This Is Hell!

Chuck interviews political scientist Lilliana Mason on her books on partisan violence in the United States. We also introduce this week's Question from Hell!, and the weekly Hangover Cure. Producer Sebastian talks about why it's really better to not use the term "Kristallnacht" to talk about the pogroms against German Jews on November 9, 1938.

Board Operator Dan spins some golden oldies; two classic interviews with John Perkins, author of Confessions of an Economic Hitman. Regular shows resume next week!

Lindsey replays an interview with Jenny Odell from May 18th, 2019. Odell is an artist and author of the books How to Do Nothing and the forthcoming, Saving Time. https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/672377/saving-time-by-jenny-odell/

We revisit an interview with Michael Parenti from November 2005. Chuck is back next week.

Sudip Bhattacharya talks about his article at HardCrackers.com, "Socialism or Suburbia." Sudip is a doctoral candidate in Political Science at Rutgers University. He is also a writer, organizer, and you can find his other work at outlets like Protean Magazine, CounterPunch and Reappropriate, and the Aerogram.

Correspondent Brian Mier connects with host Chuck Mertz to discuss the upcoming run-off 2022 Brazilian presidential election between Jair Bolsenaro and Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Also featuring this week's Rotten History, Chuck has Christmas in October, and Lindsey shares the pear harvest from Oriana's Orchard. Brian is an editor and contributor to, “Year of Lead: Washington, Wall Street and the New Imperialism in Brazil,” co-editor of Brasilwire, Brazil correspondent for TeleSur English's News Program, From the South, and co-host on Brazil 24/7.

CD Davidson-Hiers and Jeff Vandermeer speak with Chuck about their article "Is Florida Becoming a Failed State?" published October 11th, 2022 by The Nation. This week's Hangover Cure and new Question from Hell. https://www.thenation.com/article/society/florida-hurricane-ian/ CD Davidson-Hiers is a native Floridian who grew up on a 40-acre horse farm in North Florida. Her work has appeared in the Bitter Southerner, Flamingo Magazine, and USA Today. She works for the nonprofit Education Writers Association while also overseeing the Florida Student News Watch, an organization to mentor new journalists. Her work covering the US Covid-19 vaccine rollout received recognition from NPR, The Washington Post, Soledad O’Brien, and other national news outlets. Jeff VanderMeer’s award-winning novel Annihilation is set in the St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge. His environmental advocacy has included helping save cypress swamp in North Florida and sponsoring research into the endangered frosted flatwood salamander. A 35-year resident of Florida, he has previously written about the state for, among others, Current Affairs and The Los Angeles Times.

We have filmmaker Joe Winston on to discuss his new movie, ‘Punch 9 for Harold Washington, “The story of Harold Washington, elected in 1983 as Chicago's first African-American Mayor, the political battles he fought, and his legacy to Chicago and the nation.”

Los Angeles, California-based freelance journalist Cerise Castle speaks with host Chuck Mertz about her research and reporting published on Knock LA: “A Tradition of Violence,” the first history of deputy gangs inside the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, the largest local law enforcement agency in the United States. The investigation was published as a 15-part reporting series exposing 18 gangs, 19 documented murders (all of whom were people of color), and over $100 million dollars in lawsuits paid for by the people of Los Angeles. The podcast of the same name and subject matter is due October 19th 2022. https://knock-la.com/tradition-of-violence-lasd-gang-history/ Cerise Castle specializes in arts & culture, civil rights, crime, and human interest stories. She's produced and hosted segments for the Emmy-award winning nightly news program, VICE News Tonight, NPR, and several podcasts. Her reporting and commentary have been featured in publications like Knock LA, the Daily Beast, the Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Magazine, and MTV.

We have on Jodi Dean, author of, "Socialist Reconstruction, A Better Future for the United States."