PODCAST

Krystal Kyle & Friends

Krystal Ball and Kyle Kulinski dive into politics, philosophy and random BS with people they like. krystalkyleandfriends.substack.com

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All Episodes

Episode 77 Audio: Mike Figueredo

Krystal Kyle & Friends ·

2022/06/19

Welcome back to Krystal Kyle & Friends, where we’re joined by Humanist Report host Mike Figueredo. Our conversation with Mike is wide-ranging: We talk with him about everything from his experiences as a “veteran” leftist commentator and the way his work has evolved over the years, to the invigorating prospects of the energized labor movement, to the personal story of Mike’s coming out to his family. His trademark wit, candor, and brilliant insight make this episode an essential listen.We hope you

Episode 76 Audio: David Wallace-Wells

Krystal Kyle & Friends ·

2022/06/11

This week’s guest, journalist David Wallace-Wells, speaks with us about the defining issue facing humanity, climate change — and the task of getting our government to treat it as such. Currently, fossil fuel corporations are free to chase endless profit at the expense of our health and safety, and our planet’s future.When we wonder why our representatives don’t take on these corporations in defense of the planet and its people, it’s illustrative that these representatives bring in a formidable haul

Episode 75 Audio: Toby Muse

Krystal Kyle & Friends ·

2022/06/04

Thanks for joining us for another week of KK&F — this one centering on the Colombian presidential elections, drug wars, and more. A left-wing candidate has taken the lead in the first round of voting; his right-wing opponent, who has styled himself as anti-establishment and anti-corruption, has his own charges of corruption to deal with. To get a fuller sense of what’s happening and what’s to come in the runoff, we’re joined by journalist Toby Muse, author of Kilo: Inside the Deadliest Cocaine

Episode 74: GoodPoliticGuy

Krystal Kyle & Friends ·

2022/05/29

The brutal killing of nineteen children and two teachers at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas has left us in national mourning, as the sickeningly familiar news of a school shooting continues to trickle in. As we learn more about the inaction of law enforcement on the scene and the agony of the children seeking help in their final moments, we confront one question above all: What will it take to make sure this never happens again?This is a major topic of discussion for this week’s episode of Krystal

Episode 73 Audio: Doug Henwood

Krystal Kyle & Friends ·

2022/05/21

This week’s guest is the inimitable Doug Henwood, economic journalist and analyst — and the person we’ve come to in order to discuss the crypto crash of just a few weeks ago. Whether you have a deep understanding of all things blockchain and are looking to hear a left-wing perspective on the recent turmoil, or whether you’ve never heard of a “stablecoin” before, we think you’ll enjoy Doug’s sharp analysis of why cryptocurrencies have become so popular, what they seem to offer beyond our current

Episode 72 Audio: Harvey Kaye and Alan Minsky

Krystal Kyle & Friends ·

2022/05/14

Professor and historian Harvey Kaye and Executive Director of Progressive Democrats of America Alan Minsky join us on episode seventy-two of Krystal Kyle & Friends. These two give their sharp insight into how Democrats are doing on the issues we care most about, like economic inequality and poverty — and how they’ve positioned themselves on these issues in the past.Dr. Kaye, whose work focuses on FDR, the Progressive tradition, and the Four Freedoms, among other things, gives us the historical

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Episode 71 Audio: Ari Rabin-Havt

Krystal Kyle & Friends ·

2022/05/08

This week, we’re joined by Ari Rabin-Havt, deputy campaign manager for Bernie 2020. Ari recently released a book, The Fighting Soul: On the Road with Bernie Sanders, that gives an insider’s view of the groundbreaking campaign. The book provides funny, surprising, and moving anecdotes that give the reader unusual insight into the man behind the campaign — a campaign that deliberately steered away from focus on its central figure, encapsulated in its famous slogan, “Not Me, Us.”We cover everything

Episode 70 Audio: Marianne Williamson

Krystal Kyle & Friends ·

2022/05/01

In this episode, Marianne explains how the divide between Turner and Brown — and some current “progressive” electeds’ rush to side with the status quo — bears lessons not only for this singular race, but for the Democratic Party more broadly. Progressives can earn their name by standing behind essential policies like debt cancellation and Medicare for All time and time again — choosing to back away from these policies or their champions when reelection is at stake means that the desire to hold power

Episode 69 Audio: Nina Turner

Krystal Kyle & Friends ·

2022/04/16

After inspiring millions through her work as a campaign chair for Bernie 2020, Nina Turner has gone on to fight for the democratic-socialist vision of single-payer healthcare, student debt cancellation, and housing as a human right through two campaigns for a congressional seat in Ohio’s Eleventh District. She’s rejoining us on KK&F to talk about her political vision and work since she last came on the show.Up against massive corporate donations funneled to her centrist opponent, Turner lost the

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Episode 68 Audio: Daisy Pitkin

Krystal Kyle & Friends ·

2022/04/09

This week, author and Starbucks union organizer Daisy Pitkin joins KK&F to break down the Amazon Labor Union’s thrilling win — but also to give us a sense of what comes next and what this victory means for workers attempting to keep up the momentum of unionization at Amazon, Starbucks, and other mega-corporations. Daisy herself has spent decades in the union fight, organizing with laundry and garment workers both in and outside of the United States. She brings essential insight to this discussion of

Episode 67 Audio: Paul's Ego

Krystal Kyle & Friends ·

2022/04/02

This week, for Episode 67 of Krystal Kyle & Friends, we sit down with Paul’s Ego of Deep Fat Fried. Self-described as “an educational show made by and for the uneducated,” the beloved show offers everything from a review of President Biden’s first year in office to a meticulous takedown of Marjorie Taylor Greene — plus lots of hilarious and thoughtful content on Waffle House, space travel, and “cool sci-fi guns.” With Paul’s Ego, we dive into the topics of class reductionism, voting for the lesser

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Episode 66 Audio: Amy Vilela

Krystal Kyle & Friends ·

2022/03/26

In this episode, we talk to progressive candidate Amy Vilela about the campaign trail for Nevada’s First District and the fight for Medicare for All — why we can’t get discouraged, why there’s never going to be a “perfect moment” for this policy to be enacted, but why we can’t wait any longer. Amy’s voice is an essential one within the discussion of strategy for Medicare for All, and we think you’re sure to appreciate what she contributes to this urgent conversation.You can listen to this

Episode 65 Audio: Christian Smalls

Krystal Kyle & Friends ·

2022/03/19

This week’s guest, Amazon union organizer Christian Smalls, describes how solidarity between workers sets the stage for the massive unionization efforts currently being mounted by Amazon workers in different parts of the country. While Amazon can hire union-busting firms, pay for endless propaganda, and so on, these workers are tirelessly holding conversations, negotiating, and building support for a union that can win them the protections, compensation, and workplace democracy they need.Our

Episode 64 Audio: Trita Parsi

Krystal Kyle & Friends ·

2022/03/12

This week’s guest is Trita Parsi, executive vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, who shares his insight on how the situation relates to Middle Eastern politics Reflecting on the resounding call for sanctions that’s currently coming from Washington, Dr. Parsi recalls the U.S.’s recent seizing of the Afghan central bank’s funds. This move, which attempted to paint a veneer of charity by putting half of the stolen assets into a humanitarian fund, was a clear grab for power

Episode 63 Audio: Matt Duss

Krystal Kyle & Friends ·

2022/03/05

We’re joined by foreign policy advisor Matt Duss to discuss the future of the conflict in Ukraine. What comes next? Matt is wary of the calls to sanction, ramp up military action, and escalate the conflict — after all, so many of these calls are coming from the Beltway, where war hawks and defense contractors would love to see a World War III. To him, the question for this moment is “How do we protect human life most effectively?” That doesn’t mean plunging millions more people into financial

Episode 62 Audio: Catherine Liu

Krystal Kyle & Friends ·

2022/02/26

With the war in Ukraine on our minds, we talk to author Catherine Liu about how class position affects daily life, particularly on the issue of war and peace. How does your class identity shape your understanding of and interactions with American militarism? Catherine makes the great point that the massive wealth commanded by the American military’s adventurism is a cost paid by American civilians, and that today’s military conflicts are used to avoid the implementation of a robust healthcare

Episode 61 Audio: Michael Levitin

Krystal Kyle & Friends ·

2022/02/20

The “million-dollar question” on the table, according to this week’s guest Michael Levitin, is how the Occupy ethos — rejecting corporatist obstruction of the people’s agenda — can galvanize American leftists looking to take on the current corporate henchmen of the Democratic Party. We know that policies like Medicare for All are widely popular, but candidates bringing them to the table face serious setbacks from the party. How can we achieve Occupy-style social reform with this set of Manchin-style

Episode 60 Audio: Felix Biederman

Krystal Kyle & Friends ·

2022/02/12

Joining us this week is Chapo Trap House co-host Felix Biederman. We get into the Chapo origin story, what it’s like when your podcast is on the front page of the Times, and Felix’s analysis of the period of precarity and despair that everyday people are living through. And we return to take a look at the 2020 election.As he does in projects like Chapo and Fighting in the Age of Loneliness, Felix is able to speak to the despair of a generation promised a future that years of economic instability

Episode 59 Audio with Ben Burgis

Krystal Kyle & Friends ·

2022/02/05

This week, Ben Burgis joins us to talk about the current events at the front of your mind. One of the major lightning rods for political discussion in the past weeks has been the movement to push Spotify to censor podcaster Joe Rogan. Among the things we discussed with Ben are what the prevailing narrative gets wrong about Rogan, how to understand his politics amidst the accusations of far-right sympathies that are ascribed to him, and how this fits into a larger story of censorship and free speech

Episode 58 Audio: Johann Hari

Krystal Kyle & Friends ·

2022/01/30

Our conversation with this week’s guest, Johann Hari, moves from the individual to the collective as we discuss the digital algorithms that keep us locked into online life and the ways of resetting our consciousness — both personally and societally — that can lead us to a better way of being.You might know Johann Hari from his books, including Lost Connection: Uncovering the Real Causes of Depression – and the Unexpected Solutions (2018) and his newly released Stolen Focus: Why You Can't Pay

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