On Reality Asserts Itself, actor Gabriel Byrne says that in the ’70s, being Irish in London was like being a Muslim now; PM Thatcher’s campaign to crush the miners union in 1984 helped him understand how the media were anti-working class and anti-union – with host Paul Jay. This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced December 24, 2017.
On Reality Asserts Itself, actor and climate activist Gabriel Byrne speaks of growing up in a working-class family that was religious, Irish nationalist, and where joining a seminary made parents proud. He came to understand the injustice of the life working men like his father faced; with host Paul Jay. This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced December 22, 2017.
On Reality Asserts Itself, Thomas Frank says if liberals don’t face up to how the policies of Clinton and Obama helped create the conditions for the rise of Trump, the next version of Trump will be far more dangerous than this one. This episode was produced on September 18, 2017.
On Reality Asserts Itself, Thomas Frank, author of ‘What’s the Matter with Kansas?’ and ‘Listen, Liberal,’ talks about his journey from being an enthusiastic supporter of the Vietnam War and Ronald Reagan to embracing Franklin Roosevelt and socialist Bernie Sanders. This episode was produced on September 15, 2017.
On Reality Asserts Itself, Thomas Frank, author of ‘What’s the Matter with Kansas?’ and ‘Listen, Liberal,’ tells host Paul Jay that Bill Clinton tried to drive the left from the party; now Clinton Democrats blame the left for Hillary’s defeat. This episode was produced on September 12, 2017.
Bill Clinton accomplished a Republican agenda and Obama allowed the Tea Party to steal the economic populist moment, says Thomas Frank on Reality Asserts Itself with Paul Jay; Frank is the author of “What’s the Matter with Kansas” and “Listen, Liberal”. This episode was published on September 10, 2017.
On Reality Asserts Itself, Thomas Frank, author of ‘What’s the Matter with Kansas?’ and ‘Listen, Liberal,’ and Paul Jay discuss Hillary Clinton’s new book ‘What Happened,’ and identify the real differences between Clinton and Sanders. This episode was produced on September 7, 2017.
On Reality Asserts Itself, Thomas Frank, author of “What’s the Matter with Kansas” and “Listen, Liberal”, tells host Paul Jay that the Democratic Party serves the professional class and the top 10% and no longer cares about the poor or working class. This episode was produced on September 5, 2017.
On Reality Asserts Itself, Trita Parsi says the Israelis are trying to push the United States to reestablish the pre-Iraq War status quo, but it’s not possible any longer. This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced August 30, 2017, with Paul Jay.
On Reality Asserts Itself, Trita Parsi tells Paul Jay that diplomacy, not sanctions and coercion, will help the U.S. work with Iran to find solutions to regional problems. This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced August 28, 2017, with Paul Jay.
This interview was originally released on August 21, 2017. On Reality Asserts Itself with Paul Jay, Troy LaRaviere says that the “parasitical wealthy” should be fought for control of the Democratic Party.
On Reality Asserts Itself with Paul Jay, the president of the Chicago Principals and Administrators Association, Troy LaRaviere, says there’s no evidence that giving corporations tax breaks or putting schools in competition with each other makes for better education; in fact, the evidence says the opposite.
This interview was originally published on August 15, 2017. On Reality Asserts Itself with Paul Jay, Troy LaRaviere says growing up in poverty prepared him for a fight to defend public education in Chicago, even when it threatened his own job as a school principal.
This interview was originally published on August 10, 2017. On Reality Asserts Itself, Paul Jay talks to the president of the Chicago Principals and Administrators Association, Troy LaRaviere, about his new report that found systemic racial discrimination in the way Chicago Public Schools receive special education funding.
From Afghanistan to Iraq, the Trump administration, leading Democrats, and much of the foreign policy and military establishment believe the U.S. should be more aggressive towards Iran. That’s a very dangerous situation that can lead to war, noted Iran expert Trita Parsi tells Paul Jay on Reality Asserts Itself. This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced August 21, 2017, with Paul Jay.
This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced on June 8, 2017. On Reality Asserts Itself, Norman Solomon of the Bernie Delegates Network tells Paul Jay that when it comes to defending the deep state, there’s really no difference between the two parties.
This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced on June 6, 2017. On Reality Asserts Itself, Norman Solomon of the Bernie Delegates Network tells Paul Jay that corporate Democrats should be vigorously fought in primaries, but this is also a moment like 1930’s Germany where a united front is necessary to defeat Trump and Republicans.
This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced on June 4, 2017. On Reality Asserts Itself with Paul Jay, Prof. Alnasseri says we are witnessing a counter-revolutionary setback against the revolution, but the revolt will erupt again and again.
This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced on June 1, 2017. On Reality Asserts Itself, Prof. Alnasseri says Trump’s strategy is to use the war against ISIS as an excuse to build up US troop levels in Iraq to control the oil and create a pro-American government.
This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced on May 30, 2017. On Reality Asserts Itself, Prof. Alnasseri explains why so many Shia fought for Iraq against Iran during a war that killed more than 1.8 million people; he continues the story of his family, and how from prison, his brother was able to help Sabah escape the country.
This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced on May 28, 2017. On Reality Asserts Itself, Prof. Alnasseri tells Paul Jay the story of the development of the Iraqi welfare state and the rise of Saddam Hussein as dictator of Iraq.
This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced on May 26, 2017. On Reality Asserts Itself, Prof. Alnasseri tells the story of his militant working-class family, the class struggle in Iraq and the sectarian conflict created by the U.S. invasion.
This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced on May 22, 2017. Norman Solomon joins Paul Jay on Reality Asserts Itself, discussing the Trump/Russia affair and plans to isolate and perhaps attack Iran.
This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced on May 18, 2017. On Reality Asserts Itself, Norman Solomon of the Bernie Delegates Network tells Paul Jay that the California fight reflects a much larger struggle within the party between progressives and corporate Democrats.
This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced on May 16, 2017. On Reality Asserts Itself, Sabah Alnasseri and Paul Jay discuss the Trump/Saudi plan for an anti-Iran Arab alliance and to use ISIS as justification for increasing American troop levels – with Iraq’s oil as the prize.
This interview was originally released on April 28, 2017. The Next System Project’s Gar Alperovitz tells Paul Jay that the Federal Reserve should use quantitive easing, i.e. create money, to take Big Oil companies out of the equation and finance a massive green infrastructure program.
This interview was originally released on April 28, 2017. The Next System Project’s Gar Alperovitz tells Paul Jay that the Federal Reserve should use quantitive easing, i.e. create money, to take Big Oil companies out of the equation and finance a massive green infrastructure program.
This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced on January 20, 2017. On Reality Asserts Itself, Nina Turner, whose husband is a retired cop and son is active duty, tells host Paul Jay that police need to be held accountable, but so do policymakers who are responsible for stagnant wages and chronic poverty.
This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced on January 19, 2017. On Reality Asserts Itself, Nina Turner, leading Bernie Sanders surrogate during the primary, tells host Paul Jay that Democrats and progressives need to stand up and challenge establishment Democrats in the primaries all across the country. “Either you’re with the people, or you’re not.”
This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced on January 18, 2017. On Reality Asserts Itself, Nina Turner, leading Bernie Sanders surrogate during the primary, tells host Paul Jay that when she moved her support from Clinton to Sanders, she was accused of betraying the party that she should be grateful for – and she answered: “I’m not on the plantation anymore”.
This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced on January 17, 2017. On Reality Asserts Itself, Nina Turner, former Ohio State Senator and leading Bernie Sanders surrogate during the primary, tells host Paul Jay that she grew up poor, believing in the Democratic Party and the Clintons, but she came to understand the failure of the Party to serve the needs of the African-American community and poor white workers.
This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced on December 12, 2016. On Reality Asserts Itself, Miko Peled tells Paul Jay that he’s come to understand that the Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands began in 1948, and he broke with the liberal zionist belief in the “secularization of the bible” and the mission of a Jewish state; he says BDS is an effective strategy that should be supported.
This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced on December 12, 2016. On Reality Asserts Itself, Miko Peled tells Paul Jay that he fulfilled a childhood dream and became a member of the IDF Special Forces; then, he came to realize that everything he’d believed in was a lie.
This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced on December 12, 2016. On Reality Asserts Itself, Miko Peled tells Paul Jay that his father, a famous Israeli General, was ostracized for saying it was necessary to negotiate with the PLO and respect Palestinian self-determination; but he never gave up his belief that the expulsion of 1948 and the creation of a Jewish state was justified.
In an interview that took place days before Trump was elected President, Bill Ayers discusses what needs to be done as we head into a ”form of friendly-looking and familiar fascism or some other form of extreme social disintegration”. This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced November 13, 2016, with Paul Jay.
Bill Ayers tells Paul Jay the Weathermen were delusional about armed struggle because they mistakenly thought the American people were in a revolutionary crisis during the Vietnam War. This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced November 8, 2016, with Paul Jay.
On Reality Asserts Itself Bill Ayers joins Paul Jay to discuss his journey from an apolitical life to the militant group the Weatherman to social activism and organizing. This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced November 7, 2016, with Paul Jay.
President Bush was like a “head coach” ordering intelligence agencies to all move in the same direction – not preventing the attacks and covering up the role of Bandar and the Saudi government. This interview was produced September 11, 2016, with Paul Jay on Reality Asserts Itself.
Senator Bob Graham, former Co-Chair of the Joint Congressional Committee investigating 9/11, says there is evidence in the “28 redacted pages” that the FBI knew of Saudi Ambassador Bandar’s links to al-Qaeda terrorists before the attacks. This interview was produced September 10, 2016, with Paul Jay on Reality Asserts Itself.
This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced on June 10, 2016. Peter Kuznick, the co-author of The Untold History of the United States, spoke to Paul Jay about the significance of the vice presidency of Henry Wallace, who served in the administration of Franklin D. Roosevelt in the context of the Bernie Sanders campaign.
This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced on March 23, 2016. Paul Jay speaks to Roger Waters and Sut Jhally about the new film “The Occupation of the American Mind: Israel’s Public Relations War in the United States.”
This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced on March 22, 2016. Paul Jay speaks to Roger Waters and Sut Jhally about the new film “The Occupation of the American Mind: Israel’s Public Relations War in the United States.”
This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced on March 20, 2016. Paul Jay speaks to Roger Waters and Sut Jhally about the new film “The Occupation of the American Mind: Israel’s Public Relations War in the United States.”
This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced on June 6, 2016. President Obama is defending the mythology that dropping atomic bombings on Hiroshima ended World War 2 and avoided a ground invasion by US troops, said award-winning historian Peter Kuznick.
The interview was originally published on January 29, 2015. On Reality Asserts Itself: Mr. Jim, General Secretary of the National Union of Mineworkers of South Africa, explains why his union withdrew its support for the governing African National Congress.
This interview was originally published on July 24, 2015. On Reality Asserts Itself, Ms. Principe says that German workers, who have not yet felt the brunt of the crisis, are starting to realize that they must fight in solidarity with Greek workers.
This interview was originally published on July 21, 2015. On Reality Asserts Itself, Ms. Principe and Paul Jay talk about making decisions in a new kind of party.
This interview was originally published on July 20, 2015. On Reality Asserts Itself, Ms. Principe and Paul Jay discuss building a movement and an electoral strategy and what happened to the mass protests in Portugal.
This interview was originally published on July 19, 2015. On Reality Asserts Itself, Ms. Principe discusses the rise of the anti-austerity movement in Portugal that culminated in a 2013 protest of more than a million people.
This interview was originally published on July 17, 2015. On Reality Asserts Itself, Ms. Principe talks about growing up in Portugal expecting the promise of the social state to be fulfilled and becoming an activist in the fight against forces dismantling the achievements of the Portuguese revolution.