Political talk without the boring parts, featuring the writers, activists and artists who shape the week in news. Hosted by Jon Wiener and presented by The Nation Magazine.
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Nov 14, 2026 · 24:18
“We're real people with human lives and dreams and aspirations. Our lives should not be cut short because of our socioeconomic status or zip code.” When we think of oil towns, we…
Nov 13, 2026 · 40:34
Danny and Derek are taking tango lessons in preparation for the White House Ballroom launch. In this week’s news roundup: a climate update and the opening of COP31 in Turkey…
Nov 12, 2026 · 33:59
Elon Musk is wants Starlink to become a wireless provider, powering mobile phones in the United States and beyond. But that would grant him even more control over our…
Nov 11, 2026 · 52:46
Danny and Derek welcome Benjamin Moser, author of Anti-Zionism: A Jewish History and the Pulitzer Prize-winning biography Sontag: Her Life and Work , to the show for a discussion…
Nov 11, 2026 · 37:26
Gina Hinojosa’s election as governor of Texas was not only the most unexpected victory oof the midterms but also the one with the most far-reaching significance for American…
Nov 9, 2026 · 1:30:37
Hey! Smile! Good things are happening! The U.S. had an amazing election just now... and we weren’t the only ones. Brazil also recently experienced a massive victory against…
Nov 7, 2026 · 30:10
"The insanity of the settler colonial mindset has no limit." Genocide is not only the destruction of human life. It is also the destruction of land, water, food systems, and…
Nov 6, 2026 · 43:27
The Blue Wave has hit AP headquarters, devastating our humble operation. In this week’s news: Danny and Derek discuss the prospects for military escalation and peace talks with…
Nov 5, 2026 · 59:10
No, you're NOT seeing double. It's four F's this week as we release a bonus episode of Fighting Fascism to talk about Tuesday night's historic victories for Democrats. How it…
Nov 4, 2026 · 37:42
What we won this week, starting with Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan and James Talarico in Texas – John Nichols comments on the candidates and the issues. He’s The Nation’s Executive…
Nov 4, 2026 · 39:44
Danny and Derek welcome intellectual historian A.J.A. Woods to the show to talk about the history of the "cultural Marxism" conspiracy theory. They discuss the Frankfurt School,…
Nov 2, 2026 · 1:17:39
We are officially almost at the end of the 2026 election. To reflect back on the crazy twists and turns and the major progressive successes of this cycle, we spoke with Usamah…
Oct 31, 2026 · 30:35
“Those who own the land get to be decision makers over what happens to the land. They get to decide whether they're gonna frack and how much they’re going to pollute.”…
Oct 30, 2026 · 40:33
Danny and Derek considered helping Flavio Bolsonaro mount a political comeback here in the States, but cut ties on the advice of Danny's psychic. In this week’s news: Israel's…
Oct 29, 2026 · 1:02:53
No one is comfortable with police surveillance in the US, which is why there’s a bipartisan backlash to Flock cameras. Jason Koebler joins Paris Marx to discuss the rise of…
Oct 28, 2026 · 52:48
Eleanor Janega and Luke Waters, co-hosts of the We’re Not So Different podcast and our collaborators on Welcome to the Crusades (Season 2 out now!) are on the show to help tell…
Oct 28, 2026 · 44:47
Trump's efforts to interfere with voting, and with certification of the results, have not been successful. Rick Hasen of the UCLA Law School says “We're doing well on election…
Oct 26, 2026 · 55:25
We haven’t had any political candidates on Fighting Fascism yet. But we decided to make an exception for Jane Kim, who is running to be the next insurance commissioner of…
Oct 24, 2026 · 38:10
“No one has a right to tell you how to organize, to free yourself, and to liberate yourself.” The fight over Cop City was never just about a police training center. In Atlanta, a…
Oct 23, 2026 · 43:26
Neera Tanden has not yet posted a tirade about AP, and we’re starting to take it personally. In this week’s news: the U.S. and Israel prepare for renewed strikes against Iran…
Oct 22, 2026 · 1:00:11
Hyperscale data centers are not an inevitable infrastructure, but a product of capitalist financialization pushing us further from a livable future. Ingrid Burrington interviews…
Oct 21, 2026 · 1:12:36
It’s Tech Day here at AP, so Danny and Derek speak with Quinn Slobodian, professor of international history at Boston University, and writer Ben Tarnoff, co-authors of Muskism: A…
Oct 21, 2026 · 39:42
Republicans are spending hundreds of millions on the midterms, but their money hasn’t been able to counter the crisis of affordability, the disgust with Trump’s corruption, and…
Oct 19, 2026 · 1:28:45
Dr. Isabella Weber’s new book is called Anti-Fascist Economics. As a native of Nuremberg, where the Nazis staged their famous mass rallies, there’s another term she also uses:…
Oct 17, 2026 · 30:38
“This is about life. And this extractive industry is not a giver of life, it is a taker of life.” On March 23, 2026, a massive explosion tore through the Valero refinery in Port…
Oct 16, 2026 · 47:06
Metallica says they stay out of politics, so Danny and Derek are reassessing their approach to the show. In this week’s news: Navi Pillay wins the Nobel Peace Prize, angering…
Oct 15, 2026 · 1:00:34
Data centers are being approved without proper oversight into their broader impacts, but there are organizations pushing back. Martha Dark joins Paris Marx to discuss her work at…
Oct 14, 2026 · 53:31
Danny and Derek speak with historian Stuart Schrader about the history and political power of police unions in the US. They discuss the rise of police unions in the 1960s, their…
Oct 14, 2026 · 35:41
Most political reporting has been about Democrats’ chances of taking control of Congress, but the Governors’ races hold the key to election protection in the 2028 presidential…
Oct 12, 2026 · 1:01:42
Data centers and AI, AI and data centers. We all know how pivotal these issues have become. But lots of the analysis on these topics has been coming from pundits who are the…
Oct 10, 2026 · 41:36
That’s why The Nation’s justice correspondent Elie Mystal thinks the Supreme Court should matter to everyone who cares about climate and environmental justice. The Court can…
Oct 9, 2026 · 41:00
Derek has returned, but he keeps trying to get Danny to go to some seminar led by a charismatic “mentor” he encountered in his travels. In this week’s news: war breaks out in…
Oct 8, 2026 · 1:08:41
Brazil’s renewable energy is being exploited to justify unnecessary data center construction. Laís Martins joins Paris Marx to discuss why the renewable energy sector is behind a…
Oct 7, 2026 · 1:01:49
Danny and Derek welcome back to the show Rashid Khalidi, Edward Said Professor Emeritus of Modern Arab Studies at Columbia University and author of Palestine: A Primer , to talk…
Oct 7, 2026 · 41:45
The real threat of AI is not the destruction of humanity, but rather replacing human labor with machines—that’s what Garrison Lovely argues. He’s the author of Obsolete: The AI…
Oct 5, 2026 · 1:16:33
Staten Island is often referred to—by its inhabitants—as the Forgotten Borough of New York City. But who knew that in the 1990s, Staten Islanders literally tried to secede. Our…
Oct 4, 2026 · 34:55
Many of Joe Biden’s closest advisors are now well-ensconced in the sinecures reserved for the elite, working at think tanks, academia, and major media outlets. Normally, they…
Oct 3, 2026 · 41:04
“National security has always explicitly been about fossil fuels.” The U.S. military is the world’s largest institutional consumer of fossil fuels—and one of the largest sources…
Oct 2, 2026 · 46:20
As Derek completes the final phase of his vision quest, Alex Jordan of the Always at War podcast fills in once more. In this week’s news: U.S.-Iran talks stall over the order of…
Oct 1, 2026 · 1:07:11
Tech companies are working with the fossil fuel industry to push unnecessary data center projects while misrepresenting the climate impact — and governments are letting it all…
Sep 30, 2026 · 40:57
Leah Greenberg, co-executive director of Indivisible, answers the question, “What’s the Plan -- for the next No Kings Nationwide Day of Action?” This one shifts from mass protest…
Sep 28, 2026 · 1:01:06
Last week, we spoke with campaign manager Ben Shanahan about David Morales’s winning strategy in his successful campaign for Providence mayor. Today, we have a very different…
Sep 27, 2026 · 20:37
My Nation colleague Kate Wagner has written a brilliant critical essay on the Obama Center, which just opened in Chicago. I talk to her about how the history of presidential…
Sep 26, 2026 · 1:39
A People’s Climate is back for Season 2. Host Shilpi Chhotray takes you inside the fight for climate and environmental justice with organizers, legal experts, filmmakers, and…
Sep 23, 2026 · 51:46
Danny and Derek talk with Noam Scheiber , New York Times reporter and author, about the radicalization of American college graduates. They discuss a Starbucks union campaign,…
Sep 23, 2026 · 37:56
The primary force behind the settlement that will allow Trump’s allies at Paramount to take over Warners-Discovery and CNN was Gavin Newsom, who pressured California Attorney…
Sep 21, 2026 · 1:27:59
Two weeks ago, 28-year-old democratic socialist David Morales defeated Providence's incumbent mayor Brett Smiley in the latest electrifying win for the Democratic Party's…
Sep 20, 2026 · 39:23
My Nation colleague Joan Walsh recently profiled Georgia Senator Jon Ossoff for the magazine. Georgia is very much a purple state. The fact that Ossoff won there and stands a…
Sep 18, 2026 · 43:38
Derek has journeyed to Bolivia seeking contact with the newly discovered cat species , so Alex Jordan of Always at War steps in to bring you the headlines. This week: in New…
Sep 16, 2026 · 49:33
Danny and Derek welcome back Akbar Shahid Ahmed, Diplomatic correspondent for The Washington Sun and author of Crossing the Red Line: Biden, His Advisors, and Israel’s War on…
Sep 16, 2026 · 37:24
Only two Justices backed Trump in the Court’s ruling blocking his efforts to enlist the postal service in restricting voting by mail in the midterms. David Cole explains why this…
Sep 14, 2026 · 1:30:14
Yotam Marom has been helping build movements—and many of the most important movement organizations—for the last 20 years. His new book, For Louder Days: Reaching Beyond a…
Sep 11, 2026 · 36:02
I, for one, welcome our new AI overlords. In this week’s news: the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service confirms last month was tied for the hottest ever recorded (0:52); the…
Sep 9, 2026 · 1:18:21
For this Labor Day episode we’re joined by Bill Fletcher, a longtime union organizer who’s spent the last several years working to build out the labor movement’s anti-fascist…
Sep 9, 2026 · 1:13:30
What can ancient human prehistory teach us about fighting fascism today? It turns out, quite a bit! So says historian Patrick Wyman, whose recent book, Lost Worlds , covers the…
Sep 9, 2026 · 59:45
Danny and Derek speak with David Griscom, co-host of Left Reckoning and author of T he Myth of Red Texas: Cowboys, Populism, and Class War in the Radical South , to talk about…
Sep 9, 2026 · 44:21
Is the resistance to data centers a new kind of mass politics? David Wallace-Wells explains why the answer is “yes.” He’s a writer for The New York Times Opinion pages and author…
Sep 2, 2026 · 35:07
The Supreme Court ruled on Monday that Trump could proceed with construction of his ballroom—they explicitly did not rule on the merits of the case, but on the issue of standing…
Aug 30, 2026 · 37:45
The Trump administration has announced a new set of harsh sanctions against Iran. This is a strange development since originally Trump launched a war on Iran on the pretext that…
Aug 28, 2026 · 38:44
American Prestige brand MREs use Argentinian beef, but don't worry, it's the good kind. In this week’s news: the US launches a new sanctions campaign against Iran (1:35); Iran…
Aug 27, 2026 · 59:52
Not long ago, tech jobs were sought after for their security, benefits, wages, and the progressive values promoted by Silicon Valley companies. But now workers are barely hanging…
Aug 26, 2026 · 1:03:05
Danny and Derek speak with Jonathan Cheng, China bureau chief for The Wall Street Journal , about the Christian origins of North Korea’s founding ideology and the subsequent…
Aug 26, 2026 · 45:05
The Supreme Court is not a Trump court – at least not on several issues - but where do they stand on voting rights? And what exactly did the court say on Monday about the postal…
Aug 24, 2026 · 55:28
We said we'd talk about Graham Platner someday, and that day has arrived. We were all super excited about Platner. That excitement turned out to be misplaced. So what are the…
Aug 23, 2026 · 38:15
The current conflict in the Middle East might escalate on a new front. In recent weeks, Israeli Prime Minister Benjaman Netanyahu has been touting Turkey as a potential threat on…
Aug 21, 2026 · 40:36
Danny and Derek must disclose that they have had Hasan Piker on this program . They are listening and learning from him. In this week’s news: Israel bombs a Syrian airbase,…
Aug 20, 2026 · 1:04:50
A cult of fascist ideology has gripped Silicon Valley, and the tech industrial complex is threatening US democracy. Gil Durán joins Paris Marx to discuss the radical billionaire…
Aug 19, 2026 · 46:06
Danny and Derek welcome historian Lisandro Claudio back to the program to talk about how austerity, first imposed by the U.S. during its colonial rule of the Philippines,…
Aug 19, 2026 · 33:14
Indivisible’s 2,500 local volunteer-led groups are preparing for a rapid response to any threats to free and fair voting around election day, starting with plans to promote early…
Aug 17, 2026 · 1:01:45
“The first and crucial step to closing a camp is being against the camp. Not a camp, not that camp, not a newly proposed camp or this particularly atrocious camp. But against…
Aug 16, 2026 · 43:55
There’s an ongoing feud in the Trump administration between restrainers (advocates of a less hawkish foreign policy) and neoconservatives (advocates of militarism on multiple…
Aug 14, 2026 · 40:36
Danny and Derek bring you the headlines against their better judgment. In this week’s news: Western Europe and the U.S. set new temperature records (2:05); in Iran, the Islamic…
Aug 12, 2026 · 52:18
Governments are prioritizing data centers and AI at the expense of communities and the planet, but it doesn’t have to be this way. Matt Haugen joins Paris Marx to discuss the AI…
Aug 12, 2026 · 44:47
Danny and Derek speak with artist and writer Molly Crabapple about her book on the history of the Jewish Labor Bund, Here Where We Live Is Our Country . They discuss Molly's…
Aug 12, 2026 · 42:45
The ACLU is organizing thousands of volunteers, preparing to respond to 25 different ways Trump could try to subvert or sabotage the midterms. Deirdre Schifeling explains—she’s…
Aug 10, 2026 · 1:23:21
We all love making fun of fascists. But Dr. Bret Devereaux makes an art of it. Bret is a historian of antiquity and a Tolkien scholar, and he doesn’t suffer fools. He’s been…
Aug 5, 2026 · 38:07
The Michigan Democratic senate primary provided a test of the power of AIPAC and big money. John Nichols has our analysis. Also: a rehearsal for the election protection groups:…
Aug 5, 2026 · 58:55
Canada has tech bros too, like Shopify CEO Tobi Lütke who has a new idea to link voting rights to how much income tax you paid. Rachel Gilmore joins Paris Marx to discuss how…
Aug 5, 2026 · 50:16
Derek welcomes back to the show his very own co-host, Danny Bessner, to talk about his new book, Imperialist Realism: Politics and Culture at the End of the American Century ,…
Aug 3, 2026 · 54:43
Something weird is happening on the far right. MAGA influencers are calling out the pork industry. RFK Jr. is taking credit for militant animal rescue actions. And the animal…
Aug 2, 2026 · 44:21
Republicans are plummeting in the polls in the lead-up to the midterm thanks to the unpopularity of the Iran War and the attendant inflation. As my Nation colleague Chris Lehmann…
Jul 31, 2026 · 43:01
AP headquarters is seriously considering upgrading the video content to IMAX. In this week’s news: the U.S. and Iran resume strikes after a brief pause (3:25); Gaza talks are…
Jul 30, 2026 · 1:03:53
As the power of big tech continues to grow, it's more important than ever to understand how these companies use infrastructure and intellectual monopolies to shape more than just…
Jul 29, 2026 · 51:22
Danny and Derek speak with historian Brad Simpson about the history and evolving meaning of self-determination in international politics and law. They talk about the Wilson-Lenin…
Jul 29, 2026 · 39:36
An impressive alliance of groups have been preparing for months to counter Trump’s threats to Democrats in the midterms. Skye Perryman, President and CEO of Democracy Forward and…
Jul 27, 2026 · 1:16:57
In recent weeks, we’ve seen our skies engulfed in dystopian haze. We’ve had lethal heat waves ruin our Fourth of July cookouts. States have announced emergency water rationing…
Jul 26, 2026 · 37:44
The purported ceasefire in the Iran War was always tenuous and now the war is not only heating up but entering a dangerous new phase. The Iranians have closed the Strait of…
Jul 24, 2026 · 43:55
American Prestige HQ continues to roll the dice on iceberg lettuce. In this week’s news: Iranian strikes kill four U.S. service members in Jordan and Iraq, and the Pentagon…
Jul 23, 2026 · 1:01:13
Librarians are working harder than ever to support their neighborhoods—including by teaching and promoting digital literacy. Hannah Cyrus and Alison Macrina join Paris Marx to…
Jul 22, 2026 · 1:07:16
Danny and Derek speak with historian Andrew Preston about the origins and development of the American national security state as we know it. They discuss the original meaning of…
Jul 22, 2026 · 44:22
How are we going to defeat Trump and the Republicans and win control of Congress in the midterms? How are we going to win the White House in two years? Ben Wikler has a plan –…
Jul 20, 2026 · 1:00:45
This one’s a little different. Aaron, Matt, and Jonathan talk with Ken Salazar—former US Senator from Colorado, Secretary of the Interior under Obama, and Ambassador to Mexico…
Jul 19, 2026 · 40:40
Donald Trump is practicing crony capitalism on an unprecedented scale, with the government greenlighting major mergers that benefit the president’s friends (most notably the…
Jul 17, 2026 · 46:29
Canada’s wildfires rage on, so Danny and Derek are here to be your breath of fresh air. This week’s news: In Iran, the US reimposes its blockade and intensifies strikes (2:04),…
Jul 16, 2026 · 1:03:27
We are often told that resisting technological development is impossible and ‘progress’ is inevitable, but history says otherwise. Thomas Dekeyser joins Paris Marx to discuss how…
Jul 15, 2026 · 52:56
Danny and Derek welcome to the show journalist and author Robert Wright to talk about the potential and pitfalls of the AI revolution. They discuss how neural networks learn,…
Jul 15, 2026 · 39:06
It’s been another bad week for Donald Trump – from the Strait or Homuz to the streets where ICE has killed more people, to the scheduled Senate hearings on Todd Blanche. Harold…
Jul 13, 2026 · 45:03
Graham Platner is withdrawing as the Democratic Senate nominee in Maine after a credible rape allegation was made against him (Platner denies the allegation). I spoke to Maine…
Jul 13, 2026 · 1:24:06
Back in May, Pope Leo XIV released his first encyclical, “Magnifica Humanitas”—a surprisingly forceful call-out of dehumanizing technology, Big Tech oligarchs, and an economic…
Jul 10, 2026 · 53:33
Danny and Derek’s FIFA officiating careers have been tragically cut short since Javier Milei’s checks started bouncing. In this week’s news: the NATO summit ends on a high note…
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