Collier Democratic Roundup

Jeff, Amber and Linda discuss Joe Biden's re-election bid and the impact of the Florida Legislative Session on Floridians and the Politicians that passed the bills. They discuss the question of "age" on Joe Biden's re-elect and whether Democrats should be concerned about it. They review the legislative session and the most damaging bills passed by Florida Republicans and offer evidence of hope and a path forward to turning the red tide that has washed ashore in Florida.

On this episode, Amber, Linda and Jeff discuss the Florida Legislature and their continued efforts to limit a women's right to medical decisions, limit our rights to vote, and limit what we can teach and say. They discuss the Naples City Council's decision to restrict Naples Pride after criticisms from a far right group and the Collier County Commissioners decision to pass an ordinance to restrict what can be done by local businesses with regard to Covid.And they also discuss the national implications of the supreme court race in Wisconsin and the impact of Donald Trump's indictment.

On this episode, we dive into the disturbing agenda being pursued in the Florida Legislature.

On this episode of the podcast Amber, Linda and Jeff discuss the momentum President Joe Biden is experiencing. They review the Biden achievements and talk about what the next two years could look like for President Biden. They also look ahead to the 2023 Florida Legislative Session and discuss the litany of bad bills being proposed by the Florida Republicans. From Abortion bans to defunding the public schools to allowing anyone to have gun and hide it. And as always some updates on what's going on locally and how you can get involved.

Hello and welcome to the Collier Democratic Round-Up, theofficial podcast of the Collier County Democratic Party. I am your host, JeffSpencer. We're back! It's been two years since we last recorded a podcast and alot has happened in the time since. Let's do a bit of a recap and get everyoneup to speed.First, we have new leadership here in Collier County. Everytwo years, we have an election to choose a new slate of officers. Annisa Karimand myself, as Chair and Vice-Chair, chose to step down. There are a lot ofreasons for this, but the main being that we both felt that the party neededfresh energy and fresh perspectives to grow as it needs to grow. We have bothput a lot of effort over the last 6 years to build a strong foundation for theparty to build. We achieved a lot. We raised more money in our 6 years thanin the previous 12 combined. We upgraded our website, social media, andcommunication presence to reach more Democrats. We invested in improved financial and volunteer management systems toallow us to maximize our potential. We fielded full slates of candidates forall offices in 2018 and 2020 and had the highest democratic turnout in 2020 ofany county in the entire state. There were big accomplishments, but they were not enough.The party needed some fresh perspectives and new ideas to take the next steptoward a blue Collier County. And I am very excited about our new slate ofofficers and the direction they are taking the party.Our new Chair is Jane Schletweig. Jane worked with Annis andI as State Committee Woman where she represented Collier County at the StateParty. Jane is also the Region 12 Chair of the Democratic Women's Club ofFlorida.Our new Vice-Chair is Adam Molny. Adam has been our DataCoordinator for the last four years and he has been integral to each of oursuccesses. Anne Daley was re-elected as Treasurer for a second term andJudy Freiberg was re-elected as Secretary for her second term. This new leadership is incredibly qualified and has alreadyhit the ground running. New members and new volunteers have already started toparticipate. Melody Hardee has taken over the Communications Committee and has agreat plan to reach out to more Democrats and non-democrats alike. AtFebruary's meeting, it was standing room only with new volunteers signing up tohelp on many new committees.The next two years are very important. We have a Governorwho is emboldened and continues to go on the attack. We have the School Boardand County Commission that has lurched even further right parroting conspiracytheory, discounting science, and ignoring the needs of the most vulnerableconstituents. Rick Scott is up for re-election and needs to be defeated. Jane and the rest of the leadership have a plan to engagenew voters. You can find out more about their plans and how you can help bygoing to www.collierdems.org. We'll beright back after a short break.

Today we discuss Biden's first 100 days in office and give him a grade (spoiler alert, he did pretty well), we talk about the census and what redistricting means for Democrats, and we look at the efforts of local Anti-abortion advocates and their push to make Naples a sanctuary city for the unborn. Plus we have our moments of positivity. But before we get into all of that here is some Democratic Party news. First, it is with great sadness that we announce the resignation of our State Committee woman Sara McFadden. Sara has been a huge asset to the local party over the last 5 years. She has run twice for office and made huge strides in a very difficult district, growing the party with all of her efforts both as a candidate and as our State Committeewoman. She will remain on as a Precinct committee person, but she is taking a much deserved break. A huge thank you to Sara for all of her efforts. With Sara's resignation, we have to replace her position and we are excited to announce that Jane Schletweig has agreed to become our new State Committeewoman. Jane is a precinct committeewoman out of Marco, she is Vice-President of the Democratic Women's Club of Marco, and she is the Region 7 Chair for the Democratic Women's Club of Florida. Jane has worked closely with the leadership of the Collier Democratic Party over the last 4 years and we are excited for her to join our leadership team. The Democratic County Chairs Association met for the first time this past month and we had State Party Chair Manny Diaz and Executive Director Marcus Dixon on to update us on all the Florida Democratic Party efforts. They are doing a great job of getting the party back moving in the right direction. They have proposed a annual budget of 12 million dollars, focusing heavily on voter registration and communication. They have budget money to combat what will prove to be contentious redistricting process. They have had to deal with a lot of unforseen issues that have arisen after their election, but they have righted the ship and are pushing forward. Here are the upcoming meetings to put on your schedule. Thursday May 6th @ 6:30 is the Monthly DEC meeting. This is the business meeting of the party, it is open to the public. Tuesday May 11th @7:00 is the monthly meeting of the Democratic Womens Club of Marco. I will speaking at this meeting along with our outgoing State Committeewoman Sara McFadden. We will be discussing the legislative session and the voting trends as seen around Collier County. Monday May 17th @ 6:30 is the monthly meeting of the Collier Democratic Club. Please remember to volunteer and donate. We are an all volunteer organization and we rely on your generosity to maintain the website, produce this podcast, and promote the agenda of the Democratic party through out Collier and Southwest Florida, so please donate a little time or money to our efforts. It is greatly appreciated.   Support this podcast

This week's show we look at the unpopular legislation being pushed by the Florida State Republicans including the protest bill, the THC bill, the Voting Restrictions bill, preemption bill, and more. We talk about how bad press is evidently good press for Florida Republicans as Matt Gaetz sticks it out and Governor DeSantis is now the front runner for the 2024 nomination. And finally we talk about Collier Counties push to open up the environmentally sensitive eastern side of the county to developers against the public and environmental groups. What could go wrong? Plus the local news from the party. Support this podcast

In this episode we are joined with Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services Nikki Fried. She talks about her experience in the cabinet as the only state wide elected Democrat in Florida and answers questions from our DEC members. Also, Amber, Linda and I discuss Governor DeSantis's corruption regarding the vaccine roll out and talk about the American Rescue Plan. How it will help and why Republicans are against it. Plus we have our moments of positivity. Support this podcast

We update on the latest hires and appointments at the Florida Democratic Party and we dive into some of the bills the Republicans are proposing in the 2021 Legislative Session. Bills to make voting more difficult, BIlls to make protesting illegal, and bills to undermine the will of the people. Just another day in Republican governance. Support this podcast

In episode 31, Amber, Linda and I talk about the second impeachment trial of Donald Trump, Biden's Covid Relief bill and Ron DeSantis's covid incompetence. Support this podcast

In our first episode of the Biden Administration we talk about how Collier County did in the 2020 elections, what the hell happened in the transition and we focus our attention on Ron DeSantis and his handling of the Covid Pandemic. We also give some updates on party elections, who's back and who's new. Support this podcast

We discuss where the vote count stands in Florida and Collier County, what that could mean for tomorrow, how the final weeks of the race have unfolded and the impact it could have on the outcome, and we sprinkle a dash of levity for good measure. Support this podcast

We give our reactions to the Vice-Presidential Debate between Kamala Harris and Mike Pence. We talk about the pressure on Kamala, the tone of the Vice-President, whether this will mean anything to the race, and why you need to get involved now. Support this podcast

We attempt to recap the first debate of the presidential election. We dive into the high points (Ummm...not really) and the low points (All of the points, sir, all of the points). Trump decided to pee on stage and call it a day and Chris Wallace is still trying desperately to contain the child that is our President. Holy Cow that was bad. Support this podcast

Amber, Linda, and Jeff dive into the Slate of Candidates here in Collier County. We talk about the candidates; why you should vote for them. We talk about Vote-by-mail and why its safe and should be used and used now. And we talk about the passing of Ruth Bader Ginsberg and the repercussions from Republican Senators efforts to push through a nomination. Support this podcast

On this week's podcast we have an interview with Captain Chris Wittman of Captains for Clean Water done about two months ago that we never got to put out due to all the news happening every week. We felt if that this is the last opportunity to get this done before the election as the next 6 weeks will be focused entirely on the election. Here's a quick update on things going on in the Party. Vote-By-Mail ballots will be in people's mailboxes any day and you can finally put pen to paper and vote for Joe Biden for President and remove the danger to America. Also look out for the Collier County Democratic Party Voter's guide which was mailed to all 55,000 Democrats and left-leaning NPA's. That should be in your mailboxes now as well. If you have not received those, please check out our website where you can find out all of the candidates and our recommendations on the amendments. We are in full GOTV mode for the next 39 days of this election. We are calling voters who have requested Vote-By-Mail ballots and telling them to send them in immediately. We are dropping literature at doors to encourage people to vote. We are sending post cards, we've got radio ads running, we're texting, waving signs…we have something for you to do and you need to do it. Please sign up by going to our website http://www.collierdems.org/ (www.collierdems.org) and click on volunteer. Lastly, we want to take a moment to remember RBG, Ruth Bader Ginsberg. We will talk about this more on the next episode of the podcast, but we just want to say that she dedicated her life to the principle of equal rights for all Americans under the law regardless of gender, race, sexual orientation, etc. She fought for these principles and we will continue the fight. Her last words were that her most fervent wish was for her replacement to be made after a new president is installed. She deserved better than this. RIP RBG. Support this podcast

Amber, Linda, and Jeff try to sift through the whirlwind of news stories including the Bob Woodward tapes, the Atlantic Article reporting Trump calling soldiers losers and suckers, the Justice Department stepping in to defend Trump with Tax Payer money, another whistle blower who claims the Trump Administration is downplaying the threat from Russia and white supremacists, and more. Support this podcast

We dive into the deep red waters of the Republican National Convention and discuss what worked, what didn't and where we go from here. Support this podcast

Amber, Linda and I get together for night 4 of the Democratic National Convention and we revel in the power of Joe Biden's speech. We discuss the many terrific moments from the final night of the Democratic Convention. Support this podcast

Amber, Linda and I recap all of the great speeches and videos from the Democratic National Convention day 3 where Kamala Harris officially accepted the nomination for Vice-President of the United States. Support this podcast

Amber, Linda and I discuss our reactions to day 2 of the Democratic National Convention. Support this podcast

Amber, Linda, and I recap day 1 of the Democratic National Convention. Michelle Obama stole the show...Again. Bernie likened Trump to Nero, and ordinary Americans told their stories about COVID and how Trump has failed to deal with the pandemic. Support this podcast

This is a special episode of the roundup where Amber, Linda and I convened to chat about the announcement of Senator Kamala Harris as Joe Biden's running mate. We also talk about the republican efforts to suppress the vote and Trump's attacks on the post office. Support this podcast

This is a special episode of the Roundup where we bring you the candidate spotlight of Florida House District 105 candidate Maureen Porras. A reminder, this recording is of a live event and there may be some minor audio glitches, but we always feel the opportunity to hear from a candidate outweighs the slight technical hiccup. The event was recorded on August 4th. Support this podcast

This is part two of our interview with former Deputy Director of Global Aids Program at CDC, Mr. Gary West. In part two of our interview we talk about the efforts by the Trump administration to discredit his own health experts, the research on school children and Covid-19, and the process that the government goes through to create and distribute a vaccine. Gary is an excellent resource on this as he has been in charge of these types of vaccine trials.  Support this podcast

On this week's podcast we have Gary West back on the podcast. Gary is the former Deputy Director of the Global Aids Program at the Center for Disease Control where he worked for 35 years. He is also the former Vice President in charge of Research at Family Health International, an international non-profit operating in 70 countries around the world. In part 1 of this interview, Gary and I talk about the surge in COVID Cases, the U.S. government response, and bunch more. On the discussion portion of the show we go into the recent policy proposals that Joe Biden has put forward on climate change, the economy, etc. We discuss the positive case for Joe Biden's presidency and why people should feel good voting for Joe Biden and not just feeling good voting against Donald Trump. Support this podcast

On this week's podcast we have interviews with the two candidates competing in the Democratic Primary for U.S. House District 19, Dr. Cindy Banyai and Mr. David Holden. Republican Francis Rooney who is retiring after this term currently represents district 19. The winner of the August 18th primary will face off with the winner of the Republican primary on November 3rd. Also on this episode of the roundup, Amber, Linda and I dive into the Trump Administrations push to repeal Obamacare in the middle of a pandemic, and we look at the decisions by the Trump Administration and Governor DeSantis to reopen schools without much of a plan on how to do so. We are continuing our Candidate Spotlights for our Democratic Candidates. Our next event is on Tuesday July 28th at 5:30 with County Commission District 1 candidate John Jenkins. You can sign up for this event on our website or on our Facebook Page.  For those who missed previous candidate spotlights and want to see the candidates, we have the video recordings on our website gallery, and you can listen to the spotlights on special bonus episodes on the Collier Democratic Roundup.  On August 16th the Collier County Democratic Party will be doing a Ridin' with Biden caravan to show support for Vice-President Joe Biden. Caravans will be happening all over the state ahead of the Democratic Party National Convention. We want all of you to participate in this socially distant event so please sign up on our website or on Mobilize where you will see the drive route, start and stop locations,etc. That's Sunday August 16th at 2:00 PM. Every week I ask listeners to volunteer for phone banks and I need everyone to do that. We're asking you to call Democrats and like-minded NPA's and ask them to commit to sign-up for Vote-By-Mail and to vote for Joe Biden. If everyone would make just 3 calls a day, it would make a huge difference over the next three months. Please sign up to volunteer and help us elect the leadership we deserve. Anyone who wants Biden Signs can still get Biden Signs. They are available for a Donation of $10 and we will even drive them out to your house for you and place them in your yard. Think of how confidently Trump supporters wave Trump Flags in support of a man who suggested we inject people with Bleach. We should be equally confident supporting a good man who knows the pain of loss and will work hard so we do not lose any more lives needlessly. You can sign up to get a sign at our Facebook Page.  Support this podcast

This is a special episode of the Roundup where we bring you the candidate spotlight of County Commission Candidate David Turrubiartez Jr. This recording is of a live event and there are some minor audio glitches, but we always feel the opportunity to hear from a candidate outweighs the slight technical hiccup. This event was recorded on June 30th. Support this podcast

This is a special episode of the Roundup where we bring you the candidate spotlight of Florida House District 80 candidate Laura Novosad. A reminder, this recording is of a live event and there are may be some minor audio glitches, but we always feel the opportunity to hear from a candidate outweighs the slight technical hiccup. The event was recorded on July 7th. Support this podcast

This is part two of our interview with Dr. Savarese from FGCU Water School where he is a professor of coastal resilience and climate adaptation. In part two of our interview we look at questions voters should ask of their elected leaders, what can people do to address climate change and we dispel some of the common myths around climate change, and more.  Support this podcast

On this week's podcast we have the first part of our interview with Dr. Savarese from FGCU Water School where he is a professor of coastal resilience and climate adaptation. In part one of our interview we look at how communities plan for the effects of climate change and what kind of effects are expected here in Collier County.  We, as always have our panel discussion where we dive into the Covid resurgence here in Florida. In full disclosure we intended to dive into other topics, such as the environment, etc., but the explosion of cases and growing numbers filling up hospitals around the state and particularly here in South West Florida compelled a longer dive into the numbers. But before we get to that, let's get some party Info out of the way. We have Biden Signs! Are you sick of seeing Trump Signs and Trump Flags in your neighborhood? Are you ready to let the maskless, MAGA Hat Hat Wearing crowd know you are in support of a man who believes in science and listening to experts during a pandemic? You can get your Biden Sign delivered to your house by one of our volunteers for a donation of $10. Go to our website and request a sign today. In an effort to support our candidates, we are putting on Candidate Spotlights so that voters can listen to the candidates and here their plans on how to help their constituents. We have had two spotlights so far with David Turrubiartez Jr. for County Commission District 5 and Laura Novosad for Florida House District 80. Our next event is on Tuesday July 14th at 5:30. You can sign up for this event on our website or on our Facebook Page.   Each subsequent week will focus on another candidate so check on our website for those dates and sign up. We will have audio and video of each spotlight available on the podcast and on our website as well. We're excited to announce that we exceeded the match for Marv's Match in only four days and raised nearly $6,000 in donations over the weekend. A huge thank you all of you who donated it will help us get Democrats and non-democrats who realize we need to move in a different direction to the polls this November. Finally, the Florida Democratic Party has their big Leadership Blue gala on July 18th at 6:00 PM with the next President of the United States Joe Biden as the keynote speaker. There are tickets still available for the virtual event but they are going fast. If you want to sign up, tickets are $50 and you can sign up at http://www.floridadems.org/ (www.floridadems.org).  https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html (https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html) Support this podcast

On this week's podcast we have the Chair of the Florida Democratic Party Terrie Rizzo. Chairwoman Rizzo and I discuss the state of the Florida Democratic Party and the efforts that the state party is taking to win this November. On our panel discussion we talk, again, about Coronavirus and the resurgence in Coronavirus cases here in Florida. We also dive into the Supreme Court decisions dealing with discrimination against LBGTQ people in the workplace and the repeal of DACA or Dreamers. In an effort to support our candidates, we are putting on Candidate Spotlights so that voters can listen to the candidates and here their plans on how to help their constituents. Our first is on Tuesday June 30th with County Commission District 5 Candidate David Turrubiartez, Jr. You can sign up for this event on our website.   Each subsequent week will focus on another candidate so check on our website for those dates and sign up. We will have audio and video of each spotlight available on the podcast and on our website as well. As always there are a lot of ways you can step up and volunteer. We have virtual phone banks going on throughout the month and we encourage everyone to get involved in that. Our Voter Protection team needs volunteers to counter the Republican stated effort of intimidation. Republican have stated that they plan to have thousands of volunteers prepared to question voters on their eligibility to vote. We need people to step up to counter this act of intimidation. All of this information can be found on our website, http://www.collierdems.org/ (www.collierdems.org). That's http://www.collierdems.org/ (www.collierDEMS.org). Finally, we have generous donors who have announced that they will match July donations dollar for dollar. If you can donate, any amount to help us this election, please do so now and your donation will be doubled. We need every dollar possible. https://time.com/5854572/covid-19-testing-florida-texas-arizona/ (https://time.com/5854572/covid-19-testing-florida-texas-arizona/) https://www.winknews.com/2020/06/17/spike-in-cases-collier-county-wont-consider-shutting-down-unless-hospitals-overwhelmed/ (https://www.winknews.com/2020/06/17/spike-in-cases-collier-county-wont-consider-shutting-down-unless-hospitals-overwhelmed/) https://www.nytimes.com/article/what-is-daca.html (https://www.nytimes.com/article/what-is-daca.html) https://www.politico.com/news/2020/06/15/supreme-court-lgbt-rights-decision-319693 (https://www.politico.com/news/2020/06/15/supreme-court-lgbt-rights-decision-319693) https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article85850072.html (https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article85850072.html) https://www.orlandosentinel.com/opinion/scott-maxwell-commentary/os-op-gay-teacher-fired-florida-scott-maxwell-20191101-kyjf3jqxfbdotddwzcbumzz474-story.html (https://www.orlandosentinel.com/opinion/scott-maxwell-commentary/os-op-gay-teacher-fired-florida-scott-maxwell-20191101-kyjf3jqxfbdotddwzcbumzz474-story.html) https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/supreme-court/trump-taking-another-run-daca-texas-case-real-threat-program-n1231562 (https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/supreme-court/trump-taking-another-run-daca-texas-case-real-threat-program-n1231562) https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/04/21/how-americans-see-climate-change-and-the-environment-in-7-charts/ (https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/04/21/how-americans-see-climate-change-and-the-environment-in-7-charts/) Support this podcast

On this week's podcast we have both Democratic Candidates for Florida House District 105, Candidate Maureen Porras and Candidate Javier Estevez. This District is a very important district this election cycle as there are more registered Democrats than Republicans. The incumbent Ana Maria Rodriguez is stepping down and running for a Florida State Senate seat. It's an open seat and we need to flip it. And we have two awesome candidates who will do just that. As always, we have our panel discussion with Amber and Linda. This episode we look at the local protests over Oakes Farms and the controversial comments made by the owner of Oakes Farms, Alfie Oakes. We dig into the explosion of coronavirus cases here in Florida and the decisions by the Governor to continue re-opening without precautions. Finally we talk about voting rights and the effects, both negative and positive, that Republican efforts to restrict voting across the country is likely to have come November. But, first here is some local party info. We are very excited to announce that all of our local candidates qualified and will be on the ballot this November. Obviously, we have two races with primaries so those will be on the ballot this august with the winner moving on to the general election. We have candidates in all of the Florida legislature seats running this election cycle and Democrats across the state are competing in every single legislative seat except one. We are contesting every seat to make sure that voters hear progressive values, as well as all of the Democratic candidates who are contesting Republican incumbents will hold those incumbents accountable for their record. Voters must hear about the decisions made by Republican incumbents and the best way to highlight decisions that do not help constituents, is by directly confronting them in an election. So congratulations to all of our candidates here in Collier County and all of the Democratic candidates across the state. In an effort to support our candidates, we will be putting on candidate spotlights for our candidates who do not have primary challenges and a candidate forum for FL House 105, which has a primary. These will begin on June 30th with County Commission Candidate for District 5 David Turrubiartiez Jr. We will do one a week for the next 5 weeks, so Democratic voters get to know their candidates. https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2020-election/voter-turnout-soared-georgia-despite-massive-primary-day-problems-n1230806 (https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2020-election/voter-turnout-soared-georgia-despite-massive-primary-day-problems-n1230806) https://www.miamiherald.com/news/coronavirus/article243349186.html (https://www.miamiherald.com/news/coronavirus/article243349186.html) https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html (https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html) https://www.npr.org/2020/05/26/860458708/pandemic-puts-a-crimp-on-voter-registration-potentially-altering-electorate (https://www.npr.org/2020/05/26/860458708/pandemic-puts-a-crimp-on-voter-registration-potentially-altering-electorate) https://www.news-press.com/story/news/education/2020/06/11/alfie-oakes-lee-schools-severs-ties-oakes-farms-following-ceo-alfie-oakes-social-media-post-black-li/5337091002/ (https://www.news-press.com/story/news/education/2020/06/11/alfie-oakes-lee-schools-severs-ties-oakes-farms-following-ceo-alfie-oakes-social-media-post-black-li/5337091002/) https://www.winknews.com/2020/06/16/another-protest-held-in-response-to-oakes-farms-owners-social-media-post/ (https://www.winknews.com/2020/06/16/another-protest-held-in-response-to-oakes-farms-owners-social-media-post/) Support this podcast

On this weeks podcast we have the President of the NAACP Vincent Keeys and we talk about the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis and the protests that have erupted across the country, as well as here in Naples. President Keeys speaks about the need for unity and the demands that NAACP are making to local elected leaders to prevent these types of tragedies from continuing. Our panel discussion looks at the protests themselves, the actions of police officers inside the protests and the need for white Americans to take ownership of the causes of systemic inequality in America. We also look at the response of the Republican party to President Trump and his decisions on how to handle the protests going on around the country.  As always, we give some valuable updates on events and volunteer opportunities within the party and encourage everyone to get involved. https://naacpcolliercounty.org/ (https://naacpcolliercounty.org/) https://www.usatoday.com/in-depth/news/investigations/2019/04/24/usa-today-revealing-misconduct-records-police-cops/3223984002/ (https://www.usatoday.com/in-depth/news/investigations/2019/04/24/usa-today-revealing-misconduct-records-police-cops/3223984002/) https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/why-its-still-so-rare-for-police-officers-to-face-legal-consequences-for-misconduct/ (https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/why-its-still-so-rare-for-police-officers-to-face-legal-consequences-for-misconduct/) https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/06/us/police-unions-minneapolis-kroll.html (https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/06/us/police-unions-minneapolis-kroll.html) Support this podcast

On this weeks episode we speak with Dr. Amanda Phalin who is an economist with the University of Florida's Warrington College of Business where she lectures on international business, global strategy and managerial economics. Her areas of specialization are development economics, environmental economics, gender issues, innovation and intellectual property rights, and international business. We speak about the affects Covid-19 is having on the economy, how the economy looked before the pandemic. We dive into the impact that climate change will have on the economy and the history of economic shifts in the way America works over our history. We also dive into the problems that persisted in the economy before the pandemic hit and how many Americans were not feeling the growth seen in the stock market or in GDP. We have our panel discussion where we look at the explosion of Covid cases in Immokalee and we discuss how this is more than just a health crisis. We discuss how policy decisions over the last four decades have set the stage for the health crisis they are now experiencing. We call on all citizens to demand more from our leaders to better support the people of Immokalee. And of course we mention some ongoing party news and event that people can sign up for. https://www.naplesnews.com/story/news/health/2020/05/28/coronavirus-florida-immokalee-sees-spike-covid-19-cases-advocates-say-more-help-needed/5269803002/ https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/04/26/us/us-hospital-access-coronavirus.html https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/05/us/rural-florida-hospital.html https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/05/30/865413079/what-do-coronavirus-racial-disparities-look-like-state-by-state https://ciw-online.org/ https://www.winknews.com/2020/04/10/immokalee-farmworkers-want-a-field-hospital-county-says-not-yet/ https://www.politico.com/news/2020/05/12/trump-farmworkers-essential-coronavirus-safety-250142 Support this podcast

In this special episode of the Collier Democratic Roundup we have the audio from last weeks virtual candidate forum between Mr. David Holden and Dr. Cindy Banyai for U.S. House District 19. There is a special bonus question at the end of the episode where each candidate spoke about a topic of particular interest to them and their campaigns. Support this podcast

We have a great show for you today. We have our interview with the leaders of our local voter protection team here in Collier County, Anne Daley and Marvin Diamond. We talk about what they are doing to prepare for an election in a pandemic, we talk about the importance of vote-by-mail, and we discuss what they expect to see from the Republican Party. We also have our panel discussion where we talk about news stories that caught our eye. This week we talk about the Republican parties efforts at voter suppression over the years nationally and here locally. We look into President Obama's reemergence into the political fray and we discuss the Rebekah Jones data scandal and how the officials at the Florida Department of Health are manipulating data in regards to Covid 19. But first, let's go over some party info. We are excited to announce that we have a new candidate. Ms. Laura Novosad is the President of the Hendry County Democratic Women's Club and she has filed to run in Florida State House District 80. This means we have candidates in all Florida State seats that are up this year. You can find out more information about Ms. Novosad's campaign and all our other candidates on our website. Please check them out and volunteer. Some upcoming events. June 6th – The Collier County Democratic Party and Biden Campaign will be having a virtual meeting where the Biden Campaign will talk about their efforts and plans here in Florida. They also want to hear from local Democrats about issues that are important to you. Be on the lookout for details on our website. Saturday June 6 th at 4:00 PM. Check out our website, www.collierdems.org. June 10 th – Trivia with the Democrats! We are having another virtual trivia event for you to attend. The cost is $10 to attend and you will get a link that allows you to join other like-minded people and test your knowledge. All the information about signing up can be found on our website. All June – We have virtual phone banks going on every week targeting local democrats and encouraging them to sign up for vote by mail. https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2018/01/the-gop-just-received-another-tool-for-suppressing-votes/550052/ https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/18/us/Voting-republicans-trump.html https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2019/11/26/barack-obama-2020-democrats-candidates-biden-073025 https://geojones.org/2020/05/22/public-statement/ https://cbs12.com/news/local/woman-who-designed-floridas-covid-19-dashboard-has-been-removed-from-her-position Support this podcast

On this week's episode we talk with Supervisor of Elections Jennifer Edwards about how her office is preparing for an election during a pandemic, the process and safe guards put in place for vote-by-mail, and how collier residents can stay informed of their status ahead of the next election. Amber, Linda and I discuss an ensemble model that combines multiple other models into one, we look at how the reality of COVID-19 is disrupting President Trump's talking points, and we discuss the local Collier media and how they cover progressive topics and candidates. And of course, we have party news and updates keeping you informed about your local party and how to get involved. https://www.colliervotes.com/Register-to-Vote/Update-Voter-Information (https://www.colliervotes.com/Register-to-Vote/Update-Voter-Information) https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/05/13/855038708/combining-different-models-new-coronavirus-projection-shows-110-000-deaths-by-ju https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/11/politics/donald-trump-coronavirus-economy-infections/index.html https://www.winknews.com/2020/04/27/wink-news-moderates-virtual-debate-for-swfl-congressional-candidates/ https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2020/04/covid-trump-pandemic/610075/ Support this podcast

On our second episode of the Collier Democratic Roundup we continue our talk with Gary West. Gary is a former deputy director of HIV / AIDS Prevention at CDC where he worked in a variety of positions over a 35-year career. He is also the former Senior Vice-President in charge of Research at Family Health International. In retirement, Gary has been giving lectures at U.N.C. Chapel Hill and Duke Universities where he speaks about his broad career in public health and his work on HIV / AIDS, smallpox, influenza, and other infectious diseases. In part 2 we talk about Gary's views on the state of antibody testing and how it should be used to inform public policy. We discuss what states should be looking for in order to open back up and the recent news that guidelines created by CDC were "shelved" according to a recent news report. We also discuss the recent updates to COVID Models and how listeners should think about the different models and their predictions. And finally Gary highlights his recent article submitted to Health Affairs which highlight lessons learned from CDC's effort to stem the HIV / AIDS Epidemic and how the correlates to COVID, and a study by a colleague which looked at the efficacy of the drug Hydroxycloriquine on COVID Patients. https://www.healthaffairs.org/do/10.1377/hblog20200511.235991/full/ Support this podcast

On our inaugural episode of the Collier Democratic Roundup we talk with Gary West. Gary is a former deputy director of HIV / AIDS Prevention at CDC where he worked in a variety of positions over a 35-year career. He is also the former Senior Vice-President in charge of Research at Family Health International. In retirement, Gary has been giving lectures at U.N.C. Chapel Hill and Duke Universities where he speaks about his broad career in public health and his work on HIV / AIDS, smallpox, influenza, and other infectious diseases. In part 1 we talk about Gary's views on the COVID crisis, the difficulties in testing, how we should view the W.H.O. and the C.D.C., and how America handled the early stages of the pandemic. Also on the podcast is our panel discussion where our panel discusses the reduction in global emissions as a result of the Coronavirus shutdowns and how governments may react to the economic effect with cuts to environmental regulations. We discuss the opinion piece written by Vice-President Biden in late January and how it provides a stark contrast in foresight between President Trump and his Democratic opponent. And we discuss the latest evidence of how the Republican party plans to defend the President's handling of the Coronavirus Pandemic. Also we have news and information on whats going on in the local party and how you can get involved to help elect Democrats in November. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/30/climate/global-emissions-decline.html https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2020/01/27/coronavirus-donald-trump-made-us-less-prepared-joe-biden-column/4581710002/ https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/blame-and-counter-charges-the-u-s-china-rhetorical-war-over-covid-19 Support this podcast