Robinson's Podcast

Support the Show: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsxwneBx6apV1mQ7CbWKfXQ/joinRichard Wolff is Professor Emeritus of Economics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and co-founder of Democracy at Work. Cornel West holds the Dietrich Bonhoeffer Chair at Union Theological Seminary. Norman Finkelstein is a political scientist and author who received his PhD in politics from Princeton University. In this episode, Richard, Cornel, Norman, and Robinson discuss the crisis of the American left and whether it can rebuild its political power. More particularly, they discuss Zohran Mamdani’s compromises, Cornel’s warning that he could become another Barack Obama, and their disagreements over working with Tucker Carlson. They also discuss Donald Trump and American decline, Bernie Sanders and class politics, Cornel’s break with Jill Stein and the Green Party, immigration, Gaza, and where to draw moral lines when building political coalitions. Their recent books include Richard’s Understanding Capitalism (Democracy at Work, 2024), Cornel’s Truth Matters, coauthored with Robert P. George (Post Hill Press, 2025), and Norman’s Gaza’s Gravediggers: An Inquiry into Corruption in High Places (OR Books, 2026).Richard’s Website: https://www.rdwolff.com/Understanding Capitalism: https://www.democracyatwork.info/understanding_capitalismCornel’s Website: https://www.cornelwest.com/Truth Matters: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Truth-Matters/Robert-P-George/9798888451700Norman’s Website: https://www.normanfinkelstein.com/Gaza’s Gravediggers: https://www.orbooks.com/catalog/gazas-gravediggers/OUTLINE00:00 Introduction01:06 What Do Elections Actually Change?05:47 How Enthusiasm Turned Into Disappointment for Zohran Mamdani09:36 The Deep Denial in the United States14:11 Is Another New Deal Still Possible?17:27 The Repression of American Colonialism23:49 Is America’s Decline Irreversible?30:25 Cornel West on Bernie, Mamdani, and Colonialism42:12 America Fears Socialism—But for How Long?44:36 Neoliberalism Is a Curse on Socialism49:06 Jill Stein and Why Cornel West Left the Green Party52:15 Bernie Sanders and the Holocaust59:52 Is Tucker Carlson Dangerous for the Left?1:06:53 Can Immigration Be Fixed?1:11:04 How Capitalism Destroyed Itself in Germany1:15:21 Do Blacks Have Legitimate Complaints About Immigrants?1:19:23 International Relations1:21:04 Biden, Obama, and Red Lines1:25:09 What If Our Heroes Were Racist?1:27:27 Will the Rest of Us Ever Be Prosperous Again?1:42:29 Who Is Pumping Denial Down America’s Throat?1:48:55 John Stuart Mill on Truth1:50:34 Rick’s Biggest Mistake in Life1:57:00 Cornel’s Biggest Mistake in Life2:01:49 The Academy Caved to Biden, Trump, and IsraelRobinson Erhardt researches symbolic logic and the foundations of mathematics at Stanford University, where he is also a JD candidate in the Law School.

Rick Wilson is a political strategist, author, and co-founder of The Lincoln Project. After decades working in Republican politics, he became a prominent conservative critic of Donald Trump. In this episode, Rick and Robinson discuss the Republican Party Rick believes Trump has destroyed, America’s changing position in the world, and the struggle to defeat Trumpism. More particularly, they talk about the GOP’s competing factions, Trump’s relationships with Benjamin Netanyahu and Vladimir Putin, and American policy toward Iran and Venezuela. They also discuss divisions among Democrats, Bernie Sanders and the progressive left, Abdul El-Sayed and James Talarico, the influence of podcasts and social media, and the prospects for the 2026 and 2028 elections. Rick’s books include Running Against the Devil (Forum Books, 2020).Rick’s Website: https://www.therickwilson.com/Running Against the Devil: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/623822/running-against-the-devil-by-rick-wilson/OUTLINE00:00 Introduction00:47 The Best Reasons for Voting Trump02:16 The Republican Party Is Broken into Three Pieces09:16 Why Rick Left the Republican Party13:58 The United States' Fall from Grace24:27 How Netanyahu Plays Trump28:21 Deconstructing Trump's Takeover of Venezuela31:43 Why Democrats Can’t Get Their Act Together35:35 Why Progressives Struggle to Win the Presidency39:46 El-Sayed Has 'The Gift'42:40 Podcasts and Elections45:06 Nick Fuentes and the Groypers51:58 Will Trump Be President Forever?53:33 Talarico and the Republicans' Loss56:38 Why Trump Could Cost Republicans 2028Robinson Erhardt researches symbolic logic and the foundations of mathematics at Stanford University, where he is also a JD candidate in the Law School.

Norman Finkelstein is a political scientist and author who received his PhD in politics from Princeton University. His work focuses on political theory, the Israel-Palestine conflict, and the Holocaust. In this episode, Norman and Robinson discuss Gaza, Israel, and the Middle East three years after October 7. More particularly, they talk about changing public opinion, free speech on American campuses, Norman’s rejection of the claim that Netanyahu knowingly allowed the attacks, Israel’s goals in Gaza and the wider region, and Iran’s confrontation with Israel and the United States. They also discuss Donald Trump’s political appeal, Bernie Sanders, China’s role in the conflict, Hannah Arendt, Norman’s mother’s testimony at a Nazi war-crimes trial, and his friendship with Noam Chomsky. Norman’s recent book is Gaza’s Gravediggers: An Inquiry into Corruption in High Places (OR Books, 2026).Norman’s Website: https://www.normanfinkelstein.com/Gaza’s Gravediggers: https://orbooks.com/catalog/gazas-gravediggers/OUTLINE00:00:00 Introduction00:01:02 What We’ve Learned Since October 7, 202300:06:00 The Sheer Insanity of Israel’s War on Gaza00:09:06 Why Young People See Themselves in Gaza00:12:51 Jewish-Muslim Unity00:14:02 How Free Speech Crumbled Over Gaza00:24:05 Why Won’t Anyone Review Norman Finkelstein’s New Book?00:29:04 Did Netanyahu Allow Hamas to Attack on October 7th?00:35:31 Why Israel Still Backs Netanyahu00:41:12 Finkelstein: Israel Is a Lunatic Society00:53:55 How Did Hamas Get Past Israeli Intelligence?00:59:06 Israel’s Three Goals After October 701:07:53 What Hezbollah Lost With Nasrallah01:09:32 Think Twice Before You Play with Iran01:11:10 Can Anyone Control Israel?01:13:36 Israel Underestimated Iran’s 5,000-Year-Old Civilization01:30:01 The Two Things Trump Really Cares About01:40:17 Trump Isn’t Media-Savvy—His Opponents Are Phony01:54:43 Talking About Trump Is a Waste of TimeRobinson Erhardt researches symbolic logic and the foundations of mathematics at Stanford University, where he is also a JD candidate in the Law School.

Michael Hudson is Distinguished Research Professor of Economics at the University of Missouri, Kansas City and President of the Institute for the Study of Long-Term Economic Trends. He researches domestic and international finance, economic history, and the role of debt in shaping economies and societies. In this episode, Michael and Robinson discuss the war in Iran and Michael’s prediction that it will cause a global depression. More particularly, they talk about oil and the Strait of Hormuz, which countries Michael thinks will suffer most, his skepticism about the changes the 2026 elections can deliver, and his criticisms of how economists describe the American economy. They also discuss AI and the future of employment, Donald Trump’s foreign policy, China’s role in the international economic order, instability in Europe, and the future of the United States. Michael’s recent book is Temples of Enterprise (ISLET, 2024).Michael’s Website: https://michael-hudson.comTemples of Enterprise: https://a.co/d/a3c53dmOUTLINE00:00 Introduction00:23 Iran War Will Cause a Global Depression10:57 The 2026 Elections Mean Nothing19:45 2026 Voters Can Do Nothing About AI, Israel, or Iran30:51 Economists Are Lying About the State of the Economy38:02 Different Economic Metrics42:25 AI and an Employment Collapse48:35 Trump Is Choking the World's Oil59:32 The Strait of Hormuz1:04:16 The Iran War Will Destroy These Countries First1:12:27 Trump Wants the World to Pay Tribute1:17:43 Is China the Hero?1:28:16 Destabilization in Europe1:37:32 Anti-Protest Drone1:40:20 What Does Chinese Dominance Look Like?1:46:15 Where Does History Go from Here?1:55:39 Where Does the United States Go from Here?Robinson Erhardt researches symbolic logic and the foundations of mathematics at Stanford University, where he is also a JD candidate in the Law School.

Jason Stanley is the Bissell-Heyd-Associates Chair in American Studies at the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy at the University of Toronto, where he is also Professor of Philosophy. Before moving to Toronto in 2025, he was the Jacob Urowsky Professor of Philosophy at Yale University. Jason’s work focuses on propaganda, authoritarianism, democracy, free speech, and political language. In this episode, Robinson and Jason discuss Jason’s account of how political propaganda has changed during the Trump era. More particularly, they talk about soft and hard propaganda, social media and political bots, Trump’s political communication, Jason’s decision to leave Twitter and later the United States, and the effects of online attacks. They also discuss artificial intelligence and democracy, the political influence of tech billionaires, Elon Musk and Peter Thiel, and Jason’s transition toward the philosophy of propaganda. Jason’s most recent book is Erasing History: How Fascists Rewrite the Past to Control the Future (Atria/One Signal, 2024).Jason’s Website: https://jasonstanley.orgHow Propaganda Works: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Jason+Stanley+How+Propaganda+WorksErasing History: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Jason+Stanley+Erasing+HistoryOUTLINE00:00 How Propaganda Has Changed with Donald Trump10:42 Soft and Hard Propaganda13:56 Defining Propaganda25:01 Is Trump Trying to Broaden Popular Support?30:12 Trump Is Ruining Democracy33:15 Social Media is Political Theater for BOTS45:39 Why Jason Left Twitter49:54 Attacks Against Jason on Twitter53:20 The Terrible Cost of Leaving the US01:04:56 How AI Threatens Democracy01:08:26 Tech Billionaires Want to Wipe Out Humanity01:12:02 Elon Musk's Secret Plans 01:14:30 Does Peter Thiel Want All Humans Dead?01:17:37 Jason's Transition to Philosophy of PropagandaRobinson Erhardt researches symbolic logic and the foundations of mathematics at Stanford University, where he is also a JD candidate in the Law School.

Why Is the World So Beautiful?: https://a.co/d/0d3LsupANicholas Humphrey is a theoretical psychologist and Emeritus Professor of Psychology at the London School of Economics, where his work has focused on the evolution of intelligence and consciousness. Among his many contributions, he was the first to demonstrate “blindsight” in monkeys, studied mountain gorillas with Dian Fossey, and developed influential theories about the social evolution of intelligence. In this episode, Robinson and Nicholas discuss the evolutionary origins of beauty and why human beings are so drawn to it. More particularly, they talk about rhyme, pattern-recognition, the adaptive value of aesthetic experience, the relationship between beauty and social life, and the methodology of evolutionary psychology. They also discuss whether beauty implies agency or creation, difficult cases for an evolutionary theory of aesthetics, spirituality and transcendence, and why some art is deliberately ugly. Nicholas’s upcoming book is Why Is the World So Beautiful? Our Minds in Search of Nature’s Rhymes (MIT Press, 2026).Nicholas’s Website: https://humphrey.org.ukOUTLINE00:00 Why Is the World So Beautiful?08:48 What Is Rhyme?18:47 The Utility of Beauty24:09 Beauty and Pattern-Recognition34:26 Beauty and Society41:21 The Methodology of Evolutionary Psychology49:20 Creation and Agency56:24 Problem Cases01:02:26 Spirituality and Transcendence01:07:34 Ugly Art