Upstream

US Labor & Imperialism Pt. 1: the War Against Communism w/ Jeff Schuhrke

In this episode, part 1 of a 2-part miniseries on US labor and imperialism, Jeff Schuhrke [https://bsky.app/profile/jeffschuhrke.bsky.social] joins us for a conversation on how US labor aided and at times even led the US's global fight against communism throughout much of the 21st century. Jeff Schuhrke is a labor historian, journalist, union activist, and assistant professor at the Harry Van Arsdale Jr School of Labor Studies, SUNY Empire State University. He's the author of Blue-Collar Empire: The Untold Story of US Labor's Global Anticommunist Crusade, and No Neutrals There: US Labor, Zionism, and the Struggle for Palestine. In this conversation we take a deep dive into Jeff's book Blue-Collar Empire, exploring US labor's role in fighting global communism during the 21st century. The conversation opens with a history of the early US labor movement, anchored by the AFL, the CIO, and the IWW which all presented different approaches and ideological orientations towards labor and capital. We then look at how labor was systematically deradicalized over the course of the first half the 21st century, leading to a mostly anticommunist, class-collaborationist labor movement by the post-WWII era. We then look at how the AFL-CIO and its various arms participated and at times led the global war against communism abroad, participating in sabotage campaigns and in outright regime change operations led by the CIA and the State Department—from France to Guyana to Brazil to Chile to Vietnam to the USSR. Finally, we explore how US labor's anticommunist, pro-imperialist positions throughout the 21st century impacted the US proletariat and the international working class more broadly. Part 2 of this miniseries will take a deep dive into Jeff's book No Neutrals There, looking at US labor's role in supporting Zionism and the ethnic cleansing of Palestine. Further resources: * Blue-Collar Empire: The Untold Story of US Labor's Global Anticommunist Crusade [https://www.versobooks.com/products/2979-blue-collar-empire?srsltid=AfmBOop8LB4oJKTyk3b8BYCbYhlf6FaPCCEsntwk9vItC6X9MEgZqXO7] * No Neutrals There: US Labor, Zionism, and the Struggle for Palestine [https://www.haymarketbooks.org/books/2608-no-neutrals-there] * Allaince for Global Justice [https://afgj.org/] Related episodes: * From the Frontlines: Organizing Against Amazon w/ Chris Smalls and Mars Verrone [https://sites.libsyn.com/435210/from-the-frontlines-organizing-against-amazon-w-chris-smalls-and-mars-verrone] * Black Scare / Red Scare with Charisse Burden-Stelly [https://sites.libsyn.com/435210/black-scare-red-scare-with-charisse-burden-stelly] * Third Worldism and the Bandung Spirit w/ Pranay Somayajula [https://www.patreon.com/posts/third-worldism-w-134449106] * Walter Rodney, Marxism, and Underdevelopment with D. Musa Springer and Charisse Burden-Stelly [https://sites.libsyn.com/435210/walter-rodney-marxism-and-underdevelopment-with-d-musa-springer-charisse-burden-stelly] * A History of the CIA, Coups, and Assassinations w/ Vijay Prashad [https://sites.libsyn.com/435210/a-history-of-the-cia-coups-and-assassinations-w-vijay-prashad] * Socialism Betrayed w/ Roger Keeran and Joe Jamison [https://www.patreon.com/posts/socialism-w-and-97518258] * What Is To Be Done? with Breht O'Shea and Alyson Escalante [https://sites.libsyn.com/435210/bonus-what-is-to-be-done-with-breht-oshea-and-alyson-escalante-in-conversation?_gl=1*142xkjl*_gcl_au*MjAwNDYyMTgyNC4xNzYxNTk1Njg2*_ga*MTUxMTQyODI4My4xNjUzNTE3MDAz*_ga_6MD8SMG8NT*czE3NjM4NDcwMTIkbzIwMTUkZzEkdDE3NjM4NDc1NTEkajUwJGwwJGgw] * Our ongoing Patreon series on Venezuela [https://sites.libsyn.com/435210/category/Venezuela?_gl=1*16aiqv6*_gcl_au*MjAwNDYyMTgyNC4xNzYxNTk1Njg2*_ga*MTUxMTQyODI4My4xNjUzNTE3MDAz*_ga_6MD8SMG8NT*czE3NjU1Nzk4MTUkbzIwNTEkZzEkdDE3NjU1Nzk4MjkkajQ2JGwwJGgxMzAxMTA1NjA.] Intermission music: "Only Got One Body" by Shiv and the Carvers [https://shivandthecarvers.bandcamp.com/album/physical-capital] Cover art: Berwyn Mure [https://bmure.com/] Upstream is entirely listener funded. No ads, no promotions, no grants—just Patreon subscriptions and listener donations. We couldn't keep this project going without your support. Subscribe to our Patreon for bi-weekly bonus episodes, access to our entire back catalog of Patreon episodes, and for Upstream stickers and bumper stickers at certain subscription tiers. Through your support you'll be helping us keep Upstream sustainable and helping to keep this whole project going—socialist political education podcasts are not easy to fund so thank you in advance for the crucial support. patreon.com/upstreampodcast For more from Upstream, visit www.upstreampodcast.org and follow us on Instagram and Bluesky. You can also subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts.

[TEASER] Mexico Pt. 2: Morena and The Fourth Transformation w/ Stephanie Weatherbee Brito

This is a free preview of the episode "[TEASER] Mexico Pt. 2: Morena and The Fourth Transformation w/ Stephanie Weatherbee Brito." You can listen to the full episode by subscribing to our Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/upstreampodcast [https://www.patreon.com/upstreampodcast] As a Patreon subscriber you'll get access to at least one bonus episode a month (usually two or three), our entire back catalog of Patreon episodes, early access to certain episodes, and other benefits like stickers and bumper stickers—depending on which tier you subscribe to. access to bi-weekly bonus episodes ranging from conversations to readings and more. Signing up for Patreon is a great way to make Upstream a weekly show, and it will also give you access to our entire back catalog of Patreon episodes along with stickers and bumper stickers at certain subscription tiers. You'll also be helping to keep Upstream sustainable and allowing us to keep this project going. In Part 2 of this new series, we're joined by Stephanie Weatherbee Brito to discuss the rise of Morena and Mexico's Fourth Transformation. Stephanie Weatherbee is a popular educator and coordinator for the secretariat of the International Peoples' Assembly. Stephanie is also an occasional researcher with Tricontinental, where she recently co-authored the excellent Tricontinental dossier "Mexico and the Fourth Transformation." We begin the conversation with a brief overview of the history and conditions which led to the rise of Morena and its leaders Andrés Manuel López Obrador and Claudia Sheinbaum. We talk about neoliberalism as a counterrevolution and how Morena is fighting against it both as an economic policy and as an ideology. We discuss Morena's attempts at social reforms and some of the policies it has been implementing, its attempts to contend with the United States, and some of the internal challenges it faces. Finally, we discuss the path forward and what the future of Mexico might look like under Morena's leadership. Further resources: * Mexico and the Fourth Transformation (Tricontinental) [https://thetricontinental.org/dossier-mexico-fourth-transformation/#toc-section-2] Related episodes: * Our ongoing series on Mexico [https://sites.libsyn.com/435210/category/mexico] * Our ongoing series on Venezuela [https://sites.libsyn.com/435210/category/Venezuela] * Our ongoing series on China [https://sites.libsyn.com/435210/category/China] * [TEASER] Western Marxism w/ Gabriel Rockhill [https://sites.libsyn.com/435210/teaser-western-marxism-w-gabriel-rockhill] The cover art for this episode comes from the Tricontinental Dossier, where they write that "The artworks in this dossier are from the mural series Los Nadies (The Nobodies), created by Colectivo Subterráneos in Oaxaca, Mexico. Founded in 2021 to democratise art as a tool for social transformation, the collective draws on Mexico's graphic tradition – from the Taller de Gráfica Popular (People's Graphic Workshop) to Mexican muralism – as well as the 2006 Popular Teachers' Movement of Oaxaca. Inspired by Eduardo Galeano's poem of the same name, the series includes prints and murals that highlight indigenous and mestizo peoples forgotten under colonial rule and modern capitalism, confronting the historical debt to the marginalised and amplifying voices that demand justice in a Mexico under transformation." Upstream is entirely listener funded. No ads, no promotions, no grants—just Patreon subscriptions and listener donations. We couldn't keep this project going without your support. Subscribe to our Patreon [www.patreon.com/upstreampodcast] for bi-weekly bonus episodes, access to our entire back catalog of Patreon episodes, and for Upstream stickers and bumper stickers at certain subscription tiers. Through your support you'll be helping us keep Upstream sustainable and helping to keep this whole project going—socialist political education podcasts are not easy to fund so thank you in advance for the crucial support. patreon.com/upstreampodcast For more from Upstream, visit www.upstreampodcast.org [https://gate.sc?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.upstreampodcast.org&token=efc9f5-1-1663029755269] and follow us on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/upstreampodcast/] and Bluesky [https://bsky.app/profile/upstreampodcast.bsky.social]. You can also subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/upstream/id1082594532] Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/4KwWOMp24P9cVVR6d0i7Zq?si=ec90ca944bcb43cf&nd=1], or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts.

A World out of Balance: Introducing Doughnut 3.0 w/ Andrew Fanning

Patreon: www.patreon.com/upstreampodcast Mazlo: https://donate.mazloweb.com/donate/xsKGfZHZFXvoNMzVKaSvH In this episode we're joined by Andrew Fanning for a conversation about doughnuts…no, not that kind of doughnut. We're talking about Kate Raworth's famous Doughnut from Doughnut Economics. Andrew Fanning is an ecological economist exploring how to move our interconnected societies towards the goal of meeting the needs of all people within the means of the living planet. He is particularly interested in finding ways to visualise progress towards this goal in data. Andrew is Research & Data Analysis Lead at Doughnut Economics Action Lab [https://doughnuteconomics.org/], where he co-creates metrics and research-related tools that make visible the core concepts of Doughnut Economics, and convenes spaces to connect scholars putting these concepts into action. His research has been published in leading journals, such as Nature and Lancet Planetary Health, and he leads the ongoing development of an interactive website entitled 'A good life for all within planetary boundaries [https://goodlife.leeds.ac.uk/]', which makes indicators tracking the social shortfall and ecological overshoot of countries visible and widely accessible. In this conversation, we get the latest progress report about our global economic system through Doughnut 3.0, we explore how environmental degradation and social deprivation differs among countries in the imperial core and the periphery, and we hear about ways communities are responding to Doughnut Economics to bring local and global economies into greater balance. Further resources: * Andrew Fanning [https://doughnuteconomics.org/members/5] * "Doughnut of social and planetary boundaries monitors a world out of balance," by [https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09385-1] Andrew L. Fanning & Kate Raworth [https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09385-1https://www.chelseagreen.com/product/doughnut-economics-paperback/?srsltid=AfmBOopOr8_VSsEtGG72EZn2SOAUvop-UixoTXSpoMPpAluwdZ16A6RW] * Doughnut Economics: Seven Ways to Think Like a 21st-Century Economist, by Kate Raworth [https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09385-1https://www.chelseagreen.com/product/doughnut-economics-paperback/?srsltid=AfmBOopOr8_VSsEtGG72EZn2SOAUvop-UixoTXSpoMPpAluwdZ16A6RW] * Doughnut Economics Action Lab [https://doughnuteconomics.org/] * California Doughnut Economics Coalition [https://caldec.org/] * California Doughnut Snapshot Report [https://zenodo.org/records/17540639] * Beyond GDP [https://unsceb.org/topics/beyond-gdp] * Life Reimagined Doughnut game! [https://linktr.ee/LifeReimaginedGame] Related episodes: * Doughnut Economics with Kate Raworth [https://sites.libsyn.com/435210/kate-raworth-doughnut-economics-in-conversation] * Documentary #9: Debunking the Myth of Homo Economicus [https://bb336368-b933-4b06-88b6-e51256ac6d81.libsyn.com/ep-9-debunking-the-myth-of-homo-economicus-documentary] * Slow Down or Die w/ Timothée Parrique [https://sites.libsyn.com/435210/slow-down-or-die-w-timothe-parrique] * How Degrowth Will Save the World with Jason Hickel [https://sites.libsyn.com/435210/how-degrowth-will-save-the-world-with-jason-hickel-in-conversation] * [UNLOCKED] How the North Plunders the South w/ Jason Hickel [https://sites.libsyn.com/435210/unlocked-how-the-north-plunders-the-south-w-jason-hickel] Intermission music: "Green in the Valley" by Nicole Lawrence [https://nicolelawrence.bandcamp.com/track/green-in-the-valley] Upstream is entirely listener funded. No ads, no promotions, no grants—just Patreon subscriptions and listener donations. We couldn't keep this project going without your support. Subscribe to our Patreon [www.patreon.com/upstreampodcast] for bi-weekly bonus episodes, access to our entire back catalog of Patreon episodes, and for Upstream stickers and bumper stickers at certain subscription tiers. Through your support you'll be helping us keep Upstream sustainable and helping to keep this whole project going—socialist political education podcasts are not easy to fund so thank you in advance for the crucial support. patreon.com/upstreampodcast For more from Upstream, visit www.upstreampodcast.org [https://gate.sc?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.upstreampodcast.org&token=efc9f5-1-1663029755269] and follow us on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/upstreampodcast/] and Bluesky [https://bsky.app/profile/upstreampodcast.bsky.social]. You can also subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/upstream/id1082594532] Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/4KwWOMp24P9cVVR6d0i7Zq?si=ec90ca944bcb43cf&nd=1], or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts.

[TEASER] Mexico Pt. 1: A Socialist Introduction w/ Cecilia Guerrero

This is a free preview of the episode "Mexcio Pt. 1: A Socialist Introduction w/ Cecilia Guerrero." You can listen to the full episode by subscribing to our Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/upstreampodcast [https://www.patreon.com/upstreampodcast] As a Patreon subscriber you'll get access to at least one bonus episode a month (usually two or three), our entire back catalog of Patreon episodes, early access to certain episodes, and other benefits like stickers and bumper stickers—depending on which tier you subscribe to. access to bi-weekly bonus episodes ranging from conversations to readings and more. Signing up for Patreon is a great way to make Upstream a weekly show, and it will also give you access to our entire back catalog of Patreon episodes along with stickers and bumper stickers at certain subscription tiers. You'll also be helping to keep Upstream sustainable and allowing us to keep this project going. In Part 1 of this new series, we're joined by Cecilia Guerrero for a socialist introduction to Mexico. Cecilia Guerrero is chair and founding member of A Luta Sigue [https://www.alutasigue.org/], an organization based in Nashville, Tennessee which incubates and trains young people and workers within advanced sectors of the working class to build and lead their own class struggle organizations. We begin the conversation with a peak into the deeper history looking at the various civilizations present in Mesoamerica prior to Spanish colonization. We then explore the colonial period, the War of Independence, the War of Reform, and the Mexican Revolution from with a historical materialist analysis. We talk about the US's imperialist ambitions in Mexico starting with the Mexican-American War, the imposition of NAFTA, and the drug cartels. We explore the Mexican left—both anarchist and socialist—and the recent rise in center-left politics with the The National Regeneration Movement, or Morena and the presidencies of Andrés Manuel López Obrador and Claudia Sheinbaum. We end looking at the United States' recent aggression towards Mexico and threats of invasion by the Trump regime. Further resources: * A Luta Sigue [https://www.alutasigue.org/] * Poder Popular [https://www.instagram.com/nashvillepeoplepower] * Tennessee Drivers Union [https://www.instagram.com/tndriversunion/] * Southern Youth Solidarity Network [https://www.instagram.com/southernyouthsolidaritynetwork/] * The Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte, Works of Marx & Engels 1852 [https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1852/18th-brumaire/] * Seven Interpretative Essays on Peruvian Reality, José Carlos Mariátegui [https://www.marxists.org/archive/mariateg/works/7-interpretive-essays/index.htm] * The Fort Bragg Cartel: Drug Trafficking and Murder in the Special Forces, by Seth Harp [https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/730414/the-fort-bragg-cartel-by-seth-harp/] * The Politics of Heroin: CIA Complicity in the Global Drug Trade, by Alfred W. McCoy [https://www.chicagoreviewpress.com/the-politics-of-heroin-products-9781556524837.php] * Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion, by Gary Webb [https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/213851/dark-alliance-movie-tie-in-edition-by-gary-webb-foreword-by-us-congresswoman-maxine-waters/] Related episodes: * From the Frontlines: Class Struggle and Class War in the US Southeast w/ Cecilia Guerrero [https://sites.libsyn.com/435210/from-the-frontlines-class-struggle-and-class-war-in-the-us-southeast-w-cecilia-guerrero] * Immigration, ICE, and Working Class Rebellion w/ Cecilia Guerrero [https://www.patreon.com/posts/immigration-ice-131875378] * Listen to our ongoing series on Venezuela [https://sites.libsyn.com/435210/category/Venezuela] * China Pt. 8: Mao Zedong and Maoism with Yueran Zhang [https://bb336368-b933-4b06-88b6-e51256ac6d81.libsyn.com/china-pt-8-mao-zedong-and-maoism-with-yueran-zhang] Cover art: "The History of Mexico" by Diego Rivera Upstream is entirely listener funded. No ads, no promotions, no grants—just Patreon subscriptions and listener donations. We couldn't keep this project going without your support. Subscribe to our Patreon [www.patreon.com/upstreampodcast] for bi-weekly bonus episodes, access to our entire back catalog of Patreon episodes, and for Upstream stickers and bumper stickers at certain subscription tiers. Through your support you'll be helping us keep Upstream sustainable and helping to keep this whole project going—socialist political education podcasts are not easy to fund so thank you in advance for the crucial support. patreon.com/upstreampodcast For more from Upstream, visit www.upstreampodcast.org [https://gate.sc?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.upstreampodcast.org&token=efc9f5-1-1663029755269] and follow us on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/upstreampodcast/] and Bluesky [https://bsky.app/profile/upstreampodcast.bsky.social]. You can also subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/upstream/id1082594532] Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/4KwWOMp24P9cVVR6d0i7Zq?si=ec90ca944bcb43cf&nd=1], or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts.

From the Frontlines: Tenant Organizing w/ Josh Poe and Tara Raghuveer

In this episode, part of our ongoing From the Frontlines series, Tara Raghuveer [https://x.com/taraghuveer?lang=en] and Josh Poe join us for a conversation about tenant organizing. Tara Raghuveer is a tenant organizer with KC Tenants based in Kansas City, Missouri and with the Tenant Union Federation. Josh Poe is the organizing director with the Kentucky Tenant Union, formerly known as the Louisville Tenant Union and organizes with the Tenant Union Federation along with Tara. Our conversation opens with a introduction to tenants unions before diving into the specific work that is being done by our guests. We discuss some of the ongoing fights being waged against private equity and corporate landlords by the Kentucky Tenants Union across the state of Kentucky and by the Tenant Union Federation across the country. We explore the root causes of skyrocketing rents and the housing crisis, the idealogical and legal barriers to organizing in the south, and some of the false and real solutions. Finally, we explore what a logical and humane housing system could look like. Further resources: * Kentucky Tenants Union [https://www.kytenants.org/] * Donate to Kentucky Tenants Union [https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/embed/ticketing/louisville-tenants-union-member-dues?modal=true] * The Tenant Union Federation [https://tenantfederation.org/] * Kansas City Tenants [https://kctenants.org/] * Connecticut Tenants Union [https://www.cttenantsunion.org/] * Southside Together [https://www.southsidetogether.org/] * Bozeman Tenants United [https://bzntenantsunited.org/] Related episodes: * Listen to our ongoing From the Frontlines [https://sites.libsyn.com/435210/category/From+the+Frontlines] series Intermission music: "Forest Floor" by Witchdream Mansion Upstream is entirely listener funded. No ads, no promotions, no grants—just Patreon subscriptions and listener donations. We couldn't keep this project going without your support. Subscribe to our Patreon [www.patreon.com/upstreampodcast] for bi-weekly bonus episodes, access to our entire back catalog of Patreon episodes, and for Upstream stickers and bumper stickers at certain subscription tiers. Through your support you'll be helping us keep Upstream sustainable and helping to keep this whole project going—socialist political education podcasts are not easy to fund so thank you in advance for the crucial support. patreon.com/upstreampodcast For more from Upstream, visit www.upstreampodcast.org [https://gate.sc?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.upstreampodcast.org&token=efc9f5-1-1663029755269] and follow us on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/upstreampodcast/] and Bluesky [https://bsky.app/profile/upstreampodcast.bsky.social]. You can also subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/upstream/id1082594532] Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/4KwWOMp24P9cVVR6d0i7Zq?si=ec90ca944bcb43cf&nd=1], or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts.