New Year, New Podcasts
A collage of podcast covers
We’re a few days into the new year, and we know you’re looking for fresh entertainment, political education, and a little bit of chaos in your headphones. It’s no easy feat to choose one of the thousands of podcasts on offer, so we put together a short list of what we’re listening to to help you start your year off right.
Bad Faith
Briahna Joy Gray and Virgil Texas
Sen. Bernie Sanders’ former press secretary and writer Briahna Joy Gray and Chapo Trap House commentator Virgil Texas join forces to dissect national politics and the left itself, hosting guests from various backgrounds, most infamously Noam Chomsky (who they argued with over whether one should vote for Biden). Supported via Patreon, every other episode is subscribers-only, while all other episodes are available for free. – Samantha Grasso
Blowback
Brendan James and Noah Kulwin
A leftist revisiting of the “War on Terror,” rife with tongue-in-cheek jokes and gut-wrenching anecdotes that make you wonder why anyone involved in fomenting the Iraq and Afghanistan wars is still allowed to prosper. It’s detailed, and requires your full attention, but it’s invaluable if you, like me, were in elementary school on 9/11. Also, actor H. Jon Benjamin makes a few appearances as Saddam Hussein, which is just as silly as you might imagine. – Samantha Grasso
Citations Needed
Nima Shirazi and Adam Johnson
A podcast that provides wide-ranging media criticism and takes up topics ranging from anti-Muslim racism and CIA involvement in Hollywood, to all the failings of the media during the Obama administration. The hosts fact-check politicians’ claims, exploring Democrats’ failure to address climate change, for example, despite elected officials’ fervent insistence that they’re fighting for a green economy. – Samantha Grasso
The Insurgents
Rob Rousseau and Jordan Uhl
OK, so the first episode I listened to may have been the one that I was on to discuss the 2020 election, but Rob and Jordan were delightful hosts and their series provides incisive commentary about current events and the political left, like the Trump administration’s rush of federal executions, and features interviews with “high profile” lefty folks like Hasan Piker and Ken Klippenstein. – Samantha Grasso
Time to Say Goodbye
Jay Caspian Kang, E. Tammy Kim and Andy Liu
A thoroughly smart and enjoyable podcast hosted by two journalists (Kang and Kim) who write for The New Yorker and the New York Times, and a historian (Liu) of capitalism and modern China. The conversations are erudite yet chatty, with none of the exhausting posturing that has come to characterize much Very Online media. – Sarah Leonard
FT Daily News Briefing
Financial Times
Okay, hear me out. The best way to start your mornings is by listening to 10 minutes from one of the most staid papers out there. While other podcasts waste time on “narrative” and giving their stories “color,” the FT gets right down to business: who’s making money, who’s losing it and how the latest news shifts the balance. They’re as materialist as any Marxist. – Sarah Leonard
Red Nation Podcast
Nick Estes
One of the best political podcasts out there, Red Nation explores “Indigenous history, politics, and culture from a left perspective,” and it’s a good first stop for anyone looking to gain a deeper understanding of Indigenous politics. The podcast is never dull, featuring interviews with activists, scholars and everyone’s favorite book club leader, rapper Noname. – Sarah Leonard
Revolutions Per Minute
DSA
This is a creation of the Democratic Socialists of America NYC chapter. Its interviews explore organizing efforts from nurse’s strikes to restaurant worker struggles to fighting white supremacy on Long Island. Not only is it a useful listen for any New Yorker, but its existence reveals how weak the mainstream media is when it comes to shining a light on the struggles that are changing the city. – Sarah Leonard
Keep It
Ira Madison III, Louis Virtel, and Aida Osman
The manic banter of my favorite pop culture podcast has made me cry from laughter on my evening run, making me look completely insane. But I’ll forgive it. The politics of the moment bubble up through questions about canceled pop stars and new TV shows, and debates play out in the vernacular of three people with encyclopedic knowledge of pop music, Broadway musicals and television – high and lowbrow. – Sarah Leonard
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