An Antifascist Guide to the World Cup (w/ Alex Shephard)

An Antifascist Guide to the World Cup (w/ Alex Shephard)

We swear to god, we haven’t turned into a sports podcast (despite all Matt’s efforts). But it turns out there’s a not-insignificant intersection between the World Cup, democracy, and authoritarianism. So we invited Alex Shephard — a senior editor and writer at The New Republic and founder of Golden Goal, a literary magazine about the 2026 World Cup — to walk us through the dramas, controversies, and political implications of the global tournament that’s kicking off this week. Whether you’re obsessed with sports, like Matt, or have barely heard of them, like Aaron, there’s something in this conversation for you. Fighting Fascism Podcast is produced by Nik Damants in collaboration with The Nation.   Intro song and music by Horse Radish.   Follow us!  Instagram @FightFascismPod [https://www.instagram.com/fightfascismpod] BlueSky @FightingFascismPod.bsky.social [https://bsky.app/profile/fightingfascismpod.bsky.social] Twitter @FightFascismPod [https://x.com/FightFascismPod]

Monopoly v. Democracy (w/ Matt Stoller & Zephyr Teachout)

We often think of democracy as a political issue, rather than an economic one. Matt Stoller and Zephyr Teachout, two leaders in the anti-monopoly movement, believe that’s a fundamentally false division. They joined us to explain why, as they see it, economic concentration is causing the loss of freedom we are experiencing across so many aspects of our lives, and why this country needs a great “re-illusionment” (or whatever word means the opposite of disillusionment) to fight back against the corporate monopolies ruining everything around us. You can follow Matt Stoller's antimonopoly work here: https://www.thebignewsletter.com/ And you can follow Zephyr Teachout here: https://x.com/ZephyrTeachout?s=20 Fighting Fascism Podcast is produced by Nik Damants in collaboration with The Nation.   Intro song and music by Horse Radish.   Follow us!  Instagram @FightFascismPod [https://www.instagram.com/fightfascismpod] BlueSky @FightingFascismPod.bsky.social [https://bsky.app/profile/fightingfascismpod.bsky.social] Twitter @FightFascismPod [https://x.com/FightFascismPod]

It’s the Corruption, Stupid (w/ David Sirota)

You may have noticed that corruption is legal in our country. At this point, it’s like the air we breathe or the water we swim in — it’s everywhere, and so it almost feels natural, like something we just have to accept. But that’s horseshit, according to David Sirota, investigative journalist and editor-in-chief of The Lever. David has spent his career uncovering and opposing corruption. So we asked him to help us understand how we got here (hint: it wasn’t by accident), and how, for the love of all that’s good and holy, we can claw our way out. This is an important one if you want to understand the state of our world today! Check out David Sirota's outlet The Lever: https://www.levernews.com/ And his podcast Master Plan: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/master-plan/id1723377799 And his other podcast Lever Time: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/lever-time/id1624265228 Fighting Fascism Podcast is produced by Nik Damants in collaboration with The Nation.   Intro song and music by Horse Radish.   Follow us!  Instagram @FightFascismPod [https://www.instagram.com/fightfascismpod] BlueSky @FightingFascismPod.bsky.social [https://bsky.app/profile/fightingfascismpod.bsky.social] Twitter @FightFascismPod [https://x.com/FightFascismPod]

Building Local Power to Win (w/ Dan Denvir)

Aaron and Jonathan talk to Dan Denvir, not about his famous lefty podcast The Dig, but about his not-so-famous local organizing project, Reclaim RI. We swap stories about what it really looks like to build the power necessary to turn the Democratic Party into an institution that can actually fight fascism. It's practical! It's theoretical! It's praxis-tical! Reclaim RI [https://www.reclaimri.org/] is a member-led housing justice organization, fighting for stable and dignified homes for all. Listen to The Dig [https://thedigradio.com/] with Dan Denvir and read his book ALL-AMERICAN NATIVISM [https://www.versobooks.com/products/704-all-american-nativism], Fighting Fascism Podcast is produced by Nik Damants in collaboration with The Nation.   Intro song and music by Horse Radish.   Follow us!  Instagram @FightFascismPod [https://www.instagram.com/fightfascismpod] BlueSky @FightingFascismPod.bsky.social [https://bsky.app/profile/fightingfascismpod.bsky.social] Twitter @FightFascismPod [https://x.com/FightFascismPod]

Down with the AI Overlords (w/ Sarah Myers West)

You've already heard us rant about AI. What if you could hear someone who's actually super smart and profoundly informed...also rant about AI? We're joined by tech expert Sarah Myers West, who lays out why AI, as it's currently structured, is all about the consolidation of power among a handful of oligarchs, BUT ALSO why that's not how it needs to be. Theme song and music by Horse Radish. Check them out at horseradish.band [https://horseradish.band/]   Fighting Fascism Podcast is produced by Nik Damants in collaboration with The Nation.   Intro song and music by Horse Radish.   Follow us!  Instagram @FightFascismPod [https://www.instagram.com/fightfascismpod] BlueSky @FightingFascismPod.bsky.social [https://bsky.app/profile/fightingfascismpod.bsky.social] Twitter @FightFascismPod [https://x.com/FightFascismPod]