Left Anchor

Ryan is on vacation this week, so here's an episode from the archives. Today we're discussing the article "Truth and Politics" by Hannah Arendt. We talk about her idea that truth has both a weakness and a power to it, what the Herman Cain Award subreddit tells us about the power of propaganda, Joe Rogan getting owned on his own show, why Bernie Sanders is better at science communication than the CDC, and more. Enjoy!

Today we are talking to Harvard Law Professor Mark Tushnet about his book Who Am I to Judge: Judicial Craft versus Constitution Theory. It’s common today for Supreme Court justices to outline a theory of constitutional interpretation, but it turns out that not only is this dishonest, but also something that only developed in the late 20th century. Enjoy! The Ian Toll book series Ryan mentions can be found here.

Today we are discussing the book Assholes: A Theory, by Aaron James. It turns out there are important distinctions between the asshole, the douchebag, the jerk, and the psychopath, and they are highly relevant to the men (they are usually men) running the American government. Subscribe now to hear the whole thing!

This time we've got Eoin Higgins on to talk about his book Owned: How Tech Billionaires on the Right Bought the Loudest Voices on the Left. He uses Glenn Greenwald and Matt Taibbi as case studies in how shifting monetary incentives created by tech oligarchs like Peter Thiel and Marc Andreessen combined with certain personal pathologies turned formerly respected progressive journalists into right-wing blowhards. Coincidentally, Ryan also made videos on both Greenwald and Taibbi, which make for a nice pairing.

This time we are taking a step back to consider just what is going on with shadow president Musk and his gang of thugs seizing control of core government functions. It's important, we feel, to foreground the grave political implications of what is happening. Subscribe now to hear the rest of the episode!

Today we're bringing back Professor Harvey Kaye to talk about Trump's inaugural address and some of his first executive orders. Check out the Prospect's coverage of Trump's actions: day 1, day 2, day 3, day 4.

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Alexi is off, so David Dayen joins Ryan to discuss the events over the holiday. What are Republicans going to do? Is anyone driving the GOP train--maybe Elon Musk? And what in God's name is Trump going on about with conquering Greenland, Canada, and Panama? We live in hell.

Today economics professor Rob Larson comes on to discuss his new book Mastering the Universe: The Obscene Wealth of the Ruling Class, What They Do with Their Money, and Why You Should Hate Them Even More. We discuss how the ultra-rich got their money, what they do with it, why it's a problem, and what to do about it. Enjoy!

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What worked and what didn't about the Biden administration's program, and why didn't it pay off politically? We discuss, and at the end we give a brief update on what's going on in Syria. Read President Biden’s defense of his record here.

Today we are talking the United Healthcare CEO assassination, the attempted coup in Korea, and the revolution in Syria. Subscribe now to listen to the whole thing!

Pennsylvania Senator Nikil Saval, who represents the First District in South Philadelphia, talks about what went wrong with the Harris campaign in Philadelphia and across the nation, and how the left might rebuild going forward. Check out Nikil's recent book Rage in Harlem: June Jordan and Architecture.

This time we are talking about what went wrong and what to do going forward. Subscribe now to hear the whole thing!

Trump won. Ryan and the Prospect's David Dayen discuss.

Less than a week to go before the election, so we've got Daniel Nichanian on from the great publication Bolts. We talk about Trump's Nuremburg Rally in New York and what effects it might have, how the Republican ground game is shaping up, and the most important races for state supreme court, prosecutors, and sheriffs. Check out the rest of Bolts' excellent 2024 coverage here.

The second-largest reservoir in the United States is called Lake Powell on the Colorado River. It has not been filled since 1999, and in 2022 reached a record low of about 23 percent full--nearly the point of "dead pool," where the lake would be below the outlet pipes. The reason is that with climate change and reservoir overcapacity (the largest reservoir of all, Lake Mead, is downstream of Powell), there is too much storage on the river relative to demand for agriculture, cities, and water lost from reservoir evaporation. What to do? Science writer Zak Podmore examines the question in his book Life After Dead Pool: Lake Powell's Last Days and the Rebirth of the Colorado River, where he argues it's time to drain the lake, save a lot of water, and restore the wondrous beauty of flooded Glen Canyon. Zak and University of Utah economist Marshall Steinbaum join us to talk about the political economy behind the construction of Glen Canyon Dam, how environmentalists went wrong attacking it with conservative arguments, and how the Colorado can be better managed as a resource for both people and nature. Subscribe now to hear the whole thing!

Today we are talking the killing of Yahya Sinwar, Kamala Harris's outreach to Black male voters, and most importantly, Trump's unbelievably crappy line of merch. Enjoy!

Israel's occupation is much worse than South African apartheid. Subscribe here to listen to the whole episode.

Today we are talking about philosopher Harry Frankfurt's famous essay "On Bullshit," and how it applies to Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and J.D. Vance. We also discuss the damage caused by Hurricane Helene in North Carolina, aid links here. Check out the new book by Ryan Mac and Kate Conger as well. Character Limit: How Elon Musk Destroyed Twitter.

This time we are talking Mark Robinson and the Olivia Nuzzi-RFK Jr affair. Subscribe now to hear the whole thing!

Hey folks, Ryan has been sick with Covid, so this week we're unlocking a bonus episode. Donald Trump visited Wilkes-Barre, much to Ryan's surprise, but his appearance fell flat. What's going on with his campaign? We discuss that, plus Kamala Harris's policy rollout, and the outbreak of riots in the UK. Enjoy!

Today economics professor Rob Larson comes on to discuss his new book Mastering the Universe: The Obscene Wealth of the Ruling Class, What They Do with Their Money, and Why You Should Hate Them Even More. Subscribe now to hear the whole thing!

We've got historian Harvey Kaye back on to talk about the major DNC speeches and what they reveal about the state of the Democratic Party. Enjoy!

Today we're talking Trump, Harris's policy rollout, and UK riots. Subscribe now to hear the whole thing!

Today we've got Prospect columnist and historian Rick Perlstein on to talk about the last month of political history—the Harris switcheroo, Tim Walz as running mate, JD Vance’s online brain poisoning, and more. Enjoy! Check out Rick’s books here.

Today we are discussing two readings: “The Perils of Presidentialism,” by political scientist Juan Linz, and a selection from On Violence by Hannah Arendt, and what they tell us about the crumbling American constitutional order. Next time we'll be back with historian Rick Perlstein, stay tuned!

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Today we are bringing back John Ganz to talk about his book When the Clock Broke: Con Men, Conspiracists, and How America Cracked Up in the Early 1990s, as well as the recent French elections. Enjoy!

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This time we are talking to returning guest Astra Taylor with her co-author Leah Hunt-Hendrix about their book Solidarity: The Past, Present, and Future of a World-Changing Idea.

We’re continuing our discussion with David Austin Walsh regarding his book Taking America Back: The Conservative Movement and the Far Right. Check out the previous episode to hear about his attempted recruitment from the far right. Subscribe now to hear the whole thing!

Historian David Austin Walsh, who just published a book called Taking America Back: The Conservative Movement and the Far Right, did some bad tweets. But this led to something interesting: a concerted recruitment attempt from the conservative movement, including personal outreach from Chris Rufo, Richard Hanania, James Taranto, and others. We discuss why the tweets were bad and the surrounding context in academia, the pitch from Rufo et al, and the book. The conversation went long, so tune in next week for part II.

This episode is a recording of Ryan talking with The New York Times's Jamelle Bouie about the recent spate of deranged Supreme Court decisions on The American Prospect's weekly livestream. Enjoy!

Today we have Michael from the 5-4 podcast to talk about the big New York Times report on how Garland dithered on the Trump prosecution, plus the Texas immigration controversy, and the upcoming Chevron doctrine case. Enjoy!

Today we are talking to Professor Brad Evans about his new book How Black Was My Valley: Poverty and Abandonment in a Post-Industrial Heartland. It's all about growing up poor in a Welsh coal mining city, what that was like, and what has subsequently happened to the region. Enjoy!

Today we are contrasting the brutal punishment meted out to college students and professors protesting Israel's actions in Gaza with the kid glove treatment handed out to Donald Trump by New York courts and the Supreme Court. Enjoy!

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Today we have Jonathan Greenaway on to talk about his new book A Primer on Utopian Philosophy: An Introduction to the Work of Ernst Bloch. We discuss where Bloch came from, the uses of utopian thinking in politics, and more. Enjoy!

We've got Michael from the 5-4 podcast on to talk about how Garland whiffed the Trump prosecution. Subscribe now to hear the whole thing!

Today we have Matt Bruenig back on the podcast to talk about his new publication NLRB Edge, the problems with US labor law, and why the ACLU is filing a lawsuit attempting to blow a giant hole in union rights.

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Today we are discussing Donald Trump's numerous legal fines, and then Judith Butler's concepts of precarity and grievability, specifically as they apply to the war in Gaza.

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This time we've got David Dayen to talk about House Republicans' failed effort to impeach DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, pass an immigration bill, or get through military aid to Israel, as well as David's piece about the failings of American democracy. Enjoy!

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We're talking Oppenheimer in time for awards season. Enjoy!

This time we're talking about the weenie Trump apologists, his bad day in court, Gaza, and broken airplanes. Subscribe here to hear the whole thing!

We're taking the week off, so enjoy our episode with Astra Taylor speaking about her book The Age of Insecurity: Coming Together as Things Fall Apart. We discuss how modern capitalism came to produce insecurity on a personal scale, who benefits from it, whether a modern economy can be run with a secure population, and more.

Merry Christmas! This time we are doing another holiday movie review episode, this time about Children of Men and Die Hard. Subscribe here to hear the full episode!