Yesterday the Supreme Court ruled that the Civil Rights Act protects LGBTQ+ employees from workplace discrimination in a 6-3 ruling. This is the first major case involving transgender rights, and it comes from a decidedly conservative court. We get into what it means, and how we got here. Plus, the latest on coronavirus, where cases are on the rise and how states and business are reacting. And in headlines: BLM protestor Oluwatoyin Salau found dead in Florida, hummingbirds see secret colors, and...
Jun 16, 2020•17 min
Rayshard Brooks was shot and killed by a white officer in Atlanta this weekend, in another horrific instance of police violence. Atlanta’s police chief subsequently announced she would step down and the officer who shot Brooks was fired. Tens of thousands of people protested violence against Black trans people this weekend in cities across America. These protests came just as the Trump administration moved to revoke discrimination protections for trans people in health care and health insurance....
Jun 15, 2020•17 min
Police in Seattle abandoned their East Precinct building and ceded about six blocks of the city to protestors, who have now set up the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone or CHAZ. Some conservatives are comparing that area to “Lord of the Flies,” while those on the ground say it’s more like orientation week at Evergreen State College. Another 1.5 million workers filed for unemployment last week. Trump plans to hold rallies again starting next Friday, building up to a packed RNC speech that’s now offici...
Jun 12, 2020•18 min
More than a third of states are seeing increases in Covid-19 cases in the last week. It’s hard to draw conclusions about what’s behind that trend—among states that reopened early, some are seeing cases plateau, while others are seeing cases ramp up. Plus, journalist and lawyer Josie Duffy Rice fills in for Akilah Hughes. We discuss the culture of policing in this country and how shifting money from law enforcement to social services could cut down on the need for law enforcement. And in headline...
Jun 11, 2020•22 min
Georgia held its primary yesterday, and in a state where officials have been accused of voter suppression, the elections were rife with issues. Polling stations saw hours-long lines that invariably led some voters to give up. Raquel Willis, writer and trans activist, fills in for Akilah Hughes. We discuss how we can better support black queer and trans leadership in this moment. And in headlines: Brazil’s Supreme Court orders Bolsonaro to stop hoarding COVID data, an art dealer’s buried treasure...
Jun 10, 2020•17 min
Democrats in Congress introduced the Justice In Policing Act yesterday, which includes a ban on chokeholds, a ban on no-knock warrants, and makes it easier to prosecute police officers. Plus, what New York's legislature is doing to reform policing in their state. Guest-host Dylan Marron fills in for Akilah Hughes. He shares lessons from his podcast “Conversations With People Who Hate Me," on how to have important discussions with people who disagree with you. And in headlines: Governor Andy Besh...
Jun 09, 2020•21 min
Minneapolis City Council members have said they intend to disband the Minneapolis Police Department and replace it with a community-based public safety model. On the federal level, Democrats will introduce reform legislation today that, among other things, will change the standard for use of force. We interview Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, who recently took the lead in the prosecuting cases related to George Floyd’s killing by police. We ask him why it's so difficult to prosecute of...
Jun 08, 2020•22 min
Trump’s former Defense Secretary Jim Mattis published a scathing indictment of his presidency, and he’s been backed up by Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski. Lawmakers in the Congressional Black Caucus are preparing a piece of police legislation that will aim to end racial profiling and qualified immunity. We speak with Dr. Keisha Blain, a professor of African American History at University of Pittsburgh, about how what’s happening now is an extension of the work civil rights leaders began long a...
Jun 05, 2020•23 min
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison has upgraded charges against George Floyd’s killer Derek Chauvin by adding a charge of second-degree felony murder. The three officers on the scene who did nothing to protect Floyd have also been charged, with offenses that include aiding and abetting second-degree murder. One full week of protests has produced immediate changes nationwide. Confederate statues and other relics to racism have come down in several states. And city council members in Minneap...
Jun 04, 2020•17 min
Trump’s threat to deploy military to states to help squash unrest would require him to use the Insurrection Act of 1807. We discuss that law’s history and whether Trump would need support from governors to invoke it. Former VP Joe Biden spoke on Monday, discussing inequality, racial injustice, and calling for unity. Biden is now proposing federal legislation to reform police, and has committed to addressing institutional racism if elected. And in headlines: Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg doubles dow...
Jun 03, 2020•17 min
Protests against racial violence continued in well over 100 cities, leading local officials to continue to take drastic measures like curfews and calling up the National Guard. Police in Washington, DC charged a group of peaceful protestors so that Trump could take a bad photo in front of a church. The organization Campaign Zero gathers data on policies aimed at ending police violence. We discuss the policy changes they’ve found to be successful and unsuccessful. And in headlines: the United Sta...
Jun 02, 2020•18 min
Protests in response to the police killing of George Floyd continued throughout the weekend. There were demonstrations in over 75 American cities, leading local officials to activate the National Guard in at least 11 states, and impose curfews. At one point, Trump hid underground. Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter for his role in George Floyd's killing, but three other officers who stood by have not been charged. A...
Jun 01, 2020•19 min
President Trump signed an executive order aimed at social media companies yesterday. We explain what's behind it and why legal experts don't think it's going anywhere. Varshini Prakash is the co-founder and executive director of Sunrise Movement. She's also an advocate for the Green New Deal who’s been appointed to Joe Biden’s climate change task force. We speak with her about what she’s pushing for with Biden. And in headlines: the Justice Department announced that investigating the death of Ge...
May 29, 2020•20 min
The planned site of the Republican National Convention this August is North Carolina, one of the states where coronavirus case numbers are currently on the rise. Governor Roy Cooper’s understandable concerns about this event going forward have led to a low-tier scramble, with Georgia and Florida offering to host. Also in Florida… key American innovation Walt Disney World has announced reopening plans for July. And the NBA might finally be making its 2019-2020 season return nearby. And in headlin...
May 28, 2020•16 min
George Floyd was killed by police officers in Minneapolis this week, in an abusive and excessive show of force. We discuss his murder and the incident in Central Park this Monday where a white woman threatened Christian Cooper, a black man, distorting the facts in an apparent attempt to evoke an aggressive law enforcement response. Click here for anti-racism resources and organizations to follow . This election will be unlike any other and will require a specialized approach from organizers and ...
May 27, 2020•23 min
The US has imposed a ban on flights from Brazil because of a dangerous surge in COVID-19 cases and deaths. This comes after Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro repeatedly dismissed the severity of the pandemic and mocked social distancing efforts... even as the country became a global hotspot for coronavirus. A federal judge in Florida has ruled against a state law that required people convicted of felonies to pay off all their court fines and fees before they were eligible to vote. That law was ...
May 26, 2020•18 min
China’s leaders are poised to impose a controversial new national security law in Hong Kong. The law would reportedly ban secession, subversion of state power, foreign interference, and terrorism. All that will essentially put Hong Kong more under China’s control and political system. Facebook has followed Twitter’s lead and will move to allow employees to work more from home, even after the pandemic. Two Ford factories had grand re-openings and grand re-closings this week. Both factories saw em...
May 22, 2020•21 min
The CDC has quietly posted a report with detailed suggestions about how to reopen. We dig into it and how the states might or might not use it. More than 900 children have been deported since March under a new pandemic border policy. Before, children had the opportunity to speak with a social worker or make a plea for asylum. Now, they can deported within hours of arrival in the US. And in headlines: an Ohio county declares racism a public health issue, a QAnon believer scores a Senate nominatio...
May 21, 2020•18 min
Contact tracing apps have been adopted in countries around the world to track the spread of COVID-19, but they’re not being used as much in the US. American tech companies are working to get these apps up-and-running… despite some privacy concerns. Cybersecurity reporter Patrick Howell O'Neill joins the show to update us on how these apps are working worldwide. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and Fed Chair Jerome Powell took questions from the Senate yesterday on how we’ll get out of the curren...
May 20, 2020•21 min
Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell will testify this morning about the economic crisis and response. We preview the hearing. A biotech company called Moderna reported preliminary results from a phase one trial of their coronavirus vaccine. So far, the results are positive—but the vaccine still has a lot more testing to go. Plus, California starts its program to give out economic relief to people who are undocumented. And in headlines: embattled politicians s...
May 19, 2020•17 min
Democrats in Congress are launching an inquiry into Trump’s firing of an inspector general at the State Department. It comes after three other inspector generals were also removed from their positions earlier this year. GrubHub is doing great business during the pandemic as more people rely on delivery. But a recent Buzzfeed report shows that the company is also making money from transactions they’re not involved in—and it’s making it harder for restaurants to stay afloat. And in headlines: Just...
May 18, 2020•17 min
Today the House is set to vote on a $3 trillion coronavirus relief package that Senate Republicans say is dead on arrival. They’ll also vote on rules to allow for remote voting—which means we could be seeing a lot more technology barriers and funny Zoom mishaps in the near future. Late Wednesday night, FBI agents showed up to the house of Senator Richard Burr, served him a search warrant and took his cell phone. That’s in relation his sketchy sale of a ton of stock right before the market collap...
May 15, 2020•20 min
Former vaccine chief Dr. Rick Bright will testify before a house subcommittee today—he’s the guy who says he was removed from his job because he didn’t want to push for widespread use of unproven anti-malaria drugs as a treatment for coronavirus. Bright’s pre-released statement said we’ll be in trouble if we keep following Trump off a cliff. In their latest show of unity, Former VP Joe Biden and Senator Bernie Sanders announced the members of their joint policy task forces. Names include: Rep Al...
May 14, 2020•16 min
Top U.S. health officials took questions from the Senate Health Committee yesterday on coronavirus. The partially teleconferenced testimonies featured weird background filters, quarantine beards, and one notable poster for the Red Hot Chili Peppers. The main takeaway was that the U.S. is far from "out of the woods" in the fight against COVID-19. House Democrats put out a draft of their new economic relief bill. It’s a 3 trillion dollar package that includes money for states, another round of $1,...
May 13, 2020•18 min
The governor of South Dakota threatened to sue two Sioux tribes over road checkpoints they have set up to prevent the spread of COVID-19 to their reservations. Members of the tribe say that establishing checkpoints is a matter-of-life and death. South Dakota’s governor, who never issued a stay-at-home order for her state, says the checkpoints are illegal and causing traffic. The Supreme Court will hear arguments in three cases regarding Trump’s financial records today. These cases will help dete...
May 12, 2020•15 min
Top US health officials are self-isolating and quarantining after a couple White House employees tested positive for coronavirus. Plus, new data reveal a racial bias in enforcement of stay-at-home orders in the US. South Korea has been held up as a model for fighting coronavirus to the rest of the world. Last week, they were faced with a new breakout in Seoul. Now, bars and clubs have been closed to stem the spread in that city. Following arrests in the killing of Ahmaud Arbery, calls are growin...
May 11, 2020•17 min
The vaccine race is on, with several companies, governments, and academic labs working on lots of different potential options at once. We dig into the radical ideas to speed things along. Protestors and activist groups in Georgia are calling for the resignation of the district attorney who chose not to arrest the killers of 25-year-old Ahmaud Arbery, who was shot while jogging unarmed in that state. A look at the activists and leaders who are speaking out. And in headlines: Secretary of Educatio...
May 07, 2020•17 min
Vice President Mike Pence says the federal coronavirus task force could be disbanded within a month because of “the tremendous progress we’ve made as a country.” We discuss what that could possibly mean. Wisconsin's Republican-controlled legislature is suing over the state's stay-at-home order, in a case that’s currently being heard by Wisconsin's conservative Supreme Court. We talk to Justice-elect Jill Karofsky, who will begin her term on that court in August. And in headlines: Georgia prosecu...
May 06, 2020•18 min
A leaked government projection shows the US daily death toll from Covid-19 reaching 3,000 by June, which would almost double the current rate. Both the model's creator and the White House say that number shouldn’t be taken at face value. The FDA announced that companies selling antibody tests have to submit data that proves their accuracy within the next 10 days or face the possibility of getting removed from the market. And in headlines: a former VP at Amazon resigns over the company’s treatmen...
May 05, 2020•14 min
As dozens of states reopen, Senator Mitch McConnell wants liability protections for businesses, so that employers won't face the possibility of lawsuits if an employee gets COVID-19. Critics say that puts the economic wellbeing of businesses over the health and safety of workers. Presumptive democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden responded directly to an allegation of sexual assault made by Tara Reade, a former junior staffer in his senate office. And in headlines: the return of Kim Jong-Un, ...
May 04, 2020•19 min
