KPFA - Letters and Politics

Guest:  Geoffrey R. Stone is the Edward H. Levi Distinguished Service Professor at the University of Chicago.  He is the author or co-author of many books on constitutional law, including Perilous Times: Free Speech in Wartime; A Legacy of Discrimination: The Essential Constitutionality of Affirmative Action; and The Free Speech Century.     The post A Constitutional Look at Trump and the Courts appeared first on KPFA.

Guest: Mary Jo McConahay is a journalist who has covered the Church for many years. She is the author of the book Playing God: American Catholic Bishops and The Far Right. Featured photo: Wikimedia The post The Legacy of Pope Francis and the Future of the Catholic Church appeared first on KPFA.

A look at burning political issues and debates and their historical context within the US and worldwide, hosted by Mitch Jeserich. The post Letters and Politics – April 17, 2025 appeared first on KPFA.

Guest: Elizabeth Minnich is Distinguished Fellow at the American Association of Colleges & Universities. She was Hannah Arendt’s Teaching Assistant at The Graduate Faculty of The New School University in New York. She is the author of The Evil of Banality: On The Life and Death Importance of Thinking.     The post The Banality of Evil & the Dangers of Mindless Complicity appeared first on KPFA.

Guest: Richard Wolff is Professor of Economics Emeritus at University of Massachusetts, Amherst. He is currently a Visiting Professor at the New School University in New York City.  Richard Wolff is the founder of Democracy at Work and host of the weekly national syndicated television and radio program Economic Update that airs weekly on KPFA.  Professor Wolff is the author of a number of books including Understanding Capitalism. The post KPFA in the McCarthy Era: 76 Years of Alternative Media appeared first on KPFA.

Guest: Yanis Varoufakis, a former finance minister of Greece, is leader of the MERA25 party and Professor of Economics at the University of Athens.  He is the author of several books including his latest, Technofeudalism: What Killed Capitalism.   Photo by Kurt Cotoaga on Unsplash The post Yanis Varoufakis: Trade War is Class War appeared first on KPFA.

Part 1. On Executive Powers and the Courts Guest: Erwin Chemerinsky is the dean of the law school at the University of California, Berkeley. He is the author of many books on constitutional law including his latest, No Democracy Lasts Forever: How the Constitution Threatens the United States.  His latest opinion piece in The New York Times is We Should All Be Very, Very Afraid Part 2. Cuts to Medical Research  Guest: Chris Beyrer is Gary Hock Distinguished Professor in Global Health and Professor of Medicine at Duke University.  He is Associate Director of Global HIV at the Duke Center for AIDS Research (CFAR) and  Affiliate Faculty at Duke Human Vaccine Institute.  Dr Beyrer is a medical doctor and epidemiologist who has worked extensively on the front lines of HIV/AIDS and COVID-19 prevention, treatment, and research.   Photo by Sebastian Pichler on Unsplash The post Erwin Chemerinsky on Executive Powers and the Courts. Then, Cuts to Medical Research appeared first on KPFA.

Guest: Cedric de Leon is Professor of Sociology and Labor Studies at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and author of Freedom Train: Black Politics and the Story of Interracial Labor Solidarity. The post How Black Labor Created An Interracial Movement appeared first on KPFA.

Guest: Jeanne Carstensen is an award-winning journalist. She is the author of A Greek Tragedy: One Day, a Deadly Shipwreck, and the Human Cost of the Refugee Crisis. The post A Greek Tragedy: the Human Cost of the Refugee Crisis appeared first on KPFA.

Guest: Dean Baker is a Senior Economist at the Center for Economic and Policy Research.   He is the author of several books, including Rigged: How Globalization and the Rules of the Modern Economy Were Structured to Make the Rich Richer. His blog, Beat the Press, provides commentary on economic reporting.   Photo by lonely blue on Unsplash   The post Economist Dean Baker on Trump’s Tariffs appeared first on KPFA.