Episodes

  • Artificial Intimacy Is Changing Who We Are

    Artificial Intimacy Is Changing Who We Are
    Sep 17 2026
    What happens when machines become easier to relate to than other people? In this episode, Kelly talks with author Sherry Turkle about artificial intimacy, the erosion of empathy and social skills, and the political dangers of replacing human connection with frictionless simulations of care. Music: Son Monarcas and Sarah the Illstrumentalist You can find a transcript and show notes (including links to resources) here: truthout.org/series/movement-memos/ If you would like to support the show, you can donate here: bit.ly/TODonate If you would like to receive Truthout's newsletter, please sign up: bit.ly/TOnewsletter
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    1 hr and 13 mins
  • Organizing for Survival in an Era of Climate Chaos

    Organizing for Survival in an Era of Climate Chaos
    Sep 3 2026
    Our current infrastructure was built for a world that no longer exists. How do we build the power to survive when the systems we depend on fail us? In this episode, Kelly talks with guests Keyante Aytch, Alice Liu, and Brandon Bunt about the tools and relationships that can help make communities resilient—from mesh networks and off-grid solar to neighborhood disaster hubs.
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    1 hr and 6 mins
  • Silicon Valley’s Billionaire Cults Are Coming for Democracy

    Silicon Valley’s Billionaire Cults Are Coming for Democracy
    Aug 20 2026
    “We can have billionaires or we can have democracy. We cannot have both,” Gil Durán says. In this episode, Gil and Kelly discuss the bizarre fixations and political fantasies of tech billionaires like Peter Thiel, and how those ideas are being translated into real-world governance. Durán and Hayes also discuss Silicon Valley’s Christian cosplay, and how traditional Christian ideas are being used as wrapping paper for the pursuit of AI-first, corporate fiefdoms. Music: Son Monarcas and Dusty Decks
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    57 mins
  • You Can’t Drink Data: Native Communities Are Resisting the AI Death Cycle

    You Can’t Drink Data: Native Communities Are Resisting the AI Death Cycle
    Aug 6 2026
    “It comes down to the stealing of everything that is and the taking of everything that is,” says Joseph White Eyes. In this episode, Kelly talks with Native organizers Joseph White Eyes and Krystal Two Bulls about the struggle against data centers in Native communities. The conversation explores how the AI boom is advancing a new era of colonial extraction, and how Native communities are resisting land grabs and exploitative technologies. Music: Son Monarcas and Sarah the Illstrumentalist
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    1 hr and 17 mins
  • The AI Boom Is a Corporate Project. It Can Be Disrupted.

    The AI Boom Is a Corporate Project. It Can Be Disrupted.
    Jul 23 2026
    A lot of AI technology may not work very well, but providing consumers with reliable information was never its major commercial promise. Investors have poured billions into generative AI because of the promise that it will eliminate jobs on a massive scale. Tech journalist Brian Merchant joins Kelly to discuss how the AI boom is being used to displace workers, degrade information, expand surveillance and strengthen state violence—and why this brittle corporate project can be disrupted.
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    1 hr and 28 mins
  • No Abandonment, No Bunkers: Preparing for Disaster Together

    No Abandonment, No Bunkers: Preparing for Disaster Together
    Jun 11 2026
    As climate disasters intensify and authoritarian threats escalate, most of us are underprepared for moments when systems fail or are weaponized against us. In this episode, Kelly talks with Chris Begley and Amy Edelman, authors of The Emergency Playbook: A Bunker-Free Guide to Disaster Preparation, about how preparedness can move us away from fear, isolation and bunker fantasies, and toward community, care and collective survival. They discuss how practical planning, community relationships and collective care can help us face climate disasters, political unrest and everyday crises with more courage and less panic. Music: Son Monarcas and Mizlo You can find a transcript and show notes (including links to resources) here: truthout.org/series/movement-memos/ If you would like to support the show, you can donate here: bit.ly/TODonate If you would like to receive Truthout's newsletter, please sign up: bit.ly/TOnewsletter
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    1 hr and 13 mins
  • ICE Camps Are Not Untouchable. Here’s How Communities Can Push Back.

    ICE Camps Are Not Untouchable. Here’s How Communities Can Push Back.
    May 28 2026
    “The immigration camp, it really depends on a lot of local infrastructure. It is not this untouchable federal abstraction. It is up to us, neighbors, community members, and we have the actual power to shut them down,” says journalist John Washington. In this episode, John and Kelly Hayes discuss his book How to Close a Camp: Dispatches from the Fight Against Immigrant Detention, the rapid expansion of ICE detention, and how communities can fight camps before and after they open. Music: Son Monarcas and Sarah the Illstrumentalist You can find a transcript and show notes (including links to resources) here: truthout.org/series/movement-memos/ If you would like to support the show, you can donate here: bit.ly/TODonate If you would like to receive Truthout's newsletter, please sign up: bit.ly/TOnewsletter
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    1 hr and 17 mins
  • What Trump’s “Whenever Wars” Reveal About U.S. Empire

    What Trump’s “Whenever Wars” Reveal About U.S. Empire
    May 14 2026
    “Trump is banking on the idea that the entire U.S. population is as cynical and hateful as he is. And evidently, it's not true,” says Khury Petersen-Smith. In this episode, Kelly and Khury discuss Trump’s “whenever wars,” the spectacle of militarized violence, and the anti-war movement this moment demands. From ICE raids in U.S. cities to military violence abroad, Kelly and Khury explore how fascism at home and empire abroad are part of the same political project, and why our resistance must be rooted in solidarity, anti-militarism, and an ever-expanding sense of who belongs to us. Music: Son Monarcas, Dylan Sitts, and Mizlow You can find a transcript and show notes (including links to resources) here: truthout.org/series/movement-memos/ If you would like to support the show, you can donate here: bit.ly/TODonate If you would like to receive Truthout's newsletter, please sign up: bit.ly/TOnewsletter
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    1 hr and 20 mins