District 34 Podcast

Alan Minsky walks us through the plans PDA has for fighting Trump's fascism and complacency within the DNC.

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The entertainment unions are banding together in solidarity before going into negotiations. Includes interviews and full audio coverage of the speeches.

Ronnie grew up as what he refers to as privileged in Israel. He gives an incredibly frank and informative interview on what its like to be an Israeli Jew who isnt Zionist. He also explains in depth the many intricate pieces that brought us to where we are today. 

Author, and Editor at The Huffington Post, Andy Campbell joins us for a discussion on his new book "We Are Proud Boys".

Mike German is an ex FBI Agent who went undercover with Neo Nazis and other RW extremists in the 90s. He currently works with the Brennan Center for Justice. He discusses these experiences and the current environment, as well as his book, Disrupt, Discredit, and Divide: How the New FBI Damages Democracy.

In this episode we take a look at life after hate. We speak with three ex right wing extremists about how they became radicalized and about how they exited the movement. Chris Buckley is an ex Imperial Nighthawk with the KKK that now works with Parents for Peace. Frank Meink and Chris Leek are both ex Neo Nazis.

Karen Bass welcomes Bernie Sanders to Los Angeles for a Get the Vote Out rally in Playa Vista. Includes speeches from Jane Kim, Rusty Hicks, Adam Conover and others.

LA City Council Members Martinez, Cedillo and De Leon- along with labor  leader Herrera- discuss how to preserve their political power in a  racially motivated closed door meeting.

You've probably seen videos of angry right wing extremists accosting  school board members and turning school board meetings into culture-war  battlegrounds. Tina-Desiree Berg spoke to a parent of a trans child in the Conejo Valley school district about what she has seen and experienced.

Actors Equity has petitioned the NLRB on behalf of Strippers United.  They held a joint rally to announce and celebrate the partnership.  Speeches from the AE president, LA City Council candidate Hugo  Soto-Martinez, and the ladies of Star Garden. Interviews with Hugo Soto-Martinez and attendees.

Maebe A. Girl is an American drag  queen and politician. She came to prominence as the first drag queen  ever elected to public office in the United States. She currently serves on the Silverlake Neighborhood Council and did quite well in her primary. She discusses her platform and recent events.You can learn more about her platform ⁠here

Alex Salazar is a former LAPD cop. He talks  about his time as an officer during the  Rampart scandal- and about  how racism, lying, and "sociopathic" behavior brainwashed him into being what he calls a "super pig". He now conducts investigations into civil rights issues.

There are two pieces of ⁠anti trust legislation⁠ going with Congress right now. We discuss them and also the out comes of the California primary.

This year, Sunland-Tujanga hosted it's first Pride Festival. Several political candidates, activists and elected officials came out to support them.

Pete Harding is interested in reform.  A former Judge Advocate in the U.S. Marine Corps, Deputy District  Attorney, and Special Assistant United States Attorney, Pete Hardin has a keen interest in reforming issues  with things like cash bail, and over aggressive prosecution against some groups. He also has ideas on how to fix qualified immunity and victims rights.He is running against a right wing incumbent who has recently come under fire for overt racism.

Todd Spitzer and Pete Harding debate the issues.

We spoke with Marc Mixon on developing a third party in the state of  Washington. Their goal "is to represent the interests of the  majority  and to create a system that values each person and supports  economic  and social justice for all". They will start running candidates in the  next election cycle.

Between June 2019 and June 2020,  Forensic News published several articles and a podcast about the business  affairs of British-Israeli security consultant  Walter  Soriano, after he was summoned by the US' Senate Intelligence  Committee. In response, they were sued by  Soriano. Although the defendants are all based in the United States  and Forensic News is incorporated in the state of California, the  lawsuit has been brought in London.“We believe that the lawsuit that has  been brought against Forensic News is a SLAPP,” the undersigned  organisations said. SLAPPs abuse the law in order to silence critical  coverage on matters of public interest" the Council of Europe Platform for the Protection of Journalism and Safety of Journalists stated in their press release in support of Forensic News.Tina-Desiree Berg spoke with the publisher and one of the journalists personally named in the suit.

"Candace  Owens Is Mad Girls Aren't Being Taught to Make Their Future Husbands a  Sandwich — and 13 Other Crazy CPAC Moments You Missed" with Rolling Stones journalist Steven Monacelli. You can read his full piece ⁠here

AB 1400- California state's single payer bill- was set for a floor vote and was pulled at the last minute by the bill's author Ash Kalra. What happened? Hear directly from the Progressive Caucus chair Amar Shergill, Ash Kalra and others.Full Interview with Amar Shergill on ⁠Status Coup News

Dr. Assal Rad graduated with a PhD in Middle Eastern History from the  University of California, Irvine in 2018. Her PhD research focused on  Modern Iran, with an emphasis on national identity formation and  identity in post-revolutionary Iran. With this background, Assal works  with the policy team on research and writing related to Iran policy  issues and U.S.-Iran relations.We discuss the ongoing crisis in Yemen, Ukraine, and issues with Israel.

This week on the podcast, Tina-Desiree Berg is joined by civil rights  attorney JiYoung Carolyn Park, and activist Brittani Nichols from Ground  Game LA to discuss the upcoming Sheriffs election. Also important state  bills that could change the dynamics.

Eric Levai  is a national security journalist based in California. He hosts and produces the podcast "Counter Intelligence". Eric joins me to discuss his latest articles in the Daily Dot and Forensic News.

This month we heard the biotech billionaire owner of the LA Times exclaim that billionaires should not be allowed to own newspapers. He's right.In light of this. I re-examine Peter Theil's take down of Gawker with Peter Sterne- who originally reported on it for Politico.

I sat down with street journalist Taylor Eve, or @Waterspider on Twitter, to discuss the events surrounding the Wi Spa protest violence over the past two weeks. One of her viral videos has had over 7 million views on Twitter.

On March 25th, Mitch O'Farrell sent police in riot gear toting less-lethals to Echo Park Lake to clear the homeless encampment. This week the park re-opened and the displaced unhoused returned for a press conference.

I spoke with public health expert, Dr. Blaine Pope, on the anti masker movement that has risen from the remnants of the Trump years in Los Angeles.

May Day is a historic celebration of workers and workers rights. In this weeks episode we look at two ongoing workers rights issues- One at Kroger Grocery stores, and another at Amazon.

Alex Rubinstein is an independent journalist who has shared live  coverage of social movements in the United States including Black Lives  Matter, Standing Rock, Charlottesville, the inauguration protests  against Pres. Trump, and from inside the besieged Venezuelan Embassy in  Washington, DC. He currently lives in Mexico City.

Walker Bragman is a journalist and JD whose work has been featured in Paste Magazine, the Intercept, HuffPost, the Independent, Salon, Truthout, and the Hill. He discusses he latest piece in Jacobin on how Kamala Harris failed to investigate bad police shootings in Anaheim when she was AG in California.