Democracy Now! 2021-07-16 Friday

• Headlines for July 16, 2021
• "Landslide": Michael Wolff on Trump's Final Days in Office & Why He Still Rules the Republican Party
• Floods, Fires & Heat Waves: Michael Mann on "The New Climate War" & the Fight to Take Back the Planet
• Climate Profiteering: $13.5B Trust for California Fire Victims Funnels Funds to Lawyers & Consultants

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This week, Grace speaks to Peter Mitchell, author of Imperial Nostalgia: How the British Conquered Themselves, which considers how the memory of empire continues to inflect British culture and politics.

They discuss how imperial nostalgia manifests itself in our politics today, the role of the Labour Party in supporting these trends, and how the Left should respond to emotive calls for a return to a better age.

You can support our work on the show by becoming a Patron. Thanks to our producer Conor Gillies and the Lipman-Miliband Trust for making this episode possible.

Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate The US government is continuing to seek the extradition of Julian Assange even though a critical witness in its indictment has admitted to fabricating key claims. Bjartmar Alexandersson, the Icelandic journalist who broke this story, discusses the explosive confession of US witness Sigurdur "Siggi" Thordarson. Guest: Bjartmar Alexandersson. Journalist with Icelandic newspaper Stundin.

Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate A growing number of suspects in the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse have US ties. At least one is a former DEA informant and several have received U.S. military training. Scholar Jemima Pierre of The Black Alliance for Peace discusses the unfolding mystery surrounding Moïse's killing and the context of longtime US, foreign intervention in Haiti. Guest: Jemima Pierre. Haiti/Americas Coordinator for The Black Alliance for Peace and Associate Professor at UCLA.

Live from São Paulo, journalist Brian Mier reports on Lula da Silva's legal victory, pandemic politics and antidemocracy in Brazil.

Following up the guitar masterpiece of OK Computer, Radiohead threw the music world for a loop with Kid A. More than twenty years after it's release hosts Jim DeRogatis and Greg Kot talk with author Steven Hyden about how the album was made and its lasting impact. Plus Jim and Greg talk with author Paul Gorman about the subversive life of Malcolm McLaren, the manager of the Sex Pistols.

 

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Featured Songs:

Radiohead, "Idioteque," Kid A, Parlophone, 2000

Radiohead, "How To Disappear Completely," Kid A, Parlophone, 2000

Radiohead, "Subterranean Homesick Alien," OK Computer, Parlophone, 1997

Travis, "Writing To Reach You," The Man Who, Independiente, 1999

Autechre, "Rae," LP5, Warp, 1999

Radiohead, "Fake Plastic Trees," The Bends, Parlophone, 1995

Radiohead, "Everything In Its Right Place," Kid A, Parlophone, 2000

Radiohead, "Kid A (Live)," Unreleased, N/A, 2001

Radiohead, "Kid A," Kid A, Parlophone, 2000

Radiohead, "Treefingers," Kid A, Parlophone, 2000

Radiohead, "The National Anthem (Live)," Unreleased, N/A, 2001

Radiohead, "15 Step," In Rainbows, Parlophone, 2007

Radiohead, "The National Anthem," Kid A, Parlophone, 2000

Sex Pistols, "Anarchy In the U.K.," Never Mind the Bullocks, Here's the Sex Pistols, Virgin, 1977

Sex Pistols, "God Save the Queen," Never Mind the Bullocks, Here's the Sex Pistols, Virgin, 1977

Sex Pistols, "Pretty Vacant," Never Mind the Bullocks, Here's the Sex Pistols, Virgin, 1977

Bow Wow Wow, "I Want Candy," The Last of the Mohicans, RCA, 1982

Malcolm McLaren, "Buffalo Gals," Duck Rock, Virgin, 1983

Dawn Richard, "Bussifame," Second Line, Merge, 2021

We’re joined by Tides of History’s Patrick Wyman today to take a historical look on things, starting with a brief discussion of the assassination of Haitian president Moïse, and the increasing privatization of violence. We then turn to Patrick’s new book The Verge, examining the crucial years of the Renaissance, and investigating just how and why western Europe transformed from a global backwater to the world dominating colossus it became for the last few centuries. Finally, we ask who’s actually more threatening to the “elites”: JD Vance or Matthew McConaughey? Check out Patrick’s book The Verge here: https://www.twelvebooks.com/titles/patrick-wyman/the-verge/9781538701171/

A live retelling (wart & all) of Genghis Khan's invasion of Khwarazmia ca. 1221, and the doomed flight of all who stood against his wrath... followed by a Q&A. From the 2021 Intelligent Speech Conference!

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Just 25 cities globally are responsible for 52 percent of urban greenhouse gas emissions, according to a new study that highlights the role that cities must play in reaching the goals of the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement.

Read more on E360 →

Democracy Now! 2021-07-12 Monday

• Headlines for July 12, 2021
• Let the People Decide: Former Haitian Gov't Minister on Political Chaos After President Assassinated
• No U.S. Troops in Haiti: Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Says Military Mission Would Not Help Country
• Rep. Ocasio-Cortez: Adams' Win in NYC Mayoral Primary Shows Need for Community Investment, Not Police
• Rep. Ocasio-Cortez: Progressives May Sink Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill Without Reconciliation Deal
• AOC: U.S. Must Mass Produce COVID-19 Vaccine for World, or Pandemic Could Drag On for Generations

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Just added to my radio archive (click on date for link):

July 8, 2021 Isabella Weber, author of How China Escaped Shock Therapy, on Chinese economic reform debates and how they dodged post-Soviet-style collapse

Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate Author and scholar Norman Finkelstein discusses the global outrage at Israel's murderous assault on Gaza and how Palestinian resistance and solidarity, after a dormant period, has been revived. (This interview was recorded before the Hamas-Israel ceasefire took effect.) Guest: Norman Finkelstein. Author and scholar whose books include "Gaza: an Inquest into its Martyrdom."

Constitution - Washington Get in the Presidency, George. Episode 2 is up now on Stitcher Premium, with new episodes out on Fridays. To sign up and to get a free month of Stitcher Premium, go to stitcherpremium.com/hell on your mobile or desktop browser, click start free trial, select a monthly plan, and use promo code HELL. You'll get access to Hell of Presidents, Time for My Stories and Blowback Season 2, so, pretty good deal.

"Beef. It’s what’s for dinner," the baritone voices of actors Robert Mitchum and Sam Elliott told us in the 1990s. "We’re not gonna let Joe Biden and Kamala Harris cut America’s meat!" cried Mike Pence during a speech in Iowa last year. "To meet the Biden Green New Deal targets, America has to, get this, America has to stop eating meat," lamented Donald Trump adviser Larry Kudlow on Fox Business. Repeatedly, we’re reminded that red meat is the lifeblood of American culture, a hallmark of masculine power.   This association has lingered for well over a century. Starting in the late 1800s, as white settlers expropriated Indigenous land killing Native people and wildlife in pursuit of westward expansion across North America, the development and promotion of cattle ranching — and its product: meat — was purposefully imbued with the symbolism of dominance, aggression, and of course, manliness.   There’s an associated animating force behind this messaging as well: the perception of waning masculinity in our settler-colonial society. Whether a reaction to the closure of the American West as a tameable frontier in the late 19th century or to the contemporary Right's imagined threats of "soy boys" and a U.S. military that has supposedly gone soft under liberal command, the need to affirm a cowboy sense of manliness, defined and expressed through violence and domination, continues to take the form of consuming meat.   On this episode, we study the origins of the cultural link between meat eating and masculinity in settler-colonial North America; how this has persisted into the present day via right-wing charlatans like Jordan Peterson, Josh Hawley and Tucker Carlson who panic over the decline of masculinity; and the social and political costs of the maintenance and preservation of Western notions of manliness.   Our guest is history professor and author Kristin Hoganson.

Just added to my radio archive (click on date for link):

June 10, 2021 Matt Kierkegaard, coordinator of the Progressive International’s delegation to observe the Peruvian election, on the apparent very narrow victory of the socialist, Pedro Castillo • Ross Barkan, author of The Prince, on the dark, evil Andrew Cuomo

Just added to my radio archive (click on date for link):

June 24, 2021 Sam Gindin, author of this review, on competition, labor, and solidarity • Leslie London, director of the Observatory Civic Association, on the fight against Amazon in Cape Town, South Africa • Tana Ganeva, author of this article, on the prevalence and horrors of solitary confinement

Just added to my radio archive (click on date for link):

July 1, 2021 Joseph Darda, author of How White Men Won the Culture Wars, on the role of the Vietnam vet in establishing white identity • Joshua Adams, author of this article, on the critical race theory controversy

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Primed is a new podcast about Amazon. I'm Alex Press, a staff writer at Jacobin, and I'll be hosting the show. Consider Primed an entry point for understanding a company that is increasingly reshaping, mediating, and controlling our lives and the planet. On this introductory episode, I'm joined by Dania Rajendra, director of Athena, and Alessandro Delfanti, who has a forthcoming book on Amazon warehouse work. The three of us try to answer a pressing question: what exactly is Amazon?

You can listen to Primed via Jacobin Radio on Apple, Spotify, or anywhere else you listen to podcasts. If you want to support the show (and pressure me to spend more time on it), you can subscribe at patreon.com/primedpodcast. If you subscribe, you'll receive research notes, occasional video content, and access to the Primed Discord. To keep up with the latest updates, follow us on Twitter @primed_podcast. Thanks for listening!

Primer is a new podcast about Amazon. I'm Alex Press, a staff writer at Jacobin, and I'll be hosting the show. Consider Primer an entry point for understanding a company that is increasingly reshaping, mediating, and controlling our lives and the planet. On this introductory episode, I'm joined by Dania Rajendra, director of Athena, and Alessandro Delfanti, who has a forthcoming book on Amazon warehouse work. The three of us try to answer a pressing question: what exactly is Amazon?

You can listen to Primer via Jacobin Radio on Apple, Spotify, or anywhere else you listen to podcasts. If you want to support the show (and pressure me to spend more time on it), you can subscribe at patreon.com/primerpodcast. If you subscribe, you'll receive research notes, occasional video content, and access to the Primer Discord. To keep up with the latest updates, follow us on Twitter @primerpod. Thanks for listening!

We’re opening Amazon’s books to look at the company’s finances. On this episode, I'm joined by Edward Ongweso Jr, a staff writer at Vice News's Motherboard where he covers Silicon Valley and the gig economy, and Jathan Sadowski, the author of Too Smart, a book on the political economy of digital capitalism. Ed and Jathan host the podcast This Machine Kills, a great show about technology and political economy.

You can listen to Primer via Jacobin Radio on Apple, Spotify, or anywhere else you listen to podcasts. If you want to support me, subscribe at patreon.com/primerpodcast. When you subscribe, you'll get show notes, video content, and access to the Discord. To keep up with the latest updates, follow us on Twitter @primerpod. Thanks for listening!

Who governs? Upon closer inspection, the composition of the ruling class has undergone huge changes that are driving this political moment. Dan interviews Doug Henwood, the author of "Take Me to Your Leader," an extensive analysis of the changing composition of the ruling class published in Jacobin: jacobinmag.com/2021/04/take-me-to-your-leader-the-rot-of-the-american-ruling-class

Support this podcast at Patreon.com/TheDig

The Dig is taking it easy this summer so look for new episodes every two weeks.

Democracy Now! 2021-06-16 Wednesday

• Headlines for June 16, 2021
• Masha Gessen on the Biden-Putin Summit, Alexei Navalny & the Future of U.S.-Russia Relations

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The truth behind the summit between presidents Putin and Biden, the true value of Liz Truss’s trade deals, and someone else who’s been tricked by Martin Bashir finally comes forward. The writing squad for the series: Tom Jamieson and Nev Fountain, Laurence Howarth, Tom Coles & Ed Amsden, Jeffrey Aidoo, Simon Alcock, James Bugg, Nastassia Dhanraj , Athena Kugblenu, Sophie Dickson, Becca Bain, Duncan Wisbey, Rajiv Karia, Vivienne Riddoch & Jane Mccutcheon , Edward Tew. Producer: Bill Dare Production Coordinator: Sarah Sharpe A BBC Studios Production for Radio 4.

Álvaro Ramírez has a great, quick tip for Eshell users. Actually, it’s a good tip for any shell you’re using in Emacs. Ramírez starts by revisiting level 4 from Vivek Haldar’s classic post on the levels of Emacs proficiency. I wrote about my own experience with his post here.

Level 4 is about discovering the shell within Emacs. In Ramírez’s case that shell is Eshell but he had trouble remembering the syntax for some of the commands that he used infrequently such as for. Then he remembered that Eshell is just another Emacs buffer so he could use YASnippets to complete the commands for him. Thus for the for he simply typed for and Tab to get a for template that he could fill in by tabbing through the fields.

Ramírez has a link to a YASnippet tutorial if you aren’t already familiar with writing the templates. As I said, the same idea would work with other shells because they, too, are just Emacs buffers. It’s a small thing but it can eliminate one piece of annoying friction in your workflow.

The archetype of the shadowy, Machiavellian political strategist is potent in the popular imagination, and no strategist has leaned into this potency harder than Roger Stone. We look back at one of Trumpworld's wackier characters by watching the Netflix documentary GET ME ROGER STONE (2017) and discuss how he is both a more and less significant figure than he seems. PLUS: Roger Stone's fashion blog!

Paul Schrader's FIRST REFORMED (2017) looks at a world that might be beyond saving, and asks: "How can we go on living?" We discuss how this great film about religion, capitalism, and the environment is a rare Movie Of The Moment that actually is one. PLUS: the legacy of Canada's residential schools.

Remember the Alamo? According to Texas lore, it's the site in San Antonio where, in 1836, about 180 Texan rebels died defending the state during Texas' war for independence from Mexico. But in a new book, Bryan Burrough (along with co-writers Chris Tomlinson and Jason Stanford) challenge the historical lore of the Alamo — including the story that Davy Crockett refused to surrender. "Most academics now believe, based on Mexican accounts and contemporary accounts, that, in fact, [Crockett] did surrender and was executed," Burrough says. His book is 'Forget the Alamo.'

Also, Maureen Corrigan reviews 'Republic of Detours' by Scott Borchert.

In this episode, u/Lubyak and u/Kugelfang52 discuss Lubyak's recent answer on the Japanese-German alliance

In this episode, Morgan Lewin (/u/aquatermain) talks to Avan (/u/Starwarsnerd222) about the geopolitical causes of the First World War. 29 mins.