10:00 AM Pacific Time: Monday - Thursday
Letters & Politics seeks to explore the history behind today’s major global and national news stories. Hosted by Mitch Jeserich.
Today our host Philip Maldari, filling in for Mitch Jeserich, is in conversation with Mark Schwartz, a professor of plant ecology in the Department of Environmental Science and Policy at UC Davis. He will be discussing the raging Northern California wildfires that are consuming vast swaths of the state and have so far claimed 17 … Continued
On today’s show host Mitch Jeserich interviews world-famous economist and former finance minister of Greece Yanis Varoufakis about his book Adults in the Room: My Battle with the European and American Deep Establishment. In this account, Varoufakis reveals the corridors of power and his struggle with the mightiest economic and political forces on earth.
Host Mitch Jeserich speaks with Louis S. Warren about his book Gods Red Son: The Ghost Dance Religion and the Making of Modern America, which describes the pan-Indian religious movement that swept across the west and the great plain as a form of resistance and reconciliation to colonialism. This book is critical to understanding how … Continued
Today our host Philip Maldari, filling in for Mitch Jeserich, speaks with Chris Hedges about his latest piece “The End of Empire,” which assesses the decline of the United States’ geopolitical power in the 21st century. In addition to his status as a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, Hedges is a New York Times bestselling author and a … Continued
Today we are in conversation with Zoe Quinn, a video game producer and a leading voice in the fight against online harassment. She is the author of the book Crash Override: How GamerGate (Nearly) Destroyed My Life and How We Can Win the Fight against Online Hate. As a symbol of what online mobs are … Continued
First we talk to Edgar Illas, Director of Catalan the Hispanic Literature Program at the University of Indiana, Bloomington, about the recent events around the Referendum for Catalonia’s Independence. Our host, Philip Maldari, filling in for Mitch Jeserich, is questioning the motivations of this movement and its issues and consequences. In the second part of … Continued
Last night a gunman opened fire on a crowd at a country music festival in Las Vegas. This is the deadliest shooting in modern U.S. history with 58 dead and at least 515 injured. Today we speak with Patrick Blanchfield, writer and journalist who writes about American culture and violence. He is also a faculty member … Continued
Today we are in conversation with Laura Dassow Walls, author of the book Henry David Thoreau: A Life, a biography of the naturalist, inventor and activist. He left behind a monumental legacy in addition to his essay Civil Disobedience, a paean to human freedom. Two hundred years after his birth, Walls restores Henry David Thoreau to us … Continued
Today we talk to Brian Edwards-Tiekert, co-host of KPFA’s Up Front, about the ongoing situation in Puerto Rico in the devastating aftermath of Hurricane Maria. From Trump’s humanitarian negligence to volunteers’ on-the-ground experiences, he has been closely following developments relating to this crisis. Additionally, we will be playing critically selected excerpts from Episode 5 of Ilan Ziv’s documentary … Continued
Today’s show features excerpts from The Great White Hoax: Donald Trump & the Politics of Race and Class in America, featuring acclaimed anti-racist educator and author Tim Wise. This film explains how racism and racial scapegoating have shaped American politics for centuries, and how Donald Trump’s campaign used this rhetoric to conquer working class voters. Letters … Continued
