We are joined today by Dahlia Lithwick, the brilliant award winning journalist who’s been writing about the Supreme Court for over 20 years, to get her take on where this increasingly compromised court is taking us and what we can do if we don’t want to go. Author of “Lady Justice: Women, the Law and the Battle to Save America” Lithwick reminds us that for every big name hero we hope will save us, there are 100 unnamed people working behind the scenes making a difference, and we can be one of th...
Jan 24, 2023•53 min
Author of “White Evangelical Racism: The Politics of Morality in America” Professor Anthea Butler is one of the foremost experts on Christian nationalism. We discuss how evangelical racism, propelled by the benefits of whiteness, is attempting to take over our government and our country. That Christianity is being systematically weaponized in a quest for power and control, and that Christian nationalism, the kind we see in places like Hungary, with its top down control and “traditional values”, ...
Jan 17, 2023•47 min
It’s hard not to be cynical about American politics and the American experiment with all that’s going on, but the truth of the matter is we have tremendous leadership right now. The country is doing extremely well. Legislation that became law over the past two years is set to become tangible reality in the next two. Yes, we are looking at an increasingly undemocratic Republican Party who can’t even compromise with itself long enough to get their speaker elected, but we’re also looking at compete...
Jan 10, 2023•30 min
This is our last episode before the break, and I can’t imagine closing out the year without a dedicated conversation about democracy, so today’s pod is a Candid Conversation with democracy’s super lawyer Marc Elias. Marc is an American Democratic Party elections lawyer who served as general counsel for the Hillary Clinton and John Kerry presidential campaigns, and is the founder of the Elias Law Group who oversaw the state by state response to the 60+ Trump campaign lawsuits contesting the 2020 ...
Dec 20, 2022•51 min
As we go into the holiday season, join me and the amazing Dr. Allison Gill, founder and CEO of MSW Media as we discuss where we are in America right now, so we’re able to go into our seasonal gatherings armed with the facts. Allison is the host of the, now infamous, Mueller She Wrote podcast, which broke down the minutia of the Mueller investigation and ended up getting her fired from her job at the Department of Veteran Affairs because the truth made President Trump mad. She’s the co-host of Cl...
Dec 13, 2022•54 min
Join me and brilliant Georgetown history professor, author of Democracy Americana and host of the ’Is This Democracy’ podcast as we discuss where democracy is in America post the 2022 midterms. The Declaration of Independence might talk about a country where all men are created equal, but if we’re honest with ourselves, that’s not what everyone wants. History tells us there are those, an entire party in fact, who’d prefer to have a certain group in charge and know they don’t need the majority to...
Dec 06, 2022•1 hr 2 min
Join brilliant political analyst, expert, and author David Rothkopf as we discuss his new book, American Resistance: The Inside Story of How the Deep State Saved the Nation, about how a host of government officials worked together to keep our dangerous, unhinged, ill prepared president, and his enablers, from doing irreparable damage to the US, our allies, and the planet as a whole. There are a lot of unsung heroes of the Trump presidency and many of them are faceless bureaucrats, military, even...
Nov 29, 2022•45 min
In the wake of the horrific shooting at Club Q in Colorado, it’s time we bring humanity back into the conversation, because hate is literally killing people. Join me and Broadway & Television superstar Alexandra Billings, as we discuss the Trans experience, the best way to be an ally, and remind everyone that the world is better when we make room for all of us. Despite the tragedies unfolding every day, this episode is the opposite of a downer. It’s an absolutely delightful, entertaining, and ey...
Nov 22, 2022•52 min
Ron Klain joins us for the post-midterm wrap up. Though not all the results are in, we do know that Democrats will hold the Senate, no election deniers will be in charge of elections, that Democrats have gained governorships and made headway in state houses and the power of hate and division might be on the wain. However, it shakes out, the midterms were a good day for democracy. We might be in for a contentious 2 years, but then again, aren’t we used to that by now? The bottom line is people to...
Nov 15, 2022•38 min
No matter which way election day goes, there will be a tomorrow, so what happens next? Join me for a candid conversation with Thom Hartmann, #1 Progressive Radio Host and New York Times bestselling author of 25 books. I’m having Thom on today because he’s one of the smartest people I know, and no matter how this all shakes out, and I believe it will go the right way, we will still have a lot of work to do to heal what ails this country. Join Thom and me as we start to break down the issues that ...
Nov 08, 2022•57 min
This is the last episode before the midterms. I’ll be back to the regular schedule and topics starting next week but I want to thank everyone for sticking with me through the season and the Candidate Conversations. I hope you are going into this election knowing you left it all on the floor. No matter which way this goes, there will be a tomorrow and an America to fight for but boy, would it be great if it went democracy’s way. Last 3 days my friends! Make them count! Please RATE and SUBSCRIBE s...
Nov 04, 2022•12 min
Today’s episode is the last in the series of Candidate Conversations leading up to the midterms, where we talk to candidates who might not be getting the attention they need but have a real chance of winning with the right amount of attention. Today’s we talk to two amazing Democratic candidates for Attorney General, Jen Jordan for Georgia and Rochelle Garza for Texas. The Attorney General is the state’s top prosecutor meant to represent the public interest at the state level. An AG has the powe...
Nov 01, 2022•1 hr 9 min
As the midterms approach, I thought we’d revisit what’s at stake by re-upping a podcast from January 2022 about the rise of the Autocratic movements around the world and how one party in America seems more than willing to join their club. This is the time we need a resurgence of democracy, not only at home but around the world, or those who would seek to sink the west will finally succeed, and the values and human rights we take for granted will be a thing of the past. Stick with me, so you know...
Oct 28, 2022•49 min
Today’s podcast is a candid conversation with Congressman Jamie Raskin,Democratic member of the House Select committee on the January 6th attack on the US Capitol, which recently resumed with its 9th, and possibly last, public hearing. Now that we know that a sitting president and his enablers engaged in a multi-strategy, calculated attempt to stay in power against the will of the people, and that this bid at a self coup was supported by people from the lowest of the low, like white supremest mi...
Oct 25, 2022•49 min
Today is one of our bonus pods leading to the midterms to bring attention to races across the country that are incredibly important, winnable and getting basically no press. Today I’m thrilled to be talking to Democratic Congressional candidate for Minnesota’s 1st District, Jeff Ettinger. Jeff is the previous CEO of the Minnesota’s meat packing giant Hormel Foods, the leader of Hormel’s foundation, a professor of business at the local university and the Democrats chance of flipping a red seat bl...
Oct 21, 2022•34 min
Today’s episode is part of the Candidate Conversation series leading up to the midterms, where we talk to candidates from across the country who might not be getting the attention they need, to win the races they could absolutely win. Today’s we talk to two amazing gubernatorial candidates, Chris Jones for Arkansas and Nan Whaley for Ohio. Both candidates are pro-choice, pro-democracy, out of the box thinkers who are ready to lead. Chris is the most accomplished and extraordinary candidate runni...
Oct 18, 2022•1 hr 3 min
Today’s our first extra pod leading up to the midterms and I’m thrilled to have it be with Senatorial candidate for South Dakota Brian Bengs. And you might think, a Democrat in South Dakota? Whaaaat? But, yes, we have to stop ceding rural territories and states to Republicans. The heartland used to be a stronghold for the Democrats, but there’s been a growing, and perhaps self fulfilling, belief that the Democratic Party can’t compete in rural America, and that’s just not true. South Dakota migh...
Oct 14, 2022•33 min
Today’s podcast is a candid conversation with Mini Timmaraju, President of NARAL Pro-Choice America, here to remind us what is at stake in the midterm elections, not just for reproductive freedoms and rights of women in this country, but the very foundation of freedom and democracy itself. Mini joined NARAL having worked for the Biden-Harris Administration, served as the National Women’s Vote Director for the Hillary Clinton campaign, and played many essential roles at Planned Parenthood. Mini h...
Oct 11, 2022•53 min
Today’s episode is part of the Candidate Conversation series leading up to the midterms, where we talk to candidates from across the country whose victories are absolutely essential to the success of American democracy. Today’s podcast will be with 2 Democratic candidates running for the 3rd districts of their states. Brad Pfaff from Wisconsin and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez from Washington. Both candidates have deep ties to their rural communities and are running against MAGA ringers brought into t...
Oct 04, 2022•1 hr 3 min
Today’s podcast is a conversation with Karen Bass, Congresswoman for California’s 37th district, former California assemblywoman, and current candidate for Mayor of Los Angeles. And you might think, “Ok I don’t live in Los Angeles so why should I care?” You should care because Los Angeles is the second biggest city in the US, and California is the state with the largest population. So, the things that happen here, end up being the beta test for things that happen across the country. What Karen B...
Sep 27, 2022•51 min
For a political nerd like me being invited to the White House is like going to the Super Bowl. I was thrilled to be there, but even more excited to see the genuine passion the Biden Administration has for the country and its people. This is why I do what I do. To help people who care about the country, and to make sure that list of people grows every day. Today’s pod is a Candid Conversation with two of the three founders of the Meidas Media Network, Brett & Jordy Meiselas, who were also at the ...
Sep 20, 2022•55 min
We are starting a new series leading up to the midterms called Candidate Conversations, where we chat with candidates from across the country to highlight races and people that you might not be as familiar with, but whose victories are essential and need your support. Today’s podcast will be split into individual conversations with 2 amazing Democratic congressional candidates, Christy Smith from California’s 27th congressional district, and Dr. Annie Andrews from South Carolina’s 1st. Both wome...
Sep 13, 2022•48 min
Today’s podcast is a candid conversation with Alexis McGill Johnson, President and CEO of Planned Parenthood. We are living at volatile time in American history. One entire party is hellbent on taking us backward into the worst parts of our country’s past filled with racism, homophobia, inequality and the subjugation of women. Since the reversal of Roe v. Wade, every day is a new affront to the value of women and those who require reproductive rights in our society. Every day comes with a fresh ...
Sep 06, 2022•53 min
Today’s podcast is a candid conversation with Mike Monroe, the Chief of Staff to North America’s Building Trades Unions, a labor organization representing more than 3 million construction workers, composed of 14 national and international unions. Prior to joining NABTU, Mike served as the Political Director for Labor on Hillary Clinton’s 2008 Presidential Campaign, and is a passionate and successful advocate for the Labor Movement in America. The pandemic really opened our eyes to the essential ...
Aug 30, 2022•46 min
When we last had Teri Kanefield on the show she was reminding us that just because we weren’t seeing the results we wanted didn’t mean the wheels of justice weren’t turning. People wanted so badly for the DOJ to tell us they were investigating Trump, for Trump to be arrested, for RESULTS, but Teri has always believed that the fact that we were seeing so little, was good news for the health of the rule of law. She’s always stressed how important it is to not rush the process or abandon the rules ...
Aug 23, 2022•1 hr 9 min
Today’s pod is a candid conversation with Nick Carmody, psychotherapist, lawyer, and Executive Board Member for the World Mental Health Coalition. Nick uses his psychology expertise to look at politics and how politics affects the personality of the country. If there’s already political science, Nick believes there should be political psychology. We talk about what’s going on with the Republican Party, Trumpism, and the recent search of Mar-a-lago from a psychological perspective, and we discuss...
Aug 16, 2022•51 min
We shouldn’t have to be talking about authoritarianism, strongmen and propaganda in 21st Century America, and yet here we are. Join me and my guest Ruth Ben-Ghiat, professor of History and Italian studies at NYU, advisor to ‘Protect Democracy’, and author of ‘Strongmen: From Mussolini to the Present’ as we discuss the danger the United States is in, and what we, the voting public, can do as the last line of defense between us and the very worst instincts of the Republican Party. Guest social: Tw...
Aug 09, 2022•54 min
Want to understand what’s going on right now? We talk to Bharat about about inflation, the economy and all the things the Biden Administration is doing under the radar while the Republicans blame them for all the country’s woes. I promise this is actually a very hopeful episode. I know it doesn’t feel hopeful right now, with the prices so high and the corporate greed so rapid but, the National Economic Council is on it and the amount they’ve accomplished is incredibly positive. We just need to g...
Aug 02, 2022•50 min
As our guest David Bender points out “It’s hard to watch the 1/6 hearings because it’s like looking directly into the sun. It hurts.” You can’t believe the President of the United States, the man who held the same office as Washington, Lincoln, JFK and FDR could’ve brought us so low. That he and his enablers could have put their own needs and desire to retain power ahead of the continuation of the American experiment itself. It’s difficult to absorb, but like the Nuremberg trials, the 1/6 commit...
Jul 26, 2022•1 hr 1 min
American democracy is under attack in more ways than ever before. From the disinformation and voter suppression efforts based on Trump’s Big Lie, to the GOP abandoning democracy for their own power, to foreign cyber attacks and good old fashion voter machine manipulation. Congress is unable to pass a voter protection bill because the Republicans keep stonewalling and now the GOP are actively telling us they’re going to elect people who will cheat, suppress and even invalidate votes to make sure ...
Jul 19, 2022•50 min
