On this episode of The Beautiful Idea, we speak with several authors and organizers, marking six months into the second Trump administration coming to power. During our multiple discussions, we look at the recent deployment of the military into Los Angeles, CA, the ramping up of ICE raids and arrests across the US, and the passing of the Republican so-called "Big Beautiful Bill," which ear-marks billions for war and the deportation machine, while cutting taxes on the ultra-wealthy and corporations, and slashing social services, health-care, and food assistance for the poor. Already, which has lead to rural hospitals being threatened with closure [https://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/2025/07/10/medicaid-cuts-could-lead-to-8-mississippi-hospitals-closing-see-why/84530916007/] as food banks struggle to keep up with demand [https://www.yahoo.com/news/federal-funding-cuts-could-close-222733096.html].

In this episode you will hear from:

 * Silky Shaw [https://bsky.app/profile/silkys13.bsky.social], the executive director of the Detention Watch Network, and author of Unbuild Walls: Why Immigrant Justice Needs Abolition [https://www.haymarketbooks.org/events/614-unbuild-walls-why-immigrant-justice-needs-abolition], from Haymarket Books. Shaw talks about the rapid acceleration of deportations under Trump and the construction of new detention facilities, such as the newly built concentration camp, Alligator Alcatraz.
 * Jessica Pishko [https://bsky.app/profile/jesspish.bsky.social], author of The Highest Law in the Land: How the Unchecked Power of Sheriffs Threatens Democracy [https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/707263/the-highest-law-in-the-land-by-jessica-pishko/], breaks down the interplay between police and ICE, as well as the brutal violence deployed by law enforcement during recent demonstrations in Los Angeles.
 * Kristian Williams [https://www.kristianwilliams.com/], author of Our Enemies and Blue: Police and Power in America [https://www.kristianwilliams.com/product/our-enemies-in-blue-police-and-power-in-america/], takes on the role of counter-insurgency in the Trump administration, the weaponization of fascist spectacle, and the growth of conspiracy theories within protest movements.
 * Vicky Osterweil [https://bsky.app/profile/vickyacab.bsky.social], author of In Defense of Looting [https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/vicky-osterweil-in-defense-of-looting] and a member of Collective of Anarchist Writers (CAW) [https://www.cawshinythings.com/], breaks down the recently passed Republican budget bill, and talks about its potential impact in our communities and ways in which we can push back.

As anger continues to build in the streets, we hope this discussion shines a light on the contours and context of the building social war being waged against poor and working people across the US.

MUSIC:

Intro music by Breakaway [https://breakawaybreakaway.bandcamp.com/] and Seaside Tryst [https://seasidetryst.bandcamp.com/]

Filastine & Nova - Requiem 432 [https://youtu.be/A2LvqColxzA?si=eYcsOINIb65k3758]

Neurosis - The Doorway [https://youtu.be/OUBegD4_Bn4?si=DWI5Z6VcwDftXZ7S]

Big Beautiful Social War: Six Months Into Trump 2.0

For as long as people have been getting pregnant, they’ve also been figuring out how to get un-pregnant. A self-managed abortion (SMA) is when a person ends their pregnancy outside of the formal medical system. Most often, self-managed abortions are done as “medication abortions” — abortions induced by medication. In this episode of The Beautiful Idea, we talk about self-managed medication abortions done with a combination of the drugs misoprostol and mifepristone. Guests Jane and Hazel are both abortion doulas (also known as abortion companions) with extensive experience supporting people completing self-managed medication abortions. Jane, based in Appalachia, works with the Mountain Area Abortion Doula Collective (MAADCO). Hazel, based in the Rust Belt, is a former abortion clinic worker, and wrote the zine “how to do it anyway: a guide to self-managing an abortion at home” after Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022. We discuss the history of reproductive justice, how self-managed abortion is often stigmatized and why that can be harmful, and the actual step-by-step details of what a medication abortion entails (how to measure pregnancy, which pills to take when, how it might feel physically in the body, what to look out for to determine if an abortion has been completed, pain management, and some of the ways that people sometimes emotionally or culturally process an abortion), among other topics. 

There are many resources on self-managed medication abortion available. Here are just a few, mentioned in today’s show:

-“how to do it anyway: a guide to self-managing an abortion at home” (https://www.tangledwilderness.org/shop/p/how-to-do-it-anyway)

-National Network of Abortion Funds (https://abortionfunds.org/) — connects people to local abortion funds for financial aid, and to resources that provide practical support (childcare, rides to clinics, etc.)

-Abortion Finder (https://www.abortionfinder.org/) — finds verified abortion clinics 

-Plan C Pills (https://www.plancpills.org/about) — educational website w resources on how to source abortion pills, how to dose them, what to look out for

-Aid Access (https://aidaccess.org/en/) — provides access to medication abortion via mail

-RX List (RXlist.com) — searchable database that provides information about general drug interactions

-Miscarriage & abortion hotline (https://mahotline.org/) — text hotline for medical advice, particularly if you are self-managing an abortion

-The Mountain Area Abortion Doula Collective (MAADCO) (https://mtnabortiondoula.co/)

-Holler Health Justice (https://www.hollerhealthjustice.org/)

-The Yellow Hammer Fund (https://abortionfunds.org/fund/yellowhammer-fund/)

-“The Janes” (https://www.hbo.com/movies/the-janes) — HBO documentary on the Jane Collective (1960s/70s underground network of abortion providers)

-“Cool People Who Did Cool Stuff” podcast episode about the Jane Collective (https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-cool-people-who-did-cool-96003360/episode/part-one-the-jane-collective-direct-96629898/)

Self-Managed Medication Abortion: Can’t Live With It, Can’t Live Without It

Welcome back to The Beautiful Idea. So much has happened since we started to put this episode together. We've got a lot to cover, so let's not waste any time and dive right into it!

On today's episode, first we present a interview with an organizer on the recent "Statelessness" conference that took place in Evansville, IN. For more on the conference, check out this recording from the presentation [https://compulsories.noblogs.org/files/2025/04/painting-presentation.mp3], the Belki Sibe [https://www.belkisibe.com/] documentary which was shown at the event, a presentation from keynote speaker Jane Gordon [https://newbooksnetwork.com/jane-a-gordon-statelessness-and-contemporary-enslavement-routledge-2020], and a PDF booklet about the conference [https://archive.org/details/statelessness-booklet-print-v-5].

Next, we speak with someone involved in Antifa International, which supports international antifascist prisoners [https://linktr.ee/antifainternational], and then turn towards our discussion on the recent deployment of National Guard troops in Los Angeles, CA.

A reminder to follow the Beautiful Idea on BlueSky [https://bsky.app/profile/beautifulidea.bsky.social], Mastodon [https://kolektiva.social/@thebeautifulidea], and Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/thebeautifulideashow/] and check out our website [https://thebeautifulidea.show/]. The Beautiful Idea is also a proud member of the Channel Zero Anarchist Podcast network [https://channelzeronetwork.com/].

Music Credits

Intro:

 * Breakaway [https://breakawaybreakaway.bandcamp.com/] & Seaside Tryst [https://seasidetryst.bandcamp.com/]

Transition clips:

 * Infernal Noise Brigade - Goat Eyes [https://youtu.be/wwYw-ulJFFo?si=urNMB2_grn5BHvhF]
 * Eyedea & Abilities - Music Music [https://youtu.be/u4pjTV1pyGE?si=lwMccZ8viRwwWjg8]
 * Decide Today - Free Marius Mason (June 11) [https://decidetoday.bandcamp.com/album/2019-east-europe-tour-cd]

ICE Melts as Streets Erupt, Revolt at Delaney Hall Migrant Prison, UW Campus Occupation Against War Profiteers

In this conversation, we speak with two recent International Solidarity Movement (ISM) volunteers about their experiences accompanying Palestinians in the West Bank. International Solidarity Movement is an initiative based in Palestine that enables international volunteers to physically accompany Palestinians facing harassment and attacks from the Israeli occupation. We discuss what everyday resistance — both large and small — looks like for Palestinians in the West Bank. Among many other topics, we explore the ways that ISM volunteers move between what they call “protective presence” and “solidarity” in their accompaniment work, how their experience has shifted or impacted the way they understand anti-colonial resistance more broadly, and what they see on the horizon for Palestine. 

This interview was originally conducted immediately following the agreement to a ceasefire between the IDF and Hamas, on January 16th, 2025. Israel violated the ceasefire numerous times from January 19 to March 17, killing at least 170 people in Gaza, averaging nearly three deaths a day. On March 18th, Israel officially broke the ceasefire agreement, and continues to bombard Gaza with air strikes and ground offensives. Gaza is on the verge of famine and a total collapse of healthcare infrastructure, as Israel continues to bar the entry of much-needed medical supplies, fuel, and other humanitarian aid including food and clean water to the region. 

As of May 19th, 2025, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, at least 53,339 people — including at least 17,400 children — have been confirmed killed in Gaza.

Last month, we published an interview with a friend and comrade of Ayşenur Ezgi Eygi, a 26-year-old who was killed by the Israeli Defense Forces on September 6th, 2024, while accompanying Palestinians in the West Bank as an ISM volunteer. 

That interview, called “The Murder of Ayşenur Ezgi Eygi and the Future of International Solidarity” is available on our feed and at this link: https://thebeautifulidea.show/the-murder-of-aysenur-ezgi-eygi-and-the-future-of-international-solidarity-2/. 

For more information about the work of ISM, visit their website at: https://palsolidarity.org/

An Interview with International Solidarity Movement Volunteers

Join us as we sit down with members of the subMedia Collective to discuss their upcoming series InterRebellium. In this conversation we run down the history of subMedia, beginning in the 90s rave scene, the development of anarchist media in the first 25 years of this century, and what the future holds.

Finally we discuss their upcoming series, InterRebellium, which traces a trajectory of insurgent and autonomous action through struggles around the world. The trailer for InterRebellium can be found at https://sub.media/interrebellium-trailer/

subMedia's work can be found on their site https://sub.media

You can also follow them on Kolektiva platforms at https://kolektiva.social/@subMedia and https://kolektiva.media/a/submedia/video-channels

subMedia has also released a series with recent podcast guest Peter Gelderloos, It's Revolution or Death, which can be found here: https://sub.media/its-revolution-or-death-part-one-short-term-investments/

InterRebellium: A Discussion with subMedia

Dean Spade is the author of "Mutual Aid: Building Solidarity During this Crisis and the Next", and "Normal Life: Administrative Violence, Critical Trans Politics, and the Limits of Law". Well known for highlighting the ways that mutual aid can be a direct response to societal needs as well as a transformative practice that shifts our reliance away from the state and toward each other, Spade has just published a new book called "Love in a Fucked Up World: How to Build relationships, hook up, and raise hell together". Informed by over two decades of experience pushing for trans liberation and racial and economic justice, Spade's new book discusses the urgency of building sustainable, accountable, and truly abolitionist interpersonal relationships that empower us to resist state violence over the long haul. In a time of increasing despair, he urges us to move beyond symbolic actions and embrace riskier, more meaningful forms of action that require trust, deep solidarity, and real vulnerability. We touch on Spade's personal journey of radicalization, think about some of the potential of this moment, and unpack some concrete tools for self-reflection and expression.

In addition to Spade's books, check out the "Five Questions for Cultivating Solidarity When Responding to Political Repression", downloadable in English & Spanish here: https://www.communityjusticeexchange.org/en/resources-all/five-questions-for-cultivating-solidarity

Follow Dean Spade:

Twitter – https://x.com/deanspade

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/spade.dean

Personal website – https://www.deanspade.net/

A Discussion With Dean Spade

Welcome back to The Beautiful Idea! We're excited to bring you a jam-packed show today and we have some amazing content planned, so be sure to subscribe to the show [https://thebeautifulidea.show/] and follow us on Mastodon [https://kolektiva.social/@igd_news] and BlueSky [https://bsky.app/profile/igd.bsky.social].

In today's episode, we feature:

 * An interview with an organizer for the recent Florida Abolitionist Gathering [https://crimethinc.com/2025/03/15/they-cant-beat-all-of-us-a-reportback-from-the-florida-abolitionist-gathering].
 * A participant in the Imaginary Crimes Tour [https://cryptpad.fr/pad/#/2/pad/view/g6H3S1Zum45tRJPwAP9t--jD2CyBQFq-rY5g6YOQB8A/embed/] which is already underway, about how people are fighting back against state repression against the Stop Cop City Movement.
 * Present an audio version of a call for events and gatherings on May Day [https://crimethinc.com/2025/04/08/may-day-means-resistance-a-call-to-take-action-on-may-first].
 * Unpack Trump's escalating trade war.

Extended show notes can be found at https://thebeautifulidea.show/people-hit-the-streets-as-trumps-trade-war-heats-up/

People Hit the Streets As Trump's Trade War Heats Up

On September 6th of last year, 26 year old University of Washington graduate Ayşenur Ezgi Eygi was shot and killed by IDF soldiers while doing accompaniment in the West Bank of Palestine with International Solidarity Movement (ISM). In this episode, we speak with a friend of Ayşenur's who had travelled to the West Bank to do accompaniment with ISM alongside her, and was present during the days leading up to and immediately after her murder. 

We discuss what happened to Ayşenur, settler violence against Palestinians and IDF complicity, grief, remembrance, and ways in which anarchist movements internationally can effectively support people facing violence from the state and occupying forces. 

During the discussion a number of pieces are referenced:

"Theses On Palestine Solidarity" (anonymous): https://haters.noblogs.org/files/2024/01/Theses-on-Palestine-Solidarity.pdf

"The Gaza Ghetto Uprising" (Adi Callai*): https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Pt_1k7nSv1M&pp=ygUUZ2F6YSBnaGV0dG8gdXByaXNpbmc%3D

"The Gaza ceasefire will not cure the wounds of genocide" (Roaa Shamallakh): https://mondoweiss.net/2025/01/the-gaza-ceasefire-will-not-cure-the-wounds-of-genocide/

For more information about Ayşenur and her murder at the hands of the IDF, please see https://www.realchangenews.org/news/2024/10/02/remembering-ay-enur-activist-s-death-felt-deeply-seattle-and-beyond and https://southseattleemerald.org/voices/2024/09/10/aysenurs-legacy-the-tragic-loss-of-an-activist-a-friend-and-a-fighter-for-international-solidarity

The speaker interviewed on this episode does not represent the views of International Solidarity Movement. For more about the work of ISM, visit their website at:https://palsolidarity.org/

This interview was originally conducted immediately following the agreement to a ceasefire between the IDF and Hamas, on January 16th, 2025. We apologize for the delayed release.

*Adi Callai has previously been interviewed by contributors to this show. Shortly following the October 7th attacks, they appeared on "This is America" (with Tom Nomad) to discuss IDF strategy (https://itsgoingdown.org/counter-insurgency-israel-podcast/).

The Murder of Ayşenur Ezgi Eygi and the Future of International Solidarity 

In this episode of The Beautiful Idea, we present an interview with author Jamie Merchant, author of Engame: Economic Nationalism and Global Decline [https://reaktionbooks.co.uk/work/endgame] and numerous articles at The Brooklyn Rail [https://brooklynrail.org/contributor/Jamie-Merchant/]. Merchant argues that we have entered a post-neoliberal age, with both Trump and Biden abandoning many of the touch-stones of corporate globalization that defined the past several decades.

But what comes next? During our discussion we talk about how and why Bidenism failed following the upheavals of 2020 and the rise of the Tech-Right as a bloc within the Trump administration. We map out what this formation wants and how it connects to the State's push to expand the American tech industry and in particular, Artificial Intelligence (AI).

We also unpack what it would mean to create new forms of autonomous class based street politics, as demonstrations against ICE and Tesla continue to grow.

Trump, the Tech-Right, and the Post-Neoliberal Order

In this episode of The Beautiful Idea, we speak with Tracy Rosenthal [https://www.haymarketbooks.org/authors/1596-tracy-rosenthal] and Leonardo Vilchis [https://www.haymarketbooks.org/authors/1597-leonardo-vilchis], two tenant organizers in Los Angeles, CA, involved in the Los Angeles Tenant Union (LATU) [https://latenantsunion.org/en/], and co-authors of the new book, Abolish Rent: How Tenants Can End the Housing Crisis [https://www.haymarketbooks.org/books/2496-abolish-rent].

From the publisher [https://www.haymarketbooks.org/books/2496-abolish-rent]:

"Rent drives millions into debt, despair, and onto the streets. The social cost of rent is too damn high. Written for anyone fed up with the permanent housing crisis, complicit politicians, and real estate greed, Abolish Rent dissects our housing system from the perspective of those it immiserates. Through unsparing analysis and striking stories of resistance, it shows us how tenants can, through organizing and collective action, harness our power and win the housing we deserve.

From two co-founders of the largest tenants union in the country, this deeply reported account of the resurgent tenant movement centers poor and working-class people who are fighting back, staying put, and remaking the city in the process. Authors Tracy Rosenthal and Leonardo Vilchis take us to trilingual strategy meetings, raucous marches against gentrification, and daring eviction defenses where immigrants put their lives on the line. These are the seeds of the revolutionary movement we need to make our housing, our cities, and the world our home."

During our discussion, we cover the growing crisis around rent and housing and how landlords and politicians have attempted to shift the discussion onto attacks on migrants and the houseless. We cover how the Los Angeles Tenant Union and the wider Autonomous Tenant Union Network have grown to build a grassroots, tenant led autonomous movement, aimed at building power on a neighborhood level.

Abolish Rent: A Discussion With The LA Tenants' Union

The Beautiful Idea is a media project bringing you interviews, ideas, and stories from the frontlines of social movements and struggles, from a distinctly anarchist perspective.

More information at https://thebeautifulidea.show

Bill Worthington

Shows