The Nation Podcasts

Latest Episodes:

Extraction Behind the Green Transition w/ Thea Riofrancos / American Prestige May 19, 2026

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Danny and Derek welcome back to the show political scientist Thea Riofrancos to talk about the politics of extraction in the global energy transition. They explore the contradictions of green capitalism, the debate over degrowth and abundance, China’s role in lithium battery production, the history of lithium batteries, green industrial policy, U.S. oil and gas power, popular resistance to data centers and mining, where the Global South falls in renewable supply chains, and the environmental costs of green development.

Be sure to grab a copy of Extraction: The Frontiers of Green Capitalism.

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Building Local Power to Win w/ Dan Denvir / Fighting Fascism May 18, 2026

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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!

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The CIA’s Assassination Campaign in Mexico w/ Alexander Aviña | The Time of Monsters with Jeet Heer May 17, 2026

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CNN is reporting that the CIA has been actively engaged in assassination campaigns in Mexico targeting alleged members of drug cartels. While both the CIA and the Mexican government have denied these allegations, there is clear evidence of an escalating war in the country that is destabilizing the government. I spoke with Alexander Aviña, a historian at Arizona State University, about the CIA’s activities in the context of the Trump administration’s wider assertion of imperial dominance over the Western hemisphere.

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Trump-Xi Summit, Iran Ceasefire Breakdown, CIA Mexico Strike / American Prestige May 15, 2026

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Danny and Derek fight fake news as they fight their allergies. In this week’s news: Trump and Xi meet; Trump rejects Iran’s ceasefire terms (3:09); Gulf states continue strikes against Iran-linked targets (5:53); U.S. intelligence estimates show Iran retains most missiles (8:48); Asian economies cut energy use with fertilizer shortages threatening crops (10:24); Gaza ceasefire plans appear to proceed without Hamas disarmament (12:58), Israel moves closer to an early election (15:47), and Netanyahu publicizes a UAE visit as Abu Dhabi denies it (17:40); Lebanon and Israel pursue talks as Israeli attacks continue (20:03); jihadist attacks intensify in Mali (24:37); Russia and Ukraine resume attacks after a brief ceasefire (27:45); Wes Streeting quits while Labour pressure builds on Starmer (30:09); CNN reports the CIA’s involvement in cartel killings in Mexico (32:20); and U.S. military activity raises fears of a Cuba operation (34:02).

Don’t forget to listen to our latest miniseries, Marx Prestige.

And join us for our livestream every Wednesday at 8pm ET. Enjoy the replay of this week’s.

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The UK Government’s AI Obsession Is a Big Risk w/ Will Dunn / Tech Won't Save Us May 14, 2026

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What happens when a government goes all in on AI? It creates some huge vulnerabilities. Will Dunn joins Paris Marx to dig into how the UK government is using chatbots to write laws without public consultation and why it isn’t asking the hard questions about the risks of that growing reliance on US technology.

Will Dunn is the business editor at the New Statesman.

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Democrats After the Voting Rights Act, plus Jews Against Zionism / Start Making Sense May 13, 2026

Show notes

Last week was one of the roughest for Democrats since Trump won the election in 2024 - the Supreme Court ended Black congressional representation in most of the South and opened the door to the creation of several more Republican House seats – and then the Virginia Supreme Court ruled that the state’s initiative that created four more Democratic House seats was invalid. Nevertheless Trump is so unpopular that Democrats remain strong favorites to retake the House in November. Harold Meyerson comments.

Also: During the first part of the 20th century, 100,000 Eastern European Jews joined a socialist organization that opposed Zionism. Their organization we call the Bund, and they believed that Jews should fight for full rights wherever they were, not for a new homeland somewhere else. Their motto was “here, where we live, is our country”--that's the title of a new book by Molly Crabapple. Adam Hochschild comments.

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Journalism in the Age of Oligarchy w/ David Sirota / American Prestige May 12, 2026

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Danny and Derek speak with David Sirota, founder and EIC of The Lever, about journalism, independent media, and the consolidation of presidential power. They discuss the difference between journalism and media, the attention economy, capitalist media, audience capture, the decline of local news, the Powell Memo, the unitary executive theory, war powers, and Donald Trump’s use of executive power.

Be sure to listen to The Kingmakers, the second season of David’s investigative podcast Master Plan.

Don’t forget that AP’s new, weekly livestream is back this Wednesday at 8pm ET on our YouTube channel.

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Down with the AI Overlords w/ Sarah Myers West / Fighting Fascism May 11, 2026

Show notes

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 how that's not how it needs to be.

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What Jeffrey Epstein Taught Peter Thiel and Steve Bannon w/ Branko Marcetic | The Time of Monsters with Jeet Heer May 10, 2026

Show notes

The late Jeffrey Epstein was friends with all sorts of elite figures in the US and many other countries. This extensive network is now sometimes described as “the Epstein class.” The question is, was this class held together merely by the opportunistic trading of favors or did it have a coherent worldview and agenda?

Branko Marcetic has written a series of articles in Jacobin that clarify this issue by looking at relationships Epstein had with the billionaire Peter Thiel and the political operative Steve Bannon.

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Iran Talks Near Deal, Israel Ignores Ceasefires, Cuba Sanctions Expand | American Prestige May 08, 2026

Show notes

Producer Jake regrettably had his pet rat confiscated after an ill-fated cruise. In this week’s news: Iran considers a U.S. peace proposal (1:37), Project Freedom fails in the Strait of Hormuz (7:45), and new details emerge about damage by Iranian strikes on U.S. military sites (11:25); Israel kills civilians in Lebanon (14:53) and targets Gaza police (16:24); U.S.-China tensions rise before Trump’s summit (18:10); Sudan accuses Ethiopia of drone strikes while Ethiopia accuses Sudan of arming Tigray rebels (23:19), plus Tigray’s ruling party reinstates the regional legislature (25:39); the United States prepares to lift sanctions on Eritrea (27:08); JNIM besieges Bamako, Mali as Mali’s junta leader appoints himself defense minister (28:41); Trump pulls U.S. soldiers from Germany (30:24); Russia and Ukraine reject rival ceasefires (31:38); Trump expands sanctions on Cuba (33:53); and the White House broadens its counterterrorism strategy (35:29).

And don’t forget to listen to our Marx Prestige miniseries.

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