KPFA - Letters and Politics

Mar 06 2025 1000 ep. 52 mins 3.2k

KPFA - Letters and Politics Podcast artwork

Letters & Politics seeks to explore the history behind today’s major global and national news stories. Hosted by Mitch Jeserich.

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Kuan Yin: The Princess Who Became the Goddess of Compassion

Mar 06 2025 59 mins

Today, host Mitch Jeserich tells the story of Kuan Yin, then he speaks with Maya Van Der Meer, author of Kuan Yin: The Princess Who Became the Goddess of Compassion. Guest: Maya Van Der Meer is an educator, environmentalist, and long-time Buddhist practitioner. She is the founder of the online education platform Bodhi Kids and the author of the children’s book Kuan Yin: The Princ

Heretic: Jesus Christ and the Other Sons of God by Catherine Nixey

Mar 05 2025 48 mins

Guest: Catherine Nixey is a journalist and a classicist. She is the author of The Darkening Age, and her latest, Heretic: Jesus Christ and the Other Sons of God. Letters & Politics Winter Book Collection Includes: Heretic by Catherine Nixey The Trial of Socrates by I. F. Stone The Rise of Athens by Anthony Everitt Emperor of Rome by Mary Beard Blood in the Machine by Brian Mer

The Luddites: The First Revolt Against Big Tech

Mar 04 2025 25 mins

Guest: Brian Merchant is a veteran technology reporter and author of Blood in the Machine: The Origins of the Rebellion Against Big Tech. Read his writings on-line at www.bloodinthemachine.com. The post The Luddites: The First Revolt Against Big Tech appeared first on KPFA.

John Nichols on the Imperial Presidency, the Press, & the Mounting Anti-Trump Opposition

Mar 03 2025 10 mins

Guest: John Nichols is the national affairs correspondent for The Nation Magazine. He is the author of several books including his latest co-written with Senator Bernie Sanders “It’s OK to Be Angry About Capitalism.” His latest article in the Nation is Democracy Dies at “The Washington Post” …and oligarchy lives. Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons The post John Nichols

How Project 2025 Became Reality

Feb 27 2025 20 mins

Guest: David A. Graham is a journalist who covers politics and national affairs for The Atlantic Magazine. He is the author of the forthcoming book The Project: How Project 2025 Is Reshaping America. The post How Project 2025 Became Reality appeared first on KPFA.

Richard Wolff on the Impacts and Chaos of Trumpenomics

Feb 26 2025 59 mins

https://mail.google.com/mail/u/1/#inbox/FMfcgzQZTVlkDVthzZZJBWJxPWqnRjNv?projector=1 Guest: Richard Wolff is Professor of Economics Emeritus at University of Massachusetts, Amherst and a Visiting Professor at The New School University in New York. Richard Wolff is the founder of Democracy at Work and host of the weekly national television and radio program Economic Update. Professo

The Nature of Imperial Power with Mary Beard

Feb 25 2025 45 mins

Guest: Mary Beard is a renown classist and the author of the best-selling The Fires of Vesuvius, SPQR, and most lately, Emperor of Rome: Ruling the Ancient Roman World. The post The Nature of Imperial Power with Mary Beard appeared first on KPFA.

Ralph Nader on the Trump and Musk Dismantling the Government & the Tax Cuts for the Rich

Feb 24 2025 59 mins

Guest: Ralph Nader is a consumer advocate, lawyer, and political activist. He is the host of The Ralph Nader Radio Hour that broadcasts on the Pacifica Radio Network. Ralph Nader is the author of many books including his latest, “Let’s Start the Revolution: Tools for Displacing the Corporate State and Building a Country that Works for the People.” Ralph Nader is the founder o

A History of the Athenian Democracy (Part 3): Decline and Fall of the Empire

Feb 20 2025 59 mins

Host Mitch Jeserich recounts the story of how the decline and destruction of he Ancient Athenian Democracy happened. Included in this episode are such stories of how the Athenian Democracy turned into a militaristic empire and how through a democratic process, Athens executed its most famous philosopher. The post A History of the Athenian Democracy (Part 3): Decline and Fall of th

A History of Athenian Democracy (Part 2): Demagogues, Tyrants, Coups, and the People

Feb 19 2025 59 mins

Host Mitch Jeserich talks about how democracy was born out of a class struggle between the aristocrats and the poor masses in ancient Athens. This episode covers part 2 of the 3 part telling of the oldest fully formed democratic system we know of 2500 years ago. In this episode we hear about tyrants, demagogues, coups, reformers, and the people. The post A History of Athenian Demo