In the 1960s and 70s, a group of black filmmakers at UCLA produced a diverse collection of films to challenge Hollywood’s depiction of black communities.

The LA Rebellion presented films with uniquely black stories. What was this movement and what did it accomplish? [ dur: 30mins. ]

• Allyson Nadia Field is Associate Professor of Cinema and Media Studies at the University of Chicago. She is the author of Acts of Love: Black Performance and the Kiss that Changed Film History and co-editor of L.A. Rebellion: Creating a New Black Cinema.
• Bernard Nicolas holds a Master of Fine Arts in Film Production from UCLA during L.A. Rebellion era. He is a writer, producer, director, actor. Films he directed include Daydream Therapy and Gidget Meets Hondo.

UCLA archive of L.A. Rebellion for Black Cinema can be found here. Some films from this collective :

California’s historic segregation of Mexican-Americans contrasted with the South’s version of segregation. In California, who did this segregation serve? Our guest confirms it was the interests of “citrus capitalism” in Orange County. The famous Supreme Court Case Broad v Board of Education challenged segregation in public schools. But there was another precedent, the Mendes et al case, that challenged segregation and education in California against Mexican-Americans. [ dur: 28mins. ]

• David-James Gonzales is Assistant Professor of Histroy at Brigham Young University. He is the author of the book of discussion – Breaking Down the Walls of Segregation: Mexican American Grassroots Politics and Civil Rights in Orange County, CA.

This program is produced by Doug Becker, Ankine Aghassian, Maria Armoudian, Anna Lapin and Sudd Dongre.

Arts and Humanities, Family / Education, Politics and Activism, Society and Culture, Film, Civil Liberties, Racism, Schools

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How do people become addicted to social media and what are the implications of such an addiction? [ dur: 30mins. ]

• Ofir Turel is Professor of Information Systems (IS) Management, IS group co-lead, University of Melbourne. He has published over 250 journal papers, two of those titles include The Benefits and Dangers of Enjoyment with Social Networking Websites and Followers Problematic Engagement with Influencers on Social Media and Attachment Theory Perspective.

Most of our activity on the internet interacts with posts, memes and videos that are driven by algorithms. How might algorithms be biased, racist, or sexist, and how might they amplify those biases in us? [ dur: 28mins. ]  Full length of this interview can be found here.

• Tina Eliassi-Rad is a Professor of Computer Science at Northeastern University. She is also a core faculty member at Northeastern’s Network Science Institute and the Institute for Experiential AI. She is the author of Measuring Algorithmically Infused Societies and What Science Can Do for Democracy: A Complexity Science Approach.
• Damien Patrick Williams is Assistant Professor in Philosophy and Data Science at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. He is the author of Why AI Research Needs Disabled and Marginalized Perspectives, Fitting the description: historical and sociotechnical elements of facial recognition and anti-black surveillance, and Constructing Situated and Social Knowledge: Ethical, Sociological, and Phenomenological Factors in Technological Design. Damien is a member of the Project Advisory Committee for the Center for Democracy and Technology’s Project on Disability Rights and Algorithmic Fairness, Bias, and Discrimination, and the Disability Inclusion Fund’s Tech & Disability Stream Advisory Committee.
• Henning Schulzrinne is Professor in the Department of Computer Science at Colombia University. He is the co-author of Mobility Protocols and Handover Optimization: Design, Evaluation and Application, Bridging communications and the physical world and Future internets escape the simulator. He was nominated as Internet Hall of Fame Innovator in 2013. He was Chief Technology Officer for the FCC under the Obama Administration.

This program is produced by Doug Becker, Ankine Aghassian, Maria Armoudian, Anna Lapin and Sudd Dongre.

Politics and Activism, Science / Technology, Computers and Internet, Racism 

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Health care outcomes in the U.S. differ substantially depending on race. How much are health care discrepancies based on structural and historical racism? What needs to change to promote health justice in the U.S. and what kinds of policies are needed to promote this change? How important is diversity of health care providers in building a more just healthcare system? [ dur: 58mins. ]

• Keisha Ray teaches Bioethics and Humanities as a tenured associate professor in Texas. She is the author of Black Health: The Social, Political, and Cultural Determinants of Black People’s Health.
• Ruqaiijah Yearby is the Judge Clifford Scott Green Chair in Law at Temple University Beasley School of Law. She is also Co-Founder of the Institute for Healing Justice & Equity and one of the Co-Founders of the Collaborative for Anti-Racism & Equity. She is the book chapter author of “Gender Bias, Mental Health Inequities, and Health Justice” in the book Mental Health Equity.
• Dylan H. Roby is the Chair and Professor of Health, Society, and Behavior at UC Irvine. He is the co-author of Ending Structural Racism in the US Health Care System to Eliminate Health Care Inequities.

This program is produced by Doug Becker, Ankine Aghassian, Maria Armoudian, Anna Lapin and Sudd Dongre.

Health, Politics and Activism,  Medicine , Racism

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Under what circumstances might climate change lead to negative security outcomes? Over the past fifteen years, a rapidly growing applied field and research community on climate security has emerged. While much progress has been made, we still don’t have a clear understanding of why climate change might lead to violent conflict or humanitarian emergencies in some places and not others.

Busby develops a novel argument – based on the combination of state capacity, political exclusion, and international assistance – to explain why climate leads to especially bad security outcomes in some places but not others. This argument is then demonstrated through application to case studies from sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia. This book will provide an informative resource for students and scholars of international relations and environmental studies, especially those working on security, conflict and climate change, on the emergent practice and study of this topic, and identifies where policy and research should be headed. [ dur: 38mins. ]

• Joshua Busby is a Professor of Public Affairs and a Distinguished Scholar at the Robert S. Strauss Center for International Security and Law. He is the author of State and Nature the effects of climate change on security ( The 2026 winner of the Grawemeyer Prize for Ideas Advancing World Order ) and many other publications.

With protests rocking Iran, how much are these protests historically consistent with the long history of protests in Iran. We explore this history in light of the new round of protests How much more violent has the Iran state been against protesters? [ dur: 20mins. ]

• Ervand Abrahamian is Professor Emeritus at City University of New York. He is the author of A History of Modern Iran and Inventing the Axis of Evil: The Truth About North Korea, Iran and Syria.

This program is produced by Doug Becker, Ankine Aghassian, Maria Armoudian, Anna Lapin and Sudd Dongre.

Climate Change, Human Rights, War / Weapons,  Refugees, Bangladesh, India, Iran, Syria, Lebanon, Security 

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In support of the US peace plan for Gaza, President Trump proposed a “Board of Peace” as a transitional governmental authority to ensure Israeli military withdrawal from the territory. It was empowered by the UN Security Council to act on the organization’s behalf as a presumably neutral body to ensure the delivery of humanitarian assistance, rebuild the region that has been physically devastated from war, and oversee security in the return of refugees who have fled the conflict. But as introduced by the American President at the World Economic Forum meetings in Davos in January, it has become a controversial body. Trump advanced a vision of the body, one which includes a payment of one billion dollars (to whom it is still unclear) that could challenge the UN. On today’s show we start with an exploration of this new vision for the organization advanced by the US. [ dur: 28mins. ]

• Stefan Wolff is Professor of International Security at the University of Birmingham. His latest book is Ethnic Conflict: Critical Concepts in Political Science. His latest article in the Conversation Donald Trump’s ‘board of peace’ looks like a privatised UN with one shareholder: the US president.
• Francesco Grillo is Professor at Bocconi University and Visiting Fellow at The European University Institute. You can find his articles at the Conversation. His latest include Europe must reject Trump’s nonsense accusations of ‘civilizational erasure’ – but it urgently needs a strategy of its own and Donald Trump’s Board of Peace signed at Davos – key points I took away from my visit to the ski resort

The Board of Peace was initially and ostensibly created to govern Gaza in light of a peace agreement with the intention of removing Israeli military forces in exchange for a neutral transitional government. This was endorsed by the United Nations Security Council in Resolution 2803 with very specific tasks outlined, including aiding in the creation of Palestinian governance, the physical and economic reconstruction of the war-torn territory, the delivery of public services and humanitarian assistance, and the return of refugees. In this segment, we examine the Board’s ability to accomplish its defined set of goals. [ dur: 30mins. ]

• John B. Quigly is a Professor of Law Emeritus at Ohio State University. He is the author of Palestine Is a State: A Horse with Black and White Stripes Is a Zebra and The International Diplomacy of Israel’s Founders: Deception at the United Nations In the Quest for Palestine.
• Omar Dajani is Carol Olsen Professor in International Law at the University of the Pacific. He is the author of Negotiating Pluralism: Dilemmas of Decentralization in the Middle East (with Aslı Bâli) and A Two-State Solution That Can Work: The Case for an Israeli-Palestinian Confederation (with Limor Yehuda). He also was part of the Palestinian negotiation team at Camp David II in 2000 and has worked with the UN in peacebuilding initiatives, with a particular emphasis on building legal and judicial reforms in Palestinian governance.

This program is produced by Doug Becker, Ankine Aghassian, Maria Armoudian, Anna Lapin and Sudd Dongre.

Politics and Activism, Middle East, Occupied Palestine

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One of the most notable international initiatives of the Trump Administration has been its pursuit of Greenland. Recently the President has declared that the island is a national security issue and the US needs sovereignty over Greenland. It is currently an autonomous territory under the Danish flag. As of this recording, the US has stated it will not use military force to seize the island and there is a “concept of a deal” over the island. But this is an issue that is far from resolved. What is the US interest in Greenland? How does this campaign to acquire the territory frame the potential for future competition and conflict in the Arctic region? And what do American threats against allies, specifically members of the NATO alliance, indicate about the relationship between the US and Europe? [ dur: 58mins. ]

• Robert English is Associate Professor of International Relations at the University of Southern California. He is the author of Russia and the Idea of the West: Gorbachev, Intellectuals and the End of the Cold War and The Other Side: How Soviets and Americans Perceive Each Other.
• Donald Heflin, Executive Director of the Edward R. Murrow Center and as Senior Fellow of Diplomatic Practice in the Center, Tufts University, Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. He is a former foreign service office for the US State Department, serving as Ambassador to Cape Verde between 2015-2018. He is also the author of “Trump’s Greenland quest threatens alliances that helped build the modern world order” in The Conversation

This program is produced by Doug Becker, Ankine Aghassian, Maria Armoudian, Anna Lapin and Sudd Dongre.

Politics and Activism, Governance / Law, War / Weapons, North Atlantic, Greenland

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The killing of Renee Good by ICE agent Jonathan Ross reflects increasingly aggressive and violent immigration & customs enforcement and policing in the US. What’s behind this growing violence in law enforcement?

Has ICE become more violent or are we just paying closer attention? What has changed with the organization under Trump?

On January 7, 2026, 37 year old Renee Good was shot and killed in Minneapolis by ICE agent Jonathan Ross. Since the killing, protests have surged in the Minnesota city. The White House and supporters of ICE state that Good was a domestic terrorist who threatened the ICE officer. But numerous accounts, videotaped taken by residents on their phones, have shown a very different story of the altercation. Residents, as well as elected officials have demanded that ICE leave the city and allow local law enforcement to maintain control. In response the Department of Homeland Security has indicated they will send hundreds more ICE officers and the President has threatened to declare war on the city via the Insurrection Act. On today’s show we will explore the history, policing, and impact of ICE on American cities. And we will explore the narratives told about these killings and how increasingly the visibility and transparency of policing has altered the narratives. [ dur: 58mins. ]

• Felicia Arriaga is Assistant Professor in the Marxe School of Public and International Affairs at Baruch College. She is the author of “PolICE in Schools: Immigration Enforcement as a Racial Project and Opportunities for Resistance” and Behind Crimmigration: ICE, Law Enforcement, and Resistance in America.
• Greg Brown is Adjunct Research Professor in the Department of Sociology & Anthropology and the Department of Law & Legal Studies at Carleton University (Ottawa). He is the author of The blue line on thin ice: Police use of force modifications in the era of camera phones and YouTube, and Police body-worn cameras in the Canadian context: Policing’s new visibility and today’s expectations for police accountability

This program is produced by Doug Becker, Ankine Aghassian, Maria Armoudian, Anna Lapin and Sudd Dongre.

Politics and Activism, Governance / Law, police, Civil Liberties, Police Brutality

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What is the impact of the US invading Venezuela and kidnapping its president and first lady? How might it affect international law, regional security and the American reputation?

President Trump has declared he is the “Peace President” and claims to have ended 8 wars. While this is a dubious claim, he did become the first President to bomb 8 different nations in his first year in office. He then started 2026 with an invasion of Venezuela and a kidnapping of its President Nicolas Maduro as well as his wife Cilia Flores. They await trial in Brooklyn. The President has declared that the US will run the nation and will seize whatever oil it desires. The violation of Venezuelan sovereignty, the colonial approach to its resources, and the precedent this invasion is setting for the US throughout the Western Hemisphere is both significant and potentially quite threatening to peace. On today’s show, we will explore the legal, political and security implications of this brazen invasion. And we will explore what the future of US relations in the hemisphere as well as the President’s rampant use of the military means for the immediate future. [ dur: 58mins. ]

• Gabor Rona is Professor of Practice at Cardozo Law School. He is the author of Venezuelan Boat Attacks: Utterly Unprecedented and Patently Predictable ,Is There a Way Out of the Non-International Armed Conflict Detention Dilemma? and State Responsibility to Respect, Protect and Fulfill Human Rights Obligations in Cyberspace .
• Carol Wise is Professor of Political Science and International Relations at the University of Southern California. She is the author of Dragonomics: How Latin America is Maximizing (or Missing Out) on China’s International Development Strategy and “Conceptualizing China-Latin America Relations in the 21st Century: The Boom, the Bust, and the Aftermath” (with Victoria Chonn Ching).
• Jeremi Suri is Professor in the Department of History and the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas, Austin. He holds the Mack Brown Distinguished Chair for Leadership in Global Affairs at The University of Texas at Austin. He is the co-author of “Problems with President Records are Not Just About Trump” with Kenneth Osgood. He is also the author of The Impossible Presidency: The Rise and Fall of America’s Highest Office. He is the host of the podcast This is Democracy.

This program is produced by Doug Becker, Ankine Aghassian, Maria Armoudian and Sudd Dongre.

Politics and Activism, War / Weapons, Venezuela

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Beyond asylum seekers heading north, the problems of US/Mexico Border are also about the flow of guns and drugs. How can we understand the totality of problems related to the US southern border? What are the solutions?

We speak with Ieva Jusionyte the author of a new book Exit Wounds: How America’s Guns Fuel Violence Across the Border. [ dur: 58mins. ]

• Ieva Jusionyte is a legal and medical anthropologist and associate professor at Brown University. She is also the author of award-winning ethnography Threshold: Emergency Responders on the US-Mexico Border. She has been studying borders, violence, and security in Latin America and the United States for over fifteen years.

This interview was recorded May, 2024

This program is produced by Doug Becker, Ankine Aghassian, Maria Armoudian and Sudd Dongre.

Politics and Activism, Arms Trade, Gun Lobby, Militarism, Mexico, United States, Borders 

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Why did soldiers on the front line ( in Flanders on 1914 ) of one of the deadliest wars lay down their arms and play soccer with the very men they were supposed to shoot?

We’ll revisit the Christmas truce of 1914 with Stanley Weintraub, author of, Silent Night: The Story of the World War I Christmas Truce. [ dur: 23 mins. ]

• Stanley Weintraub is a Professor Emeritus of Arts and Humanities at Penn State University. He is the author of more than 50 books including “Silent Night: The Story of the World War I Christmas Truce.“

Then, on the Scholars’ panel, we explore the Science of Compassion. What is it and how does it impact society? Can we learn to be compassionate? [ dur: 35mins. ]

• Iain Wilkinson is a Senior Lecturer in Sociology at the University of Kent’s School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research. He is the author of Suffering: A Sociological Introduction and Anxiety in a Risk Society
• Dr. Paul Gilbert is the head of the Mental Health Research Unit as well as Professor of Clinical Psychology at the University of Derby. His books include Compassion-Focused Therapy: Distinctive Features and The Compassionate Mind: A New Approach to Life’s Challenges
• Dr James R. Doty is a Clinical Professor of neurosurgery at Stanford University and Founder and Director of the Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education. He is the co-author of Surgical Disorders of the Sacrum

This program was first broadcast on Dec. 2017.

This program is produced with contributions from the following volunteers: Ankine Aghassian, Melissa Chiprin, Anaïs Amin, Tim Page, Mike Hurst and Sudd Dongre.

Arts and Humanities, Spirituality / Religion, Peace / Nonviolence, War / Weapons

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