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KPFA - Behind the News

KPFA 25 Episodes Oct 8, 2026

Host Doug Henwood covers the worlds of economics and politics and their complex interactions, from the local to the global.

Episodes

Fundraising Special: Three Views of AI Oct 8, 2026 59:59 Excerpts from three interviews on AI broadcast over the last year: • Hagen Blix on how AI captures the alienation and anxieties of life under capitalism • Emile Torres on how the AI ghouls want us extinct • Jodi Dean on what AI is doing to us and why it must be stopped The post Fundraising Special: Three Views of AI appeared first on KPFA.

fundraising special: the hidden rich, China–US relations Oct 1, 2026 59:59 Owen Zidar, co-author of The Everywhere Millionaire, on the hidden rich • Jake Werner on US–China relations The post fundraising special: the hidden rich, China–US relations appeared first on KPFA.

fundraising special: Kristin Du Mez on the world of right-wing evangelical women Sep 24, 2026 59:58 Kristin Kobes Du Mez, author of Live Laugh Love, on the world of right-wing evangelical Christian women The post fundraising special: Kristin Du Mez on the world of right-wing evangelical women appeared first on KPFA.

School politics, sex worker politics Sep 17, 2026 59:58 Jennifer Berkshire talks about the anti-school voucher backlash (articles here and here) • Heather Berg, author of Notes from the Sex Worker Left, on what that formation brings to politics The post School politics, sex worker politics appeared first on KPFA.

AI may kill us all, so it must be stopped • the life of historian Howard Zinn Sep 10, 2026 59:57 Garrison Lovely, author of Obsolete, on the terrors and possible promise of AI • Dave Zirin on Howard Zinn, the subject of his new biography The post AI may kill us all, so it must be stopped • the life of historian Howard Zinn appeared first on KPFA.

Grabbing Venezuela’s oil • a future without cops and jails Sep 3, 2026 59:58 Alejandro Velasco on Trump’s oil grab in Venezuela • Alex Vitale on a post-carceral future The post Grabbing Venezuela’s oil • a future without cops and jails appeared first on KPFA.

The political economy of slavery • building postcarbon futures Aug 27, 2026 59:58 David McNally, author of Slavery and Capitalism, on the political economy of the institution • Billy Fleming, author of Building Postcarbon Futures, on how to get from here to there The post The political economy of slavery • building postcarbon futures appeared first on KPFA.

How and why is Israel pummeling Lebanon? • nonstandard forms of work Aug 20, 2026 7:38 Aurélie Daher on the destruction Israel is visiting upon southern Lebanon • Annie McClanahan, author of Beneath the Wage, on nonstandard forms of work and compensation The post How and why is Israel pummeling Lebanon? • nonstandard forms of work appeared first on KPFA.

The perils of AI, the horrors of the Russia–Ukraine war Aug 13, 2026 59:58 Jodi Dean, who has a new Substack on the issue, on why AI is so terrible • Anatol Lieven on the bloody stalemate that is the Russia–Ukraine war (Sidecar piece here) The post The perils of AI, the horrors of the Russia–Ukraine war appeared first on KPFA.

The Cockroach movement in India • transforming the US economy: a suite of proposals Aug 6, 2026 59:58 Aditiya Nigam on the Cockroach movement in India • Gerald Epstein and Juliet Schor on a detailed set of proposals to transform the US economy (papers here) The post The Cockroach movement in India • transforming the US economy: a suite of proposals appeared first on KPFA.

DSA’s platform • why we fear AI Jul 30, 2026 59:58 Michaela Brangan, co-chair of the group that wrote DSA’s new platform, on that document • Hagen Blix, co-author of Why We Fear AI, on exactly that The post DSA’s platform • why we fear AI appeared first on KPFA.

Fundraising special: a look at the right, intellectual side mostly but not all Jul 23, 2026 59:57 Laura Field, author of Furious Minds, on the highbrow side of Trumpism—with a brief comment from David Austin Walsh on how similar the highbrows are to the deplorables The post Fundraising special: a look at the right, intellectual side mostly but not all appeared first on KPFA.

American anti-egalitarians, AIPAC’s black front group Jul 16, 2026 59:59 Kim Phillips-Fein, author of Country of Lords, on the anti-egalitarian tradition in American politics • Aziz Rana on tensions between the Declaration and the Constitution (2024 reprise) • Jasmine Wynn on the National Black Empowerment Coalition, basically an AIPAC front group (Jacobin article here) The post American anti-egalitarians, AIPAC’s black front group appeared first on KPFA.

The private equity racket Jul 9, 2026 59:58 Hettie O’Brien, author of The Asset Class, on the private equity racket—who they are, what they do The post The private equity racket appeared first on KPFA.

Designing the socialist future, taking the measure of muscular Christianity Jul 2, 2026 59:58 Aaron Benanav, author of this pamphlet, on what a future socialist society might look like • Amy Laura Hall, author of Erecting the Pulpit, on muscular Christianity The post Designing the socialist future, taking the measure of muscular Christianity appeared first on KPFA.

What’s going on with the Iran negotiations? Jun 25, 2026 59:56 Two views from BtN regulars on the US–Iran negotiations: Anatol Lieven and Mouin Rabbani The post What’s going on with the Iran negotiations? appeared first on KPFA.

Cop power, sex and the social Jun 18, 2026 59:58 Stuart Schrader, author of Blue Power, on how the political heft of cops allows them to get away with murder • Angela Jones, author of Sex in Public, on how the social and political shape our sexual lives (and vice versa) The post Cop power, sex and the social appeared first on KPFA.

Against money, hating theory Jun 11, 2026 59:58 J.W. Mason and Arjun Jayadev, authors of Against Money, explain that curious stuff and enumerate its problems • Moira Weigel explains why the right hates Theory (October article here) The post Against money, hating theory appeared first on KPFA.

Two views of the right: the sordid side of “respectable,” and Trump’s court intellectuals Jun 4, 2026 59:57 David Austin Walsh, author of Taking America Back, on the relationship between the kooks and respectables on the right • Laura Field, author of Furious Minds, on the intellectual wing of Trumpism [rebroadcast of a January 29, 2026, show] The post Two views of the right: the sordid side of “respectable,” and Trump’s court intellectuals appeared first on KPFA.

Latin America’s influence on Pope Leo • the Cultural Marxist conspiracy May 28, 2026 59:58 Greg Grandin, author of this article, on how his time in Peru shaped Pope Leo • AJA Woods, author of The Cultural Marxism Conspiracy, on how the right sees the Frankfurt School as the root of modern decay The post Latin America’s influence on Pope Leo • the Cultural Marxist conspiracy appeared first on KPFA.

fundraising special: the Xi–Trump summit, the dark doings of Opus Dei May 21, 2026 59:58 Jake Werner analyzes the Trump–Xi summit and US–China relations generally • Gareth Gore, author of Opus, talks about Opus Dei, a secretive, cult-like Catholic organization involved in right-wing politics around the world (and very much in the US) The post fundraising special: the Xi–Trump summit, the dark doings of Opus Dei appeared first on KPFA.

Fundraising special: two views on the Iran war May 14, 2026 59:58 Two views of the US–Israeli war on Iran: Laleh Khalili and Mouin Rabbani The post Fundraising special: two views on the Iran war appeared first on KPFA.

fundraising special: imperialism and the homeland May 7, 2026 59:58 Excerpts from an event sponsored by the NYC DSA’s Academy for Socialist Education on the domestic and foreign aspects of Trumpism, featuring historians Nikhil Pal Singh and Greg Grandin, moderated by the Academy’s Gaya Sriskanthan The post fundraising special: imperialism and the homeland appeared first on KPFA.

A look back at yuppies • Iran: politics and war Apr 30, 2026 59:57 Dylan Gottlieb, author of Yuppies, on that often risible but pioneering social formation • Ervand Abrahamian looks at the politics of Iran, a country under siege The post A look back at yuppies • Iran: politics and war appeared first on KPFA.

Muskism: the world of Elon Apr 23, 2026 59:58 Quinn Slobodian and Ben Tarnoff, authors of Muskism: A Guide for the Perplexed, on Elon’s world and what he wants to do to ours The post Muskism: the world of Elon appeared first on KPFA.

KPFA - Behind the News

Episodes

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