KPFA - Letters and Politics

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 the Empire appeared first on KPFA.

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 Democracy (Part 2): Demagogues, Tyrants, Coups, and the People appeared first on KPFA.

Host Mitch Jeserich tells the story of the oldest democracy we have accounts of, how it was born, and how it evolved 2500 years ago in ancient Athens.         The post A History of Athenian Democracy (Part 1): Democracy & Tyranny appeared first on KPFA.

Guest: David W. Blight is Sterling Professor of History and African American Studies at Yale University.  He is the author of several books on Slavery and Abolition including, Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom.   The post The Intellectual Life of Frederick Douglas appeared first on KPFA.

Guest: Karina Montoya is a senior reporter and policy analyst at the Open Markets Institute, covering antitrust, data privacy, large digital platforms, and Artificial Intelligence.   Photo by Solen Feyissa on Unsplash The post Big Tech & AI Monopolies Under Trump appeared first on KPFA.

Guest: Elie Mystal is The Nation’s justice correspondent and the host of its legal podcast, Contempt of Court. He is the author of the New York Times bestseller book Allow Me to Retort: A Black Guy’s Guide to the Constitution, and his forthcoming, Bad Law: 10 Popular Laws That Are Running America.  Elie can be followed @ElieNYC. His new cover story, “The Supreme Trump Court,” appears on the cover of the March 2025 edition of The Nation magazine. Photo by Tingey Injury Law Firm on Unsplash The post Trump and The Courts with Elie Mystal appeared first on KPFA.

Guest: Dr. Surekha Davies is a historian of science, art, and ideas and the author of Humans: A Monstrous History.   The post Humans: A Monstrous History appeared first on KPFA.

Guest: Peter M. Shane is the Jacob E. Davis and Jacob E. Davis II Chair in Law Emeritus at Ohio State University and a Distinguished Scholar in Residence at the New York University School of Law. He is the author of several books including his latest, Democracy’s Chief Executive: Interpreting the Constitution and Defining the Future of the Presidency.  He is the host of “Democracy’s Chief Executive: The Podcast.”  Find Peter Shane @petermshane. The post The Expansion of the Presidential Power appeared first on KPFA.

Host Mitch Jeserich does an analysis of the current political landscape and the power grabs by corporations. The post Trump’s Chaos and his Radical Expansion of Executive Power appeared first on KPFA.

Guest: Dannie Ceseña is the first Two-Spirit, Native, Director of the CA LGBTQ Health and Human Services Network.   Photo (C): Wikimedia The post The Assault on Diversity & the LGBTQ+ Community appeared first on KPFA.