Épisodes

  • Venezuela, U.S. Power, and the Latin American Left

    Venezuela, U.S. Power, and the Latin American Left
    Jan 14 2026
    As Congress considers a war powers vote, economist Mark Weisbrot places the Trump administration’s attack on Venezuela in the context of a longstanding bipartisan campaign to undermine left-leaning governments across Latin America. He discusses the differing visions Trump and his Secretary of State Marco Rubio have for the region, one focused on oil and the other on regime change, including in Cuba. Image credit: IbaKa Vector The post Venezuela, U.S. Power, and the Latin American Left appeared first on KPFA.
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  • MoMa and Cultural Imperialism in Latin America

    MoMa and Cultural Imperialism in Latin America
    Jan 13 2026
    Modern art has always been a battleground — and the highly influential Museum of Modern Art has been partisan since its inception. Architectural historian Patricio Del Real discusses two differing political visions of modernism and modern architecture: one rooted in the left, and associated with figures such as Communist muralist Diego Rivera, and the other on the right, represented by the architect and fascist sympathizer Philip Johnson. He weighs in on the role of MoMa in promoting a view of modernism in Latin America, stripped of its radical politics and racial fusions, and radiating American power and hegemony. (Encore presentation.) Patricio del Real, Constructing Latin America: Architecture, Politics, and Race at the Museum of Modern Art Yale University Press, 2022 The post MoMa and Cultural Imperialism in Latin America appeared first on KPFA.
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    1 h
  • The Rule of the Billionaires

    The Rule of the Billionaires
    Jan 12 2026
    Extreme inequality defines our age. The world’s wealthiest 0.001%, a mere 60,000 people, own three times more wealth that half of the world’s population combined. And such inequality is increasing with time. Economist Rob Larson discusses the cloistered world of the very rich, their power and wealth, and their influence over all our lives. (Full-length presentation.) Rob Larson, Mastering the Universe: The Obscene Wealth of the Ruling Class, What They Do with Their Money, and Why You Should Hate Them Even More Haymarket Books, 2024 The post The Rule of the Billionaires appeared first on KPFA.
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  • The Afterlives of Viral Infection

    The Afterlives of Viral Infection
    Jan 7 2026
    As influenza cases reach a twenty-five year high, a look at the complicated history of long lasting post-viral conditions. Medical anthropologist Emily Mendenhall considers how the medical establishment has frequently ignored chronic but often invisible illnesses like long Covid and long flu, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Lyme disease. Emily Mendenhall, Invisible Illness: A History, from Hysteria to Long COVID UC Press, 2025 Photo by Helenn Melo on Unsplash The post The Afterlives of Viral Infection appeared first on KPFA.
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  • Protesting Endless Wars

    Protesting Endless Wars
    Jan 6 2026
    As the United States seizes control of Venezuela, what lessons can be drawn from the movement against the US occupations of Afghanistan and Iraq? Historian Jeremy Varon reflects on how the anti-war movement grew into the millions in the face of jingoism and media complicity with the US state. Jeremy Varon, Our Grief Is Not a Cry for War: The Movement to Stop the War on Terror University of Chicago Press, 2025 The post Protesting Endless Wars appeared first on KPFA.
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  • The Trillion Dollar War Machine

    The Trillion Dollar War Machine
    Jan 5 2026
    The United States spends over a $100 billion dollars more a year on the military than it did at the height of the Cold War. What does it get year upon year for that money? Since 2001, America’s overseas war have led to nearly a million deaths. Ben Freeman discusses the intersection of interests that drive America’s military spending, including the private contractors who receive half of the US military budget and the universities, Hollywood movies, and media funded by the Pentagon or its arms manufacturers. William D. Hartung and Ben Freeman, The Trillion Dollar War Machine: How Runaway Military Spending Drives America into Foreign Wars and Bankrupts Us at Home Bold Type Books, 2025 Think Tank Funding Tracker The post The Trillion Dollar War Machine appeared first on KPFA.
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  • War and Film

    War and Film
    Dec 31 2025
    Film brings to us — with unparalleled rawness — what feels like the intimate experience of war. But how true is that visceral feeling? And how do the tension and excitement of war on screen ultimately affect our sympathy toward each other and our humanity? David Thomson, one of the greatest film historians of our time, argues that movies — even those with antiwar intentions — perpetuate war. (Encore presentation.) Resources: David Thomson, The Fatal Alliance: A Century of War on Film Harper, 2023 The post War and Film appeared first on KPFA.
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  • The Mass Revolts of the 2010s

    The Mass Revolts of the 2010s
    Dec 30 2025
    In the decade of the 2010s, more people took to the streets than in any other time in history. And yet those horizontal protests, often spread through social media, were frequently co-opted by the right — and the decade ended with the rise of authoritarianism. Journalist Vincent Bevins spoke to activists around the world about the lessons they drew from the failed mass revolts, and discusses how democratic movements regained power in Brazil from the despotic Jair Bolsonaro. (Encore presentation.) Vincent Bevins, If We Burn: The Mass Protest Decade and the Missing Revolution Public Affairs, 2023 Vincent Bevins, “This Land Is Our Land: How Brazil’s Landless Workers’ Movement Emerged from Right-wing Rule Stronger Than Ever” The Nation, April 8, 2025 The post The Mass Revolts of the 2010s appeared first on KPFA.
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