Keeping Democracy Alive with Burt Cohen

Latest Episodes
School Suspension: More Often for Black Kids
Kicking out troublemakers. It backfires. It certainly increases the likelihood of negative outcomes. And it is not applied equally. In this discussion author and researcher Aaron Kupnik talks about hi
Is Freedom of the Press Doomed?
In being careful to avoid a monarchy or dictatorship, Americas founders adamantly insisted on each government agency being independent. The Federal Communications Commission act of 1934 was created t
The Time is Now. Left-Populists: Unshackle Your Imaginations
You may have noticed a continuing trend of Democratic candidates sheepishly rushing to some imaginary center, and how well that hasnt worked! On this show, Richard Eskow, former head writer for the B
Trump Wants to Abolish the Past. Historians Won’t Let Him.
There are reasons all autocrats need to erase history. Among the flood of executive orders is something called Ending Radical Indoctrination in K-12 Schooling. In other words: erasing history he doe
The Origin of American Police Was As Enforcers of Slave Laws
The politicization of the FBI and police is hardly new. The foundation of the law is protecting property not people. Enforcing a racial caste system. Himself a former FBI agent, our guest Mike German
Time for Democrats to Post a Clear Agenda for America
No question, its all about re-connecting with the working class: People without a college degree, lowering the cost of health care, championing the self-employed, addressing the transportation proble
Feminism and Philanthropy: Powerful Combination
More and more women are steering great philanthropies. In the current Chronicle of Philanthropy, Christine Ahn is co-author of this article: To Fight Growing Militarism, Philanthpy Should Embrace a Fe
We Thought We Knew Racism and Sexism
In her new book titled Is It Racist? Is It Sexist? Why Red and Blue White People Disagree, and How to Decide in the Gray Areas co-author Betsy Leondar-Wright, through remarkable research, found Trumpi
The Trashing of Tastes: When Did It Begin?
When did politics and trash TV become one in the same? According to author Ross Benes, no question: it was the 1990s. As one reviewer said: this book helps to explain the election of Donald Trump in
A Global Minimum Wage = a Stronger Worldwide Economy
The reason we have minimum wage laws is to ensure a basic standard of living. But in America, the federal minimum wage is still what it was in 2009: $7.25. And in developing nations to which big corpo