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Ryan Cooper & Alexi the Greek

Philosophy, politics, and the left.

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#415
Yesterday · 1 hr 11 min
The Odyssey Review - 399
Today we've got the classicist Jase Short back on to discuss Christopher Nolan's new film. Is it any good, does it illuminate our present issues or those of humanity in general, and most importantly, is it loyal enough to the source material to please the die-hard Homer fanbase? Enjoy!
#414
August 26 · 7 min
Trump's Collapsing Foreign Policy - 398 PREVIEW
Trump is back to escalating his shooting war against Iran, and his trade war against Canada, and he's quite obviously losing both of them. Subscribe now to hear the whole episode!
#413
August 14 · 59 min
A Biden Climate Retrospective - 397
Joe Biden was the best American president on climate change by maybe three orders of magnitude. Yet it didn't cement a Kamala Harris victory in 2024, and Trump has since rolled back most of Biden's signature climate law, the Inflation Reduction Act. Today we've got UC Santa Barbara Professor Leah Stokes on to discuss her upcoming book The Carbon Wave: A Story of Democracy, Parenthood, and the Race to Protect Our Planet, to talk about her role in the passage of the IRA, what's left of it, what Trump's victory says about climate policy, and what we should do next time. Check out Leah's newsletter here, her podcast A Matter of Degrees here, and her Atlantic piece about the political success of Bidenomics here.
#412
August 5 · 10 min
Is Ukraine Winning? - 396 PREVIEW
In this excerpt we discuss why so many American leftists struggled to get to the correct understanding in Ukraine, and why so many liberals have struggled to get to the correct understanding in Israel-Palestine. Subscribe now to hear the whole episode!
#411
July 28 · 59 min
Welcome to Franchise Hell - 395
Today we've got David Dayen back on to talk about his reporting on how awful it is to attempt to make it as a franchisee for the Kitchen and Bath Tune-Up company. We also discuss the flailing incompetence of various Trump lawyers in their efforts to persecute critics of the regime, the return of tariffs, and the resumption of endless war with Iran, again. Enjoy!
#410
July 18 · 1 hr 12 min
The State of American Socialism in 2026 - 384 UNLOCKED
We are still recovering from vacation and travel, so enjoy this premium episode from awhile back. Zohran Mamdani is now arguably the most politically successful socialist in American history, having won the mayoralty of New York City. So we've got longtime socialist organizer and DSA member David Duhalde back on the podcast to discuss his recent review of Organize or Burn: How New York Socialists Fight for Climate Survival, by Fabian Holt, as well as the overall state of DSA nationally under the second Trump regime.
#409
July 7 · 7 min
'Christian' Nationalism Is Anti-American - 394 PREVIEW
Today we have Professor Harvey Kaye back on to talk about so-called Christian nationalism, and not only why all the Founding Fathers would have regarded such an idea with horror, but also so would have Jesus Christ. People like Elon Musk and Pete Hegseth loudly proclaim their religiosity while simultaneously massacring innocent children, starving poor people by the millions, and welcoming the moneychangers into the temple. Subscribe now to hear the whole thing!
#408
July 2 · 56 min
The Age of Greenspan, with Rick Perlstein - 393
Today we've got noted author and historian Rick Perlstein on to discuss the late Alan Greenspan's 20-year reign as the chair of the Federal Reserve, the damage he did to the American working class and New Deal financial regulations, and what that says about the history of the 1990s and 2000s. Then we turn to what the rise of bareknuckle boxing has to say about MAGA's particularly chintzy and gross brand of fascism. Enjoy! Check out Rick's newsletter here, and his books here.
#407
June 29 · 5 min
The Downfall of Keir Starmer - 392 PREVIEW
In this latest bonus episode, we are talking about how former Labour Prime Minister Kier Starmer frittered away one of the biggest parliamentary majorities in British history, and what lessons that holds in general. Then we talk about the on-again-off-again Iran deal, and Trump's epic debacle with the Reflection Pool on the National Mall. Subscribe now to hear the whole thing!
#406
June 12 · 1 hr 3 min
Iran Crisis Update
Alexi is off today, so this time we are cross-posting a conversation Ryan had with Shawn Howard, who runs the newsletter American Vets in Defense of Democracy. They discussed why the economy hasn't collapsed, how the green energy transition has accelerated, why so much of the world is struggling to come to grips with the fact that the American president is a senile madman, and more. Enjoy!
#405
June 11 · 1 hr 12 min
Can a Progressive Win in Mid-Michigan? - 389 UNLOCKED
Today we are unlocking our episode with William Lawrence, who is running to represent Michigan's 7th congressional district in and around Lansing, and has the geographical hand tattoo to prove it. Unlike the previous Democrat to represent the seat, current junior Senator Elissa Slotkin, William is a strong progressive. How does he plan to win a swing district on a platform of social housing, taxing the rich, bolstering union rights, and so on? Listen to find out! Check out William's campaign website here.
#404
May 28 · 12 min
AOC for President? - 391 PREVIEW
Today we're are talking Trump's latest on-again, off-again deal with Iran, Zohran Mamdani's record after a few months as mayor of New York City, and whether AOC is worth considering as a presidential candidate in 2028. Subscribe now to listen to the whole thing!
#403
May 12 · 56 min
Donald Trump, Climate Warrior
The dumbest president in American history, with his world-historically stupid war on Iran choking off trade through the Strait of Hormuz, with no end in sight, has de facto imposed a gigantic carbon tax on the entire planet. As a result, the green energy transition is leaping ahead at the fastest pace yet--led by China, which is cementing its position as the economic and technological powerhouse of the 21st century. That's...good? We also discuss the Supreme Court's latest bowel movement in Callais vs. Louisiana, the continual acceleration of Republican gerrymandering, and more. Enjoy!
#402
May 1 · 35 min
Can a Progressive Win in Mid-Michigan? - 389 EXCERPT
Today we have William Lawrence, who is running to represent Michigan's 7th congressional district in and around Lansing, and has the geographical hand tattoo to prove it. Unlike the previous Democrat to represent the seat, current junior Senator Elissa Slotkin, William is a strong progressive. How does he plan to win a swing district on a platform of social housing, taxing the rich, bolstering union rights, and so on? Listen to find out! Check out William's campaign website here, and listen to the rest of the episode here.
#401
April 25 · 1 hr 3 min
North Shore Socialism - 388
Today we've got Bethany Andres-Beck, a DSA member who is running for Congress in the 6th District of Massachusetts, on to discuss why that state and the House of Representatives could use a nonbinary trans socialist with a lot of coding experience. Enjoy!
#400
April 14 · 13 min
Dire Strait of Hormuz - 387 PREVIEW
Trump's war on Iran has led to Iran closing the Strait of Homuz, and hence probably the worst single energy shock since oil became a bulk commodity. There is no end in sight. We discuss why it was such a catastrophically stupid decision, what it reveals about Trump's decaying brain, how Iran has gained the upper hand, and more. We also discuss the elections in Hungary and Mexico's forthcoming single payer healthcare system. Subscribe now to listen to the whole episode!
#399
April 9 · 1 hr 11 min
How to Sell a Genocide - 386
Today we have Adam Johnson on to discuss his forthcoming book How to Sell a Genocide: The Media’s Complicity in the Destruction of Gaza. He brings elaborate receipts about how centrist and liberal media downplayed, excused, and denied the Gaza genocide, and in general treated Palestinians as subhumans. Check out Adam's newsletter here and his podcast here.
#398
March 30 · 59 min
Five Years in the Pennsylvania Legislature, with Rick Krajewski - 185
Today we have Rep. Rick Krajewski, who represents the 188th District--entirely contained within West Philadelphia--in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. A DSA member and longtime organizer, Rick primaried the longtime incumbent in 2020, and has spent the last several years learning the political ropes. We discuss the state of play in Harrisburg, what he has learned and gotten done in office, the prospects of Democrats taking full control of the state government in the elections this year, and more. Enjoy!
#397
March 21 · 14 min
The State of American Socialism in 2026 - 384 PREVIEW
Zohran Mamdani is now arguably the most politically successful socialist in American history, having won the mayoralty of New York City. So we've got longtime socialist organizer and DSA member David Duhalde back on the podcast to discuss his recent review of Organize or Burn: How New York Socialists Fight for Climate Survival, by Fabian Holt, as well as the overall state of DSA nationally under the second Trump regime. Subscribe here to listen to the rest of the episode!
#396
March 16 · 1 hr 12 min
Trump's Iran War - 383 UNLOCKED
Today we have the philosopher Jase Short on to discuss what is going on in Iran: What is happening, why did Trump and Israel do such a crazy thing, and what can be done about it? Check out Jase's newsletter here.

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