Jacobin Radio

Suzi speaks to Yoav Peled of Tel Aviv University about the accelerating crisis in Israel and Gaza. Though there is a “humanitarian pause” in Israel’s war, the relentless and devastating destruction of Gaza grinds on with staggering human costs. Gazans are starving and the world is taking notice. Netanyahu faces growing international condemnation and internal anger. Along with Israeli spokesmen and far right cabinet members, he denies there is starvation, or blames it on Hamas. Polls now show that most Israelis want the war to end and the hostages returned even if Hamas remains in power. Weekly public protests are growing, but haven’t yet matched the pre-war anti-Netanyahu demonstrations. We explore the broader political implications of the war: the disarray of the opposition, the growing authoritarianism of the state, public awareness and public opinion, and the push to disqualify Arab parties from the slated October elections which Yoav thinks could come earlier. Can Netanyahu stay in power? Peled says Bibi has worked hard to remove any potential threat or successor, so “there's no government, there's no Israel, there's only Bibi.” Jacobin Radio with Suzi Weissman features conversations with leading thinkers and activists, with a focus on labor, the economy, and protest movements.

Democratic voters are enraged by their party’s spineless “resistance” to the Trump administration’s draconian agenda. But the party’s dysfunction goes far deeper than just cowardly, uninspiring leaders. On this episode of Confronting Capitalism, Vivek Chibber speaks with Philip Rocco about how the Democrats’ abandonment of organized labor has resulted in a party that is ineffective at fighting the right or putting forward a compelling political vision. Read Philip Rocco’s essay here: https://catalyst-journal.com/2025/07/why-the-democrats-are-so-useless [https://catalyst-journal.com/2025/07/why-the-democrats-are-so-useless] Confronting Capitalism with Vivek Chibber is produced by Catalyst: A Journal of Theory and Strategy, and published by Jacobin. Music by Zonkey.

Anatol Lieven of the Quincy Institute looks at US relations with the world under the Trump regime, specifically Russia–Ukraine, Israel–Palestine, and US self-evisceration. Samuel Moyn, author of an article for Boston Review [https://www.bostonreview.net/forum/the-dead-end-of-checks-and-balances/samuel-moyn-responds/], talks about democracy, checks and balances, and the need for “better elites.” Behind the News, hosted by Doug Henwood, covers the worlds of economics and politics and their complex interactions, from the local to the global. Find the archive online: https://www.leftbusinessobserver.com/radio.html [https://www.leftbusinessobserver.com/radio.html]

Back in 2023, Long Reads spoke with Ramaa Vasudevan of Colorado State University for an episode about the development of crypto capitalism. Since then, the crypto industry has launched a concerted effort to establish itself at the heart of the global economic system. Just a few days ago, Donald Trump gave his approval for a major bill designed to boost the sector. Ramaa Vasudevan spoke to Long Reads again about the mainstreaming of crypto and the threat it poses to global economic stability. This conversation was recorded at the end of March. Read a transcript of the interview here: https://jacobin.com/2025/06/the-crypto-state [https://jacobin.com/2025/06/the-crypto-state] And find Ramaa’s essays for Catalyst here: https://catalyst-journal.com/author/ramaa-vasudevan [https://catalyst-journal.com/author/ramaa-vasudevan] Long Reads is a Jacobin podcast looking in-depth at political topics and thinkers, both contemporary and historical, with the magazine’s longform writers. Hosted by features editor Daniel Finn. Produced by Conor Gillies with music by Knxwledge.

Featuring Isabella Weber, Malcolm Harris, and Paul Williams on Abundance. A debate and discussion of: the book; the discourse; the underlying economic and political questions of how we make the affordable housing, green energy, and fast trains we need; and how actual capitalist social relations appear to us in mystified form as “supply” and “demand.” Support The Dig at Patreon.com/TheDig [http://patreon.com/TheDig] Get 50% off A People’s History of Psychoanalysis and other books in your first order from plutobooks.com [http://plutobooks.com] with code ‘DIG50′. Register for Summer Rejuvenation by July 27th at Comrades.education [http://comrades.education] The Dig goes deep into politics everywhere, from labor struggles and political economy to imperialism and immigration. Hosted by Daniel Denvir.