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.
Scott Anderson, veteran war correspondent and author of the book Lawrence in Arabia: War, Deceit, Imperial Folly and the Making of the Modern Middle East. About the book: The Arab Revolt against the Turks in World War I was, in the words of T. E. Lawrence, “a sideshow of a sideshow.” As a result, the … Continued
Host of KPFA’s Hard Knock Radio Davey D from Ferguson, Missouri. A state of emergency was declared in Ferguson as protesters marked the one-year anniversary of the police killing of Michael Brown. And Democratic Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders addressed almost 30,000 people last night in Los Angeles. The first item in his speech was systemic … Continued
Peter Mathews, Professor at Cypress College and author of the book Dollar Democracy: with Liberty and Justice for Some; How to Reclaim the American Dream for All. About the book: Big Corporations and their super wealthy owners have bought many American politicians through campaign contributions and lobbying. These politicians have voted to benefit their donors, not the … Continued
Just a year after the US atomic bombing of Japan in 1945, American journalist John Hersey traveled to Japan and wrote a lengthy three-part series for the New Yorker that would become the classic book Hiroshima. It was the first account of Japanese survivors written in English and it would have a dramatic effect on … Continued
An update on TPP Negotiations with Arthur Stamoulis, executive director of the Citizens Trade Campaign. The United States along with the government of the Philippines has been conducting its ‘War on Terrorism’ in the Southern Philippino Island of Mindanau over the past decade and a half. We’ll talk about resistance movements with Amirah Ali Lidasan, Filipino Muslim … Continued
A spokesman for the Afghan president confirmed on Wednesday that Mullah Mohammed Omar, the one-eyed figurehead of the Taliban, has been dead for two years. With Nazif Shahrani, Professor of Anthropology, Central Asian and Middle Eastern Studies at Indiana University. Then, talking about the First Amendment of the Constitution with Burt Neubourne, author of Madiscon’s Music: On … Continued
Ever since Bernie Sanders was confronted by Black Lives Matter protesters he has been talking about police violence and racial inequality in speeches. We talk to John Nichols about the current Presidential Campaign landscape. John Nichols is a political blogger and Washington Correspondent for the Nation Magazine. And Robert Roper, journalist and author of Nabokov in America: … Continued
With Ted Marmor, Yale Professor Emeritus of Public Policy and Management and Political Science. He researches and writes about welfare state politics, policy, and programs in North America and Western Europe. He is author of the book The Politics of Medicare, and co-author of America’s Misunderstood Welfare State. And Pat Blanchfield, journalist and author of the blog … Continued
Turkey says it’s intensifying its campaign against the Islamic State but the recipients of the attacks have been Kurdish independence fighters who are leading the war on the ground against ISIS. Meanwhile the United States is left trying to play both sides. We’ll talk about this complicated and deadly dynamic with regional security analyst Gareth Jenkins. … Continued
Remembering Don Joyce and his art with Peter Conheim, a member of the band Negativland and Over the Edge. Don Joyce was a preeminent innovator in the medium of radio and dedicated to his show which began on KPFA in 1981. This quote excerpted from an email from Don about Over the Edge pretty much sums … Continued
