Reality Asserts Itself

The Charity of Night – RAI with Bruce Cockburn (4/9)

This interview was originally published on May 28, 2019. Bruce Cockburn explains why he refers to himself as an ‘artist-correspondent,’ and describes how his relationship to God and the church has changed since he started writing music.

Reality Asserts Itself

Gavin’s Woodpile – RAI with Bruce Cockburn (3/9)

This interview was originally published on May 28, 2019. Songwriter Bruce Cockburn talks about writing the song Gavin’s Woodpile and the impact of mercury poisoning on First Nations communities in Northwestern Ontario.

Reality Asserts Itself, Russia

Why I’m Pro-Detente With Russia – RAI Stephen Cohen (5/5)

This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced May 6, 2019, with the late Stephen Cohen. "I realized it wasn’t the Soviet Union that was the great danger, it was the potential of nuclear war, and it’s still the case today" – says Stephen Cohen.

Reality Asserts Itself, Russia

From Jim Crow Kentucky to Red Square – RAI Stephen Cohen (4/5)

This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced April 29, 2019, with the late Stephen Cohen. Prof. Stephen Cohen was a professor emeritus of politics at Princeton University and of Russian studies and history at New York University. In his book titled ‘War with Russia? From Putin and Ukraine to Trump and Russiagate’; Cohen discusses the forces that shaped his political thinking.

Reality Asserts Itself, Russia

Is ‘Russia Meddling’ an Attack on America – RAI Stephen Cohen (1/5)

This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced April 16, 2019, with the late Stephen Cohen. “The claim that Russia attacked America during the 2016 presidential election is both exceedingly dangerous and a complete falsehood,” says Stephen Cohen.

Reality Asserts Itself, USA

Homicide and Baltimore’s Black Butterfly – RAI with Eddie Conway (12/12)

Murders take place in Baltimore at a rate that compares with New York, thirteen times the size; Eddie Conway says deep poverty, unemployment, and brutal policing are contributing factors to the murder epidemic – on Reality Asserts Itself with Paul Jay.

History, Reality Asserts Itself, USA

Eddie Conway: 5-Year Anniversary of His Release From Prison – RAI (11/12)

We continue our Reality Asserts Itself series with TRNN Executive Producer Eddie Conway, who spent 44 years as a political prisoner and is now in the leadership of TRNN.

Big Tech, Reality Asserts Itself

AI Should Improve Quality of Life, Not Make Capitalists Rich – Lester Earnest on RAI Pt 5/5

Artificial Intelligence can make the world better or be a tool for war – says Lester Earnest, founder of the Artificial Intelligence Lab at Stanford, on Reality Asserts Itself with Paul Jay. This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced January 4, 2019.

Big Tech, Reality Asserts Itself

Billionaires Shouldn’t Control Artificial Intelligence – Lester Earnest on RAI Pt 4/5

“Patents block progress” – says Lester Earnest, founder of the Artificial Intelligence Lab at Stanford, on Reality Asserts Itself with Paul Jay. This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced January 2, 2019.

Big Tech, Reality Asserts Itself

DOD Criterion for Success Spend all Your Money by Year-End – Lester Earnest on RAI Pt 3/5

After working on the MIT SAGE radar system and at the Joint Chiefs, Earnest concluded “it’s basically a money-making system, that’s what it’s about and has nothing to do with real defense” – Lester Earnest on Reality Asserts Itself with Paul Jay. This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced December 28, 2018.

Big Tech, Reality Asserts Itself

Cold War Radar System a Trillion-Dollar Fraud – Lester Earnest on RAI Pt 1/5

Profit and deception drove cold-war militarization, says Lester Earnest, founder of the Artificial Intelligence Lab at Stanford; Earnest says the anti-nuclear bomber SAGE radar system never worked and carried on for 25 years – Lester Earnest on Reality Asserts Itself with Paul Jay. This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced December 24, 2018.

History, Nuclear Arms Policy, Reality Asserts Itself, U.S. Politics, USA

Convert Military to Green Production, or Perish – Daniel Ellsberg on RAI Pt 13/13

A massive reduction in ICBM’s and transforming the economy away from the military-industrial complex are prerequisites for our survival – says Daniel Ellsberg on Reality Asserts Itself with Paul Jay. This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced November 29, 2018, with Paul Jay.

History, Nuclear Arms Policy, Reality Asserts Itself, U.S. Politics, USA

Dismantle the American Doomsday Machine – Daniel Ellsberg on RAI Pt 12/13

Congress should hold hearings into nuclear winter and eliminating the hair-trigger and obsolete ICBM’s – says Daniel Ellsberg on Reality Asserts Itself with Paul Jay. This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced November 27, 2018, with Paul Jay.

History, Nuclear Arms Policy, Reality Asserts Itself, U.S. Politics, USA

The Doomsday Machine and Nuclear Winter – Daniel Ellsberg on RAI Pt 11/13

An H-Bomb first strike will create firestorms and smoke that ends most human life; this is a fact ignored by military planners and by the Trump administration which doesn’t believe in climate science – says Daniel Ellsberg on Reality Asserts Itself with Paul Jay. This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced November 23, 2018, with Paul Jay.

History, Nuclear Arms Policy, Reality Asserts Itself, U.S. Politics, USA

A Strategy of War Crimes, Killing Civilians to Win a War – Daniel Ellsberg on RAI Pt 10/13

General Curtis LeMay, who directed the firebombing and nuclear attacks on Japan said, “War is killing people, when you kill enough of them, the other guy quits” – quotes Daniel Ellsberg on Reality Asserts Itself with Paul Jay. This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced November 21, 2018, with Paul Jay.

History, Nuclear Arms Policy, Reality Asserts Itself, U.S. Politics, USA

The Discovery That Should Have Changed the Cold War – Daniel Ellsberg on RAI Pt 9/13

In 1958, then Senator John F. Kennedy claimed there was a “missile gap”, saying the USSR was far ahead in ICBM weapons; when satellite photos showed the astounding true number, it meant the USSR did not have plans for global domination, but it remained a secret, says Daniel Ellsberg on Reality Asserts Itself with Paul Jay. This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced November 19, 2018, with Paul Jay.

History, Nuclear Arms Policy, Reality Asserts Itself, U.S. Politics, USA

Once Fired, There’s No Calling a Nuke Back – Daniel Ellsberg on RAI Pt 8/13

There are many fingers on the nuclear missile's trigger and once an attack begins, even the President can’t order it reversed, says Daniel Ellsberg on Reality Asserts Itself with Paul Jay. This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced November 15, 2018, with Paul Jay.

History, Nuclear Arms Policy, Reality Asserts Itself, U.S. Politics, USA

U.S. Refuses to Adopt a Nuclear Weapon No First Use Pledge – Daniel Ellsberg on RAI 7/13

Every President since Truman has used a nuclear first strike threat as leverage in U.S. foreign policy; it’s institutional insanity says Daniel Ellsberg on Reality Asserts Itself with Paul Jay. This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced November 12, 2018, with Paul Jay.

China, History, Nuclear Arms Policy, Reality Asserts Itself, U.S. Politics, USA

U.S. Planned Nuclear First Strike to Destroy Soviets and China – Daniel Ellsberg on RAI Pt 6/13

U.S. cold-war nuclear plan called for all-out attack on China, even if it was not involved in the war, says Daniel Ellsberg on Reality Itself with Paul Jay. This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced November 9, 2018, with Paul Jay.

History, Nuclear Arms Policy, Reality Asserts Itself, U.S. Politics, USA

Russian Doomsday Machine an Answer to U.S. Decapitation Strategy – Daniel Ellsberg on RAI Pt 5/13

The U.S. military still thinks that a nuclear war can be won by targeting Russian leadership in a bizarre Dr. Strangelove logic; it’s a recipe for unmitigated catastrophe, says Daniel Ellsberg on Reality Asserts Itself with Paul Jay. This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced November 4, 2018, with Paul Jay.

History, Nuclear Arms Policy, Reality Asserts Itself, U.S. Politics, USA

The Largest Act of Terrorism in Human History – Daniel Ellsberg on RAI Pt 4/13

The British bombing of Hamburg in 1942, and the American firebombing of Japan in March 1945 that killed as many as 120,000 people in one night, created the conditions for the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki which were considered mere extensions of the firebombing tactics, says Daniel Ellsberg on Reality Asserts Itself with Paul Jay. This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced November 4, 2018, with Paul Jay.

History, Nuclear Arms Policy, Reality Asserts Itself, U.S. Politics, USA

Truman Delayed End of WWII to Demonstrate Nuclear Weapons – Daniel Ellsberg on RAI Pt 3/13

To intimidate the Soviet Union and prove to Congress the nuclear program should be funded, Truman dropped nuclear weapons on Japan to end the war; no scientist came forward to warn of the dangers to life on earth, says Daniel Ellsberg on Reality Asserts Itself with Paul Jay. This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced November 2, 2018, with Paul Jay.

History, Nuclear Arms Policy, Reality Asserts Itself, U.S. Politics, USA

Hitler Wouldn’t Risk Doomsday, But The United States Did – Daniel Ellsberg on RAI Pt 2/13

Hitler ended the German nuclear weapons program in 1942 when told it could end life on Earth—the Americans were willing to take the risk; since the end of WWII the Cold War was to a very large extent, from beginning to end, a marketing campaign for subsidization of the aerospace industry, says Daniel Ellsberg on Reality Asserts Itself with Paul Jay. This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced October 31, 2018, with Paul Jay.

History, Nuclear Arms Policy, Reality Asserts Itself, U.S. Politics, USA

The Doomsday Machine: The Big Lie of the Cold War – Daniel Ellsberg on RAI Pt 1/13

On Reality Asserts Itself, Daniel Ellsberg tells host Paul Jay that US intelligence agencies knew that Stalin was not planning to invade Western Europe or seek world domination, but based on the myth, the world came close to nuclear war – and it’s all happening again.

Reality Asserts Itself, Russia

Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Socialism – RAI with Aleksandr Buzgalin (12/12)

On Reality Asserts Itself, Prof. Aleksandr Buzgalin says the conditions for socialism did not exist in the 1920s but now they do, but there will be many zigs and zags getting there – with host Paul Jay. This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced July 29, 2018.

Climate Change, Reality Asserts Itself, Russia

Many Russians Think Climate Change is Propaganda to Weaken Their Economy – RAI with Aleksandr Buzgalin (11/12)

On Reality Asserts Itself, Prof. Aleksandr Buzgalin says Russian oligarchs find an oil-based economy too profitable to consider transitioning away from it – with host Paul Jay. This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced July 27, 2018.

History, Reality Asserts Itself, Russia

Why Does the West Hate Putin? – RAI with Aleksandr Buzgalin (10/12)

On Reality Asserts Itself, Prof. Aleksandr Buzgalin says the West doesn’t like Putin defying the American world order, but this does not make Russia a progressive country – with host Paul Jay. This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced July 25, 2018.

History, Reality Asserts Itself, Russia

Why is Putin so Popular When People are so Poor? – RAI with Aleksandr Buzgalin (9/12)

On Reality Asserts Itself, Prof. Aleksandr Buzgalin says under the slogans liberal democracy and market capitalism was delivered chaos and crime; Putin stands for traditional Russian values and culture, social order and making Russia great again – with host Paul Jay. This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced July 23, 2018.

History, Reality Asserts Itself, Russia

Is Putin’s Rule a Dictatorship? – RAI with Aleksandr Buzgalin (8/12)

On Reality Asserts Itself, Prof. Aleksandr Buzgalin says while Putin heads a powerful state, this is not a system of one man rule; more than 100 billionaires and a stratum of top bureaucrats have political power – with host Paul Jay. This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced July 22, 2018.

History, Reality Asserts Itself, Russia

Putin is Anointed King, but Big Capital has the Real Power – RAI with Aleksandr Buzgalin (7/12)

On Reality Asserts Itself, Prof. Aleksandr Buzgalin says after the chaotic ‘90s, the Russian oligarchs needed a stronger central state to defend their class interests, but Putin’s individual power should not be exaggerated – with host Paul Jay. This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced July 20, 2018.

History, Reality Asserts Itself, Russia

Shock Without the Therapy: A New Russia is Born in Chaos and Plunder – RAI with Aleksandr Buzgalin (6/12)

On Reality Asserts Itself, Prof. Aleksandr Buzgalin says the collapse of the Soviet Union was followed by the rise of billionaire oligarchs as the “free market” led to the impoverishment of the people – with host Paul Jay. This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced July 19, 2018.

History, Reality Asserts Itself, Russia

I Returned from Vacation to Find the Soviet Union had Collapsed – RAI with Aleksandr Buzgalin (5/12)

On Reality Asserts Itself, Prof. Aleksandr Buzgalin says that he returned from a vacation in the countryside to find Gorbachev was arrested, Yeltsin was leader and the Soviet Union was no more – with host Paul Jay. This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced July 16, 2018.

History, Reality Asserts Itself, Russia

Turning Power into Money, the End of the Soviet Union – RAI with Aleksandr Buzgalin (4/12)

On Reality Asserts Itself, Prof. Aleksandr Buzgalin says that many Communist Party leaders supported Gorbachev’s perestroika reforms, but what they really wanted, was to drop restrictions on accumulating great wealth – with host Paul Jay. This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced July 15, 2018.

History, Reality Asserts Itself, Russia

Communism and Consumerism – RAI with Aleksandr Buzgalin (3/12)

On Reality Asserts Itself, Prof. Aleksandr Buzgalin says that “market fetishism”, the hunger for commodities, became a major obstacle to building socialism – with host Paul Jay. This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced July 13, 2018.

History, Reality Asserts Itself, Russia

Success and Mutation in the Soviet Union – RAI with Aleksandr Buzgalin (2/12)

On Reality Asserts Itself, Prof. Aleksandr Buzgalin says the threat of European fascism propelled the militarization and bureaucratization of the USSR. This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced July 12, 2018.

History, Reality Asserts Itself, Russia

Growing Up in the U.S.S.R. – RAI with Aleksandr Buzgalin (1/12)

Prof. Aleksandr Buzgalin joins Paul Jay on Reality Asserts Itself; born two years after the death of Stalin, he talks about growing up in the Soviet Union. This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced July 11, 2018.

Philosophy & Ethics, Reality Asserts Itself

I Think I’m a Marxist – Leo Panitch on RAI Pt 2/4

On Reality Asserts Itself, Prof. Leo Panitch says as he became politically active, he concluded that neither the bureaucratic socialism in the Soviet Union or Canadian social-democracy would democratize the economy or the state – with host Paul Jay. This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced March 8, 2018.

Reality Asserts Itself

Is Another World Possible – Leo Panitch on RAI Pt 4/4

On Reality Asserts Itself, Prof. Leo Panitch says it’s a dilemma that the gradualism of European social-democracy and attempts at a more radical transformation have so far both failed; Panitch says a first step towards democratizing the economy is to make finance a public utility – with host Paul Jay. This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced March 15, 2018.

Reality Asserts Itself

The Rise of Jeremy Corbyn and Class Struggle in the UK Labour Party – RAI with Leo Panitch Pt 3/4

On Reality Asserts Itself, Prof. Panitch talks about how the Labour Party moved from being a Tony Blair party of class reconciliation and war, to a truly left mass party with more than 600,000 members that may take power. This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced March 13, 2018.

Big Tech, Climate Change, Economy & Work, Reality Asserts Itself

Artificial Intelligence in Whose Interests? – RAI with Rana Foroohar Pt 6/6

On Reality Asserts Itself, Ms. Foroohar and host Paul Jay discuss the merging of finance and big tech and the threat AI poses to working people and the economy; they also discuss the potential of AI in addressing the climate crisis and making a more rational and equal society possible – with host Paul Jay. This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced May 9, 2018.

Economy & Work, Reality Asserts Itself, U.S. Politics, USA

The Rich Have an Escape Plan – RAI with Rana Foroohar Pt 5/6

On Reality Asserts Itself, Ms. Foroohar says many wealthy people understand that the climate crisis, deep recession, and war are real threats, but they believe “apres moi le deluge [after me comes the floods];” the Financial Times columnist and author of “Makers and Takers” said many of the rich have escape plans thinking “they can avoid the apocalypse” – with host Paul Jay. This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced May 9, 2018.

Economy & Work, Reality Asserts Itself, U.S. Politics, USA

Sociopaths Rise to the Top RAI with Rana Foroohar Pt 4/6

On Reality Asserts Itself, Ms. Foroohar says growing inequality and record student, household and corporate debt is creating a dangerous bubble, similar to the lead up to the ’29 crash; the Financial Times columnist and author of “Makers and Takers” says a few on Wall St. see it, but most businesses are doing too well to care – with host Paul Jay. This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced May 9, 2018.

Economy & Work, Reality Asserts Itself, U.S. Politics, USA

Clinton’s ‘Committee to Save the World’ Unleashes Wall Street – RAI with Rana Foroohar Pt 3/6

On Reality Asserts Itself, Ms. Foroohar says President Bill Clinton’s finance team further deregulated Wall St. including eliminating Glass-Steagall legislation allowing even riskier investments; the Financial Times columnist and author of “Makers and Takers” says this helped create the world’s largest financial institution—Citigroup— headed by Clinton’s former Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin – with host Paul Jay. This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced May 9, 2018.

Economy & Work, Reality Asserts Itself, U.S. Politics, USA

Apple, Market Manipulation and the Cult of Personal Finance – RAI with Rana Foroohar Pt 2/6

On Reality Asserts Itself, Ms. Foroohar says the legalization of stock buybacks in 1982 allowed companies like Apple to now spend only 15% of their investments on R&D, while the majority is spent on market manipulation; the Financial Times columnist and author of “Makers and Takers” said the move from traditional pensions to 401k’s makes everyone feel they benefit from finance when the vast majority of profits go to the elites and most people’s living standards deteriorate – with host Paul Jay. This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced May 9, 2018.

Economy & Work, Reality Asserts Itself, U.S. Politics, USA

The Rise of Finance and the Fall of American Business – RAI with Rana Foroohar Pt 1/6

On Reality Asserts Itself, Ms. Foroohar says financialization delivers stagnant wages, inequality, and economic crisis; the Financial Times columnist and author of “Makers and Takers” says the financial sector represents only 7 percent of the U.S. economy but takes around 25 percent of all corporate profit while creating only 4 percent of all jobs – with host Paul Jay. This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced May 9, 2018.

Philosophy & Ethics, Reality Asserts Itself

The Radical Ferment of Winnipeg’s Jewish Socialist Politics – Leo Panitch on RAI Pt 1/4

On Reality Asserts Itself, Prof. Leo Panitch talks about the political culture of his family, shaped in Winnipeg’s radical Jewish community before and after World War Two; Labor Zionists, Social Democrats, and Communists debated and organized within the Jewish working-class movement – with host Paul Jay. This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced March 5, 2018.

Reality Asserts Itself, U.S. Politics

Harvey Weinstein, the Democratic Party and the Power of the ‘Creative Class’ – Thomas Frank on RAI (9/9)

On Reality Asserts Itself, Tom Frank says in the world of the wealthy, liberalism is something you do to offset your rapacious behavior in other spheres – with host Paul Jay. This episode was produced on January 2, 2018.

Reality Asserts Itself, U.S. Politics

Obama Chose Wall St. Over Main St. – Thomas Frank on RAI (8/9)

On Reality Asserts Itself, Thomas Frank says the Democratic Party must acknowledge that in 2008 the crash and the discrediting of Bush, created conditions for much a more progressive policy – but Obama did not step up; with host Paul Jay. This episode was produced on December 29, 2017.

Reality Asserts Itself, U.S. Politics

Clinton and Obama Helped Make the Democrats a Wall Street Party – Thomas Frank on RAI (7/9)

On Reality Asserts Itself, Thomas Frank, author of Listen Liberal, says Democratic Party administrations allowed the big banks to run economic policy and create exploding income inequality – with host Paul Jay. This episode was produced on December 28, 2017.

Climate Change, Environment, History, Reality Asserts Itself, Western Europe

Clinton, Blair, and Obama Destroyed the Idealism of Politics – Gabriel Byrne on RAI Pt 3/4

On Reality Asserts Itself, actor Gabriel Byrne says his journey as an Irish immigrant helped to radicalize him, as did his disillusionment with leaders who promised transformation and delivered conservatism with a “different tie” – with host Paul Jay. This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced December 26, 2017.

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