We’re sharing an episode from our friends at Latino USA! In this episode, producer Reynaldo Leaños Jr. travels to southern Arizona where one of the first major concentrations of surveillance towers on the southern border were built, and he looks at what these towers mean today, and for the future of those crossing, and living, there. The “virtual wall” across the U.S.-Mexico border is made up of things like drones, sensors, cameras and… surveillance towers. Both Democrats and Republicans have su...
Dec 26, 2024•58 min•Transcript available on Metacast We discuss how ungoverning is the equivalent of a bull in a china shop. Many institutions will be destroyed, but we don't know which ones and to what extent! Nancy’s civic action toolkit recommendations are: Don’t let unpredictability strip you of your agency Vote in local, county, and state elections Nancy Rosenblum is the Senator Joseph Clark Professor of Ethics in Politics and Government Emerita at Harvard University, and the co-author of Ungoverning: The Attack on the Administrative State an...
Dec 19, 2024•51 min•Transcript available on Metacast We discuss election integrity and voting machines, the amazing work of election workers, and the logistics of election audits. Ben’s civic action toolkit recommendations are: Talk to your town or county clerk and offer to help. Be a poll worker for a day! Ben Adida is the Executive Director of Voting Works, the only non-profit voting system vendor in the U.S. Their mission is to make election technology everyone can trust through transparency, simplicity, and demonstrable security. Let’s connect...
Dec 12, 2024•47 min•Ep 324•Transcript available on Metacast We discuss why the American electorate voted the way they did in 2024, the history of various voter suppression tactics, and how we can bounce back from a feeling of post-election civic helplessness. Michael’s civic action toolkit recommendations are: Use your platform! Do the research. Read books. Go deep on what's going on and convey what you've learned. Michael Waldman is the CEO and President of the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law and a constitutional lawyer and writer who is...
Dec 05, 2024•51 min•Ep 323•Transcript available on Metacast We discuss the long history of vigilante democracy in the US and its return in our current politics. The playing field is currently tilted in favor of these vigilante policies, but blue states can level the playing field by playing constitutional hardball. David Noll reminds us that the American people have beat back movements to use vigilante power to enforce a reactionary agenda time and again. David’s civic action toolkit recommendations are: Get involved in local politics Resistance works an...
Nov 26, 2024•52 min•Transcript available on Metacast We discuss how the Democratic party continues to ignore AAPI voters in schools despite their increasing power at the ballot box and the necessity to build coalitions with them to win elections. Between 2016 and 2020, voter turnout in this community increased by 47%. The near doubling of AAPI voters in Georgia and Arizona effectively made the Biden victory in 2020 possible. Varun’s civic action toolkit recommendations are: Show up to a school board meeting Gather insight from engaging in your loc...
Nov 21, 2024•50 min•Ep 321•Transcript available on Metacast We discuss the intersection of feminism and democracy and discover how the egalitarian underpinnings of feminism are fundamental to an equal society. Abortion bans illustrate this well. “Any time there's a conflict between the Constitution and someone's personal bodily autonomy and the subject of rights under the law, that is anti-democratic.” Nicole’s civic action toolkit recommendations are: Start small, engaging directly in your community Maintain hope and optimism and believe that you’re goi...
Nov 14, 2024•47 min•Ep 320•Transcript available on Metacast We discuss the importance of shifting our mindset to one that is infused with hope. Positive change comes when we choose hope. Though nobody can fix it all, we can all do something and make an impact. Sharon reminds us that if something is worth doing for everyone, it’s worth doing for one person. Sharon’s civic action toolkit recommendations are: Choose hope. Get involved in an issue that is important to you because your actions do matter. Sharon McMahon is the creator of “Sharon Says So” and h...
Nov 07, 2024•44 min•Transcript available on Metacast We discuss why American democracy should not treat the Latinx community as a monolith, what actually matters to this community, and how the strength of their engagement in U.S. democracy will play out in this year’s presidential election. Maria Teresa’s civic action toolkit recommendations are: VOTE! Share your excitement to vote with everyone you know, especially young people. Maria Teresa Kumar is the President and CEO of Voto Latino, a civic engagement organization focused on educating and em...
Oct 31, 2024•46 min•Transcript available on Metacast We discuss the purpose of fascist education, the political nature of universities in defending democracy, and the dangers of America’s powerful exceptionalist narrative. Jason’s civic action toolkit recommendations are: Stand up in solidarity with those who are political targets Understand other people’s perspectives because that gives them the voice in a democracy Jason Stanley is the Jacob Urowsky Professor of Philosophy at Yale University and the author of seven books. His most recent is Eras...
Oct 24, 2024•43 min•Ep 317•Transcript available on Metacast We discuss the necessary policies that make a family friendly economy possible, such as investments in child care, elder care, and paid family leave. Such investments ought to be considered basic infrastructure, which contribute to the economy. Sondra’s civic action toolkit recommendations are: Talk to your friends and family who are having challenges around caregiving. Vote for candidates who support child care and paid family leave, and hold them accountable after elections. Sondra Goldschein ...
Oct 17, 2024•34 min•Transcript available on Metacast Future Hindsight is a finalist in the 2024 Signal Awards and we need your help to win the gold! We’re being recognized in the Activism, Public Service, & Social Impact category for our episode on Policing Equity and Justice with Dr. Phillip Atiba Solomon. Public voting is open until Oct 17th, 2024 and every vote counts. Go to this link to vote for Future Hindsight now: https://vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting#/2024/individual-episodes/general/activism-public-service-social-impact You can also v...
Oct 10, 2024•3 min•Transcript available on Metacast We discuss the deep impact of Project 2025 policies on the American people, even if only 10-15% were implemented. Well beyond abortion bans and no-fault divorces, Project 2025 would adversely affect democracy. It would be easier for big money to influence election outcomes, for disinformation and misinformation to spread, and for foreign actors to meddle in elections. Matt’s civic action toolkit recommendations are: Look at what’s going on around you and take action at the local level Join a mut...
Oct 10, 2024•42 min•Transcript available on Metacast This is a recording of a live event of the American Voter Project at the Eric H. Holder Jr. Initiative for Civil and Political Rights. We discuss the long history of voter suppression, voting rights, the electoral college, the Supreme Court, and democracy. General Holder’ and Michael’s civic action toolkit recommendations are: Vote! Engage in a major social movement Eric H. Holder, Jr. serves as Chairman of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee. He served in the Obama Administration as...
Oct 03, 2024•1 hr 27 min•Transcript available on Metacast We discuss deepening our understanding of the climate crisis, the urgent need for decarbonization, and our role in speaking truth about phasing out fossil fuels. Genevieve’s civic action toolkit recommendations are: Call your elected representatives and demand policies to phase out fossil fuels. If extreme weather comes up in conversation, connect the dots to climate change and say: “We really need to phase out fossil fuels so we can halt global heating.” Genevieve Guenther is the founding direc...
Sep 26, 2024•59 min•Ep 313•Transcript available on Metacast We discuss the power and the promise of public schools, the universal rejection of book bans by parents across the country, and an inclusive vision for democracy. Their civic action toolkit recommendations are: Have a conversation with people with whom you disagree Remain open-minded. Jennifer Berkshire and Jack Schneider are co-hosts of the education podcast Have You Heard. Their new book is The Education Wars: A Citizen’s Guide and Defense Manual. Follow Jennifer on X: https://x.com/BisforBerk...
Sep 19, 2024•53 min•Ep 312•Transcript available on Metacast We discuss how ballot measures give voters the opportunity to take power and agency. It is about citizens putting issues that are important to their communities, gathering signatures, and then putting them on the ballot directly to effect policy change. Her civic action toolkit recommendations are: 1. Voting is the starting line, not the finish line. 2. Hold your elected officials accountable after elections by reaching out to them about the issues that matter to you, and making sure they are ke...
Sep 12, 2024•42 min•Ep 311•Transcript available on Metacast We discuss how two parties alone cannot represent the diversity of views in American society, how fusion voting could solve for better representation, and who exactly should get engaged in our civic lives. His civic action toolkit recommendations are: 1. Support political parties and reforms that create more choices. 2. Be a good neighbor and participate in a local meeting. Lee Drutman is Senior Fellow in the Political Reform program at New America, co-host of the Politics in Question podcast (a...
Sep 05, 2024•41 min•Ep 310•Transcript available on Metacast We discuss what it takes for citizens to take action and run for elected office. Wendy ran as a Democrat in Utah because she wanted to give voters a viable, different choice. She knew it was going to be difficult to win as a first time candidate, but she ran so hard that she left a body mark in the wall. She lost by a mere 78 votes. Her civic action toolkit recommendations are: 1. Vote and encourage other people to vote 2. Work or volunteer for a candidate during an election year Wendy Davis is ...
Aug 29, 2024•46 min•Ep 309•Transcript available on Metacast Joe Spielberger is the policy counsel for the Effective and Accountable Government team at the Project on Government Oversight (POGO), where he advocates in Congress and the executive branch to strengthen whistleblower rights, protect a merit based civil service, and promote government ethics and transparency. We discuss how government can be transparent and accountable to us, the People. All Americans need to be confident that federal employees are hired based on their qualifications and not be...
Aug 22, 2024•40 min•Ep 308•Transcript available on Metacast Daniel Alvarenga is a journalist who covers issues pertaining to immigration, racial equity, and Latinx cultures – with a special emphasis on Central America and its diasporas. He’s also the English language podcast host of Humo: Murder and Silence in El Salvador. We discuss the intersection of foreign policy, immigration policy, and democracy. US foreign interference in Central America has had a huge impact on destabilizing the region. During the civil war in El Salvador between 1980 and 1992, ...
Aug 15, 2024•26 min•Ep 307•Transcript available on Metacast Barbara McQuade is a legal analyst for NBC News and MSNBC, co-host of the podcast #SistersinLaw, and a professor at the University of Michigan Law School. Her first book is Attack From Within: How Disinformation is Sabotaging America. We discuss the dangers of disinformation and how we can defeat it. Democracy depends on truth, and as Americans we should prize truth over tribe. A lot of disinformation is hiding behind the First Amendment – telling lies as a right to free speech. We are overrun w...
Aug 08, 2024•46 min•Ep 306•Transcript available on Metacast Daria Dawson is the Executive Director of America Votes, which coordinates more than 400 partners to engage and mobilize voters for elections up and down the ballot across the country. We discuss why 2024 is - yet again - the most important election of our lifetimes. The biggest threat to American democracy is fascism and thus the most important issue in this election is preserving our democracy. Of course, democracy and protecting democracy is a process and never just one election. The top prio...
Aug 01, 2024•39 min•Ep 305•Transcript available on Metacast Alissa Quart is the executive director of the Economic Hardship Reporting Project and the author of Bootstrapped: Liberating Ourselves from the American Dream. We discuss what it really means to pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps in America, “the land of the self-made.” Humans are biologically wired to be interdependent. In fact, achievement is often accompanied with isolation and loneliness. Alissa reminds us that “People who are fighting for democracy shouldn't be leaning into their own s...
Jul 25, 2024•41 min•Ep 304•Transcript available on Metacast A.J. Jacobs is a journalist and author. His most recent book is The Year of Living Constitutionally: One Man’s Humble Quest to Follow the Constitution's Original Meaning. We discuss how the Founding Fathers prized humility, experimentation, and a willingness to change their own minds. The heart of our democracy is for the community to come together and cooperate. One example is to advocate for democratic reforms, which are nonpartisan. Being apathetic or cynical helps the slide into autocracy. R...
Jul 18, 2024•46 min•Ep 303•Transcript available on Metacast Nationly is a limited election series podcast by Immigrantly Media. Join hosts Sara Sadhwani and Juan Diego Ramirez as they offer their unique perspectives on swing states pivotal in determining the 2024 election outcomes. Focusing on minority communities—specifically, immigrants and communities of color—'Nationly' uncovers the issues that truly matter to these voters, ranging from global events like the situation in Gaza to local races such as the showdown between Kari Lake v. Ruben Gallego. Th...
Jul 10, 2024•27 min•Transcript available on Metacast Melanie D’Arrigo is the Executive Director of the Campaign for New York Health, which aims to win universal single-payer healthcare for all New Yorkers. We discuss the intersection of democracy and healthcare and what is necessary to create better health outcomes. The New York Health Act is a current bill in the New York State Legislature that would implement a single payer healthcare system in New York, similar to Medicare for All. Instead of accessing health insurance, this bill would provide ...
Jul 04, 2024•51 min•Ep 302•Transcript available on Metacast Wajahat Ali is a Daily Beast columnist and the co-host of Democracy-ish. He's also the author of Go Back to Where You Came From: And Other Helpful Recommendations on How to Become American . Together, Mila and Waj discuss what it means to be American and to love a country that often doesn’t love them back. Defense of democracy continues to resonate as a kitchen table issue for all Americans. Mainstream media is not properly serving the public, whether that’s about fully informing the public on t...
Jun 27, 2024•59 min•Ep 301•Transcript available on Metacast Robert L. Tsai is the author of Demand the Impossible: One Lawyer’s Pursuit of Equal Justice for All and Professor of Law and Harry Elwood Warren Memorial Scholar at Boston University School of Law. We discuss the death penalty, legal representation for the indigent, and equality under law. People do see the flaws in the criminal justice system. They are often aware that aside from major metropolitan areas, public defenders are not well funded. Elsewhere, there is a patchwork of sub-par solution...
Jun 20, 2024•45 min•Ep 300•Transcript available on Metacast Rachel Vindman is the co-host of the Suburban Women Problem podcast and she has her finger on the pulse on all things politics for American women. We discuss abortion, Trump's conviction, Ukraine, and relational organizing. The goal in this year’s election is maintaining American democracy. Relational organizing is about talking to people about what's going on, making sure they know and understand. Being a reliable source of good information and then sharing it is very powerful — and should not ...
Jun 13, 2024•53 min•Ep 299•Transcript available on Metacast 
