Krystal Kyle & Friends

Professor and historian Harvey Kaye and Executive Director of Progressive Democrats of America Alan Minsky join us on episode seventy-two of Krystal Kyle & Friends. These two give their sharp insight into how Democrats are doing on the issues we care most about, like economic inequality and poverty — and how they’ve positioned themselves on these issues in the past.Dr. Kaye, whose work focuses on FDR, the Progressive tradition, and the Four Freedoms, among other things, gives us the historical background on the progressive demand for an economic bill of rights, and a survey of how poverty in rural and urban areas has shaped our political terrain. The eagerness of this party to act like Republicans at best, as Harvey puts it, has laid the groundwork for our current politics of austerity and privation. Meanwhile, Alan helps us get a sense of how the Democratic Party is currently failing to fight back against this politics, and how it should take up the mantle of demanding economic justice. We discuss how the economic component of this agenda has fallen to the wayside and how it should be reclaimed at the heart of our politics. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit krystalkyleandfriends.substack.com/subscribe

This week, we’re joined by Ari Rabin-Havt, deputy campaign manager for Bernie 2020. Ari recently released a book, The Fighting Soul: On the Road with Bernie Sanders, that gives an insider’s view of the groundbreaking campaign. The book provides funny, surprising, and moving anecdotes that give the reader unusual insight into the man behind the campaign — a campaign that deliberately steered away from focus on its central figure, encapsulated in its famous slogan, “Not Me, Us.”We cover everything from the foundations of Bernie’s socialism and his advocacy for democracy to the way that the Bernie 2020 team developed their strategies for the campaign. As Ari explains, Bernie himself built trust with his team to take on work when it became impossible for him to oversee everything. While the years after the 2020 primary have outlined political and creative differences within that campaign team, we think you’ll enjoy hearing about the process of building a campaign that mobilized people across the country, a process in which Ari was directly and closely involved.Thanks for listening to the podcast! You can listen to this episode on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Pandora, and more. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit krystalkyleandfriends.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, Marianne explains how the divide between Turner and Brown — and some current “progressive” electeds’ rush to side with the status quo — bears lessons not only for this singular race, but for the Democratic Party more broadly. Progressives can earn their name by standing behind essential policies like debt cancellation and Medicare for All time and time again — choosing to back away from these policies or their champions when reelection is at stake means that the desire to hold power comes first, and the responsibility to use it wisely comes second. Now, Democrats have allowed themselves to become a party of moneyed interests: even those who call themselves progressives aren’t willing to confront the establishment forces that uphold the status quo.A Congress with Rep. Nina Turner and others like her would be different. How do we get there? Is it even possible to redeem and reclaim the soul of the party? We tackle these questions and more in our discussion with Marianne, and we hope you enjoy.Listen to this conversation as a podcast on Spotify, Pandora, Apple Podcasts, and more. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit krystalkyleandfriends.substack.com/subscribe

After inspiring millions through her work as a campaign chair for Bernie 2020, Nina Turner has gone on to fight for the democratic-socialist vision of single-payer healthcare, student debt cancellation, and housing as a human right through two campaigns for a congressional seat in Ohio’s Eleventh District. She’s rejoining us on KK&F to talk about her political vision and work since she last came on the show.Up against massive corporate donations funneled to her centrist opponent, Turner lost the first election, but she’s running again — and we talk about why this election is different. With a newly redrawn, more progressive district, Nina is reaching the right people with her vision of working-class empowerment. And she thinks she has a winning message for those who have shouldered the burden of COVID-era financial downturn. Proposing robust social support programs and a government built to fulfill the needs of everyday people, this message addresses what the residents of her district are looking for — and we can’t wait to see the result at the polls.You can listen to this episode on Pandora, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and more. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit krystalkyleandfriends.substack.com/subscribe

This week, author and Starbucks union organizer Daisy Pitkin joins KK&F to break down the Amazon Labor Union’s thrilling win — but also to give us a sense of what comes next and what this victory means for workers attempting to keep up the momentum of unionization at Amazon, Starbucks, and other mega-corporations. Daisy herself has spent decades in the union fight, organizing with laundry and garment workers both in and outside of the United States. She brings essential insight to this discussion of a massive step forward for the labor movement, how we make sense of it, and how we can support it moving forward.You can listen to this episode as a podcast on Spotify, Pandora, Substack, Apple Podcasts, and more. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit krystalkyleandfriends.substack.com/subscribe

This week, for Episode 67 of Krystal Kyle & Friends, we sit down with Paul’s Ego of Deep Fat Fried. Self-described as “an educational show made by and for the uneducated,” the beloved show offers everything from a review of President Biden’s first year in office to a meticulous takedown of Marjorie Taylor Greene — plus lots of hilarious and thoughtful content on Waffle House, space travel, and “cool sci-fi guns.” With Paul’s Ego, we dive into the topics of class reductionism, voting for the lesser of two evils, how leftist politicians can avoid the pressure of the status quo, and much more. The massive victory of the Amazon Labor Union, which beat the odds without the help of big-name left politicians, offers a powerful lesson to the electeds who would step back from the most essential fights in the labor movement and beyond. Transformative power for the working class lies in the labor movement, and it’s the role of leftist politicians to lend that movement support — but that support needs to be more than a tweet.You can listen to this episode as a podcast on Spotify, Pandora, Apple Podcasts, and more. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit krystalkyleandfriends.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, we talk to progressive candidate Amy Vilela about the campaign trail for Nevada’s First District and the fight for Medicare for All — why we can’t get discouraged, why there’s never going to be a “perfect moment” for this policy to be enacted, but why we can’t wait any longer. Amy’s voice is an essential one within the discussion of strategy for Medicare for All, and we think you’re sure to appreciate what she contributes to this urgent conversation.You can listen to this conversation as a podcast when it’s released tomorrow on Substack, Spotify, Pandora, Apple Podcasts, and more. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit krystalkyleandfriends.substack.com/subscribe

This week’s guest, Amazon union organizer Christian Smalls, describes how solidarity between workers sets the stage for the massive unionization efforts currently being mounted by Amazon workers in different parts of the country. While Amazon can hire union-busting firms, pay for endless propaganda, and so on, these workers are tirelessly holding conversations, negotiating, and building support for a union that can win them the protections, compensation, and workplace democracy they need.Our conversation with Christian also reminds us that even though big-name progressive politicians have attempted to signal their support for unionizing Amazon workers through retweets and posts, real solidarity extends into meaningful action, and support for workers facing exploitation from one of the world’s biggest corporations should be a real litmus test for our electeds. We talk about what this external solidarity looks like, along with much more on this episode of KK&F.You can listen to this episode as a podcast on Spotify, Pandora, Apple Podcasts, and more. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit krystalkyleandfriends.substack.com/subscribe

This week’s guest is Trita Parsi, executive vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, who shares his insight on how the situation relates to Middle Eastern politics Reflecting on the resounding call for sanctions that’s currently coming from Washington, Dr. Parsi recalls the U.S.’s recent seizing of the Afghan central bank’s funds. This move, which attempted to paint a veneer of charity by putting half of the stolen assets into a humanitarian fund, was a clear grab for power and control over those who have suffered for decades under U.S. militarism. In the case of Russia, sanctions won’t convince a dictator to cease violence against innocent people in the Ukraine. They will, however, visit economic devastation and instability on innocent people in Russia. We believe there’s a better way.This episode of KK&F is available to everyone through Spotify, Pandora, Apple Podcasts, and more. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit krystalkyleandfriends.substack.com/subscribe

We’re joined by foreign policy advisor Matt Duss to discuss the future of the conflict in Ukraine. What comes next? Matt is wary of the calls to sanction, ramp up military action, and escalate the conflict — after all, so many of these calls are coming from the Beltway, where war hawks and defense contractors would love to see a World War III. To him, the question for this moment is “How do we protect human life most effectively?” That doesn’t mean plunging millions more people into financial destitution through sanctions, or creating a no-fly zone that will launch us into a much more dire situation. Instead, the moment for diplomatic discussion and resolution is here. We hope that the most will be made of it.You can listen to this conversation as a podcast on Spotify, Pandora, Apple Podcasts, and more. Thanks for tuning in. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit krystalkyleandfriends.substack.com/subscribe

With the war in Ukraine on our minds, we talk to author Catherine Liu about how class position affects daily life, particularly on the issue of war and peace. How does your class identity shape your understanding of and interactions with American militarism? Catherine makes the great point that the massive wealth commanded by the American military’s adventurism is a cost paid by American civilians, and that today’s military conflicts are used to avoid the implementation of a robust healthcare system.But she also connects the development of this militarism through the twentieth century to the rise of the PMC. Think tanks have played an increasingly important role in beating the drums of war, and Catherine points to the idea of “expertise” in foreign policy that they promote, adding a veneer of intellectualism, experience, and professionalism to this country’s practice of destroying the lives of people overseas in senseless, bloody wars.Our conversation with Catherine helped us to think through this week’s troubling, complicated events, and we think you’ll enjoy the conversation, too. Thanks for your support! You can find this episode as a podcast on Spotify, Pandora, Apple Music, and more. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit krystalkyleandfriends.substack.com/subscribe

The “million-dollar question” on the table, according to this week’s guest Michael Levitin, is how the Occupy ethos — rejecting corporatist obstruction of the people’s agenda — can galvanize American leftists looking to take on the current corporate henchmen of the Democratic Party. We know that policies like Medicare for All are widely popular, but candidates bringing them to the table face serious setbacks from the party. How can we achieve Occupy-style social reform with this set of Manchin-style elites in our way? Michael’s answer is that it’s hard to see a way out of the bind we’re in without a mass populist movement — one that can demand the political changes we so desperately need to see, rather than asking politely for them and being rebuffed by Democrats and Republicans alike. We address questions like these and others with Michael, and we think you’ll want to hear his response.You can listen to this episode on Spotify, Pandora, Apple Podcasts, and more. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit krystalkyleandfriends.substack.com/subscribe

Joining us this week is Chapo Trap House co-host Felix Biederman. We get into the Chapo origin story, what it’s like when your podcast is on the front page of the Times, and Felix’s analysis of the period of precarity and despair that everyday people are living through. And we return to take a look at the 2020 election.As he does in projects like Chapo and Fighting in the Age of Loneliness, Felix is able to speak to the despair of a generation promised a future that years of economic instability have taken away. Faced with mountains of debt and the exploitation of the gig economy, young people are staring down economic crisis. With Felix, we gain insight into how we ended up here, and what the stakes are for everyday people.Audio of this conversation is available on Substack, Spotify, Pandora, Apple Podcasts, and more. Thanks for tuning in. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit krystalkyleandfriends.substack.com/subscribe

This week, Ben Burgis joins us to talk about the current events at the front of your mind. One of the major lightning rods for political discussion in the past weeks has been the movement to push Spotify to censor podcaster Joe Rogan. Among the things we discussed with Ben are what the prevailing narrative gets wrong about Rogan, how to understand his politics amidst the accusations of far-right sympathies that are ascribed to him, and how this fits into a larger story of censorship and free speech — a story in which the left can play a serious role. You can listen to this conversation as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pandora, and more. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit krystalkyleandfriends.substack.com/subscribe

Our conversation with this week’s guest, Johann Hari, moves from the individual to the collective as we discuss the digital algorithms that keep us locked into online life and the ways of resetting our consciousness — both personally and societally — that can lead us to a better way of being.You might know Johann Hari from his books, including Lost Connection: Uncovering the Real Causes of Depression – and the Unexpected Solutions (2018) and his newly released Stolen Focus: Why You Can't Pay Attention. We focus on the latter, drawing on various perspectives — from the content creator to the everyday consumer of online media — to understand how the online world has eroded our collective attention spans, and to hear Johann’s argument on how we can reclaim them. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit krystalkyleandfriends.substack.com/subscribe

In this conversation with author and journalist Peter Goodman, we delve into Peter’s argument for “how billionaires devoured the world” — how a few people with a lot of money are able to command massive control over our politics, our culture, our society at large. It’s also an opportunity to think about the world we might build instead. What rules and regulations could be implemented to stop our billionaire overlords? Do we need an entirely new political system to ensure that nobody reaches Amazon CEO levels of power ever again? We discuss all of this and more on this week’s episode of Krystal Kyle & Friends. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit krystalkyleandfriends.substack.com/subscribe

This week’s guest, Henry Williams, gives us a look into how he and the Gravel Institute team have built a major digital platform to spread leftist ideas and debunk reactionary claims. As a Columbia undergrad, Henry helped to launch and run the campaign of Alaskan Senator Mike Gravel, the antiwar champion who put the Pentagon Papers in the Congressional Record. Now, as the co-founder of the Gravel Institute, he’s built a home for essential video primers on the struggles we face under capitalism — which have racked up a massive, eager online audience. We think you’ll enjoy hearing about Henry’s game-changing work, and we’re grateful to you for tuning in.You can listen to this episode on Pandora, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and other major streaming platforms. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit krystalkyleandfriends.substack.com/subscribe

The Fed remains a mystifying, secretive institution that defies classification. It combines elements of a public, governmental entity with elements of the private banking system. It’s run by a government-appointed team and owned by banks (through non-transferable stock). Confused? We can’t blame you. This week’s guest, Christopher Leonard, is the author of The Lords of Easy Money: How the Federal Reserve Broke the American Economy. He takes us through the ins and outs of the Fed’s history and proceedings, giving us a big picture of how, at this institution’s behest, the rich keep getting richer.Lords of Easy Money’s story leads us to today’s inequality and financial instability. In other words, it’s hard to fully understand our current moment of fiscal crisis without having a grasp on how the Federal Reserve was the key architect of past decades of financial policy, and whose interest that policy was made in. We’re grateful to Christopher for joining us. Remember that you can listen to this episode on major streaming platforms like Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Pandora — and thank you for joining us, too. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit krystalkyleandfriends.substack.com/subscribe

Happy first birthday, Krystal Kyle & Friends. With guests from Nina Turner and Thomas Frank to Noam Chomsky and beyond, we’ve covered a lot of ground this year, and we’re so grateful to you for joining us. We’ve debated the popularity of today’s socialist project and discussed how it will be successful going forward; we’ve taken stock of today’s Democratic Party, and with this week’s guest, Chris Hedges, we’re thinking about whether we should move beyond that party.In the new year, we’re returning to a familiar question: is it possible to build an alternative to the Democratic Party, and how could it make concrete gains for the working class? Chris helps us think it through, contextualizing the “lesser evil” argument we hear every election cycle with the real assaults on civil liberties that Democrats have perpetuated in recent decades. This conversation was an opportunity for us to rethink the meaning of “lesser evil” as it’s used in contemporary politics, but also to imagine a political framework where votes are motivated by a positive leftist movement, not a false choice between two corporate parties. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit krystalkyleandfriends.substack.com/subscribe

We’re at the peak of a season of hyper-consumerism, where the main struggles covered in mainstream media are not low wages and long hours for retail workers but supply chain issues delivering late holiday gifts. Against this backdrop, Max joins us for a necessary conversation on the mainstream narratives putting customers’ convenience over workers’ needs, the ongoing legacy of Reagan-era fetishization of wealth, and the problems and potential we see in current bipartisan support of strikes.Right-wing talk radio and local news are breeding grounds for the idea that strikes, during which workers withhold their labor to strengthen workplace protections and benefits, come at a significant cost to the customer, who is deprived of those goods or services until the strike concludes. While our markets and consumer culture support the customer, workers can’t count on meaningful support from any major political parties. What if this were different, and both Democrats and Republicans were willing to make this a central issue? Right now, displays solidarity are as low-stakes as they come, tweeted words of support when it’s the policy that matters. But we see potential to bring over others on this essential issue, at a time when neither major party is making a serious bid to provide substantial support to the labor movement. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit krystalkyleandfriends.substack.com/subscribe

Steven Donziger joined us for an exclusive interview this week, describing his experiences in prison for the crime of exposing Chevron’s environmental destruction. He was just released last week to serve the rest of his sentence at home. Steven still isn’t free, but as we discuss in this episode, there’s hope that his supporters can turn the tide — in his case and beyond. Advocacy from leftist groups and organizations, coverage from independent media, and outreach from everyday people contributed to a shift in public perception of his case. In turn, this shift changed the way that Steven’s case was treated in prison, he says. While a grassroots movement rallied together in support of Steven, establishment media was notably silent. Only on the day of his sentencing did a mainstream news outlet step up to bring attention to the case. While their interests remain vested with Chevron and with other capitalist behemoths, ours remain with Steven — remembering that sharing his story and fighting together for his release can have a measurable impact, now and in struggles to come. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit krystalkyleandfriends.substack.com/subscribe

This episode finds us sitting down with political writer Freddie DeBoer to discuss his work and ideas, particularly a debate around the popularity of the Left’s platform. In a recent piece for the New York Times, Freddie argues that major leftist electoral losses (think the two defeats of the Sanders campaign) can’t be written off as election-rigging; they must be explained by the fact that socialists don’t command the support of the voting base as well as their opponents. From the article’s title — “Democratic Socialists Need to Take a Hard Look in the Mirror” — it’s clear that, for Freddie, these electoral losses demand that the Left re-evaluate the popularity of its policies.We bring in another perspective, arguing that among other issues, the left has been hobbled by the inaccessible and insular rhetoric that has been adopted in its struggle for some key policies. Freddie brings an interesting and well-argued perspective, and we think you’ll enjoy the debate. Thanks for joining us — and if you want to listen to this episode as a podcast, you can find it on Pandora, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and more. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit krystalkyleandfriends.substack.com/subscribe

This week, we’re joined by professor of political science Adolph Reed Jr. to discuss the power of organizing versus mobilizing, how to address capitalism as a root problem, the task of getting money out of politics, and more. We explore how and why the left has fallen short of building robust, lasting coalitions, and why it’s so important now. We also get into the central issue of money in politics — what kind of model, existing or otherwise, will bring about democracy in American elections? We’re incredibly grateful to Professor Reed for joining us on the show, and we hope you enjoy this thoughtful conversation.You can listen to this conversation as a podcast on Pandora, Spotify, Apple Music, and more. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit krystalkyleandfriends.substack.com/subscribe

This week, with guest David Doel, we talk about the business of labeling our politics as leftists. For someone like Kyle, who feels terms like “social democrat” might apply alongside elements of terms like “libertarian socialist,” a single label doesn’t necessarily jump out. After all, what is made to seem radical and revolutionary in mainstream U.S. politics is moderate in other industrialized countries, from single-payer healthcare to paid family leave and more.We also cover big-ticket questions of principle and strategy when it comes to building independent platforms. David, as the host of The Rational National, shares his own expertise as someone who has built a massive online following from sharing leftist political perspectives — helping us understand how leftists can get the message out there.You can listen to this episode as a podcast on Spotify, Pandora, Apple Podcasts, and more. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit krystalkyleandfriends.substack.com/subscribe

This week’s guest, Katie Halper, takes us through the country’s strike wave and other current events with her trademark humor and sharp political insight. Katie speaks openly about the frustration and despair she’s felt with electoral politics since the defeat of Bernie 2020, but she also points out the political developments that are giving her hope, and can give you hope, too.As the host of The Katie Halper Show and co-host of Useful Idiots, Katie is a major voice in leftist independent media. Comedian, writer, and director, she’s lent her talents to many different projects, from stand-up comedy to political organizing to documentary work. We hope you enjoy this conversation — it’s also available on Spotify, Pandora, Apple Podcasts, and wherever else you get your podcasts. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit krystalkyleandfriends.substack.com/subscribe

This week’s guest is Katie Rader, a professor of political science at Christopher Newport University, who was involved with Jacobin, YouGov, and the Center for Working Class Politics’s recent study on the kind of candidates, messaging, and political strategy that can win working-class votes and deliver for those voters. (You can read the study here.) How can leftist political campaigns build bona fides among working-class voters? The research shows that it’s about focusing on the issues, not shying away from the message of class struggle, steering clear of “activist speak” in favor of plain terms for material solutions, and much more — Katie lays it all out for us in this week’s episode.You can listen to this conversation as a podcast on Substack, Spotify, Pandora, Apple Podcasts, and wherever else you get your podcasts. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit krystalkyleandfriends.substack.com/subscribe

This week’s guest, TJ Kirk, gets us to think about atheism, nihilism, morality, and the social role of religion. You might know TJ from his YouTube presence as The Amazing Atheist, where he’s discussed his atheist perspective in front of millions of viewers. Kyle’s conversation with this week’s guest gives us the opportunity to reconsider conventional takes on our value systems: on the topic of nihilism, TJ makes the case that forgoing a greater meaning behind our existence doesn’t require giving up a personal sense of purpose and appreciation of life. In fact, rethinking or freeing ourselves from moral codes that don’t improve our lives might give us the opportunity to find our real purpose, rather than to follow the one that is ascribed to us.We’re grateful to TJ for this deeply philosophical discussion, one that also touches on his own experience building a massive online platform that has reached so many people on personal, engaging topics. You can also find this conversation on Spotify, Pandora, Apple Podcasts, and wherever else you get your podcasts. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit krystalkyleandfriends.substack.com/subscribe

This week, the story at the front of our minds is the recent unwelcome development on the budget bill: because establishment Democrats like Manchin and Sinema are determined to deliver for their corporate donors, Americans won’t be getting the broad Medicare expansion, paid family leave, and free community college provisions that they were promised, among other things. As KK&F alum David Sirota points out in a Jacobin piece co-authored with Andrew Perez, there won’t be any building back better until the Democratic Party breaks its ties with big money. In the meantime, we’re getting scraps in the middle of the COVID crisis — and from climate change to infrastructure and basic welfare measures, our government can’t be trusted to deliver as long as it answers to corporate lucre.We’re welcoming Jordan Chariton to the show this week, getting his expert’s insight into building an independent media platform, tracking the stories he’s following on the ground and documenting with everyday Americans’ perspectives, and delving into the week’s political developments. You can also hear this podcast on major streaming platforms like Pandora, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and more. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit krystalkyleandfriends.substack.com/subscribe

This week's guest, Jonah Furman, gives us a crash course on why John Deere workers are striking, why the proposed contract was a no-go, and what’s at stake for the labor movement at large. Taking a look at the conditions that brought the workers to reject the proposed contract, John Deere management is using a strategy dating back to the beginning of capitalist exploitation: dividing workers to prevent them from uniting behind common interests. But instead of accepting these divisions, Deere workers are fighting back. In this episode, we discuss how. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit krystalkyleandfriends.substack.com/subscribe

This week, Ken Klippenstein joined us for Episode 42 of Krystal Kyle and Friends, giving us the scoop on national security, the political clout of big business, what’s new with the Left’s best friend Kyrsten Sinema, and our current media landscape. Recently, Ken has broken big stories for the Intercept on Kyrsten Sinema’s class on fundraising (leave it to the experts!) and CIA-backed Afghan resistance leaders fleeing the country. In his free time, you can find him filing FOIA requests and cultivating his famous Twitter presence (we discuss how it’s affected his work life). Thanks for joining us, and don’t forget to subscribe if you’d like access to Friday video posts. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit krystalkyleandfriends.substack.com/subscribe

How can we contextualize Biden's leadership style with the Obama years? How do the important deals get made in US politics — and what can leftist agitators do to make the deals they want to make? We address questions like these with this week's guest: Jeff Stein, White House economics reporter for the Washington Post. From the budget bill to the debt ceiling and beyond, Jeff speaks to the key political and economic struggles of the moment, the role our president is playing in them, and how they will affect the American people. We're grateful to him for joining us. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit krystalkyleandfriends.substack.com/subscribe

This week, David Sirota joined us on Krystal Kyle & Friends to discuss everything from his latest foray into film to his perspective on current events, particularly the holdup of the budget. David explains the strategy corporate lobbyists are pushing to kill the reconciliation bill — breaking its link to the infrastructure bill, which they hope to pass. By joining the bills, however, progressives in the Senate have created a “take it or leave it” situation for Kyrsten Sinema, who will need to support the reconciliation bill in order to keep her corporate donors happy. Pulling a missed lesson from the Obama era, David argues that delivering big, substantive change for the American people will be the Democrats’ real key to building support for upcoming elections — not patting themselves on the back for victories that are too little, too late. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit krystalkyleandfriends.substack.com/subscribe

In this week’s episode of Krystal Kyle & Friends, we discuss current events alongside the history of corporate greed condoned by the government. This is told through the lens of the 2008 financial crash, a story brilliantly brought together in the documentary The Con by writer/director Eric Vaughan and producer Patrick Lovell. Vaughan and Lovell join us to explain how the story of government regulation figures into the timeline of the crash: How was the corruption of the financial sector enabled by our political landscape, and how are we still paying the price for this setup? Vaughan and Lovell have the answers.Audio of this conversation is available on Substack, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Pandora, and more. Thanks for tuning in. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit krystalkyleandfriends.substack.com/subscribe

Hi all: here’s a reminder about the weekly Krystal Kyle & Friends posting schedule. Paid subscribers receive videos of our weekly conversation at 9pm on Fridays through Substack. Audio conversations are available through Substack, Spotify, Pandora, Apple Podcasts, and more on Saturday evenings, and we post a weekly sneak peek on Tuesdays at 9pm. To become a paying subscriber, just press the button below.Thanks to Russell Brand for joining us on Krystal Kyle & Friends this week to discuss his political philosophy, the future of struggle against inequality and his current work “infusing political discourse with spiritual ideas.” We also had to get his views on Nicki Minaj/ballgate, Candace Owens, and AOC’s “tax the rich” dress. We hope you enjoy! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit krystalkyleandfriends.substack.com/subscribe

This week, we’re joined by Faiz Shakir as we dive into the left pressures on the Biden administration, the challenges and rewards of creating independent media, the future of the reconciliation package, and much more.After the Bernie campaign, Faiz has shifted to independent media work, founding More Perfect Union — which provides coverage of the labor movement, from the unionization effort in Bessemer to the current strike among Nabisco workers. He tells us about his experiences sharing working-class stories that have been excluded from mainstream coverage and bringing these critical issues to light. It’s a conversation we think you’ll enjoy.Audio of this conversation is available on Substack, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Pandora, and more. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit krystalkyleandfriends.substack.com/subscribe

Krystal Kyle & Friends gets psychological this week — with a little help from our friends Charlie and Ben of Charisma on Command. In this episode, we dig into the famous personalities of the 2016 election (and how Hillary’s false. poorly-acted “outsider” role may have cost her public support), Democrats’ poor campaigning tactics for the California gubernatorial recall election, and much more.But Charlie and Ben’s analysis of charismatic, engaging behavior extends beyond politics and into the realm of personal life. What qualities draw other people toward you? How can you strengthen those qualities in order to build your relationships and lead a more fulfilling life? Our guests lay it out for us — what they’ve explored in Charisma on Command, and what they’ve learned from work and life. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit krystalkyleandfriends.substack.com/subscribe

In this week’s episode with guest Matthew Hoh, we strip away the layers of deception and manipulation that have been used to manufacture public consent for the U.S. war in Afghanistan. Whether the supporters of America’s ruling class are weaponizing the stories of Afghan women and girls’ suffering to call for war, or claiming that the U.S.’s business in Afghanistan is that of building schools instead of destroying lives — or even calling for the U.S. to arm the mujahideen again — we hear far too little from the people whose lives have been put on the line by American imperial interests. How is it possible to reject the falsehoods we’ve been fed over the past two decades? That question drives this week’s conversation with Matthew Hoh. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit krystalkyleandfriends.substack.com/subscribe

This week on Krystal Kyle & Friends: updates on the defamation suit filed by Mike Lindell, Sydney Powell, and Rudy Giuliani; the latest in bipartisan corruption and personal gain from government contracts; and, of course, our special conversation with human rights attorney Steven Donziger, on his landmark case against Chevron. This interview offers rare insight into the full story of Donziger’s incredible case against the fossil fuel behemoth Chevron. From start to finish, Donziger explains how he became involved in the fight to hold Chevron to account for destroying the Amazon and poisoning the Ecuadoreans who called it home, all in the name of a profit motive. Fighting Chevron’s attacks from house arrest, Donziger wants to bring his story to light — the story of how a massive corporation has evaded justice for exploiting the environment, and how the attempts to uncover and publicize this exploitation have been stifled. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit krystalkyleandfriends.substack.com/subscribe

This week, we sit down with your favorite Funky Academic, Irami Osei-Frimpong, to discuss the importance of institutional participation in our social and political lives, the illusion of choice that liberalism supports, and much more.Irami asks you to imagine being a vegetarian who has thirteen choices of meat for dinner. That’s the way we look at the dysfunctional, punishing healthcare programs that are available to most working people in this country. The free-market virtue of choice, embraced by the U.S. ruling class over the evils of socialism, guarantees that we must be free if we’re at liberty to choose our fate. But when the choice on the table is “Medicare for all who want it,” and we have either a vastly underfunded, under-enrolled public option or a prohibitively expensive private one, can we say that the liberal illusion of choice is bringing us prosperity? Would it be such an infringement of our freedoms if the U.S. government guaranteed high-quality healthcare for all, like it or not? To get the whole conversation on audio, find our podcast on Substack, Spotify, Pandora, Apple Podcasts, and more. Thanks for joining another week of Krystal Kyle & Friends. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit krystalkyleandfriends.substack.com/subscribe

On today’s episode of Krystal Kyle & Friends, we’re thrilled to bring you a conversation between Krystal and Senator Bernie Sanders. Countless people were drawn into leftist politics and movements through Bernie’s 2016 campaign, which rejected Trump’s empty appeals to the working class and introduced a movement based on class struggle and solidarity. In the Senator’s own words, “If there is going to be a class war in this country, it’s about time the working class won that war.” The reconciliation bill negotiated by Senator Sanders includes significant items like a renewable energy standard, universal pre-K, and 2 years of community college. It also is a very long way from being final or complete. Will Democrats allow the parliamentarian to kill the PRO Act or the renewable energy standard? Will corporate democrats demand sweeping changes and dramatically lower the pricetag? We get to these questions and more on this week’s episode of Krystal Kyle & Friends. Listen now on Substack, Spotify, Pandora, Apple Podcasts, and more. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit krystalkyleandfriends.substack.com/subscribe

In 2015, Dan Price did something we wish would keep happening: as the CEO of Gravity Payments, a credit card company, he raised Gravity’s minimum yearly salary to $70k — and lowered his own salary to $70k from over a million dollars. In this week’s episode of Krystal Kyle & Friends, we talk to Dan about this choice, from its catalyst to its effects. How does he respond to the CEOs who insist that paying poverty wages is good for business? What kind of ideology was he exposed to as a CEO, and what made him turn away from it? Dan answers all of these questions and more in Episode 31 of Krystal Kyle & Friends. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit krystalkyleandfriends.substack.com/subscribe

This week, we were lucky enough to invite Briahna Joy Gray onto Krystal Kyle & Friends. Former senior politics editor for the Intercept and national press secretary for Bernie 2020, current host of Bad Faith podcast and Current Affairs contributing editor, Briahna has brought her gifts to the American left in a number of ways, and we had the opportunity to talk to her about her work and political journey on this week’s episode of the show. Briahna wants to talk about the weakness of the liberal consensus that is held together by the power and riches of the Democratic Party. She knows it’s not working for us, and she knows we’ve noticed. An essential part of the Bernie campaign was the task of acknowledging and mobilizing the real, material hurt that working people face in everyday life: debt, massive medical bills, poor housing, feeding a family on poverty wages. For while these are things that everyday Americans tend to think about the most, the Democratic establishment is eager to pass them over, offering empty, performative gestures to ignore constituents’ cries for help. It doesn’t have to be this way, no matter what the party insists. We’re so grateful to Briahna for sharing her time and wonderful insight with us. Don’t forget to check out her podcast, Bad Faith. And to listen to this episode as a podcast, find Krystal Kyle & Friends on Spotify, Pandora, Apple Podcasts. Thanks for tuning in, everyone. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit krystalkyleandfriends.substack.com/subscribe

You might be inclined to think that the story of drug criminalization begins with the Reagan administration, or with the culture of substance use in the Sixties. Ismail Ali says otherwise. Ismail is this week’s guest on Krystal Kyle & Friends; he’s from MAPS [Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies], an organization that produces research on the healing and therapeutic potential of psychedelics.The task of reframing our society’s perception of psychedelic use is a big one, but as you’ll hear in this week’s conversation, it offers a great deal of positives — which decades, and even centuries, of drug policing have fought to hide from us.Where does the story of government control of substances start in the United States? In our conversation, Ismail traces it back to the 1800s, following a line of prohibitive legislation, but he also draws upon a history of colonialism that predates the founding of the United States. Understanding why certain substances are criminalized in the U.S. means more than understanding their chemical composition. It means understanding how different religious groups have interacted in the past centuries, how different societies have developed moral codes, and, more recently, how drug criminalization has been used to continue the legacy of colonialism into the twenty-first century. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit krystalkyleandfriends.substack.com/subscribe

This week, we were honored to hold a discussion with Gabriel and John Shipton, the brother and father of American hero Julian Assange. As we mention in our introduction to this conversation, the violations of First Amendment rights and basic human rights that led to Assange’s incarceration have an impact on all of us. We’re humbled to share this episode of Krystal Kyle & Friends with you. In our last post, we discussed the basics of the unjust imprisonment of Julian Assange, founder of whistleblowing org WikiLeaks. Now, Gabriel and John reveal details about Julian’s current living conditions, the discovery of fabricated testimony against him, and the U.S. media’s determined blackout of his case. For so many of us, the feelings of patriotism that this weekend’s holiday is supposed to drum up has been forever changed by the information that Julian sacrificed to share with us. We know that the American government’s demand for unquestioning allegiance comes at the cost of safety, health, freedom, and life for millions of people across the world. We also know that the values that supposedly build our national character — freedom to express ourselves, to question, and to speak to our beliefs — can be bought and paid for, whisked away for the Department of Defense’s convenience. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit krystalkyleandfriends.substack.com/subscribe

We’re thrilled to report that Hasan Piker — you know him as HasanAbi, the wildly popular leftist Twitch streamer and commentator — joined us for this week’s episode of Krystal Kyle & Friends. Hasan provided his trademark keen insight on the key leftist struggles of our moment, what’s wrong with the infighting among leftist political commentators, how we can productively critique progressive lawmakers, and much more.We had to kick off the episode by talking about this week’s big story: Britney Spears gave testimony on the cruel, exploitative nature of her thirteen-year conservatorship. With her most basic rights thrown away to the discretion of her father, Britney detailed the truly horrific abuse that has followed the loss of her autonomy. Working seven days a week without control of her money, denied the most basic power over her body: Britney’s story is a chilling example of the linkages between ableism and the restriction of reproductive rights. It’s also a story of labor abuses. The call to #FreeBritney is an essential feminist mandate: nobody should have to live this way. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit krystalkyleandfriends.substack.com/subscribe

On to this week’s episode of Krystal Kyle & Friends. We brought siblings David and Margaret Talbot onto the show to talk about their work unearthing and portraying leftist history.For historians of the ‘60s and ‘70s, one of the most pressing questions to ask is: What did the revolutionary movements of this period get right, and where did they go wrong? Of course, David and Margaret give us thought-provoking and insightful answers — on modern cynicism toward leadership; movements’ source of direction and inspiration; the importance of coalition-building; and the role of solidarity in the revolution. There’s an unbelievable wealth of knowledge to gain here. We’re grateful David and Margaret took the time to spell it out for us, and we think you’ll enjoy. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit krystalkyleandfriends.substack.com/subscribe

I’ve come to believe that this is the defining characteristic of my generation: keeping our options open.Pete Davis begins his 2021 book Dedication: The Case for Commitment by describing the modern refusal to commit with a low-stakes example. “Infinite browsing mode” is perfectly captured by an evening spent trawling the full Netflix database, rejecting each movie option in case a better one comes along. But in his appearance on this week’s episode of Krystal Kyle & Friends, Pete makes it clear that the stakes of indecisiveness are far greater than permanently scrolling through media sites. Our conversation inspired us to reflect on the value of commitment to ideals, principles, political movements. How well are we serving ourselves and our world by refusing to stand by what we believe in? And when there’s room for us to commit ourselves to these projects, how can we make the leap?As Pete points out, the victories we achieve through commitment tend to be quiet success stories. Hollywood prefers to glamorize stories of epiphanies and “big breaks” — single moments that change a person’s life or redefine their sense of self. Given that the escape from infinite browsing mode is hard-won and often difficult, we can’t expect to watch the value of commitment play out on the big screen in popular culture. But the personal and social enrichment that these commitments yield, Pete argues, is what makes it all worth it. We’re inclined to agree. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit krystalkyleandfriends.substack.com/subscribe

We’re honored to be joined by political activist and actress Rose McGowan for this week’s episode, discussing the hypocrisy of the Democratic Party, the culture of fear and violence in Hollywood, and the solidarity of the ruling class — from the CIA to the media. For Rose, the story of the Democratic Party is the story of a cult: Google the definition, she suggests, and it’s all too obvious. The demand of unconditional loyalty sits at the center of this comparison. Leftist organizers know that lobbying the Democrats for universal healthcare, a jobs guarantee, or reduced police budgets results in personal attacks, accusations of supporting the far-right, empty gestures — in essence, anything but the basic human right we’re asking for. The Democratic establishment depends upon partisan polarization — the eternal, anti-materialist struggle between Team Red and Team Blue — to insist that any political activism outside this binary is toxic, dangerous, “asking too much.” Rose’s critiques of this controlling political cult, which asks for everything and gives nothing in return, remind us how essential it is that we not only ask for more, but demand it. We hope you enjoy this thought-provoking episode of Krystal Kyle & Friends — and we hope you come back for more next week.Audio of this episode of Krystal Kyle & Friends will be available on Substack, Pandora, Stitcher, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and more tomorrow evening. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit krystalkyleandfriends.substack.com/subscribe

With the announcement of Breaking Points, Krystal’s new independent YouTube show and podcast with co-host Saagar Enjeti, it’s been a whirlwind week. Big things are coming on Krystal Kyle & Friends, too. We’re bringing Rose McGowan on the show to discuss the cult of the Democratic Party, the struggle to bring Harvey Weinstein to justice, and the ways that social media platforms protect dangerous people. A talented actress and a tireless advocate for survivors of sexual assault, Rose has used her voice to call out the abusive behavior of men protected by wealth and fame. We’re honored to have her on the show this week, and we hope you’re looking forward to the conversation. To be honest, we think she’s going to blow your mind. When Tara Reade, a former congressional staffer for Joe Biden, came forward in early 2020 to report that Biden sexually assaulted her, mainstream news outlets like The New York Times dismissed the allegation against the Democratic establishment candidate. While these sources probed Reade’s past landlords for details in order to paint her as a dishonest and untrustworthy voice, few were willing to give her the opportunity to tell her story, one that she had told to various people in her life for many years. Reade found an ally in Rose McGowan. Refusing to be silenced by establishment dismissal of her rape allegation against Harvey Weinstein, Rose criticized the treatment of Reade’s story as “politically inconvenient” for the Democratic Party — supposedly the party of believing women and supporting survivors.Rose has continued to call out the hypocrisy of the Democratic Party, comparing it to a cult and observing the ways in which it calls its followers are led to abandon their principles. From smearing survivors to protecting predatory billionaires, the Democrats often stand for little other than performative opposition to the Republican Party, whose political agenda they’re all too happy to allow. Mainstream outlets like the New York Times want you to think that Biden is the new FDR and that Trump’s replacement means the end of rape culture, but Rose McGowan knows how empty those proclamations are. We can’t wait to share our conversation with you — Friday is only a few days away.Paid subscribers access the video of our KK&F episodes on Friday evenings, when they drop on Substack. Everyone else can listen to the audio through Substack, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Pandora, and more once it is released on Saturday evening. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit krystalkyleandfriends.substack.com/subscribe

As this week’s guest on Krystal Kyle & Friends, Vaush had plenty to discuss with us. Because of his experience as a debater and his political identification as a leftist, we brought up the big issues — how leftists should regard the Biden presidency, the legacy of Bernie or Bust, supporting Palestine — and Vaush didn’t disappoint. Without further ado, here’s the newest episode of Krystal Kyle & Friends.During an age in which we head to YouTube to learn essential skills, enjoy ourselves, and gain some political perspective, Vaush has made a name for himself by delving into timely leftist discussions, sharing his insights and analyses with hundreds of thousands of people online. From a “Politics 101” intro video with thousands of hits, to more recent responses to Ben Shapiro and PragerU, Vaush doesn’t shy away from clashes with the far right — he’s happy to take on their ideas from a leftist perspective, and we were excited to hear more about that perspective during this week’s conversation.Vaush, Kyle and Krystal also dive straight into areas of some disagreement. Bernie or Bust, the Populist Right, woke ideology and Vaush’s critique of Rising were all addressed. We think you’ll find it very interesting. In addition, Krystal had a chance to talk a bit more about her big news. In case you missed it, Krystal and Saagar are leaving The Hill for a new chapter in their work together! To be the first to know the details of what comes next, sign up at krystalandsaagar.com. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit krystalkyleandfriends.substack.com/subscribe