Markos Moulitsas, Founder of DailyKo & Civiqs, and Host of podcast “The Brief,” is back and there’s a mixed bag of issues covered in today’s episode. We get an update on the latest thing that Senator Joe Manchin is standing in the way of, some context on Facebook keeping Trump off their platform, and the political aspirations of Sen. Tim Scott, Herschel Walker, and Nikki Haley. Executive Producer: Adell Coleman Producer: Brittany Temple Distributor: DCP Entertainment For additional content: ...
May 06, 2021•37 min•Season 1Ep. 311
Plessy vs. Ferguson upheld the constitutionality of racial segregation under the concept of “separate but equal.” The case is more than 125 years old now, but Dr. Susan T. Gooden and co-contributors have a new report that shows how the landmark case’s ripple effect is still present in today’s society, from criminal justice, to education, and even COVID-19 vaccine distribution. Dr. Gooden is Dean and Professor of the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs at Virginia Commonweal...
May 05, 2021•30 min•Season 1Ep. 310
In the final half of this two-part panel, hosted by the Institute of the Black World 21st Century and moderated by Mark and Nkechi Taifa, panelists dig deeper into the topics President Biden covered in his first formal address to Congress. LaTosha Brown opens with remarks on voter suppression and then participants provide additional analysis and reflection on topics including unemployment, international relations, reparations, and police violence. The panel closes with moving remarks by Mayor Ch...
May 04, 2021•42 min•Season 1Ep. 309
In this annual panel (and two-part MIP series), hosted by the Institute of the Black World 21st Century and moderated by Mark and Nkechi Taifa, these Black leaders reflect on President Biden’s first 100 days in office and assess what, if anything, has been accomplished that will advance the goals of the Black community-at-large. These leaders also consider what Black voters can and should do to hold the Biden administration accountable. Moderated by: Mark Thompson and Nkechi Taifa, Esq., Preside...
May 03, 2021•43 min•Season 1Ep. 308
We’re in the middle of a pandemic, so you’d probably think Florida’s legislative goals include healthcare, education, and employment, for starters. That would be a wrong assumption--instead, they’re pushing through H.B. 1, which focuses on bringing us back to the Jim Crow era by making peaceful protests nearly impossible to participate in without getting arrested. Micah Kubic is the Executive Director at ACLU of Florida and he breaks down all the shady details of the bill, which essentially gran...
Apr 30, 2021•21 min•Season 1Ep. 307
It’s been 100 days of President Biden, and it’s been...quiet--but still productive for progressives, says Markos Moulitsas, Founder of DailyKos and Civiqs and Host of podcast “The Brief.” Markos and Mark dissect the Biden administration’s strategies and nominations and put them against the backdrop of American history to see where we’re actually advancing. Markos also shares his thoughts on Derek Chauvin being found guilty of the murder of George Floyd. Executive Producer: Adell Coleman Producer...
Apr 29, 2021•34 min•Season 1Ep. 306
The Supreme Court is set to hear a major NRA-backed gun rights case, which will decide if New Yorkers can carry concealed handguns while in public. Igor Volsky, Executive Director of Guns Down America, is back today to explain how this potentially dangerous ruling could bring us such a great distance from what the 2nd Amendment was intended to do, according to the Founding Fathers. And as Igor reminds us, there are now more guns than people in the United States, and even the “best trained indivi...
Apr 28, 2021•29 min•Season 1Ep. 305
Angelo Carusone, President of Media Matters for America (mediamatters.org) is back for an update on “UnFox My Cable Box” (unfoxmycablebox.com), which seeks to inform consumers on the ways they are (often unknowingly) funding the propaganda machine that is Fox News. Angelo also discusses the network’s massively inaccurate predictions of riots and violence that would follow the verdict in the Derek Chauvin murder trial. We’re also wondering why Fox is so devoted to Tucker Carlson, and Angelo fills...
Apr 27, 2021•29 min•Season 1Ep. 304
Reverend Michael Battle’s latest book, “Desmond Tutu: A Spiritual Biography of South Africa’s Confessor,” gives an unprecedented closeup of one of the most visible figures of the anti-apartheid movement. Rev. Battle has known Archbishop Tutu for more than 25 years, once living in residence with him in South Africa, serving as his chaplain and eventually getting ordained by him. In that time, he became deeply acquainted with the spirituality that helped Tutu tackle apartheid. In today’s episode, ...
Apr 26, 2021•29 min•Season 1Ep. 303
In today’s final episode of “Reparations Are Coming,” we hear the remaining panelists share their final thoughts on witnessing history, and as Mark calls it, the “unfinished business of America.” These panelists are deeply ingrained in the fight for reparations, and they express their gratitude for those who work alongside them, as well as the giants whose shoulders they stand upon, as we watch the bill advance to the House of Representatives. Panelists: Kamm Howard, National Co-Chair of NCOBRA;...
Apr 23, 2021•27 min•Season 1Ep. 302
History is captured in today’s episode as we hear the Judiciary Committee vote to approve the reparations bill, H.R. 40, advancing it to the floor of the House of Representatives. The panelists discuss the GOP’s strategy to obfuscate the discussion on reparations with a mention of “packing the court,” or more accurately known as expanding the court. You’ll hear the historic vote as well as initial reactions from the panelists as they focus on the next big question: what happens now? Panelists: K...
Apr 22, 2021•29 min•Season 1Ep. 301
On April 14th, for the first time in history, the House Judiciary Committee voted in favor of the reparations bill, H.R. 40, which would establish the commission to study reparations proposals. As the bill was getting marked up on Capitol Hill, Mark moderated a panel of some of the key players in the reparations movement, and we’ll be bringing you that motivating conversation all week long. In today’s discussion, the panelists explain what it means for a bill to get “marked up” and they unravel ...
Apr 21, 2021•31 min•Season 1Ep. 300
On April 14th, for the first time in history, the House Judiciary Committee voted in favor of the reparations bill, H.R. 40, which would establish the commission to study reparations proposals. As the bill was getting marked up on Capitol Hill, Mark moderated a panel of some of the key players in the reparations movement, and we’ll be bringing you that motivating conversation all week long. Today begins with part one, where the panelists discuss the reasons why reparations are still necessary, h...
Apr 20, 2021•39 min•Season 1Ep. 299
Maggie Haberman had unprecedented access to the Trump family and administration; now that we’re in our new administration, where are all her big scoops on Biden? That’s what Eric Boehlert, writer and publisher of Pressrun.media, wants to know today. He also says that Fox News should not be allowed to participate in White House press briefings after turning a blind eye to the scandal involving Rep. Matt Gaetz (and also, Jen Psaki has no time for their strange and pointless questions). And Eric al...
Apr 19, 2021•26 min•Season 1Ep. 298
Arisha Hatch is the Vice President and Chief of Campaigns for Color of Change, and in today’s episode, she and Mark dig into the difficult topic of optimism vs. pessimism regarding the outcome of the Derek Chauvin murder trial, which is incredibly complicated for the Black community. They share their fears and hopes for the outcome, and also explore what police accountability could look like going forward. And, as always with our friends at Color of Change, we get our marching orders on how to g...
Apr 16, 2021•16 min•Season 1Ep. 297
President Biden surprised Democrats when he announced a commission to explore expanding the Supreme Court. Markos Moulitsas, Founder of DailyKos, Civiqs, and Host of podcast “The Brief,” is back today to explain why Biden might have made that move and what could come of it, in terms of D.C. statehood and reparations. However, aside from the Supreme Court, there’s another issue to overcome: Senator Joe Manchin. Executive Producer: Adell Coleman Producer: Brittany Temple Distributor: DCP Entertain...
Apr 15, 2021•37 min•Season 1Ep. 296
What would it look like to engage in nonviolent direct action consistently, through strategic organizing? That’s what Kai Newkirk (Founder of For All www.forallorg.us) and Rev. Stephen Green (Pastor, Scholar, and Activist) explain in today’s episode, as they discuss the piece they co-authored, “Why Kingian democratic socialism is the best path forward for the progressive left.” This is especially relevant in the context of our current society where unarmed Black people continue to be murdered by...
Apr 14, 2021•42 min•Season 1Ep. 295
If you’ve watched the HBO documentary on QAnon (“Q: Into the Storm”), or if you spend any time on the internet, you know it revealed some key details surrounding the group of conspiracy theorists. But what you don’t know is what the filmmaker, Cullen Hoback, chose to leave out, and that crucial information is what Mother Jones reporter Ali Breland is here today to discuss. Ali and his colleague AJ Vicens were able to connect Jim Watkins (founder of 8chan) to countless web domains that allegedly ...
Apr 13, 2021•20 min•Season 1Ep. 294
Glenn Kirscher, Former Assistant U.S. Attorney, is on today to unravel the latest testimonies in the murder trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who knealed on George Floyd’s next until he was dead. Mark and Glenn examine what was heard from Dr. Tobin, an expert pulmonologist, as well as Dr. Baker, the medical examiner who performed George Floyd’s autopsy, in which Glenn found some unusual details. Executive Producer: Adell Coleman Producer: Brittany Temple Distributor: DCP ...
Apr 12, 2021•28 min•Season 1Ep. 293
Racism is harming, if not killing, people of color in America, and there’s a small group that actually profits off it. That’s what Jim Freeman, author of “Rich Thanks to Racism: How the Ultra-Wealthy Profit from Racial Injustice,” unravels in today’s episode. There’s a number of billionaires and multi-millionaires (like the Koch brothers and the people behind ALEC, to name a couple) who invest in legislation that keep things in place like the prison-industrial complex, immigrant detention, and s...
Apr 09, 2021•33 min•Season 1Ep. 292
Ash-Lee Woodard Henderson is the Co-Executive Director of the Highlander Research and Education Center (the first Black woman to hold the position), a catalyst for grassroots organizing and movement building in Appalachia and the South. This renowned civil rights center suffered an arson attack in 2019, complete with a “white power” tag found at the scene. Ash-Lee and Mark discuss not just the fire, but the white supremacy that fueled it, and why events like these are “not surprising” to Ash-Lee...
Apr 08, 2021•47 min•Season 1Ep. 291
Cecily Myart-Cruz is the President of United Teachers Los Angeles (and the first woman of color to hold the position) and as both a teacher and a parent, she understands the frustrations of at-home learning and the pressing desire to get kids back into schools. But she says there’s much to be considered first -- like how often students should take standardized tests in the coming year, for example. Los Angeles has become one of the models that districts across the country are looking to as they ...
Apr 07, 2021•24 min•Season 1Ep. 290
It’s that time again for Chad Stone, Chief Economist at the Center on Budget and Policy Priority, returns for his monthly status report on our economy. There is good news out of March’s jobs report, but as always, there’s many layers to understanding what it means. Chad breaks down unemployment rate vs. jobs added (which is reported by employers) and why the rate is not the best indicator on joblessness. He also lets us know what’s happening within each demographic in the report, and answers the...
Apr 06, 2021•21 min•Season 1Ep. 289
Ian Millhiser a Senior Correspondent at Vox, where he focuses on the Supreme Court, the Constitution, and the decline of liberal democracy in the United States, and his expertise on the courts is what fills out his new book, “The Agenda: How a Republican Supreme Court Is Reshaping America.” The agenda he’s speaking of is dangerous to voting rights and beyond, all at the hands of the one branch of government that is not elected by the people -- and it’s more problematic than you might assume. Sin...
Apr 05, 2021•24 min•Season 1Ep. 288
Lawmakers say this level of gun violence, with mass shootings occurring almost daily, “should not become the new normal,” but Brian Lemek says we’ve already reached that point. Brian is the Executive Director at Brady PAC, the sister organization/political arm of Brady, the nation’s oldest gun violence prevention advocacy group. In today’s episode, he explains how senators could be passing legislation right now to make it harder to buy a gun, but it’s stalled in the senate. So what (or who) is s...
Apr 02, 2021•21 min•Season 1Ep. 287
President Biden unveiled his infrastructure plan, and it’s no surprise the GOP is upset about the corporate tax hike; but Markos Moulitsas, Founder of DailyKos, Civiqs, and Host of “The Brief” podcast, points out what’s interesting about their hypocrisy this time around, and why Republicans are having zero luck treating Biden as an “other.” Markos also digs into the latest with the filibuster, where “centrists” like Senators Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema stand, and what could come from the late...
Apr 01, 2021•30 min•Season 1Ep. 286
Anti-Asian racism is on the rise and Roshni Nedungadi has the numbers to back it up. She’s the Founding Partner, Chief Research Officer, and COO of HIT Strategies, a leading millennial and minority-owned public opinion research firm on Capitol Hill, and one of the few AAPI (Asian American and Pacific Islander) pollsters in America. In today’s episode she shares the startling truth found in a survey done in Michigan last month, where 40-percent of the Asian population either experienced anti-Asia...
Mar 31, 2021•23 min•Season 1Ep. 285
One of the most common reasons a person does not leave a domestic violence situation is because they don’t have the cash to do it. At FreeFrom, an organization dedicated to knocking down the barriers that prevent domestic violence survivors from holding economic and community power, Tannia Ventura and the team work to get direct cash payments to survivors so they regain their power. Tannia is the Director of Service Provider Engagement and Education and in today’s episode, we learn the ins and o...
Mar 30, 2021•37 min•Season 1Ep. 284
Reopening schools is just one of the challenges that lie ahead for teachers, students, and parents. Randi Weingarten is President of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and she explains that it’s not solely about getting caught up with academics; kids need healing from the traumas of the pandemic and should get back on track with human interaction and most importantly, having fun. Randi also shares her recommendations on summer sessions vs. private tutoring. Executive Producer: Adell Colem...
Mar 29, 2021•30 min•Season 1Ep. 283
Gun violence is centered in the national conversation once again, in light of the mass shootings in Atlanta, Boulder, and Chicago. Igor Volsky is the Co-Founder and the Executive Director of Guns Down America, and yesterday, his organization teamed up with other leaders and organizations in the fight against gun violence to launch a coalition letter to President Biden, calling on him to take immediate action. Mark and Igor are then joined by Pastor Michael McBride of fundpeacenow.com. Pastor Mik...
Mar 26, 2021•39 min•Season 1Ep. 282
