Today on the show, Allen hosts a wide-ranging conversation with historian David McNally about the interlocking crises of the pandemic, economic recession, and racial injustice; the “social virus” being revealed by the pandemic; and the violence of money and the capitalist global order. David McNally is the Cullen Distinguished Professor of History and Business at the […]
On the Frontlines: Grocery Workers on COVID-19
You see it everywhere—on commercials, store signs, and all over social media: grocery workers are the unsung heroes of the COVID-19 crisis. But do they feel like heroes? Today we continue our “on the frontlines” series by talking to essential grocery workers about their working conditions and experiences serving a vital role to the public […]
Big Money and the Pandemic — Who’s Profiting from the Crisis?
“Extreme wealth inequality has become America’s pre-existing condition,” writes Chuck Collins in a new co-authored report from the Institute for Policy Studies, “Billionaire Bonanza 2020.” In the past six weeks, as a record 30 million Americans have filed for unemployment, the 630 billionaires of the United States have seen their shared wealth go up $406 […]
COVID-19 and The Plague of Neoliberalism with Henry Giroux
Cultural critic Henry Giroux recently published a column at Truthout, “The COVID-19 Pandemic Is Exposing the Plague of Neoliberalism.” Today, he joins Allen for a wide-ranging discussion of the piece, including his definition of neoliberalism and why it’s such a scourge on society, the collapse of democratic values and the rise of rabid individualism, and […]
The American Economy Before and After Coronavirus
The United States was woefully unprepared for the novel coronavirus pandemic due to economic inequality, poor planning, limited state capacity, and an unequal healthcare system that has left millions of Americans vulnerable. That’s the argument of economic analyst Doug Henwood. He joins us on the program today to discuss the intersection of the pandemic and […]
The Political Economy of the Pandemic
How do we begin to understand the worsening economic crisis intertwined with the pandemic? What is to be done in the short term to avert possible worst-case scenarios? For this episode, Allen takes up these questions with political economist James K. Galbraith. James K. Galbraith is an American economist and professor of government in the […]
