This Is Hell!

Journalist Megan Greenwell joins This Is Hell! to about her new book "Bad Company: Private Equity and the Death of the American Dream" published by Harper Collins. (https://www.megangreenwell.com/book) Megan Greenwell is a writer, editor, and newsroom leader. Megan worked as the editor of Wired.com and, for four months, the interim editor-in-chief of WIRED, overseeing the publication’s transition to a global newsroom. Megan has written or edited for publications including The New York Times, The Washington Post, New York Magazine, WIRED, and ESPN. She is also the deputy director of the Princeton Summer Journalism Program, a workshop and college access initiative for students from low-income backgrounds. A new installment of “This Week In Rotten History” from Renaldo Migaldi follows the interview. Help keep This Is Hell! completely listener supported and access bonus episodes by subscribing to our Patreon: www.patreon.com/thisishell Help keep This Is Hell! completely listener supported and access bonus episodes by subscribing to our Patreon.

Gilbert Achcar, an Emeritus professor at SOAS, shares insights from his book on the Gaza crisis, framing it as a genocide and a moral failure of humanity. He discusses the historical implications of Western policies and the rise of far-right ideologies. Achcar critiques U.S. foreign policy and its role in perpetuating cycles of violence in the Middle East. He emphasizes the urgent need for systemic change to address these issues and reflects on the broader context of imperialism and the implications for global peace efforts.

Mark Weisbrot, Co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research, and Francisco Rodriguez, a senior research fellow and professor at the University of Denver, delve into the lethal consequences of U.S. economic sanctions. They reveal that sanctions can result in as many deaths as wars, particularly affecting vulnerable populations like children and the sick. Their discussion critiques the hypocrisy of the U.S. foreign policy, advocating for a re-examination of how sanctions are employed and the humanitarian crises they create. With insights from their impactful research, the conversation underscores the urgent need for change.

Rob Wallace and Rita Valenti join us to discuss their recent articles at Truthout that cover the Trump administration's dismantling of public health in the United States. These include "Trump Is Trying to Dismantle Public Health — and Replace It With a Police State," "'Make America Healthy Again' Aims to Make Public Health Your Responsibility," and "Labor Was Crucial in Building Public Health Institutions Trump Wants to Destroy." "This Day in Rotten History" from Renaldo Migaldi follows the interview. Check out Rob and Rita's writing here: https://truthout.org/articles/trump-is-trying-to-dismantle-public-health-and-replace-it-with-a-police-state/ here: https://truthout.org/articles/make-america-healthy-again-aims-to-make-public-health-your-responsibility/ and here: https://truthout.org/articles/labor-was-crucial-in-building-public-health-institutions-trump-wants-to-destroy/ Help keep This Is Hell! completely listener supported and access bonus episodes by subscribing to our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thisishell Please rate and review This Is Hell! wherever you get your podcasts. It really helps the show ascend the algorithm to reach new listeners.

All-new longform interview Hell returns at last! Mikaela Loach joins us to discuss her new book, "It’s Not That Radical: Climate Action to Transform Our World" (Haymarket Books). "The Moment of Truth" with Jeff Dorchen follows the interview. Check out Mikaela's book here: https://www.haymarketbooks.org/books/2583-it-s-not-that-radical Help keep This Is Hell! completely listener supported and access bonus episodes by subscribing to our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thisishell Please rate and review This Is Hell! wherever you get your podcasts. It really helps the show ascend the algorithm to reach new listeners.

In a thought-provoking discussion, Kamau Franklin, founder of Community Movement Builders, dives into the urgent fight against systemic racism in Atlanta. He critiques the gap between political leaders and the community's needs, shedding light on the illusion of progress amidst gentrification. Franklin emphasizes the significance of grassroots organizing in fostering resilience while discussing the transformation of sites of tragedy into spaces for activism. Listeners will gain insight into the historical lessons of the Black radical tradition and the necessity of sustained activism in confronting state violence.

Journalist and author Suzy Hansen will returns to This Is Hell! To talk about her New York Magazine article, "Crimes of the Century: How Israel, with the help of the U.S., broke not only Gaza but the foundations of humanitarian law." Suzy is the author of, "Notes on a Foreign Country: An American Abroad in a Post-American World," which was a finalist for the 2018 Pulitzer Prize. Her new book, "From Life Itself: Turkey, Istanbul, and a Neighborhood in the Age of Erdoğan," will be published in April by Farrar, Straus and Giroux. https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/israel-palestine-gaza-war-crimes-genocide.html A new installment of “This Week In Rotten History” from Renaldo Migaldi follows the interview. Help keep This Is Hell! completely listener supported and access bonus episodes by subscribing to our Patreon: www.patreon.com/thisishell

John Washington, a staff writer at Arizona Luminaria and author on immigration and criminal justice, joins the conversation to delve into the harsh realities of President Bukele's prison system in El Salvador. They discuss how U.S. policies have shaped these conditions, the authoritarian tactics used to control dissent, and the implications of Bukele's controversial crime strategies, including his embrace of cryptocurrency. Washington also highlights the parallels between American and Salvadoran authoritarianism, raising urgent questions about the future of governance and human rights.

While Chuck is out this week, we revisit our first interview from 2020. Theorist Albena Azmanova examines the dynamics of post-2008 precarity capitalism, the left's long failure to strike through capitalism's competitive production of profit, and explains why radical change for the precarious multitude is possible without a revolutionary break - but through subversive pragmatism. Albena is author of Capitalism on Edge: How Fighting Precarity Can Achieve Radical Change Without Crisis or Utopia from Columbia University Press.

Micah Herskind returns to This Is Hell! to discuss his contribution to the new edited volume, "No Cop City, No Cop World: Lessons from the Movement" from Haymarket Books. After the interview, Jeff Dorchen delivers a live, in-studio "Moment of Truth." Check out Micah's book here: https://www.haymarketbooks.org/books/2541-no-cop-city-no-cop-world Help keep This Is Hell! completely listener supported and access bonus episodes by subscribing to our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thisishell