers the worlds of economics and politics and their complex interactions, from the local to the global.
Behind the News, 2/12/26 - guests: Stacy Horn on East New York, David Backer on financing schools - Doug Henwood
David Harvey speaks about his new book The Story of Capital. We hear an excerpt from Mark Carney's Davos speech. Adam Federman discusses Trump's Greenland obsession. Behind the News, hosted by Doug Henwood, covers the worlds of economics and politics and their complex interactions, from the local to the global.
David Austin Walsh, author of Taking America Back, looks at the relationship between the kooks and respectables on the Right. Laura Field, author of Furious Minds, examines the intellectual wing of Trumpism. Behind the News, hosted by Doug Henwood, covers the worlds of economics and politics and their complex interactions, from the local to the global.
David Bier of the Cato Institute looks at what's behind Trump's war on immigrants. Aurélie Daher examines the current state of Hezbollah and why Israel is bombing Lebanon. Behind the News, hosted by Doug Henwood, covers the worlds of economics and politics and their complex interactions, from the local to the global.
Behind the News, 1/29/26 - guests: David Austin Walsh and Laura Field on the right - Doug Henwood
Forrest Hylton, contributor to the London Review of Books, discusses Venezuela past, present, and future. Behind the News, hosted by Doug Henwood, covers the worlds of economics and politics and their complex interactions, from the local to the global.
Alejandro Velasco analyzes the situation in Venezuela. Eric Blanc defends Victor Berger, Milwaukee's sewer socialist, against charges of racism. Behind the News, hosted by Doug Henwood, covers the worlds of economics and politics and their complex interactions, from the local to the global.
Emile Torres on the posthumanists. Quinn Slobodian on eugenics and neoliberalism. Femi Taiwo on DEI and the war on it. Kristin Du Mez on white Christian nationalism. Anatol Lieven on the Trumpian worldview. Laleh Khalili on the relationship between the Pentagon and US capitalism. And Susannah Glickman on similar. Behind the News, hosted by Doug Henwood, covers the worlds of economics and politics and their complex interactions, from the local to the global.
Behind the News, 12/25/25 - - Doug Henwood
Thea Riofrancos, author of Extraction: The Frontiers of Green Capitalism, looks at the complications of using lithium batteries to green our future. Alyssa Battistoni, author of Free Gifts, examines the weird relationship between capitalism and nature. Behind the News, hosted by Doug Henwood, covers the worlds of economics and politics and their complex interactions, from the local to the global.
Anatol Lieven of the Quincy Institute analyzes Trump's official national security strategy. Susannah Glickman, recently interviewed by the New York Review of Books, looks at the transformation of the US government into a private equity firm. Behind the News, hosted by Doug Henwood, covers the worlds of economics and politics and their complex interactions, from the local to the global.
Behind the News, 12/11/25 - guests: Anatol Lieven on Trump's strategic vision • Susannah Glickman on turning the executive branch into a private equity fund - Doug Henwood
David Adler and Matt Kirkegaard of the Progressive International debrief the Honduran elections. Elfadil Ibrahim examines the Sudanese civil war. And finally Eric Blanc, drawing from Milwaukee's decades of “sewer socialism,” offers lessons for Mamdani and Wilson. Behind the News, hosted by Doug Henwood, covers the worlds of economics and politics and their complex interactions, from the local to the global.
Behind the News, 12/4/25 - guests: David Adler and Matt Kierkegaard on Honduras, Elfadil Ibrahim on Sudan, Eric Blanc on Milwaukee's "sewer socialism" - Doug Henwood
Mosaab Baba, who wrote an article about Sudan for Black Agenda Report, looks at what's behind the horrendous civil war. Jake Adelstein, an American journalist who's been living in Japan for almost 40 years, discusses that country's reactionary new prime minister. Behind the News, hosted by Doug Henwood, covers the worlds of economics and politics and their complex interactions, from the local to the global.
The famed economist Larry Summers, not for the first time, finds himself the center of ascandal. He's had to take a leave from Harvard, where he teaches, because of embarrassingemails he had with his late friend Jeffrey Epstein.I talked to economic journalist and Nation contributor Doug Henwood, a long-time Summerswatcher, about the career of this controversial and influential figure. Summers has been one ofthe most influential policy makers of his era, serving as Treasury Secretary and President ofHarvard. He has also embodied the major intellectual and political limitations of the ruling class.Our Sponsors:* Check out Avocado Green Mattress: https://avocadogreenmattress.com* Check out BetterHelp: https://betterhelp.com/THENATIONAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
Gabriel Hetland, author of a [recent article](https://jacobin.com/2025/11/mamdani-chavez-torres-municipal-democracy-socialism) for Jacobin, looks to Venezuela for a model of municipal socialism. Lea Ypi, author of [Indignity](https://us.macmillan.com/books/9780374614096/indignity/), looks into her grandmother's story and unfolds a rich history of Albania and its environment. Read “Mamdani Can Learn From Latin American Municipal Socialism” here: [https://jacobin.com/2025/11/mamdani-chavez-torres-municipal-democracy-socialism](https://jacobin.com/2025/11/mamdani-chavez-torres-municipal-democracy-socialism) [Behind the News](https://www.leftbusinessobserver.com/radio.html), hosted by Doug Henwood, covers the worlds of economics and politics and their complex interactions, from the local to the global.
Jacob Silverman, author of Gilded Rage, examines the rightward move of the Silicon Valley elite. Forrest Hylton conducts a political tour d'horizon of South America. Behind the News, hosted by Doug Henwood, covers the worlds of economics and politics and their complex interactions, from the local to the global.
Margaux MacColl, co-author of a series of articles in the SF Standard, discusses Zoomer tech bros. Susannah Glickman, who wrote a recent piece for the New York Review of Books, looks at the new arms makers who want to disrupt the legacy prime contractors. Behind the News, hosted by Doug Henwood, covers the worlds of economics and politics and their complex interactions, from the local to the global.
Ilan Pappé, author of Israel on the Brink, gives an update on the ceasefire and how the deepening crisis of Israeli society could lead to something better. Jennifer Berkshire examines the appalling Trump educational agenda. Behind the News, hosted by Doug Henwood, covers the worlds of economics and politics and their complex interactions, from the local to the global.
Jake Werner of the Quincy Institute analyzes Trump's creeping softness on China, and how that country sees its role in the world. Jeet Heer, author of a recent book review for the Nation, talks about the slick but odious William F. Buckley Behind the News, hosted by Doug Henwood, covers the worlds of economics and politics and their complex interactions, from the local to the global.