Current Affairs

🌹 Use the code "15OFF" for a discount on Current Affairs: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership Trita Parsi is the co-founder of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft and one of the leading analysts of U.S.–Iran relations. He joins Current Affairs editor in chief Nathan J. Robinson to explain how the ceasefire between the United States and Iran unraveled, why he believes both Washington and Tehran miscalculated, and what the renewed fighting means for the prospects of diplomacy. 🌹 Subscribe to Trita Parsi on Substack: https://tritaparsi.substack.com/ 🌹 Follow Trita Parsi: https://x.com/tparsi 🌹 The Quincy Institute: https://quincyinst.org/ 0:00–7:05 Collapse of the MOU & Return to War 7:05–11:44 Trump's Strategy & U.S. Miscalculation 11:44–14:52 Why Endless Wars Continue (John Mearsheimer) 14:52–17:31 Best- & Worst-Case Scenarios 17:31–20:22 Trump's Anti-War Promises & the MAGA Split 20:22–25:26 Biden, Gaza & Democratic Accountability 25:26–29:57 The Future of International Law & the ICC 🦩SUBSCRIBE TO CURRENT AFFAIRS MAGAZINE: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership 🦩 MERCH: https://shop.currentaffairs.org/ 🦩THE MYTH OF AMERICAN IDEALISM: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/738224/the-myth-of-american-idealism-by-noam-chomsky-and-nathan-j-robinson/

🌹 Use the code "15OFF" for a discount on Current Affairs: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership When you stand for nothing, nobody wants to stand with you. 🌹 Full article by Alex Skopic: https://www.currentaffairs.org/news/keir-starmers-downfall-is-a-warning-for-the-democrats 🦩Subscribe to Current Affairs: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership 🦩 Merch: https://shop.currentaffairs.org/

🌹 Use the code "15OFF" for a discount on Current Affairs: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership  Eric Beinhocker is a professor at the University of Oxford and executive director of the Institute for New Economic Thinking at the Oxford Martin School. Nick Hanauer is an entrepreneur, venture capitalist, and founder of Civic Ventures. Together, they are the authors of the booklet Markets Built for Humans. Beinhocker and Hanauer joined Current Affairs editor-in-chief Nathan J. Robinson to discuss why they believe neoliberal economics has failed, what the evidence really shows about the minimum wage and inequality, how bad economic ideas have shaped climate policy, and why they argue a thriving middle class is the foundation of a healthy economy and democracy.  📘 Get the book for FREE: https://www.marketsbuiltforhumans.org/  0:00-9:14 How Neoliberalism Broke the Economy  9:14-15:07 How Much Better Off Americans Could Be  15:07-20:04 Why Markets Naturally Produce Plutocracy  20:04-30:39 How Economists Got the Minimum Wage Wrong  30:39-34:53 How Neoliberal Economics Failed on Climate Change  34:53-44:42 Building an Economy for the Middle Class  🦩Subscribe to Current Affairs: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership  🦩 Merch: https://shop.currentaffairs.org/

🌹 Use the code "15OFF" for a discount on Current Affairs: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership The Israel lobby’s attempt to destroy Abdul El-Sayed’s campaign is a disturbing example of how money warps democracy. 🌹 Full article by Nathan J. Robinson: https://www.currentaffairs.org/news/how-an-aipac-smear-campaign-works 🦩Subscribe to Current Affairs: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership 🦩 Merch: https://shop.currentaffairs.org/

🌹 Use the code "15OFF" for a discount on Current Affairs: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership  Kshama Sawant is a socialist organizer, former Seattle City Council member, and candidate for Congress in Washington’s 9th congressional district. Sawant joined Current Affairs editor-in-chief Nathan J. Robinson to discuss Adam Smith’s record on war, why she believes Democrats cannot be relied on to fight for working people, and why revolutionary socialists should fight for immediate reforms while building power outside the two-party system.  0:00-2:48 Adam Smith, Warmonger  2:48-9:27 Why Democrats Keep Failing  9:27-19:39 How to Build Power Outside Congress  19:39-27:53 Why Socialists Fight for Reforms  27:53-33:01 Kshama Sawant’s Agenda  🌹 Kshama Sawant's Website: https://www.kshamasawant.org/  🦩Subscribe to Current Affairs: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership  🦩 Merch: https://shop.currentaffairs.org/

🌹 Use the code "15OFF" for a discount on Current Affairs: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership  There’s barely any pretense that Trump cares about Cuban democracy. This is about privatizing Cuba’s public assets and getting them into the hands of Trump’s cronies.  🇨🇺 Read the article: https://www.currentaffairs.org/news/the-u.s.-is-terrorizing-cuba-to-make-rich-men-richer  🦩Subscribe to Current Affairs: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership  🦩 Merch: https://shop.currentaffairs.org/

🌹 Use the code "15OFF" for a discount on Current Affairs: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership They rejected kings and were sincerely concerned about the possibility of a dictatorship. But we need to move past founder-worship and focus on justice. 👑 Full article by Nathan J. Robinson: https://www.currentaffairs.org/news/of-course-the-founding-fathers-would-have-hated-trump 🦩Subscribe to Current Affairs: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership 🦩 Merch: https://shop.currentaffairs.org/

🌹 Use the code "15OFF" for a discount on Current Affairs: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership Charles Booker is a former Kentucky state representative and the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in Kentucky. His campaign centers on Medicare for All, ending endless war, strengthening labor rights, raising wages, and building a multiracial working-class coalition from “the hood to the holler.” Booker joined Current Affairs associate editor Alex Skopic to discuss why Kentucky should not be written off as a “red state,” how progressive policies can win in places ignored by the national Democratic Party, what the left can learn from Mitch McConnell’s coalition-building, and why working people need leaders willing to fight for health care, peace, and economic justice. ⛰️ Charles Booker's Website: https://charlesbooker.org/ 0:00-9:32 Why Charles Booker Supports Medicare for All 9:32-20:42 Ending Endless War 20:42-23:10 Why Kentucky Isn’t Just a “Red State” 23:10-25:05 Why Progressive Policies Can Win in Red States 25:05-26:43 What “From the Hood to the Holler” Means 26:43-28:19 What the Left Can Learn From Mitch McConnell 28:19-33:34 Building Coalitions With Republicans 33:34-35:56 Andy Barr’s Racist Campaign 35:56-37:16 JD Vance and the Exploitation of Appalachia 37:16-42:02 Labor, Unions, and Working People 🦩Subscribe to Current Affairs: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership 🦩 Merch: https://shop.currentaffairs.org/

🌹 Use the code "15OFF" for a discount on Current Affairs: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership Mark Graham is the director of the Wayback Machine at the Internet Archive, and Chris Freeland is the Internet Archive’s director of library services and one of the co-authors of the new report Vanishing Culture: A Report on Our Fragile Cultural Record. Their work focuses on preserving digital materials that might otherwise disappear. Graham and Freeland joined Current Affairs editor-in-chief Nathan J. Robinson to discuss why the internet is not forever, how digital culture vanishes through deletion, paywalls, broken links, platform decay, and corporate control, and what can be done to preserve public access to our collective cultural record. 0:00-4:59 Is the Internet Forever? 4:59-9:52 Intentional Erasure vs. Accidental Loss 9:52-14:14 What Happens When We Lose Access? 14:14-20:41 The Problem With Social Media Archives 20:41-24:39 Ownership vs. Licensing 24:39-29:52 The Truth Is Paywalled But the Lies Are Free 29:52-34:38 The Loss of Historically Significant Media 34:38-38:02 The Vanishing Culture Report 38:02-49:20 What Can We Do? 💻 Vanishing Culture Report: https://archive.org/details/vanishing-culture-2026/mode/2up 💻 Internet Archive: https://archive.org/ 🦩Subscribe to Current Affairs: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership 🦩 Merch: https://shop.currentaffairs.org/

🌹 Use the code "15OFF" for a discount on Current Affairs: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership Elon Musk is a miserable deadbeat whom no amount of money can make loved, cool, or happy. 🌹 Full article by Nathan J. Robinson & Alex Skopic: https://www.currentaffairs.org/news/a-trillion-dollars-isnt-worth-it-if-you-have-to-be-elon-musk 🦩Subscribe to Current Affairs: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership 🦩 Merch: https://shop.currentaffairs.org/

🌹 Use the code "15OFF" for a discount on Current Affairs: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership  Electoral victories by socialists around the country show that the Democratic establishment is weak and can be overthrown.  🌹 Read the article: https://www.currentaffairs.org/news/the-left-is-rising  🦩Subscribe to Current Affairs: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership  🦩 Merch: https://shop.currentaffairs.org/

🌹 Use the code "15OFF" for a discount on Current Affairs: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership Jessica Burbank is an investigative journalist, content creator, and host of The Jessica Burbank Show. Her reporting for Drop Site News and The Counterprogramming Club has exposed the rapid spread of Flock Safety, a multi-billion-dollar surveillance company whose license plate readers and camera networks are being adopted by police departments and municipalities across the country. Burbank joined Current Affairs associate editor Emily Topping to discuss how Flock’s technology works, why communities often learn about it only after contracts are approved, how surveillance data can be abused by law enforcement, and what ordinary people should know before their towns embrace a mass surveillance system. 📸 Jessica's YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@JessicaBurbankShow 📸 Jessica's Substack: https://substack.com/@kaburbank 0:00-9:07 What Is Flock Safety? 9:07-16:19 Why Should We Be Concerned? 16:19-20:26 Efforts to Prevent Surveillance Abuse 20:26-25:00 The Gymnastics Studio Case 25:00-26:41 ICE and Data Sharing 26:41-28:50 Why Local Police Departments Embrace This Tech 28:50-34:24 What About Communities That Want This Tech? 34:24-37:01 The Ideological Fault Lines 37:01-44:03 Lawsuits Against Flock 44:03-50:03 Are You Being Watched? 50:03-59:21 The Broader Implications of Surveillance Cameras 59:21-1:02:08 What to Consider Before Implementing This Tech 🦩Subscribe to Current Affairs: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership 🦩 Merch: https://shop.currentaffairs.org/

🌹 Use the code "15OFF" for a discount on Current Affairs: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership Judith Butler is one of the world's leading scholars and philosophers on issues of gender, sexuality, and the cultural phenomena that surround them. They are the author of the landmark 1990 book Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity, and more recently the 2024 follow-up work Who's Afraid of Gender? Butler joined Current Affairs editor-in-chief Nathan J. Robinson to discuss the way people around the world -- mostly conservatives, but some who consider themselves leftists, too -- have become fearful and angry about what they call "gender ideology," why they're mistaken, and what might be done about it. 🏳️‍⚧️ Who's Afraid of Gender?: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9780374608224/whosafraidofgender/ 0:00-4:34 How Gender Became a Right-Wing Panic 4:34-7:59 What “Gender Ideology” Really Means 7:59-13:27 Responding to Kathleen Stock 13:27-16:15 What Performativity Actually Means 16:15-23:28 Matt Walsh and the Demand for Simple Answers 23:28-26:25 Anti-Trans Politics and the Turn Toward Fascism 26:25-31:39 Feminism, TERFs, and Trans Rights 31:39-34:45 How Butler’s Views Have Evolved 34:45-40:53 Anti-Capitalism and Gender as a Distraction 🦩 Subscribe to Current Affairs: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership 🦩 Merch: https://shop.currentaffairs.org/

🌹 Use the code "15OFF" for a discount on Current Affairs: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership Molly Crabapple is an artist, journalist, and author of the new book Here Where We Live Is Our Country: The Story of the Jewish Bund. She joins Current Affairs editor-in-chief Nathan J. Robinson to discuss the history of the Bund, its fierce anti-Zionism, its vision of Jewish self-determination without an ethnostate, and what this forgotten socialist movement can teach us about solidarity, self-defense, and fighting fascism today. ✊ Here Where We Live Is Our Country: https://www.mollycrabapple.com/here-where-we-live-is-our-country ✊ Drawing Blood: https://www.mollycrabapple.com/drawing-blood ✊ Brothers of the Gun: https://www.mollycrabapple.com/brothers-of-the-gun 0:00-5:52 Why the Bund Matters Now 5:52-9:43 Jewish Self-Determination Without an Ethnostate 9:43-14:51 Why the Bund Rejected Zionism 14:51-20:45 Labor Organizing, Mutual Aid, and Revolution 20:45-23:11 Jewish Self-Defense Against Pogroms 23:11-26:06 The Bund’s Failure to Take Power 26:06-32:16 Were the Zionists Proven Right? 32:16-35:12 Why History Was Not Inevitable 35:12-38:05 Has Israel Made Jews Less Safe? 38:05-43:36 Why the Bund Resonates Today 🦩Subscribe to Current Affairs: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership 🦩 Merch: https://shop.currentaffairs.org/

🌹 Use the code "15OFF" for a discount on Current Affairs: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership J. W. Mason and Arjun Jayadev are economists and authors of the new book Against Money. They join Current Affairs editor-in-chief Nathan J. Robinson to discuss why money is so widely misunderstood, how it shapes our lives in ways we often fail to see, and how rethinking money can change the way we understand debt, austerity, inequality, foreign investment, housing, and the limits of mainstream economics. 💵 Against Money: https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/A/bo265118979.html 0:00-6:20 The problem with imagining a world without money 6:20-13:38 Why money is not a neutral measure of value 13:38-20:15 How rethinking money changes our politics 20:15-30:43 What capital really is 30:43-38:14 What mainstream economics gets wrong 🦩Subscribe to Current Affairs: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership 🦩 Merch: https://shop.currentaffairs.org/

🌹 Use the code "15OFF" for a discount on Current Affairs: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership Chris Smalls is the co-founder and former president of the Amazon Labor Union and author of the new book When the Revolution Comes. He joins Current Affairs associate editor Alex Skopic in Havana, Cuba, during the Nuestra América aid mission to discuss the U.S. blockade, labor organizing, his fight against Amazon, and why struggles from Cuba to Gaza to Staten Island are connected. Recorded March, 2026  ✊ Buy When the Revolution Comes: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/724036/when-the-revolution-comes-by-chris-smalls/ 0:00-5:21 Why Chris Smalls Came to Cuba 5:21-8:18 Hip-Hop, “Union Drip,” and Labor Organizing 8:18-11:09 Joe Biden’s Empty Pro-Union Promises 11:09-17:32 What Workers Should Know About Unionizing 17:32-24:02 The State of the Amazon Labor Union 24:02-26:36 Lessons From the Amazon Fight 26:36-28:15 Gaza, the Freedom Flotilla, and Israeli Apartheid 28:15-28:50 Medea Benjamin Cameo 28:50-31:56 What Comes Next for Chris Smalls 🦩Subscribe to Current Affairs: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership 🦩 Merch: https://shop.currentaffairs.org/

🌹 Use the code "15OFF" for a discount on Current Affairs: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership Norman Finkelstein is one of the leading scholars of the Israel-Palestine conflict and author of the new book Gaza’s Gravediggers: An Inquiry into Corruption in High Places. He joins Current Affairs editor-in-chief Nathan J. Robinson to discuss Israel’s plan to make Gaza unlivable, the racism of Israeli society, Tony Blair and Trump’s colonial “Board of Peace,” why he refuses to condemn Hamas, and why he argues that governments, human rights organizations, and international legal authorities have helped enable the Gaza genocide. 🇵🇸 Gaza's Gravediggers: https://orbooks.com/catalog/gazas-gravediggers/ 0:00-9:20 Netanyahu’s plan for Gaza 9:20-20:12 Israel’s objectives in Gaza 20:12-41:41 The racism of Israeli society 41:41-45:55 Why oppressors see themselves as victims 45:55-50:18 The Cherokee removal and Palestine 50:18-1:04:21 Why this has always been Israel’s plan 1:04:21-1:25:08 Tucker Carlson, Candace Owens, and the right 1:25:08-1:32:34 Trump and Tony Blair’s “Board of Peace” 1:32:34-1:47:18 Who are Gaza’s gravediggers? 1:47:18-1:55:18 Refusing to judge anti-imperial atrocities in isolation 🦩Subscribe to Current Affairs: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership 🦩 Merch: https://shop.currentaffairs.org/

🌹 Use the code "15OFF" for a discount on Current Affairs: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership Waqas Ahmed is a Pakistani journalist whose work has appeared in The Intercept and Drop Site News. He joins Current Affairs to discuss his recent reporting with Murtaza Hussain and Ryan Grim on the U.S.-Pakistan relationship, the ouster and imprisonment of Imran Khan, and how Washington went from suspicion of Pakistan to embracing its military-backed government. 🇵🇰 Read Waqas Ahmed's article in Drop Site News: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/pakistan-mediator-united-states-iran-trump-imran-khan 0:00-10:32 How Biden Soured on Pakistan 10:32-13:27 Ukraine and Imran Khan’s Break With Washington 13:27-19:35 How the U.S. Helped Push Imran Khan Out 19:35-23:37 Imran Khan’s Imprisonment Today 23:37-26:17 Pakistan’s Crackdown After Khan’s Ouster 26:17-31:32 How Washington Learned to Love Pakistan’s Military Regime 31:32-33:09 America Supports Dictatorship When It Serves U.S. Interests 33:09-38:22 Pakistan’s Role in the Iran Negotiations 🦩Subscribe to Current Affairs: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership 🦩 Merch: https://shop.currentaffairs.org/

🌹 Use the code "15OFF" for a discount on Current Affairs: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership Nicholas Enrich worked at USAID for more than 12 years, including in its Bureau for Global Health and Bureau for Management. He joins Current Affairs to discuss his new book, Into the Wood Chipper, a whistleblower account of how the Trump administration and Elon Musk’s DOGE allies shredded one of the most important humanitarian agencies in the U.S. government. 🏥 Buy Nicholas's Book: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Into-the-Wood-Chipper/Nicholas-Enrich/9781668226957 0:00-3:02 Inside USAID’s “Wood Chipper” 3:02-7:02 What USAID Actually Did 7:02-12:23 How the Right Turned USAID Into a Conspiracy Theory 12:23-14:37 The Trump Administration’s Lies About “Life-Saving” Aid 14:37-20:33 The Human Cost of Destroying USAID 20:33-34:20 How This Catastrophe Could Have Been Avoided 🦩Subscribe to Current Affairs: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership 🦩 Merch: https://shop.currentaffairs.org/

🌹 Use the code "15OFF" for a discount on Current Affairs: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership It’s not 2016 anymore. We can throw out the party’s sclerotic leadership. 🌹 Read the article: https://www.currentaffairs.org/news/the-democratic-establishment-can-be-defeated 🦩SUBSCRIBE TO CURRENT AFFAIRS MAGAZINE: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership 🦩 PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/c/CurrentAffairs 🦩THE MYTH OF AMERICAN IDEALISM: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/738224/the-myth-of-american-idealism-by-noam-chomsky-and-nathan-j-robinson/

🌹 Use the code "15OFF" for a discount on Current Affairs: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership Rania Khalek is a Lebanese-American journalist based in Beirut and the host of Dispatches on BreakThrough News. She returns to Current Affairs to give an update on Lebanon, where Israel has continued bombing, occupying territory, issuing displacement orders, and demolishing villages during what is being called a “ceasefire.” 🇱🇧 Subscribe to BreakThrough News: https://www.youtube.com/@BreakThroughNews/featured 🇱🇧 Rania's SubStack: https://substack.com/@raniakhalek?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=58m7xg 🇱🇧 Rania's Twitter: https://x.com/RaniaKhalek 🇱🇧 Rania's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/raniakhalek/?hl=en 0:00-5:16 There Is No Ceasefire in Lebanon 5:16-11:52 What Israel Is Destroying in Southern Lebanon 11:52-19:13 Hezbollah and the Fault Lines Inside Lebanon 19:13-25:32 Negotiations Under Fire: Peace or Submission? 25:32-27:57 Hezbollah’s Resilience 27:57-34:02 How U.S. Media Sanitizes Israel’s War 34:02-39:16 America’s Role in Destroying Lebanon 39:16-42:37 How Americans Can Show Solidarity 🦩Subscribe to Current Affairs: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership 🦩 Merch: https://shop.currentaffairs.org/

🌹 Use the code "15OFF" for a discount on Current Affairs: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership Abdul El-Sayed is a physician, public health official, Current Affairs contributor, and Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in Michigan. He joined Nathan Robinson to discuss his campaign, the fight over Gaza and AIPAC inside the Democratic Party, Chuck Schumer’s leadership, Medicare for All, corporate money in politics, and why he believes Democrats can win by rejecting the old theory of “electability.” 〽️ Abdul's Website: https://abdulforsenate.com/ 0:00-3:41 Why This Campaign Feels Different 3:41-7:05 Gaza, AIPAC, and U.S. Tax Dollars 7:05-11:45 Abdul’s Theory of Electability 11:45-15:45 Persuading Trump Voters 15:45-17:22 Schumer and Democratic Leadership 17:22-19:30 Money Out of Politics, Medicare for All, and Senate Priorities 19:30-23:05 Presidential Power and Foreign Policy 🦩Subscribe to Current Affairs: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership 🦩 Merch: https://shop.currentaffairs.org/

🌹 Use the code "15OFF" for a discount on Current Affairs: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership Sam Miller McDonald is a writer and longtime Current Affairs contributor. He joins Nathan Robinson to discuss his new book Progress: How One Idea Built Civilization—and Now Threatens to Destroy It, a sweeping critique of the belief that history is a story of constant improvement. 🌀 Buy Sam's book: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250278319/progress/ 🌀 Read Sam's articles: https://www.currentaffairs.org/news/author/samuel-miller-mcdonald 0:00-8:30 critiquing the Pinker-style narrative of progress 8:30-19:43 “progress” as destruction: industrialization and ecological collapse 19:43-23:34 what actually constitutes wellbeing 23:34-30:15 why the idea of “progress” is misleading 30:15-36:42 how “progress” justifies violence (Nazism, colonialism) 36:42-41:37 imagining values beyond “progress” 🦩Subscribe to Current Affairs: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership 🦩 Merch: https://shop.currentaffairs.org/

🌹 Use the code "15OFF" for a discount on Current Affairs: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership As Trump creates economic havoc and commits war crimes, the socialist mayor of New York City demonstrates what serious, responsible government looks like. 🗽 Read the article: https://www.currentaffairs.org/news/meanwhile-zohran-is-just-getting-things-done 🦩SUBSCRIBE TO CURRENT AFFAIRS MAGAZINE: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership 🦩 PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/c/CurrentAffairs 🦩THE MYTH OF AMERICAN IDEALISM: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/738224/the-myth-of-american-idealism-by-noam-chomsky-and-nathan-j-robinson/

🌹 Use the code "15OFF" for a discount on Current Affairs: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership After being a leading Democratic enabler of the genocide of Palestinians, Cory Booker now has the audacity to publish a book about moral virtue. 🦩Subscribe to Current Affairs: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership 🦩 Merch: https://shop.currentaffairs.org/

🌹 Use the code "15OFF" for a discount on Current Affairs: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership Adam Johnson is a media analyst and co-host of the podcast Citations Needed, whose work has appeared in The Nation, The Intercept, and other major outlets. He joined Current Affairs Editor-in-Chief Nathan Robinson to discuss his new book How to Sell a Genocide: The Media’s Complicity in the Destruction of Gaza, an analysis of how U.S. corporate media covered Israel’s assault on Gaza. 🇵🇸 Buy Adam's new book: https://www.plutobooks.com/product/how-to-sell-a-genocide/ 🇵🇸 Follow Adam on Twitter: https://x.com/adamjohnsonCHI 🇵🇸 Citations Needed: https://citationsneeded.libsyn.com/ 0:00–5:51 Yes, it's a genocide 5:51–9:32 How liberal media failed 9:32–16:25 The myth of journalistic neutrality 16:25–21:40 The “Hamas-run” framing 21:40–28:03 How Hamas is portrayed as ISIS 28:03–34:22 Erasing historical context 34:22–37:46 Media double standards 37:46–47:05 Biden’s role and response 47:05–51:04 Whose voices are excluded 51:04–54:39 What happens to dissenting journalists 54:39–59:43 The Atlantic (ugh) 🦩Subscribe to Current Affairs: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership 🦩 Merch: https://shop.currentaffairs.org/

🌹 Use the code "15OFF" for a discount on Current Affairs: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership Mouin Rabbani is a Middle East analyst and researcher, and one of the most incisive commentators on U.S. foreign policy in the region. He joined Current Affairs Editor-in-Chief Nathan Robinson to discuss the latest escalation in Gaza, Lebanon, Iran, and the broader Middle East, including ceasefire negotiations, U.S.-Israel relations, and the shifting balance of power. 🇵🇸 Buy Mouin's new book: https://orbooks.com/catalog/gaza-apocalypse/ 🇵🇸 Follow Mouin on Twitter: https://x.com/MouinRabbani 0:00–6:04 Trump’s ceasefire claim and what’s actually happening 6:04–10:15 Who controls U.S. policy, Washington or Israel? 10:15–14:39 Zionism and the crackdown on dissent 14:39–16:59 How criticism of Israel gets suppressed 16:59–24:46 Why the pro-Israel consensus is breaking down 24:46–29:40 The gap between Trump’s rhetoric and reality 29:40–32:26 What Trump’s threats reveal about the war 32:26–39:45 The moral case against the war 🦩Subscribe to Current Affairs: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership 🦩 Merch: https://shop.currentaffairs.org/

🌹 Use the code "15OFF" for a discount on Current Affairs: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership  Ben Cohen is the co-founder, along with Jerry Greenfield, of the Ben and Jerry's ice cream company. But he has also been involved throughout his life with a number of major activist efforts on issues of peace, social justice, anti-racism, and climate change.  He is currently heading the Up In Arms campaign to rein in military spending. Cohen was a national co-chair of Bernie Sanders' 2020 presidential campaign. He has been arrested multiple times in the course of his activism, including disrupting an RFK Jr. Senate hearing to protest the genocide in Gaza. He is the author of the book Above The Law: How Qualified Immunity Protects Violent Police (OR Books, featuring an introduction by Killer Mike) and he is currently running a campaign to "free Ben and Jerry's" from its corporate overlords to protect its social activism.  🍦 Ben's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yobencohen/  🍦 Ben's Book: https://orbooks.com/catalog/above-the-law/  🍦 Up in Arms Campaign: https://upinarms.life/  0:00–10:16 War, military spending, and moral priorities  10:16–15:10 U.S. security logic and NATO expansion  15:10–17:56 The profit motive behind war  17:56–21:16 Impunity and lack of accountability  21:16–28:12 Explaining militarism with BBs and Oreos  28:12–33:50 Ben & Jerry’s social mission explained  33:50–41:34 The Unilever/Magnum fight  41:34–46:04 Should you boycott Ben & Jerry’s?  🦩Subscribe to Current Affairs: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership  🦩 Merch: https://shop.currentaffairs.org/

🌹 Use the code "15OFF" for a discount on Current Affairs: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership Amy Goodman is the longtime host of Democracy Now!, the independent news program she helped launch 30 years ago, which has since grown from a small network of community radio stations into a global media institution. She spoke to Current Affairs Editor-in-Chief Nathan Robinson and Digital Editor John Ross, alongside filmmakers Carl Deal and Tia Lessin, about the new documentary Steal This Story, Please!, which traces the history of Democracy Now! and Goodman’s career in independent journalism. 🗽 Watch Steal This Story, Please!: https://stealthisstory.org/ 0:00–4:51 What makes Democracy Now! different from corporate media 4:51–9:14 Amy Goodman’s approach to journalism 9:14–12:48 How antiwar voices get sidelined in corporate media 12:48–20:26 Who corporate media really serves 20:26–25:15 Objectivity vs. taking a stance 25:15–36:53 What Democracy Now! adds to the historical record 🦩Subscribe to Current Affairs: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership 🦩 Merch: https://shop.currentaffairs.org/

🌹 Use the code "15OFF" for a discount on Current Affairs: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership Dr. Butch Ware is a historian, public intellectual, and the Green Party candidate for Governor of California. He is an associate professor at UC Santa Barbara, a former Green Party vice presidential nominee, and an advocate for universal healthcare, housing, and divestment from war. He spoke to Current Affairs Editor-in-Chief Nathan Robinson about his campaign to get on the ballot and what he describes as efforts by the Democratic Party to block third-party candidates. 🍊 Butch Ware's website: https://www.butchware4gov.com/ 🍊 Follow Butch on Twitter: https://x.com/butchware?lang=en 🍊 Follow Butch on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/butchware/?hl=en 0:00–11:37 ballot access battle 11:37–17:36 blocking third parties 17:36–23:58 UK Green Party surge 23:58–33:34 Gavin Newsom critique 33:34–37:21 abortion & trans rights 37:21–42:02 Butch Ware’s vision for California 🦩Subscribe to Current Affairs: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership 🦩 Merch: https://shop.currentaffairs.org/

🌹 Use the code "15OFF" for a discount on Current Affairs: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership  Jasper Nathaniel is an independent journalist who recently returned from documenting Israeli settler and state violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, where he has spent years reporting on land seizures, settler attacks, military raids, and the daily realities of life under Israeli military rule.  He spoke to Current Affairs Digital Editor John Ross about what Americans misunderstand about the West Bank, how settler violence actually works on the ground, why settlers have become increasingly emboldened, and how land seizures are often carried out by settlers and then legalized by the state after the fact. Nathaniel also discussed Israel’s military court and prison system, the new death penalty law, the limits of debate inside the Democratic Party, the silence of American politicians when violence occurs, and what Israeli public opinion reveals about where the country may be heading.  🇵🇸 Subscribe to Infinite Jaz: https://www.infinitejaz.com/  🇵🇸 Follow Jasper on Twitter: https://x.com/infinite_jaz  0:00–6:55 What Americans Don’t Understand About the West Bank  6:55–14:50 Pogroms in the West Bank  14:50–19:25 Why Settler Are More Emboldened  19:25–29:41 Israel's New Death Penalty Law  29:41–35:52 Who Ends Up in Israeli Prisons  35:52–42:55 A Litmus Test for Democrats?  42:55–46:26 The Myth of the Two-State Solution  46:26–51:53 Why American Politicians Stay Silent  51:53–57:49 What’s Happening Inside Israeli Society  57:49–1:01:57 How Bad It Really Is  🦩Subscribe to Current Affairs: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership  🦩 Merch: https://shop.currentaffairs.org/

🌹 Use the code "15OFF" for a discount on Current Affairs: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership Afshin Matin-Asgari is an Iranian historian and professor of Middle East history at California State University, Los Angeles, and the author of Axis of Empire: A History of Iran–U.S. Relations. He spoke to Current Affairs about the long history of U.S. involvement in Iran—from the 1953 CIA-backed coup to the present conflict—and why foreign intervention has repeatedly strengthened authoritarian forces rather than weakened them. A participant in the 1978 revolution who opposed both the Shah and the Islamic Republic, Matin-Asgari offers a rare perspective on Iranian politics, the nuclear issue, and the current war, arguing that while the Islamic Republic is repressive, Iran’s future must be determined by Iranians themselves, not by the United States or Israel. 🇮🇷 Buy Afshin's Book: https://www.versobooks.com/products/2694-a-history-of-iran-us-relations 0:00-3:05 Afshin's background and how he feels about the war 3:05-5:46 What attacks mean for Iranian dissidents 5:46-9:25 The 1978 revolution 9:25-19:26 The U.S., the 1953 coup, and the Shah 19:26-27:26 Origins of U.S.–Iran conflict 27:26-30:48 Are Iranian leaders irrational? 30:48-35:13 Iran’s nuclear program 35:13-43:02 Iran’s strategy and risk of wider war 43:02-46:48 What stance the left should take 🦩SUBSCRIBE TO CURRENT AFFAIRS MAGAZINE: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership 🦩 MERCH: https://shop.currentaffairs.org/ 🦩THE MYTH OF AMERICAN IDEALISM: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/738224/the-myth-of-american-idealism-by-noam-chomsky-and-nathan-j-robinson/

🌹 Use the code "15OFF" for a discount on Current Affairs: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership Donald Trump is trying to starve the island nation into submission, but an international coalition of volunteers is coming to Cuba’s aid. We’re joining them. 🦩SUBSCRIBE TO CURRENT AFFAIRS MAGAZINE: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership 🦩 MERCH: https://shop.currentaffairs.org/ 🦩THE MYTH OF AMERICAN IDEALISM: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/738224/the-myth-of-american-idealism-by-noam-chomsky-and-nathan-j-robinson/

🌹 Use the code "15OFF" for a discount on Current Affairs: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership Rania Khalek is a journalist based in Beirut and the host of Dispatches on BreakThrough News. In this conversation with Current Affairs editor in chief Nathan J. Robinson, she describes life under bombardment in Lebanon as Israel’s assault displaces over a million people and spreads fear across Beirut. Khalek discusses the silence of U.S. Democrats, what Americans are responsible for as their government backs the war, and the broader escalation across the region. She also examines the failures of U.S. media coverage, the dehumanization that enables mass killing, and why Iran’s response must be understood in the context of self-defense and the breakdown of international law. 🇱🇧 Subscribe to  @BreakThroughNews  🇱🇧 Rania's SubStack: https://substack.com/@raniakhalek?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=58m7xg 🇱🇧 Rania's Twitter: https://x.com/RaniaKhalek 🇱🇧 Rania's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/raniakhalek/?hl=en 0:00-14:05 Life under bombardment in Lebanon 14:05-18:45 Democratic silence on Lebanon 18:45-24:10 What Americans should understand about Lebanon 24:10-29:56 Escalation and nuclear fears 29:56-36:19 Media failure and dehumanization 36:19-45:20 Iran, self-defense, and international law 🦩SUBSCRIBE TO CURRENT AFFAIRS MAGAZINE: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership 🦩 MERCH: https://shop.currentaffairs.org/ 🦩THE MYTH OF AMERICAN IDEALISM: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/738224/the-myth-of-american-idealism-by-noam-chomsky-and-nathan-j-robinson/

🌹 Use the code "15OFF" for a discount on Current Affairs: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership Becca Rothfeld is a staff writer at The New Yorker, an editor at The Point, and the former nonfiction book critic at The Washington Post, where she wrote until the paper eliminated its books section amid sweeping layoffs. She explains why book reviews matter and how criticism can introduce readers to ideas they didn’t know interested them. Rothfeld also discusses the role of negative reviews, what it means for a book to be “instructively bad,” and why criticism should challenge rather than flatter its audience. She also argues that the growing use of AI risks degrading human thought, and reflects on beauty, “looksmaxing,” and the kind of intellectual and cultural life worth preserving. 📚 Becca's New Yorker Articles: https://www.newyorker.com/contributors/becca-rothfeld 📚 Becca's Website: https://www.beccarothfeld.com/ 📚 Becca's Book: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250849915/allthingsaretoosmall/ 0:00–5:41 What Happened to the Washington Post 5:41–13:08 Why Review Books 13:08–22:02 Reviewing “Bad” Books 22:02–39:20 AI and the Death of Thinking 39:20–45:46 Looksmaxing and Beauty 45:46–50:58 Favorite Book Reviews 🦩SUBSCRIBE TO CURRENT AFFAIRS MAGAZINE: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership 🦩 MERCH: https://shop.currentaffairs.org/ 🦩THE MYTH OF AMERICAN IDEALISM: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/738224/the-myth-of-american-idealism-by-noam-chomsky-and-nathan-j-robinson/

🌹 Use the code "15OFF" for a discount on Current Affairs: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership Annelle Sheline is a research fellow in the Middle East program at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft and a former U.S. State Department official who resigned in protest over the Biden administration’s support for Israel’s war in Gaza. In this conversation with Current Affairs editor in chief Nathan J. Robinson, she discusses why she chose to resign while other senior officials—including former USAID administrator Samantha Power—remained in their positions. Sheline also examines how U.S. policy and unconditional support for Israel helped lead to the current war with Iran, the devastating human toll of the conflict, and why the erosion of international law could have dangerous consequences for the future of global order. 🌹 Annelle Sheline's New Republic Article: https://newrepublic.com/article/207300/trump-israel-madness-war-iran 🌹 Follow Annelle Sheline: https://x.com/AnnelleSheline 🌹 The Quincy Institute: https://quincyinst.org/ 0:00-18:25 Samantha Power's moral bankruptcy 18:25-28:21 How Biden policy led to this 28:21-33:48 Intentionally targeting civilians 33:48-43:41 Why we still need international law 🦩SUBSCRIBE TO CURRENT AFFAIRS MAGAZINE: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership 🦩 MERCH: https://shop.currentaffairs.org/ 🦩THE MYTH OF AMERICAN IDEALISM: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/738224/the-myth-of-american-idealism-by-noam-chomsky-and-nathan-j-robinson/

🌹 Use the code "15OFF" for a discount on Current Affairs: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership Trita Parsi is the co-founder and Executive Vice President of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft and one of the leading analysts of U.S.–Iran relations. In this conversation with Current Affairs editor in chief Nathan J. Robinson, he explains how the escalating U.S.–Israel war on Iran is affecting civilians, how sanctions and propaganda shaped the political climate leading up to the conflict, and why Israel and the United States may see the war very differently in strategic terms. Parsi also discusses why he believes the war is a mistake for Washington, how Trump ended up launching it, how the conflict might end, and how a very different path might have been possible if diplomacy had prevailed. 🌹 Trita Parsi's latest in Responsible Statecraft: https://responsiblestatecraft.org/iran-war-trump-press/ 🌹 Follow Trita Parsi: https://x.com/tparsi 🌹 The Quincy Institute: https://quincyinst.org/ 0:00-7:08 The human toll of the war 7:08-9:49 Justifying the unjustifiable 9:49-12:45 What is Israel’s strategy? 12:45-14:51 America will pay the price for Israel 14:51-20:13 Why did Trump get the U.S. into this war? 20:13-23:02 How does this war end? 23:02-24:16 What is Europe doing? 24:16-29:23 How things could have been different 🦩SUBSCRIBE TO CURRENT AFFAIRS MAGAZINE: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership 🦩 MERCH: https://shop.currentaffairs.org/ 🦩THE MYTH OF AMERICAN IDEALISM: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/738224/the-myth-of-american-idealism-by-noam-chomsky-and-nathan-j-robinson/

🌹 Use the code "15OFF" for a discount on Current Affairs: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership Trump's fake-anti-imperialism only works because Democrats refuse to embrace the real thing. 🌹 Read the article: https://www.currentaffairs.org/news/remember-when-people-thought-trump-was-anti-war 🦩SUBSCRIBE TO CURRENT AFFAIRS MAGAZINE: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership 🦩 PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/c/CurrentAffairs 🦩THE MYTH OF AMERICAN IDEALISM: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/738224/the-myth-of-american-idealism-by-noam-chomsky-and-nathan-j-robinson/

🌹 Use the code "15OFF" for a discount on Current Affairs: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership  Our media’s sanitized coverage obscures the human toll. Are we able to confront the full sickening evil of what the U.S. is doing?  🌹 Read the article: https://www.currentaffairs.org/news/the-iran-war-is-unfathomably-depraved  🦩SUBSCRIBE TO CURRENT AFFAIRS MAGAZINE: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership  🦩 PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/c/CurrentAffairs  🦩THE MYTH OF AMERICAN IDEALISM: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/738224/the-myth-of-american-idealism-by-noam-chomsky-and-nathan-j-robinson/

🦩 Use the code "15OFF" for a discount on Current Affairs: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership  According to our elected leaders, we should be very scared of the possibility that Iran could get a nuclear bomb. But Israel already has them, and its government is increasingly unstable and belligerent.  🔥 Read the article: https://www.currentaffairs.org/news/wait-why-is-israel-allowed-to-have-nukes  🦩SUBSCRIBE TO CURRENT AFFAIRS MAGAZINE: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership  🦩 PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/c/CurrentAffairs  🦩THE MYTH OF AMERICAN IDEALISM: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/738224/the-myth-of-american-idealism-by-noam-chomsky-and-nathan-j-robinson/

🦩 Use the code "15OFF" for a discount on Current Affairs: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership In their new documentary “Earth’s Greatest Enemy,” Abby Martin and Mike Prysner reveal that the climate and anti-war movements are really one and the same—because the U.S. military is the worst polluter of all. 🌏 Watch Earth's Greatest Enemy: https://earthsgreatestenemy.com/ 🌏 Current Affairs Review: https://www.currentaffairs.org/news/the-u.s.-war-machine-is-earths-greatest-enemy 🌏 Subscribe to The Empire Files: https://www.youtube.com/@EmpireFiles 0:00-7:27 The Film’s Core Thesis 7:27-15:19 The Military As A Destructive Cancer 15:19-18:21 Security Dilemma 18:21-22:34 The Human Cost 22:34-25:34 RIMPAC & Political Evasion 25:34-36:50 Resistance Movements 36:50-42:50 Organizing And Mass Education 🦩SUBSCRIBE TO CURRENT AFFAIRS MAGAZINE: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership 🦩 PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/c/CurrentAffairs 🦩THE MYTH OF AMERICAN IDEALISM: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/738224/the-myth-of-american-idealism-by-noam-chomsky-and-nathan-j-robinson/

🦩 Use the code "15OFF" for a discount on Current Affairs: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership Daniel Bessner is a historian and professor at the University of Washington’s Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies, and the co-host of the foreign policy podcast American Prestige. He’s also the editor of the new Cambridge University Press volume Cold War Liberalism: Power in a Time of Emergency, which examines how liberal elites built the U.S. national security state and justified global dominance during the Cold War. He joined Current Affairs editor-in-chief Nathan J. Robinson to discuss what the Cold War actually was, why the phrase “Cold War” obscures the mass violence it unleashed across the Global South, and what lessons this history holds for U.S. policy regarding contemporary tensions with China. ☢️ American Prestige Podcast: https://americanprestigepod.com/ ☢️ Buy Daniel's Book: https://www.cambridge.org/us/universitypress/subjects/history/diplomatic-and-international-history/cold-war-liberalism-power-time-emergency?format=PB ☢️ Follow Daniel on Twitter: https://x.com/dbessner 0:00–19:43 Defining Cold War Liberalism 19:43–23:39 The Myth of a “Cold” War 23:39–28:21 China, Taiwan, and Spheres of Influence 28:21–37:45 JFK and Elite-Driven Liberalism 37:45–42:32 The National Security State’s Legacy 42:32–45:57 Climate 🦩SUBSCRIBE TO CURRENT AFFAIRS MAGAZINE: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership 🦩 PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/c/CurrentAffairs 🦩THE MYTH OF AMERICAN IDEALISM: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/738224/the-myth-of-american-idealism-by-noam-chomsky-and-nathan-j-robinson/

🦩 Use the code "15OFF" for a discount on Current Affairs: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership  From slavery and child labor in the 19th century to the Iraq War and Gaza, the Left position has been accepted only after horrible human costs. Next time, how about listening before the damage is done?  ⏳ Read the article: https://www.currentaffairs.org/news/the-left-is-always-right-too-early  🦩SUBSCRIBE TO CURRENT AFFAIRS MAGAZINE: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership  🦩 PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/c/CurrentAffairs  🦩THE MYTH OF AMERICAN IDEALISM: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/738224/the-myth-of-american-idealism-by-noam-chomsky-and-nathan-j-robinson/

A convoy to Cuba, Grok doxxes a sex worker,  Mamdani cuts the library, Pakistan has really fast jets, MGP declares war on sea lions, Andrew is arrested, and bugs are more popular than Trump. 📰 SUBSCRIBE TO THE BRIEFING: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership 🦩 SUBSCRIBE TO CURRENT AFFAIRS MAGAZINE: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership 🦩 PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/c/CurrentAffairs 🦩THE MYTH OF AMERICAN IDEALISM: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/738224/the-myth-of-american-idealism-by-noam-chomsky-and-nathan-j-robinson/

Abigail Thorn is an actor, writer, and the creator of the widely acclaimed YouTube channel Philosophy Tube, where she explores politics, culture, and philosophy through performance and storytelling. She is currently starring in BLINK, a London stage play about livestreaming, voyeurism, and parasocial intimacy written years before those concepts entered mainstream discourse.🎭 Subscribe to Philosophy Tube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJ0HX-m_eSY🎭 Get tickets to BLINK: https://kingsheadtheatre.com/whats-on/blink-df190:00-3:21 BLINK and Parasocial Intimacy3:21-7:39 Parasocial Relationships and Boundaries7:39-11:08 Building Philosophy Tube11:08-13:51 Aesthetics, Performance, and Ideas13:51-22:36 Theatre vs. YouTube as Mediums22:36-30:01 Performance in Politics Without Sacrificing Substance🦩SUBSCRIBE TO CURRENT AFFAIRS MAGAZINE: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership🦩 PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/c/CurrentAffairs🦩THE MYTH OF AMERICAN IDEALISM: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/738224/the-myth-of-american-idealism-by-noam-chomsky-and-nathan-j-robinson/

🦩 Use the code "15OFF" for a discount on Current Affairs: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership The core right-wing principle is a belief in hierarchy, not the limitation of state power. 🐍 Read the article: https://www.currentaffairs.org/news/2022/07/why-conservatives-hate-the-government-but-love-the-cops 🦩SUBSCRIBE TO CURRENT AFFAIRS MAGAZINE: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership 🦩 PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/c/CurrentAffairs 🦩THE MYTH OF AMERICAN IDEALISM: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/738224/the-myth-of-american-idealism-by-noam-chomsky-and-nathan-j-robinson/

🦩 Use the code "15OFF" for a discount on Current Affairs: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membershipFor Peter Thiel, JD Vance, and other figures on today’s far right, the works of J.R.R. Tolkien have become a cultural touchstone. Pity they don’t understand the first thing about them.🧙‍♂️ Read the article: https://www.currentaffairs.org/news/how-the-right-abuses-tolkien🦩SUBSCRIBE TO CURRENT AFFAIRS MAGAZINE: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership🦩 PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/c/CurrentAffairs🦩THE MYTH OF AMERICAN IDEALISM: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/738224/the-myth-of-american-idealism-by-noam-chomsky-and-nathan-j-robinson/

EPA to stop animal testing, Palestinians go on general strike, Ye apologizes for his Nazism again, TikTok claims apparent censorship was caused by a power outage, and the government repeals workplace protections because they protect trans people.📰 SUBSCRIBE TO THE BRIEFING: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership🦩 SUBSCRIBE TO CURRENT AFFAIRS MAGAZINE: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership🦩 PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/c/CurrentAffairs🦩THE MYTH OF AMERICAN IDEALISM: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/738224/the-myth-of-american-idealism-by-noam-chomsky-and-nathan-j-robinson/

Ro Khanna is the U.S. representative for California’s 17th Congressional district, more commonly known as “Silicon Valley.” He was a co-chair of Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign in 2020, and there’s been speculation he may run for president himself in 2028. He joined Current Affairs associate editor Alex Skopic to discuss his bipartisan efforts to release the Epstein files, a “new FDR moment” for the Democratic Party, and the dangerous state of U.S. foreign policy under Donald Trump.🦩 Read Alex Skopic's Article on Ro Khanna: https://www.currentaffairs.org/news/every-argument-against-the-california-billionaire-tax-is-wrong🦩 Interview Transcript: https://www.currentaffairs.org/news/ro-khanna0:00–4:22 Why the Epstein Files Still Aren’t Public4:22–5:18 Impeaching Attorney General Pam Bondi5:18–7:05 What’s Inside the Epstein Files7:05–8:38 Will the Epstein Files Ever Be Fully Released?8:38–15:39 The Billionaire Tax & an FDR-Style Economic Vision15:39–21:20 Should Billionaires Exist at All?21:20–24:25 Gavin Newsom, Ben Shapiro, and Gaza24:25–29:36 Ro Khanna Explains His Israel Aid Vote29:36–31:58 Offensive vs. Defensive Weapons to Israel31:58–35:36 China, Competition, and Rejecting a New Cold War35:36–37:38 Can Congress Stop Trump’s Wars?37:38–40:42 Should Trump Face War Crimes Charges?🦩SUBSCRIBE TO CURRENT AFFAIRS MAGAZINE: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership 🦩 PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/c/CurrentAffairs 🦩THE MYTH OF AMERICAN IDEALISM: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/738224/the-myth-of-american-idealism-by-noam-chomsky-and-nathan-j-robinson/

The "Keep America Beautiful" campaign urged Americans to pick up their trash—so that companies could keep producing it.🗑️ Read the full article: https://www.currentaffairs.org/news/the-sinister-origins-of-americas-anti-litter-movement🦩SUBSCRIBE TO CURRENT AFFAIRS MAGAZINE: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership🦩 PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/c/CurrentAffairs🦩THE MYTH OF AMERICAN IDEALISM: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/738224/the-myth-of-american-idealism-by-noam-chomsky-and-nathan-j-robinson/