Recent Audio
A look at China’s efforts since 2010 to tame its foreign ‘shadow banks’ that have been playing a central role in creating financial bubbles in its residential housing, local infrastructure, and currency markets
Dissecting key provisions in the Republican Congress’s recently passed ‘Omnibus’ Appropriations bill
Reviewing the continuing collapse of global oil prices and its effect on the emerging recession in Russia, continuing economic stagnation in Europe, and the deepening Depression in the Ukraine economy
Talk on how the net effect on the global economy will likely prove to b significantly negative overall, and that the price decline could fall as low as $40/barrel in coming months
Capitalist monetary policies bail out the rich, but simultaneously cause the rest of the global economy to gradually grind to a halt
Congress is about to develop new policies on behalf of Corporate America, many of which represent a resurrection of past policies of the Bush administration
Analysis of the likely outcome of next week’s US midterm elections, providing reasons why the Democrats will lose the Senate
Interview on strategies and tactics for initiating independent political action
Jack Rasmus invites presidential candidate of the Green Party, Jill Stein, to discuss the second in the series of shows on ‘which way for independent political action’
“100% of the profits from ‘Marching On Ferguson’ will support defending the protestors in the Ferguson area who have faced attacks, wrongful arrest, and violence from the police”
Jack Rasmus explains how the emerging recessions in Latin American economies are the direct consequence of recent shifting of US economic policies over the past year
Jack Rasmus welcomes environmental activists, Michael Rubin and Glenn Turner, to discuss tomorrow’s major environment movement event
A discussion on the origins and evolution of Corporate Strategy in the USA since the 1970s
Jack Rasmus invites back union veteran guests he has interviewed over the past year for a roundtable discussion of ‘what can be done’ by union labor
Jack Rasmus interviews Mark Dudzic, National Coordinator of the Labor Campaign for Single Payer HealthCare (aka Medicare for All), on the recently re-energized and growing national movement for Single Payer-National Healthcare
A former member of Students for a Democratic Society, Michael would go on to develop, along with Robin Hahnel, an alternative to market capitalism called participatory economics.
Greg Wilpert is director of teleSUR English, a newly launched multimedia website that is sponsored by teleSUR, the Latin American TV channel that is funded by the left governments of Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, Uruguay, Argentina, Nicaragua, and Cuba
Guests Zeese & Flowers argue the US Empire’s increasing aggressiveness and violence in recent decades are indications of its growing weakness, not strength, as challenges to it mount worldwide
Jack Rasmus welcomes guest, Ali Issa, of the War Resisters League, to discuss the growing militarization of police forces in the USA today
Jack Rasmus invites guest, Chris Silvera, Secretary-Treasurer of Teamsters Local 808 in New York City, to discuss the current struggle of New York City’s Long Island railroad (LIRR) workers for decent wages and benefits and their possible strike on July 20
Jack Rasmus welcomes long time immigrant justice journalists, David Bacon and Alexandra Early, to discuss the latest issue in immigrant rights: the surge of 50,000 plus children across the US southern border
Rasmus continues his analysis of the growing influence and instability in the global shadow banking system, including a look at the major role being played by shadow banks in China today
A look at the growing role and influence of shadow banks in the global financial system
Jack Rasmus and guest, Steve Breyman, discuss this past week’s just released Obama/EPA proposals to reduce CO2 emissions from existing industrial plants in the US by 30% by 2030
A talk on how Europe’s ‘stop-go’ recovery and its version of an ‘Epic recession’ (i.e. short, shallow recoveries followed by economic relapses and double dip recessions) is proving worse than the USA’s experience with ‘stop-go’ recovery since 2009
What’s happening with US GDP, business investment, consumer spending, housing, and jobs in the US today
Jack Rasmus welcomes guest, Jill Stein, Presidential candidate of the Green Party USA, to discuss President Obama’s just released, ‘US National Climate Assessment Report’
A talk on the reasons why China’s economy is slowing, and its potential impacts on emerging markets, Europe, and the rest of the global economy
Why the global economic crisis that emerged in 2007-08 may now be entering a ‘3rd Phase’
ON THE SHOW IN NOVEMBER 2013: * KARI LYDERSEN ON "MAYOR 1%: RAHM EMANUEL AND THE RISE OF CHICAGO'S 99%" Chicago journalist Kari Lydersen has written a book about the career of Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel. The book also documents the upsurge in activism his term in office has galvanized. We'll devote the episode to Read more…
ON THE SHOW IN OCTOBER 2013: * NEIU PROFESSOR'S LEGAL WIN PRESERVES ILLINOIS CITIZENS' RIGHTS LAW In a victory for free speech, activism, and education rights, an Illinois appellate court supported the free speech rights of a Chicago professor after her university tried to slander her using an Illinois law intended to shield citizens from Read more…
Dr. Jack Rasmus and guest, Dr. Margaret Flowers, provide a progressive critique of Obamacare and its growing problems of implementation and coverage. Dr. Rasmus explains how, and why, Obamacare will continue to unravel in 2014-15 and potentially implode, in whole or part, by 2016. Rasmus explains in detail how Obamacare has delayed and exempted businesses Read more…
On the evening of Thursday, August 29th, 2013, as tensions heightened about possible U.S. military involvement in Syria, Chicago Area Peace Action organized a panel presentation entitled "Our Democracy in Crisis: The Rise of the Total Surveillance State and the War on a Free Press". The event was held at Anderson Chapel at North Park Read more…
ON THE SHOW IN AUGUST 2013: * ACTIVIST EFFORTS AGAINST REMOTE-CONTROLLED DRONE AIRPLANES GROW Peace activists in Chicago and worldwide are increasing efforts to stopping the wartime and policing uses of remote controlled airplanes, commonly called "drones". We'll learn more about drones from Chicago peace activist Kait McIntyre. * JOURNALIST ANDREW NIKIFORUK ON "THE ENERGY Read more…
* INDEPENDENCE DAY BLOCK PARTY AGAINST RAHM'S POLICIES On July 4, 2013, activists and citizens from across the city on a wide range of issues converged upon the home of Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel. We'll hear portions of the press conference detailing their grievances. * LOW-POWER FM RADIO COMING SOON TO CHICAGO The FCC has Read more…
ON THE SHOW IN JUNE 2013: * A CHICAGO PRESENTATION BY GLENN GREENWALD ON AMERICA'S SURVEILLANCE STATE Glenn Greenwald has dominated the news in June 2013 with his revelations of America's surveillance state. We'll hear a 2012 presentation by Glenn Greenwald in Chicago on the issue of domestic surveillance. * CHICAGO PROFESSOR LANCE WILLIAMS ON Read more…
ON THE SHOW IN MAY 2013: * POLICE OFFICER CONNECTED TO "NATO 5" STILL SPYING ON CHICAGO PROTESTS An undercover Chicago police officer posing as a medic has infiltrated recent Chicago activist efforts. We'll learn more with Chris Geovanis, co-author of the exposé. * ROBERT McCHESNEY ON "DIGITAL DISCONNECT: HOW CAPITALISM IS TURNING THE INTERNET Read more…
ON THE SHOW IN APRIL 2013: * UNDERSTANDING THE CHICAGO PUBLIC SCHOOL CLOSINGS Teachers, students, and Chicagoans are taking action against the announced closing of 54 Chicago Public Schools. We'll speak with Chicago teacher and activist Xian Barrett. * ROBERT JENSEN ON "ARGUING FOR OUR LIVES" Longtime activist and journalism professor Robert Jensen is the Read more…
ON THE SHOW IN MARCH 2013: * EXCERPTS FROM "10 YEARS SINCE IRAQ — THE CHANGING FACE OF WAR" Chicagoans commemorated the 10th anniversary of the war on Iraq with a panel presentation on the war and its aftermath. We'll hear excerpts from the presentation. * MEDIA POLICY ACTIVIST SUSAN DOUGLAS ON THE FUTURE OF Read more…
From The Trenches is the monthly radio program of the Chicago Independent Media Center. ON THE SHOW IN FEBURARY 2013: * CORNEL WEST ON "POVERTY, POWER, AND THE PUBLIC AIRWAVES" Longtime academic and activist Cornel West speaks in Chicago, at a presentation from November 2012, held at Northwestern University Law School on the issue Read more…
+ Tavis Smiley, co-host of the weekly show "Smiley and West" which WBEZ abruptly pulled off its regular schedule + Amy Goodman, host of the daily radio and TV news show "Democracy Now!", which has worked for years to get on WBEZ's schedule.
Speakers in this episode include: + Robert Chavez, a 19-year-old Pueblo activist who lives in the indigenous community around Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico. + Kristen Iversen, the author of the book "Full Body Burden" who grew up near the contaminated grounds of the Rocky Flats plutonium processing center in Colorado. + Dr. Read more…