Episodes

Monday Jan 09, 2023
Monday Jan 09, 2023
This time we've got Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò on to discuss his book Elite Capture: How the Powerful Took Over Identity Politics (And Everything Else). We talk about how this cooption process has happened, how to counter it without falling victim to irritable knee-jerk anti-"wokeness," what identity politics originally meant, and more. Enjoy!

Saturday Dec 31, 2022

Saturday Dec 24, 2022
Saturday Dec 24, 2022
We're off this week for vacation, so we're reposting one of our favorite episodes about one of our favorite movies. Happy holidays everyone!
The essay by Clare Coffey about Mary Bailey that we mention can be found here.

Thursday Dec 15, 2022
Thursday Dec 15, 2022
In this preview of our latest bonus episode, David Dayen talks about the Sam-Bankman Fried prosecution. Subscribe now to hear the whole thing!

Tuesday Dec 06, 2022
Tuesday Dec 06, 2022
Today we've got Marshall Steinbaum, professor of economics at the University of Utah, and The Nation's Jeet Heer on to talk about crypto shills--who they are, how they got like that, why there are so many of them among cultural and political elites, and more. Enjoy!

Tuesday Nov 29, 2022

Saturday Nov 19, 2022
Saturday Nov 19, 2022
Today we've got historian Chad Pearson on to talk about his book Capital's Terrorists: Klansmen, Lawmen, and Employers in the Long Nineteenth Century. We discuss how racism is heavily rooted in the need to control Black labor in the South before and after the Civil War, how the KKK was a kind of employer's association, how the civil liberties of workers were systematically violated by corporations and the government in the Gilded Age, and more. Enjoy!

Saturday Nov 12, 2022

Wednesday Nov 02, 2022
Wednesday Nov 02, 2022
This time we've got New York Times columnist Jamelle Bouie on to talk about reclaiming American traditions and institutions from conservative Republicans who want to destroy them.
Items mentioned in the discussion: Jamelle's columns on the Supreme Court, the Senate, and Andrew Yang's dumb third party; his newsletter and podcast; and Ryan's article "Will no one defend the American Republic?"

Wednesday Oct 26, 2022

Welcome aboard!
This podcast is by journalist Ryan Cooper and academic Alexi the Greek. We talk politics, philosophy, history, current events, and whatever else catches our fancy.