For every one COVID-19 mobile testing site in the United States, there are about 100 gun shops that offer drive-through purchasing--which is a new service made available in the midst of the pandemic, thanks to the Trump administration classifying these businesses as essential. And what we learned from March's data is that there were 1 million additional gun permit applications as opposed to March of 2019. Igor Volsky is the Executive Director of Guns Down America and an expert in gun ownership a...
Apr 21, 2020•27 min•Season 1Ep. 43
In the midst of the coronavirus, Trump has been communicating with leaders all over the world, but none as much as Putin, who he's been having regular phone calls with. This is what Max Bergmann, Co-Founder of The Moscow Project tells us in today's episode. He and Mark also get into how the coronavirus can potentially impact Putin's regime, how Trump's relationship with Putin has strained our ties with the European Union in ways that were once unimaginable, Putin's relishing in the transatlantic...
Apr 20, 2020•36 min•Season 1Ep. 43
The Trump administration continues to expand access to firearms during the Coronavirus pandemic, and so gun sales continue to rise, which is no coincidence--we’ve seen similar statistical jumps when Barack Obama was elected to office, as well as just after 9/11. That makes it a particularly interesting time to sit down with Frank Smyth, author of “The NRA: The Unauthorized History," who shares insight on how the ideology of the NRA's fiercely supportive members are a huge part of what upholds th...
Apr 17, 2020•44 min•Season 1Ep. 42
What happens to those who are incarcerated when a pandemic takes hold of our country? April Grayson is a National Surrogate for the REPRESENT JUSTICE Campaign, in addition to her work for the Young Women’s Freedom Center, a coalition of currently and formerly incarcerated women creating awareness of the unique issues facing women in prison, and she is working to shed a light on the vulnerability of inmates. There are no social distancing requirements within prisons, and if staff and guards choos...
Apr 16, 2020•27 min•Season 1Ep. 41
FACT: The coronavirus is disproportionately killing people of color. Rashad Robinson, President of Color of Change, knows this isn't a coincidence, it's because of the conditions that existed in our society before coronavirus arrived. But Color of Change came to life after another historic moment in this country--after Hurricane Katrina, "born in the midst of a crisis where government failure was at the heart of the impact," says Robinson. And now, Black America is feeling the depths of despair ...
Apr 15, 2020•25 min•Season 1Ep. 40
Fox News is endangering people's lives with their misinformation--the gap has officially closed between their broadcast of lies and how it could impact viewers. As the President of Media Matters, Angelo Carusone deals with Fox fallacies daily, and he says that the damage is irreparable, as hosts show no shame in giving life to conspiracy theories. Meanwhile, Trump shows support and enthusiasm for a news program that suggested beating COVID-19 by pointing a hair dryer up your nose. #UnFoxMyCableB...
Apr 14, 2020•43 min•Season 1Ep. 39
Tom Perez, Chairman of the DNC, says Trump's lack of leadership--including his initial denial of the seriousness of the virus and the press conferences he treats like campaign rallies--has landed us in the position our country is in, now leading the globe in the number of deaths from coronavirus. He discusses the vast differences between present-day and working with former President Obama leading the global response and preventing Ebola from becoming a pandemic; the hypocrisy in Wisconsin Republ...
Apr 13, 2020•36 min•Season 1Ep. 38
Kim Ortiz, also known as Copy Watch Kimmy, is the Co-Founder of NYC Shut It Down and President of the Copwatch Patrol Unit Women's Division--and she is clear on why she became an abolitionist. Ortiz sits down with Mark to discuss that moment she became conscious about police brutality, her thoughts on stop-and-frisk and why Bloomberg would never be the right candidate, and how waiting on the government to make the necessary structural changes to the criminal justice system is a fruitless effort....
Apr 10, 2020•29 min•Season 1Ep. 37
Jessica Care Moore is a critically acclaimed poet with numerous collections, the founder and CEO of Moore Black Press, Executive Producer of Black WOMEN Rock!, and Founder of the literacy-driven Jess Care Moore Foundation. Her latest poetry collection, "We Want Our Bodies Back," is out now, and she talks with Mark about generating income as artists (especially in uncertain times like we're experiencing right now), seeking comfort in black artistry, perfecting her craft with nothing more than lib...
Apr 03, 2020•30 min•Season 1Ep. 36
In the midst of coronavirus chaos, Rep. Jim Clyburn takes the time to talk with Mark about what's happening between the House and Senate, Mitch McConnell twisting Rep. Clyburn's words on the stimulus bill, how we can restructure systems so rural areas don't get left behind, why we're going to need more legislation down the road, concerns about voting in the primary and general elections (voter suppression, anyone?!), and why Trump is feeding us "Jim Crow with a new flavor" and how the House stop...
Mar 31, 2020•31 min•Season 1Ep. 35
Rep. Val Demings (D-FL10), who served as a Manager in the House Impeachment hearings, spoke with Mark this morning about today's House vote on the historic $2 trillion dollar coronavirus stimulus bill. Despite the importance of getting this bill passed, she also touched on why we'll need more legislation going forward, the danger of the Trump administration downplaying the pandemic, why we should be prepared to see confirmed case numbers continue to rise, and some insight on the inaction of her ...
Mar 27, 2020•28 min•Season 1Ep. 34
Jennifer Epps Addison is the President and Co-Executive Director of the Center for Popular Democracy and CPD Action, where they utilize a network of grassroots organizations across 34 states, Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico, in the fight to break up the status quo and reinvent the structures of our society. At CPD and CPDA, they believe in universal housing, fundamental transformations of immigration processes, and uprooting the legal system—and they also believe in electing Sen. Bernie Sanders...
Mar 27, 2020•46 min•Season 1Ep. 33
Jerry Mitchell is an award-winning investigative reporter and author of Race Against Time: A Reporter Reopens the Unsolved Murder Cases of the Civil Rights Era.” Jerry sits down with Mark to discuss this incredible historical examination and shares details from decades of research and time spent covering racially charged trials in the Deep South. That includes time spent time with infamous Klansman Byron De La Beckwith while he was jailed ahead of his trial for assassinating civil rights activis...
Mar 20, 2020•40 min•Season 1Ep. 32
Mark took a trip to Capitol Hill to meet with nearly HALF of Senate Democrats, for what was a productive round-table discussion between lawmakers and African American journalists. No topic was off limits in this intimate conversation, including discussion on the Coronavirus outbreak (made worse for Americans by Trump's incompetent mishandling, according to Sen. Schumer), the disparities in our health care system, problems and proposed changes to our criminal justice system, the 2020 election, re...
Mar 13, 2020•53 min•Season 1Ep. 31
The seed of Linda Sarsour's activism was planted when she was a young child and, for the first time in her seven years of life, faced with the realities of racial profiling in America. From there, it has been an evolution from a young truth-teller in the Bronx to finding herself on a national stage with the Women’s March. Listen to her tell the stories of her upbringing in New York, gain an understanding of the Palestinian military occupation and how it inspired her family’s migration to America...
Mar 06, 2020•41 min•Season 1Ep. 30
Are you seeking a way to get involved in media, technological, economic, and criminal justice? Then this is the episode for you. Technology is embedded in our culture, and Color of Change recognizes its intersections and power in politics. Mark sits down with Arisha Hatch and Heather McGhee from Color of Change to talk about how the organization uses their online community of more than 1.5 million people to push for change in both the public and private sectors, forcing companies and politicians...
Feb 28, 2020•47 min•Season 1Ep. 29
Ari Melber is usually the one asking the questions, but this time, Mark turns the mic on him. The legal analyst and host of MSNBC’s “The Beat with Ari Melber” joins Mark to discuss the Trump administration’s erosion of the constitution, the rule of law, and pressing candidates like Bloomberg on their controversial backgrounds. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy...
Feb 21, 2020•25 min•Season 1Ep. 28
PART TWO of a two-part series featuring an incredible panel discussion, moderated by Mark Thompson, titled “The Power of the March: MLK and a Legacy of Activism.” The second half of the panel brings us the rhymes of Professor Lyrical, the history of protests and organized labor, and an analysis on the power of protests today. Featuring: Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton; Denise Rolark Barnes, Publisher of The Washington Informer and chairman of Washington Informer Charities; Dr. Eric Arnesen, ...
Feb 14, 2020•56 min•Season 1Ep. 27
PART ONE of a two-part series featuring an incredible panel discussion, moderated by Mark Thompson, titled “The Power of the March: MLK and a Legacy of Activism” This powerful panel explores the importance and effectiveness of marching and organizing, marked with personal stories, historical revelations, and a discussion on how to tell and report on important stories from within communities of color in a way that the mainstream media does not. Featuring: Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton; Deni...
Feb 07, 2020•48 min•Season 1Ep. 26
How did our democracy get whittled down into two extreme parties? Lee Drutman says it’s complicated, but he’s able to break it down for us in this week’s podcast episode as he digs into the chapters and research from his book, "Breaking the Two-Party Doom Loop: The Case for Multiparty Democracy in America." He thinks there’s no going back to what used to be, but that doesn’t mean we can’t plan for a different future with multiple, diverse parties. Listen to this week’s episode to gain an underst...
Jan 31, 2020•33 min•Season 1Ep. 25
Veteran journalist Ed Gordon knows we are in a crucial moment in our country's history, which is why he knew the time was now to put out his hard-hitting book, "Conversations in Black: On Power, Politics, and Leadership." There is a lack of consistency in progress and he gathers a powerful team of voices to examine what has been working, what holds the progressive agenda back, and the tactics and strategy needed going forward. Mark and Ed use his conversations with his incredible lineup of thoug...
Jan 24, 2020•49 min•Season 1Ep. 24
When people recognize Maya Wiley from her legal commentary on MSNBC and NBC, she gets stopped on the street by those asking how worried they should be as a citizen in the midst of the impeachment chaos. She answers this question with Mark as they dive deep into analyzing the intricacies of the process, its origin and the Constitution, and point to some stark (and troubling) differences between how Republicans are acting now as opposed to the Nixon/Watergate scandal. Her expert legal analysis pro...
Jan 17, 2020•44 min•Season 1Ep. 23
The majority of women who are incarcerated have been victims of violence and/or abuse, and Donna Hylton is working to change that. Hylton is best known for her social justice activism, serving as one of the key drivers in the Less Is More NY Bill, the passage of the Domestic Violence Survivors’ Justice Act, and participating in the successful Close Rikers campaign. Now, she’s fighting for the 90-percent of incarcerated women and girls who experience violence and sexual assault. She joins Mark to...
Jan 03, 2020•41 min•Season 1Ep. 24
2019 has seen more mass shootings than days on the calendar, and Igor Volsky is doing something about it. In this episode, Mark sits down with the Executive Director of Guns Down American to look back on the year, which, despite its horrific violence, has also included some significant "wins" for Volsky and the organization--most notably pushing Wal-Mart to step back from promoting gun sales and get involved with lobbying Congress on gun reform. Volsky also talks about the first-ever gun safety ...
Dec 27, 2019•17 min•Season 1Ep. 22
"He was nefarious. He was horrible." That's how Dave Marcus describes his cousin Roy Cohn, who was a mentor to Donald Trump up until his death. Cohn taught Trump and Giuliani how to be criminals, showing them plays from his own playbook, which he used to aid members of the mafia, among others, as a "fixer." Cohn taught Trump and Giuliani the tactic they employ most frequently today: deny, attack, obfuscate. Marcus gives a unique insight on what his family considered their most "phony" member and...
Dec 20, 2019•33 min•Season 1Ep. 21
You might not know it, but you probably know someone who is food insecure. It affects 42.2 million Americans, which means they are often forced to skip meals, eat less food at meals, buy cheap non-nutritious food, or feed their children but not themselves. The team at WhyHunger believes nutritious food is a human right, and Senior Director of Programs Alison Cohen joins to educate us on food insecurity and the shocking statistics, draws the connection to poverty, and shares how we can work to en...
Dec 12, 2019•39 min•Season 1Ep. 20
Brenda Wineapple, author of “Impeachers - The Trial of Andrew Johnson and the Dream of a Just Nation,” sets the record straight that was virally flawed by Prof. Jonathan Turley during this week’s House Judiciary Committee Impeachment Hearing. Host: Mark Thompson Executive Producer: Adell Coleman Producer: Brittany Temple Distributor: DCP Entertainment For additional content: Subscribe to the Make It Plain LIVE Daily Call-in Show Mon-Fri 7-9a ET at makeitplain.com See acast.com/privacy for privac...
Dec 06, 2019•47 min•Season 1Ep. 19
Military intelligence veteran Malcolm Nance on his new book, "The Plot To Betray America." Host: Mark Thompson Executive Producer: Adell Coleman Distributor: DCP Entertainment For additional content: Subscribe to the Make It Plain LIVE Daily Call-in Show Mon-Fri 7-9a ET at makeitplain.com See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy...
Nov 15, 2019•58 min•Season 1Ep. 18
Karen talks with Mark about the influence gospel music in the States has had upon her, and the Royal who actually invited the Choir to sing at the Royal Wedding. Host: Mark Thompson Executive Producer: Adell Coleman Distributor: DCP Entertainment For additional content: Subscribe to the Make It Plain LIVE Daily Call-in Show Mon-Fri 7-9a ET at makeitplain.com See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https...
Nov 08, 2019•54 min•Season 1Ep. 17
Cancers as in personal setbacks and demons...She also talks about her new podcast, "Buckle Up with Bershan." Host: Mark Thompson Executive Producer: Adell Coleman Producer: Andrew Marshello Editor: Ryan Woodhall Distributor: DCP Entertainment For additional content: Subscribe to the Make It Plain LIVE Daily Call-in Show Mon-Fri 7-9a ET at makeitplain.com See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://r...
Nov 01, 2019•33 min•Season 1Ep. 16
