"All this how’s-he-doing coverage is par for the course as we transition to the next administration, but someone’s missing from this picture of our politics. It’s us." We’re coming up on Giving Tuesday. How about you take a look around and support the media that sees you back? Support by becoming a patron, goto https://Patreon.com/theLFShow For special programming on food justice in America, and the struggle over who grows and who gets to eat, subscribe to our podcast, or our TV show at laurafla...
Nov 17, 2020•4 min
What is a city’s economy for? New York City’s economy has been very good at piling up private wealth and building tall buildings but it’s done less well, especially recently, when it comes to maintaining public services and public trust. In this episode, Laura attends an historic gathering at the School for Labor and Urban Studies at the City University of New York (CUNY) and talks with the city’s Deputy Mayor Phillip Thompson among others, about the way a city like New York might change its eco...
Nov 13, 2020•29 min•Ep. 311
While the election results are still undecided well hear from Mary Kay Henry, president of the Service Employees International Union, or SEIU, about how one of the nations largest unions is addressing the ongoing impact of Covid-19, pandemic poverty and the systemic inequities that no single election can fix. We need a new normal says Henry. How do we get there? Music in the Middle: “Born Ready” by Tef Poe and Rebel Diaz featuring The Reminders from their “Multiply, Volume 2 E.P.”, courtesy of R...
Nov 05, 2020•29 min•Ep. 310
Election day is upon us. A reading of the names of those who died due to the coronavirus pandemic. "This list needn't expand any longer. Vote in favor of our public health." The F-Word is released bi-weekly featuring timely commentaries by Laura Flanders and guests. Support by becoming a patron, goto https://Patreon.com/theLFShow Pandemic Death Toll Worldometer.com "Those We've Lost" NYTimes Laura Flanders and Friends Crew: Laura Flanders-Executive Producer, Writer; Sabrina Artel-Supervising Pro...
Nov 02, 2020•4 min
While this program explores the possibilities that go well beyond what can be achieved by one candidate or with one vote — elections do matter and the US 2020 elections are no exception. This week Laura Flanders checks in with one of the leading social critics of our time, MIT professor emeritus, Noam Chomsky. He dives into what's stake in this election — in a time he views as the most dangerous moments in our human history — and stresses the importance of steady activism as a means to progress....
Oct 29, 2020•32 min•Ep. 309
Buffalo, New York, was once a booming industrial town fueled by cheap power from Niagara Falls, a center of commerce and trade, the first city in the US to have electric light. But over a century, Buffalo’s wealth concentrated at the top and mostly moved out, leaving a largely de-industrialized city and a slump. Now, with new investment promised by New York’s Governor Cuomo, and cooler, northern cities attracting “climate refugees” from the US south, development is once again underway, but on wh...
Oct 23, 2020•29 min•Ep. 308
"For many Americans, there’s never been a better time to reconsider the entire system. Years of work, by abolitionists like Angela Davis, Ruthie Gilmore, Mariame Kaba, and organizations like Critical Resistance are paying off. With movements calling for defunding and divesting, people are finally talking about spending, and raising the heat on the thousands of corporations that profit off the millions of people we lock up." The F-Word is released bi-weekly featuring timely commentaries by Laura ...
Oct 20, 2020•4 min
How does an economy emerge from recession? Historically, cities hard hit by deindustrialization have strived to attract big employers from elsewhere by offering incentives and tax breaks. But outside employers rarely invest in a place long term, and all too often skip town when the incentives run out. In some places, local governments have been experimenting with other strategies. In Preston, England, they’re experimenting with investing public money in locally-owned businesses and cooperatives,...
Oct 16, 2020•31 min•Ep. 307
The strength of the U.S. economy is often at the center of debate during an election season. But whether the economy is good or bad, there is no denying that Americas economy is neither democratic nor good for the planet. Is this inevitable, or is it possible to build a greener and more just economy? In this weeks episode of The Laura Flanders Show, Marjorie Kelly and Ted Howard of the Democracy Collaborative talk about their new book The Making of a Democratic Economy and explain what steps we ...
Oct 09, 2020•28 min•Ep. 306
"Could Donald Trump be charged with a crime for knowingly exposing others to an infectious disease? He could if that disease was hepatitis. If the Donald was a poor man, poorly defended and in poor health, there’s a good chance he’d be facing criminal charges." The F-Word is released bi-weekly featuring timely commentaries by Laura Flanders and guests. Support by becoming a patron, goto https://Patreon.com/theLFShow Laura Flanders and Friends Crew: Laura Flanders-Executive Producer, Writer; Sabr...
Oct 06, 2020•4 min
This is an episode that speaks to rural and small town life that is rarely visible in our media, even when, as here, the community in question is just 100 miles from a global media capital. It also serves as an example of how journalists can continue to report safely in the midst of a pandemic. The coronavirus crisis has been acutely felt in urban areas, but the virus also spread disastrously, and in some ways differently, in rural America. Equipped with a facemask and a selfie stick, Laura Flan...
Oct 01, 2020•29 min•Ep. 305
Nearly 40 million Americans live in poverty, making less than $26,200 a year for a family of four. Their stories and their struggles, however, are rarely represented in the mainstream media. If we want to end poverty in the U.S., we need to hear from those who experience it. This week on The Laura Flanders Show, we hear about the Economic Hardship Reporting Project and the work it’s doing to improve - and increase- reporting on poverty. Music in the Middle: “Be Love” by the Alexis P. Suter Band,...
Sep 22, 2020•30 min•Ep. 304
"...one fitting way to honor the historic justice would be to take action on some unfinished feminist business. Justice Ginsburg is on my mind today, and so is Nurse Dawn Wooten....the ICE whistleblower who earlier this month called out abusive medical practices against immigrant women at a detention center in Georgia." The F-Word is released bi-weekly featuring timely commentaries by Laura Flanders and guests. Support by becoming a patron, goto https://Patreon.com/theLFShow Laura Flanders and F...
Sep 22, 2020•4 min
In the face of on-going police brutality against African Americans and the disproportionate impact of the Covid-19 epidemic on people of color, the United States has reached a tipping point in relation to racism, policing and public health. But what does it look like to adopt a “public health” approach to safety, policing, and economic development? In February, 2020, Laura visited Newark, New Jersey, to look at one city where decades of police reform efforts failed to stop violence and crime. No...
Sep 16, 2020•30 min•Ep. 303
"A popularly-elected Republic overturned by a reactionary armed revolt: There are myriad reasons why the painful history of the Spanish civil war might pop into ones head at this particular moment." The F-Word is released bi-weekly featuring timely commentaries by Laura Flanders and guests. Support by becoming a patron, goto https://Patreon.com/theLFShow Laura Flanders and Friends Crew: Laura Flanders-Executive Producer, Writer; Sabrina Artel-Supervising Producer; Jeremiah Cothren-Senior Produce...
Sep 11, 2020•4 min
Social change and systems change go hand-in-hand. Movements for democracy and human rights are most effective when they aim to transform unjust, unequitable economic systems. In this episode, Laura travels to Spain to learn how people in two of the regions most brutally repressed under the dictatorship of Francisco Franco built the world’s largest worker-owned co-ops. From the Basque Country to Barcelona, she speaks with co-op members who explain how humanist models of business helped their pare...
Sep 11, 2020•30 min•Ep. 302
This is the Story Behind the Story, for our season kick off and our new weekly behind-the-scenes conversation, featuring members of the Laura Flanders Show team, sometimes audience members too, letting you in on the magic that goes into the making of the show. This season kick off is available to all. To receive our weekly Story Behind the Story for each episode, please become a Laura Flanders Show Patreon partner for as little as $3 a month and get engaged in the conversation, goto: https://Pat...
Sep 03, 2020•12 min
Laura Flanders interviews two performance artists whose work illustrates how difference and neurodiversity make art and society richer and much more interesting. Alice Sheppard is a wheelchair dancer and esteemed choreographer, the artistic director of the company Kinetic Light. Jess Thom is a performer and comedian with Tourettes Syndrome, the founder of the project TourettesHero. In their conversations with Laura, they question the role of art in society as well as our attitudes towards disabi...
Sep 03, 2020•29 min•Ep. 301
Regulation, degradation, shaming, blaming - enough! Is it time for sexual liberation yet? We talk a lot about sex but not often enough about pleasure, On today's show we try to make up for that and hear from some bloggers, activists and educators who are practicing very positive consent. Music Featured: Allies And Enemies by Zara McFarlane on Brownswood Music; Free by Ultra Naté. Support theLFShow! Featured Guests and their Podcasts: Jaclyn Friedman Unscrewed Tina Horn Why Are People Into Tha t ...
Aug 25, 2020•32 min
In this episode, Laura interviews author and Yale historian Greg Grandin about his new book The End of the Myth: From the Frontier to the Border Wall in the Mind of America. They explore how America's foundational myth of progress has given way to protectionism. Will opposition to the wall finally force us to reckon with the white supremacist conquest the frontier myth has always but thinly veiled? And what can we do to replace destructive myths with productive truths? Music in the Middle: “Gold...
Aug 18, 2020•29 min
Red, blue, rich, poor, country, city, left or right. Chances are you probably fall into one of those categories. And you may be quite happy where you are. The people of Braver Angels (formerly known as Better Angels) believe there's still value in talking, and they've come up with a way of doing it that actually seems to bring people together. Guests: David Blankenhorn, Co-founder and president, Braver Angels Michelle Brody, Workshop moderator, Braver Angels Become a member and unlock audio excl...
Aug 12, 2020•30 min
Days of wonder, days of rage. We're living through an information revolution as profound as any since Gutenberg and the printing press, but are we the people, the so-called "users", using the technology or is the technology using us and for what ends? How can we harness this particular transformation for good? That’s the question, and we have some answers from Data & Society fellow Chancey Fleet, Team Human's Douglas Rushkoff, and technologist, educator, and organizer Nabil Hassein. Music in...
Aug 05, 2020•28 min
"Six months into a global pandemic, the US economy just took its most grievous hit on record while Amazon, Apple, Google and Facebook only added wealth. " The F-Word is released bi-weekly featuring timely commentaries by Laura Flanders and guests. Support by becoming a patron, goto https://Patreon.com/theLFShow That's also where you'll find our series "Forward Thinking on Covid-19". Laura Flanders and Friends Crew: Laura Flanders-Executive Producer, Writer; Sabrina Artel-Supervising Producer; Je...
Jul 31, 2020•3 min
In this episode of The Laura Flanders Show, author and scholar Dr. Priyamvada Gopal discusses her latest book, Insurgent Empire, which examines the history of abolition and rebellion under colonial rule to demonstrate how colonized peoples served as active participants in their own liberation, reshaping ideas around freedom and self-determination during the expansion of capitalism and empire. “Liberty can mean many things, not just, for example, the freedom to earn a meager wage,” Dr. Gopal says...
Jul 28, 2020•29 min
This show originally aired 15 months ago, before the death of civil rights rights movement leader representative John Lewis on July 17, 2020. Laura caught up with Nate recently to ask him about his understanding of the legacy of Lewis with whom he worked on the award winning graphic novel the March trilogy. Watch this web exclusive at https://Patreon.com/theLFShow This week's episode: Far more than an escape, comics can pack a political punch, as does the work of this week’s guests. First up, Mo...
Jul 22, 2020•30 min
"Transparency is important, especially in matters of public health. We treasure what we measure..." The F-Word is released bi-weekly featuring timely commentaries by Laura Flanders and guests. Support by becoming a patron, goto https://Patreon.com/theLFShow That's also where you'll find our series "Forward Thinking on Covid-19". Laura Flanders and Friends Crew: Laura Flanders-Executive Producer, Writer; Sabrina Artel-Supervising Producer; Jeremiah Cothren-Senior Producer; Veronica Delgado-Video ...
Jul 17, 2020•3 min
Where do racial justice and food justice meet? Perhaps at the point where Latinx farm workers are able to buy their own land. In the United States, 83 percent of field workers are Latinx but Latinx people own only 3 percent of the farms. This week on The Laura Flanders Show, Latinx farmers discuss what they bring to the US food system in terms of fresh produce, healthy techniques and a cooperative management style born out of years working as laborers in less than sustainable conditions. Laura a...
Jul 16, 2020•30 min•Ep. 300
The following episode was recorded February 2020. In an era when companies spend hundreds of millions of dollars on diversity and inclusion programs, the proportion of African Americans in tech, media, and business leadership roles is stagnating. In her new book, Diversity, Inc. The Failed Promise of a Billion-Dollar Business , award-winning journalist and New York University professor Pamela Newkirk describes the gap between the rhetoric and the reality where racial equity and inclusion are con...
Jul 08, 2020•30 min
We can not cling to the cruel lie that economic success is the product of individual merit and sweat. The F-Word is released bi-weekly featuring timely commentaries by Laura Flanders and guests. Support by becoming a patron, goto https://Patreon.com/theLFShow That's also where you'll find our series "Forward Thinking on Covid-19". Laura Flanders and Friends Crew: Laura Flanders-Executive Producer, Writer; Sabrina Artel-Supervising Producer; Jeremiah Cothren-Senior Producer; Veronica Delgado-Vide...
Jul 07, 2020•3 min
White Supremacy and the Covid crisis aren’t separate. They’re linked. Defunding public health services and deregulating gun ownership have been catastrophic for public health and yet, the majority of white voters support exactly those policies. The spectacle of hundreds of mostly white, unmasked Trump supporters crammed into indoor rally venues during a pandemic exemplifies this phenomenon. In this interview, conducted just days before the Memorial Day killing of George Floyd, physician and publ...
Jul 01, 2020•29 min•Ep. 299
