This time we bring on Peter Cole, a historian at Western Illinois University, to talk about his new book Dockworker Power: Race and Activism in Durban and the San Francisco Bay Area. We discuss the fascinating history of militant dockworker labor unions in the U.S. and South Africa, and how they have pushed for a truly international and egalitarian politics.

(Unfortunately due to a technical glitch, Peter has a bit of reverb going on. Just pretend as if he's presenting in Carnegie Hall.)

For the second episode in our Black History Month series, we look at W.E.B. Du Bois, and especially his groundbreaking history of Reconstruction.

This time we bring on Patrick Iber, a historian specializing in Latin America. We discuss the dismal internal situation in Venezuela, Trump's proposed imperialist aggression, and how the American left should think about it all. It's a tricky but still worthwhile topic.

Here's an excerpt of our latest bonus episode, available now on Patreon!

This time we have on Vanessa Bee, a writer, editor, and podcaster for Current Affairs. We discuss the contrasting perspectives of the nature of white privilege with Martin Luther King, Jr and James Baldwin on one side, and Ta-Nehisi Coates on the other. Then we turn to the presidential candidacy of Kamala Harris, and her checkered record as both a fierce prosecutor of small-time criminals (even the parents of truant children) -- but who somehow lost her crusading spirit when it came to Trump Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin's foreclosure fraud business.

The Current Affairs crew is doing a live show this weekend in Washington DC, you can find details here!

Apologies for being a bit behind schedule this time, we had to arrange this interview a bit later than usual. Onward!

Here's a quick excerpt of our latest bonus episode, available right now on Patreon!

This time we talk to longtime Democratic Party activist, political writer, and current congressional staffer Dante Atkins. We discuss the evolution of the party's internal thinking, how it actually functions on the inside, whether or not the new crop of Democratic lefty freshmen are learning the ins and outs of congressional procedure. He also teaches us how to speak the first line of the Odyssey in ancient Greek!

In this episode we discuss how profitable America's imperial machinery really is for the average American schlub (using import statistics from the Federal Reserve and the Census, h/t Matt Bruenig), related articles on the myth of the labor aristocracy, and finally AOC's amusing tax policy weekend.

In our holiday special, we delve into Judith Butler's Adorno Prize Lecture from September 11, 2012 entitled "Can One Lead a Good Life in a Bad Life?" as a framework for better understanding the significance and political function of social movements such as the Yellow Vests, #BlackLivesMatter, and Occupy.  

In this episode, we bring back world champion guest Jeff Spross to discuss Ross Douthat's argument against meritocracy, Bernard Yack's review of Bernard Manin's book The Principles of Representative Government, and finally Helen Andrews' case for aristocracy.