Coming From Left Field (Audio)

102– Update on Syria with Dan Kovalik

In this podcast, Dan Kovalik shares what's really happening in Syria after a recent trip to the country and their new “de facto” government brought to power in large part by U.S. The fall of Syrian President Bashar Assad ended a 53-year dynasty that began with his father. In Syria, the U.S. has now reaped what it has sown as the new leader, Abu Mohammad al-Julani, takes charge, a former member of ISIS.

Dan Kovalik visited the country in the latter part of January to see for himself what Syria is like under the new regime. He had something to compare this to as he had visited Syria twice back in 2021 when it was still under the leadership of Bashar al-Assad.

Dan Kovalik is a human and labor rights lawyer and peace activist. He graduated from Columbia Law School in 1993 and then began a 26-year career as the in-house counsel of the United Steelworkers AFL-CIO. Kovalik has also frequently commented on and contributed to various media outlets, sharing his perspectives on international affairs, human rights issues, and U.S. foreign policy. He has authored eight books over the last seven years. His most recent book is “The Case for Palestine.”

Greg’s MLToday Article:
https://mltoday.com/a-return-to-basics-rasmus-the-neoliberal-turn-and-exploitation/

Pat’s Substack:
https://patcummings.substack.com/

DanKovalik#CaseForPalestine#GazaStrip#Isreal#WestBank#Genocide#Syria#alJulani#TripSyria#USSanctions#EthnicCleansing#Holocost#Kakba#Hamas#Zionists#Chomsky#StephenGowans#JefferySachs#AlJazeera#ISIS#CivilRights#MiddleEast#WarCrimes#PatCummings#GregGodels#ZZBlog#ComingFromLeftField#ComingFromLeftFieldPodcast#zzblog#mltoday

“Unlikely Alliances” with Zoltán Grossman

In this podcast, Zoltán Grossman discusses his book, “Unlikely Alliances: Native Nations and White Communities Join to Defend Rural Lands,” which explores the surprising alliances between Native American tribes and white ranchers, farmers, and fishers who historically competed over natural resources, came together to protect their shared environment from external threats like mining, dams, and pipelines.

 

Zoltán Grossman is known for his work in Native American and Indigenous Studies within the field of geography. He focuses on the intersections of racial and ethnic nationhood, natural resources, militarism, and settler colonialism. His research emphasizes social movement alliances, environmental justice, and decolonization.

 

 

Order the books:

“Unlikely Alliances: Native Nations and White Communities Join to Defend Rural Lands”

https://orcabooks.com/book/9780295741529  

 

Zoltán Grossman Social Media:

Website: https://sites.evergreen.edu/zoltan

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/zoltan.grossman

 

 

Greg’s Blog: http://zzs-blg.blogspot.com/  

Pat’s Substack: https://patcummings.substack.com/about

 

ZoltánGrossman#ZoltanGrossman#BoldtDecision#BretWeinsien#BenjamanBoyce#EvergreenStateCollege#Evergreen#EnvironmentalAlliances#KeystonXL#fishery#Dinali#GulfofMexico#GulfofAmeria#Greenland#Trump#SalishSea#SettlerColonalism#DoctrineofDiscovery#Crossculturalcooperation#Indigenousrights#BlackLivesMatter#BLM##PatCummings#PatrickCummings#GregGodels#ZZBlog#ComingFromLeftField#ComingFromLeftFieldPodcast#zzblog#mltoday

“Teach Truth: The Struggle for Antiracist Education” with Jesse Hagopian

In this podcast, Jesse Hagopian discusses his recent book, ““Teaching Truth: The Struggle for Antiracist Education,” a powerful call to action to defend honest education in the face of increasing censorship, attacks on teachers, the destructive Project 2025 playbook, and constant pressures to dismantle our public education system. Hagopian argues that the struggle for a liberatory education is crucial for democracy and challenges the status quo by highlighting the importance of teaching truth and resisting efforts to regulate knowledge

 

Jesse Hagopian is an award-winning educator and a prominent voice on educational equity, social justice unionism, and the school-to-prison pipeline. He teaches Ethnic Studies at Seattle's Garfield High School and is known for his activism against standardized testing.

 

Order the books:

“Teach Truth: The Struggle for Antiracist Education” https://www.kingsbookstore.com/book/9798888902516

 

Jesse Hagopian Social Media:

Website: https://iamaneducator.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JessedHagopian

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jessehagopian

Rethinking School Magazine: https://rethinkingschools.org/magazine/

Black Lives Matter at School: https://www.blacklivesmatteratschool.com/

Teaching for Black Lives: https://rethinkingschools.org/books/teaching-for-black-lives/

Zinn Education Project: https://www.zinnedproject.org/

 

Greg’s Blog: http://zzs-blg.blogspot.com/  

Pat’s Substack: https://patcummings.substack.com/about

 

TeachTruth#LindaMcMahon#ChristopherRufo#JesseHagopia#DemocracyNow#AntiracistEducation#RacialJustice#EducationalEquity#CriticalRaceTheory#SocialJustice#BlackLivesMatter#BLM#ZinnProject##EthnicStudies#PublicEducation#Censorship#EducationalActivism#SystemicRacism#TeachingforLiberation#HistoricalAccuracy#DemocracyinEducation#UncritialRaceTheory#howardZinn#MelissaTemple#Rainbowland##BlackHistoryMonth#PatCummings#PatrickCummings#GregGodels#ZZBlog#ComingFromLeftField#ComingFromLeftFieldPodcast#zzblog#mltoday

“Morningside: The 1979 Greensboro Massacre” with Aran Shetterly

n this podcast, Aran Shetterly discusses his recent book, “Morningside: The 1979 Greensboro Massacre and the Struggle for an American City's Soul,” a recounting of all but forgotten, though no less shocking, 1979 racial tragedy that divided Greensboro, North Carolina and then the nation. The book details how a caravan of Klansmen and Neo-Nazis attacked a procession of protestors, resulting in the deaths of five people. This event, known as the Greensboro Massacre, highlights the racial conflict, economic anxiety, and clashes of ideologies that were prevalent at the time.

 

Aran Shetterly is a writer, editor, and narrative historian. He received numerous fellowships, including the Virginia Humanities Fellowship and the National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship. He holds a BA in Literature from Harvard College and an MA in American Studies.

 

Mentioned in the podcast:

Nelson Johnson | Beloved Community Center
https://belovedcommunitycenter.squarespace.com/rev-nelson-n-johnson

 

Video | Greensboro Massacre
https://youtu.be/Ia8qiglxscw

 

Greg’s article on Lorraine Hansberry | MLToday
https://mltoday.com/lorraine-hansberry-never-to-be-forgotten-a-life-too-short/

 

Order the books:

“Morningside: The 1979 Greensboro Massacre and the Struggle for an American City's Soul”

https://www.harpercollins.com/products/morningside-aran-shetterly

 

"The Americano: Fighting with Castro for Cuba’s Freedom"
https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/aran-shetterly/the-americano/9781565128521/

 

Magazine: Inside Mexico
https://www.inside-mexico.com

 

Aran Shetterly Social Media:

X: @aranshetterly
Website: https://www.aranshetterly.com/

 

Greg’s Blog: http://zzs-blg.blogspot.com/

Pat’s Substack: https://patcummings.substack.com/about

 

AaronShetterly#Morningside#1979GreensboroMassacre#GreensboroMassacre#MargoLeeShetterly#HiddenFigures#CivilRightsMovement#LaborRights#KuKluxKlan#KKK#SocialJustice#RacialViolence#CommunistWorksParty#NelsonJohnson#BelovedCommunityCenter#AmericanNazis#DeathToTheKlan#LorraineHansberry#RasinInTheSun#NeoNazis#1979#BlackHistoryMonth#PatCummings#PatrickCummings#GregGodels#ZZBlog#ComingFromLeftField#ComingFromLeftFieldPodcast#zzblog#mltoday

 

“Bad News from Venezuela” and “Propaganda in the Information Age” with Alan MacLeod

In this podcast, Alan MacLeod discusses his recent books and journalism. Dr. Macleod completed his PhD in Sociology at Glasgow University  focusing on research interests of social media, Internet subcultures, propaganda, fake news, and Latin American politics. He is a prolific journalist and has contributed to FAIR.org, The Guardian, Salon, The Grayzone, Jacobin Magazine, and MintPress News.

 

His most recent books include:

“Bad News from Venezuela: Twenty Years of Fake News and Misreporting,” which examines how Western media has reported on Venezuela since the election of President Hugo Chavez in 1998 including coverage that is often distorted and contributes to the spread of misinformation and "fake news" in support or the US imperialism and hegemony.

 

"Propaganda in the Information Age: Still Manufacturing Consent"  is a collaborative volume that updates Edward Herman and Noam Chomsky's propaganda model for the modern media landscape. The book explores how the original ideas from their 1988 book, "Manufacturing Consent," remain relevant today.

 

Order the books:

Bad News from Venezuela
https://www.kingsbookstore.com/book/9781032178752

Propaganda in the Information Age
https://www.kingsbookstore.com/book/9781138366404

Alan MacLeods Social Media:

Instagram: @alan.r.macleod

X: @AlanRMacLeod

MintPress News: https://www.mintpressnews.com/author/alan-macleod/

 

Greg’s Blog: http://zzs-blg.blogspot.com/

Pat’s Substack: https://patcummings.substack.com/about

 

AlanMacLeod#MintPressNews#BadNewsfromVenezuela#PropagandaInformationAge#Venezuela#FakeNews#Misreporting#MediaBias#HugoChavez#Neoliberalism#WesternMedia#Journalism#PropagandaModel#Chavismo#MediaStudies#LatinAmerican#NoamChomsky#EdwardHerman#Disinformation#Cambridge#Analytica#SyrianCivilWar#Russiagate#MediaFilters#egirls#LunchBagLujan#Jolani#PhillipCross#8200#PatCummings#PatrickCummings#GregGodels#ZZBlog#ComingFromLeftField#ComingFromLeftFieldPodcast#zzblog#mltoday

“Minneapolis Reckoning- Race, Violence & the Politics of Policing in America” with Michelle Phelps

In this podcast, Michelle Phelps discusses her book, “Minneapolis Reckoning- Race, Violence & the Politics of Policing in America,” which traces the history of the Minneapolis Police Department, from its founding through to the murder of George Floyd and subsequent reforms.   Phelps provides a vivid picture of the possibilities and limits of challenging police power, showing how the dual meaning of the police—as both a promise of state protection and a threat of state violence—creates complex politics that thwart change.

 

Michelle S. Phelps is a Professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of Minnesota. Her research focuses on the sociology of punishment, particularly the rise of probation supervision as a criminal justice sanction and its relationship to mass incarceration. She has published extensively in interdisciplinary peer-reviewed journals and co-authored the book "Breaking the Pendulum: The Long Struggle Over Criminal Justice" with Philip Goodman and Joshua Page.

 

Order the book:

Minneapolis Reckoning- Race, Violence & the Politics of Policing in America by Michelle S. Phelps
https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691245980/the-minneapolis-reckoning

Greg’s Blog: http://zzs-blg.blogspot.com/

Pat’s Substack: https://patcummings.substack.com/about

 

MichellePhelps#MichelleSPhelps#PoliceReform#BlackLivesMatter#BLM#MPD#PoliceReform#Chauvin#GeorgeFloyd#GunViolence#Powderhorn#OverPolice#CURA#CommunityPolicing#DeeschalationTraining#BodyCamera#PolitcalActivism#ViolencePrevention#CAHOOTS#CUAPB#MinneapolisPolice#ViolenceInteruptionProgram#waronpoverty#KernerReport#PatCummings#PatrickCummings#GregGodels#ZZBlog#ComingFromLeftField#ComingFromLeftFieldPodcast#zzblog#mltoday

“You Can’t Please All-Memoirs 1980-2024” with Tariq Ali

In this podcast, Tariq Ali discusses the second volume in his memoir series, following “Street Fighting Years.” The book, “You Can’t Please All: Memoirs 1980-2024” covers Ali’s life and political activism from 1980 to 2024.  It includes autobiographical notes, journalism, essays, political commentary and personal reflections.

 

Tariq Ali is a Pakistani-British political activist, writer, historian, filmmaker, and public intellectual. He is well-known for his anti-imperialist stance and has been involved in various political movements since his youth. Ali has written or co-authored over 100 fiction and nonfiction books, covering a wide range of topics, including geopolitics and the history of post-colonialism.

 

Order the book:

You Can't Please All: Memoirs 1980-2024 by Tariq Ali
https://www.versobooks.com/products/2937-you-can-t-please-all

Bhupen-Khakhar painting mentioned:
https://brooklynrail.org/2017/02/artseen/Bhupen-Khakhar/

Greg’s Blog: http://zzs-blg.blogspot.com/

Pat’s Substack: https://patcummings.substack.com/about

 

TariqAli#IslamQuintet#EdwardSaid#DerekJarman#ChristopherHitchen#Bhutto#MaryKayWilmers#SusanWatkins#NewLeftReview#StreetFightingYears#StreetFiightingMan#HugoShavez#MickJaeger#JohnLennon#BhupenKhakhar#ChrisHedges#PolitcalActivism#VietnamProtest#AnitImperisalism#Palestine#LeninScenario#OliverStone#postcolonialism#WinstonChurchill#PatCummings#PatrickCummings#GregGodels#ZZBlog#ComingFromLeftField#ComingFromLeftFieldPodcast#zzblog#mltoday

“Project Censored's State of the Free Press 2025” with Andy Lee Roth

In this podcast, Andy Lee Roth discusses the annual publication of Project Censored State of the Free Press, which takes the pulse of the media and shares the 25 most essential but underreported stories of the past year. Editors Mickey Huff, Shealeigh Voit, and Andy Lee Roth look back on a year in which significant news stories lost out to coverage of celebrities and non-events. They highlight 25 of the most underreported stories of 2024.

 

Andy Lee Roth is the associate director of Project Censored, a nonprofit media watchdog organization. He coordinates the Campus Affiliates Program, a network of students and faculty at colleges and universities across North America who research and identify the top "censored" news stories. He earned a PhD in Sociology from the University of California–Los Angeles and a BA in Sociology and Anthropology from Haverford College.

 

 

Order the book:
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/760692/project-censoreds-state-of-the-free-press-2025-by-mickey-huff/

Greg’s Blog: http://zzs-blg.blogspot.com/

Pat’s Substack: https://patcummings.substack.com/about

 

AndyLeeRoth#AndyRoth#MickeyHuff#ShealeighVoit#StateoftheFree Press2025#ProjectCensord#FreePress2025##AI#algorithms#SocialMedia#MediaBias#Censorship#FirstAmendment#Journalism#Newsworthiness#AlgorithmicLiteracy#ShadowBanning#HorseRaceReporting#AlanMacleod#KevinGosztola#Gatekeepingmodel#Censorshipbyproxy#qualitativedataanalysis#PatCummings#PatrickCummings#GregGodels#ZZBlog#ComingFromLeftField#ComingFromLeftFieldPodcast#zzblog#mltoday

“Blue Collar Empire” with Jeff Schuhrke

In this podcast, we talk with Jeff Schuhrke about his book ‘Blue Collar Empire: The Untold Story of US Labor’s Global Anticommunist Crusade.” This book recounts the AFL-CIO’s global anticommunist crusade in the late 20th century, shows how it took place in partnership with the US government’s Cold War-era quest to control labor struggles abroad and explores what this history means for the possibility of international solidarity in the US labor movement today.

 

Jeff Schuhrke is a labor historian, journalist, union activist, and assistant professor at the Harry Van Arsdale Jr. School of Labor Studies, SUNY Empire State University in New York City.

Order the book:
https://www.versobooks.com/products/2979-blue-collar-empire

Greg’s Blog: http://zzs-blg.blogspot.com/

Pat’s Substack: https://patcummings.substack.com/about

 

JeffSchuhrke#BlueCollarEmpire#AFL#CIO#AFLCIO#CIA#AFCIO#anticommunism#anticommunist#coldwar#foreignpolicy#FreeTradeUnion#CommunistParty#HarryVanArsdale#USLabor#USImperalism#TradeUnions#RedScare#GoodNeighbors#EndowingDemocracy#MamaMaida#PatCummings#GregGodels#ZZBlog#ComingFromLeftField#ComingFromLeftFieldPodcast#zzblog#mltoday

“Who Owns Democracy” with Charles Derber and Yale Magrass

In this podcast, we talk with Charles Derber and Yale Magrass about their book, “Who Owns Democracy?: The Real Deep State and the Struggle Over Class and Caste in America.” This book uniquely reverses today’s MAGA conspiratorial concept of the deep state to reveal how a very real “deeper state” is evident throughout history, back to the founding of American democracy.

 

Charles Derber, Professor of Sociology at Boston College, has written 26 books on politics, democracy, fascism, corporations, capitalism, climate change, war, culture wars, and social change.

Yale Magrass is a Chancellor Professor of Sociology at the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth. He is the author/coauthor of nine books, most co-authored with Charles Derber, and eighty articles. His work focuses on how militaristic capitalism distorts everyday life as it promotes inequality, bullying, environmental devastation, and war.

 

Order the book:

Who Owns Democracy?: The Real Deep State and the Struggle Over Class and Caste in America by Charles Derber and Yale R. Magrass  https://www.kingsbookstore.com/book/9781032781907 

Greg’s Blog: http://zzs-blg.blogspot.com/

Pat’s Substack: https://patcummings.substack.com/about

 

#CharlesDerver#YaleMagrass#YaleRMagress#deepstate#WhoOwnsDemocracy#Americanfascism#capitalistclass#capitalistdeep#caste#ChristianRight#CIA#ColdWar#communist#deepdemocracy#DemocraticParty#elites#fascist#FDR#GildedAge#identitypolitics#JPMorgan#JimCrow#proto#fascism#racism#Reagan#MAGA#RepublicanParty#slavery#socialist#WallStreet#corporatepower#neofascism#Americanmilitarism#PatCummings#GregGodels#ZZBlog#ComingFromLeftField#ComingFromLeftFieldPodcast#zzblog#mltoday