12/31/15

Murtaza Hussain, a journalist for the Intercept, explains the stunning story behind the Fort Dix terror plot. Recorded July 15.

FOR MEMBERS: Air America throwback (2/11/2005), Sam and Janeane interview Eugene Mirman, Eddie Izzard, Flight of the Concords, and Stewart Lee live from the HBO Comedy Arts Festival.

12/30/15

From October 16, Sam live in Las Vegas at the Mass Torts Made Perfect conference:

Tim Maloney of Maloney & Campolo is on first Volkswagen’s use of a “defeat device” in their software to cheat emissions tests. Discussion of VW’s ambitions to be the world’s’ largest car company, and the role “clean diesel” was meant to play in getting them there. Which VW executives and engineers must have known about the cheat, and what was the long game? Finally, how this type of behavior is incentivized by corporate structures.

Chris Paulos from Levin Papantonio is on to talk about DuPont’s contamination of the Parkersburg, West Viginia area with C8, a harmfully bio-persistent and toxic surfactant originally developed, and subsequently phased out, by 3M. Discussion of DuPont’s cover-up of C8 contamination, as well as DuPont’s history of malfeasance and criminality. Next, the strategy and ramifications of the Carla Bartlett v. DuPont case. The use of C8 in the production of teflon products, and DuPont’s failure to incinerate the C8 as 3M guidelines recommend.

Finally, Michael Baum of Baum Hedlund is on to talk about Factor 8, a hemophilia drug found to be infected with HIV in the early 1980s. How plasma centers sought hepatitis-infected plasma, needed for antibodies, by using donors from prison populations and by advertising in gay magazines. The subsequent use of that infected plasma to make blood products meant to be with non-contaminated plasma. Baum says estimates of people infected are nearly 10k in the US and 10k internationally.

FOR MEMBERS: Paul Starr on the political decisions that formed the media, spanning from the 15th century to the 21st.

12/29/15

Journalist Johann Hari, explains the motivation for his new book Chasing The Scream: The First and Last Days of the War on Drugs. Why were drugs banned to begin with and what really creates drug addiction. Harry J. Anslinger the most important person you never heard of. Anslinger’s racism and obsession with Billie Holiday. The racist roots of the drug war. The heroism of Billie Holiday and the white supremacist crusade that destroyed. Arnold Rothstein and invention of modern drug dealing. Why cartels are so violent. Former drug warriors who want to end the war on drugs. Debunking drug addiction myths. What we can learn from Portugal. Also why drugs are a social problem not an individual one. Recorded January 22.

FOR MEMBERS: Another throwback to Air America days, Sam and Janeane talk to the late historian Tony Judt on Abu Ghraib, governmental lying, the media during wartime, Israel/Palestine and much more. Recorded 6/2/2004.

12/28/15

Naomi Klein, author of This Changes Everything, explains the fundamental organizing reality of the climate crisis and why the “right is right” on what addressing climate will mean for capitalism. Why the left should talk about climate change all the time and why they don’t talk about it more. Why the “extraction worldview” allow us to think of ourselves as separate from nature. Why the 1980s were the worst time for establishing a serious policy on climate change. How mainstream environmental groups were compromised by becoming part of the Washington DC game and should we focus on confronting the fossil fuel industry or seriously investing in renewable energy? And defining the movement that needs to be built in order to reverse the climate crisis. Recorded November 19, 2014.

FOR MEMBERS: A throwback to Air America days, Sam interviews Harry Shearer discussing the Army Corps of Engineers' failures in New Orleans that led to the Katrina disaster and Tom Delay.

12/24/15

6:45 - Professor Walter Block explains the four types of Libertarians and why he is a Anarcho/Libertarian. Non-aggression and property rights. The confusing world of Libertarian Courts. Feudalism or Hobbesianism? How were property rights established? Retributions and Libertarians. Natives Americans, homesteading and property in America. Also Walter Block’s relationship to Rand Paul and the vaccine debate. Recorded February 11.

1:03:10 - Pando Senior Editor Mark Ames, explains how Symour Hersh’s attempts at Corporate muckraking in the 1970s reveal the dangers of going after the corporate state. Dangers of corporate muckraking journalism and what’s wrong with the NSA debate. Recorded June 8.

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12/23/15

9:00 - Gary Dorrien, an American social ethicist and theologian at Columbia Univeristy, is on to discuss his book The New Abolition: W. E. B. Du Bois and the Black Social Gospel and how modern movements like #BlackLivesMatter relate to historical black freedom movements. 12:50 - What is the Back Social Gospel? What did "abolition" come to mean and who were the New Abolitionists? 25:23 - The four strains of the Black Social Gospel. The dispute between Booker T. Washington and Du Bois. 34:10 - How Dorrien's four strains have developed over time. 40:00 - Getting Martin Luther King Jr. right. Cornel West's view on King. MLK the socialist. 47:00 - The consequences of historical amnesia. How these currents affect the DNC primary.

52:30 - Michal Rozworski, writer and host of the Political Eh-conomy podcast, is on to discuss his Jacobin article Why We Fight Uber. How Uber is essentially a dispatcher with lobbyists. 59:00 - How Uber undermines the idea of the risk-taking capitalist. 1:05:00 - The potential for co-op ridesharing platforms. Seattle's pro-union decision for Uber drivers.

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12/22/15

-Cliff Schecter and Sam explain why the DNC favoring Hillary Clinton is bad for everyone. Why Debbie Wasserman Schultz is the worst. Why Marco Rubio is not going to win the Republican Primary. Why Hillary Clinton is wrong to run to the right on taxes. How the Democrats goad Donald Trump, is this the end of the Republican Party and who hurts the Republican Party more Donald Trump or Ted Cruz. (9:00)

-Sam explains whats inside the Budget deal. (37:40)

On The Fun Half: Donald Trump goes crazy sexist against Hillary Clinton. Donald Trump hates journalists but promises not to kill them. Why we have a better country with higher taxes. Sam debates our favorite conservative caller Doug and your calls IMs.

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12/21/15

Jeb Bush claims that he is winning by losing. Bernie Sanders and the data breach controversy. Democrats focus on Donald Trump at the Democratic Debate and ignores the rest of the Republican crazies. Bernie and Hillary clash on regime change. Hillary's conflicted policy on Syria. The problem with Hillary Clinton's "no new middle class tax" pledge and why we need universal programs in college and healthcare.

On The Fun Half: why Martin O'Malley is kind of annoying. New Matt's bizarre Star Wars experience. Why Hillary Clinton is undermined by the DNC helping her. Caller Michael thinks Jeb Bush is still in the race. The Chris Christie "surge".

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12/18/15

12:12 - Blogger Digby (Heather Parton) explains why the Right is pushing hard against women's rights. Barack Obama and the spike in anti Muslim bigotry. How anti women and Muslim politics go together on the Right. Why the Right hates Hillary. The full scope of the horrific war of the Republican war on women. Why Donald Trump is the Pope of the GOP. What the Republican base is losing. The year of Black Lives Matter. The prison state and the extension of Jim Crow. Technology and holding Police accountable for systemic abuse. Barack Obama unleashed and the differences between Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton.

1:06:13 - Isabel Gillies is not going to see the new Star Wars movie. Why Isabel's phone fell out of her window. Isabel enjoyed 2015 and Isabel's picks for the best movies of the year and Isabel tells us to listen to Serial season 2 and Sam and Michael are not happy with the pick.

The DNC uses a software failure to block the Sanders campaign from accessing its own voter data.

On The Fun Half: Debbie Wasserman Schultz is a disaster as DNC Chair. Bernie Sanders gets a major new labor union endorsement. Hillary Clinton should back Bernie Sanders and your calls and IMs.

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12/17/15

Grist's Ben Adler explains what the world agreed to at the Paris agreement on climate change (9:40). The innate damages of global warming pollution. Why everyone in the world agrees on the climate crisis except for the Republicans - including North Korea( 18:34). Why the Paris agreement acknowledges but does really do anything about the scale of the climate crisis. The 2020 global update on carbon cuts. The changing roles of South Korea, China and Singapore in the Paris agreement. Will global energy companies and first world countries be held accountable? The practical details of dealing with the human toll of the climate crisis and why poor countries are hurt the most by climate change (25:28).

On The Fun Half: why the Democratic establishment rigged the debates against Bernie Sanders. Safe spaces on college campuses. Can Donald Trump beat Hillary Clinton. Bill O'Reilly compares the "War on Christmas" to terrorism. Random Rush and your calls and IMs.

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