America appears to be in free fall and 30% of the country seems on board for a million decisions they didn’t vote for and will only hurt them? How is that possible? David Pakman joins us to talk about his new book, instant New York Times bestseller, The Echo Machine: How Right Wing Extremism Created a Post Truth America, which addresses how the fall of critical thinking and rise of reactionary politics has done such destruction to our nation and what can be. Our country’s under attack and our me...
Apr 15, 2025•48 min
We have this preconceived notion of who can, and should, be a leader. We need to throw that out the window. According to our guest, President and Co-founder of Run For Something, Amanda Litman, “Party recruitment is the most important thing we can be doing right now.” These are the people who will change the game. The candidates who will connect with the voters and set us on a brighter path. As Amanda says, “We need better people. Anywhere can be competitive, so we need to be fielding candidates...
Apr 08, 2025•47 min
The Trump administration is actively seeking to destroy everything we know, but we can’t allow it. We need to fight back. Do more than we’re doing now. This is a nation built on causing a ruckus. So, that’s what the good citizens of America must do. We must recommit to the principles of truth, justice and freedom and stand up and fight for them. Trump is waging a systemic war against facts, intelligence and the rule of law. Our elections and our very sense of agency and power within this nation ...
Apr 01, 2025•1 hr 1 min
Current leadership isn’t just letting our military down, they’re setting them up. Cutting benefits, firing veterans, changing allies….Our soldiers might be, as Commander Jones says, “trained to absorb a lot” but they shouldn’t have to absorb this kind of disrespect. The American military are not there to make the president appear more manly, or be used as an enforcement brigade to deliver real estate deals or bring political enemies to heal, so what happens when the administration asks our soldi...
Mar 25, 2025•1 hr 8 min
Expert in Soviet and Ukrainian history, Andrea Chalupa joins me and human rights activist and expert in Russia and disinformation Marcus Kolga, to discuss how important it is Canada not follow America down the path to authoritarianism laid by Russian influence and disinformation. Canadians need to understand they’re dealing with the same psychological warfare that was successful in America, and use the US as a cautionary tale. Donald Trump isn’t kidding when he says he wants to take over Canada,...
Mar 18, 2025•58 min
If people are wondering where the pushback to the nightmare of the Trump administration is, it’s in the courts. In the absence of executive leadership, and with the abandonment of of legislative leadership, the judicial branch has gone from democracy’s last line of defense to it’s first. In fact, there are lawyers and activists working day and night to hold off the worst instincts of presidency. As Democracy Forward’s Skye Perryman says, “The most powerful tool the Trump administration has is to...
Mar 11, 2025•46 min
Trump’s first cabinet meeting was basically run by Elon. Republicans voted for a budget that would cut Medicaid and SNAP to ensure billionaires get even more money. Republican representatives are choosing to forego town halls after realizing they can’t answer for their party’s actions. Trump put out the disgusting Trump Gaza video and showed the world America is now Russia’s ally in the Oval Office. So, how do we look at all this and still have hope? Well that’s why we’re talking to Simon Rosenb...
Mar 04, 2025•50 min
America is a hot mess, but you wouldn’t know it listening to legacy media. Which is why our guest, Michael Steele, former RNC Chair and co-host of MSNBC’s The Weekend, was such a breath of fresh air when he let loose saying people need to start giving a damn and wake the hell up. It’s time we accept that our county is under attack, so we can start doing something about it. Join us to discuss the chaos that we’re living through with a bunch of salt and a little sugar, because if you don’t laugh t...
Feb 25, 2025•1 hr 10 min
On the campaign trail for DNC chair Ken Martin said the Democrats need a work horse not a show pony and, now that he has the job, he’s being clear the ultimate goal is to win - to beat back this horrible, far right extremist Republican Party so the party can start making real change from a place of power. Join us as we discuss how he plans to do that. The mainstream media is a joke. Our country’s under attack and they aren’t even talking about it. Now, more than ever, we need to support those of...
Feb 18, 2025•52 min
Stripping women of their rights has never been about one specific issue. It’s always been about control, and how you exercise control over women. But this war on women won’t just stop with us. Project 2025, which is being implemented line by line is about remaking society so it aligns better with one specific set of far right, nationalistic, religious values. The target is moving one, and these actions if not opposed, will end up harming everyone, because once you allow the government to strip o...
Feb 11, 2025•51 min
The amount of criminal activity, criminally adjacent behavior, unconstitutional oversteps, and just piss poor leadership that happened over the weekend is astonishing. We’re 14 days into this presidency and taking in information is drinking from a firehose - overwhelming and it hurts - but that’s the point. The Trump Administration is using a deliberate tactic to overwhelm the public with chaos and crisis in order to push through radical changes when people are too disoriented to effectively res...
Feb 04, 2025•1 hr 2 min
Well, the Dictator has arrived and it’s self reliance time. We need to grow partner groups, our own media ecosystems, and thicker skin. As guest Andrea Chalupa, expert on dictatorships and authoritarian leaders says, we can grieve what happened to our country and that our institutions didn’t save us, but we can’t cling to the status quo or disconnect from society alone and depressed. There is a future where we return to freedom, but we need to work for it. So be visible, stand out, and show your...
Jan 28, 2025•1 hr
Well. It happened. He’s been inaugurated. He’s pardoned the insurrectionists. He’s starting his round ups and Elon gave, not one but two, stiff arm salutes. Now what? The mainstream media is a joke. They’re already telling us we didn’t see Elon do what he did. Now, more than ever, we need to support those doing independent work and bringing the truth when it’s harder and harder to find. Help people like me be a counterweight to the lies and propaganda. If you find worth in what we do, please SUB...
Jan 21, 2025•53 min
America is about to change and we need to counter what’s coming with philosophy not politics. We have to lead with our values, not our party. We can’t give into fear or lose hope, but must reengage in the shared principles of freedom, justice and independence. Opinions are not facts. Information is not knowledge. MAGA has created their own reality dictated from the top down. The opposition needs to find a way to build something real from the ground up. The mainstream media has let us down. Now, ...
Jan 14, 2025•57 min
We’re at the start of a new year, a new quarter century, and a new administration and a lot is up in the air, so I thought I’d take this opportunity to chat with one of the smartest people I know, about where she thinks America stands in the course of history and what to expect next. The mainstream media has let us down, so now more than ever we need to support those doing independent work. The extremists have been able to shape the mindset of the majority of this nation because the far right in...
Jan 07, 2025•42 min
Our country is about to go into a crisis. The question is what are we going to do about it? Will we change with the pain, or will we hold firm to what we know of ourselves and find a stronger, better version of our country in the process? The future we’re going into will not be normal so I’m not going to wish you a Happy New Year. I’m going to wish you strength and courage and community, because that is what will get us through. The mainstream media has let us down, so we need to support those d...
Dec 31, 2024•30 min
“In the days when darkness seems to be winning, don’t lose your spark." The future might be filled with bad news, but as guest John Pavlovitz says, it will be less traumatizing if we stay connected to our source - whether that’s our faith, our family, our friends, or our morality. We can’t, as John says, “sacrifice ourselves on the altar of our empathy.” The reasons we’re feeling disheartened are valid. Our feelings are a reminder that we’re good humans, and the world needs good humans. We just ...
Dec 24, 2024•43 min
Instead of having a meltdown and getting mired in every potential crisis coming from the next administration, we have to see the big picture while taking action at the local level. Ask yourself: What is real right now, and what can we do about it? That while Trump and his henchmen can do vast amounts of damage to our institutions, our way of life, and our rule of law - damage we must be on guard for and fight against - as we work to restore American democracy one of the most important things to ...
Dec 17, 2024•58 min
The Trump administration’s goal is going to be to divide and conquer. To isolate us from each other and break our resolve and spirit, but Indivisible believes, that if we stand together, we can protect our families, our neighbors, and our democracy. That our shared future depends on every day Americans choosing to fight back. To treat an attack on one of us as an attack on all of us, and they’ve written a Practical Guide to Democracy on the Brink to help us do just that. The Guide is a set of st...
Dec 10, 2024•50 min
Expert in Soviet and Ukrainian history, and author of Dictatorship: It’s Easier Than You Think, Andrea Chalupa joins us to discuss what’s next for America. I’ll warn you, this episode is a lot, but if knowledge is power, stick with it and I believe you’ll find Andrea’s perspective not only powerful but very inspiring. It’s time to inoculate ourselves from despair and fear. That fear is contagious, but so is courage. This isn’t over, it’s just the next phase As always, if you find worth in what w...
Dec 03, 2024•57 min
This holiday season I’m going to tell you a story. A personal story of a dark time where it appeared all was lost, and the lessons learned from living through it. In these trying times, I offer a perspective that, I hope, might make you feel just a little bit better. The mainstream media has let us down, so we need to support those doing independent work. The extremists have been able to shape the mindset of fair amount of this nation beause the far right invested in their voices. Give people li...
Nov 26, 2024•30 min
As today’s guest, Robert Reich reminds us, wishful thinking won’t save us from what’s coming, but neither should we bury ourselves in cynicism. The truth is, the bottom 90% of the country have been ignored for 50 years and while Trump might have spoken to them and swayed them, he will not help them. So this is not the time to give up. This is the time to use every lever of power to stop the worst of authoritarianism from taking over and to stand behind the people and organizations fighting for o...
Nov 19, 2024•53 min
I still can’t exactly explain what happened with the 2024 election, but it does appear as if Trump and his dangerous, extremist allies have won. I’m a big believer in our institutions, but I also spent the past week trying to figure out how they could have all failed us so badly. I understand the sentiment to want to disengage. To find someone to blame. To point fingers and to close the door on working with anyone who isn’t in your immediate group, because you feel as if they’re the only people ...
Nov 12, 2024•43 min
Well, it’s here: Election Day. After this incredibly trying 10 years, and completely bananas election season, we made it. This is a BIG day and people are busy, so this is an abridged episode to tell you what to look for and expect today, and in the days and weeks to come. The most important thing you can do right now is get people to the polls, not spread misinformation, and trust the system is ready this time. While some may prematurely claim victory and spread lies to sow doubt and seize powe...
Nov 05, 2024•31 min
After that insane rally at MSG we know we have to pull out every stop to make sure Donald Trump loses on November 5th. Talk to your friends, talk to your family. Despite the fact the country is drowning in negativity and lies, the truth is, the Democrats are winning. The majority of voters don’t want what MAGA, Trump and the Project 2025 Mandate for Leadership are offering but we have to make sure everyone understands what’s at stake. The country’s future is literally on us now. We need to ask o...
Oct 29, 2024•55 min
Donald Trump is nothing if not lucky. Today we’re joined by the authors of the New York Times Bestselling Book Lucky Loser: How Donald Trump Squandered his Father’s Fortune and Created the Illusion of Success, who took four decades of financial reporting and a century’s worth of research and interviews to paint a picture of a life of the world’s luckiest, but dare I say it, con artist. The question is: Do we want to continue to live in the world Donald Trump has created? Or are we ready to get b...
Oct 22, 2024•47 min
As today’s guest, Timothy Snyder argues, “Freedom is the great American commitment” but we’ve lost sight of what it means. In his new book, ‘On Freedom’, the New York Times best selling author and Yale historian, digs into the concept of freedom, what it is, how it’s been misunderstood, and why upholding it our only chance for survival. “We’ll see how it goes” is not a plan. We have to DO something. As always, IF YOU FIND WORTH IN WHAT WE DO, please consider SUBSCRIBING to PoliticsGirl Premium. ...
Oct 15, 2024•47 min
Leigh guest reads in episode 4: part 2 of a fantastic and informative, limited series "Trump's Project 2025: Up Close and Personal". Be sure to check out all episodes wherever you get your pods! xo- PG ---- This episode tells the fictional story of a middle school that opens its doors to unvaccinated students after a possible second -term President Trump eliminates Federal funding for schools with vaccine mandates. The story follows the school nurse, Stephanie Morris, as she navigates the influx...
Oct 10, 2024•43 min
Our nation sits at crossroad. We either address our problems within our democracy and rule of law, or fail to address them by abandoning the very things that make us special in pursuit of something new. The 2024 presidential ticket offers us two very different versions of America - what it is and who it’s for - and on November 5th we choose one. Join me and the brilliant author Thom Hartman as we discuss his new book The Hidden History of the American Dream and break down where we are right now....
Oct 08, 2024•57 min
Today we’re talking with the CEO of Vet VoiceJanessa Goldbeck about the film War Game a documentary based on a real life wargame set on January 6, 2025 that imagines a nationwide insurrection, in whichmembers of the US military choose to defect in order to support the losing presidential candidate and what the current president and his team, would do. I’m talking about this film because the scenario addressed has a real possibility of playing out after the 2024 election, and the people at the Ve...
Oct 01, 2024•49 min
