Best Truthout Podcasts (2025)

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How We've Resisted ICE: Street Lessons From Chicago 1:28:11

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17d ago1:28:11

1:28:11

“The best way to respond to fear and intimidation tactics is to just show we're not afraid. We're going to keep showing up. We're going to keep speaking out,” says musician Jocelyn Walsh, who is facing federal charges for protesting ICE activity in Chicagoland. In this episode of “Movement Memos,” Walsh and Chicago organizers Gabe Gonzalez and Rey …

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Fascism at the Door, Neighbors in the Street: Abolition in Practice 1:09:39

29d ago1:09:39

1:09:39

“We’re very aware that things are awful … That means that we’re alive, and that we want something different. That’s a really important starting point, is just to even have that kind of repulsion and to have that awful feeling about things,” says Tamara Nopper. “So, I want more of that energy, but I want more of that energy to be connected to some m…

1
Burnout is Not Inevitable: Building Movements That Can Hold Us 1:07:31

2M ago1:07:31

1:07:31

What happens when our movements start to run on empty? In this episode, Kelly talks with organizer and WildSeed Society strategist Aaron Goggans about trauma, dysregulation, burnout, and the myth that we can just push through. They discuss why nervous system regulation is a crucial part of political strategy, how neurodivergent organizers hold esse…

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Resisting ICE, Building Worlds: Care and Survival in Fascistic Times 1:14:23

2M ago1:14:23

1:14:23

“It's all hands on deck and we have to fight. This is the only way,” says Leanne Betasamosake Simpson. In this episode, Leanne and Kelly discuss lessons from Leanne’s book Theory of Water: Nishnaabe Maps to the Times Ahead and the ongoing struggle against ICE in Chicago, where Kelly is involved in rapid response efforts. Music: Son Monarcas and Lea…

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Making Things Together: Zines, Strategy, and Survival 1:19:18

3M ago1:19:18

1:19:18

“We can only be brave together,” says Mariame Kaba. In this episode, Kelly talks with Maraime and writer and organizer Red Schulte about political education, collective courage, and the mistakes we’ll make along the way. Music: Son Monarcas & Sarah, the Illstrumentalist You can find a transcript and show notes (including links to resources) here: t…

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Holding the Line Through Tear Gas and Censorship 1:11:22

3M ago1:11:22

1:11:22

"You're either on the side that is singing and showing up and holding other people, or you're on the side of the helicopters and the gas canisters and the guns,” says Eman Abdelhadi. In this episode, Eman, Maya Schenwar, and Kelly discuss immigration raids and the violent repression of protesters in Chicago, the administration’s war on free speech …

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Raids, Retaliation, and Radical Solidarity in Chicago 1:05:46

3M ago1:05:46

1:05:46

“History shows us that repression always breeds resistance. Fear can never kill solidarity," says Chicago organizer Miguel Alvelo Rivera. In this episode, Kelly uplifts the voices of activists and organizers across Chicago as the Trump administration's "Operation Midway Blitz" terrorizes communities across the Chicagoland area. Benji Hart, Stacy Da…

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The Trap of Law and Order Under Fascism 1:08:29

4M ago1:08:29

1:08:29

“There's no rule of law that's going to get us out of where we are,” says author and organizer Andrea Ritchie. In this episode, Andrea and Kelly discuss the role of criminalization in authoritarian and fascist regimes, and why “we need more outlaws” and less fetishization of “law and order.” You can find a transcript and show notes (including links…

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Resisting the Authoritarian City, Block by Block 1:01:26

4M ago1:01:26

1:01:26

What does gentrification have to do with authoritarianism? In this episode, Kelly talks with organizer and author Andrew Lee about how displacement, surveillance, and “quality of life” policing function as tools of social control—and why housing struggles are class struggles. “Anti-displacement fights are interesting,” Lee says, “because of the rev…

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Public Assemblies Strengthen Community Resistance to Rising Authoritarianism 1:00:28

5M ago1:00:28

1:00:28

“The People's Movement Assembly process provides a unique opportunity for people to build a democracy that has yet to be born,” says Denzel Caldwell. In this episode, Kelly and Denzel discuss the power and potential of People’s Movement Assemblies, and how the practice of direct democracy can help us fight fascism. Music: Son Monarcas and David Cel…

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Traitors to the Earth: Fascism, Christian Nationalism, and the Tech Elite 1:09:19

6M ago1:09:19

1:09:19

“They understand that what they're doing is devastating, and they're doing it anyway,” says Astra Taylor. In this episode, Astra and Kelly unpack the apocalyptic politics of the right—and why we need “a movement that is attuned to the fact that the people we're up against are traitors to this planet, and its people, and the other species who we sha…

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The Authoritarian Machine Is Growing — And It Won’t Stop at Immigrants 1:01:23

7M ago1:01:23

1:01:23

“Fascism and authoritarianism are deployed through law enforcement,” says Silky Shah. In this episode, Silky and Kelly discuss immigration raids, rising authoritarianism, mass protest, innocence narratives, and what it means to organize effectively in this moment. Music: Son Monarcas & David Celeste You can find a transcript and show notes (includi…

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Awareness-Raising Protests Won’t Threaten the Richest, Most Well-Armed People on Earth 1:10:34

7M ago1:10:34

1:10:34

“Making durable changes isn't always about the raw numbers,” says Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò. In this episode, Olúfẹ́mi and Kelly talk about protest, why large “awareness raising” events will not defeat Trump, and the kind of actions and formations we need in these times. You can find a transcript and show notes (including links to resources) here: truthout…

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We Live in Fearful Times. Our Safety Comes Through Preparing Together. 1:04:10

8M ago1:04:10

1:04:10

“Part of my work as a community safety and security practitioner is about offering tools for people to feel and move through fear so that we can continue to keep more of us in this fight,” says Che Johnson-Long. In this episode, Che and Kelly discuss safety planning and practical actions that individuals and organizations can take right now to crea…

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How to Fight Fascism in a Captured State 1:13:08

8M ago1:13:08

1:13:08

"We need to think deeply about cultivating that mindset of collective survival, of needing to understand each other and work together, even if we don’t like each other, and would never actually choose each other, because this is the 'us' we’ve got in an us versus them situation," says Kelly Hayes. In this episode, Kelly and guest Shane Burley discu…

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Fascism Isn’t Coming — It’s Here. Now What? 1:08:45

9M ago1:08:45

1:08:45

“We're not just contending with right-wing movements. We're talking about movements that have reached one of their goals, which is to take over the government,” says organizer and grassroots strategist Ejeris Dixon. In this episode, Ejeris and Kelly discuss fascism, coalition building, and the compassion and shared knowledge we need to create safet…

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Let's Be Politically Promiscuous 56:53

9M ago56:53

56:53

“Our movements are pretty much just made of our relationships — whether we can move together, coordinate, collaborate, figure out disagreements [and] stay loyal to each other when the repression comes down,” says Dean Spade. In this episode Dean and Kelly discuss the lessons of Dean's new book, Love in a F*cked-Up World: How to Build Relationships,…

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We Must Burst Our Algorithmic Bubbles and Build Together Across Difference 1:13:18

10M ago1:13:18

1:13:18

“We need each other, and interdependence is key to survival for human beings,” says Mariame organizer Kaba. In this episode, Mariame and Kelly talk about what their book Let This Radicalize You brings to this moment. They also discuss the fight for reproductive justice, the problem with schadenfreude, and the need to build collective courage. Music…

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Fight Fear, Build Power: Community Defense Works 49:59

10M ago49:59

49:59

“This kind of repression, part of its intention is to isolate people,” says organizer Nikki Marín Baena. In this episode, Kelly talks with Nikki about community defense organizing and how communities are fighting back against Trump’s mass deportation agenda. Music: Son Monarcas and Heath Cantu You can find a transcript and show notes (including lin…

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Let’s Learn and Live Lessons in Collective Survival Together 1:11:52

10M ago1:11:52

1:11:52

“We are really good at finding what's wrong with each other,” says author and podcaster Margaret Killjoy. “We really need to challenge ourselves to be ready to let people be better.” In this episode, Kelly and Margaret talk about preparedness, collective survival, and the organizing lessons we need in these times. Music: Son Monarcas, Curved Mirror…

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We Won't Take Risks Alone. Our Relationships Make a Better World Possible. 1:02:33

11M ago1:02:33

1:02:33

“Our power comes from knowing who's around us, from trusting who's around us, and from strategizing with every lever that we have,” says tenant organizer and Abolish Rent co-author Tracy Rosenthal. In this episode, Rosenthal and their co-author Leonardo Vilchi talk with Kelly about what rent strikes and tenant unions can teach us about the work of …

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How Immigration Organizers Are Gearing Up for Another Trump Era 1:04:59

1y ago1:04:59

1:04:59

“It’s inherently a racial justice and economic justice fight,” says Silky Shah, executive director of Detention Watch Network. In this episode, Kelly talks with Silky about the threats posed by the incoming Trump administration, how organizers are preparing to defend immigrant communities, and what actions we can take to prepare and respond. Music:…

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We Must Contest the Christian Right’s Agenda in Every Venue of Our Lives 1:18:45

1y ago1:18:45

1:18:45

“Our enemies are waging a war, and to many of them, it’s a holy war,” says host Kelly Hayes. In this episode, Hayes and guest Talia Lavin discuss the emotional impacts of the presidential election, the expansive agenda of the Christian right, and how everyday people can resist what Lavin calls “our nation's precipitous slide into autocracy.” Music:…

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To Transform Our Trauma, We Must Nurture Movements for Change 1:22:41

1y ago1:22:41

1:22:41

“We really have a big opportunity right now to decide, within traumatic conditions and circumstances, how we are going to show up, again and again, for ourselves and each other,” says Tanuja Jageranauth. In this episode of “Movement Memos,” host Kelly Hayes talks with radical therapist Dorian Ortega and Healing Justice practitioners Tanuja Jagernau…

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From the Ashes: How Grief Shapes Our Struggles 1:03:32

1y ago1:03:32

1:03:32

“The capitalist system also doesn't care if we die. So insisting on the value of human life, insisting on grieving, particularly grieving publicly and collectively, is a real statement against this entire death-making system,” says author Sarah Jaffe. In this episode, Kelly talks with Sarah about the lessons of Sarah’s latest book, From the Ashes: …

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Keeping Each Other Alive: Mental Health and Collective Survival 1:27:42

1y ago1:27:42

1:27:42

“I've seen a lot of people lashing out at people horizontally, and my gut sense is that sometimes it happens because the folks who are lashing out are definitely super traumatized, in crisis, feel and are really powerless in a lot of ways,” says Disability Justice organizer Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha. In this episode, Kelly talks with Leah an…

1
Breaking Down Sudan’s Struggle: What the World Is Missing 1:05:29

1+ y ago1:05:29

1:05:29

“This war is not a civil war, it's a counter-revolutionary war against civilians. It's a war of military elites against the entire civilian population,” says Sudanese organizer Nisrin Elamin. Sudan is currently experiencing the largest mass displacement event in the world today. Thousands are dead and famine is “almost everywhere” in the country. I…

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"Our Power Is Where We Choose One Another”: Abolitionists Discuss Our Moment 1:00:24

1+ y ago1:00:24

1:00:24

“This is a moment that is going to be looked back on 50 years from now, 100 years from now, and what is going to be said of us is how we came out of this moment,” says M4BL organizer M Adams. In this episode, Kelly talks with Adams and community organizer Montague Simmons about the last decade of Black-led organizing, the state of movements against…

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Remembering How to Care: Lessons from Deep Space Nine 1:04:02

1+ y ago1:04:02

1:04:02

“The immediacy of the crisis that we're in demands a new society and not in some imagined future, but now,” says Rehearsals for Living co-author Robyn Maynard. In this episode, Kelly talks with Maynard and David K. Seitz, author of A Different Trek: Radical Geographies of Deep Space Nine, about the radical legacy of “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine” and…

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It's “Open Season” on the Unhoused. We Must Oppose It. 53:14

1+ y ago53:14

53:14

“We don't have a housing system, we have an unhousing system,” says author and organizer Tracy Rosenthal. In this episode, Kelly and Tracy examine the impacts of the Supreme Court’s recent decision allowing municipalities to criminalize the act of sleeping outside. Tracy and Kelly also examine the larger terrain of criminalization unhoused people f…

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Radical Acts of Care: From Underground Abortions to Militant Clinic Defense 59:17

1+ y ago59:17

59:17

“When you're engaged in political work that is as embodied and vulnerable, uncharted and courageous as self-help, you're really harnessing something like a new world building power,” says Deep Care author Angela Hume. In this episode, Kelly and Angela discuss the work of abortion self-help activists who provided illegal abortions in the 1970s, as w…

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How Solidarity Falters Amid Repression and How We Can Do Better 1:04:26

1+ y ago1:04:26

1:04:26

“This system was designed to do exactly what it is doing and has been doing: concentrating wealth and facilitating racial capitalism and colonialism and extraction,” says author and activist Dean Spade. In this episode, Kelly and Dean discuss some common traps that activists fall into when discussing repression and how we can strengthen our practic…

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To Stay in the Fight, We Must Navigate Trauma and Find the Healing We Need 1:13:11

1+ y ago1:13:11

1:13:11

“If you're trying to destroy things that are as massive as the structures and the institutions that we talk about wanting to get rid of, that we talk about wanting to overthrow, you're going to have to sustain yourself,” says organizer and author William C. Anderson. In this episode, Kelly takes a trip to the Northwest Territories and talks with An…

1
What Today’s Workers Can Learn From Machine Breaking Luddites 53:25

1+ y ago53:25

53:25

The Luddites, who smashed machines in the 19th century, in an organized effort to resist automation, are often portrayed as uneducated opponents of technology. But according to Blood in the Machine author Brian Merchant, “The Luddites were incredibly educated as to the harms of technology. They were very skilled technologists. So they understood ex…

1
Objectivity in Journalism Is a Deadly Myth That Serves Israeli Military and Cops 1:00:52

1+ y ago1:00:52

1:00:52

“If you think about all the cop shows and you think about the birthright tours and you think about all the friendship visits of U.S. officials to Israel, where it's as if there's no Palestine, and you think about Coffee With A Cop, these are all in the same school of actually deeply violent, militaristic propaganda that tries to soften something th…

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Palestine Solidarity Encampments Are a Rehearsal for Self-Governance and Liberation 1:04:48

1+ y ago1:04:48

1:04:48

“At UChicago, they were chanting, ‘40,000 people dead. You are fighting kids instead,’” says author and University of Chicago faculty member Eman Abdelhadi. “Palestine has laid open all the contradictions that are at the core of our society, and the sheer absurdity of trying to suppress this movement.” In this episode, Kelly talks with Abdelhadi an…

1
Outside Agitators Are Good, Actually 54:04

1+ y ago54:04

54:04

"When people come from outside your community or your campus, it makes you feel like you're connected to a bigger whole," says Solidarity co-author Astra Taylor. "It makes you feel like what's happening there matters. It creates a sense of a larger coalition. And that's powerful, which is exactly why the people in power don't like it." In this epis…

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“Hope For Me is in The Doing of Things,” Says Mariame Kaba 1:02:55

1+ y ago1:02:55

1:02:55

While Kelly is away on medical leave, we revisit a fan-favorite episode in which Kelly and Mariame Kaba talk about lessons from their book Let This Radicalize You. "I have experienced countless losses, but there have also been some magnificent wins, so I know that these are possible," says Kaba. Music: Son Monarcas & David Celeste You can find a tr…

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Family Policing is Part of a "Carceral Web" 1:07:40

1+ y ago1:07:40

1:07:40

Kelly is still on medical leave, so we are revisiting their conversation with Dorothy Roberts about the fall of Roe and the carceral nature of the family policing system. “This strategy of making fetal protection more important than the lives and freedom of women and other pregnant people began with the prosecutions of Black women, who were pregnan…

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Capitalism is Killing Us and Our Work Won't Love Us Back 50:24

2y ago50:24

50:24

While Kelly is on medical leave, we hope you enjoy this fan favorite from the archives. In this episode, Kelly talked with Sarah Jaffe about surveillance, criminalization, and lessons from Jaffe's book, "Work Won't Love You Back." Music: Son Monarcas You can find a transcript and show notes (including links to resources) here: truthout.org/audio/wo…

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Care Must Be a Collective Practice of Survival, Not a Site of Profit Extraction 1:00:11

2y ago1:00:11

1:00:11

“In this moment of crisis, we have to understand how the care economy functions … I think we have to ask ourselves, do we want someone to profit from our pain? Do we want our loved ones to be for sale? I think it is imperative upon all of us to push back on the system of profit from care and to find alternative ways of thinking and doing care,” say…

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State of US Journalism Is “Worst I’ve Ever Seen It,” Says Sarah Kendzior 1:02:01

2y ago1:02:01

1:02:01

“The public domain is being purchased, and it is being purchased in order for it to be destroyed,” says journalist Sarah Kendzior. In this episode of “Movement Memos,” Kendzior and host Kelly Hayes discuss the decline of journalism in the U.S. and how we can resist the erosion of our shared history, our values, and our shared reality. Music: Son Mo…

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Chicago Organizers Defeat Police Tech in Ongoing Fight for Community Safety 58:18

2y ago58:18

58:18

“Every interaction between Black and Brown community members and CPD responding to a gunshot alert is dangerous. It puts people at risk of violence and harm,” says Stop ShotSpotter organizer Navi Heer. In this week’s episode, Kelly talks with two organizers from Chicago’s Stop ShotSpotter campaign, which claimed a major victory this week, and inves…

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Predictive Police Tech Isn’t Making Communities Safer – It’s Disempowering Them 1:02:15

2y ago1:02:15

1:02:15

“The truth is, every time community groups have asked questions about policing, the police haven't had good answers. And when really pushed, they had to fold to recognize that maybe this technology wasn't worth the money, wasn't doing what it was said. And while sure, it sounded good in a soundbite, it sounded good to the city council when you said…

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Attacks on the Concept of Settler Colonialism Are About Undermining Solidarity 59:46

2y ago59:46

59:46

“Surviving settler colonialism isn't just about surviving its material realities, it's also about surviving how settler colonialism requires destroying cultures, and languages, and sensibilities, and values, and ways of being in the world,” says scholar and activist Nadine Naber. In this episode, Naber and host Kelly Hayes discuss the connections b…

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“Palestine Is About Living in Spite of Everything” 55:15

2y ago55:15

55:15

“Belonging isn't about a claim of ownership, it's actually about this notion of love and longing. And so I've come to say, I don't claim that Palestine belongs to me. I just know that I belong to Palestine,” says Palestinian author Rana Barakat. In this episode, Rana and host Kelly talk about Palestinian history, Indigenous solidarity, how colonial…

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Native Organizers Celebrate Solidarity, Grieve Losses and Work to Reduce Harm 49:39

2y ago49:39

49:39

“We're connected to each other and these liberation fights across the globe,” says Indigenous Justice organizer Ashley Crystal Rojas. In this episode of Movement Memos, Rojas and Morning Star Gali talk with host Kelly Hayes about Native solidarity with Palestine, how Native communities have reclaimed the “Thanksgiving” holiday, tools for harm reduc…

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Vigil for Palestine: We Mourn and Consider What Solidarity Demands of Us 1:00:41

2y ago1:00:41

1:00:41

“During a genocide, there is no silent vigil. There are no pauses without action,” says organizer Nadine Naber. In this episode, Naber, Iman Abid, Mike Merryman-Lotze, Leanne Simpson, Shane Burley, Brant Rosen, and others join Kelly to hold vigil for Palestine, and to talk about what solidarity demands of us in this moment. Music: Son Monarcas and …

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Practicing New Worlds in a Time of Collapse 1:11:15

2y ago1:11:15

1:11:15

“Our survival is at stake, and so, let's think about all the best things that can help us better understand how we can ensure the collective survival of as many of us as possible,” says author and organizer Andrea Ritchie. In this episode, Kelly and Andrea discuss organizing, solidarity with Palestine, and why activists cannot defer the work of pra…

1
Israel's Tools of Occupation Are Tested on Palestine and Exported Globally 1:03:12

2y ago1:03:12

1:03:12

“The danger now is not just in Palestine for Palestinians. It's gone well beyond that now. It's exported, the idea that you can export occupation, you can export the tools of occupation, the tools of apartheid. That is where we currently are in the early 2020s,” says The Palestine Laboratory author Antony Loewenstein. In this episode, Kelly talks w…