Best Chicago Readers Podcasts (2024)

1
Monroe Anderson—“Lefties Love The Bears" 1:01:28

6h ago1:01:28

1:01:28

Mayor Johnson signs on to the Bears’ lakefront stadium. Ben riffs—more like a howl to the moon. Monroe adds his thoughts. More howling ensues. How can they throw money at the Bears when there’s no money for schools? Then it’s on to Trump and his hush-money trial. What’s more likely—Trump gets convicted or Bears build a stadium on the lake? See Priv…

1
The Curious Case of Gerald Reed 15:59

10h ago15:59

15:59

The Curious Case of Gerald ReedBy Jim Coogan

1
Social media’s business model is changing democracy, and not for the better 39:02

6h ago39:02

39:02

Democracies in Europe and the world over are grappling with the challenges posed by social media. In this episode, Charlotte Galpin and Verena Brändle talk with host Licia Cianetti about the multiple ways in which the online and the offline intersect in contemporary democracies, and how the engagement-maximising business model of privately owned so…

1
Matt Qvortrup, "The Political Brain: The Emergence of Neuropolitics" (CEU Press, 2024) 33:57

1h ago33:57

33:57

In this episode of the CEU Press Podcast, host Andrea Talabér (CEU Press/CEU Review of Books) sat down with Matt Qvortrup (Coventry University) to discuss his new book with CEU Press entitled, The Political Brain: The Emergence of Neuropolitics (CEU Press, 2024). Putting the “science” back into political science, The Political Brain shows how fMRI-…

1
Anu Bradford, "Digital Empires: The Global Battle to Regulate Technology" (Oxford UP, 2023) 19:34

1h ago19:34

19:34

The global battle among the three dominant digital powers―the United States, China, and the European Union―is intensifying. All three regimes are racing to regulate tech companies, with each advancing a competing vision for the digital economy while attempting to expand its sphere of influence in the digital world. In Digital Empires: The Global Ba…

1
Dave Glowacz—“He's Back" 1:07:26

2h ago1:07:26

1:07:26

Dave Glowacz returns! And Ben is so happy, he riffs about it. Then they get down to business, breaking down clips from the April 1 City Council meeting dedicated to the question: Should Alderman Byron Sigcho-Lopez be stripped of his chairmanship of the Housing Committee? We got clips of Aldermen Lopez and Hadden and Sposato and more. Dave runs the …

1
Michael J. Graetz, "The Power to Destroy: How the Antitax Movement Hijacked America" (Princeton UP, 2024) 1:05:05

4h ago1:05:05

1:05:05

The anti-tax movement is "the most important overlooked social and political movement of the last half century", according to our guest Michael J. Graetz. In his book The Power to Destroy: How the Antitax Movement Hijacked America (Princeton UP, 2024), Graetz chronicles the movement from a fringe theory promoted by zealous outsiders using false eco…

1
Delmarie Cobb--The Transparent City 57:35

1h ago57:35

57:35

NBC hires Ronna McDaniel. Ben riffs. Delmarie Cobb riffs as well. Then it’s onto the issues of the day. Voter turnout. Selective transparency. Bears and Sox maneuvers. Why the hate for Mayor Johnson. Plus, valuable lessons she learned from her mother. Delmarie Cobb is a political strategist. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and Calif…

1
Episode 228: The Danny And Matt Show 1:10:01

1h ago1:10:01

1:10:01

THIS WEEK IN MTG Welcome Magic Folk, to This Week in MTG. Your aggregate news source for all things Magic: The Gathering. Whether you are a new listener or a returning one, we are glad that you are here! Below we have all the important links that you will need. This is where you can find us online linktr.ee/ThisWeekinMTG Please check out our AMAZIN…

1
Abdon Pallasch and Bob Herguth—The Rebel Kind 1:08:33

4h ago1:08:33

1:08:33

Abdon Pallasch and Bob Herguth talk about their recently released 12-episode podcast—Underbelly: The Rebel Kind. It tells the story of Dave Rupert, a truck driver who winds up as an FBI mole, insinuating his way to the highest ranks of the Real IRA. Yes, the IRA, as in Irish Republican Army. Bob and Abdon—investigative reporters in Chicago—met Dave…

1
Rogers M. Smith and Desmond King, "America’s New Racial Battle Lines: Protect Versus Repair" (U Chicago Press, 2024) 1:06:18

3h ago1:06:18

1:06:18

What is happening to the politics of race in America? In America’s New Racial Battle Lines: Protect Versus Repair (U Chicago Press, 2024), Rogers Smith and Desmond King argue that the nation has entered a new, more severely polarized era of racial policy disputes, displacing older debates over color-blind versus race-targeted measures. Drawing on p…

1
David Faris—No Labels Needed 49:49

4h ago49:49

49:49

David Faris explains the absurdity of moderates searching for an alternative to Biden. Hello—he is a moderate. And speaking of absurdity. Nothing matches Trump’s desperate attempt to figure out an electable position on abortion. David is a professor of political science at Roosevelt University and a columnist for Slate and Newsweek. His opinions ar…

1
Brendan Shiller—Slim Coleman 57:16

5h ago57:16

57:16

Brendan Shiller talks about the life and legacy of Slim Coleman, the longtime activist and organizer who recently died at the age of 80. Stick around for the part where Brendan schools Ben on what really matters in a man’s life. Then a few words about police and their investigations of other police. Brendan is, in no particular order, a criminal de…

1
BONUS: Play To Win Interview 47:52

3d ago47:52

47:52

THIS WEEK IN MTG Welcome Magic Folk, to This Week in MTG. Your aggregate news source for all things Magic: The Gathering. Whether you are a new listener or a returning one, we are glad that you are here! Below we have all the important links that you will need. This is where you can find us online linktr.ee/ThisWeekinMTG Please check out our AMAZIN…

1
Ahmed M. Abozaid, "Undesired Revolution: The Arab Uprising in Egypt--A Three Level Analysis" (Brill, 2023) 1:39:10

25m ago1:39:10

1:39:10

Ahmed M. Abozaid’s Undesired Revolution: The Arab Uprising in Egypt--A Three Level Analysis (Brill, 2023) introduces new non-Western perspectives on the Arab Uprisings, decentering and decolonizing International Relations, and Middle Eastern Studies. Drawing on over ten years of fieldwork, ethnography, over 250 interviews, and empirical research, i…

1
Rachel Hinton—"Oh, What A Book Club Week" 1:17:30

3d ago1:17:30

1:17:30

Rachel Hinton and Ben talk the week’s news and introduce the world to…The Rachel and Ben Book Club. Today’s book is James by Percival Everett. Which if you haven’t read, hurry up! But first, listen to Rachel and Ben talk police, housing, and theatrical politics of the absurd. Rachel is a reporter for Block Club. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.…

1
Sessions from Studio A - Dylan Lloyd 52:00

5h ago52:00

52:00

Dylan Lloyd joins us to talk about his music and play live in Studio A.By Spencer Tritt

1
Peter Cunningham “Recall Decision" 1:08:22

6d ago1:08:22

1:08:22

A north side resident wants to recall Mayor Johnson. Ben riffs. Peter Cunningham riffs on Ben’s riff and then away they go, talking…police accountability, Dexter Reed, elected school boards, Peter’s run for office, and Dickey Betts. Peter is a political strategist, writer and rock ‘n roller. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and Calif…

1
Lorenza B. Fontana, "Recognition Politics: Indigenous Rights and Ethnic Conflict in the Andes" (Cambridge UP, 2022) 1:02:22

13h ago1:02:22

1:02:22

Recognition Politics: Indigenous Rights and Ethnic Conflict in the Andes (Cambridge University Press, 2023) by Dr. Lorenza B. Fontana is a pioneering work that explores a new wave of widely overlooked conflicts that have emerged across the Andean region, coinciding with the implementation of internationally acclaimed indigenous rights. Why are grou…

1
Plutarch as Philosopher and Political Thinker: A Conversation with Hugh Liebert 50:52

5d ago50:52

50:52

Plutarch is one of history's most influential authors: his insights were foundational to thinkers ranging from William Shakespeare to Alexander Hamilton, Nietzsche to Montesquieu. Yet, today his writings have fallen out of favor, in part because the genre he pioneered, biography, has fallen out of favor within academia, though it retains popularity…

1
Monroe Anderson—“Bleak and Gloomy” 58:01

24h ago58:01

58:01

Ben’s beloved Bright One tells him that life is futile and he must give up hope, Ben riffs. Monroe Anderson then tells Ben he’s a sucker for paying to read the Sun-Times. Then they launch a conversation about why MAGA likes O.J. more than they like Biden. And why did white north siders turn on Mayor Lightfoot. And all sorts of other stuff. See Priv…

1
D. J. Taylor, "Who Is Big Brother?: A Reader's Guide to George Orwell" (Yale UP, 2024) 29:03

1d ago29:03

29:03

An intellectual who hated intellectuals, a socialist who didn't trust the state--our foremost political essayist and author of Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-Four was a man of stark, puzzling contradictions. Knowing Orwell's life and reading Orwell's works produces just as many questions as it answers. Celebrated Orwell biographer D. J. Taylor gui…

1
Words of Attack: Rhetoric Against Liberal Democratic Values with James McAdams 32:56

1d ago32:56

32:56

With a presidential campaign in the US just around the corner and populist and authoritarian thinkers gaining broader platforms, University of Notre Dame political scientist A. James McAdams shines a light on the terms being used today by the Far Right to undermine liberal democracy. How successful are these thinkers in changing public views? And h…

1
Marc Sims— “Road Block" 1:03:30

2d ago1:03:30

1:03:30

The city council talks TIFs. Ben riffs. Podcaster Marc Sims talks Coleman Hughes, The View, Joe Rogan, men and doctors and whether we can truly be color blind. And much more. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.…

1
Elliott Prasse-Freeman, "Rights Refused: Grassroots Activism and State Violence in Myanmar" (Stanford UP, 2023) 58:22

3d ago58:22

58:22

Over three years have passed since a military coup of February 2021 in Myanmar precipitated a popular uprising that has since transformed into a revolutionary situation. While researchers and writers have cobbled together edited books trying to come to terms with all that has happened and how we might interpret it in relation to Myanmar’s recent pa…

1
Matt Ginsberg-Jaeckle—Lefties and the Mainstreams 1:01:19

3d ago1:01:19

1:01:19

The mainstreams in Chicago love to maximize lefty election losses and minimize their wins. As the continuing coverage of Tuesday’s primary proves. Ben riffs. Matt Ginsberg-Jaeckle explains the obstacles facing lefties in dealing with the mainstream media. As the coverage of Bring Chicago Home proves. He also defends Chicago voters from Ben’s accusa…

1
Episode 227: The Start Of A Saga 1:10:56

3d ago1:10:56

1:10:56

THIS WEEK IN MTG Welcome Magic Folk, to This Week in MTG. Your aggregate news source for all things Magic: The Gathering. Whether you are a new listener or a returning one, we are glad that you are here! Below we have all the important links that you will need. This is where you can find us online linktr.ee/ThisWeekinMTG Please check out our AMAZIN…

1
Melvin L. Rogers, "The Darkened Light of Faith: Race, Democracy, and Freedom in African American Political Thought" (Princeton UP, 2023) 54:39

4d ago54:39

54:39

Political Theorist Melvin L. Rogers has a deep and rich new book delving into the work of a host of different African American political thinkers. But this work is much more than an exploration of some of the writings by African American thinkers, it importantly tells the story of America. The Darkened Light of Faith: Race, Democracy, and Freedom i…

1
D'Frantz Smart—Girls Got Game 1:05:34

4d ago1:05:34

1:05:34

D’Frantz Smart talks all things women basketball. Including Dawn Staley, South Carolina, and Caitlin Clark. Also, why is the men’s college game struggling. And a few words about Ben’s beloved Bulls and Bucks coach Doc Rivers. D’Frantz is a former all-star for Whitney Young High School and one of the greatest point guards to come of Chicago. See Pri…

1
Zack Kam—On The Front Lines 1:16:14

9d ago1:16:14

1:16:14

Zack Kam is the ex-Marine who burned a flag at a protest against Israel’s war in Gaza. After which several aldermen tried to punish Alderman Byron Sigcho-Lopez. He tells his story from being a kid growing up in Southern California to a marine in Afghanistan to an activist in Chicago. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Pr…

1
Egor Lazarev, "State-Building as Lawfare: Custom, Sharia, and State Law in Postwar Chechnya" (Cambridge UP, 2023) 50:47

6d ago50:47

50:47

State-Building as Lawfare: Custom, Sharia, and State Law in Postwar Chechnya (Cambridge University Press, 2023) by Dr. Egor Lazarev explores the use of state and non-state legal systems by both politicians and ordinary people in postwar Chechnya. The book addresses two interrelated puzzles: why do local rulers tolerate and even promote non-state le…

1
Maria Snegovaya, "When Left Moves Right: The Decline of the Left and the Rise of the Populist Right in Postcommunist Europe" (Oxford UP, 2024) 1:03:45

7d ago1:03:45

1:03:45

In her new book, When Left Moves Right: The Decline of the Left and the Rise of the Populist Right in Postcommunist Europe (Oxford University Press, 2024), Maria Snegovaya argues that, contrary to the view that emphasizes the sociocultural aspects (xenophobia, anti-immigrant sentiment, etc.) of the rise of the populist right, especially in postcomm…

1
Rummana Hussain—OJ From A to Z 56:16

6d ago56:16

56:16

Rummana Hussain takes the deep dive on all things O.J. Simpson, who died just a few days ago at age 76. Rummana is an editorial writer/columnist for the Sun-Times. Her views are her own. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.…

1
Pat Whalen—“Oh, What-A-Week" 1:09:17

6d ago1:09:17

1:09:17

Pat Whalen and Ben go through a week’s worth of news. Including, positive press for the Mayor, abortion, Gaza and Nick Sposato. Well, Nick was last week’s news. But Pat can’t resist. Pat is a comedian and impresario. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.…