The convoy to Cuba was a success, but the island is still in crisis. We are joined by Current Affairs associate editor Alex Skopic to talk about Cuba. Joining David, Alex also debunks the propaganda machine that has been in full swing, attacking the convoy and figures like Hasan Piker. Plus, Matt & David on Graham Platner and a worrying crackdown on free speech in Texas.

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This is the audio version of a video from March 27, 2026. Catch the Jacobin Show on YouTube every Friday at 10 AM ET: https://www.youtube.com/@JacobinMag

Welcome to this week's Jacobin Show. David and Matt break down the recent elections in Illinois and the crisis of money in politics. Then we are joined by writer and activist Alex Birnel to talk about his recent piece in The Texas Observer that answers the question, can Mamdani style politics win everywhere?

Plus, we take a look at Greg Casar's recent statement on the crisis of the Democratic Party. He understands the problem; the solution is working-class politics.

You can get four print issues of Jacobin for just $10, or yearlong digital access for $5 by using the code JACOBINSHOW25: https://jacobin.com/subscribe/?code=JACOBINSHOW25

This is the audio version of a video from March 20, 2026. Catch the Jacobin Show on YouTube every Friday at 10 AM ET: https://www.youtube.com/@JacobinMag

On this week’s Jacobin Show, David is joined by Iddo Elam, an Israeli refusenik who served prison time instead of serving in the IDF. He joins Jacobin to talk about resistance within Israel to the war on Iran.

Then we look toward Mexico, where President Claudia Sheinbaum has brought in a massive debt relief program. Jose Luis Granados Ceja and Jacobin contributor Kurt Hackbarth, both of the Soberania podcast, join us to break down what is working in Mexico.

Follow Iddo on instagram: instagram.com/iddo_elam

David’s Take on the Talarico win in Texas: https://jacobin.com/2026/03/texas-primary-talarico-class-christianity

Get it now - The Myth of Red Texas Cowboys, Populism, and Class War in the Radical South: https://orbooks.com/catalog/the-myth-of-red-texas/

You can get four print issues of Jacobin for just $10, or yearlong digital access for $5 by using the code JACOBINSHOW25: https://jacobin.com/subscribe/?code=JACOBINSHOW25

This is the audio version of a video from 2026. Catch the Jacobin Show on YouTube every Friday at 10 AM ET: https://www.youtube.com/@JacobinMag

The United States is at war with Iran. But why? This week, Jacobin staff writer Branko Marcetic joins David Griscom to break down the many conflicting reasons and justifications we’ve been getting for the war. Then, David and Matt take a look at the frantic, desperate explanations for the war coming from MAGA influencers like Steven Crowder, Tim Pool, and Dave Rubin. Plus: What does James Talarico’s win mean for the left?

Find Branko’s article “The US Is Fighting Israel’s War on Iran” here: https://jacobin.com/2026/03/us-israel-iran-war-trump

And read David’s take on the Talarico win here: https://jacobin.com/2026/03/texas-primary-talarico-class-christianity

The Myth of Red Texas is out now: https://orbooks.com/catalog/the-myth-of-red-texas/

You can get four print issues of Jacobin for just $10, or yearlong digital access for $5 by using the code JACOBINSHOW25: https://jacobin.com/subscribe/?code=JACOBINSHOW25

This is the audio version of a video from March 6, 2026. Catch the Jacobin Show on YouTube every Friday at 10 AM ET: https://www.youtube.com/@JacobinMag

Afshin Matin-Asgari discusses the military build-up directed at Iran and his new book, Axis of Empire: A History of Iran–US Relations.

You can get four print issues of Jacobin for just $10, or yearlong digital access for $5 by using the code JACOBINSHOW25: https://jacobin.com/subscribe/?code=JACOBINSHOW25

This is the audio version of a live broadcast from February 27, 2026. Catch the Jacobin Show on YouTube every Friday at 10 AM ET: https://www.youtube.com/@JacobinMag

Special show this week featuring Cornel West!

You can get four print issues of Jacobin for just $10, or yearlong digital access for $5 by using the code JACOBINSHOW25: [https://jacobin.com/subscribe/?code=JACOBINSHOW25](https://jacobin.com/subscribe/?code=JACOBINSHOW25)

This is the audio version of a live broadcast from February 20, 2026. Catch the _Jacobin Show_ on YouTube every Friday at 10 AM ET: [https://www.youtube.com/@JacobinMag](https://www.youtube.com/@JacobinMag)

David and Matt take a look at how billionaires like Mark Zuckerberg try to subvert democracy and the planet. Then we are joined by Sasha Abramsky, Authoritarian Watch correspondent at The Nation Magazine, to talk about his new book American Carnage: How Trump, Musk, and DOGE Butchered the US Government. Rather than being a short blip in a chaotic administration, Elon Musk’s DOGE has reshaped the US, for the worse. Then Matt & David respond to recent attacks on Hasan Piker. It’s perfectly fine to not support Gavin Newsom.

Sasha’s book is available here: https://orbooks.com/catalog/american-carnage/

Order David’s book The Myth of Red Texas, available for 15% off: https://orbooks.com/catalog/the-myth-of-red-texas/

You can get four print issues of Jacobin for just $10, or yearlong digital access for $5 by using the code JACOBINSHOW25: https://jacobin.com/subscribe/?code=JACOBINSHOW25

This is the audio version of a live broadcast from February 13, 2026. Catch the Jacobin Show on YouTube every Friday at 10 AM ET: https://www.youtube.com/@JacobinMag

On this episode of the Jacobin Show David breaks down the growing momentum of organized labor, including the UAW’s breakthrough efforts in the South, and what it signals for the future of worker power in historically anti-union regions. We discuss why this moment matters, what made it possible, and what comes next for the broader labor movement.

Minneapolis City Council member Robin Wonsley joins us to discuss the recent ICE activity in her city, how communities responded, and what lessons democratic socialists in other cities can take from Minneapolis.

Plus, Chip Gibbons on surveillance, blowback, and journalism under fire.

Read Chip Gibbons’s pieces:

https://jacobin.com/2026/01/harp-venezuela-free-speech-journalism

https://jacobin.com/2025/12/cia-blowback-afghanistan-terrorism-mujahideen

Check out David’s book The Myth of Red Texas: https://orbooks.com/catalog/the-myth-of-red-texas/

You can get four print issues of Jacobin for just $10, or yearlong digital access for $5 by using the code JACOBINSHOW25: https://jacobin.com/subscribe/?code=JACOBINSHOW25

This is the audio version of a live broadcast from February 6, 2026. Catch the Jacobin Show on YouTube every Friday at 10 AM ET: https://www.youtube.com/@JacobinMag