Against the Grain

Nativism, Immigration, and Environmentalism

The Republican Party is gripped by a hatred of immigrants. But geographer Reece Jones argues it has not always been so. Instead, one man, the late John Tanton, was responsible for making nativism appear a central concern of conservatives, by propagating scores of anti-immigrant organizations, some which eventually helped staff the Trump Administration. And, as … Continued


Guest: Adam Hochschild is the author of eleven books, including the contemporary classics King Leopold’s Ghost and To End All Wars (both finalists for the National Book Critics Circle Award), Spain in Our Hearts (a New York Times bestseller), and Bury the Chains (a finalist for the National Book Award and winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize and PEN USA … Continued


Law & Disorder

Mass shooting at Colorado queer bar; CA prisons mistreat mentally ill prisoners; Plus, prisoners are literally wasting away in a Georgia jail

In today’s packed show, we start by reflecting on the devastating mass shooting at Colorado Springs’ queer bar Club Q over the weekend, on the eve of the Trans Day of Remembrance. Then we move to California, where new research from non-profit newsroom CalMatters shows that the California prison system on average moves people with … Continued


On today’s show: 0:08 – Stacy-Marie Ishmael (@s_m_i), managing editor for crypto at Bloomberg News discusses the spectacular collapse of the cryptocurrency exchange FTX. 0:33 – One of the nation’s largest rail unions narrowly voted down a contract brokered by the White House, stoking fears of an economically devastating strike in the run-up to Christmas. … Continued