Jacobin Radio

Episoade

• 
  The Dig: Muskism w/ Ben Tarnoff and Quinn Slobodian 02.10.2026 2h 46min

  Featuring Ben Tarnoff and Quinn Slobodian on their book Muskism: A Guide for the Perplexed. What the world’s bizarre richest man reveals about our financially fabulist, hard tech, far-right political-economic era. Support The Dig at Patreon.com/TheDig Find Against Tech Oligarchy at Haymarketbooks.org  Learn more about Hate Speech at UCPress.edu The Dig goes deep into politics everywhere, from labor struggles and political economy to imperialism and immigration. Hosted by Daniel Denvir.
• 
  Confronting Capitalism: What Makes a Marxist? 30.09.2026 49min

  Karl Marx famously declared that he was not a Marxist. But his theoretical work spawned many branches of research, political movements, and heated debate. Can we identify a set of unifying ideas that make up Marxism? On this latest episode of Confronting Capitalism, Vivek Chibber and Melissa Naschek look at the foundations of Marx’s writing and explain how Marxism has both developed and degenerated over the past century. The latest issue of Catalyst is out and you can subscribe for just $20 using the code CONFRONTINGCAPITALISM: https://catalyst-journal.com/subscribe/?code=CONFRONTINGCAPITALISM Have a question for us? Write to us by email: [email protected] Confronting Capitalism with Vivek Chibber is produced by Catalyst: A Journal of Theory and Strategy, and published by Jacobin. Music by Zonkey.
• 
  Jacobin Radio: Jewish Anti-Zionists w/ Benjamin Moser 29.09.2026 54min

  Pulitzer Prize winner Benjamin Moser joins Suzi to discuss his new book, Anti-Zionism: A Jewish History, which recovers a century of Jewish opposition to Zionism, told through twelve lives, from an assassinated Dutch dissident to Hannah Arendt to the photographer Nan Goldin. Moser opens with his own grandfather’s copy of Theodor Herzl’s The Jewish State — the one object the family carried out of Nazi Germany — and traces his break with an unexamined liberal Zionism to a 2016 trip to Hebron: “It’s not that Israel is doing things that are wrong,” he said. “It’s that Israel itself is wrong.” Jacobin Radio with Suzi Weissman features conversations with leading thinkers and activists, with a focus on labor, the economy, and protest movements.
• 
  Behind the News: The Gospel of Live, Laugh, Love w/ Kristin Kobes Du Mez 28.09.2026 53min

  Kristin Kobes Du Mez, author of Live Laugh Love, dives into the world of right-wing evangelical Christian women. Behind the News, hosted by Doug Henwood, covers the worlds of economics and politics and their complex interactions, from the local to the global.
• 
  Long Reads: Ansar Allah’s Offensive in Yemen w/ Helen Lackner 24.09.2026 48min

  Over the past few weeks, Yemen’s Ansar Allah movement, also known as the Houthis, has launched a major offensive. The offensive could have major implications for the world economy, as it involves one of its most important trade routes through the Red Sea. It certainly has major implications for Saudi Arabia. Long Reads is joined by Helen Lackner, an expert on the politics of Yemen and the author of several books about the country. This is the third time Helen has joined us on the podcast. In this week’s episode, we’re going to cover events since the last time Helen spoke to us more than two years ago. Long Reads is a Jacobin podcast looking in-depth at political topics and thinkers, both contemporary and historical, with the magazine’s writers. Hosted by features editor Daniel Finn. Produced by Conor Gillies with music by Knxwledge.
• 
  Behind the News: The Backlash to School Vouchers w/ Jennifer Berkshire 22.09.2026 53min

  Jennifer Berkshire talks about the anti-school voucher backlash. Heather Berg, author of Notes from the Sex Worker Left, discusses what that formation brings to politics. Read Jennifer’s article for Jacobin, “Americans Are Turning Against School Vouchers,” here: https://jacobin.com/2026/09/school-choice-vouchers-public-opposition Behind the News, hosted by Doug Henwood, covers the worlds of economics and politics and their complex interactions, from the local to the global.
• 
  The Dig: Winning Providence w/ Ben Shanahan 21.09.2026 2h 26min

  Featuring Ben Shanahan, the architect of socialist David Morales’ victorious campaign to be the Democratic nominee for mayor of Providence, Rhode Island. The Providence left ran a slate of left-wing candidates that not only elected Morales but also swept every single contested city council seat on a platform of capping the rent and building social housing. Read Dennis Hogan’s essays on the Providence win in n+1 and Dissent: nplusonemag.com/online-only/online-only/the-hi-neighbor-mayor/ dissentmagazine.org/online_articles/david-morales-providence-municipal-socialism/ Support The Dig at Patreon.com/TheDig Listen to Death in Westminster on any podcast platform.   Get 20% off an annual print subscription to The Break—Down at break-down.org/dig/ The Dig goes deep into politics everywhere, from labor struggles and political economy to imperialism and immigration. Hosted by Daniel Denvir.
• 
  Confronting Capitalism: Socialists and Markets 16.09.2026 46min

  It’s all too common for people to associate the mere existence of markets with capitalism. But because we know markets had a life before capitalism, we can also imagine them having a life after. On this latest episode of Confronting Capitalism, Vivek Chibber and Melissa Naschek compare how markets operated in pre-capitalist economies versus modern capitalist economies to see if markets may prove useful in future socialist societies. The latest issue of Catalyst is out and you can subscribe for just $20 using the code CONFRONTINGCAPITALISM: https://catalyst-journal.com/subscribe/?code=CONFRONTINGCAPITALISM Have a question for us? Write to us by email: [email protected] Confronting Capitalism with Vivek Chibber is produced by Catalyst: A Journal of Theory and Strategy, and published by Jacobin. Music by Zonkey.
• 
  Jacobin Radio: The Machinery of ICE Detention w/ John Washington 15.09.2026 1h 5min

  A prisoner is held, in theory, for something they did. The people inside America’s roughly 250 immigration detention camps are held for who they are, or where they’re from. That distinction anchors journalist John Washington’s new book, How to Close a Camp: Dispatches from the Fight Against Immigrant Detention. He joins Suzi to trace the bipartisan machinery behind ICE detention — from the reservation system to today's $240 billion buildout — and the local permits, contracts, and licenses that make these camps more vulnerable than they look. In Surprise, Arizona, a thousand residents showed up to block a $70 million warehouse conversion. “The opposite of a camp is community,” Washington argues — and closing one, keeping it closed, depends on exactly that. Plus: Meleiza Figueroa remembers David Cobb, who died on Labor Day. Jacobin Radio with Suzi Weissman features conversations with leading thinkers and activists, with a focus on labor, the economy, and protest movements.
• 
  Behind the News: The Terrors (and Promise) of AI w/ Garrison Lovely 14.09.2026 53min

  Garrison Lovely, author of Obsolete, discusses the terrors and possible promise of artificial intelligence. Dave Zirin looks back on the life and work of Howard Zinn, the subject of his new biography. Behind the News, hosted by Doug Henwood, covers the worlds of economics and politics and their complex interactions, from the local to the global.
• 
  Long Reads: The Class Politics of Central Banking w/ Martijn Konings 12.09.2026 1h 3min

  The US Federal Reserve appointed a new chair earlier this year. Kevin Warsh replaced Jerome Powell, who had been under constant fire from the Trump administration. For many, Warsh’s appointment represented a turn towards the overt politicization of monetary policy. Is the age of central bank independence coming to an end? And is it something that the Left should mourn or celebrate? Martijn Konings, professor of political economy at the University of Sydney and author of The Bailout State: Why Governments Rescue Banks, Not People, joins Long Reads to discuss the state of central banking. Long Reads is a Jacobin podcast looking in-depth at political topics and thinkers, both contemporary and historical, with the magazine’s writers. Hosted by features editor Daniel Finn. Produced by Conor Gillies with music by Knxwledge.
• 
  The Dig: Mailbag! w/ Ben Mabie 09.09.2026 1h 48min

  Featuring Daniel Denvir and Ben Mabie answering questions posed by you, our listeners. Submit a question for our next mailbag: speakpipe.com/ListenerMailbag Support The Dig at Patreon.com/TheDig Read the piece Ben mentioned, “From the Camp to the Picket: Reflections from the UC Strike for Palestine”: longhaulmag.com/uc-strike-for-palestine Learn more about The Shadow Court and Disability Revolution at UCPress.edu The Dig goes deep into politics everywhere, from labor struggles and political economy to imperialism and immigration. Hosted by Daniel Denvir.
• 
  Behind the News: Trump’s Venezuelan Oil Grab w/ Alejandro Velasco 08.09.2026 53min

  Alejandro Velasco looks at Trump’s oil grab in Venezuela. Alex Vitale imagines a post-carceral future. Behind the News, hosted by Doug Henwood, covers the worlds of economics and politics and their complex interactions, from the local to the global.
• 
  Confronting Capitalism: Labor Needs Socialists and Socialists Need Labor 02.09.2026 58min

  Unions have more public support than just about anything else in the US, and yet, their membership has cratered. This poses an immense challenge to left-wing politicians, who won't be able to enact lasting change without a robust labor movement beside them. On this latest episode of Confronting Capitalism, Vivek Chibber addresses the age-old question of whether unions are inherently political, the importance (and limits) of internal democracy within unions, and why socialists have always been at the heart of the labor movement. The latest issue of Catalyst is out and you can subscribe for just $20 using the code CONFRONTINGCAPITALISM: https://catalyst-journal.com/subscribe/?code=CONFRONTINGCAPITALISM Have a question for us? Write to us by email: [email protected] Confronting Capitalism with Vivek Chibber is produced by Catalyst: A Journal of Theory and Strategy, and published by Jacobin. Music by Zonkey.
• 
  Jacobin Radio: Is a Recession Imminent? w/ Michael Roberts 01.09.2026 59min

  Producer and guest host Mel Figueroa speaks with economist Michael Roberts about the teetering house of cards that is the US and global economy, and how it is all connected to the Iran war and more: Scott Bessent, bond markets, the crisis in private credit, the AI bubble, de-dollarization, and inflation. Is a recession or a depression imminent? The media financial and economic discourse is wildly different from what we experience in our day-to-day struggles; we unpack why that is, and how anxiety at the top of this K-shaped economy will still have real consequences for the US working class. Jacobin Radio with Suzi Weissman features conversations with leading thinkers and activists, with a focus on labor, the economy, and protest movements.
• 
  The Dig: Insuring Catastrophe w/ David Wallace-Wells 01.09.2026 2h 8min

  Featuring David Wallace-Wells, Madison Condon, and Moira Birss on how insurance companies profit off climate catastrophe — and, in doing so, ensure that people and the planet suffer the consequences. Guest hosted by Astra Taylor. Support The Dig at Patreon.com/TheDig Read “National Disaster Insurance for All: Single-Payer Disaster Insurance and Community Resilience Investments for Safer and More Affordable Housing”: climateandcommunity.org/research/national-disaster-insurance-for-all-single-payer-disaster-insurance-and-community-resilience-investments-for-safer-and-more-affordable-housing/ Find out more about the Late Victorian Holocausts: El Niño Famines and the Making of the Third World reading group here: equator.org/events/late-victorian-holocausts Find When We Are Kin and The Veiled Prophet at Haymarketbooks.org The Dig goes deep into politics everywhere, from labor struggles and political economy to imperialism and immigration. Hosted by Daniel Denvir.
• 
  Behind the News: The Political Economy of Slavery w/ David McNally 31.08.2026 53min

  David McNally, author of Slavery and Capitalism, discusses the political economy of the institution. Plus: Billy Fleming, author of Building Postcarbon Futures, explains how we might get from here to there. Behind the News, hosted by Doug Henwood, covers the worlds of economics and politics and their complex interactions, from the local to the global.
• 
  Jacobin Radio: Rethinking Natural Disaster w/ Mike Davis 26.08.2026 56min

  Mike Davis died in 2022, but his work is more urgent than ever. As record temperatures, fires, floods, El Niño, and megadroughts threaten the planet, we hear his prescient 1995 talk, “Reconceptualizing the Environment.” Mike challenged the idea of “natural disaster,” showing how market-driven development put Los Angeles in harm’s way while shifting costs onto the public and the poor. Our sponsor Equator magazine is running an online reading group of Mike’s Late Victorian Holocausts, his landmark study of how climate shocks, empire, and the world market combined to produce mass famine and deepen global inequality. Check it out at equator.org/events Jacobin Radio with Suzi Weissman features conversations with leading thinkers and activists, with a focus on labor, the economy, and protest movements.
• 
  Behind the News: Israel’s Assault on Southern Lebanon w/ Aurélie Daher 25.08.2026 53min

  Aurélie Daher, author of a piece for Responsible Statecraft, looks at the destruction Israel is visiting upon southern Lebanon. Annie McClanahan, author of Beneath the Wage, discusses nonstandard forms of work and compensation. Behind the News, hosted by Doug Henwood, covers the worlds of economics and politics and their complex interactions, from the local to the global.
• 
  Confronting Capitalism: The Return of Industrial Policy 19.08.2026 45min

  Advanced capitalist countries have recently rediscovered the role of industrial policy to build out key economic sectors like semiconductors and AI. But what happens if business is the one calling all the shots? On this latest episode of Confronting Capitalism, we’re sharing Vivek Chibber’s keynote address from the 2026 IFAR Consortium Conference, hosted by the Indonesian International Islamic University. He discusses how developing countries used industrial policy in the past, why the US and Europe are now turning to greater state intervention, and how one could build a new social-democratic alliance between the state and labor. The latest issue of Catalyst is out and you can subscribe for just $20 using the code CONFRONTINGCAPITALISM: https://catalyst-journal.com/subscribe/?code=CONFRONTINGCAPITALISM Have a question for us? Write to us by email: [email protected] Confronting Capitalism with Vivek Chibber is produced by Catalyst: A Journal of Theory and Strategy, and published by Jacobin. Music by Zonkey.