What do you do when a liar, xenophobe, misogynist, and racist becomes president? Get to work and do some damn good reporting if you’re guest Jake Tapper of CNN. In our final episode of the season, Kamau and Hari continue to process the reality of a Trump presidency by reading notes from our listeners who are also coping with the election results. Then, the guys talk with the CNN Anchor and Chief Washington Correspondent about the future of journalism, the elitism of the Democratic Party, and how...
Nov 17, 2016•1 hr 21 min
This week on Politically Re-Active, Kamau and Hari process the election results. Standup comedian Laurie Kilmartin and writer Roxane Gay join the guys to help make sense of a deeply painful moment in American history. From the costs to black and brown communities, to the culpability of the mainstream media, to what the future will actually look like following the end of Hillary’s historic run, there are many questions and few answers. This is not the post-election conversation we wanted to have....
Nov 10, 2016•1 hr 18 min
Our show will be Thursday not Wednesday, but we've got the amazing Roxane Gay!You read that right, one of our all time favorite writers Roxane Gay will be joining us on this post-election recap/cool-down/anxiety fest. Check out her most recent piece in the New York Times "Voting with My Head and Heart." http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/06/opinion/sunday/voting-with-my-head-and-heart.htmlHope your voting day goes well, remember to call 866-OUR-VOTE if you have any issues!See omnystudio.com/listener...
Nov 08, 2016•2 min
Also, what Chief Wahoo means for #NoDAPL and Native American rights.We’ve only got a few more episodes left in this season of Politically Re-Active, so we’re packing each show to the brim! First, Kamau and Hari call up Sterling HolyWhiteMountain of the Blackfeet Nation and CleveScene editor-in-chief Vince Grzegorek to get the down low on Cleveland’s racist baseball mascot. Then the hosts sit down with an old friend: Daily Show contributor and standup comedian Hasan Minhaj. Minhaj talks about bri...
Nov 02, 2016•1 hr 26 min
In spite of being called a long shot, Dr. Jill Stein aims to prove that the only wasted vote is the vote for the failed two-party system. The doctor, activist, and Green Party presidential nominee sits down with Kamau and Hari to talk about her political origins, diversifying the Green Party, her invitation to Bernie Sanders, and the rumors that have followed her throughout the campaign. That’s all in this week’s episode of Politically Re-Active!Learn more about Dr. Stein (the “other woman” on t...
Oct 26, 2016•1 hr 12 min
The first conservative guest in the history of Politically Re-Active opens up to Kamau and Hari about being a “Republican Translator,” how the GOP can win back Trump supporters, and America’s last remaining safe space: baseball. It’s a civil, respectful, aisle-crossing look at a garbage year in politics. Plus, Kamau defines a very gross word and Hari regrets a sexist joke.Keep up with S. E. Cupp on Twitter at @secupp, or find her work at http://thesecupp.com/.Catch Kamau and Hari at a venue near...
Oct 19, 2016•1 hr 7 min
The East LA band Las Cafeteras has a saying: “if we can’t dance together, we can’t move together.” The Chicano/Chicana group continues our discussion on the intersection of art and activism today: not just the fights and struggles of community movements, but the joy and laughter (and in their case, the dancing).And given perhaps the wildest weekend in this whole election, we brought in our favorite feminist muslim comedian Zahra Noorbakhsh to help us figure out what the hell just happened. Yes, ...
Oct 12, 2016•55 min
Hip-hop activist, journalist, and community organizer Rosa Clemente has a few good reasons why she doesn’t rock with the Dems. For one, they keep trying to kick her party – the Green Party – off of state ballots. And don’t get her started on Hillary Clinton’s foreign policy! In this episode of Politically Re-Active, the Green Party’s ’08 vice presidential nominee talks about the personal consequences of being on a political ticket, why the Green Party is forced to go after the presidency, and ho...
Oct 05, 2016•47 min
Not Loch Ness Monsters, River Monsters.Decompress from the presidential debate with your favorite hosts and this week’s guest, Rachel Maddow! With just under six weeks to go until the election, the author and TV icon gets real about Trump, from his chances of actually winning to his media strategy and finally to Mike Pence’s motivations for joining the ticket (the guy just needed a job). Rachel’s mission is to “increase the amount of useful information in the world,” and she does plenty of that ...
Sep 28, 2016•1 hr 5 min
The host of CBS' Face the Nation talks about the skill of moderating presidential debates.In a first for Politically Re-Active, Kamau and Hari chat with a member of the mainstream media! John Dickerson is the host of CBS’s Face the Nation, and like Kamau, is a man of many podcasts (“Whistlestop,” anyone?). The veteran journalist and moderator extraordinaire stops by just in time for next week’s Hillary v. Trump showdown, offering pro tips on steering a presidential debate and explaining why it’s...
Sep 21, 2016•52 min
The long-awaited Mailbag Episode!HOLD UP; WAIT A MINUTE – it’s a bonus episode in three acts! As Native tribes continue their protest of the Dakota Access Pipeline, Kamau and Hari catch up with the #NoDAPL movement by calling writer, filmmaker, and indigenous advocate, Benalex Dupris. Then we dig into the good, the bad, and the ugly of the Politically Re-Active mailbag, from your questions about “being invited into whiteness” to Hari’s awkward relationship with John Brown. Last but not least: Wh...
Sep 15, 2016•1 hr 10 min
Also - bonus episode tomorrow!Before Kendrick Lamar electrified the Grammys and Beyonce got mainstream America in “Formation,” rapper Jasiri X was making music with a message. His social justice-inspired approach to hip hop has won him countless fans – Angela Davis, Harry Belafonte, and Chuck D, to name a few. Molded by his experiences as a teenager in Pittsburgh, Jasiri’s songs address the challenges and current events that affect people of color in America. In this episode, Jasiri talks with K...
Sep 14, 2016•49 min
And Kamau's musical take on the Star Spangled Banner.Our guest this week is known for his bold and relentless writing on racial injustice and police brutality. Surprise: the “alt right” is not a fan. They’ve accused New York Daily News Senior Justice reporter Shaun King of everything from theft to being the new Rachel Dolezal (remember her?). One of the most vocal members of the Black Lives Matter movement, King breaks down how BLM unites unlikely allies and is a true extension of the Civil Righ...
Sep 07, 2016•58 min
And how movies in the 80s were really kinda creepy.This week on Hari and Co. Politically Re-Active, Kamau and Hari chat with author, columnist and legendary internet-troll confronter, Lindy West! West delves into rape culture, the objectification of female Olympians, the perils of white feminism, and why her feelings on Hillary may be complicated, but her decision to vote for her isn’t. Check out Lindy’s new book Shrill: Notes from a Loud Woman at lindywest.net, and follow her on Twitter at #the...
Aug 30, 2016•51 min
Today we're talking about sports! (And politics)Every four years, Americans pick a president. And every fours summers, the world’s nations send its most muscled and agile to compete in a display of artistry and athleticism. And on #politicallyreactive, we’re talking about both! Put your headphones on and get pumped because this episode has legs: Kamau and Hari zip through a recap of the Rio Olympics with The Nation’s sports editor Dave Zirin, talking about the political highlights (Ethiopian mar...
Aug 25, 2016•52 min
No really, that's what it's about.The year 2012 looked like the start of a promising era for Democrats. Obama had just won his second term as president, the Dems had taken a big majority in the Senate, and the party had earned 1.3 million more votes than the GOP. So how on earth did the House of Representatives stay in the hands of Republicans?? Former Salon editor-in-chief David Daley says it all comes down to one word: gerrymandering. Gerrymandering is the drawing of congressional boundaries s...
Aug 17, 2016•45 min
And the price of being a critical woman of color. She was tight with Biggie and has the ear of some of today’s biggest musicians, but writer, filmmaker, and social justice activist dream hampton prefers to stay out of the limelight – if she can. Known as “your favorite rapper’s favorite writer,” hampton has become an influencer who doesn’t shy away from dialogue, both supporting the movements she cares about most while continuing to question them from within. In this name- and mic-dropping episo...
Aug 10, 2016•49 min
And why does he call himself Van...Our guest this week is one of Fox News’s least favorite people. Coincidentally, he’s one of Kamau and Hari’s favorites! Van Jones is a CNN commentator and activist who has started numerous social and environmental justice initiatives – and that’s on top of serving as President Obama’s green jobs advisor in 2009. In this candid conversation, Jones shares what it’s like to be the preferred punching bag of conservative pundits while also being the most compassiona...
Aug 03, 2016•50 min
(Almost) Live from the DNC!Kamau and Hari are in Philadelphia for the Democratic National Convention! ...or at least they’re in the recording studio just outside of the convention. In this episode, the Politically Re-Active hosts talk to Democracy Now!’s Amy Goodman to break down the resignation of DNC chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, the policing Amy observed at the RNC, and the movements across America that give her hope.For more of Amy’s independent investigative journalism, head over to ...
Jul 27, 2016•36 min
Hari and Kamau also get into #GOPSoWhite.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Jul 20, 2016•39 min
Robert Reich wants to save capitalism?The richest people in the U.S. right now are wealthier than they have been “ever in the history of humankind,” says former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich. So why are the rest of us hustling so hard? In this episode, the Berkeley professor joins hosts W. Kamau Bell and Hari Kondabolu to talk about the viability of a universal basic income, Trumponomics, Bernie Sanders’ influence on the direction of the Democratic Party, and yes, the time Reich asked Hillary ...
Jul 14, 2016•29 min
We talk Black Lives Matter and setting white people free.There are two things that Pastor Michael McBride is sure of: Jesus... and white supremacy. The activist and religious leader join W. Kamau Bell and Hari Kondabolu in the studio to make sense of last week’s fatal police shootings of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, as well as the attack on the Dallas police during a peaceful protest of those killings. For those in search of a little grace and some straight talk about freeing white folks...
Jul 13, 2016•48 min
A brief history of third wave feminism and how some of those ideas fit into politics todayPunk and feminist icon Kathleen Hanna join W. Kamau Bell and Hari Kondabolu on Politically Re-Active to talk about her time in the riot grrrl band Bikini Kill and what it was like to be at the forefront of third wave feminism. Not to mention, clarifying that for us. As well as the second wave. And the first.They discuss the prospect of the first female president, and what obligation - if any - women have to...
Jul 06, 2016•44 min
We still have a show!Mother Jones journalist Shane Bauer joins hosts W. Kamau Bell and Hari Kondabolu to talk about his recent and crazy article about working as a guard at a private prison in Louisiana for four months. You may recognize his name as one of the American hikers held in an Iranian prison from 2009 to 2011. Well after that, he went back in (albeit in a very different way). He tells his story and sheds some light on the private prison industry. Spoiler alert, it's a mess.You can find...
Jun 30, 2016•35 min
Our first show! On the first episode of this brand new show, comedians W. Kamau Bell and Hari Kondabolu start digging into the strange facets of our political system. Berkeley professor Ian Haney-López joins them to talk about dog whistling in politics. They get into some of the history of this coded language we've heard so much of in politics. Some of it seems obvious - like from former Alabama Governor George Wallace - but some of it is harder to decipher...anyone remember Bill Clinton playing...
Jun 29, 2016•29 min
Coming soon, a new podcast from W. Kamau Bell and Hari Kondabolu. Subscribe now to be sure to get all of the latest episodes as they are launched!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Jun 09, 2016•4 min
