#1798 FIFA Sportswashing Fascism: The World Cup from Mussolini to Trump
Air Date: 6–5-2026
Today we explore sportswashing past and present, from fascist dictators who first weaponized the World Cup to FIFA's modern extractivism model of corrupt capitalism, and why workers, unions, and fans are now organizing to reclaim the game from those profiting off it.
Read more#1789 Boomcession: Why the Economy Looks Great on Paper and Hurts in Real Life
Air Date: 05-06-2026
Today we examine how the U.S. war on Iran is producing an economic crisis with echoes of the 1970s stagflation era which explains why Trump is now less popular on inflation than Jimmy Carter. We'll also be exploring various element of the structure of our economy, including how GDP became a deeply misleading measure of welfare, why consumer spending increasingly goes toward things people don't want to buy, and how gambling and junk fees are literally counted as economic growth.
Read more#1785 Iran and the Chain Reaction: The War Nobody Thought Through (Or, Bomb First, Think Never)
Air Date: 4–18-2026
Today we examine how the U.S. war with Iran has exposed the deep structural rot at the heart of American power, the global economic catastrophe quietly building beneath the surface, and the cuts felt at home in order to pay for it all.
Read more#1782 Cuba's Crisis: Trump's Deadly Embargo, Blackouts, and Dream of Regime Change
Air Date: 4–3-2026
Today we examine how decades of U.S. policy toward Cuba set the stage for the current crisis, we explore the human cost of the U.S. oil blockade on Cuba's 11 million people, and how the U.S. justifies an illegal siege while claiming to act in Cuba's interest using time-tested propaganda tactics.
Read more#1777 How Christian Nationalism, Oil, and Zionism Built The War Against Iran
Air Date: 3–15-2026
Today we examine how a century of foreign intervention created incompatible national memories between the US and Iran and how Netanyahu exploited that history to maneuver Trump into a war he didn't understand, promising a quick decapitation strike while knowing full well it would become a months-long regional conflict, at minimum.
Read more#1768 The End of an Era: The International Rules-Based Order Gives Way to Trump's Might-Makes-Right Plutocracy
Air Date: 1-29-2026
Today we examine the collapse of the American-led, rules-based world order (such as it was) in real time. Canada’s Prime Minister pointed out that the emperor has no clothes and declared US hegemony over while Europe called Trump's bluff on Greenland... all the more reason why he would prefer a fake “Board of Peace” that he can rule over as a worldwide plutocracy.
Read more#1756 War Criminal Dick Cheney's Guide to Ethical Governance and Saving Democracy
Air Date: 12-10-2025
Dick Cheney used to be thought of as Darth Vader but did he have an end-of-life conversion back to the light side of the force? No, he was bad all along and only thought Trump was worse.If you need more evidence for just how far from rationality our politics have slid in recent decades, Zorhan Mamdani is seen by many as a radical for mostly just saying that people should be able to afford to buy the things they need to live.
Read more#1718 On the Path to Destruction: Israel Attacks Iran as Support for War on Gaza Drops
Air Date: 6-25-2025
We thought we were going to have an episode about the war Israel is conducting ready for you last week but then they started another war. So, it would have felt odd to release an Israel episode without the latest major updates including Iran. I can only imagine what will happen between the time I speak these words and when you hear them that will make this episode feel out of date.
What Happens When Bereaved Israelis and Palestinians Share Their Pain?
Read more#1607 The Tangled, Flammable Web of War in the Middle East
Air Date: 2-3-2024
We attempt to understand as many of the interlocking elements as possible in the current Middle East conflicts sparked most prominently by the ongoing genocide in Gaza.
Read more#1533 How Theocracies Begin and End (Rise of the Far-Right + Demanding Women's Rights in Iran)
Original Air Date: 12–24-2022
Today, we compare the far-right religious extremists who are fighting to gain power in the US with the protests against the theocratic regime in Iran supporting women's rights in the country.
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