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Behind the News with Doug Henwood

Doug Henwood
Donald Trump
Israel
United States
Iran
Private Equity
Neoliberalism
Trump Administration
Silicon Valley
Republican Party
Capitalism
Gaza
China
European Union
Democratic Party
Political Economy
Venezuela
Artificial Intelligence
Socialism
Right-Wing Populism
Sudan

Behind the News with Doug Henwood

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes28Founded21 years ago
Number of ListenersCategory
News

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Artwork for Behind the News

Latest Episodes

Behind the News, 10/1/26 - guests: Owen Zidar on the hidden rich • Jake Werner on US–China relations - Doug Henwood

Behind the News, 9/24/26 - guest: Kristin Du Mez on the world made by right-wing Christian women - Doug Henwood

Behind the News, 9/17/26 - guests: Jennifer Berkshire on the anti-voucher backlash • Heather Berg on sex worker politics - Doug Henwood

Behind the News, 9/10/26 - guests: Garrison Lovely on AI; Dave Zirin on Howard Zinn - Doug Henwood

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Recent Guests

Heather Berg
Author of Notes from the Sex Worker Left, Lecturer in Labor Studies and Gender Studies at UCLA
Duke University Press (publisher of her book)
Episode: Behind the News, 9/17/26
Garrison Lovely
Author of Obsolete, The AI Industry's Trillion Dollar Race to Replace Us and How to Stop It
Nation Books and Orr Books
Episode: Behind the News, 9/10/26
Dave Zirin
Author, journalist, biographer of Howard Zinn
Dutton
Episode: Behind the News, 9/10/26
Alejandro Velasco
Historian, Associate Professor of History at NYU; former editor of NACLA's Report on the Americas
Episode: Behind the News, 9/3/26
David McNally
Author of Slavery and Capitalism, A New Marxist History
University of Houston
Episode: Behind the News, 8/27/26
Billy Fleming
Editor of Building Post Carbon Futures, Lincoln Institute publication
Lincoln Institute, Temple University
Episode: Behind the News, 8/27/26
Annie McClanahan
Professor of English at the University of California, Irvine; author
University of California, Irvine; Zone Books
Episode: Behind the News, 8/20/26
Jodi Dean
Professor of Political Science, Hobart and William Smith Colleges
Hobart and William Smith Colleges
Episode: Behind the News, 8/13/26
Aditya Nigam
Delhi-based political theorist
University/Institute in Delhi (not explicitly stated)
Episode: Behind the News, 8/6/26

Host

Doug Henwood
Doug Henwood is the long-time host of the program, known for deep, thoughtful interviews on economics, politics, and culture.

Reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars from 680 ratings
  • ST. LOUIS MENTIONED!!!

    Episode 1/22/2026, 9 minutes 41 seconds in.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Flora Racine
    United States8 months ago
  • Thank you, Doug!

    I’ve been listening to Behind the News for years and it has profoundly deepened my knowledge and understanding of world events. I am always amazed at how Doug is able to speak with a wide range of extremely knowledgeable guests and distill complex topics into accessible segments. Not to mention some awesome music interludes. Thank you for all you do, Doug!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    kchen510
    United States9 months ago
  • Weekly pair of 25 minute interviews, w great music

    This podcast is like a dispatch, with meal-sized discussions fit for a lunch break - musical refreshments included. The host is very experienced and keeps the energy crisp and moving, even when the topics are quite sophisticated or high-intensity. Rarely is the content “too much to handle”, but almost always the guests nurture my intelligence. The material may be kept to a 25-minute se’ment, with a wizened interviewer, but I never feel I am being fed simplified or boring material.

    If someone l... more

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    *never too late
    United Statesa year ago
  • Great interviews. Love the music interludes.

    Let's go out with this.

    Bye!

    Podcast Addict
    5
    dirt mcgirt
    a year ago
  • One of the best

    This podcast is an oasis from the anti-intellectualism rampant in the U.S. today. Great guests, and Doug doesn’t waste my time with mindless chit-chat, which I appreciate. Lots packed into these conversations and I always learn a lot.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    AmeliaInTheForest
    United Statesa year ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

High-quality analysis that makes complex topics accessible.
Thoughtful, incisive interviews with strong guests.
Music breaks are a welcome texture to dense conversations.
Listeners appreciate the host's ability to probe deeply without losing clarity.
Consistently insightful and well-reasoned discussions.

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Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Behind the News, 9/3/26
Q: What does that violence reduction strategy look like, in practical terms, for cities facing high violence and limited resources?
Vitale describes programs that hire trusted community members to work with at-risk youth, pair these efforts with crisis stabilization, housing, and health services, and integrate restorative practices to prevent violence; evidence from places like Newark and New Orleans shows reductions in violence when these approaches are funded and scaled.
Behind the News, 9/3/26
Q: So first, I'd like you to expand on a point I saw you make at your DSA presentation last week. You recommended that no one ever say, well, I'm going to reduce poverty and that will solve the crime problem. Instead, they should say something like conventional methods don't really make people safer, and you have some better ideas on how to do that. Could you elaborate on what those better ideas of how to make people safer look like?
Vitale outlines concrete, non-police public-safety strategies: expand community-based violence reduction, invest in mental health services and harm reduction, and rely on credible messengers from within communities to de-escalate and support at-risk individuals, demonstrating that safety can be advanced without expanding policing.
Behind the News, 9/10/26
Q: What is the historical precedent Howard Zinn's life offers for contemporary activism against AI's societal impacts?
Zirin responds by highlighting Zinn's anti-war activism, civil rights organizing, and his insistence on viewing history from marginalized perspectives; this history demonstrates the power of activist scholarship to shape public discourse and push for democratic accountability in technology policy.
Behind the News, 9/10/26
Q: You discuss the potential for a policy-driven stop on universal labor replacing machines. What makes that feasible politically, and what would be required to move from talk to action?
The guest argues that broad popular sentiment against data centers and AI could translate into political pressure if a strong, clear policy (a ban on universal labor replacing machines) is framed around national and global risk, with political leaders needing to demonstrate commitment to opposing automation on a wide scale.
Behind the News, 7/2/26
Q: And who do you imagine as the agents of this transformation? What social institutional forces?
The transformation will be driven primarily by the working class and organized socialists, but it requires coalitions across many groups anchored in the working class who share a vision of democratic, ecological, and socially just development.

Audience Metrics

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Frequently Asked Questions About Behind the News

What is Behind the News about and what kind of topics does it cover?

A sharp, economics- and politics-forward discussion that blends current events with historical and theoretical context. Episodes frequently pair rigorous policy analysis with deep dives into power, money, and institutions, featuring economists, historians, political scientists, and journalists who illuminate how systems shape public policy, inequality, and labor. The show often explores pragmatic reform ideas (like universal housing, healthcare, or workers' rights) while critically examining media narratives, elite influence, and geopolitical power. Notable is a steady rhythm of two thoughtful interviews per episode, interwoven with music breaks, producing accessible but substantial conversations that appeal to listeners who value analytica... more

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1. The Dig
2. Jacobin Radio
3. Know Your Enemy
4. American Prestige
5. Politics Theory Other

How many episodes of Behind the News are there?

Behind the News launched 21 years ago and published 28 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

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What guests have appeared on Behind the News?

Recent guests on Behind the News include:

1. Heather Berg
2. Garrison Lovely
3. Dave Zirin
4. Alejandro Velasco
5. David McNally
6. Billy Fleming
7. Annie McClanahan
8. Jodi Dean

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