Another great line-up of old and new vintage music awaits you on Backbeat this week. Rosetta Tharpe heads the list of stellar performers such as Lionel Hampton, Rose Maddox, Billie Holiday, Robert Nighthawk and Ruth Brown. Take a sip of Slim Gaillard's Atomic Cocktail while you hear new blues from Ronnie Douglas and Toronto's Blue Room, plus a combo lead by Elvis Presley's original bass player doing a make-over of one of the king's biggest hits.

Today we begin with a question that every American should be asking, a question that echoes through every ruined base, every broken alliance, every shattered promise: Why are we in war with Iran? And why, somehow, are we in conflict with half the world? How did a nation that once led through diplomacy, alliances, and economic strength become a nation defined by endless wars, sanctions, tariffs, and isolation? How did we go from building bridges to burning them? From leading coalitions to losing them? From being respected to being feared, and then resented? The Iran war did not begin with strategy. It began with arrogance. It began with the belief that America could reshape the Middle East with missiles, threats, and pressure. It began with the fantasy that Iran would collapse under sanctions, that its alliances would crumble, that its people would turn against their government. Instead, Iran grew stronger. Its networks expanded. Its influence deepened. And America found itself fighting a war it could not win, against a country that never attacked it. But Iran was only the beginning. Tariffs followed, sweeping, punishing tariffs that struck not enemies, but allies. Europe, Canada, Mexico, South Korea, Japan, China, nations that stood with us for decades, suddenly found themselves treated as adversaries. Their industries were hit. Their economies strained. Their trust shattered. They watched America weaponize trade, not against dictators, but against partners. And slowly, quietly, they began to walk away. Countries that once relied on American leadership began building their own alliances. Countries that once trusted American promises began preparing for American abandonment. Countries that once feared American power began doubting American competence. And then came the war, the war with Iran that spiraled into a regional collapse. Bases destroyed. Supply lines broken. Allies refusing to host American forces. Nations refusing to join American coalitions. The world watched the United States stumble into a conflict it did not understand, did not prepare for, and could not control. Why are we in war with Iran? Because we chose ideology over strategy. Why are we in conflict with the world? Because we chose tariffs over diplomacy. Because we chose pressure over partnership. Because we chose dominance over cooperation. And now, America stands more isolated than at any point in modern history, not because the world turned against us, but because we pushed the world away. This brings us to the conversation that every American must hear the one with John Mearsheimer, one of the most respected foreign policy scholars alive. In his discussion with Chris Hedges, Mearsheimer lays out the truth with brutal clarity: The Iran war is the biggest strategic blunder in U.S. history. He explains how the war destroyed American credibility, empowered Iran, fractured alliances, drained billions, and exposed the limits of American military power. He shows how the United States misread the region, misunderstood its enemies, and overestimated its own strength. He reveals how lobby networks, ideological pressure, and political delusion pushed America into a conflict that served no national interest. And he warns that great powers do not fall because they are defeated. Great powers fall because they make catastrophic decisions and refuse to admit they were wrong. Today, we stand inside the consequences of those decisions. Today, we live in the shadow of a war that never should have happened. Today, we confront the cost of arrogance, isolation, and empire. And now, with the stage set, with the truth laid bare, with the questions finally asked, we turn to the conversation that explains how America lost its way, and how it might still find a path back. If you have thoughts, I want to hear them. Email me at TWIPpodcasts@gmail.com and tell me how you see it. This is This Week in Palestine.

Mindwalk is a short stroll trough the theater of the mind.

Labor Day traditionally marks the end of summer—and the beginning of election season. Midterm elections often cost the president’s party seats in Congress. But this election has an extraordinary dimension: President Donald Trump’s effort to use the federal government and the U.S. Postal Service to impose new restrictions on mail-in voting—an effort critics contend intrudes on state authority.

Palestinian activist, journalist and poet Ahmed Abu Artema says Israel contains a deep genocidal mindset, regardless of whether Palestinians use violence or nonviolence. He helped inspire the Great March of Return in Gaza in 2018 and has only engaged in nonviolent struggle. Israel bombed his home and killed his son. He joins hosts Nora Barrows-Friedman and Ali Abunimah to discuss Israel’s continuing attacks and blockade under the so-called ceasefire, the scars of genocide and exile, and what people around the world must do. On August 30th, 2026, the U.S. resumed its attack on Iran. A couple of days later, a U.S. cruise missile strike targeted a wedding celebration in Kuhestak. In response, Iran is striking back at US military bases in the region. This week on the Resistance Report, Jon Elmer covers the resumption of the missile war and the latest on the battle in the Strait of Hormuz. Electronic Intifada contributor Roqayah Chamseddine reports that Israeli airstrikes are continuing to decimate areas in the south of Lebanon. Among Israel's targets was an elderly care home in the town of Houla, which the army blew up on August 29th and at least 45 separate attacks on August 30th, including air strikes, artillery shelling, and detonations of homes and buildings. At al-Deira displacement camp in Gaza, the communal bathrooms are unsanitary, leading many women to avoid using the toilet entirely, with major health consequences. Rima al-Swisi’s article ‘Avoiding the toilet at any cost’ takes a closer look.

Sonic Café with a funk cover of the Pink Floyd classic, I Wish You Were Here, done totally by AI, unexpected yes, but now part of our augmented reality, so hey welcome, I’m your host Scott Clark and this is episode 498. This time the Sonic Café spins up unexpected cover tunes so great, they’re scary. In this the tenth cover tune episode the Sonic Café’s nearly ten year history, which works out to be roughly one cover tune episode a year. So listen up, or you’ll ahh have to wait another year. So there’s that. Listen for unexpected covers, like Jessie Wagner breathing fresh soul into Solomon Burke 1961 hit, Cry to Me, and Billie Joe Armstrong cranks Tiffany’s, I Think We’re Alone Now into garage-rock glory. Acoustic magic arrives with Elle & Toni on Steely Dan’s ‘Dirty Work,’ while Carolyn Oates re-imagines Jethro Tull’s ‘Thick as a Brick.’ Plus: The Doughboys tackle The Moody Blues’ ‘Tuesday Afternoon,’ and Buddy Guy and Tracy Chapman dig deep into ‘Ain’t No Sunshine, plus many more. Between spins, we’ll drop in a few surprises — which U.S. states people most regret moving to, is your state on the list? The secret psychology of selling women’s shoes, and classic TV moments from Seinfeld and Mad Men. So let’s get to it, with Pearl Jam’s front man Eddie Vedder, with his unexpected cover of the 1982 English Beat song, this is Save It For Later, and as always we’re the Sonic Café.

New Bedford, Massachusetts, a sea port located in the southeast corner of Massachusetts, at the base of Cape Cod is the locale of our program. Early in New Bedford’s history a group of Quakers from Boston moved there and “New Bedford became a safe haven for formerly enslaved African-Americans” who had been able to escape bondage. The stories of those who safely arrived in New Bedford on the Underground Railroad are presented at the 34 acre New Bedford National Historical Park in the Old Town section of New Bedford. This two part series on the New Bedford Underground Railroad with National Park Ranger Mark Mello was recorded on September 2, 2016, with the sound of wind and street traffic in the background. Part one begins with a historical perspective of the Underground Railroad and the way in which New Bedford, Massachusetts was a safe haven for former slaves. The books Mark Mello recommends are “Fugitive’s Gibraltar: Escaping Slaves and Abolitionism in New Bedford, Massachusetts,” by Kathryn Grover; “Whale Hunt,” by Nelson Cole Haley; and “Leviathan,” by Philip Hoare.

A weekly 30 minute review of international news and opinion, recorded from a shortwave radio and the internet. With times, frequencies, and websites for listening at home. 3 files- Highest quality broadcast, regular broadcast, and slow-modem streaming. Germany, France, Japan, Cuba.

Take some time away from the worries of the day. Tap your feet and groove to the beat of a Celtic holiday! RANT play it LIVE in Glasgow for The Day Off, we order Another Round from The Scratch, catch up on our Jane Austen with Trous Braz’ Pride And Prejudice. PLUS, Haggis X-1 deliver LIVE in Plymouth, NH with Congress. You got yer Celt In A Twist!

Been picking fruit this week and cherry-picking choice tracks from our new World Beat top 30 chart. Rich atmospheres from Karsh Kale, Rodrigo y Gabriela, trippy Turkish psych from KR//LN and Hilal Kaya, double-nought spy stuff from Eleven 76 and Ky-Mani Marley’s back, riffing on Teddy Pendergrass for some deep soul. A Love TKO for World Beat Canada Radio!

Nora Barrows-Friedman brings us a recap of Palestinian news for the week of August 27th to September 3rd, 2026.

Canadian auto workers must not depend on the Detroit 3. The country needs affordable EVs, not military vehicles.

Today’s episode we discuss the history of certain foods that have been negatively associated with Black people and the impact that it can have. We share some personal stories and provide some historical context and examples to flesh out the roots of this form of ignorance. The second half we discuss how segregated churches can be on Sunday mornings. We investigate the roots of this segregation, challenge it, and identify ways race-relations could improve if this were ever remedied.

The cutting room floor looks at a largely forgotten film that just sounds cheezy about a Hootenanny. It should be a hoot! 50 guitars will fit into a recording studio to lush away at your ears, and disco and Star Wars did collide in the 70s....strange but true, and you might not want to admit you know about it.

After nearly 200 episodes, Voices of the Community is officially sunsetting. Join creator George Koster, associate producer Eric Estrada, and guest host Lila LaHood for a special live farewell panel recorded at KSFP's new San Francisco studio. Tune in to explore a decade of grassroots storytelling, uncover behind-the-scenes memories, and learn how you can continue supporting local nonprofits and mom-and-pop businesses. Listen now and explore our complete episode archive at georgekoster.com/voices-of-the-community.

Blasted into bedrock of the island of Olkiluoto in Finland on the shores of the Baltic Sea, Onkalo has to remain secure for 100,000 years. Danish filmmaker Michael Madsens documentary of the building in progress of Onkalo is a meditation on eternity, insanity and the impossibility of projecting anything 100,000 years into the future. The film also proves eloquently and with expert statements the terrible danger that arises from so-called spent nuclear fuel from power plants and makes us see Fukushima with very different eyes. This radio program presents excerpts from the film and its amazing sound design. DATE: film released in 2010

Johnny and Denise discuss random topics

Rising Number of US Troops Seek Exit Over Trump’s Wars, International Law Violations; Trump's 19 Schemes to Subvert the Midterm Election; Starbuck Workers Union Calls For Nationwide Boycott as Contract Negotiations Stall.

Goffman has produced one of the most remarkable books on what's happening to Black people in the US, On the Run: Fugitive Life in an American City. She spent 6 years living in an African American neighborhood in Philadelphia, with people trapped in a web of high-tech surveillance, police violence, and mass incarceration. Bob Avakian on the conditions facing Black People today, how they developed, what's behind them and what's the solution.