National • News & Public Affairs
A weekly one-hour public affairs radio program that provides analyses and views that are ignored or distorted in most media.Guests include Dar Jamail, Michael Pollan, Noam Chomsky, Antonia Jusef, Naomi Klein, Vandana Shiva, Jeff Cohen, David Zirin, Bill Moyers and Howard Zinn.
A weekly one-hour public affairs radio program that provides analyses and views that are ignored or distorted in most media.Guests include Dar Jamail, Michael Pollan, Noam Chomsky, Antonia Jusef, Naomi Klein, Vandana Shiva, Jeff Cohen, David Zirin, Bill Moyers and Howard Zinn.
Recent Episodes
July 28, 2021 National, News & Public Affairs
Origins of the Vietnam War
The 50th anniversary of the Pentagon Papers has brought attention once more to Daniel Ellsberg. His action in 1971 in releasing the Pentagon Papers blew the lid off of Washington’s mountain of lies and deceptions about Vietnam and ultimately led to Watergate and Nixon’s resignation.
On the July 28th show the speaker will be Daniel Ellsberg who was a company commander in the Marine Corps. In 1959 he joined the RAND Corporation as an analyst. In 1964 he was recruited to serve in the Pentagon under Robert McNamara.
ListenJuly 21, 2021 National, News & Public Affairs
An Indigenous People’s History
The history of the U.S. is one of settler colonialism. The state was established on the basis of white male supremacy, slavery, land theft and genocide. “From sea to shining sea” the Native nations were decimated and dispossessed. The survivors herded into concentration camps. The genocidal policy reached its peak under President Andrew Jackson. Its ruthlessness was best articulated by Army general Thomas Jesup, who, in 1836, wrote: “The country can be rid of them only by exterminating them.” Native people are still here. Today, there is growing support for their movements such as the campaign to abolish Columbus Day and replace it with Indigenous Peoples’ Day. The Dakota Access Pipeline resistance led by the Standing Rock Sioux was joined by many non-Native allies. The action, though unsuccessful, captured the imagination of people everywhere. The struggle for indigenous rights continues.
On the July 21 program, the speaker will be Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz who grew up in rural Oklahoma, the daughter of a tenant farmer and part-Indian mother. She has been active in the indigenous movement for more than four decades and is known for her commitment to social justice issues.
ListenJuly 14, 2021 National, News & Public Affairs
Chaos or Community?
On the July 14th show, the speaker is Michael Eric Dyson, a globally renowned scholar of race, religion and contemporary culture, is the Centennial Chair and University Distinguished Professor of African American and Diaspora Studies at Vanderbilt University. The discussion will be about chaos or community.
Read MoreJuly 7, 2021 National, News & Public Affairs
The South, Slavery & the Lost Cause
The Lost Cause is rooted in the South’s search for justification and the need to find a substitute for victory in the Civil War. In attempting to deal with defeat, the South created an image of the war as a noble epic fought by brave men.
On the July 7th show, the speaker will be Jeffery Robinson who is a deputy legal director and the director of the ACLU Trone Center for Justice and Equality.
Read MoreJune 30, 2021 National, News & Public Affairs
The U.S. Rules the World
On the June 30th program, the speaker will be Noam Chomsky, who by any measure, has led a most extraordinary life. In one index he is ranked as the eighth most cited person in history, right up there with Aristotle, Shakespeare, Marx, Plato and Freud.
Read MoreJune 23, 2021 National, News & Public Affairs
Hackers and Democracy
The digital age has given birth to hackers who carry out cyberattacks on our personal data, on pipelines, energy grids and meat processing plants. There are also hackers who practice the sharing of software, open sourcing and the secure free flow of information. Maureen Webb says those hackers “are making some of the most important contributions to preserving our liberal democratic tradition in the 21st century.”
The speaker will be Maureen Webb who is a labor lawyer and human rights activist. She has taught national security law as an Adjunct Professor at the University of British Columbia.
Read MoreJune 16, 2021 National, News & Public Affairs
Covid-19 Lessons for the Future Catastrophe
If you weren’t aware of it before, the pandemic demonstrates the fact that the virus recognizes no boundaries or borders. There is no safe place. Our collective fragility has been made all too evident. What will we take away from the Covid-19 plague? We go back to business as usual only at our peril as other pandemics are sure to come.
The June 16 program features Dr. Stephen Bezruchka is on the faculty of the Department of Global Health and the Department of Health Services at the University of Washington. He worked for many years as an emergency physician in Seattle.
Read MoreJune 2, 2021 National, News & Public Affairs
India’s Covid Catastrophe
The news from India is grim. A Covid wave is sweeping the country, inflicting widespread misery and deaths. Government figures of Covid-related fatalities are widely seen as very much underreported. India may soon pass the U.S. as the global leader in deaths.
The speaker will be Jayati Ghosh, who is a renowned award-winning economist and author. Her articles appear in major newspapers, journals and magazines.
The show will air on June 2nd, 2021.
Read MoreMay 26, 2021 National, News & Public Affairs
Remake the World
While we are regaled with images of Mars, back here on Earth our planet and its people are in distress. The eco-crisis continues unabated. There are wars and the threats of wars.
On the 5-26-2021 show, the two speakers will be Rebecca Solnit who is an award-winning essayist and environmental historian and Astra Taylor who is a documentary filmmaker, writer, and political organizer.
Read MoreMay 19, 2021 National, News & Public Affairs
China, the U.S. & the New Cold War Part 2
The May 19th show continues the discussion on the cold war. China is one of the oldest cultures in the world with a rich history. The ancient Middle Kingdom is today’s People’s Republic of China. For several centuries prior to the creation of the PRC, China endured invasions, occupations, civil wars and famine. Today it is an economic powerhouse. Its influence is expanding across the globe. However, relations between Washington and Beijing have become increasingly confrontational.
Vijay Prashad is a historian, journalist and educator. He was a professor of international studies at Trinity College in Connecticut for many years and will be your speaker.