Best Richard D Wolff Podcasts (2025)

1
Christianity Split: Love VS Hate 34:41

Play Pause

6d ago34:41

34:41

This week on Economic Update, Professor Wolff delivers updates on the nationwide Starbucks strikes and on the results of Trump's tariffs: facts and fakery. The second part of the show features an interview with journalist and podcast host John Fugelsang about his new book: Separation of Church and Hate: A Sane Person's Guide to Taking Back the Bibl…

1
E62: Richard D. Wolff and Yanis Varoufakis React to Zohran Mamdani's brilliant victory 59:03

26d ago59:03

59:03

What does Zohran Mamdani's breakthrough victory in New York signal for the Left — not only in the United States but across a world trapped between oligarchy, neoliberal decay, neofascist surges and rising authoritarianism? Join Yanis Varoufakis and Richard D. Wolff as they unpack the political earthquake shaking America's political establishment, a…

1
E63: Is Europe Betraying Ukraine? Yanis Varoufakis & Volodymyr Ishchenko React LIVE 59:10

4d ago59:10

59:10

In this livestream, Yanis Varoufakis and Ukrainian sociologist Volodymyr Ishchenko explore how EU leaders are undermining Ukraine to justify their plans to re-arm Europe. If EU leaders won't send troops and won't negotiate, whom does their "solidarity" really serve? And why are some in Brussels worried that peace itself would threaten their new mil…

1
Manal Mahamid: On Art, Trees, and the Landscape Israel Tried to Erase 23:01

4d ago23:01

23:01

In this episode, artist Manal Mahamid reflects on growing up in a rural Palestinian village where even the landscape was weaponised to erase identity. She speaks about creating art from the land itself, soil, stones, plants, and how her work exposes the colonial logic behind forests, monuments, and "reclaimed" green spaces. Mahamid's practice trans…

1
Born in a Refugee Camp: How Monther Jawabreh Uses Concrete to Tell the Story of the Occupation 13:39

4d ago13:39

13:39

In this important interview, Palestinian artist Monther Jawabreh reflects on growing up in a refugee camp and discovering art as a way to fight for his people's story. He speaks about collective memory, political commitment, and why concrete has become his material of resistance. Jawabreh's work transforms loss into testimony, challenging erasure t…

1
BASQUIAT: The Price of Fame w/ Author DOUG WOODHAM - Highlights 12:18

11d ago12:18

12:18

“People today are so used to Basquiat's prices being extraordinarily high and rising that it's almost hard for people to understand that wasn't always the case. In the year he died, 1988, a terrific painting by Basquiat might have sold for $30,000. Relative to his other artistic peers, like a great Julian Schnabel painting that cost $800,000. After…

1
JEAN-MICHEL BASQUIAT: The Making of an Icon with DOUG WOODHAM, Fmr. President of Christie's Americas 1:34:30

11d ago1:34:30

1:34:30

“All of the great artists are there for a reason: because they rebelled in some way. They created a visual vocabulary that felt fresh and new, which excited people. So, the great artists are not built on sort of anthills of sand. They're built on things of substance and of meaning. Though this is not a sufficient condition to become an icon, it's a…

1
'You Don't Look Arab': Doris Hakim on Racism, Identity & Art 14:09

12d ago14:09

14:09

In this episode, artist Doris Hakim reflects on growing up in Nazareth, navigating a fragmented identity, and discovering her Palestinian self only after leaving home. She speaks about memory, political erasure, and the everyday racism that shaped her iconic work 'You Don't Look Arab'. Hakim's story exposes how borders—geographical, cultural, and p…

1
'Art Saved My Life': The Story of Palestinian Artist Rana Bishara 28:57

12d ago28:57

28:57

In this episode, Palestinian artist Rana Bishara reflects on how art became a lifeline—preserving memory, dignity and identity in the face of erasure. Speaking from Galilee, she shares her story of growing up on the Lebanese border, surviving ongoing trauma, and transforming resistance into creative practice. Through performance, public art, and me…

1
The Key Concept of 'Surplus' in Economics 31:23

13d ago31:23

31:23

On today's episode of Economic Update, Professor Wolff delivers an introduction to the key economic concept of "the surplus." He explains economic structures as ways of organizing the production and social distribution of the surplus. Then he briefly applies this concept to the economies of slavery and feudalism before focusing on the role of the s…

1
Why So Much Costs Too Much and What to do About it 1:05:49

19d ago1:05:49

1:05:49

In our capitalist economy, employers pay wages and set prices that together determine whether a decent life is affordable. Employers' goal is to maximize their profit. But employees – the vast majority of us – have different goals. One of them is basic affordability. In this presentation of Global Capitalism, Professor Wolff discusses the factors a…

1
Why So Much Costs Too Much and What to do About it 1:05:49

19d ago1:05:49

1:05:49

In our capitalist economy, employers pay wages and set prices that together determine whether a decent life is affordable. Employers' goal is to maximize their profit. But employees – the vast majority of us – have different goals. One of them is basic affordability. In this presentation of Global Capitalism, Professor Wolff discusses the factors a…

1
The Art of Not Belonging: Shadi Alzaqzouq's Incredible Journey 16:10

19d ago16:10

16:10

In this conversation, Shadi Alzaqzouq reflects on growing up without a homeland, discovering art as a weapon of self-definition, and challenging the stereotypes imposed on him as a Palestinian. His work blends rebellion, identity, and freedom to confront a world that keeps pushing him outside its walls. ALL EYES ON PALESTINE EXHIBITION The All Eyes…

1
Capitalism Equals Class Warfare 31:21

20d ago31:21

31:21

The totality of today's Economic Update is devoted to exploring (1) the multiple ways that capitalism imposes class warfare on its people, and (2) how class warfare shapes the capitalist system's impact on employers and employees. Specific examples show (1) what kind of class struggle is involved in tariffs such as those imposed by Trump, (2) how i…

1
Turning IDF Footage Into Art: Mahmoud Alhaj's Story From Gaza to Exile 17:44

21d ago17:44

17:44

In this important dialogue, Mahmoud Alhaj discusses life in Gaza, the experience of displacement, and the urgency of documenting violence from the victim's perspective. He reveals how he works with Israeli military footage to expose what is hidden behind the aesthetics of "efficiency" and power. The interview also highlights the solidarity within t…

1
Resurgent Labor Organizing 32:13

27d ago32:13

32:13

On this week's episode of Economic Update, Professor Wolff's updates include the 60+ people killed by the U.S. military in what it claimed were "narco boats," Socialist Catherine Connolly wins the Presidency in Ireland, Canada hit with nationwide postal workers strike alongside a strike of the entire public workforce (51,000) in Alberta, Canada, an…

1
On Mind Games, Power & Obsession - Showrunner HOWARD GORDON & Writer DANIEL PEARLE - Highlights 17:38

29d ago17:38

17:38

“How do you render something interior filmically? How do you communicate the details of the lost child, of the amount of time of the stuck creative process, and even the exterior, or the externalization of the house as a kind of hellish thing that's barely staying together—literally flooding with waste—and that you can't afford? So those are the de…

1
The Beast in Me starring CLAIRE DANES - Behind the Scenes w/ HOWARD GORDON & DANIEL PEARLE 46:26

29d ago46:26

46:26

“And I think there's also just something about an unfettered or uncensored id that is so captivating. We all have that fantasy of doing exactly what we want with no consequences and sort of letting that go. I think when you see an athlete at the peak of their game, doing that embodied thing and living that dream, or when someone has actually done h…

1
The Global Housing Crisis: Rights and Realities 32:11

1M ago32:11

32:11

On this week's episode of Economic Update, Professor Wolff delivers updates on the Italian dockworker unions refusing to load or unload Israeli cargo, the broadened national general strikes in Italy demanding the end of the Italian government's support for Israel because of Gaza, and a discussion of the return of socialism into U.S. politics after …

1
E61 Kidnapped at Sea by Israel — David Adler with Yanis Varoufakis on Gaza and Big Tech's War Machine 57:23

1M ago57:23

57:23

Seized in international waters and held in Israel's desert prison, David Adler joins Yanis Varoufakis to recount the flotilla and examine Big Tech's role in Gaza — what it reveals about corporate power and what may be coming next. Hosted by Mehran Khalili. Tune in and put your questions to David and Yanis! SUPPORT US Join: https://diem25.org/join …

1
Yanis Varoufakis & Grace Blakeley: Why Everything Feels Broken 47:48

2M ago47:48

47:48

In this discussion recorded in Athens, Grace Blakeley and Yanis Varoufakis expose how our so-called democracies have been captured by elites. From Gaza to the climate crisis to the collapse of liberal politics, they explore why even "progressive" leaders are absorbed by the system they enter, how neoliberalism has hollowed out collective power, and…

1
Listening to the Planet - Writers' Perspectives on Nature, Place & Interconnectedness 12:31

2M ago12:31

12:31

How do our environments shape who we are and how we care for the world and each other? There are many solutions to climate change, inequality, and poverty around the world. How can we learn from them and transform our society? Eiren Caffall (All the Water in the World) discusses the importance of embracing complexity and emotional flexibility in fa…

1
The Arrogant Ape: The Myth of Human Exceptionalism & Why it Matters with CHRISTINE WEBB

2M ago

—

“There are many ways in which I think human exceptionalism has seeped into the sciences, but one of the many ways is through the methodologies we use when we compare the intelligence of humans and other species. In particular, in my field, I’m a primatologist by training, comparing the cognitive abilities of humans with the abilities of our closest…

1
Gaza Flotillas: What REALLY Happened? 46:32

2M ago46:32

46:32

An interview with Melanie Schweizer, legal representative for the Global Sumud Flotilla, about the state of the flotillas — who's out, who's missing, how people were treated — and the practical next steps for activists. Hosted by Mehran Khalili, and recorded October 9, 2025. SUPPORT US Join: https://diem25.org/join Donate: https://diem25.org/donat…

1
E60: Gaza 2 Years On: Yanis Varoufakis & Katie Halper on the Flotilla, Israel's PR Machine & What's Next 58:56

2M ago58:56

58:56

Two years since October 7, Katie Halper (@TheKatieHalperShow) and Yanis Varoufakis join host Mehran Khalili to break down Israel's genocide in Gaza, the latest on the flotilla, Israel's influencer PR push, and the "peace plan". What can we do? SUPPORT US Join DiEM25: https://diem25.org/join Donate to DiEM25: https://diem25.org/donate Subscribe: ht…

1
Economic Update: Higher Education Labor United (HELU) Rises 29:00

2M ago29:00

29:00

On this week’s episode of Economic Update, Professor Wolff delivers updates on the Vermont Public Employers who got the contractual right to act with pay to "defend democracy," Tesla’s board offers Musk a $1 trillion CEO pay package, Trump and top corporate executives merge at Intel and other hi-tech corporations, quite like the mergers in Nazi Ger…

1
E59: Gaza, NATO, Far Right: Yanis Varoufakis Speaks Out 58:26

2M ago58:26

58:26

Yanis Varoufakis sits down with Mehran Khalili to talk Gaza, NATO versus Russia, and the rise of the far right in Europe. What can we do? Bring your questions! SUPPORT US Join: https://diem25.org/join Donate: https://diem25.org/donate Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/c/DiEM25official FOLLOW THE SPEAKERS Yanis: @yanisvaroufakis — https://www.yani…