Podcasts about Political science

The Rich Zeoli Show- Hour 2: 4:05pm- Rich thanks Matt for his hard work—just kidding! Matt buys Justin a water from the vending machine—and then complains about the cost. Plus, who could forget Saudi Arabia's “beautiful camel” contest? 4:15pm On Friday, President Donald Trump held a meeting from the White House with oil and gas executives—focusing on America's increased influence in Venezuela and its oil reserves following the toppling of authoritarian Nicolas Maduro. 4:30pm- Dr. Wilfred Reilly—Professor of Political Science at Kentucky State University & Author of Lies My Liberal Told Me—joins The Rich Zeoli Show to discuss his artificial Christmas tree, Chef Boyardee feeding American troops during World War II, and analyze new camera footage from the shooting in Minneapolis.

The Rich Zeoli Show- Full Show (01/09/2026): 3:05pm- On Friday, President Donald Trump held a meeting from the White House with oil and gas executives—focusing on America's increased influence in Venezuela and its oil reserves following the toppling of authoritarian Nicolas Maduro. 3:30pm- Beginning Monday, The Rich Zeoli Show will take on a new form! The show will become a one-hour, nationally focused podcast which can be heard locally on 1210 WPHT from 6pm to 7pm! 4:05pm- Rich thanks Matt for his hard work—just kidding! Matt buys Justin a water from the vending machine—and then complains about the cost. Plus, who could forget Saudi Arabia's “beautiful camel” contest? 4:15pm On Friday, President Donald Trump held a meeting from the White House with oil and gas executives—focusing on America's increased influence in Venezuela and its oil reserves following the toppling of authoritarian Nicolas Maduro. 4:30pm- Dr. Wilfred Reilly—Professor of Political Science at Kentucky State University & Author of Lies My Liberal Told Me—joins The Rich Zeoli Show to discuss his artificial Christmas tree, Chef Boyardee feeding American troops during World War II, and analyze new camera footage from the shooting in Minneapolis. 5:05pm- Dr. Victoria Coates—Former Deputy National Security Advisor & the Vice President of the Davis Institute for National Security and Foreign Policy at The Heritage Foundation—to discuss protests in Iran and betting markets now believing Ayatollah Ali Khamenei will be removed from power before June 30th. She's also the author of the book: The Battle for the Jewish State: How Israel—and America—Can Win. 5:30pm- On Friday, Alpha News obtained a video taken by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer at the center of the shooting of Renee Good in Minneapolis. The new footage makes clear that the ICE officer was undoubtedly in danger at the time of the shooting. In response, Vice President JD Vance reposted the video to X and wrote: “Watch this, as hard as it is. Many of you have been told this law enforcement officer wasn't hit by a car, wasn't being harassed, and murdered an innocent woman. The reality is that his life was endangered and he fired in self-defense.” 5:40pm- During a press conference, Philadelphia Sheriff Rochelle Bilal referred to ICE agents as Trump's fake army and said she would arrest them for simply enforcing federal immigration law in the city. 6:05pm- During a segment on Laura Ingram's show, a woman protesting in Minneapolis bizarrely revealed that she was being paid to demonstrate! 6:15pm- While speaking with the press, Rep. Dan Goldman called the shooting in Minneapolis an “outright murder”—despite video evidence suggesting it was a justifiable, but tragic, use of force. 6:20pm- Matt bores us with Theda Skocpol's 3 conditions for a successful revolution. Plus, Polymarket bettors are now predicting Ayatollah Ali Khamenei will be removed from power in Iran. 6:30pm- Rich starts playing clips from the soundboard… 6:50pm- Beginning Monday, The Rich Zeoli Show will take on a new form! The show will become a one-hour, nationally focused podcast which can be heard locally on 1210 WPHT from 6pm to 7pm!

On The Power Vertical Podcast this week, host Brian Whitmore speaks with Peter Dickinson, editor of the UkraineAlert blog at the Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center and the publisher of the magazines Business Ukraine and Lviv Today; and Serhiy Kudelia, a Professor of Political Science at Baylor University and author of the recently published book, Seize the City, Undo the State: The Inception of Russia's War on Ukraine.

So much of our world today can be summed up in the cold logic of “if I don't, they will.” This is the foundation of game theory, which holds that cooperation and virtue are irrational; that all that matters is the race to make the most money, gain the most power, and play the winning hand. This way of thinking can feel inescapable, like a fundamental law of human nature. But our guest today, professor Sonja Amadae, argues that it doesn't have to be this way. That the logic of game theory is a human invention, a way of thinking that we've learned — and that we can unlearn.In this episode, Tristan and Aza explore the game theory dilemma — the idea that if I adopt game theory logic and you don't, you lose — with Dr. Sonja Amadae, a professor of Political Science at the University of Helsinki. She's also the director at the Center for the Study of Existential Risk at the University of Cambridge and the author of “Prisoners of Reason: Game Theory and the Neoliberal Economy.”The history of game theory as an inhumane technology stretches back to its WWII origins. But humans also cooperate, and we can break out of the rationality trap by daring to trust each other again. It's critical that we do, because AI is the ultimate agent of game theory and once it's fully entangled we might be permanently stuck in the game theory world.RECOMMENDED MEDIA“Prisoners of Reason: Game Theory and the Neoliberal Economy” by Sonja Amadae (2015)The Cambridge Centre for the Study of Existential Risk“Theory of Games and Economic Behavior” by John von Neumann and Oskar Morgenstern (1944)Further reading on the importance of trust in FinlandFurther reading on Abraham Maslow's Hierarchy of NeedsRAND's 2024 Report on Strategic Competition in the Age of AIFurther reading on Marshall Rosenberg and nonviolent communicationThe study on self/other overlap and AI alignment cited by AzaFurther reading on The Day After (1983) RECOMMENDED YUA EPISODESAmerica and China Are Racing to Different AI FuturesThe Crisis That United Humanity—and Why It Matters for AILaughing at Power: A Troublemaker's Guide to Changing TechThe Race to Cooperation with David Sloan Wilson Clarifications:The proposal for a federal preemption on AI was enacted by President Trump on December 11, 2025, shortly after this recording. Aza said that "The Day After" was the most watched TV event in history when it aired. It was actually the most watched TV film, the most watched TV event was the finale of MASH Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

It has been three days since the United States captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in an audacious military raid. It was a sudden and intense escalation of an ongoing campaign by the United States to oust Maduro. Maduro, and his wife Cilia Flores, appeared in a Manhattan court yesterday in an arraignment hearing over drug trafficking and weapons charges. Those charges were central to the government’s rationale for capturing Maduro. But since Maduro’s capture, the Trump administration has focused on the Venezuelan oil industry and threatened other countries in Latin America like Cuba, Columbia and Mexico. GUESTS: Jenaro Abraham, Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science at Gonzaga University Marines Scaramazza, reporter and manager of Latino Herald, based in Lynnwood RELATED LINKS: NPR: 7 takeaways from Trump's incursion into Venezuela Seattle Times: After Maduro’s capture, Venezuelans in WA ask: ‘Should we be happy?’ Al Jazeera: Trump’s bid to commandeer Venezuela’s oil sector faces hurdles, experts say Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, Clancy speaks with Dr. Veronica L. Womack, Executive Director of the Rural Studies Institute at Georgia College and Professor of Political Science and Public Administration. A scholar, advocate, and storyteller of the Southern Black Belt, Dr. Womack shares why rural communities, land, and foodways matter deeply, not just to the South, but to the health and dignity of the entire country.

Lithium, a crucial input in the batteries powering electric vehicles, has the potential to save the world from climate change. But even green solutions come at a cost. Mining lithium is environmentally destructive. We therefore confront a dilemma: Is it possible to save the world by harming it in the process? Having spent over a decade researching mining and oil sectors in Latin America, Thea Riofrancos is a leading voice on resource extraction. In this episode, we discuss her 2025 book Extraction: The Frontiers of Green Capitalism, in which she draws on groundbreaking fieldwork on the global race for lithium. Taking readers from the breathtaking salt flats of Chile's Atacama Desert to Nevada's glorious Silver Peak Range to the rolling hills of the Barroso Region of Portugal, the book reveals the social and environmental costs of “critical minerals.” She takes stock of new policy paradigms in the Global South, where governments seek to leverage mineral assets to jumpstart green development. Zooming out from lithium, we also discuss the evolving geopolitics and geoeconomics of energy transition, critical minerals, and green technology supply chains. — Thea Riofrancos is an Associate Professor of Political Science at Providence College, a Strategic Co-Director of the Climate and Community Institute, and a fellow at the Transnational Institute. Her research focuses on resource extraction, climate change, the energy transition, the global lithium sector, green technologies, social movements, and the Latin American left. She explored these themes in her book, Resource Radicals: From Petro-Nationalism to Post-Extractivism in Ecuador (Duke University Press, 2020), peer-reviewed articles in Cultural Studies, World Politics, and Global Environmental Politics, and her coauthored book, A Planet to Win: Why We Need a Green New Deal (Verso Books, 2019). Her essays have appeared in outlets including The New York Times, Financial Times, The Washington Post, Foreign Policy, The Guardian, and more. Thea's latest book, which we discuss on this episode, is Extraction: The Frontiers of Green Capitalism (W.W. Norton 2025). Extraction: The Frontiers of Green Capitalism (W.W. Norton 2025) The Security–Sustainability Nexus: Lithium Onshoring in the Global North in Global Environmental Politics 2022 Resource Radicals: From Petro-Nationalism to Post-Extractivism in Ecuador (Duke University Press, 2020) A Planet to Win: Why We Need a Green New Deal (Verso Books, 2019) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

Subscribe now to skip ads, get bonus content, and enjoy 24/7 access to the entire catalog of 500+ episodes. Is Holocaust memory over? Genocide scholars Dirk Moses and Omar McDoom discuss whether elite political and media classes are cheapening the lessons of history by invoking the Holocaust to justify Israel's destruction of Gaza. The emotional issue has led to strife on college campuses, media shouting matches, and craven political cowardice as Palestinian society was pummelled. Dirk Moses teaches history at City College of New York. Omar McDoom is a political scientist at the London School of Economics and Political Science. Recommended reading: Is Holocaust Memory Over? by Dirk Moses (The Diasporist) It's Hamas' Fault, You're an Antisemite, and We Had No Choice: Techniques of Genocide Denial in Gaza by Omar McDoom (Journal of Genocide Research) The Growing Rift Among Holocaust Scholars Over Israel/Palestine by Shira Klein (Journal of Genocide Research) Introduction: Gaza and the Problems of Genocide Studies by Dirk Moses (Journal of Genocide Research)

Lithium, a crucial input in the batteries powering electric vehicles, has the potential to save the world from climate change. But even green solutions come at a cost. Mining lithium is environmentally destructive. We therefore confront a dilemma: Is it possible to save the world by harming it in the process? Having spent over a decade researching mining and oil sectors in Latin America, Thea Riofrancos is a leading voice on resource extraction. In this episode, we discuss her 2025 book Extraction: The Frontiers of Green Capitalism, in which she draws on groundbreaking fieldwork on the global race for lithium. Taking readers from the breathtaking salt flats of Chile's Atacama Desert to Nevada's glorious Silver Peak Range to the rolling hills of the Barroso Region of Portugal, the book reveals the social and environmental costs of “critical minerals.” She takes stock of new policy paradigms in the Global South, where governments seek to leverage mineral assets to jumpstart green development. Zooming out from lithium, we also discuss the evolving geopolitics and geoeconomics of energy transition, critical minerals, and green technology supply chains. — Thea Riofrancos is an Associate Professor of Political Science at Providence College, a Strategic Co-Director of the Climate and Community Institute, and a fellow at the Transnational Institute. Her research focuses on resource extraction, climate change, the energy transition, the global lithium sector, green technologies, social movements, and the Latin American left. She explored these themes in her book, Resource Radicals: From Petro-Nationalism to Post-Extractivism in Ecuador (Duke University Press, 2020), peer-reviewed articles in Cultural Studies, World Politics, and Global Environmental Politics, and her coauthored book, A Planet to Win: Why We Need a Green New Deal (Verso Books, 2019). Her essays have appeared in outlets including The New York Times, Financial Times, The Washington Post, Foreign Policy, The Guardian, and more. Thea's latest book, which we discuss on this episode, is Extraction: The Frontiers of Green Capitalism (W.W. Norton 2025). Extraction: The Frontiers of Green Capitalism (W.W. Norton 2025) The Security–Sustainability Nexus: Lithium Onshoring in the Global North in Global Environmental Politics 2022 Resource Radicals: From Petro-Nationalism to Post-Extractivism in Ecuador (Duke University Press, 2020) A Planet to Win: Why We Need a Green New Deal (Verso Books, 2019) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/latin-american-studies

A new and provocative take on the formerly classified history of accelerating superpower military competition in space in the late Cold War and beyond. In March 1983, President Ronald Reagan shocked the world when he announced the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), derisively known as “Star Wars,” a space-based missile defense program aimed at protecting the US from nuclear attack. In Weapons in Space, Aaron Bateman draws on recently declassified American, European, and Soviet documents to provide an insightful account of SDI, situating it within a new phase in the militarization of space following the collapse of superpower détente in the 1970s. In doing so, Bateman reveals the largely secret role of military space technologies in late–Cold War US defense strategy and foreign relations.In contrast to existing narratives, Weapons in Space shows how tension over the role of military space technologies in American statecraft was a central source of SDI's controversy, even more so than questions of technical feasibility. By detailing the participation of Western European countries in SDI research and development, Bateman reframes the militarization of space in the 1970s and 1980s as an international phenomenon. He further reveals that even though SDI did not come to fruition, it obstructed diplomatic efforts to create new arms control limits in space. Consequently, Weapons in Space carries the legacy of SDI into the post–Cold War era and shows how this controversial program continues to shape the global discourse about instability in space—and the growing anxieties about a twenty-first-century space arms race. Our guest is Aaron Bateman, an Assistant Professor of History and International Affairs at GWU. Our host is Eleonora Mattiacci, an Associate Professor of Political Science at Amherst College. She is the author of "Volatile States in International Politics" (Oxford University Press, 2023). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/military-history

Lithium, a crucial input in the batteries powering electric vehicles, has the potential to save the world from climate change. But even green solutions come at a cost. Mining lithium is environmentally destructive. We therefore confront a dilemma: Is it possible to save the world by harming it in the process? Having spent over a decade researching mining and oil sectors in Latin America, Thea Riofrancos is a leading voice on resource extraction. In this episode, we discuss her 2025 book Extraction: The Frontiers of Green Capitalism, in which she draws on groundbreaking fieldwork on the global race for lithium. Taking readers from the breathtaking salt flats of Chile's Atacama Desert to Nevada's glorious Silver Peak Range to the rolling hills of the Barroso Region of Portugal, the book reveals the social and environmental costs of “critical minerals.” She takes stock of new policy paradigms in the Global South, where governments seek to leverage mineral assets to jumpstart green development. Zooming out from lithium, we also discuss the evolving geopolitics and geoeconomics of energy transition, critical minerals, and green technology supply chains. — Thea Riofrancos is an Associate Professor of Political Science at Providence College, a Strategic Co-Director of the Climate and Community Institute, and a fellow at the Transnational Institute. Her research focuses on resource extraction, climate change, the energy transition, the global lithium sector, green technologies, social movements, and the Latin American left. She explored these themes in her book, Resource Radicals: From Petro-Nationalism to Post-Extractivism in Ecuador (Duke University Press, 2020), peer-reviewed articles in Cultural Studies, World Politics, and Global Environmental Politics, and her coauthored book, A Planet to Win: Why We Need a Green New Deal (Verso Books, 2019). Her essays have appeared in outlets including The New York Times, Financial Times, The Washington Post, Foreign Policy, The Guardian, and more. Thea's latest book, which we discuss on this episode, is Extraction: The Frontiers of Green Capitalism (W.W. Norton 2025). Extraction: The Frontiers of Green Capitalism (W.W. Norton 2025) The Security–Sustainability Nexus: Lithium Onshoring in the Global North in Global Environmental Politics 2022 Resource Radicals: From Petro-Nationalism to Post-Extractivism in Ecuador (Duke University Press, 2020) A Planet to Win: Why We Need a Green New Deal (Verso Books, 2019) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/critical-theory

A new and provocative take on the formerly classified history of accelerating superpower military competition in space in the late Cold War and beyond. In March 1983, President Ronald Reagan shocked the world when he announced the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), derisively known as “Star Wars,” a space-based missile defense program aimed at protecting the US from nuclear attack. In Weapons in Space, Aaron Bateman draws on recently declassified American, European, and Soviet documents to provide an insightful account of SDI, situating it within a new phase in the militarization of space following the collapse of superpower détente in the 1970s. In doing so, Bateman reveals the largely secret role of military space technologies in late–Cold War US defense strategy and foreign relations.In contrast to existing narratives, Weapons in Space shows how tension over the role of military space technologies in American statecraft was a central source of SDI's controversy, even more so than questions of technical feasibility. By detailing the participation of Western European countries in SDI research and development, Bateman reframes the militarization of space in the 1970s and 1980s as an international phenomenon. He further reveals that even though SDI did not come to fruition, it obstructed diplomatic efforts to create new arms control limits in space. Consequently, Weapons in Space carries the legacy of SDI into the post–Cold War era and shows how this controversial program continues to shape the global discourse about instability in space—and the growing anxieties about a twenty-first-century space arms race. Our guest is Aaron Bateman, an Assistant Professor of History and International Affairs at GWU. Our host is Eleonora Mattiacci, an Associate Professor of Political Science at Amherst College. She is the author of "Volatile States in International Politics" (Oxford University Press, 2023). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/world-affairs

Its 2026 and the political world order has already seen major change, as just days ago U.S. forces captured former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife during a military raid on the country's capital, Caracas. The implications of this attempted regime change are still unclear. President Donald Trump claimed Saturday that the U.S. intends to quote "run the country" until a transition of power can take place. Currently, Maduro's Vice President, Delcy Rodriguez is in charge. The White House is facing condemnation from legal experts and Democrats who argue the moves were conducted without congressional or United Nations approval, and violate U.S. and international law. On Tuesday's "Sound of Ideas," we're going to talk about Venezuela and look ahead to the year in politics. On a state level, Ohio has major races on the 2026 ballot from a governor's race without an incumbent to an open U.S. Senate seat, that could be one of the most closely watched races in the country. We also will see Ohio's newly-drawn congressional map in play. And on a national level, after starting 2025 with over 50-percent approval and what President Trump deemed a mandate from voters going into his second term, he ended the year hovering around 42 percent approval, with experts noting tariffs, the economy, and rising costs of health as some of the major issues voters care about. The party in power historically has an uphill battle in midterm elections. Could 2026 change Republican control of the three branches of power? Guests: - Katie Lavelle, Ph.D., Professor in World Affairs, Case Western Reserve University - Tom Sutton, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus of Political Science, formerly at Baldwin Wallace University - Rob Walgate, President, American Policy Roundtable - Quentin James, Founder and President, The Collective PAC

A new and provocative take on the formerly classified history of accelerating superpower military competition in space in the late Cold War and beyond. In March 1983, President Ronald Reagan shocked the world when he announced the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), derisively known as “Star Wars,” a space-based missile defense program aimed at protecting the US from nuclear attack. In Weapons in Space, Aaron Bateman draws on recently declassified American, European, and Soviet documents to provide an insightful account of SDI, situating it within a new phase in the militarization of space following the collapse of superpower détente in the 1970s. In doing so, Bateman reveals the largely secret role of military space technologies in late–Cold War US defense strategy and foreign relations.In contrast to existing narratives, Weapons in Space shows how tension over the role of military space technologies in American statecraft was a central source of SDI's controversy, even more so than questions of technical feasibility. By detailing the participation of Western European countries in SDI research and development, Bateman reframes the militarization of space in the 1970s and 1980s as an international phenomenon. He further reveals that even though SDI did not come to fruition, it obstructed diplomatic efforts to create new arms control limits in space. Consequently, Weapons in Space carries the legacy of SDI into the post–Cold War era and shows how this controversial program continues to shape the global discourse about instability in space—and the growing anxieties about a twenty-first-century space arms race. Our guest is Aaron Bateman, an Assistant Professor of History and International Affairs at GWU. Our host is Eleonora Mattiacci, an Associate Professor of Political Science at Amherst College. She is the author of "Volatile States in International Politics" (Oxford University Press, 2023). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/national-security

Greg and Holly unpack one of the most dramatic international operations in recent U.S. history: the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro. The hosts walk through how the mission unfolded, why it was years in the making, and the legal and constitutional firestorm now erupting in Washington and at the United Nations. Greg breaks down the indictment, the questions surrounding the legality of the U.S. strike, and the high‑stakes courtroom battle beginning in Manhattan as Maduro and his wife face a federal judge.     Utah voices bring the story home: local leaders who fled Venezuela, community members reacting to the capture, and what this means for Venezuelans living in the U.S. Hear from SLCO Councilmember Carlos Moreno, who is from Venezuela and understands the complications there firsthand. Mayra Molina, Executive Director for the Venezuelan Alliance of Utah, also joins the show to describe how the Venezuelan community in Utah may be feeling after this capture.     Jay Evensen, Opinion Editor of the Deseret News, breaks down the international implications, from sovereignty disputes to whether this capture of Maduro may be a warning to other countries. What precedent does this set? Jay also discusses what a peaceful transition of power might look like for Venezuela.     Utah Immigration attorney, from Venezuela, Carlos Trujillo, shares his perspective on Maduro's capture and what Venezuelans need to know about temporary protected status.     Greg and Holly also zoom out to understand how Venezuela reached this moment—oil, corruption, cartels, and the long arc of U.S.– Venezuela tensions. Becky Bruce, Host and Producer of Hope in Darkness: The Josh Holt Story,  speaks to the history in Venezuela and what led up to this moment. Becky also reflects on the story of American Josh Holt, who was held in a Venezuelan Prison for crimes he did not commit.   Kirk Hawkins, Professor of Political Science at Brigham Young University who focuses on Latin American Politics, dives deeper into the politics at play and who's stepping in now that the President of Venezuela has been captured.  

Why does Indias police force, created under British rule, still echo the priorities of a bygone empire? And what is it about this institution, tasked with maintaining the law and order, that has led to a normalization of daily violence? These are the key questions that inform the analyses in this volume by lawyers, academics and activists. Divided into four broad sections, it begins by looking at the origins of the modern police force in the 1860s and demonstrates their role in maintaining socio-cultural, economic and political hierarchies even in post-Independence India. The second section explores how the law and legal infrastructure, as well as the bureaucracy in India, work to effectively facilitate police violence and to further marginalize and criminalize certain groups, like lower castes and Muslims. The penultimate section complicates this picture, examining how police violence is shaped by historical ambivalence towards democracy, the personal and systemic dynamics between police personnel and the accused, and the fraught identity of police in conflict zones like Kashmir, where authority is both granted and withheld by the state. The final section contains interviews of and reflections by prominent critics of police violence, including former Haryana DGP V.N. Rai and Abdul Wahid Shaikh, falsely accused of involvement in the 2006 Mumbai blasts. Questioning its foundational purpose and envisioning pathways to accountability and reform, Policing and Violence in India ignites a long-overdue conversation about the nature of policing in India. Deana Heath is Professor of Indian and Colonial History at the University of Liverpool. She has written widely on issues relating to policing and violence in colonial India, particularly on torture and sexual violence. Her latest book, Colonial Terror: Torture and State Violence in Colonial India, was published by Oxford University Press in 2021. Jinee Lokaneeta is Professor in Political Science and International Relations at Drew University, New Jersey. She is the author of The Truth Machines: Policing, Violence, and Scientific Interrogations in India, published in 2020 by the University of Michigan Press and Orient Blackswan, and Transnational Torture: Law, Violence, and State Power in the United States and India, published by New York University Press in 2011 and Orient Blackswan in 2012. Shailza Sharma is an Assistant Professor at Jindal Global Law School, O.P. Jindal Global University. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/critical-theory

Why does Indias police force, created under British rule, still echo the priorities of a bygone empire? And what is it about this institution, tasked with maintaining the law and order, that has led to a normalization of daily violence? These are the key questions that inform the analyses in this volume by lawyers, academics and activists. Divided into four broad sections, it begins by looking at the origins of the modern police force in the 1860s and demonstrates their role in maintaining socio-cultural, economic and political hierarchies even in post-Independence India. The second section explores how the law and legal infrastructure, as well as the bureaucracy in India, work to effectively facilitate police violence and to further marginalize and criminalize certain groups, like lower castes and Muslims. The penultimate section complicates this picture, examining how police violence is shaped by historical ambivalence towards democracy, the personal and systemic dynamics between police personnel and the accused, and the fraught identity of police in conflict zones like Kashmir, where authority is both granted and withheld by the state. The final section contains interviews of and reflections by prominent critics of police violence, including former Haryana DGP V.N. Rai and Abdul Wahid Shaikh, falsely accused of involvement in the 2006 Mumbai blasts. Questioning its foundational purpose and envisioning pathways to accountability and reform, Policing and Violence in India ignites a long-overdue conversation about the nature of policing in India. Deana Heath is Professor of Indian and Colonial History at the University of Liverpool. She has written widely on issues relating to policing and violence in colonial India, particularly on torture and sexual violence. Her latest book, Colonial Terror: Torture and State Violence in Colonial India, was published by Oxford University Press in 2021. Jinee Lokaneeta is Professor in Political Science and International Relations at Drew University, New Jersey. She is the author of The Truth Machines: Policing, Violence, and Scientific Interrogations in India, published in 2020 by the University of Michigan Press and Orient Blackswan, and Transnational Torture: Law, Violence, and State Power in the United States and India, published by New York University Press in 2011 and Orient Blackswan in 2012. Shailza Sharma is an Assistant Professor at Jindal Global Law School, O.P. Jindal Global University. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

This is a re-broadcast of Class Unity Transmissions Ep 19: Clyde W. Barrow | Marxist State Theory Today In this episode, we are joined by political theorist Clyde W. Barrow to revisit the classic debates in Marxist state theory and to consider their renewed relevance in the present conjuncture. Barrow was a guest speaker in the CU “State Theory” course that ran earlier this year, and we thought we'd invite him back for a more detailed discussion—and to explore how these debates might help guide the left through its current impasse. The conversation begins with the Poulantzas–Miliband debate of the 1960s and 1970s, situating it against the crisis of postwar Fordist–Keynesian capitalism and the broader effort by Marxists to move beyond instrumental or reductionist accounts of the capitalist state. Barrow explains why the debate remains foundational, what is often misunderstood about Miliband's position, and why Marxist politics cannot afford to treat the state as a secondary or merely epiphenomenal problem. From there, the discussion turns to globalization and contemporary political economy, drawing on Barrow's book Toward a Critical Theory of States: The Poulantzas–Miliband Debate after Globalization. Rejecting the idea that globalization has rendered states powerless, Barrow emphasizes the central role played by states—particularly the U.S. state—in constructing and managing global capitalism. We then examine how Marxist state theory helps illuminate recent developments in trade policy under the Trump administration, including the structural constraints that capitalist states face when they pursue policies that run counter to dominant class interests, and what this may signal about the future of the global trade regime. The latter part of the episode moves a bit more “into the weeds,” engaging debates over Lenin, the dictatorship of the proletariat, and the long-standing question of what a socialist theory of government might look like. Barrow reflects on the limits of romanticized models such as the Paris Commune, the enduring tensions between democracy and state power in socialist strategy, and the usefulness of Poulantzas's concept of authoritarian statism for understanding contemporary right-wing governments. The conversation concludes with a discussion of what Marxist state theory can tell us about the challenges facing democratic socialist governance today, using the case of New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani to explore the structural and political limits confronting left projects within capitalist states. Biographical note: In recent months, Barrow has also been a prominent public critic of managerial governance and political interference in higher education and has faced disciplinary action related to his speech and public commentary. While this episode focuses on theory rather than biography, his situation has made him an important contemporary reference point in ongoing debates over academic freedom and freedom of expression in U.S. universities. Additional background: Clyde W. Barrow earned his Ph.D. in political science from the University of California, Los Angeles. He is currently Professor of Political Science at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, and previously taught for many years at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. Barrow is widely known for his contributions to Marxist state theory, political sociology, and the political economy of higher education. His major books include Universities and the Capitalist State: Corporate Liberalism and the Reconstruction of American Higher Education, 1894–1928; Toward a Critical Theory of States: The Poulantzas–Miliband Debate after Globalization; The Dangerous Class: The Concept of the Lumpenproletariat; and A Critique of Political Science: A History of the Caucus for a New Political Science (forthcoming), along with numerous influential articles on state power, class relations, and academic governance. For donations, educational courses, or membership inquiries please visit: http://www.classunity.org

Why does Indias police force, created under British rule, still echo the priorities of a bygone empire? And what is it about this institution, tasked with maintaining the law and order, that has led to a normalization of daily violence? These are the key questions that inform the analyses in this volume by lawyers, academics and activists. Divided into four broad sections, it begins by looking at the origins of the modern police force in the 1860s and demonstrates their role in maintaining socio-cultural, economic and political hierarchies even in post-Independence India. The second section explores how the law and legal infrastructure, as well as the bureaucracy in India, work to effectively facilitate police violence and to further marginalize and criminalize certain groups, like lower castes and Muslims. The penultimate section complicates this picture, examining how police violence is shaped by historical ambivalence towards democracy, the personal and systemic dynamics between police personnel and the accused, and the fraught identity of police in conflict zones like Kashmir, where authority is both granted and withheld by the state. The final section contains interviews of and reflections by prominent critics of police violence, including former Haryana DGP V.N. Rai and Abdul Wahid Shaikh, falsely accused of involvement in the 2006 Mumbai blasts. Questioning its foundational purpose and envisioning pathways to accountability and reform, Policing and Violence in India ignites a long-overdue conversation about the nature of policing in India. Deana Heath is Professor of Indian and Colonial History at the University of Liverpool. She has written widely on issues relating to policing and violence in colonial India, particularly on torture and sexual violence. Her latest book, Colonial Terror: Torture and State Violence in Colonial India, was published by Oxford University Press in 2021. Jinee Lokaneeta is Professor in Political Science and International Relations at Drew University, New Jersey. She is the author of The Truth Machines: Policing, Violence, and Scientific Interrogations in India, published in 2020 by the University of Michigan Press and Orient Blackswan, and Transnational Torture: Law, Violence, and State Power in the United States and India, published by New York University Press in 2011 and Orient Blackswan in 2012. Shailza Sharma is an Assistant Professor at Jindal Global Law School, O.P. Jindal Global University. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/south-asian-studies

Jeff Sikkenga, Professor of Political Science and Executive Director of the Ashbrook Center, shares a brief message about the reasons behind and goals of The American Idea, as well as Ashbrook's plans to celebrate 250 years of America's independence. Learn more at Ashbrook.org, or about our celebratory plans for 2026 at AshbrookFreedom250.org Host: Jeff Sikkenga […]

Join Carrie Newcomer and Parker J. Palmer for a beautiful conversation with author/contemplative photographer Christy Berghoef. Christy is a published author, speaker, mother of four, common good communications consultant, contemplative photographer, musician, wanderer, and wonderer. Christine is a graduate of Calvin College with a degree in Political Science and later a doctor of Ministry in The Sacred Art of Writing .She spent a year on Capital Hill working for a Congressman. Christy has two books; Cracking the Pot: A Memoir of Spiritual Expansion and her newest book Rooted: A Memoir of Coming Home – which describes her return to the sacred ground of her family's 40-acre farm. In Rooted Christy visits the themes of spiritual transformation, social justice, motherhood, the healing wisdom of the land, and the meaning of belonging. She also explores her journey from a conservative evangelical upbringing to a more inclusive, justice oriented progressive faith. She has a beautiful Substack offering called Willow and Wheat

Jeff Sikkenga, Professor of Political Science and Executive Director of the Ashbrook Center, shares a brief message about the reasons behind and goals of The American Idea, as well as Ashbrook's plans to celebrate 250 years of America's independence.Learn more at Ashbrook.org, or about our celebratory plans for 2026 at AshbrookFreedom250.orgHost: Jeff SikkengaExecutive Producer: Jeremy GyptonSubscribe: https://linktr.ee/theamericanideaHomepage: https://ashbrook.org/the-american-idea-podcast/

How are Americans feeling about President Trump after the first year of his second term? What about the Republican and Democratic parties? Are voters pleased with anyone in DC? David Schultz, Professor of Political Science at Hamline University, joins us.

Ever since independence, a question has hovered over the government of the United States. How much power should the President have? Not too much, lest they become a monarch. But not too little, they are elected to do a job and that job must be done.In this episode of American History Hit, Don is joined once again by Professor of Political Science, Graham G Dodds. Graham is author of 'The Unitary Presidency' and, together, he and Don discuss the power of the President.Can they commit a crime? How has the unitary executive been used in domestic, and foreign, spaces? And where was this theory born - with the Constitution, Hamilton, Reagan or Bush?Produced by Sophie Gee. Edited by Aidan Lonergan. Senior Producer was Charlotte Long.Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Sign here for up to 50% for 3 months using code AMERICANHISTORY.American History Hit is a History Hit podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Share your thoughts and comments by sending me a text messageS.12 E.39 As we enter the new calendar year 2026, it is important to think about our priorities as a nation. In this episode, share my thoughts about what I believe America's priorities should be going forward.ABOUT: Tawsif Anam is a nationally published writer, award-winning public policy professional, and speaker. He has experience serving in the private, public, and nonprofit sectors in United States and overseas. Anam earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and a Master of Public Affairs degree from the University of Wisconsin – Madison. Tawsif Anam's opinions have been published by national, state, and local publications in the United States, such as USA Today, Washington Examiner, The Washington Times, The Western Journal, The Boston Globe, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Wisconsin State Journal, The Capital Times, and The Dodgeville Chronicle. His writings have also appeared in major publications in Bangladesh including, but not limited to, The Daily Star and The Financial Express. Visit my website www.tawsifanam.net Visit my blog: https://tawsifanam.net/blog/ Read my published opinions: https://tawsifanam.net/published-articles/ Check out my books: https://tawsifanam.net/books/

Share your thoughts and comments by sending me a text messageS.12 E.38 Federal student loans are back in the news cycle. People are talking about federal student loans, because it has been reported that the Trump administration is taking action to address the problem of loan delinquency. Many people are asking: Are the federal student loan borrowers facing wage garnishment? In this episode, I discuss the matter.ABOUT: Tawsif Anam is a nationally published writer, award-winning public policy professional, and speaker. He has experience serving in the private, public, and nonprofit sectors in United States and overseas. Anam earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and a Master of Public Affairs degree from the University of Wisconsin – Madison. Tawsif Anam's opinions have been published by national, state, and local publications in the United States, such as USA Today, Washington Examiner, The Washington Times, The Western Journal, The Boston Globe, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Wisconsin State Journal, The Capital Times, and The Dodgeville Chronicle. His writings have also appeared in major publications in Bangladesh including, but not limited to, The Daily Star and The Financial Express. Visit my website www.tawsifanam.net Visit my blog: https://tawsifanam.net/blog/ Read my published opinions: https://tawsifanam.net/published-articles/ Check out my books: https://tawsifanam.net/books/

Share your thoughts and comments by sending me a text messageS.12 E.37 Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani will soon be sworn in as the new Mayor of New York City. Reportedly, U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont is going to lead Mamdani's public swearing-in ceremony. But why would Bernie Sanders lead the swearing-in when he is not from New York. What is the significant of this move? In this episode, I share my thoughts on this issue.ABOUT: Tawsif Anam is a nationally published writer, award-winning public policy professional, and speaker. He has experience serving in the private, public, and nonprofit sectors in United States and overseas. Anam earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and a Master of Public Affairs degree from the University of Wisconsin – Madison. Tawsif Anam's opinions have been published by national, state, and local publications in the United States, such as USA Today, Washington Examiner, The Washington Times, The Western Journal, The Boston Globe, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Wisconsin State Journal, The Capital Times, and The Dodgeville Chronicle. His writings have also appeared in major publications in Bangladesh including, but not limited to, The Daily Star and The Financial Express. Visit my website www.tawsifanam.net Visit my blog: https://tawsifanam.net/blog/ Read my published opinions: https://tawsifanam.net/published-articles/ Check out my books: https://tawsifanam.net/books/

Share your thoughts and comments by sending me a text messageS.12 E.36 Looking at a few different states, it appears that the Democrats are engaged in a coordinated effort to craft legislation to create barriers for the federal agents who are responsible for immigration enforcement actions. In this episode, I talk about this issue, discuss examples, and try to provide an overall picture of what the Democrats are trying to do.ABOUT: Tawsif Anam is a nationally published writer, award-winning public policy professional, and speaker. He has experience serving in the private, public, and nonprofit sectors in United States and overseas. Anam earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and a Master of Public Affairs degree from the University of Wisconsin – Madison. Tawsif Anam's opinions have been published by national, state, and local publications in the United States, such as USA Today, Washington Examiner, The Washington Times, The Western Journal, The Boston Globe, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Wisconsin State Journal, The Capital Times, and The Dodgeville Chronicle. His writings have also appeared in major publications in Bangladesh including, but not limited to, The Daily Star and The Financial Express. Visit my website www.tawsifanam.net Visit my blog: https://tawsifanam.net/blog/ Read my published opinions: https://tawsifanam.net/published-articles/ Check out my books: https://tawsifanam.net/books/

What does it mean to be American? How does one become an American? Join us for this special episode as Peter Schramm, past Executive Director of the Ashbrook Center and Professor of Political Science, discusses his family's flight from Communist Hungary, move to California, and growing up in his adopted home, learning the answers to […]

What does it mean to be American? How does one become an American? Join us for this special episode as Peter Schramm, past Executive Director of the Ashbrook Center and Professor of Political Science, discusses his family's flight from Communist Hungary, move to California, and growing up in his adopted home, learning the answers to those questions and, in his career, teaching native-born Americans about their homeland and the legacy they had been gifted by past generations.In this season of reflection and the impending start of a new year, take some time to consider what being American means for you, and how you fit into our great story as we approach our 250th birthday.Host: Jeff SikkengaExecutive Producer: Jeremy GyptonSubscribe: https://linktr.ee/theamericanideaHomepage: https://ashbrook.org/the-american-idea-podcast/

On this episode I chatted with Jennifer Hankins, Jenn is the managing director of Tulsa Innovation Labs. She joined the founding TIL team in January 2020 and brings more than 10 years of direct economic development experience to the organization. Working to convene stakeholders across multiple industries, she is responsible for setting TIL's strategic direction, organizational mission, and most importantly, is responsible for leading a dynamic and high-performing team and the broad portfolio of work currently underway. Prior to joining Tulsa Innovation Labs, Jennifer was the vice president of Entrepreneurship and Small Business at the Tulsa Regional Chamber, where she helped grow the regional entrepreneurial ecosystem and managed the Chamber's business incubator for high-growth startups. Jennifer also served as manager of business retention and expansion on the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce's Economic Development team. Prior to her time in Oklahoma, Jennifer worked in the Kansas City region for the Wyandotte Economic Development Council as investor relations coordinator and for Catholic Charities of Kansas City-St. Joseph as development manager. She is a native of Kansas City, Missouri and holds a Bachelor of Political Science degree from Oklahoma State University. www.tulsainnovationlabs.com Huge thank you to our sponsors. The Oklahoma Hall of Fame at the Gaylord-Pickens Museum telling Oklahoma's story through its people since 1927. For more information go to www.oklahomahof.com and for daily updates go to www.instagram.com/oklahomahof The Chickasaw Nation is economically strong, culturally vibrant and full of energetic people dedicated to the preservation of family, community and heritage. www.chickasaw.net Dog House OKC - When it comes to furry four-legged care, our 24/7 supervised cage free play and overnight boarding services make The Dog House OKC in Oklahoma City the best place to be, at least, when they're not in their own backyard. With over 6,000 square feet of combined indoor/outdoor play areas our dog daycare enriches spirit, increases social skills, builds confidence, and offers hours of exercise and stimulation for your dog www.thedoghouseokc.com #ThisisOklahoma #ThisisOklahoma   

Democracy in the UK is under strain. Many voters feel deeply alienated from politics, believing that those elected to represent them often pursue narrow or personal interests rather than the public good. Political polarisation, intensified by changes in the media landscape, is undermining constructive debate. And for many citizens, it can feel as though money (rather than votes) is what really speaks loudest in politics.Against this backdrop, there is growing interest in how democratic systems might be reformed to function better and become more resilient. A wide range of proposals has emerged, tackling different aspects of democratic decline. While we can't cover them all in a single episode, today's discussion focuses on two specific reform ideas explored in recent articles published in the journal The Political Quarterly.The first examines the role of donations to political parties, asking how political finance shapes power, influence, and public trust in the democratic system. The second looks at the position of smaller parties in the House of Commons, exploring how parliamentary procedures affect their ability to contribute meaningfully to debate and scrutiny.To discuss these ideas, we're joined by the authors of both pieces:Iain McMenamin, Professor of Comparative Politics at Dublin City University, is an expert on political finance and co-author of the article on party donations.Louise Thompson, Senior Lecturer in Politics at the University of Manchester, is a leading scholar of parliamentary politics and the author of the study on the role of small parties in the Commons.Together, we explore whether reforming party funding and giving smaller parties a stronger voice in Parliament could help rebuild trust, improve representation, and strengthen UK democracy.Mentioned in this episode:‘Unbroken, but Dangerous: The UK's Political Finance Regime and the Rationale for Reform', by Logan De la Torre, Kevin Fahey, and Iain McMenamin 'Modernising the House: Why the 2024 Parliament Highlights the Need to Formalise Party-Group Rights in the House of Commons', by Louise Thompson.  UCL's Department of Political Science and School of Public Policy offers a uniquely stimulating environment for the study of all fields of politics, including international relations, political theory, human rights, public policy-making and administration. The Department is recognised for its world-class research and policy impact, ranking among the top departments in the UK on both the 2021 Research Excellence Framework and the latest Guardian rankings.

This conversation explores the life and legacy of Charles C. Diggs Jr., a significant yet often overlooked figure in the civil rights movement and American politics. Brown University Professor, Marion Orr, discusses his new biography of Diggs, detailing his contributions to the Congressional Black Caucus, his legislative achievements, and the circumstances surrounding his fall from grace. The discussion also touches on Diggs' personal life, his family's involvement, and the broader implications of his work for African American history and political science.Marion Orr is the inaugural Frederick Lippitt Professor of Public Policy and Professor of Political Science and Urban Studies at Brown University. He previously was a member of the political science faculty at Duke University.Professor Orr earned his B.A. degree in political science from Savannah State College, M.A. in political science from Atlanta University (now Clark-Atlanta University), and a Ph.D. in Government and Politics from the University of Maryland, College Park.From 2008-2014, Professor Orr served as Director of the A. Alfred Taubman Center for Public Policy and American Institutions at Brown University.  He is a former chair of Brown's Department of Political Science and a former director of Brown's Urban Studies Program.Professor Orr's expertise is in the area of American politics.  He specializes in urban politics, race and ethnic politics, and African-American politics.  He is the author and editor of eight books. His book, House of Diggs: The Rise and Fall of America's Most Consequential Black Congressman, Charles C. Diggs, Jr. (University of North Carolina Press, 2025), is the first biography of Michigan's first Black member of the U.S. House of Representatives.Among Professor Orr's other books, Black Social Capital: The Politics of School Reform in Baltimore (University Press of Kansas), won the Policy Studies Organization's Aaron Wildavsky Award and his co-authored, The Color of School Reform: Race, Politics and the Challenge of Urban Education (Princeton University Press), was named the best book by the American Political Science Association's (APSA) Urban Politics Section. He is the co-editor (with Domingo Morel) of Latino Mayors: Political Change in the Postindustrial City.  He is also the author of numerous scholarly articles, essays, and reviews.Professor Orr is the recipient of the Biographers International Organization Francis “Frank” Rollin Fellowship. He has also held a research fellowship at the Brookings Institution, a Presidential Fellowship from the University of California, Berkeley, and a fellowship from the Ford Foundation.  In 2019, Orr was awarded APSA's Hanes Walton, Jr. Career Award,  awarded to “a political scientist whose lifetime of distinguished scholarship has made significant contributions to our understanding of racial and ethnic politics and illuminates the conditions under which diversity and intergroup tolerance thrive in democratic societies.”Professor Orr served as President of the APSA's Organized Section on Urban Politics and an elected member and chair of the Governing Board of the Urban Affairs Association, an international organization devoted to the study of urban issues. Dr. Orr has also served as a member of the executive councils of the American Political Science Association and the National Conference of Black Political Scientists. He has served, or is currently serving, on the editorial boards of the National Political Science Review, Journal of Urban Affairs, Journal of Race, Ethnicity and the City, and Urban Affairs Review.

In this episode, we are joined by political theorist Clyde W. Barrow to revisit the classic debates in Marxist state theory and to consider their renewed relevance in the present conjuncture. Barrow was a guest speaker in the CU “State Theory” course that ran earlier this year, and we thought we'd invite him back for a more detailed discussion—and to explore how these debates might help guide the left through its current impasse. The conversation begins with the Poulantzas–Miliband debate of the 1960s and 1970s, situating it against the crisis of postwar Fordist–Keynesian capitalism and the broader effort by Marxists to move beyond instrumental or reductionist accounts of the capitalist state. Barrow explains why the debate remains foundational, what is often misunderstood about Miliband's position, and why Marxist politics cannot afford to treat the state as a secondary or merely epiphenomenal problem. From there, the discussion turns to globalization and contemporary political economy, drawing on Barrow's book Toward a Critical Theory of States: The Poulantzas–Miliband Debate after Globalization. Rejecting the idea that globalization has rendered states powerless, Barrow emphasizes the central role played by states—particularly the U.S. state—in constructing and managing global capitalism. We then examine how Marxist state theory helps illuminate recent developments in trade policy under the Trump administration, including the structural constraints that capitalist states face when they pursue policies that run counter to dominant class interests, and what this may signal about the future of the global trade regime. The latter part of the episode moves a bit more “into the weeds,” engaging debates over Lenin, the dictatorship of the proletariat, and the long-standing question of what a socialist theory of government might look like. Barrow reflects on the limits of romanticized models such as the Paris Commune, the enduring tensions between democracy and state power in socialist strategy, and the usefulness of Poulantzas's concept of authoritarian statism for understanding contemporary right-wing governments. The conversation concludes with a discussion of what Marxist state theory can tell us about the challenges facing democratic socialist governance today, using the case of New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani to explore the structural and political limits confronting left projects within capitalist states. Biographical note: In recent months, Barrow has also been a prominent public critic of managerial governance and political interference in higher education and has faced disciplinary action related to his speech and public commentary. While this episode focuses on theory rather than biography, his situation has made him an important contemporary reference point in ongoing debates over academic freedom and freedom of expression in U.S. universities. Additional background: Clyde W. Barrow earned his Ph.D. in political science from the University of California, Los Angeles. He is currently Professor of Political Science at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, and previously taught for many years at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. Barrow is widely known for his contributions to Marxist state theory, political sociology, and the political economy of higher education. His major books include Universities and the Capitalist State: Corporate Liberalism and the Reconstruction of American Higher Education, 1894–1928; Toward a Critical Theory of States: The Poulantzas–Miliband Debate after Globalization; The Dangerous Class: The Concept of the Lumpenproletariat; and A Critique of Political Science: A History of the Caucus for a New Political Science (forthcoming), along with numerous influential articles on state power, class relations, and academic governance. For donations, educational courses, or membership inquiries please visit: http://www.classunity.org

Share your thoughts and comments by sending me a text messageS.12 E.34 A very important United States Senate election is coming up in 2026. It is the Senate race in Georgia. Democrat Senator Jon Ossoff is up for re-election. It is essential for the Republicans to defeat Ossoff in the 2026 midterm election to reclaim the Senate seat.ABOUT: Tawsif Anam is a nationally published writer, award-winning public policy professional, and speaker. He has experience serving in the private, public, and nonprofit sectors in United States and overseas. Anam earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and a Master of Public Affairs degree from the University of Wisconsin – Madison. Tawsif Anam's opinions have been published by national, state, and local publications in the United States, such as USA Today, Washington Examiner, The Washington Times, The Western Journal, The Boston Globe, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Wisconsin State Journal, The Capital Times, and The Dodgeville Chronicle. His writings have also appeared in major publications in Bangladesh including, but not limited to, The Daily Star and The Financial Express. Visit my website www.tawsifanam.net Visit my blog: https://tawsifanam.net/blog/ Read my published opinions: https://tawsifanam.net/published-articles/ Check out my books: https://tawsifanam.net/books/

Share your thoughts and comments by sending me a text messageS.12 E.35 There is a very important United States Senate race in Michigan. Democrat U.S. Senator Gary Peters is not seeking re-election, which means that there is an open Senate seat in Michigan. This is an opportunity for the Republicans to win a Senate seat to expand the majority in Washington. The question is: Can the GOP win this seat in the battleground state of Michigan?ABOUT: Tawsif Anam is a nationally published writer, award-winning public policy professional, and speaker. He has experience serving in the private, public, and nonprofit sectors in United States and overseas. Anam earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and a Master of Public Affairs degree from the University of Wisconsin – Madison. Tawsif Anam's opinions have been published by national, state, and local publications in the United States, such as USA Today, Washington Examiner, The Washington Times, The Western Journal, The Boston Globe, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Wisconsin State Journal, The Capital Times, and The Dodgeville Chronicle. His writings have also appeared in major publications in Bangladesh including, but not limited to, The Daily Star and The Financial Express. Visit my website www.tawsifanam.net Visit my blog: https://tawsifanam.net/blog/ Read my published opinions: https://tawsifanam.net/published-articles/ Check out my books: https://tawsifanam.net/books/

This presentation will provide an overview of how to prepare for visits from Immigration and ICE officers, in light of increased ICE investigations, workplace raids, and community visits associated with immigration applications.Kathleen A. Spero has a long-standing interest in immigration and foreign relations. She graduated from San Diego State University magna cum laude with a dual major in Political Science and International Security and Conflict Resolution in 1999. She received her Master of Pacific and International Affairs, cum laude, from the University of California, San Diego School of Global Policy and Strategy (formerly the Graduate School of International Relations and Pacific Studies) in 2001. After earning her Master's degree, Kathleen joined the International Rescue Committee, an international refugee assistance and resettlement agency, as a Program Specialist in the company's headquarters. While at IRC, Kathleen discovered her interest in immigration law, decided to attend law school, and received her J.D. Degree, cum laude, from Thomas Jefferson School of Law in San Diego, California, in May 2008. For the Spring 2023 semester, Kathleen served as an instructor at Thomas Jefferson School of Law, teaching a course on Immigration Law.Since her graduation from law school, Kathleen has dedicated her career to immigration law. She has held positions with Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy; the San Diego Volunteer Lawyer Program; and Malitzlaw. In addition to her work with Jacobs & Schlesinger, Kathleen has volunteered with Casa Cornelia, the Immigration Justice Project, UURise immigration legal services, and the American Immigration Lawyers Association.Kathleen has worked for Jacobs & Schlesinger since 2016, where she focuses on providing legal assistance and counseling to families, businesses, and individuals seeking to navigate the complex immigration laws of the United States. She primarily handles employment-based cases, investor visas, family-based petitions, and naturalization cases.Kathleen is admitted to the State Bar of California and is licensed to practice law before the Supreme Court of California and the Department of Homeland Security nationwide.Stay up to date with CBP: http://update.craftbeerprofessionals.org/

Attorney Sara Papantonio joins host Mirena Umizaj Dumas for a candid conversation about what mass tort work truly demands. From long timelines and real risk to the relationships that ultimately determine outcomes, Sara shares how she found her path into mass torts, what it has been like building her own name while working alongside her father, Mike Papantonio, and what she learned stepping into an eight-week talc trial on short notice that resulted in a major plaintiff verdict. They also discuss how firms should think about entering and navigating the mass tort landscape, the importance of understanding the "rules of the game," why diversification matters, and how pressure points across MDL and state court strategies shape outcomes. Throughout the conversation, Sara and Mirena emphasize the role of judgment, partnership, and long-term thinking, as well as how technology and AI are being used to support, not replace, thoughtful legal work. Key Topics Covered: • Why mass torts require a long-term, 7–10 year mindset • The unwritten rules of the mass tort space and why firms get burned • How to evaluate risk, partnerships, and involvement level before entering a case • MDL versus state court strategies and where real pressure is applied • The value of a fresh perspective in trial storytelling and jury communication • Recruiting, developing, and retaining young plaintiff-side talent • Practical ways technology and AI are improving efficiency without replacing judgment About Our Guest: Sara Papantonio is an attorney at Levin Papantonio, where she focuses her practice on mass tort litigation. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Political Science and Journalism from the University of North Carolina and her Juris Doctor from Stetson University College of Law in 2020, graduating cum laude. Sara litigates pharmaceutical, environmental, mass tort, and personal injury cases nationwide and has significant federal court experience as an active member of multiple mass tort litigation teams. She is currently working on the Camp Lejeune litigation and the Infant Formula MDL. She is a frequent CLE speaker, including at Mass Torts Made Perfect and Harris Martin Conferences, and is published in legal journals across the country. Sara served as the 2024 President of National Trial Lawyers 40 Under 40 and represents Florida as a Board of Governor for the American Association for Justice. She also serves on the Board of Governors for the Florida Justice Association, including as the 2024 Chair of the Young Lawyers Section.

It's Emmajority Report Thursday on the Majority Report On today's program: As members of the Trump administration revive Iraq War–era justifications for an invasion of Venezuela, Trump himself cuts through the spin and openly admits he wants the country's oil. Rep Nydia Velazquez (D-NY) gives an impassioned plea to Congress to stop "sleepwalking" into war with Venezuela. Miles Bryan, senior producer and reporter for Today, Explained, Vox's daily news podcast joins Emma for a conversation about the bipartisan uprising against AI data center construction across America. Khalid Medani, Associate Professor of Political Science and Islamic Studies and Director of the Institute of Islamic Studies at McGill University joins the show to explain the horrific situation in Sudan. In the Fun Half: Brandon Sutton and Matt Binder join Emma. Bernie Sanders calls for a moratorium on building new data centers due to environmental impact and surge pricing on utilities. Meanwhile China's approach to AI is more efficient, greener, and they are absolute molly whopping the U.S. Brett Weinstein returns Joe Rogan's podcast to share some interesting thoughts on modern day mating. Matt, Emma and Brandon dig into Candace Owens backing off her Charlie Kirk/TPUSA conspiracy theories. All that and more. The Congress switchboard number is (202) 224-3121. You can use this number to connect with either the U.S. Senate or the House of Representatives. Check out IceRRT.com to find an ICE rapid response team nearest to you. Follow us on TikTok here: https://www.tiktok.com/@majorityreportfm Check us out on Twitch here: https://www.twitch.tv/themajorityreport Find our Rumble stream here: https://rumble.com/user/majorityreport Check out our alt YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/majorityreportlive Gift a Majority Report subscription here: https://fans.fm/majority/gift Subscribe to the AMQuickie newsletter here: https://am-quickie.ghost.io/ Join the Majority Report Discord! https://majoritydiscord.com/ Get all your MR merch at our store: https://shop.majorityreportradio.com/ Get the free Majority Report App!: https://majority.fm/app Go to https://JustCoffee.coop and use coupon code majority to get 10% off your purchase Check out today's sponsors: SHOPIFY: To get 6 bottles of wine for $39.99, head to NakedWines.com/MAJORITY and use code MAJORITY for both the code AND PASSWORD.   ZBIOTICS: Go to zbiotics.com/MAJORITY to learn more and get 15% off your first order when you use MAJORITY at checkout. AURA FRAMES: Get 20% off your DeleteMe plan when you go to joindeleteme.com/MAJORITY and use promo code MAJORITY at checkout. SUNSET LAKE: Head on over to SunsetLakeCBD.com and use the code WINTER25 to save 35% on their full lineup of CBD Tinctures for people and pets. This sale ends December 21st at 11:59 ᴾᴹ eastern. Follow the Majority Report crew on Twitter: @SamSeder @EmmaVigeland @MattLech On Instagram: @MrBryanVokey Check out Matt's show, Left Reckoning, on YouTube, and subscribe on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/leftreckoning Check out Matt Binder's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/mattbinder Subscribe to Brandon's show The Discourse on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/ExpandTheDiscourse Check out Ava Raiza's music here! https://avaraiza.bandcamp.com

The Roundtable Panel: a daily open discussion of issues in the news and beyond. Today's panelists are Ulster County Board of Elections Commissioner Ashley Dittus, Professor of Political Science at Hartwick College in Oneonta and and Co-Director of the Institute of Public Service Laurel Elder, Executive Director of Communities for Local Power and former White House Advance Lead Anna Markowitz, and Associate Professor of Music at Vassar College Justin Patch.

Former U.S. Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul joins leading democracy scholar Larry Diamond for a critical discussion on the intensifying global struggle between authoritarianism and democracy. Drawing on decades of experience in diplomacy, national security, and democracy studies, they examine how autocratic regimes are reshaping the international order—and what democratic societies must do to respond.Michael McFaul served for five years in the Obama administration, first as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Russian and Eurasian Affairs at the National Security Council, and later as U.S. Ambassador to the Russian Federation (2012–2014). He is a Professor of Political Science at Stanford University and Director and Senior Fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies.Larry Diamond is a leading scholar of democracy studies and Senior Fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies at Stanford University. His work has shaped global understanding of democratic development, backsliding, and resilience.This event is part of the America at a Crossroads virtual series, founded by Jews United for Democracy & Justice, bringing leading voices together to examine the most urgent challenges facing democracy at home and abroad.

Our world faces a growing set of challenges that transcend national borders - from climate change and pandemic threats to the governance of emerging technologies and the protection of public goods. Yet political authority and decision making remain overwhelmingly rooted in sovereign states. How, then, can global challenges be tackled effectively?In this special episode, we turn to the concept of global governance - the institutions, norms, and practices through which collective action is coordinated beyond the nation state. Joining us is Professor Tom Pegram, Director of the UCL Global Governance Institute and Programme Director of the MSc in Global Governance and Ethics in the UCL Department of Political Science.Tom recently delivered his inaugural lecture as Professor of Global Politics at UCL, titled “Crisis? What Crisis? Rethinking Global Governance Through the Lens of Crisis.” Drawing on that lecture and his wider body of work, this conversation ranges across his academic career and explores how moments of crisis, from financial shocks and pandemics to democratic backsliding and climate emergencies, both expose the limits of existing governance arrangements and create opportunities for innovation and reform.Mentioned in this episode:Prof Pegram's lecture on YouTubeReflexive legitimation conflict: trumpism and the crisis of legitimacy in global AI governance in Global Public Policy and Governance. UCL's Department of Political Science and School of Public Policy offers a uniquely stimulating environment for the study of all fields of politics, including international relations, political theory, human rights, public policy-making and administration. The Department is recognised for its world-class research and policy impact, ranking among the top departments in the UK on both the 2021 Research Excellence Framework and the latest Guardian rankings.

My conversation with Anya starts at 38 mins and Jason and I being at 1:05 in to today's show after headlines and clips Subscribe and Watch Interviews LIVE : On YOUTUBE.com/StandUpWithPete ON SubstackStandUpWithPete Stand Up is a daily podcast. I book,host,edit, post and promote new episodes with brilliant guests every day. This show is Ad free and fully supported by listeners like you! Please subscribe now for as little as 5$ and gain access to a community of over 760 awesome, curious, kind, funny, brilliant, generous soul Anya Kamenetz speaks, writes, and thinks about generational justice; about thriving, and raising thriving kids, on a changing planet. Her newsletter on these topics is The Golden Hour. She covered education for many years including for NPR, where she co-created the podcast Life Kit: Parenting. Her newest book is The Stolen Year: How Covid Changed Children's Lives, And Where We Go Now. Kamenetz is currently an advisor to the Aspen Institute and the Climate Mental Health Network, working on new initiatives at the intersection of children and climate change. Anya Kamenetz speaks, writes, and thinks about generational justice; about thriving, and raising thriving kids, on a changing planet. Her newsletter on these topics is The Golden Hour. She covered education as a journalist for many years including for NPR, where she also co-created the podcast Life Kit:Parenting in partnership with Sesame Workshop. Kamenetz is currently an advisor to the Aspen Institute and the Climate Mental Health Network on new initiatives at the intersection of children and climate change. She's the author of several acclaimed nonfiction books: Generation Debt (Riverhead, 2006); DIY U: Edupunks, Edupreneurs, and the Coming Transformation of Higher Education (Chelsea Green, 2010) ; The Test: Why Our Schools Are Obsessed With Standardized Testing, But You Don't Have To Be (Public Affairs, 2016); The Art of Screen Time: How Your Family Can Balance Digital Media and Real Life (Public Affairs, 2018), and The Stolen Year: How Covid Changed Children's Lives, And Where We Go Now (Public Affairs, 2022). Kamenetz was named a 2010 Game Changer in Education by the Huffington Post, received 2009, 2010, and 2015 National Awards for Education Reporting from the Education Writers Association, won an Edward R. Murrow Award for innovation in 2017 along with the rest of the NPR Ed team, and the 2022 AERA Excellence in Media Reporting on Education Research Award. She's been a New America fellow, a staff writer for Fast Company Magazine and a columnist for the Village Voice. She's contributed to The New York Times, The Washington Post, New York Magazine and Slate, and been featured in documentaries shown on PBS, CNN, HBO and Vice. She frequently speaks on topics related to children, parenting, learning, technology, and climate to audiences including at Google, Apple, and Sesame, Aspen Ideas, SXSW, TEDx, Yale, MIT and Stanford. Kamenetz grew up in Baton Rouge and New Orleans, Louisiana, in a family of writers and mystics, and graduated from Yale University. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and two daughters. ______________________________________ Check out and subscribe to Dr Jason Johnson new youtube channel Dr. Jason Johnson is an associate professor of politics and journalism in the School of Global Journalism & Communication at Morgan State University and author of the book Political Consultants and Campaigns: One Day to Sell. He focuses on campaign politics, political communication, strategy and popular culture. He hosts a podcast on Slate called "A Word" He is a political analyst for MSNBC, SIRIUS XM Satellite Radio and The Grio. He has previously appeared on CNN, Fox News, Al Jazeera, Current TV and CBS. His work has been featured on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and on ESPN. He has been quoted by The Guardian, The Washington Post, The Washington Times, The Wallstreet Journal, Buzzfeed, The Hill newspaper, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal Constitution. Dr. Johnson is a University of Virginia alumnus and earned his PhD in Political Science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. On YOUTUBE.com/StandUpWithPete ON SubstackStandUpWithPete Pete on Blue Sky Pete on Threads Pete on Tik Tok Pete on YouTube  Pete on Twitter Pete On Instagram Pete Personal FB page Stand Up with Pete FB page   Gift a Subscription https://www.patreon.com/PeteDominick/gift Send Pete $ Directly on Venmo

Amid political repression and a deepening affordability crisis, Budget Justice: On Building Grassroots Politics and Solidarities (Princeton UP, 2025) challenges everything you thought you knew about “dull” and daunting government budgets. It shows how the latter confuse and mislead the public by design, not accident. Arguing that they are moral documents that demand grassroots participation to truly work for everyone, the book reveals how everyday citizens can shape policy to tackle everything from rising housing and food costs to unabated police violence, underfunded schools, and climate change–driven floods and wildfires.Drawing on her years of engagement with democratic governance in New York City and around the globe, Celina Su proposes a new kind of democracy—in which city residents make collective decisions about public needs through processes like participatory budgeting, and in which they work across racial divides and segregated spaces as neighbors rather than as consumers or members of voting blocs. Su presents a series of “interludes” that vividly illustrate how budget justice plays out on the ground, including in-depth interviews with activists from Porto Alegre, Brazil, Barcelona, Spain, and Jackson, Mississippi, and shares her own personal reflections on how changing social identities inform one's activism.Essential reading to empower citizens, Budget Justice explains why public budgets reflect a crisis not so much in accounting as in democracy, and enables everyone, especially those from historically marginalized communities, to imagine and enact people's budgets and policies—from universal preschool to affordable housing—that will enable their communities to thrive. Celina Su is the inaugural Marilyn J. Gittell Chair in Urban Studies (with an appointment in Critical Social & Environmental Psychology) at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, as well as Associate Professor of Political Science at Brooklyn College. Her interests lie in civil society and the cultural politics of education and health policy. She is especially interested in how everyday citizens engage in policy-making—via deliberative democracy when inclusive institutions exist, and via protest and social movements when they do not. Celina received a Ph.D. in Urban Studies from MIT and a B.A. Honors from Wesleyan University. Jen Hoyer is Technical Services and Electronic Resources Librarian at CUNY New York City College of Technology. She is co-author of What Primary Sources Teach: Lessons for Every Classroom (2022) and The Social Movement Archive (2021), and co-editor of Armed By Design: Posters and Publications of Cuba's Organization of Solidarity of the Peoples of Africa, Asia, and Latin America (2025). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

“Be authentic.” “Own your story.” “Sharpen your edges.”We say these things at Havener Capital all the time (and Stacy says them a lot). But here's the real question: do they actually move the needle?Mike Denklau, founder of Dorset Agriculture, is here to tell you they do. Today, he's giving us a behind-the-scenes look at what happens when you stop code-switching… and start building from your real story.Before launching Dorset, Mike was part of Harvard's endowment, helping manage a $4B+ agriculture and timber portfolio. Long before that, he was an Iowa farm kid. The journey from flannel in the fields to fund meetings in Boston is full of lessons for any founder navigating identity, fundraising, and first-time firm-building.Here's what you'll hear in this episode:How a kid from Iowa ended up managing billions at Harvard and how that full-circle moment sparked Dorset's launchThe overlooked opportunity in ag investing most firms ignore (and where meaningful, steady alpha may actually be hiding)How Mike landed his first investor without a pitch and without trading his comfy flannel in for a stiff suit to fit in Why boutique founders need to stop hiding behind polish and let LPs see the messy middle (because that's where conviction is built)What early-stage fundraising actually feels like and how to keep going when the uncertainty feels personal and loudThis isn't just a story about agriculture. It's a case study in what happens when you own your different, build what the market didn't even know it needed, and let your backstory do what it does best: open doors that fitting in never could. More about Mike Denklau: Mike was born into a third-generation farming family and raised on a farm in Iowa. He has 14+ years of investment and finance experience and was involved with $8B+ of transactions.Prior to Dorset, Mike was an agriculture investor at Solum Partners and Harvard Management Company. Previously, Mike held investment and investment banking roles at Hudson Advisors, Barclays, and Lehman Brothers.Mike earned a MBA and JD from Northwestern University and a BBA in Finance and a BS in Political Science from the University of Iowa. Mike is also a member of the Illinois State Bar Association.Mike enjoys golf, skiing, and Hawkeye football. He currently lives in Boston with his wife, two children, and golden retriever. ---Running a fund is hard enough.Ops shouldn't be.Meet the team that makes it easier. | billiondollarbackstory.com/ultimus- - -Thinking about expanding your investor base beyond the US? Not sure where to start? Take our quick quiz to find out if your firm is ready to go global and get all the info at billiondollarbackstory.com/gemcap

SUMMARY: Guest: Lara Silverman — comedic actress, jazz singer, violinist, author, Stanford Law grad; formerly a federal prosecutor. -Faith roots: Grew up in a large Romanian Christian family (with Syrian Christian heritage); accepted Christ at 7; faith deepened after her aunt's death from cancer. -Calling to law: Loved advocacy and public speaking; passed the bar after intense study; landed her dream role as a federal prosecutor in San Francisco. -Health crisis: Fell acutely ill in week two on the job with a rare, under-researched neurological vertigo disorder; tried ~30–150 therapies and ~38 medications (often worsened symptoms); bedridden for three years on a bedpan; ultimately resigned her post. -Ongoing illness: Continues to experience constant spinning sensations; multiple tentative diagnoses, no definitive cure; learned to walk again despite worsening symptoms when upright. -Spiritual wrestle: Initial confusion turned to seasons of bitterness and anger (more than depression); felt misunderstood by some believers when she sensed God calling her to accept ongoing suffering. -Acceptance and surrender: Believes God spoke that she would not be fully healed on this side of eternity; fasting exposed idols of health, marriage, and career; moved toward surrender and trust. -Meeting Matt: Church acquaintance (youth leader) who reached out during her bedridden years; he had suffered childhood cancer and was later diagnosed with terminal cancer; they formed a deep bond through shared suffering. -Marriage and loss: Married despite her illness and his terminal diagnosis; experienced “joy in grief” through ministry and creativity; Matt died a year later; Lara testifies to God's peace and preparation through the loss. -Joy amid grief: Practiced finding “sprinkles of joy” (comedy clips, music, niece's smile, devotionals); launched The Silverman Show (YouTube: comedy, music, theology); organized jazz fundraisers, including $13K raised for Haiti. -Theology of suffering: *Critiques “prosperity gospel light” in American church; calls for preparing believers to suffer well. *Emphasizes biblical themes: joy in suffering; God's intentional purposes; eternal rewards (e.g., “crown of life”); 2 Corinthians 4:17's “eternal weight of glory.” *Points to Isaiah 61 (double portion/redemption), 1 Peter 1:7 (tested faith), Job-like redemption ultimately fulfilled in eternity. *Cites Helen Roseveare's testimony about trusting God in suffering. -Identity transformation: Early identity tied to achievement and “gold stars”; illness stripped these; learned identity in Christ, not performance; challenged by Matt's loving rebukes about pride and usefulness. -Honest struggles: Jealousy when others receive “basic blessings” (marriage, children, health); wrestled with God's statement “I know what's best for you”; learning to believe God's wisdom without having micro-level reasons. -Church's role: Encourage sound theology of suffering, eternal perspective, and the call to “joy in grief”; avoid equating God's love solely with earthly blessings. -Memoir: Wrote her memoir from bed over eight months, capturing God's “receipts” (journaled answers, provisions, and lessons); aims to comfort sufferers with biblical reasons for suffering and stories of God's nearness. -Hope redefined: Realistic hope is anchored in eternity (John 11:25); freedom from fear of death empowers purposeful living now. -Key scriptures referenced: 2 Corinthians 4:17 (eternal glory) 1 Peter 1:7 (tested genuineness of faith) Isaiah 61 (redemption, double portion) Isaiah 43:19–20 (streams in the wilderness) Romans 8:29 (conformed to Christ) John 11:25 (life beyond death) -Core takeaway: God provides “streams in the desert.” Open your heart to receive and choose joy in the midst of grief; joy and sorrow can coexist, and God will redeem suffering—fully in eternity, and often with foretastes now.   PODCAST INTRO: What happens when the life you planned—brilliant career, healthy body, tidy faith, marriage and children—collides with relentless suffering? For comedian, jazz singer, author, violinist, and Stanford-trained attorney Lara Silverman, that colission became a calling. Lara spent years pursuing her dream of becoming a federal prosecutor—years of academic discipline, devoted goal setting, and passionate pursuit. After graduating from Stanford, she enters the grueling vetting and elimination process of 1000 hopeful lawyers with the goal of making it to the top 3. When she learns that she made it in the top 3 her dream becomes a reality…she is standing at the pinnacle of a major goal in her life. She was accepted as a federal prosecutor and begin the task of fully stepping into that role. Until in her second week on the job, she fell violently ill with what would later be discovered as a rare, unresolved neurological condition that keeps her in a constant state of the world spinning around her. She endures that condition to this day…8 years now, 3 of which left her bedridden, on a bedpan, being cared for and nursed by her parents. Thirty-eight medications failed. Careers, plans, family timelines—all stripped away. In her personal dark valley of multi layered deaths, her testimony is that not only does God meet her there, He has never left her. True to being a trained lawyer, in her effort to make sense of her spinning, crumbling world she uses the Word/Bible to question God's goodness and His fairness demanding that He explain Himself. She's met with firm, steady, unwavering love that consistently engages her pain inviting her from striving to surrender. Through Lara's fasting, God exposed hidden idols—health, marriage, career—not to shame her, but to set her free. Because I think we all know that if we build our lives on things that will fade, change, transition, not to mention the fact that we have no guarantees on anything we risk losing ourselves into despair and ruin. Then came an unlikely gift. As Lara lay in bed, a church acquaintance—Matt Silverman, a brilliant, joy-filled believer battling terminal cancer—began calling to pray and wrestle through theology with her. Friendship became love. They married, held jazz benefit concerts for Haiti, launched a small YouTube channel, and practiced “joy in grief” as a spiritual discipline. Exactly one year later, Matt went home to Jesus. Lara's testimony is not tidy. She speaks frankly about anger, bitterness, jealousy, and the ache of unanswered prayers. Yet she clings to promises many avoid: that suffering refines faith (1 Peter 1), forges intimacy with Christ, prepares us for eternity (2 Corinthians 4), and—even here—can be met with streams in the desert (Isaiah 43). She believes God will redeem every loss, whether in the here and now or in eternity—and that the doctrine of reward, often neglected, gives sturdy hope when the nights are long. Her invitation is simple but not without surrender and therefor difficult: Look for “sprinkles of joy” each day. Refuse to waste your pain—serve others through it. Live now with eternity in view. If you're not afraid to die, you can truly live. Sorrowful, yet always rejoicing. That's Lara's way through the wilderness—and a lifeline for anyone walking it today. In her memoir, Singing Through the Fire, she chronicles all of that's happened, how God shows up, the challenges she's put before Him and vice versa. What does it look like to struggle with God ? Lara provides examples, proof that He doesn't leave even when our faith is weak and ungodly. He holds us up when our faith falters and He sustains us through the most devastating emotional, mental, physical, battles. Let's listen in and find a reason to hope again, to find joy and to be comforted in what can feel like the wilderness. Live Loved and Thrive! Sherrie Pilk   CONNECT WITH LARA: Main Hub: https://linktr.ee/Larap3 Amazon link for her book: https://a.co/d/ayQyB52 Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/lara.palanjian.silverman Instagram handle: @larapalanjian Youtube: https://youtu.be/TDcUeQrbVZk Watch the deeply moving BOOK trailer here:  https://youtu.be/TDcUeQrbVZk Watch the second BOOK trailer here: https://youtube.com/shorts/bO34s0tLYyY?si=uTMALdhOPB6TOCnt RESOURCES PER LARA: Helen Roseveare's testimony: https://youtu.be/VJCCx-qiZ24?si=ANuKzA-A-F6kwEkt Podcast: Keep an eye/ear out for her new podcast: Singing Through Fire w/Lara Silverman BIO: Lara Silverman is a Christian author, lawyer, jazz singer, comedic actress, violinist, and songwriter. She holds a J.D. from Stanford Law School and a B.A. in both Economics and Political Science from UC Berkeley. Before falling seriously ill in 2018, Lara worked for two federal judges and practiced high stakes litigation for three years at Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP, where she specialized in intellectual property, antitrust, and contract cases of all kinds.   In 2023, Lara co-founded The Silverman Show—a multifaceted comedy, music, and theology show—and released her debut jazz/pop album as her own music producer in February 2024. In September 2024, she debuted as Mrs. Serious in her solo Armenian comedy show online, amassing upwards of 300,000 views on individual videos on Instagram. Lara's writing has been featured in various respected Christian blogs, where her reflections on faith, suffering, and grace have encouraged readers across diverse audiences. Even as she remains mostly bedridden today, she anchors her unwavering hope in God.    

Amid political repression and a deepening affordability crisis, Budget Justice: On Building Grassroots Politics and Solidarities (Princeton UP, 2025) challenges everything you thought you knew about “dull” and daunting government budgets. It shows how the latter confuse and mislead the public by design, not accident. Arguing that they are moral documents that demand grassroots participation to truly work for everyone, the book reveals how everyday citizens can shape policy to tackle everything from rising housing and food costs to unabated police violence, underfunded schools, and climate change–driven floods and wildfires.Drawing on her years of engagement with democratic governance in New York City and around the globe, Celina Su proposes a new kind of democracy—in which city residents make collective decisions about public needs through processes like participatory budgeting, and in which they work across racial divides and segregated spaces as neighbors rather than as consumers or members of voting blocs. Su presents a series of “interludes” that vividly illustrate how budget justice plays out on the ground, including in-depth interviews with activists from Porto Alegre, Brazil, Barcelona, Spain, and Jackson, Mississippi, and shares her own personal reflections on how changing social identities inform one's activism.Essential reading to empower citizens, Budget Justice explains why public budgets reflect a crisis not so much in accounting as in democracy, and enables everyone, especially those from historically marginalized communities, to imagine and enact people's budgets and policies—from universal preschool to affordable housing—that will enable their communities to thrive. Celina Su is the inaugural Marilyn J. Gittell Chair in Urban Studies (with an appointment in Critical Social & Environmental Psychology) at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, as well as Associate Professor of Political Science at Brooklyn College. Her interests lie in civil society and the cultural politics of education and health policy. She is especially interested in how everyday citizens engage in policy-making—via deliberative democracy when inclusive institutions exist, and via protest and social movements when they do not. Celina received a Ph.D. in Urban Studies from MIT and a B.A. Honors from Wesleyan University. Jen Hoyer is Technical Services and Electronic Resources Librarian at CUNY New York City College of Technology. She is co-author of What Primary Sources Teach: Lessons for Every Classroom (2022) and The Social Movement Archive (2021), and co-editor of Armed By Design: Posters and Publications of Cuba's Organization of Solidarity of the Peoples of Africa, Asia, and Latin America (2025). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/political-science

My conversation with Dr Greer starts at about 28 minutes in to today's show after headlines and clips Subscribe and Watch Interviews LIVE : On YOUTUBE.com/StandUpWithPete ON SubstackStandUpWithPete Stand Up is a daily podcast. I book,host,edit, post and promote new episodes with brilliant guests every day. This show is Ad free and fully supported by listeners like you! Please subscribe now for as little as 5$ and gain access to a community of over 760 awesome, curious, kind, funny, brilliant, generous soul Dr Greer recently appeared with Dr Jason Johnson on Culture Jeopary, more importantly she has published a new book that we talk about. It's called How to Build a Democracy (Elements in Race, Ethnicity, and Politics) The Blackest Question is a Black history trivia game show. Join Dr. Christina Greer as she quizzes some of your favorite entertainers, history makers, and celebrities while engaging in conversations to learn more about important contributions in Black history and Black culture. The Blackest Questions entertains and informs audiences about little-known but essential black history. Topics range from world history, news, sports, entertainment, pop culture, and much more. Christina Greer is an Associate Professor of Political Science at Fordham University - Lincoln Center (Manhattan) campus. Her research and teaching focus on American politics, black ethnic politics, urban politics, quantitative methods, Congress, New York City and New York State politics, campaigns and elections, and public opinion. Prof. Greer's book Black Ethnics: Race, Immigration, and the Pursuit of the American Dream (Oxford University Press) investigates the increasingly ethnically diverse black populations in the US from Africa and the Caribbean. She finds that both ethnicity and a shared racial identity matter and also affect the policy choices and preferences for black groups. Professor Greer is currently writing her second manuscript and conducting research on the history of all African Americans who have run for the executive office in the U.S. Her research interests also include mayors and public policy in urban centers. Her previous work has compared criminal activity and political responses in Boston and Baltimore.  Prof. Greer received her BA from Tufts University and her MA, MPhil, and PhD in Political Science from Columbia University On YOUTUBE.com/StandUpWithPete ON SubstackStandUpWithPete Pete on Blue Sky Pete on Threads Pete on Tik Tok Pete on YouTube  Pete on Twitter Pete On Instagram Pete Personal FB page Stand Up with Pete FB page   Gift a Subscription https://www.patreon.com/PeteDominick/gift Send Pete $ Directly on Venmo

The OECD Report for Regional Policy for Greece Post-2020 (https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/regional-policy-for-greece-post-2020_cedf09a5-en.html) revealed that 32% of the population lives in predominantly rural regions which is significantly higher than the OECD average share of rural population which is around 25%. Of those living in predominantly rural regions (~3.4 million people), roughly 3 million live in remote rural regions meaning Greece has one of the largest shares in this demographic among OECD countries. Recorded live from the OECD Rural Development Conference in Rio de Janeiro, Greek officials Vasiliki Pantelopoulou (Secretary-General of the Partnership Agreement) and Christos Kyrkoglou (General Director of Monitoring and Implementation) explain Greece's approach to rural urban development under the European Union's Cohesion Policy and the role of Integrated Territorial Investments (ITIs). They describe their respective roles in coordinating and implementing programmes financed through the Partnership Agreement, stressing the importance of integrating urban and rural policies. Sit back, relax and take a listen! Vasiliki Pantelopoulou is a lawyer and a Member of Athens Bar Association. She graduated from School of Law of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and holds two postgraduate degrees (LL.M. in Commercial and Business Law from East Anglia University, U.K., and MSc in Business Administration for Law Practitioners from Alba Graduate Business School, The American College of Greece, Greece). She is a Member of the Board of the Hellenic Development Bank. She has worked for twenty years as an in-house lawyer at STASY – Urban Rail Transport S.A., specialized in the field of public procurement (Law 4412/2016). Since April 2023, she has been the Director of Legal Services at Metavasi S.A. – Hellenic Company for Just Transition S.A. She is a Member of investing Committees such as EQUIFUND I & II, TEPIX III Loan Fund and others. Christos Kyrkoglou is the General Director of Monitoring and Implementation for the ESPA, which operate under the Secretary General. Mr Kyrkoglou holds a Bachelor's Degree in Sociology from Panteion University of Social and Political Sciences, as well as a Master's Degree in Urban and Regional Development from the same institution. In 2023, he was appointed Head of the Special Service for the Coordination of Regional Programs of the General Secretariat for the Partnership Agreement of the Ministry of Economy and Finance. Since 2025, he is Head of the General Directorate for Monitoring and Implementation. His professional interests and fields of expertise span the full spectrum of development interventions under the Partnership Agreement for Regional Development 2021–2027, with a particular focus on employment, human resources development, innovation and entrepreneurship, social policy, territorial development, culture, and the environment. As Public Affairs and Communications Manager, Shayne engages with policy issues concerning SMEs, tourism, culture, regions and cities to name a few. He has worked on a number of OECD campaigns including “Going Digital”, "Climate Action" and "I am the future of work". **** To learn more, visit OECD Latin American Rural Development Conference www.oecd.org/en/events/2025/11/…nt-conference.html and the OECD's work on Rural Development www.oecd.org/en/topics/policy-i…l-development.html. Find out more on these topics by reading Reinforcing Rural Resilience www.oecd.org/en/publications/re…e_7cd485e3-en.html and Rural Innovation Pathways www.oecd.org/en/publications/ru…s_c86de0f4-en.html. To learn more about the OECD, our global reach, and how to join us, go to www.oecd.org/about/ To keep up with latest at the OECD, visit www.oecd.org/ Get the latest OECD content delivered directly to your inbox! Subscribe to our newsletters: www.oecd.org/newsletters

In this episode of Talk Nerdy, Cara is joined by climate change researcher, and Associate Professor of Political Science at Providence College, Dr. Thea Riofrancos. They discuss her newest book, Extraction: The Frontiers of Green Capitalism.