Dylan Ratigan

What goes on behind closed doors never ceases to amaze us. Quietly, discussions between Obama administration insiders, advisers and NY’s financial elite have focused on next step for the federal government’s role in the mortgage market. We talk to Zach Carter of the Huffington Post.

What is the current state of the justice system in America? The Department of Justice, the federal bank regulators, the state attorneys general, the SEC, the entire complex that is theoretically there to supervise relative to the activity that did happen and still in some cases is happening in our banking sector? To get some answers, we talked to Shahien Nasiripour. Shahien a business reporter at The Huffington Post, previously at the Center for Investigative Reporting.

Egyptian protesters in Cairo and around their home country have been putting their lives on the line while fighting for regime change. Some have been camped out in Tahrir Square for weeks, afraid to leave because of threat of violence and retribution from the Mubarak regime. To get some answers, we spoke to Steve Clemons. He’s a founder of the American Strategy Program at the New America Foundation where he’s also a Senior Fellow. He’s also an active author and policy advocate on foreign policy defense and economic policy.

Glenn has found himself at the center of yet another emerging controversy, this time involving WikiLeaks, major internet security firms, the DOJ, well-connected D.C. law firms, the Chamber of Commerce and Bank of America.

We had the opportunity to catch up with Stephanie Bloomingdale, Secretary-Treasurer of the Wisconsin AFL-CIO. Check out the podcast for an update on the latest with labor protests in their state.

Just how much are taxpayers being ripped off by businesses that can’t compete, and so they go to the government for subsidies while the government tries to annihilate teachers? There are strong efforts underway to take food and bargaining power away from the poorest of those in Wisconsin while 2/3 of the corporations in that state don’t pay a single penny in taxes. David Cay Johnston. He’s a columnist at Tax.com and Reuters, a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, and a professor of law and business at Syracuse University.

Stanford University President John Hennessy speaks with Dylan about the innovative culture at one of America's top schools. "A place where people with interesting ideas" can take their ideas to the outside world, often the fertile land of Silicon Valley.

While he was on the most recent west coast leg of the Steel on Wheels Tour, Dylan caught up with the first ever Chinese-American mayor of a major American city, Jean Quan. As the mayor of Oakland, CA -- a city facing dire financial challenges, she is unwavering in her commitment to two things in her city: first, maintaining and growing a diverse economic base, and keeping Oakland a diverse city, both ethnically and financially -- a place for the middle class to thrive.

Juan Cole who is a history professor at the University of Michigan and author "Engaging the Muslim World." His blog "Informed Comment: Thoughts on the Middle East History and Religion" is worth the visit at juancole.com. Specific to what we're discussing today, obviously, is the observation of the unknown. The Middle East in a state that virtually no other person either in those countries or outside of them can truly anticipate what will happen but for in the broadest terms, which is that the winds of change are clearly blowing, and what was is unlikely to continue to be, but what will be we do not know. But it has all sorts of things going on right now from oil to corn. The food and energy supplies of the world are influenced greatly, at least in the short term, by how this happens almost regardless of what happens. And Juan has been talking a lot about that as well, and it's a pleasure to welcome you to the conversation. How does it feel to observe the unknown happening in real-time?

Mike Konczal, a Fellow with the Roosevelt Institute, works on financial reform, structural unemployment, consumer access to financial services, and inequality. He blogs for New Deal 2.0 and the Rortybomb, and his work has appeared at The Atlantic Monthly's Business Channel, NPR's Planet Money, the Baseline Scenario, Huffington Post, and The Nation. He was formerly a financial engineer and mathematical analyst.

How many jobs are at risk because the price of gasoline is up 50 cents? More than you’d think. How many jobs could you create by solving the energy problem? Millions. We talk to Dr. Peter Morici about that in this episode of Radio Free Dylan. Dr. Peter Morici, is Economist at University of Maryland, and former chief economist at the US International Trade Commission

Freedom and equality were supposed to be values that define the United States of America. We indict nations like China, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and so many others for their practice of political imprisonment or abuse of specific individuals that are seen to be a threat to society without any sort of trial. How, then, can President Obama and Pentagon officials even begin to defend the treatment of PFC Bradley Manning, whose treatment in no way complies with the Uniform Code of Military Justice? Dylan had the opportunity to talk to Marcy Wheeler of FireDogLake about the treatment of PFC Bradley Manning. Marcy has been at the forefront of coverage on his story since the very beginning.

Under which president would the slogan “You’re better off to commit a war crime than to blow the whistle on a war crime” apply? George W. Bush? Nope. Barack Obama. As Obama chooses to bury his head in the sand in regards to the abusive treatment of PFC Bradley Manning, groups are making sure he is not forgotten by holding protests around the world. We talk to Medea Benjamin of CodePink to find out why they're not giving up the fight.

What does the earthquake mean to Japan’s fiscal future? Will one of the possible ripple effects of the disaster in Japan be a period of meaningful economic growth? Is the correct response to an environment of deprived economic activity to cut, or is it to invest and spend? Dylan talks with Marshall Auerback, Senior Fellow at the Roosevelt Institute, about how Japan and the U.S. can begin to allocate capital in a way that solves problems, ultimately bringing advancement in infrastructure, society, and social structure.

“Make no mistake, the perils and problems that plagued our nation years ago in the financial crisis—yes, it’s been years—still plague us to this day. Much like an untreated cancer, it will affect us up and to the point where we actually acknowledge it and deal with it,” says Dylan. That’s the message that Gretchen Morgenson and Josh Rosner, co-authors of Reckless Endangerment are trying to deliver: that this problem can be dealt with in the way that we have dealt with other issues in our own history — personally and collectively. Their new book provides not only an authoritative account of the financial crisis, they take a hard look at who is to blame for letting the crisis happen. Here’s Dylan’s recent interview with them.