Unpartisan: taking politics out of policy

On this episode of Unpartisan: taking politics out of policy, we cover all things Money in Politics. In our new revamped format, we are breaking each episode into three distinct yet interconnected parts starting with a historical background of how we got to where we are today with Money in Politics. We begin with a shifty lie to the Supreme Court back in the 1880's giving corporations their rights and leave off on Citizen's United. In our next two parts we tackle the current problems we are facing today through the eyes of our expert guests and conclude with a discussion on potential solutions to systemic issues in our campaign finance system. Guests in order of appearance: Bob Biersack - Senior Fellow for the Center for Responsive Politics & Former Federal Elections Commission Official  https://www.opensecrets.org/ Dave Levinthal - Federal Politics Editor & Senior Reporter for the Center for Public Integrity https://publicintegrity.org/author/dave-levinthal/ Trevor Burrus - Research Fellow at the Cato Institute https://www.cato.org/people/trevor-burrus Ellen Moorehouse - Grassroots Communications Manager at Represent.US https://represent.us/ Jimmy Williams - Former career lobbyist and Senate staffer https://www.jimmyspolitics.com/about-durbin-southcarolina-building-arts/

Special Release - As part of our upcoming episode on the Policies Behind Money in Politics, our host sat down with former career lobbyist and Senate staffer, Jimmy Williams. The interview turned out to be such a great conversation, that we are releasing it in full, so you can get an inside look at lobbying, a sneak peak at our upcoming episode, and you get to hear the perks of becoming an Unpartisan Politics Patron by unlocking special extended interviews like this one.  We talk all things lobbying & money in politics. Clips of this interview will be included on our upcoming episode out soon on speakers or headphones near you! Visit www.patreon.com/unpartisanpolitics to become a patron today! 

On our first of many Unpartisan Politics: Policy Updates, we start by giving you a snapshot of the overall debate on Refugee & Asylum policy and dive into the root causes of the humanitarian crisis on the US - Mexico border. We also run through the major headlines in the news surrounding the refugee & asylum policy debate. To help us parse through the noise, we have Theresa Cardinal Brown - Director of Immigration and Cross Border Policy - at the Bipartisan Policy Center walk us through the complexities of this changing policy topic: https://bipartisanpolicy.org/person/theresa-cardinal-brown/ We also hear some of Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Kevin McAleenan's testimony to Congress on April 30th. For show notes and links to research and your go-to guide to the refugee & asylum policy update, visit: www.unpartisanpolitics.org/shownotes Episode Cover Art: Dana Toon: www.danatoonstudios.com/; FB: www.facebook.com/DanaToonsCaricaTOONS/; IG: @danatoon To stay in touch, Sign up to our mailing list at: www.unpartisanpolitics.org Or give us a like on Facebook and interact with the policy discussion: www.facebook.com/Unpartisanpolitics

On this episode of Unpartisan: taking politics out of policy, we are tackling Refugee & Asylum Policy. This policy issue was so complex that we decided to break it up into 2-parts, so it’s easier for you to digest and to give time for the Department of Homeland Security to respond to some of our comments or come on the show for an interview. We have some amazing guests from the American Immigration Council, Cato Institute, American Academy of Pediatrics, Catholic Charities, and the Border Angels. We get a first hand look at the journey from El Salvador to the US Border from Enrique who is seeking asylum, and we help uncover the nuances of this complex topic through meaningful dialogue. We move through a diverse spectrum of voices taking us all the way from El Salvador through the processing and detention centers and what it’s like resettling refugees in American communities. Guests in order of appearance: Royce Bernstein Murray - Managing Director of Programs at American Immigration Council: https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org Alan Shapiro - Medical Director, co-founder of Terra Firma, Assistant Clinical Professor in Pediatrics at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and Senior Medical Director for Community Pediatric Programs: http://www.terrafirma.nyc Anne Scheid - Director of Refugee Resettlement Services at Catholic Charities Southwestern Ohio: https://ccswoh.org/about/board-of-directorsexecutive-team/ David Bier - Immigration Policy Analyst at the CATO Institute: https://www.cato.org/people/david-bier    Episode Cover Art: Dana Toon: www.danatoonstudios.com/; FB: www.facebook.com/DanaToonsCaricaTOONS/; IG: @danatoon   For show notes and links to research and the information we used to formulate this episode, please follow this link to our episode page on our website and find the CBD Policy show notes downloadable document: www.unpartisanpolitics.org/episodes To stay in touch, Sign up to our mailing list at: www.unpartisanpolitics.org Or give us a like on Facebook and interact with the policy discussion: www.facebook.com/Unpartisanpolitics  

On this first episode of Unpartisan: taking politics out of policy, we shine a bright spotlight on the policies that govern CBD and hemp products. We speak with Courtney Moran - the woman who helped draft the language for the 2018 Hemp Farming Act which was incorporated into the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (AKA: the 2018 Farm Bill) that passed congress and was signed into law in December of 2018. We also get real stories of people in the industry and on the ground in the CBD world who have been affected by the ambiguity in the laws. And, we speak with Martin Lee, Director of Project CBD to find out what this stuff is all about! Your host walks you through all of the intricacies of hemp policy relating to CBD and helps you understand the mechanisms behind the scenes in a fun and engaging way! Guests in order of appearance: Martin Lee - Director of Project CBD: www.projectcbd.org/ Courtney Moran - Founding Principle at Earthlaw LLC: thehia.org/Sys/PublicProfile/27969249/ Emily Mieure: Cops & Court Reporter at Jackson Hole News & Guide: bit.ly/2DwXECr Rob Lumbra: Owner of Mass Organics: www.facebook.com/massorganic Veronica Carpio: Owner of Grow Hemp Colorado: www.new.growhempcolorado.com/ Episode Cover Art: Dana Toon: www.danatoonstudios.com/; FB: www.facebook.com/DanaToonsCaricaTOONS/; IG: @danatoon A big thank you to Rich Guerra for helping me book guests in the hemp space! For show notes and links to research and the information we used to formulate this episode, please follow this link to our episode page on our website and find the CBD Policy show notes downloadable document: www.unpartisanpolitics.org/episodes To stay in touch, Sign up to our mailing list at: www.unpartisanpolitics.org Or give us a like on Facebook and interact with the policy discussion: www.facebook.com/Unpartisanpolitics

In this intro episode, we walk you, the listener, through the mission, core themes and structure of Unpartisan, giving a sneak peek of what this podcast is all about. We have a chat with the show's creator, and we’ll also introduce you to our team, the people working behind the scenes who make the magic happen. Our first episode on CBD Policy launches on Tuesday, February 12, 2019! Sign up to out our mailing list at www.unpartisanpolitics.org Give us a like on Facebook: www.facebook.com/Unpartisanpolitics