Current Affairs

🦩 Use the code "15OFF" for a discount on Current Affairs: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership The core right-wing principle is a belief in hierarchy, not the limitation of state power. 🐍 Read the article: https://www.currentaffairs.org/news/2022/07/why-conservatives-hate-the-government-but-love-the-cops 🦩SUBSCRIBE TO CURRENT AFFAIRS MAGAZINE: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership 🦩 PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/c/CurrentAffairs 🦩THE MYTH OF AMERICAN IDEALISM: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/738224/the-myth-of-american-idealism-by-noam-chomsky-and-nathan-j-robinson/ 

🦩 Use the code "15OFF" for a discount on Current Affairs: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membershipFor Peter Thiel, JD Vance, and other figures on today’s far right, the works of J.R.R. Tolkien have become a cultural touchstone. Pity they don’t understand the first thing about them.🧙‍♂️ Read the article: https://www.currentaffairs.org/news/how-the-right-abuses-tolkien🦩SUBSCRIBE TO CURRENT AFFAIRS MAGAZINE: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership🦩 PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/c/CurrentAffairs🦩THE MYTH OF AMERICAN IDEALISM: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/738224/the-myth-of-american-idealism-by-noam-chomsky-and-nathan-j-robinson/

EPA to stop animal testing, Palestinians go on general strike, Ye apologizes for his Nazism again, TikTok claims apparent censorship was caused by a power outage, and the government repeals workplace protections because they protect trans people.📰 SUBSCRIBE TO THE BRIEFING: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership🦩 SUBSCRIBE TO CURRENT AFFAIRS MAGAZINE: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership🦩 PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/c/CurrentAffairs🦩THE MYTH OF AMERICAN IDEALISM: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/738224/the-myth-of-american-idealism-by-noam-chomsky-and-nathan-j-robinson/

Ro Khanna is the U.S. representative for California’s 17th Congressional district, more commonly known as “Silicon Valley.” He was a co-chair of Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign in 2020, and there’s been speculation he may run for president himself in 2028. He joined Current Affairs associate editor Alex Skopic to discuss his bipartisan efforts to release the Epstein files, a “new FDR moment” for the Democratic Party, and the dangerous state of U.S. foreign policy under Donald Trump.🦩 Read Alex Skopic's Article on Ro Khanna: https://www.currentaffairs.org/news/every-argument-against-the-california-billionaire-tax-is-wrong🦩 Interview Transcript: https://www.currentaffairs.org/news/ro-khanna0:00–4:22 Why the Epstein Files Still Aren’t Public4:22–5:18 Impeaching Attorney General Pam Bondi5:18–7:05 What’s Inside the Epstein Files7:05–8:38 Will the Epstein Files Ever Be Fully Released?8:38–15:39 The Billionaire Tax & an FDR-Style Economic Vision15:39–21:20 Should Billionaires Exist at All?21:20–24:25 Gavin Newsom, Ben Shapiro, and Gaza24:25–29:36 Ro Khanna Explains His Israel Aid Vote29:36–31:58 Offensive vs. Defensive Weapons to Israel31:58–35:36 China, Competition, and Rejecting a New Cold War35:36–37:38 Can Congress Stop Trump’s Wars?37:38–40:42 Should Trump Face War Crimes Charges?🦩SUBSCRIBE TO CURRENT AFFAIRS MAGAZINE: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership 🦩 PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/c/CurrentAffairs 🦩THE MYTH OF AMERICAN IDEALISM: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/738224/the-myth-of-american-idealism-by-noam-chomsky-and-nathan-j-robinson/

The "Keep America Beautiful" campaign urged Americans to pick up their trash—so that companies could keep producing it.🗑️ Read the full article: https://www.currentaffairs.org/news/the-sinister-origins-of-americas-anti-litter-movement🦩SUBSCRIBE TO CURRENT AFFAIRS MAGAZINE: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership🦩 PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/c/CurrentAffairs🦩THE MYTH OF AMERICAN IDEALISM: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/738224/the-myth-of-american-idealism-by-noam-chomsky-and-nathan-j-robinson/

Climate change is sinking posh London homes, pro-Palestine protesters face felony charges, Ugandan president cuts internet during election, Trump’s new Board of Peace, and Nike’s tone-deaf MLK Day basketball shoe.🦩SUBSCRIBE TO CURRENT AFFAIRS MAGAZINE: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership🦩 PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/c/CurrentAffairs🦩THE MYTH OF AMERICAN IDEALISM: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/738224/the-myth-of-american-idealism-by-noam-chomsky-and-nathan-j-robinson/

Will Sloan is a film critic and writer whose work has appeared in The New Yorker, Jacobin, and the Toronto Star. He is the co-host, with Luke Savage, of the podcast Michael and Us, which examines politics and ideology through popular film and television.He is the author of Ed Wood: Made in Hollywood USA, a critical reappraisal of the famously maligned filmmaker that challenges conventional ideas of “bad” art and cultural taste. Sloan joined Current Affairs editor-in-chief Nathan J. Robinson to discuss Ed Wood’s films, queer cinema, and what the politics of taste reveal about Hollywood, capitalism, and outsider art.🎬 Get the book: https://orbooks.com/catalog/ed-wood/🦩SUBSCRIBE TO CURRENT AFFAIRS MAGAZINE: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership🦩 PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/c/CurrentAffairs🦩THE MYTH OF AMERICAN IDEALISM: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/738224/the-myth-of-american-idealism-by-noam-chomsky-and-nathan-j-robinson/

Donald Trump's overthrow of Nicolás Maduro sets a terrible precedent that severely erodes international sovereignty. Can other countries depose any leader they accuse of a crime?🇻🇪 Read the article: https://www.currentaffairs.org/news/the-coup-in-venezuela-is-an-assault-on-the-whole-world🦩SUBSCRIBE TO CURRENT AFFAIRS MAGAZINE: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership🦩 PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/c/CurrentAffairs🦩THE MYTH OF AMERICAN IDEALISM: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/738224/the-myth-of-american-idealism-by-noam-chomsky-and-nathan-j-robinson/

In the fall of 2024, Zohran Mamdani was a long-shot challenger taking on New York City’s political establishment. Today, he’s the mayor. In this early interview with Current Affairs, recorded shortly after he announced his campaign, Mamdani lays out his vision for transforming the city.🦩SUBSCRIBE TO CURRENT AFFAIRS MAGAZINE: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership🦩 PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/c/CurrentAffairs🦩THE MYTH OF AMERICAN IDEALISM: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/738224/the-myth-of-american-idealism-by-noam-chomsky-and-nathan-j-robinson/

John Sanbonmatsu is a professor of philosophy at Worcester Polytechnic Institute and the author of The Omnivore’s Deception: What We Get Wrong about Meat, Animals, and Ourselves.The book is a response to Michael Pollan’s 2006 bestseller The Omnivore’s Dilemma, and as the title suggests, Sanbonmatsu thinks writers like Pollan are dead wrong about the ethics of food. He maintains that killing and eating animals is entirely indefensible, no matter how “humane” the process supposedly is.0:00-7:19 The Horror of Meat7:19-13:02 Comparisons to Slavery13:02-17:50 The Omnivore's Deception17:50-20:16 Lab-Grown Meat20:16-25:15 Evasion of Moral Responsibility25:15-33:24 Erosion of Moral Decency33:24-40:33 The Path Forward🦩SUBSCRIBE TO CURRENT AFFAIRS MAGAZINE: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership🦩 PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/c/CurrentAffairs🦩THE MYTH OF AMERICAN IDEALISM: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/738224/the-myth-of-american-idealism-by-noam-chomsky-and-nathan-j-robinson/

Joshua Cohen is a political theorist and writer of the Ettingermentum Substack: an exceedingly thorough and insightful resource for anyone hoping to understand what the hell is going on in American politics these days. Cohen sat down with Current Affairs to discuss the recent government shutdown, what Democrats actually pay attention to, and what the future looks like for a party controlled by pundits. 📰 Subscribe to the Ettingermentum Substack: https://www.ettingermentum.news/📰 Follow Ettingermentum on Twitter: https://x.com/ettingermentum🦩SUBSCRIBE TO CURRENT AFFAIRS MAGAZINE: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership🦩 PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/c/CurrentAffairs🦩THE MYTH OF AMERICAN IDEALISM: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/738224/the-myth-of-american-idealism-by-noam-chomsky-and-nathan-j-robinson/

Medea Benjamin is an anti-war activist and one of the co-founders of CODEPINK: Women for Peace. She’s spent decades fighting the American military-industrial complex, organizing protests against the invasion of Iraq in the early 2000s and interrupting speeches by both Barack Obama and Donald Trump. She’s also the co-author, with David Swanson, of NATO: What You Need to Know. She joined Current Affairs editor-in-chief Nathan J. Robinson to discuss the ongoing push for war, from the Middle East to Venezuela, and how ordinary people can organize and stand against it.🌸 CODEPINK: https://www.codepink.org/🌸 Medea's Twitter: https://x.com/medeabenjamin🌸 Medea's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/medea.benjamin0:00-11:16 Why Disruptive Protest Works11:16-14:23 Overcoming the Fear of Public Confrontation14:23-18:36 Making the Human Cost of War Visible18:36-22:52 The Rise and Limits of Today’s Antiwar Movement22:52-25:49 The Myth of Trump as an “Anti-War” President25:49-31:53 NATO’s Role in the Ukraine War31:53-34:54 Is There a Real Anti-War Right?34:54-37:56 Why Democrats Lag Public Anti-War Opinion37:56-40:16 What Keeps People Fighting Back40:16-47:33 Why Americans Must Confront Their Own Government’s Crimes🦩SUBSCRIBE TO CURRENT AFFAIRS MAGAZINE: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership🦩 PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/c/CurrentAffairs🦩THE MYTH OF AMERICAN IDEALISM: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/738224/the-myth-of-american-idealism-by-noam-chomsky-and-nathan-j-robinson/

How can someone so delusional attract an audience of millions? What does it say about us that Owens is listened to by anyone other than a psychiatrist?🧿 Read the article: https://www.currentaffairs.org/news/candace-owens-and-the-decay-of-the-american-brain🦩SUBSCRIBE TO CURRENT AFFAIRS MAGAZINE: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership🦩 PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/c/CurrentAffairs🦩THE MYTH OF AMERICAN IDEALISM: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/738224/the-myth-of-american-idealism-by-noam-chomsky-and-nathan-j-robinson/

Right-wing megadonors flew mayors to an all-expenses-paid summit in New Orleans, where they pushed a policy framework that codified mainstream criticism of Israel as “antisemitic.”📰 Read the article: https://www.currentaffairs.org/news/a-dark-money-network-is-recruiting-u.s.-mayors-to-criminalize-pro-palestine-speech🦩SUBSCRIBE TO CURRENT AFFAIRS MAGAZINE: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership🦩 PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/c/CurrentAffairs🦩THE MYTH OF AMERICAN IDEALISM: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/738224/the-myth-of-american-idealism-by-noam-chomsky-and-nathan-j-robinson/

Nina Turner is a former Ohio State Senator, national co-chair of Bernie Sanders’ 2020 presidential campaign, and one of the most forceful advocates for working-class politics in the United States. She’s a longtime champion of economic justice and a leading voice in movements for peace and social uplift, including the new Up in Arms campaign challenging the power of the military-industrial complex. Turner joined Current Affairs editor-in-chief Nathan J. Robinson to discuss why the Democratic Party keeps failing to meet the needs of ordinary people, why insurgent primary challenges are essential to democracy, and how redirecting our vast military spending could transform the lives of millions.🔥 Nina's Twitter: https://x.com/ninaturner🔥 Nina's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ninaturnerohio/🔥 Up In Arms Campaign: https://upinarms.life/0:00–11:33 The Democratic Party's Failures11:33–14:57 How Harris Squandered Her Campaign14:57–21:33 Should the Left Primary Hakeem Jeffries?21:33–28:49 Mamdani’s Affordability Blueprint28:49–39:33 The Up in Arms Campaign🦩SUBSCRIBE TO CURRENT AFFAIRS MAGAZINE: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership🦩 PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/c/CurrentAffairs🦩THE MYTH OF AMERICAN IDEALISM: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/738224/the-myth-of-american-idealism-by-noam-chomsky-and-nathan-j-robinson/

Anthony Fantano is the biggest music critic on YouTube, and the self-described “internet’s busiest music nerd.” The New York Times calls him “The Only Music Critic Who Matters (if You’re Under 25),” and his show The Needle Drop has over 3 million subscribers. Fantano is known for his provocative takes, like “AI Music is Evil” and “Taylor Swift is a Coward.” He joined Current Affairs editor-in-chief Nathan J. Robinson and associate editor Alex Skopic to talk about the state of the music industry, how streaming platforms exploit artists, and whether Zohran Mamdani should rap again.🎹 The Needle Drop: https://www.youtube.com/theneedledrop🎹 Fantano: https://www.youtube.com/@fantano0:00–7:28 What Right Do Critics Have to Judge Music?7:28–10:34 AI Music and How It Uses Artists’ Work10:34–17:13 Why So Much Music in 2025 Feels “Mid”17:13–23:58 Have Music Critics Become Too Nice?23:58–32:29 Censorship, Algorithms, and Political Lyrics32:29–37:13 Paying Artists Fairly and Why They Should Unionize37:13–40:39 Zohran Mamdani’s Rap Career40:39–44:53 Underrated Artists Fantano Recommends🦩SUBSCRIBE TO CURRENT AFFAIRS MAGAZINE: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership🦩 PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/c/CurrentAffairs🦩THE MYTH OF AMERICAN IDEALISM: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/738224/the-myth-of-american-idealism-by-noam-chomsky-and-nathan-j-robinson/

📰 Email help@currentaffairs.org with proof of your New York Times cancellation, and we will gift you a FREE one-year digital subscription to Current AffairsYet again, the New York Times’ Bret Stephens advocates the overthrow of a sovereign government. Why do the readers of the “paper of record” tolerate this dangerous propaganda?🌹 Read the article: https://www.currentaffairs.org/news/there-have-to-be-consequences-for-advocating-illegal-wars🦩SUBSCRIBE TO CURRENT AFFAIRS MAGAZINE: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership🦩 PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/c/CurrentAffairs🦩THE MYTH OF AMERICAN IDEALISM: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/738224/the-myth-of-american-idealism-by-noam-chomsky-and-nathan-j-robinson/

Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to mark the passing of a professional liar, war criminal, and mass murderer. Dick Cheney is dead. As you read this, his co-conspirator George W. Bush may be reading his eulogy in Washington National Cathedral. Yet the politics Cheney represented live on—and the media are busy trying to whitewash his record, depicting him as an honorable American statesman. Today, on the day of Cheney’s funeral, we’re joined by Adam McKay, the director of 2018’s Vice, who sets the record straight.🔥 Adam's Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/ghostpanther.bsky.social0:00-5:35 How the Media Is Whitewashing Cheney5:35-8:24 All the People Cheney Killed8:24-14:54 Cheney's Rise to Power14:54-21:42 How Cheney Gave Us Trump21:42-29:30 "Box Office Poison"29:30-32:34 How Dick Cheney Betrayed His Daughter32:34-45:18 The Real Legacy of Dick Cheney🦩SUBSCRIBE TO CURRENT AFFAIRS MAGAZINE: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership🦩 PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/c/CurrentAffairs🦩THE MYTH OF AMERICAN IDEALISM: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/738224/the-myth-of-american-idealism-by-noam-chomsky-and-nathan-j-robinson/

Cory Doctorow is the author of over 20 books, including The Internet Con, How to Destroy Surveillance Capitalism, and the science fiction novels Unauthorized Bread and Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom. He’s also an activist for civil liberties on the internet with the Electronic Frontier Foundation, and a prolific blogger at his website Pluralistic. Doctorow joined Current Affairs editor-in-chief Nathan J. Robinson and associate editor Alex Skopic to discuss his newest book, Enshittification: Why Everything Suddenly Got Worse and What to Do About It.💩 Transcript: https://www.currentaffairs.org/news/cory-doctorow💩 Get the book: https://craphound.com/shop/🦩SUBSCRIBE TO CURRENT AFFAIRS MAGAZINE: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership🦩 PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/c/CurrentAffairs🦩THE MYTH OF AMERICAN IDEALISM: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/738224/the-myth-of-american-idealism-by-noam-chomsky-and-nathan-j-robinson/

🌹 Sign up for our FREE newsletter, State of Affairs, and we’ll send a digital copy of The Silencing of Me straight to your inbox: https://www.currentaffairs.org/newsletter?hsCtaAttrib=199589517656PAPERBACK VERSION available in the Current Affairs store: https://shop.currentaffairs.org/collections/booksCurrent Affairs presents a new “anti-woke” manifesto by Dr. Peter B. Jordanson, a man who refuses to be canceled even when nobody is canceling him, and who dares to angrily speak up for Facts in an age of mushy Feelings. The book is called The Silencing of Me: How Feminism, Wokeness, DEI, Marxism, Transness, and Several Other Things Brought Western Civilization To Its Knees, Ruined My Marriage, and Made Me Late For Work. Today, editor in chief Nathan J. Robinson reads selected excerpts.Written by Nathan J. Robinson, with additional contributions by Devin Schiff, Stephen Prager, and Michael Lodato.0:00-17:15 Introduction17:15-27:24 How Things Used to Be27:24-36:17 Education as Child Abuse36:17-40:25 Guns: What Harm Have They Ever Done?40:25-44:50 The Left’s War on War44:50-53:00 How I Learned Everything About China53:00-59:29 A Culture’s Decline59:29-1:04:39 Everything Is Censored1:04:39-1:11:20 The "So-Called" Environment1:11:20-1:17:35 The Eclipse of Traditional Marriage1:17:35-1:39:04 Why Won’t They Stop Complaining?✨ Get the book: https://shop.currentaffairs.org/products/the-silencing-of-me🦩SUBSCRIBE TO CURRENT AFFAIRS MAGAZINE: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership🦩 PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/c/CurrentAffairs🦩THE MYTH OF AMERICAN IDEALISM: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/738224/the-myth-of-american-idealism-by-noam-chomsky-and-nathan-j-robinson/