Today we chat with author and activist Chris Fry to discuss the issue of artificial intelligence, how it is and can be utilized,  the effect it would have on the working class, and what are some reasons to maintain hope.   Shownotes Artificial Intelligence and the Class Struggle

Today we do a deep dive into The Great Purge, really discussing the overall situation and getting into the specifics of who was involved, what they did, and the reasoning behind it. Shownotes Further Reading

Today, we chat with Dr. Shawgi Tell, a professor of education at Nazareth University about his article entitled "Charter Schools and the Privatization (and Profitization) of Education." In the interview we discuss how charter schools differ from public schools, the strange ways in which they are funded, and how the strange space they occupy being private institutions while delivering a public good.   Shownotes Charter Schools and the Privatization (and Profitization) of Education Network for Public Education Network for Education Policy Centers    

We continue our series on Stalin with Dr. Nick Partyka today, specifically delving into collectivization of Soviet farms, what was occurring previously, and even discussing kulaks and the de-kulakization campaigns.   Shownotes Further Reading

Today we are talking to historian and professor Dr. Francis J. Gavin about his article in the Texas National Security Review entitled "I Was Wrong. Now What?" In the interview we go and discuss the idea of intellectual humility, why it's so hard to find in academic/analytical circles and the larger society, and why in the media it is so difficult to admit that you don't know something.   Shownotes I Was Wrong. Now What?

We get back into our series on Stalin with Labor Issues Chair Dr. Nick Partyka, discussing Stalin's rise in the Soviet government in the 1920s, discussing everything from economic policies to how Soviet government officials were even chosen.   Shownotes Note that the reading lists are cumulative rather than being contained to a single section of the series Further Reading (Pastebin) On Stalin Series: Part One, Part Two, Part Three

Today we chat with friend of the show Mark Provost about the situation in East Palestine, using it as a launching pad to discuss larger issues in the US and around the world, from the environment and climate change to economics, in both the short and long-term.   Shownotes Norfolk Southern Allows Monitoring Teams to Order Crews to Ignore Safety Alerts White supremacists behind over 80% of extremism-related U.S. murders in 2022 Fed can’t tame inflation without ‘significantly’ more hikes that will cause a recession, paper says How the Capitalist Market Produces Fictitious Commodities Why Karl Polanyi Still Matters New study: Gulf of Mexico warming twice as fast as global oceans 3 men in 3 days die after falling through ice on Vermont's Lake Champlain Why UK supermarkets are rationing fruit and vegetables   Other episodes with Mark Provost Episode #96: Democrats and Grassroots Progressvism with Mark Provost Episode #137: The Virus, Economics, and The Aftermath with Mark Provost

Today we have a roundtable of several past interviewees Cyrarh Hawkins, Bryan Gordon, and our own Labor Issues Chair Dr. Nick Partyka, to discuss the topic of mass shootings in the US, everything from the issues of guns, to mental health, to the urban/rural divide on the question of the gun.

In our first episode of the new year, we interview Professor Emeritus Kenneth J. Surin about his two most recent articles in Counterpunch, discussing the economic and social problems in the UK, drawing parallels to what is going on in the US, and if there is any hope to be had in such a bleak situation.   Shownotes The Twilight Zone of the UK’s Holographic Politics “How To Stay Warm Without Turning The Heating On”: UK Poverty And Its “Moron Premium”

This Christmas Eve we talk to our Labor Issues Chair Dr. Nick Partyka as we continue our Stalin series.    We discuss the immediate aftermath of the October 1917 Revolution and the subsequent civil war that went on, from the specificities of the political climate to the New Economic Plan and what was happening culturally in Russia at the time. We also delve into how the new government interacted with women and minorities.   Shownotes Further Reading Material/Sources (Pastebin)   On Stalin Part 1 On Stalin Part 2