Episodes
Friday Oct 29, 2021
‘Constitutional Sheriffs‘: Another reactionary threat to American democracy
Friday Oct 29, 2021
Friday Oct 29, 2021
Is it possible to enact $4 trillion in new spending on popular policies and piss everyone off in the process? Joshua Holland kicks off this week's show noting that Democrats are poised to achieve the unlikely feat.
Then we're joined by David Pepper, former chair of the Ohio Democratic Party, to talk about his new book, Laboratories of Autocracy: A Wake-Up Call from Behind the Lines. It's a siren warning that if we don't pay a lot more attention to state and local politics, we will pay a steep price.
And last but not least, attorney and journalist Jessica Pishko reports on the "Constitutional Sheriffs" movement, which is yet another branch on America's flowering tree of fascism.
Playlist
Sammy Davis Jr.: "Baretta's Theme"
Melbourne Ska Orchestra: "Get Smart"
The Blues Brothers: "Peter Gunn Theme"
Sammy Davis Jr.: "Baretta's Theme"
Melbourne Ska Orchestra: "Get Smart"
The Blues Brothers: "Peter Gunn Theme"
Friday Oct 22, 2021
Friday Oct 22, 2021
Joshua Holland kicks off this week's show with a rundown of the many lawsuits and scandals swirling around Facebook and its senior leadership. It's possible that the company that has contributed so much to the decline of liberal democracy may finally be facing a reckoning.
Then we are joined by USA Today reporter Will Carless to talk about the Not Fucking Around Coalition, a black militia that grabbed headlines and caused a lot of controversy during the summer of Black Lives Matter protests before its enigmatic leader was brought up on questionable charges--and then silenced by the courts--which effectively killed the group's momentum.
Finally, we speak with George Washington University political scientist Ethan Porter about the effectiveness and limitations of fact-checking in an era of hyper-polarized, "post-truth" politics.
Playlist
Bee Gees: "Jive Talkin"
The Secret Sisters: "Dust Cain't Kill Me"
Cowboy Junkies: "Sweet Jane"
Bee Gees: "Jive Talkin"
The Secret Sisters: "Dust Cain't Kill Me"
Cowboy Junkies: "Sweet Jane"
Friday Oct 15, 2021
‘Accountability is coming‘: Greg Sargent on the Jan. 6 Select Committee
Friday Oct 15, 2021
Friday Oct 15, 2021
Joshua Holland kicks off this week's show with a look at an internal Department of Homeland Security report detailing how senior officials politicized the agency's response to Black Lives Matter protests in Portland, Oregon and directed DHS intelligence personnel to embrace bogus right-wing conspiracy theories about antifa.
We then continue to focus on Portland with Nation contributor Zoë Carpenter, who wrote about how the right's relentless propaganda about The Rose City's supposed crises is not only influencing mainstream reporting but also infecting local politics and threatening to derail necessary reforms that activists have long been fighting for.
And then we are joined by Greg Sargent of the Washington Post to talk about Democratic attempts to thread the needle within their own caucus and get Joe Biden's agenda passed, look ahead to some key races this year and next and give us an update on the January 6 Select Committee's wide-ranging probe into the GOP's efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election.
Playlist
Noah and the Whale: "5 Years Time"
Jah9: "The Marijuana"
Alabama Shakes: "I Ain't the Same"
Noah and the Whale: "5 Years Time"
Jah9: "The Marijuana"
Alabama Shakes: "I Ain't the Same"
Friday Oct 01, 2021
Empathy battles schadenfreude when anti-vaxxers die from Covid
Friday Oct 01, 2021
Friday Oct 01, 2021
This week, Joshua Holland kicks off the show with his ongoing quest to find some positive developments in our dystopian present.
Then we are joined by Lili Loofbourow to talk about the growing popularity and moral ambiguity of the Herman Cain Awards, which chronicle the Covid deaths of hardcore anti-vaxxers and belligerent anti-maskers in great detail.
And finally veteran border reporter Melissa del Bosque joins us to explain how Border Patrol officials work with right-wing media outlets to help craft their narrative of a border that's perennially in crisis in order to undermine Democrats and support their hardline immigration policies.
Playlist
Lil Nas X: "Jolene"
Beck: "Satellite of Love"
Epic Symphonic Rock: "Kashmir"
Lil Nas X: "Jolene"
Beck: "Satellite of Love"
Epic Symphonic Rock: "Kashmir"
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