Current Affairs

Current Affairs
  • 4.6 (628)
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A podcast of politics and culture, from the editors of Current Affairs magazine.

  1. 6D AGO

    Gaza, Ukraine, and Why Trump’s "Anti-War" Rhetoric Is a Lie (w/ Medea Benjamin)

    Medea Benjamin is an anti-war activist and one of the co-founders of CODEPINK: Women for Peace. She’s spent decades fighting the American military-industrial complex, organizing protests against the invasion of Iraq in the early 2000s and interrupting speeches by both Barack Obama and Donald Trump. She’s also the co-author, with David Swanson, of NATO: What You Need to Know. She joined Current Affairs editor-in-chief Nathan J. Robinson to discuss the ongoing push for war, from the Middle East to Venezuela, and how ordinary people can organize and stand against it. 🌸 CODEPINK: https://www.codepink.org/ 🌸 Medea's Twitter: https://x.com/medeabenjamin 🌸 Medea's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/medea.benjamin 0:00-11:16 Why Disruptive Protest Works 11:16-14:23 Overcoming the Fear of Public Confrontation 14:23-18:36 Making the Human Cost of War Visible 18:36-22:52 The Rise and Limits of Today’s Antiwar Movement 22:52-25:49 The Myth of Trump as an “Anti-War” President 25:49-31:53 NATO’s Role in the Ukraine War 31:53-34:54 Is There a Real Anti-War Right? 34:54-37:56 Why Democrats Lag Public Anti-War Opinion 37:56-40:16 What Keeps People Fighting Back 40:16-47:33 Why Americans Must Confront Their Own Government’s Crimes 🦩SUBSCRIBE TO CURRENT AFFAIRS MAGAZINE: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership 🦩 PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/c/CurrentAffairs 🦩THE MYTH OF AMERICAN IDEALISM: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/738224/the-myth-of-american-idealism-by-noam-chomsky-and-nathan-j-robinson/

    47 min

  2. DEC 16

    Candace Owens and the Decay of the American Brain

    How can someone so delusional attract an audience of millions? What does it say about us that Owens is listened to by anyone other than a psychiatrist? 🧿 Read the article: https://www.currentaffairs.org/news/candace-owens-and-the-decay-of-the-american-brain 🦩SUBSCRIBE TO CURRENT AFFAIRS MAGAZINE: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership 🦩 PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/c/CurrentAffairs 🦩THE MYTH OF AMERICAN IDEALISM: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/738224/the-myth-of-american-idealism-by-noam-chomsky-and-nathan-j-robinson/

    28 min

  3. DEC 11

    MAGA Megadonors Are Recruiting Mayors to Criminalize Pro-Palestine Speech

    Right-wing megadonors flew mayors to an all-expenses-paid summit in New Orleans, where they pushed a policy framework that codified mainstream criticism of Israel as “antisemitic.” 📰 Read the article: https://www.currentaffairs.org/news/a-dark-money-network-is-recruiting-u.s.-mayors-to-criminalize-pro-palestine-speech 🦩SUBSCRIBE TO CURRENT AFFAIRS MAGAZINE: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership 🦩 PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/c/CurrentAffairs 🦩THE MYTH OF AMERICAN IDEALISM: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/738224/the-myth-of-american-idealism-by-noam-chomsky-and-nathan-j-robinson/

    32 min

  4. DEC 10

    Why Democrats Keep Failing Working People (w/ Nina Turner)

    Nina Turner is a former Ohio State Senator, national co-chair of Bernie Sanders’ 2020 presidential campaign, and one of the most forceful advocates for working-class politics in the United States. She’s a longtime champion of economic justice and a leading voice in movements for peace and social uplift, including the new Up in Arms campaign challenging the power of the military-industrial complex. Turner joined Current Affairs editor-in-chief Nathan J. Robinson to discuss why the Democratic Party keeps failing to meet the needs of ordinary people, why insurgent primary challenges are essential to democracy, and how redirecting our vast military spending could transform the lives of millions. 🔥 Nina's Twitter: https://x.com/ninaturner 🔥 Nina's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ninaturnerohio/ 🔥 Up In Arms Campaign: https://upinarms.life/ 0:00–11:33 The Democratic Party's Failures 11:33–14:57 How Harris Squandered Her Campaign 14:57–21:33 Should the Left Primary Hakeem Jeffries? 21:33–28:49 Mamdani’s Affordability Blueprint 28:49–39:33 The Up in Arms Campaign 🦩SUBSCRIBE TO CURRENT AFFAIRS MAGAZINE: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership 🦩 PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/c/CurrentAffairs 🦩THE MYTH OF AMERICAN IDEALISM: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/738224/the-myth-of-american-idealism-by-noam-chomsky-and-nathan-j-robinson/

    40 min

  5. DEC 5

    Anthony Fantano on the Exploitative Music Industry and Zohran's Rap Career

    Anthony Fantano is the biggest music critic on YouTube, and the self-described “internet’s busiest music nerd.” The New York Times calls him “The Only Music Critic Who Matters (if You’re Under 25),” and his show The Needle Drop has over 3 million subscribers. Fantano is known for his provocative takes, like “AI Music is Evil” and “Taylor Swift is a Coward.” He joined Current Affairs editor-in-chief Nathan J. Robinson and associate editor Alex Skopic to talk about the state of the music industry, how streaming platforms exploit artists, and whether Zohran Mamdani should rap again. 🎹 The Needle Drop: https://www.youtube.com/theneedledrop 🎹 Fantano: https://www.youtube.com/@fantano 0:00–7:28 What Right Do Critics Have to Judge Music? 7:28–10:34 AI Music and How It Uses Artists’ Work 10:34–17:13 Why So Much Music in 2025 Feels “Mid” 17:13–23:58 Have Music Critics Become Too Nice? 23:58–32:29 Censorship, Algorithms, and Political Lyrics 32:29–37:13 Paying Artists Fairly and Why They Should Unionize 37:13–40:39 Zohran Mamdani’s Rap Career 40:39–44:53 Underrated Artists Fantano Recommends 🦩SUBSCRIBE TO CURRENT AFFAIRS MAGAZINE: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership 🦩 PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/c/CurrentAffairs 🦩THE MYTH OF AMERICAN IDEALISM: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/738224/the-myth-of-american-idealism-by-noam-chomsky-and-nathan-j-robinson/

    45 min

  6. NOV 26

    There Have to Be Consequences For Advocating Illegal Wars

    📰 Email help@currentaffairs.org with proof of your New York Times cancellation, and we will gift you a FREE one-year digital subscription to Current Affairs Yet again, the New York Times’ Bret Stephens advocates the overthrow of a sovereign government. Why do the readers of the “paper of record” tolerate this dangerous propaganda? 🌹 Read the article: https://www.currentaffairs.org/news/there-have-to-be-consequences-for-advocating-illegal-wars 🦩SUBSCRIBE TO CURRENT AFFAIRS MAGAZINE: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership 🦩 PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/c/CurrentAffairs 🦩THE MYTH OF AMERICAN IDEALISM: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/738224/the-myth-of-american-idealism-by-noam-chomsky-and-nathan-j-robinson/

    20 min

  7. NOV 20

    Dick Cheney's Legacy Is Mass Murder (w/ Adam McKay)

    Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to mark the passing of a professional liar, war criminal, and mass murderer. Dick Cheney is dead. As you read this, his co-conspirator George W. Bush may be reading his eulogy in Washington National Cathedral. Yet the politics Cheney represented live on—and the media are busy trying to whitewash his record, depicting him as an honorable American statesman. Today, on the day of Cheney’s funeral, we’re joined by Adam McKay, the director of 2018’s Vice, who sets the record straight. 🔥 Adam's Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/ghostpanther.bsky.social 0:00-5:35 How the Media Is Whitewashing Cheney 5:35-8:24 All the People Cheney Killed 8:24-14:54 Cheney's Rise to Power 14:54-21:42 How Cheney Gave Us Trump 21:42-29:30 "Box Office Poison" 29:30-32:34 How Dick Cheney Betrayed His Daughter 32:34-45:18 The Real Legacy of Dick Cheney 🦩SUBSCRIBE TO CURRENT AFFAIRS MAGAZINE: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership 🦩 PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/c/CurrentAffairs 🦩THE MYTH OF AMERICAN IDEALISM: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/738224/the-myth-of-american-idealism-by-noam-chomsky-and-nathan-j-robinson/

    45 min

  8. NOV 18

    Why Everything is Getting Worse (w/ Cory Doctorow)

    Cory Doctorow is the author of over 20 books, including The Internet Con, How to Destroy Surveillance Capitalism, and the science fiction novels Unauthorized Bread and Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom. He’s also an activist for civil liberties on the internet with the Electronic Frontier Foundation, and a prolific blogger at his website Pluralistic. Doctorow joined Current Affairs editor-in-chief Nathan J. Robinson and associate editor Alex Skopic to discuss his newest book, Enshittification: Why Everything Suddenly Got Worse and What to Do About It. 💩 Transcript: https://www.currentaffairs.org/news/cory-doctorow 💩 Get the book: https://craphound.com/shop/ 🦩SUBSCRIBE TO CURRENT AFFAIRS MAGAZINE: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership 🦩 PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/c/CurrentAffairs 🦩THE MYTH OF AMERICAN IDEALISM: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/738224/the-myth-of-american-idealism-by-noam-chomsky-and-nathan-j-robinson/

    1h 6m
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4.6
out of 5
628 Ratings

About

A podcast of politics and culture, from the editors of Current Affairs magazine.

Information

  • Creator
    Current Affairs
  • Years Active
    2018 - 2025
  • Episodes
    600
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Show Website
    Current Affairs

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