Krystal Kyle & Friends

COVID didn’t start the struggles that American teachers face today. It did, however, force our country’s educators to face new political and economic threats. Now, as teachers stand up and fight back on picket lines across the country, we’re also asking questions about what our educational system could and should look like. What new roles could public education play in students’ lives, and why is it so important that we fight for them? This is just the beginning of our conversation with historian, author, and educator Eric Blanc, and we hope you enjoy.Thanks for tuning in. You can listen to this podcast tomorrow 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

From an assessment of the motives behind Trump’s retention of classified info to explainers on the Espionage Act, Special Access Programs, and everything else that’s further complicating the debacle at Mar-a-Lago, our guest Ken Klippenstein joins us to demystify the raid on Trump’s property and give us some insight into what comes next. This discussion of how Trump went rogue with top-secret government intel fits into a longer timeline of Trump’s cavalier approach to classified info — like his Twitter calls to declassify Russiagate info, which his administration later nullified. With Ken leading the way, we put it all in context, adding our own ideas about Trump’s future plans for presidential races, strengthening Saudi ties, and more. We hope you’ll enjoy the conversation, and as always, we’re grateful to you for listening. This episode is also available 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 an exclusive interview, Jesse Ventura takes us through his journey as an antiwar advocate, a pro wrestler, and a famously successful third-party candidate for Governor of Minnesota. Ventura is known as a major, widely renowned wrestler, and he explains how wrestlers like him brought significant attention to Saturday night wrestling. But as we know from his legacy as an organizer within the wrestling community, Ventura brought attention to the unfair contracts and compensation that he and his fellow wrestlers received. He’s carried this spirit of class struggle with him into his advocacy against war, where he brought attention to the draft as a method of exploiting young working-class people to the benefit of the wealthy.Our conversation with Ventura captures his unique experiences organizing his pro wrestling colleagues, formulating a politics against violence and exploitation, and creating a viable path to third-party victory in his home state of Minnesota. We hope you enjoy the discussion. You can listen to this episode as a podcast on Spotify, Pandora, Apple Podcasts, and more. If you’d like to support our work, which will always be available to you ad-free and for just $5 a month, we invite you to become a paying subscriber and get your episodes one day early. Take care and see you next week for 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 bringing you a lively discussion — and some friendly debate — between KK&F host Kyle and our friends Adam and Sitch of the Sitch & Adam show. Adam and Sitch have positioned themselves as enlightened centrists, taking a critical stance on some issues at the core of traditional left politics but embracing progressive ideas like Modern Monetary Theory. That is to say, there’s plenty of room in this conversation for beliefs to be challenged, new ideas to be introduced, and the latest in big news — from the Alex Jones trial to the limitations of Roe v. Wade — to be discussed from different political angles.We hope you enjoy this episode of KK&F, featuring our breakdown of the Alex Jones trial; a discussion of Roe v. Wade and what Kyle, Adam, and Sitch see as the ideal situation for reproductive rights in the U.S.; and much more. Thanks for subscribing — remember that you can listen to this episode when it’s released tomorrow on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Pandora, and more.Thumbnail image: Sergio Flores / Getty Images 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

If you told me a cosmic ray hit Washington and flipped everyone’s brains, giving Schumer the Machiavellian cunning of a Republican and giving McConnell the guileless approach of a Democrat, that might be a more plausible explanation for this display than the truth.So says Prospect editor David Dayen in a recent piece on the shocking Manchin-Schumer deal that will use $369 billion in funding to combat the climate crisis and address energy security. David is a seasoned political writer, covering issues from Build Back Better to the Supreme Court in recent weeks, and his piece captures the senator’s surprising heel turn from forestalling governmental action on climate disaster to allowing a basic level of climate funding to see the light of day.Of course, the funds set up by the Inflation Reduction Act are only the beginning of the resources and dedication required to tackle the issue of impending environmental disaster. As long as Manchin preserves his lucrative ties to the fossil fuel industry, we won’t see the bold action on climate change that our government is more than capable of, and the American working class will be the first to suffer as a result. So, with David, we take a well-rounded look at what this bill means for the American people, what it means for the future of power relationships within the Democratic Party, and what it means for our shared future.This episode is also available on Spotify, Pandora, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, 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 thrilled to bring Zac and Gavin of The Vanguard podcast onto the show for Episode 82 of KK&F. These terrific guests bring wit and welcome insight to their exploration of today’s independent media landscape — and of what that landscape can tell us about free speech, misinformation, and freedom of the press in the United States. Zac and Gavin see their channel’s interventions into left-media disputes as interventions into deeper, more perennial conversations about the role and responsibility of the political commentator. They mention recent coverage of a certain commentator’s threats to sue over a disagreement — and how that conversation evolved into a bigger discussion of defamation, freedom of speech, and other issues that shape what messages are censored and who is allowed to participate in these debates.Then it’s time to consider what lies in store for us in 2024, especially whether the Left will have a candidate to coalesce behind. From familiar faces like Bernie and Marianne to potential newcomers, we imagine the campaign that could bring a left perspective to the 2024 presidential election. You can listen to this 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, we’ve prepared a conversation for you with the brilliant scholar Gary Gerstle, whose research on what defines the global neoliberal order can also help us understand what might bring that order to a close. We’re sharing this conversation on the heels of the news that Manchin, who’s made no secret of his opposition to Biden’s most meager proposals for social welfare, will oppose the shell of Build Back Better that remains. Specifically, he’s vetoing measures to address climate change and taxing the rich — that is, the watered-down measures that remain on the Biden agenda. The political agenda he supports — means-testing, sacrificing us all to the whims of the market — suggests that the neoliberal order is alive and well.We hope you’ll enjoy this discussion on Episode 81 of KK&F, with Gerstle’s insights on how neoliberal economic approaches continue to shape the world we’re living in, on what could come next, and on how this all fits into the political moment we’re living through. Thanks for joining us for 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

In an episode months in the making, Krystal Kyle & Friends’s Kyle Kulinski is joined by psychologist and political commentator Dr. Jordan Peterson. For Kyle, it’s the “perfect situation” of getting to speak with someone whose work in psychology and philosophy has been particularly interesting to him — but who differs from him significantly on most political issues. They’re here for a back-and-forth on everything from Twitter controversies to Trump, economics, liberal versus conservative mindsets, and interpreting the results of Kyle’s personality quiz. We hope you enjoy the episode! It’s also available as a podcast on Spotify, Pandora, Apple Podcasts, and more. If you liked this conversation, consider becoming a paying subscriber for $5/month: 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

Sixty-one percent — a majority — of Americans support the legalization of abortion. Yet in last week’s Supreme Court decision, five out of nine judges voted to overturn the prior decision that federally protected abortion as a right. As we’ve seen from the extremely contentious appointments of Brett Kavanaugh, Amy Coney Barrett, and more, everyday people don’t even have a direct say in who gets to be on the court, much less in the life-changing opinions that the court hands down.Roe v. Wade is our focus this week, with guest Pascal Robert (he hosts This Is Revolution podcast, and you can find the Patreon here). With Pascal, we discuss the history of unaccountability and undemocratic decision-making within the highest court in the country, as well as the path forward offered by liberalism — and how that path may well be a dead end.Thanks for tuning in. You can tune into the podcast through Pandora, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, 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, the Supreme Court landed the death blow to Roe vs. Wade, a decision which federally protected the right to abortion. Trigger laws are taking effect; abortion clinics are closing. It will take the grassroots struggle of working people to make abortion — an essential element of basic healthcare — not only legal across the nation, but also free and easy to obtain in a way it has never been before. We’ve seen all too clearly that the Supreme Court won’t deliver when it comes to protecting our basic rights, and when our lives are on the line, the Democratic Party has only performative, empty gestures to offer.We’ve got a great show for you this week, centering on issues of free speech and attacks on independent media. Journalist Branko Marcetic, author of Yesterday’s Man: The Case Against Joe Biden, as well as a staff writer at Jacobin magazine, joins us to discuss online censorship of left and independent media, the extradition of Julian Assange, and much 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

Welcome back to Krystal Kyle & Friends, where we’re joined by Humanist Report host Mike Figueredo. Our conversation with Mike is wide-ranging: We talk with him about everything from his experiences as a “veteran” leftist commentator and the way his work has evolved over the years, to the invigorating prospects of the energized labor movement, to the personal story of Mike’s coming out to his family. His trademark wit, candor, and brilliant insight make this episode an essential listen.We hope you enjoy this episode of Krystal Kyle & Friends. Audio is available through 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’s guest, journalist David Wallace-Wells, speaks with us about the defining issue facing humanity, climate change — and the task of getting our government to treat it as such. Currently, fossil fuel corporations are free to chase endless profit at the expense of our health and safety, and our planet’s future.When we wonder why our representatives don’t take on these corporations in defense of the planet and its people, it’s illustrative that these representatives bring in a formidable haul from the fossil fuel industry — up to $93 million in stocks, according to the American Prospect, as of 2020. What’s clear is that to make climate change the priority we need it to be in national politics, electoral change is needed — alongside the organizing work that extends far beyond anything that can be accomplished at a ballot box in November.We hope you enjoy this conversation. Audio can also be found on Pandora, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, 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

Thanks for joining us for another week of KK&F — this one centering on the Colombian presidential elections, drug wars, and more. A left-wing candidate has taken the lead in the first round of voting; his right-wing opponent, who has styled himself as anti-establishment and anti-corruption, has his own charges of corruption to deal with. To get a fuller sense of what’s happening and what’s to come in the runoff, we’re joined by journalist Toby Muse, author of Kilo: Inside the Deadliest Cocaine Cartels.With a leftist candidate who could change the course of Colombian politics for the benefit of the working class, this is shaping up to be a watershed moment for the international left, and Toby does a great job situating the election among other leftist movements in Latin America and beyond. Thanks for joining us, and we hope you enjoy.You can 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

The brutal killing of nineteen children and two teachers at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas has left us in national mourning, as the sickeningly familiar news of a school shooting continues to trickle in. As we learn more about the inaction of law enforcement on the scene and the agony of the children seeking help in their final moments, we confront one question above all: What will it take to make sure this never happens again?This is a major topic of discussion for this week’s episode of Krystal Kyle & Friends. From the policies we’d like to see surrounding gun control to the way politicians are responding, we cover a lot of ground, joined by our guest Mac (you know him as @GoodPoliticGuy). We hope you enjoy the episode, which will be available to stream tomorrow through Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Pandora, and more. Thanks for joining us this week. 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 the inimitable Doug Henwood, economic journalist and analyst — and the person we’ve come to in order to discuss the crypto crash of just a few weeks ago. Whether you have a deep understanding of all things blockchain and are looking to hear a left-wing perspective on the recent turmoil, or whether you’ve never heard of a “stablecoin” before, we think you’ll enjoy Doug’s sharp analysis of why cryptocurrencies have become so popular, what they seem to offer beyond our current system, and how they fall short.Thanks for tuning in. You can listen to this podcast tomorrow 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

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