Podcasts about american federation

The Rich Zeoli Show- Full Show (12/09/2025): 3:05pm- In a recent interview, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles revealed that President Donald Trump plans to “campaign like it's 2024 again” during the 2026 midterm races. 3:30pm- Tonight, President Donald Trump will hold a rally in Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania where he will address American affordability challenges and the economy. 3:40pm- While speaking with Symone Sanders and Michael Steele on MS Now, PA Gov. Josh Shapiro said his priority is fighting Donald Trump and the federal government. 3:50pm- Monday Night Football recap: The Philadelphia Eagles lost (again). Is the season officially over? 4:05pm- While speaking with Charlamagne Tha God, tin foil hat conspiracy theorist Joy Reid suggested that the Supreme Court will simply allow Donald Trump to remain president beyond the end of his term in 2028! 4:30pm- Politico's Dasha Burns asked President Trump if he would like to see Supreme Court Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito, both in their mid-70s, retire before he leaves office in 2028—so that Republicans can guarantee originalist/textualist judges replace them. Trump explained: “I hope they stay because I think they're fantastic.” 4:50pm- Tonight, President Donald Trump will hold a rally in Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania where he will address American affordability challenges. Does anyone else miss those old “beautiful Mount Airy lodge” commercials from the 1990s? 5:05pm- Bill D'Agostino— Senior Research Analyst at Media Research Center—joins The Rich Zeoli Show to break down some of the worst moments from corporate media and Democrats. Time Magazine stinks, MS Now celebrates a grandmother who follows around ICE agents and reports their locations, and CNN tells Border Czar Tom Homan he shouldn't deport Somali migrants residing in the U.S. illegally. 5:40pm- While speaking with Politico's Dasha Burns, President Trump said of immigration: “I want to see people that contribute.” Trump also used the interview as an opportunity to critique Rep. Ilhan Omar—noting that she “does nothing but complain.” 5:50pm- Steve Pakradooni, who works in the auto industry, calls in to briefly discuss the Trump administration's decision to repeal disastrous Biden-era fuel regulations. 6:05pm- In a recent interview, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles revealed that President Donald Trump plans to “campaign like it's 2024 again” during the 2026 midterm races. 6:10pm- While speaking with Politico's Dasha Burns, President of the American Federation of Teachers Randi Weingarten attempted to rewrite history—blaming President Trump for not reopening schools during the Covid-19 pandemic. 6:15pm- Eight Philadelphia teens have been arrested for stealing over $2,000 worth of items from a sporting goods store in Polk County, Florida. On X, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) wrote: “They picked the wrong state—and the wrong county.” 6:30pm- Is Artificial Intelligence set to replace Hollywood actors? Plus, Sylvester Stallone wants the Rocky statue back!

The Rich Zeoli Show- Hour 4: 6:05pm- In a recent interview, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles revealed that President Donald Trump plans to “campaign like it's 2024 again” during the 2026 midterm races. 6:10pm- While speaking with Politico's Dasha Burns, President of the American Federation of Teachers Randi Weingarten attempted to rewrite history—blaming President Trump for not reopening schools during the Covid-19 pandemic. 6:15pm- Eight Philadelphia teens have been arrested for stealing over $2,000 worth of items from a sporting goods store in Polk County, Florida. On X, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) wrote: “They picked the wrong state—and the wrong county.” 6:30pm- Is Artificial Intelligence set to replace Hollywood actors? Plus, Sylvester Stallone wants the Rocky statue back!

In this week's episode of The Learning Curve, co-hosts U-Ark. Professor Albert Cheng and American Federation for Children's Shaka Mitchell speak with Erika Donalds, America First Policy Institute's Chair of Education Opportunity and Chair of the AFPI-Florida State Chapter. A nationally recognized education policy expert, Ms. Donalds shares the formative educational experiences that shaped her […]

The nation's largest federal employee union is urging Congress to vote against the House rule for the 2026 defense policy bill. The American Federation of Government Employees says negotiators removed a bipartisan House provision that would have restored collective bargaining rights for hundreds of thousands of Defense Department civilian employees. The union says removing that language means the legislation fails to protect basic rights of workers who maintain ships and aircraft and support service members. AFGE is calling on lawmakers to reject the procedural rule and restore the worker protections before the National Defense Authorization Act moves forward.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Project 2025 is a sweeping conservative blueprint to reshape the federal government, published in April 2023 by the Heritage Foundation and a coalition of right‑wing groups. At its core is a 900‑page policy manual called Mandate for Leadership, which lays out a detailed plan to consolidate power in the White House, remake the federal workforce, and roll back decades of Democratic policy.The project envisions a federal government where the president has far greater control over agencies now considered independent. It calls for dismantling the Department of Education and the Department of Homeland Security, replacing them with new structures that give states and the executive branch more authority. The Department of Education, for example, would be closed and its programs shifted to the Department of Health and Human Services, while the National Center for Education Statistics would be folded into the Census Bureau. Project 2025 argues that this would reduce “woke propaganda” in schools and expand school choice and parental rights.Another major goal is to transform the civil service. The plan urges replacing merit‑based career officials with political loyalists, especially through a revived “Schedule F” classification that would make many federal jobs at‑will appointments. Heritage Foundation officials have said this is about ensuring that the executive branch serves the president's agenda, not entrenched bureaucracy. But critics, including the American Federation of Government Employees and the ACLU, warn it would politicize the workforce and undermine government effectiveness.Project 2025 also targets regulatory and economic policy. It proposes abolishing the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the Federal Trade Commission, shrinking the National Labor Relations Board, and merging key statistical agencies under a more ideologically aligned leadership. On immigration, it calls for scrapping DHS and creating a new immigration‑focused agency that consolidates border and enforcement functions. On law enforcement, it argues the Department of Justice and FBI have become “infatuated with a radical liberal agenda” and must be brought under tighter White House control.Experts and watchdog groups stress that while Project 2025 is framed as a transition plan, its scale of change would fundamentally alter American governance. Democracy Forward and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund note that many of its proposals are already being tested in states and through executive actions. The plan's success or failure will hinge on the 2024 election and the legal and political battles that follow over agency independence, civil service protections, and the balance of power in Washington.Thank you for tuning in. Come back next week for more.Some great Deals https://amzn.to/49SJ3QsFor more check out http://www.quietplease.aiThis content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI

This week on Labor History Today, we revisit the 1946 Oakland General Strike through the eyes of labor educator and activist Stan Weir — and uncover the surprising role a chart-topping “country” hit played on the picket line. After we hear the day's events from Labor History in 2:00, host Chris Garlock digs into Weir's vivid account of the strike's carnival-like atmosphere, where bars rolled jukeboxes into the streets and “Pistol Packin' Mama” — the first country song ever to top the Billboard pop chart — echoed off downtown buildings for 54 hours. We trace how an American Federation of Musicians strike helped turn the tune into a national sensation, and why its defiant energy resonated with the mostly women department-store strikers who ignited the Oakland uprising. Questions, comments, or suggestions are welcome, and to find out how you can be a part of Labor History Today, email us at LaborHistoryToday@gmail.com Labor History Today is produced by the Labor Heritage Foundation and the Kalmanovitz Initiative for Labor and the Working Poor. #LaborRadioPod #History #WorkingClass #ClassStruggle @GeorgetownKILWP #LaborHistory @ILLaborHistory @AFLCIO @StrikeHistory #LaborHistory @wrkclasshistory  

On today's Labor Radio Podcast Daily: Solidarity Breakfast reports from a mass people's blockade targeting the world's largest coal port. In labor history, jailed teachers in New Jersey win release after a nine-day strike in 2001. Quote of the day: the founding preamble of the American Federation of Labor. @3CRsolidarity @wpfwdc @AFLCIO #1u #UnionStrong #LaborRadioPod Proud founding member of the Labor Radio Podcast Network

U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer is no stranger to President Donald Trump's tariff-forward trade agenda. Greer served as chief of staff to Robert Lighthizer, the U.S. Trade Representative in Trump's first administration. But now, it's Greer who's at the helm of the president's tariff implementation strategy — one that has drawn both criticism and praise from surprising places.  “I've also had members of Congress come to me, people who maybe weren't fans of tariffs two years ago, and they said, ‘This is actually real money that's coming in that can be used to pay down the debt or pay for other things or finance our reindustrialization,” Greer said. In this week's episode of The Conversation, Ambassador Greer sits down with POLITICO's Dasha Burns to explain why trade policy defies political labels, the particulars of how deals are shaping up globally and the strategy behind reconfiguring seven decades' worth of international policy.  Plus, Randi Weingarten, the president of the American Federation of Teachers, joins Dasha to explain how the battle for school funding continues to unfold, the intrinsic relationship between education and democracy and why the well-being of students should be at the top of the president's mind.

U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer is no stranger to President Donald Trump's tariff-forward trade agenda. Greer served as chief of staff to Robert Lighthizer, the U.S. Trade Representative in Trump's first administration. But now, it's Greer who's at the helm of the president's tariff implementation strategy — one that has drawn both criticism and praise from surprising places.  “I've also had members of Congress come to me, people who maybe weren't fans of tariffs two years ago, and they said, ‘This is actually real money that's coming in that can be used to pay down the debt or pay for other things or finance our reindustrialization,” Greer said. In this week's episode of The Conversation, Ambassador Greer sits down with POLITICO's Dasha Burns to explain why trade policy defies political labels, the particulars of how deals are shaping up globally and the strategy behind reconfiguring seven decades' worth of international policy.  Plus, Randi Weingarten, the president of the American Federation of Teachers, joins Dasha to explain how the battle for school funding continues to unfold, the intrinsic relationship between education and democracy and why the well-being of students should be at the top of the president's mind. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, I talk with Jaime Paul Lamb, an author and esoteric researcher whose work sits at the crossroads of astrology, ceremonial magic, and occult history. Jaime joins me to explore his newest book, The Astrological Goetia: The 72 Keys to Angelic and Demonic Astrology, a text that dives deep into the hidden architecture of the zodiac and the spirits that inhabit its degrees.As Jaime explains, this system weaves together zodiacal divination, Qabalistic cosmology, and Solomonic demonology into a unified magical framework. Each 5-degree segment of the zodiac, the quinaries, are mapped to a pair of entities: one of the 72 angels of the Shem HaMephorash from the medieval Sefer Raziel, and its corresponding spirit from the 72 demons of the Ars Goetia. Six of these angel-demon pairings live within every astrological sign, forming a subtle energetic matrix that shapes personality, experience, and fate.Our conversation travels through the origins of these correspondences, and the ways this system can expand a practitioner's understanding of both astrology and ritual magic. We talk about what these daimons actually are, how they have been utilized throughout history, and how they may be being used in the 21st century.. An incredible episode! Drop in...www.jaimepaullamb.comJaime Lamb Bio: Jaime Paul Lamb is a consulting astrologer and tarot reader whose work integrates traditional astrology and Western occultism. He is a member of the American Federation of Astrologers (AFA) and is certified in traditional astrology. The author of Myth, Magick & Masonry: Occult Perspectives in Freemasonry, he resides in Phoenix, Arizona. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's Thursday and time for another episode of The Roundabout.The Roundabout is the news of the week, analyzed by our panelists from points of view that span left, right and center. Joining us today are Maryam Abolfazli, Shaka Mitchell and Pat Nolan.Today we talk about a tightening 7th congressional district race, political pardons, school voucher expansion, plus a smile story or two and more.And The Roundabout also welcomes your voice on the big stories of the week. Give us a call at 615-760-2000 to weigh in — or join us live streaming on YouTube at noon and pop your question into chat!This episode was produced by Mary Mancini.Guests: Maryam Abolfazli, former congressional candidate and founder of Rise & Shine TN Shaka Mitchell, Sr. Fellow for the American Federation for Children Pat Nolan, political analyst and retired journalist

A federal union is suing the Bureau of Prisons over the recent cancelation of its collective bargaining agreement. The lawsuit comes after BOP ended its contract in September, arguing that the union had become an "obstacle to progress." The American Federation of Government Employees is now alleging that the agency's decision violated the law. Here with more, Federal News Network's Drew Friedman.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Rich Zeoli Show- Full Show (11/18/2025): 3:05pm- The House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly in favor of a bill that directs the Justice Department to release all the files in its possession related to its investigation into sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The final vote was 427 to 1—with only Rep. Clay Higgins (R-LA) in opposition. In a post to social media, Higgins explained his decision—citing concern that the bill does not do enough to protect the identities of victims and witnesses. 3:10pm- Private Property Rights Under Threat in the Garden State: New Jersey towns are beginning to push back against the state's affordable housing obligations. The ambitious quotas are trampling property rights—and, as Rich notes, high density housing will almost certainly lead to more Democrat voters moving to NJ. 3:30pm- On Tuesday, President Donald Trump met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the Oval Office where Saudi Arabia pledged to invest $1 trillion in the United States economy. During a contentious moment, ABC News Chief White House Correspondent Mary Bruce asked about the September 11th terror attacks and the murder of Jamal Khashoggi. 4:00pm- According to reporting from Robert Jimison of The New York Times, Senate Majority Leader John Thune said he believes the Epstein bill will be voted on in the Senate quickly, without any amendments. He explained, “when a bill passes 427 to 1, and the president says he'll sign it into law, I'm not sure there's going to be a need or desire for an amendment process.” 4:15pm- While speaking with the press, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) was asked why Democrats didn't release the Epstein files when they were in power. Meanwhile, Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) said Schumer should be replaced as leader—suggesting Chris Murphy, Cory Booker, Brian Schatz, and Elizabeth Warren would be better suited for the position. 4:30pm- While speaking at a Turning Point USA event, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. questioned why there has been a sudden uptick in food allergies over the last 30 to 40 years. “There's a different view of what could be happening in this country. We need to figure out what's causing it and eliminate it.” He continued: “Five of my seven children have allergies. What happened? Something happened. And it appears to have happened sometime around 1990…So, you have to look at an environmental toxin.” 5:00pm- Corey DeAngelis—Senior Fellow at the American Culture Project & Author of the book, “The Parent Revolution: Rescuing Your Kids from the Radicals Ruining Our Schools.”—joins The Rich Zeoli Show to discuss his latest editorial for The Washington Times, “Dismantle the Teachers Union Cartel.” DeAngelis also discusses American Federation of Teachers (AFT) President Randi Weingarten protesting alongside Starbucks baristas. She already ruined public schools, is she going to ruin coffee next? Plus, the Trump administration is taking further steps to reduce the size and scope of the Department of Education. 5:30pm- BREAKING NEWS: The Senate has passed the Epstein Transparency Act. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer requested that the Senate pass the bill with unanimous consent—no Senator objected and the bill will now head to President Donald Trump's desk to sign. 6:05pm- Will President Donald Trump sign the Epstein Transparency Act later tonight? If signed into law, the bill requires the Department of Justice to make public all unclassified records and investigative materials relating to Jeffrey Epstein no later than 30 days after the date of enactment. 6:15pm- On Monday night, President Donald Trump was the keynote speaker at the McDonald's Impact Summitt—joking that he loves the Filet-o-Fish sandwich but that it often needs more tartar sauce! He also bragged about getting Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to eat a Big Mac while on the campaign trail. 6:20pm- According to reports, President Trump's typical order at McDonald's is: Big Ma ...

In this week's episode of The Learning Curve, co-hosts Great Heart Academies' Dr. Helen Baxendale and American Federation for Children's Shaka Mitchell speak with Mike Miles, superintendent of the Houston Independent School District. Miles has devoted his life to public service, starting as a soldier, then as a diplomat in Poland and Russia during the […]

The Rich Zeoli Show- Hour 3: 5:00pm- Corey DeAngelis—Senior Fellow at the American Culture Project & Author of the book, “The Parent Revolution: Rescuing Your Kids from the Radicals Ruining Our Schools.”—joins The Rich Zeoli Show to discuss his latest editorial for The Washington Times, “Dismantle the Teachers Union Cartel.” DeAngelis also discusses American Federation of Teachers (AFT) President Randi Weingarten protesting alongside Starbucks baristas. She already ruined public schools, is she going to ruin coffee next? Plus, the Trump administration is taking further steps to reduce the size and scope of the Department of Education. 5:30pm- BREAKING NEWS: The Senate has passed the Epstein Transparency Act. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer requested that the Senate pass the bill with unanimous consent—no Senator objected and the bill will now head to President Donald Trump's desk to sign.

By Walt HickeyWelcome to the Numlock Sunday edition.This week, I spoke to Chris Dalla Riva, author of the new book Uncharted Territory: What Numbers Tell Us about the Biggest Hit Songs and Ourselves. Chris is a fixture here at Numlock, we're big fans of his newsletter Can't Get Much Higher and have been eagerly waiting for this book, which tracks the history of music by coasting along the top of the Billboard Hot 100. The book can be found at Amazon and wherever books are sold, grab a copy!This interview has been condensed and edited. Chris Dalla Riva, it is great to have you back on. Especially great this week, because you are finally out with a book that I know you've been working on for a very long time, Uncharted Territory. Thanks for coming back on.Yeah, thrilled to be back, but also thrilled to have the book come out. The book publishing world is one of the only worlds left in the world that moves slow enough where you're waiting for so long for something to happen.You have guest-written for Numlock before; you have been a staple of the Sunday editions in the past. You are definitely familiar to the audience at this point because you are doing some of the best music data journalism out there. You've been working on this thing for, I feel like, as long as I've known you, and it is just great to have it come out finally, man.Yeah, actually, I met you because I was working on this project. I was trying to track down some data that you'd used at FiveThirtyEight, and you responded to my email with your phone number. You were like, “This is easier to explain over the phone.”Yeah, I remember I had scraped the radio for months at FiveThirtyEight just to see where it went, and you hit me up with that. I think that you focused some of your energies on the newsletter, and that's been so fun to follow, but this is truly what you've been working at. It is great to get you on finally to talk all about it.What would you describe this book as? How would you describe it, either to folks who might be familiar with your newsletter or unfamiliar with your newsletter, about what you're setting out to do with this particular project?The subtitle, I think, is helpful. It's What Numbers Tell Us About the Biggest Hit Songs and Ourselves. My typical pitch is that it's a data-driven history of popular music that I wrote as I spent years listening to every number one hit song in history. You get a balance of music history, data analysis, just random music chart shenanigans. I wrote it over such a very long period of time that you get a little bit of how my life was intersecting with this book over the years as I tried to get it published.I love the angle on the No.1s being a place to go with, because it gives you a pulse on what's popular at the time and not necessarily what's the most influential at the time. You can see there's a lot of stuff that hit number one at one point or another that have no musical legacy whatsoever, but nevertheless are still interesting. It's dipping your toe in the stream, right? You can see that a lot of things that we assume about how the music industry works weren't always the case.You wrote a little bit about the early transition from big bands to singers as the front-facing people in their operation. That was informed in no small part by what was performing on the charts, but also, I think, labor action, right?An under-discussed part of music history in the last 100 years is that when thinking of any band now or any musical artist, you almost certainly think of the front person being the singer. But if you go look back at big bands of the 1930s and 1940s, anyone whose name was attached to the band was often not a singer. Some that come to mind are Glenn Miller, the Glenn Miller band. Glenn Miller was a trombone player. Artie Shaw was a clarinet player. If none of these names are familiar to you, that's okay. But you can ask your grandparents.Why does this transition happen: suddenly, the lead singer is always getting top billing in a band? There are a bunch of things that contributed to this. One thing I talk about pretty extensively is just the advent of better microphones. If a voice cannot be heard over the roar of an orchestra or a big band, you need a choir of people to sing. It makes the singer less identifiable. As we get better amplification, better microphones, you can get a wider range of vocal styles. Those vocalists can now compete with the sound of a ton of instruments.At the same time, something you mentioned that I think is a fun bit of history is how music used to be much better organized. They had better labor organization, the same way that Hollywood has much better labor organization than music these days. There still exists a group called the American Federation of Musicians. For two years, they had a strike for a work stoppage, when no new music was being recorded. This was during World War II. You weren't allowed to strike during World War II.They were frowned upon very much, it seems, yes.Yes, even if you were a musician. People were like, “Come on, why are the musicians striking?” There's a lot of interesting history there. One of the weird loopholes was that singers could not join the American Federation of Musicians. Because of that, some labels would get around the strike by just recording acapella songs or songs with instruments that were not eligible to be membership because they weren't “serious” enough, like the harmonica. There were weird harmonica songs that were popular at this time. By the time the strike ended, by the time World War II ended, suddenly, singers had a much more prominent role because they were the only ones allowed to perform.There is tons of weird stuff about this strike. Like, labels backlogged tons of recordings because they knew the strike was coming. “White Christmas,” maybe the best-selling record of all time, was one of those backlogged recordings — recorded in July of 1942 and put out however many months later.That's fun. That's basically why Tom Cruise is in a union but Bad Bunny isn't?I guess so. Music and labor have a history that I'm not an expert on. For some reason, musicians have had a much more difficult time organizing. It seemed to be a little bit easier back when there were these big bands that needed to be rolled out to perform in movie theaters or local clubs. You needed a tuba player and a trombone player and a sax player. I guess it was easier for those musicians to organize. Whereas now, things are so scattered and productions can be super small, and you could record something in your bedroom. They never got that level of organization. I think it's actually hurt artists to some degree because they don't have the protections that the film industry does.Because you're able to just coast along at the top of the charts throughout basically the century, you're able to get lots of different interweaving stories of labor and also legal disputes/legal outcomes, as well as this technological evolution. What are some of the ways that technology has informed how the music that we listen to changes or evolves over time? Or even some of the litigation that we have seen over the course of the century of musical creation. It just seems like it's a really fun way to track some of these bigger trends that we don't even know are really trends.Yeah, totally. I think one of the key themes of the book is that musical evolution is often downstream from technological innovation, which has a nice little ring to it. But in general, there's this idea that creativity is being struck by the muse, and you create something. Whereas in reality, there are usually physical constraints or technological constraints that shape the art that we make. One of the most basic examples is the length of songs. From the '40s up till the early, mid-60s, the pop song sits around 2.5 to three minutes. The reason for this is that vinyl singles could literally not hold more sound without degrading, which is completely backwards from the idea that there was an artist who chose to write a 2.5-minute song.I was like, “Well, you had to work within the constraint.” Then technology gets better, singles start to get longer. During the disco era, they actually made bigger discs to put out these long dance mixes. The single sat around like 3.5 to 4.5 minutes for decades until about 10 years ago, when it started to shorten again. People typically point to music streaming for this reason, because artists are paid if a song is listened to for more than 30 seconds, so it's really just a volume game. If you have a 14 minute song that someone listens to one time, they get paid once. But if I listen to a two-minute song seven times (which is again, the same amount of time spent listening), I will be paid out seven times. There is this financial incentive to shorten songs.I don't think artists are sitting in the studio thinking about this constantly. But what I see, what I saw again and again, is that artists were rational beings to some degree and would work within the constraints that they were given. They would usually push against those constraints. That's where a lot of great art comes out of.Even new mediums are offering new opportunities. You wrote a little bit about MTV and how that really changed a lot of what was able to be successful at the time. You had new types of acts that were able to really start competing there, and other acts that just weren't. Do you wanna speak a little bit about like what video did?Yeah, video certainly changed the game. There were artists who had visual presences earlier. The Beatles had a very visual presence. I think part of their success is tied to the fact that television was becoming a thing, and mass media was really becoming a thing. However, we associate musicians with visuals so much these days. That really emerged in the 1980s, where you needed your visual concepts to be as strong, if not stronger than, your musical concepts. I think because of that, you start seeing some artists break through who I don't think are considered great musicians.I always sadly point to the song, “Hey Mickey” by Tony Basil. If it's your favorite song, sorry. I don't think it's a masterful musical creation, but it had this fun music video where she's dressed up as a cheerleader. A lot of that song's success was just the fact that MTV was willing to put that in heavy rotation because it was a fun video to watch. We live in the shadow of that era where visuals matter just as much as anything else.When you think about the most popular artists, outside of maybe a handful, you think of their visual concepts. You think of what Beyoncé looks like, what her videos are like, same with Taylor Swift, as much as you think about their music. That really reshaped our relationship with popular music. We expect to know what artists look like. It's odd to think about that; it really wasn't a thing decades before. You could be a fan of an artist and not really know what they look like. How would you know? Maybe you saw them in a magazine. Maybe you caught them on one television show. The idea that we have access to what everyone looks like is a pretty new phenomenon.That's fun. It's just so interesting to see how a simple change, whether it's today an algorithm or then a medium of distribution, can just have material impacts on the popularity of British synth music in America.Yeah, that's the perfect example. There's a great book called I Want My MTV, and it's an oral history of MTV. They talked to one of the founders. Early MTV would play, as you're saying, all these British new wave acts. Think A Flock of Seagulls, Duran Duran or even someone like U2. They asked the founder, “Why were you playing so many British artists on early MTV?” He was like, “For some reason, British artists happened to make music videos. And there were about 200 music videos in existence. We had to fill 24 hours of programming.” A Flock of Seagulls was gonna get played a bunch of times just because they happened to make music videos.It is a weird thing. Why would anyone make a music video if there was nowhere to really play them? I don't know why specifically the British had more videos, but there were occasional times where television shows might show a video.They do love that over there, like Top of the Pops. I can see why.Music and television have always been connected. You even think Saturday Night Live still has musical acts. Back then, say your label didn't wanna send you out to Britain to go on Top of the Pops. Maybe they would send a video of you instead. There were videos that would float around on these variety shows, and some early videos were just concert footage. It was like, it was a chicken or the egg thing. Once some people had success on MTV, everyone started producing videos. MTV somehow pulled off the miracle of convincing labels that they needed to make videos and that they needed to front the cost for that. Then they had to give MTV the video for free. I don't know how MTV managed to do that.Well, all of Gen X can't be wrong. If you do wanna get it out there, you do have to get it out there. One really fun recurring thing in the book — which again, like I really enjoyed. I think it's a phenomenal work. I think it's a great history. I'm telling stories that I learned in your book to everybody. It is a really fun read in that regard, I wanna say.I do love how you occasionally clock a genre that really only exists briefly. There's one that always goes around for like the strangest things to hit number one, like the Ballad of the Green Berets. I think like there's a Star Wars disco track that I definitely have on vinyl at home about that. You wrote a lot about like teen tragedy songs. What are some of the fascinating like brief trends that only made a small splash and that all of us have forgotten ever existed, but nevertheless achieve some measure of immortality?Yeah, the teen tragedy song is a good one. That actually inspired the writing of this whole book because I got 50 No. 1s, and I was like, “Why are there so many number ones about teenagers dying? That's a little weird.” And then I did a little digging and tried to piece together why that was. The teenage tragedy song, late '50s, early '60s, there are all of these songs about two teenagers in love, usually high schoolers. One tragically dies often in a car crash, and the other is very sad and maybe says that they'll reunite again one day in the afterlife. Some of the big ones are “Leader of the Pack” by the Shangri-Las and “Teen Angel” by Mark Dinning.It's a very weird blip in popular music history. I won't say it has cast a long shadow, but there are some occasional people who pull from that tradition. The craziest teen tragedy song ever was “Bat Outta Hell” by Meatloaf, in which Jim Steinman tried to write a nine-minute motorcycle crash song. I think that's a really interesting one.Disco: bizarre in the amount of people that made disco songs. I really came to like disco and the best disco music, I'm like, “These are the greatest sounds that have ever been recorded.” But it got so big and so popular that everyone felt the need to record disco songs.Not everything is “I Feel Love,” right?No, most things are not. It strikes me that this happened with disco, but has not happened with other genres. Frank Sinatra recorded disco songs. Basically, every television theme song got a disco remix. I Love Lucy had a disco remix. The Rocky theme song had a disco remix.What? I'm sorry, Frank Sinatra did a disco song? Is it good?It's not good. It's “Night and Day” over a disco beat. And it's not clear to me if they just remixed it or if he actually recut the vocal because I just cannot imagine him doing that. In the mid-60s, there was a nun who topped the charts, The Singing Nun with a song called “Dominique.” Of course, during the disco era, it was remixed as a disco song. There are examples of this where people went sort of disco. The Rolling Stones record “Miss You” and it has the disco beat, or Pink Floyd does “Another Brick in the Wall” or Queen does “Another One Bites the Dust.”Everyone was gonna give it a try. There was so much money being made in the disco world at the time. You can always find some artists you would never think would do a disco song probably tried. They probably gave it their best.That's great. It's just fun because the things that hit number one for a week don't necessarily have to be good. They just have to be popular for like a week. Even the construction of the Top 40 chart, which you get into in the book, isn't exactly science. A lot of times, it's a little bit of intuition. It's a lot of what's selling and what's selling where specifically. It is a little bit woo woo, right?Yeah, definitely. The goal of this chart is “What's the most popular song in America in a given week?” Back in the day, that meant what were people buying? What were people listening to on the radio? What were people spinning in jukeboxes? Today, most music is done on streaming. It's consumption-based, rather than sales-based. So the chart's the same in name only, but it's really measuring very different things. The equivalent would be if we knew after you purchased your copy of “I Feel Love,” how many times did you actually play it at home? You could have purchased it, went home and never played it again. Something like that would not register on the charts these days.I respect the people at Billboard because they have an impossible task. It's like “We're gonna take all the information and we're going to boil it down into choosing or measuring what the most popular song is.” It's an impossible task to some degree.I have watched the evolution of the chart, and I go back and forth on whether they have given up on actually trying to rank stuff or if they are just ranking things in a different way. I think that the apples-to-apples between the era stuff is just so hard to do.One thing I really enjoyed about your book, in particular, is that it's not a story of why these songs are the best. It's a story of why these songs were popular at the time, just dipping the toe into the river of human sound. One thing that I'll ask as you wrap: as you were going through these eras, who did you hear a lot more of than you thought? Who did you hear a lot less than you expected?I joked with some people that if you just looked at the top of the charts, the greatest rock band of the 1970s is either Grand Funk Railroad or Three Dog Night because they both had three number one hits, and many other bands in the classic rock canon have none. Led Zeppelin does not really exist on the pop chart, the singles chart. Led Zeppelin really only put out albums. The Eagles were also big during the '70s on the music charts. But Three Dog Night, they're the legends.There are tons of people that I didn't realize how much I would see of them. Someone like Lionel Richie and Phil Collins, of course, they're tremendously popular, but they were so popular. Phil Collins was popular at the height of the bald pop star era, which I think is a thing of the past. You had multiple bald men who were regularly topping the charts in the mid-80s. You see a ton of Phil Collins, more than I was expecting, even though I know he's very popular.Who don't you see a ton of? Sometimes you don't see people until a bit later in their careers. This is actually an interesting phenomenon. Artists do not score a number one hit during their most critically acclaimed period, and then a decade later, they do. For example, Cheap Trick. They have a number one hit, but it's at the end of the '80s song called “The Flame.” Whereas if you hear Cheap Trick on the radio, it's probably their live album from the 1970s. This is a phenomenon you see again and again. Some old timer will get their number one much later in their career. Tina Turner gets her number one when she's probably in her 40s. It's always interesting to see that.There are also some artists where I feel like there's a divergence between what their most popular songs are these days and what was topping the charts. Elton John is a good example there. “Benny and the Jets” was a number one hit, still a tremendously popular song. But he's got a lot of weird No. 1s that I don't think have as much street cred these days. He has a song called “Island Girl.” Did not age like fine wine. I don't even think he plays it live anymore because it's considered somewhat racially insensitive. But it was a No. 1 hit at the time. “Philadelphia Freedom” is another one by Elton John. I feel like when people think of the Elton John catalog, it's probably not the first song that comes to mind. But it was a No. 1 hit, huge smash. His cover of “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” was a No. 1. Elton John has been very popular throughout the decades, but I feel like the reasons he's been popular have changed.People have just gravitated towards different songs as time has gone on. You get distortions at the top of the charts. But I think, as you mentioned, it provides a good sample of what was actually popular. You have the good, the bad, and the ugly. Whereas if you look at some other sources, people are just gonna be like, “Oh, listen to these records. These are the best records.” In reality, the bad records are important, too.Yeah, bad records are great. They're at least interesting. I imagine also some of this process must have been missing out on a lot of interesting music because one song was just dominating the charts. Were there any songs in particular that come to mind that wooled the roost for potentially a little bit too long?Yeah, the quintessential example is the “Macarena” in the ‘90s.Oh, no!I think it was No. 1 for 13 weeks.Christ!There's a great clip of people at the Democratic National Convention and '96 dancing the “Macarena.” It's so bad. Yeah, so a very popular song. There are tons of stuff that gets stuck behind it. There's a great No.1 hit in the '90s called “I Love You Always Forever.” It's a very nice song by Donna Lewis. It's stuck at No. 2 because it just happened to be popular during the “Macarena's” very long run. YYour life's work, your greatest accomplishment, being stymied by the “Macarena” feels like a level of creative hell that I have never envisioned before.Yeah, there are other artists who got unlucky. Bruce Springsteen never performed a No. 1 hit. He wrote a No.1 hit for another artist. His closest was “Dancing in the Dark” got to No. 2, but that was also when Prince released “When Doves Cry,” so it's a tough, tough week. Bob Dylan, similar thing. He wrote a No. 1 hit, but he only ever got to No. 2. I think he got to No. 2 twice. Once, he got stuck behind “Help” by the Beatles, and another time he got stuck behind “Monday Monday” by the Mamas and the Papas.This is another thing when I talk about the charts. There could be many fewer units sold in a given week, or there could be many more units sold. There's a lot of luck involved if you're gonna go all the way to No. 1. You could be Bruce Springsteen: you release the biggest record of your life, and Prince also releases the biggest record of his life at the exact same time.Incredible. So again, I have read the book. I really, really like it. People are doubtlessly familiar with the newsletter at this point, but I am also a big fan and booster of that. But I guess I'll just throw it to you. Where can folks find the book, and where can folks find you?Yeah, you can find me, Chris Dalla Riva, basically on every social media platform under cdallarivamusic. I'm most active on TikTok and Instagram. The book, Uncharted Territory: What Numbers Tell Us About the Biggest Hit Songs and Ourselves, should be available from every major retailer online. Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Walmart, Booklist, all that good stuff. Not available physically in stores, so definitely order it online.Like I said, I spent years listening to every No. 1 hit in history, built a giant data set about all those songs and used that to write a data-driven history of popular music from 1958 to basically 2025. So go pick up a copy, buy one for your mother for Christmas. Or your father, I don't discriminate. Yeah, check it out. I'm hoping people enjoy it, and I'm really excited to finally get it out in the world. It's been a long, circuitous journey to get it published.It's a really fun read, and I wish it nothing but the best. And yeah, congrats, thanks for coming on.Yeah, thanks for having me.Edited by Crystal WangIf you have anything you'd like to see in this Sunday special, shoot me an email. Comment below! Thanks for reading, and thanks so much for supporting Numlock.Thank you so much for becoming a paid subscriber! Send links to me on Twitter at @WaltHickey or email me with numbers, tips or feedback at walt@numlock.news. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.numlock.com/subscribe

"The other side of the free speech coin is listening well." Shaka Mitchell, senior fellow at the American Federation for Children and creator of the Come Together Music Project, believes we've "forgotten how to listen"—and music is his solution. A Nashville-based lawyer and education reform leader, Shaka uses songs to bridge political divides by asking simple questions: What song reminds you of being 21? What song reminds you of your dad? "Every memory has a soundtrack all its own," and when strangers share their musical stories—from Led Zeppelin's eight-minute "Cashmere" to whatever gets you through hard times—something remarkable happens: "we're sort of saying… that person, that's not an enemy, turns out, that's just another human." Shaka argues that free speech and conscience are "inextricably linked" in education, pointing to cases where school districts tried to silence parents who wanted to opt out of lessons that conflicted with their values. He warns that "squelching speech in that way is really dangerous" regardless of whose beliefs are at stake. His advice for finding your voice? "Lead with the pathos and not the logos"—start with your story, practice relentlessly, and use solitude (he's a runner) to workshop ideas. But most importantly, remember that music "forces us to actually sit in silence" for 45 seconds at a time in a world where "if things aren't happening in 12 second increments, we just lose attention." By humanizing one another through shared soundtracks, Shaka believes we can then "have the next conversation about something that's maybe a little more heavy, a little more fraught." Because education is nothing if not speech—and speech requires someone willing to truly listen.Find out more about Shaka's work with the Come Together Music Project at: https://www.cometogetherpodcast.com/

Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, is back to go inside her new book, “Why Fascists Fear Teachers: Public Education and the Future of Democracy”.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/tavis-smiley--6286410/support.

This is the full 10-19-2025 episode of the Labor Express Radio program. Report back from No Kings Day 2.0 and Randi Weingarten, President of the American Federation of Teachers, discusses her new book, Why Fascists Fear Teachers: Public Education and the Future of Democracy.Labor Express Radio is Chicago's oldest labor news and current affairs radio program. News for working people, by working people. Labor Express Radio airs every Sunday at 8:00 PM on WLPN in Chicago, 105.5 FM. For more information, see our Facebook page... laborexpress.organd our homepage on Archive.org at:http://www.archive.org/details/LaborExpressRadioLabor Express is a member of the Labor Radio / Podcast Network, Working People's Voices – Broadcasting Worldwide 24 Hours A Day. laborradionetwork.org #laborradionetwork #LaborRadioPod #1u #UnionStrong

with Charles Malki of IV OrganicsIn This Episode: Greg interviews Charles Malki, a multifaceted biologist, attorney, author, and inventor, about the innovative benefits of whitewashing trees. Charles details his journey from a passion for plant sciences during his childhood to a career in medicine and law, ultimately leading to the creation of Ivy Organic. He explains the importance of whitewashing for tree protection against weather extremes and pests, emphasizing the environmental benefits of using organic products. The discussion also covers the genesis of Ivy Organics, the science behind their product formulations, and their impact on both small-scale gardeners and commercial orchards. Charles shares valuable personal and professional anecdotes, highlighting the significance of setting clear goals, fostering beneficial relationships, and continually educating oneself and others about sustainable gardening practices.Our Guest:  Charles Malki is a biologist, attorney, all American swimmer, philanthropist, inventor, entrepreneur, and author. He has been published in journals, including the Journal of Surgical Research and American Federation of Medical Research. At the heart of all of his successes is his love of life and his passion to educate others on the limitless topics that rotate to plant sciences, and it all benefits you, your family and friends, community, and our planet.Connect with IV Organics - IVOrganics.comBook recommendations -  Saving the World with the Home Garden by Charles MalkiThe Secret by Rhonda ByrneVisit UrbanFarm.org/IVOrganics for the show notes and links on this episode! Need a little bit of advice or just a feedback on your design for your yard or garden?The Urban Farm Team is offering consults over the phone or zoom. Get the benefits of a personalized garden and yard space analysis without the cost of trip charges. You can chat with Greg, Janis or Ray to get permaculture based feedback.Click HERE to learn more!Become an Urban Farm Patron and listen to more than 900 episodes of the Urban Farm Podcast without ads. Click HERE to learn more.*Disclosure: Some of the links in our podcast show notes and blog posts are affiliate links and if you go through them to make a purchase, we will earn a nominal commission at no cost to you. We offer links to items recommended by our podcast guests and guest writers as a service to our audience and these items are not selected because of the commission we receive from your purchases. We know the decision is yours, and whether you decide to buy something is completely up to you.

GIVEAWAY - send us a message and let us know your favorite thing about the Square Pizza Pod. We are giving away SchermCo swag to the first three people that send us a note!In this episode of the Square Pizza Pod, Greg welcomes Shaka Mitchell, educator, policy leader, and advocate for school choice, for an engaging and candid conversation about education, leadership, and civic engagement.From his early days in Nashville to his current work shaping education policy across Tennessee, Shaka reflects on what's changed—and what hasn't—about how we prepare students for the future. Along the way, he shares sharp insights on the role of local leadership, the real stories behind school choice debates, and how families and communities can stay engaged in creating better systems for kids.In this episode, you'll hear:Why Shaka believes “parents are the most important education reformers”How Tennessee's education landscape is shifting post-pandemicLessons from the charter sector and what traditional districts can learnHis advice for building civic trust and bridging ideological dividesHow he uses music as a common ground to spark conversation and bridge differencesA few Nashville stories (and laughs) along the wayIf you care about schools, leadership, or the future of public education, this is one you don't want to miss.Support the show

On this episode of the America's Work Force Union Podcast, we were joined by Jackie Tate, President, and Imogen Fox, Bargaining Team Member, Steward, with American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Local 88, representing Multnomah County employees in Portland, Ore They discussed the union's current contract negotiations, key workplace challenges such as staffing, wages and trauma support, as well as the growing role and concerns surrounding artificial intelligence in the public sector. On this episode of the America's Work Force Union Podcast, Merrilee Logue, Executive Director of the National Labor Office at Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, and David Yoder, Senior Vice President of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Federal Employee Program (FEP) discussed FEP's commitment to the federal workforce, the details of the current open enrollment period and what the premium adjustments mean for members in the coming year.

This week, we're recording on election day while awaiting results to find out which version of "Democrats are doing it wrong!" the pundits will run with tomorrow.We open with words of wisdom from Illinois Governor JB Pritzker to the American Federation of Teachers. Then we come to bury Dick Cheney, not to praise him.We'll explore our "12 Rules for Staying Fing Sane," which we redefine as a playbook for Democratic victories.  And then we dive deep into Three Days of the Condor (RIP Robert Redford).  MAGA voters simultaneously demand government protection for their economic interests while raging against assistance for "undeserving" others.  What does Cliff Robertson's character Higgins teach us about "paternalistic authoritarianism" and the fascist bargain? Plus: Why getting rid of Citizens United, child tax credits, and taxing the rich all poll very well—but you'd never know it from the consultant class.Not safe for work. Recorded live from the Cornfield Resistance.Stay in Touch! Email: proleftpodcast@gmail.comWebsite: proleftpod.comSupport via Patreon: patreon.com/proleftpodor Donate in the Venmo App @proleftpodMail: The Professional Left, PO Box 9133, Springfield, Illinois, 62791Support the show

In this week's episode of The Learning Curve, co-hosts Center for Strong Public Schools' Alisha Searcy and American Federation for Children's Walter Blanks interview Kelley Brown, an award-winning civics and government teacher at Easthampton High School and former Massachusetts Teacher of the Year. Ms. Brown discusses her background as an educator, her work with the […]

This month's episode offers a fresh perspective on an old debate. Jettisoning outdated modes of analysis that emphasize race vs. class, guest Rudi Batzell illuminates the materialist underpinnings of racialized working-class politics in the U.S. and British empires. Employing a transnational approach, Batzell shows, for example, how land reform in Ireland helped set the British labor movement on a trajectory towards more inclusive unionism, while, in the U.S., northern industrialists' ability to recruit landless African Americans from the U.S. south undermined working-class solidarity in the U.S. and lay the foundation for the more narrow craft unionism of the American Federation of Labor (AFL). Later, we discuss the anti-immigrant and whites-only policies of labor unions in the U.S., Australia, and South Africa, wrestling with the white working-class movement to restrict immigration. The history presented here contains some hard truths about the difficulties of organizing across fractured working-classes, while also making the case for reckoning with this history as a necessary precondition for building a more equitable and just world.

The government shutdown has lasted nearly a month now and there's no indication that Congress is any closer to resolving the budget conflicts before funding ends for several key programs on Nov. 1. Minnesota is home to 18,000 federal workers, many of whom have been told to stay home and not work, or work without pay. This week was the first where many didn't receive a paycheck. Abby, a federal worker in Minnesota, felt the impact Monday when she went to the pharmacy to pick up prescriptions. “I double checked my bank account to make sure I had enough to cover it. It was tough, and I knew I had to buy a bunch of other things as well,” she said. MPR News is not sharing Abby's last name, or the agency she works for, because she fears workplace retaliation. To understand the conversations federal workers are having around the dinner table as uncertainty grows, MPR News host Nina Moini spoke with with Ruark Hotopp. He is the national vice president of the American Federation of Government Employees District 8, a union that represents federal workers in Minnesota and other Midwest states.

Everett B. Kelley, president of the American Federation of Government Employees, explains why AFGE is calling on Congress to end the shutdown without health care measures sought by Democratic lawmakers. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/tavis-smiley--6286410/support.

EASY LISTENING DEP'T.: Inside the paper on page A20, the Times reports on a breakdown in solidarity fighting the shutdown. “Top Federal Workers Union breaks with Democrats over the shutdown. AFGE chief calls on Congress to open now and negotiate later. The largest union of federal workers called on Monday for Congress to pass a spending bill to immediately end the government shutdown,” the Times writes, “effectively siding with President Trump and Republicans who have opposed Democratic efforts to restore health care spending. ‘Both political parties have made their point, and still there is no clear end in sight,' Everett Kelly, the president of the American Federation of Government Employees, said in the statement. He added, ‘It's time to pass a clean continuing resolution and end this shutdown today. No half measures and no gamesmanship.' The statement,” the Times writes, “was a remarkable shift for the Union. Before the shutdown began on October 1st, Mr. Kelly called on Republicans to negotiate with Democrats who are seeking concessions, including the extension of subsidies for plans under the Affordable Care Act that would stave off premium increases and the loss of coverage for millions of Americans. The union has also worked closely with Democratic lawmakers on efforts this year to oppose Mr. Trump's policies, particularly his wide-reaching campaign to slash the federal workforce and fire career civil servants. But,” the story continues, “amid the punishing effects of the shutdown on federal workers, Some 730,000 are working without pay and another 670,000 are furloughed entirely. Senate Democrats have blocked legislation that would pay the civil servants who have been working without pay, a move that would provide relief to the union's members but would weaken the bargaining position of democratic lawmakers. The Republicans, in turn, blocked a pair of Democratic bills that would have paid both those federal workers who are still working and those who have been furloughed.” “Provide relief to the union's members” there, then, would mean provide relief to a bit more than half of the union's members, while the others remain out of work and unpaid. Please visit, read, and support INDIGNITY! https://www.indignity.net/

It's all about shutdown and resistance. First, Jessica LaPointe is President of the American Federation of Government Employees Social Security Council. We'll ask her and a local worker about the present and future of Social Security. Then, we'll ask federal union leaders from HUD, the IRS the Army Corps of Engineers and Social Security how members are surviving with no pay and why they want more unions to show up and protest. Thursday at 6pm, rebroadcast Friday at 5am. Our feature is Voices from Labor History. 

Join Jim and Greg for the Tuesday 3 Martini Lunch as they discuss left-leaning unions now demanding Democrats support the GOP bill to fund the government, Republicans essentially surrendering the fight against Gavin Newsom's California gerrymandering referendum, and Graham Platner's campaign manager jumping ship after just three days on the job.First, they highlight the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) union publicly demanding an end to the government shutdown and urging Democrats to back the clean extension of government funding pushed by Republicans. Four different pilots' unions are making the same demand. Will this convince four more Senate Dems to switch sides?Next, they wince as the groups spending the most money to defeat California Gov. Gavin Newsom's ballot initiative to gerrymander the state's congressional map are now spending very little and essentially surrendering the fight.Finally, they get a kick out of Maine Democrat U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner's campaign manager stepping down after three days on the job. Kevin Brown says it's because he and his wife just found out they are expecting a baby and Platner deserves a campaign manager with undivided attention. But that timing seems awfully convenient given Platner's Nazi tattoo scandal.Please visit our great sponsors:Cancel unwanted subscriptions and reach your financial goals faster with Rocket Money at https://RocketMoney.com/MARTINI Build your fall sanctuary of comfort with Boll and Branch. Save 20% plus free shipping on your first set of sheets at https://BollAndBranch.com/THREEMARTINI —offer ends soon, exclusions apply.

With the government shutdown in its fourth week and the fight over extending Affordable Care Act subsidies nowhere near over, the federal workers union is now calling for Democrats to abandon the effort. The American Federation of Government Employees wants Congress to pass a “clean” stopgap funding bill now so their workers can get paid, but others in favor of health care subsidies say holding out a little longer is key. That's because next week,  Republicans may also feel pressure as Americans insured via the Affordable Care Act will see wildly higher costs.We'll talk about it with Pulitzer Prize winning author and investigative journalist David Cay Johnston.AI expert and entrepreneur Rahul Powar will stop through to talk about the benefits and the risks of artificial intelligence.Emergency physician, Dr. Michael Daignault, considers Trump's recent admission that he needed both an MRI and a cognitive test. Plus, it's vaccine season and our Dr. Daignault has some great information. The Mark Thompson Show 10/28/25Patreon subscribers are the backbone of the show! If you'd like to help, here's our Patreon Link:https://www.patreon.com/themarkthompsonshowMaybe you're more into PayPal.  https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=PVBS3R7KJXV24And you'll find everything on our website: https://www.themarkthompsonshow.com

This Day in Legal History: Volstead ActOn October 28, 1919, the Volstead Act was passed by the U.S. Congress over President Woodrow Wilson's veto, laying the legal foundation for Prohibition in the United States. Formally titled the National Prohibition Act, the law was intended to provide for the enforcement of the 18th Amendment, which had been ratified earlier that year and prohibited the manufacture, sale, and transportation of intoxicating liquors.The Volstead Act, named after Representative Andrew Volstead of Minnesota who introduced it, defined what constituted “intoxicating liquors”—a key point of contention. It set the threshold at anything containing more than 0.5% alcohol by volume, thereby banning even beer and wine, which many Americans had not expected to be included. The law also outlined penalties and enforcement mechanisms, giving the federal government new policing powers.Prohibition officially began in January 1920, sparking a surge in bootlegging, speakeasies, and organized crime. While intended to curb alcohol consumption and related social problems, the law instead fueled a vast illicit economy. Enforcement proved difficult and inconsistent, and public support for Prohibition declined steadily throughout the 1920s.The Volstead Act remained in effect until the 21st Amendment repealed Prohibition in 1933, marking the only time a constitutional amendment has been entirely undone by a subsequent amendment. The legacy of the Volstead Act lingers in ongoing debates about federal regulation, moral legislation, and the limits of enforcement.In a push to speed up electricity access for the fast-growing data center sector, U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright has directed federal energy regulators to consider a rule that would streamline how new projects connect to the electric grid. The proposed rule, sent to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), would allow customers to file combined requests for both energy demand and generation at the same site—cutting study times and costs. Wright also asked FERC to explore completing grid project reviews within 60 days, a sharp departure from the years-long timelines currently common.This move comes as U.S. power demand rises sharply, largely due to artificial intelligence workloads, prompting the Trump administration to seek expanded capacity, particularly from fossil fuel and nuclear sources. Though the Energy Secretary cannot compel FERC to act, the Republican-led commission will now weigh the proposals. Industry groups like the Edison Electric Institute praised the initiative as a necessary step to stay competitive, while environmental advocates criticized the fast-tracked timelines as reckless, especially during a government shutdown.Wright also urged FERC to ease the permitting process for hydroelectric development, drawing praise from the hydropower industry, which sees regulatory delays as a major barrier to growth. The proposals reflect the administration's strategy to meet surging energy demand quickly, though they raise concerns about environmental oversight and procedural rigor.US pushes regulators on connecting data centers to grid | ReutersTexas's new Business Court, launched in September 2024 across five major cities, is quickly becoming a boon for law firms, attracting a wave of high-stakes commercial litigation and prompting staffing increases. Major firms like Jackson Walker, Norton Rose Fulbright, and Baker Botts are leading the charge, with over 220 cases already filed—far exceeding early expectations. The court, designed to compete with Delaware's Court of Chancery and bolster Texas's business-friendly reputation, is drawing interest from corporate giants like AT&T, BP, and Exxon Mobil.Lawyers are treating the venue as a prestige arena for complex business disputes, and firms are responding by hiring, publishing guides, and producing media content to market their expertise. For example, Norton Rose launched a video series on court developments, while Haynes Boone created an internal task force to track rule changes.The court's promise of faster timelines—often under 18 months compared to multi-year waits in traditional courts—is one of its major selling points. Judges are aiming to build out a body of corporate case law to make Texas a viable alternative to Delaware for resolving business disputes. Despite no trials yet, over three dozen cases are jury-bound in the next year, signaling strong demand. The court's rapid rise suggests it could reshape where and how major commercial litigation happens in the U.S.Law Firms Join Early Winners in ‘Very Hot' Texas Business CourtThe head of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), the largest federal worker union, is urging Senate Democrats to help end the nearly month-long government shutdown—the second longest in U.S. history. AFGE President Everett Kelley called for an immediate reopening of the government through a “clean” short-term funding bill, aligning with a version passed by the Republican-controlled House in September.Democrats have resisted that approach, instead demanding that Republicans first agree to renew subsidies for Obamacare insurance plans. Kelley's statement increases pressure on Democrats, as federal employees begin to feel the financial strain—many missed their first full paycheck last week, and essential services like food aid and air traffic control are being impacted.Kelley also called for guaranteed back pay for all affected workers and urged bipartisan efforts to fix the broken appropriations process and address rising costs. A senior Senate GOP aide noted the union's position might signal a turning point in negotiations, potentially encouraging Democrats to reconsider the short-term funding route.Federal Worker Union Calls to End Shutdown, Pressuring DemocratsMy column for Bloomberg this week looks at Italy's decision to raise its flat tax on wealthy foreign residents—a move that reflects the unsustainability of luring the rich with short-term tax deals. Italy isn't backtracking because its plan failed outright; it's doing so because it succeeded just long enough to paper over a deeper revenue gap. The original policy, a 100,000-euro annual payment to exempt new wealthy residents from foreign income taxes, was a bold but limited solution that boosted luxury markets without delivering long-term fiscal stability. Now, Italy is bumping that fee up to 300,000 euros by 2026 to keep the scheme afloat.That's a warning for the U.S., where the Trump Tax Cuts and Jobs Act followed a similar path—offering generous upfront tax cuts to high earners with no lasting funding mechanism. Rather than building resilience into the tax system, both countries are layering short-term relief on top of structural deficits, leaving future policymakers to scramble for temporary fixes. I argue for automatic sunset provisions that scale back preferential tax treatment when equity or revenue metrics worsen, allowing tax codes to serve as stabilizers instead of giveaways. Metrics like tax revenue as a share of GDP or the Gini coefficient could trigger phaseouts without requiring political intervention.Italy's flat tax is a case study in what happens when fiscal policy becomes a subscription model for the wealthy: the price keeps going up, and the returns diminish. The U.S. is running a version of the same play, just with fewer disclosures and rosier assumptions. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.minimumcomp.com/subscribe

You're listening to American Ground Radio with Louis R. Avallone and Stephen Parr. This is the full show for October 27, 2025. 0:30 What drives the left’s obsession with Donald Trump? We're diagnosing Trump Derangement Syndrome—a political fever that’s gripped the media, the swamp, and much of Washington since the day Trump came down the golden escalator. 9:30 Plus, we cover the Top 3 Things You Need to Know. The American Federation of Government Employees is calling on Democrat Senators to end the Government Shutdown. Mike Braun, the Governor of Indiana is calling the state legislature back for a special session to redraw the state's congressional districts. A Minnesota Man has been arrested for offering a reward for anyone who kills Attorney General Pam Bondi. 12:30 Get Brain Reward from Victory Nutrition International for 20% off. Go to vni.life/agr and use the promo code AGR20. 13:30 We tackle one of the most uncomfortable truths in American politics—how the same media that condemns conservative outrage excuses or even glorifies violence from the left. From riots and Molotov cocktails to threats against Supreme Court justices, political violence has become woven into the left’s playbook—and the double standard is impossible to ignore. 16:30 When Zohran Mamdani tearfully claimed his aunt was too afraid to ride the subway after 9/11, the media swooned—until the story fell apart. Our American Mamas, Terry Netterville and Kimberly Burleson, dig into the facts behind Mamdani’s emotional performance and uncover a troubling pattern of deception and radical associations. From his fabricated family story to his ties with an imam who calls America “filthy and sick,” the Mamas ask: how did this man become a rising star in New York politics—and why is the media looking the other way? If you'd like to ask our American Mamas a question, go to our website, AmericanGroundRadio.com/mamas and click on the Ask the Mamas button. 23:00 We break down Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s response to a question about funding for illegal aliens, exposing the left’s campaign to rewrite language and erase accountability. “Illegal alien” isn’t hate speech—it’s federal law. And when politicians start treating law as a moral insult, that’s when the rule of law itself is on the line. 26:00 We Dig Deep into the latest numbers from the Virginia and New Jersey gubernatorial races, where early voting trends are defying every media narrative. In Virginia, Abigail Spanberger’s supposed seven-point lead over Winsome Earle-Sears isn’t showing up in the ballot box, as Republican strongholds surge in turnout while Democrat areas lag behind. And in New Jersey, the margins are even tighter than the pollsters want to admit. We break down what the data really means, why the NAACP’s endorsement of Spanberger over Sears exposes the left’s hypocrisy, and why Democrats may be facing another polling meltdown. 32:30 Get Prodovite from Victory Nutrition International for 20% off. Go to vni.life/agr and use the promo code AGR20. 33:30 When is a pep talk more like a parody? When Joe Biden starts sounding like Stuart Smalley from Saturday Night Live. In this segment, we compare Biden’s latest “get up and fight” speech to Al Franken’s classic “Daily Affirmations,” arguing that the president’s rallying cry feels less like leadership and more like self-help gone wrong. 36:30 America turns 250 soon, and the Heritage Foundation is celebrating by helping us rediscover who we are — and where we came from. The foundation is working on a new project ranking historic sites across the country for their accuracy and authenticity, from Monticello to Gettysburg, and it's a Bright Spot. Unfortunately some landmarks are slipping in the ratings not because of poor preservation, but because of politics creeping into the storytelling. We dig into how ideological rewriting has distorted our view of figures like Washington, Jefferson, and even Lincoln — and why honest history still matters. From battlefields to presidential homes, history reminds us that America’s story isn’t perfect, but it’s good — and worth remembering. 40:30 Charlie Sheen — yes, that Charlie Sheen — just might be the voice of reason. On Bill Maher’s podcast, the Hollywood wild man took aim at the NFL’s choice of Bad Bunny for next year’s Super Bowl halftime show, calling it “off-putting for real football fans.” Charlie Sheen is onto. Football fans are saying, "Whoa." Follow us: americangroundradio.com Facebook: facebook.com / AmericanGroundRadio Instagram: instagram.com/americangroundradio Links: Republican Redistricting Push Hits Gas As Indiana Joins Party 'Sniper-scope red dot' death threat against Pam Bondi on TikTok leads to arrest of suspect with 'multistate conviction history': Feds Tulsi Gabbard Details How Trump Is Intimidating Mexican Cartels Following Arrest of Drug Lord Putin Faces Growing Financial Crisis Amid Sanctions Is The Climate Cult Losing? A New Poll Shows It Might Be. EXCLUSIVE: Heritage Foundation Launches New Tool To Help Americans ‘Rediscover’ Nation’s History George Washington's 221-year overdue library book: A timelineSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's Fun Day Monday on the Majority Report On today's program: U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent tells ABC News that he is a soybean farmer and so he feels the pain of the tariffs as well. Turns out he is just a landlord to $25 million worth of soybean farms. The American Federation of Government Employees is feeling pressure from their members to end the shutdown. In Landover, Maryland furloughed federal workers line up for food assistance in a queue that stretches down the street and around the block. The Trump administration is claiming they do not have authority to fund SNAP amidst the shutdown, which is proven to be a lie. Zohran Mamdani, AOC and Bernie Sanders held a rally in Queens, New York on Sunday Night packing out Forrest Hills Stadium with over 13,000 people. AOC delivers remarks over the immigrants, freeman, and suffragists that built New York and they are the ones that will determine our future. Zohran gives all credit to Bernie Sanders for teaching Zohran the language of democratic Socialism. Emma Vigeland asks Zohran if he believes that a large win in the mayoral race would provide him with leverage with Albany since Hochul is up for reelection in 2026. Hochul speaks at the rally and is drowned out by "Tax the Rich" chants. The next day Hochul claims to have thought the crowd was cheering "Let's Go Bills" In the Fun Half: Another patriot humiliates ICE agents in a beautiful rant after they harassed him at 26 Federal Plaza in New York. Pete Hegseth does not dispute rumors that the Trump Administration is planning on deploying the National Guard in all 50 states in 2026. On Fox News Stephen Miller tells ICE officers that they have federal immunity to do whatever they have to do to perform their duties. Kyrsten Sinema, now a lobbyist for AI, speaks at a planning commission meeting in Chandler, AZ encouraging them to build a data center before the government comes in builds it without their consent. All that and more The Congress switchboard number is (202) 224-3121. You can use this number to connect with either the U.S. Senate or the House of Representatives. Follow us on TikTok here: https://www.tiktok.com/@majorityreportfm Check us out on Twitch here: https://www.twitch.tv/themajorityreport Find our Rumble stream here: https://rumble.com/user/majorityreport Check out our alt YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/majorityreportlive Gift a Majority Report subscription here: https://fans.fm/majority/gift Subscribe to the AMQuickie newsletter here: https://am-quickie.ghost.io/ Join the Majority Report Discord! https://majoritydiscord.com/ Get all your MR merch at our store: https://shop.majorityreportradio.com/ Get the free Majority Report App!: https://majority.fm/app Go to https://JustCoffee.coop and use coupon code majority to get 10% off your purchase Check out today's sponsors: NUTRAFOL: Get $10 off your first month's subscription + free shipping at Nutrafol.com when you use promo code TMR10 ZOCDOC: Go to Zocdoc.com/MAJORITY and download the Zocdoc app to sign-up for FREE and book a top-rated doctor SMALLS:  get 60% off your first order, plus free shipping, when you head to Smalls.com/MAJORITY! SUNSET LAKE:  Head to SunsetLakeCBD.com and use coupon code “Left Is Best” (all one word) for 20% off of your entire order  Follow the Majority Report crew on Twitter: @SamSeder @EmmaVigeland @MattLech Check out Matt's show, Left Reckoning, on YouTube, and subscribe on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/leftreckoning Check out Matt Binder's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/mattbinder Subscribe to Brandon's show The Discourse on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/ExpandTheDiscourse Check out Ava Raiza's music here! https://avaraiza.bandcamp.com

Andrew Walworth, Tom Bevan and Carl Cannon discuss President Trump's trip to Asia, and whether the meaning of “America First” has changed over the course of the second Trump administration. They also talk about Gavin Newsom and Kamala Harris, who both gave further indications this weekend about their plans to run for the White House in 2028. And, they look at Trump's reaction to a statement by Steve Bannon that there was a plan underway for Trump to run for a third term. Next, they discuss the American Federation of Government Employees endorsement of a clean continuing resolution to put an end to the partial government shutdown, and what it means to the Democratic Party for a staunch union ally to come out against its position on continuing to keep the government closed. Then lastly, RCP contributor Richard Porter joins the guys to discuss a new poll of Democratic primary voters in Chicago on how they view anti-ICE measures in the city, including violence against federal agents. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In a major reversal, the Trump administration has agreed to resume student loan forgiveness for millions of borrowers. The settlement with the American Federation of Teachers restores debt cancellation under income-driven repayment programs paused earlier this year. Kathy Fettke explains what the deal means for borrowers—and how added financial relief could ripple into the housing market for investors. JOIN RealWealth® FOR FREE https://realwealth.com/join-step-1  FOLLOW OUR PODCASTS Real Wealth Show: Real Estate Investing Podcast https://link.chtbl.com/RWS SOURCE: https://www.cnbc.com/2025/10/19/trump-student-loan-forgiveness.html 

“Americans of all parties and backgrounds overwhelmingly support school choice – and will vote accordingly.” Brian Jodice, National Press Secretary for the American Federation for Children (AFC), joins the podcast to share the polling that backs up his organization's proclamation. We discuss the growing support for school choice across the United States and the importance […]

Leftists staged "No Kings" protests across the country in an effort to fight what they perceive to be authoritarian over-reach by the current administration. The truth is, it's the same old tactics from the Marxist Progressives, along with union allies like The American Federation of Teachers and the National Education Association, to create organized chaos and political violence under the guise of fighting "fascism." Yawn... Find out more at https://ron-johnson-discipleship-podca.pinecast.co

About this episode: Following months of personnel cuts, funding terminations, and escalating violence, CDC employees face a new hurdle with the government shutdown. In this episode: Yolanda Jacobs, president of the union chapter that represents more than 1,000 CDC employees, offers an inside look at how employees are grappling with these challenges and shares how those of us outside the CDC can offer support. Guests: Yolanda Jacobs is a health communications specialist at the CDC and the president of the American Federation of Government Employees Local 2883. Host: Dr. Josh Sharfstein is distinguished professor of the practice in Health Policy and Management, a pediatrician, and former secretary of Maryland's Health Department. Show links and related content: With new cuts at CDC, some fear there's 'nobody to answer the phone'—NPR Supporting the Public Health Workforce in Challenging Times—Public Health On Call (October 2025) Transcript information: Looking for episode transcripts? Open our podcast on the Apple Podcasts app (desktop or mobile) or the Spotify mobile app to access an auto-generated transcript of any episode. Closed captioning is also available for every episode on our YouTube channel. Contact us: Have a question about something you heard? Looking for a transcript? Want to suggest a topic or guest? Contact us via email or visit our website. Follow us: @‌PublicHealthPod on Bluesky @‌JohnsHopkinsSPH on Instagram @‌JohnsHopkinsSPH on Facebook @‌PublicHealthOnCall on YouTube Here's our RSS feed Note: These podcasts are a conversation between the participants, and do not represent the position of Johns Hopkins University.

Melissa Cropper, President of the Ohio Federation of Teachers, joined the America's Work Force Union Podcast to discuss crucial issues affecting Ohio educators.   Randi Weingarten, President of the American Federation of Teachers, joined the America's Work Force Union Podcast to discuss her new book, "Why Fascists Fear Teachers."

In this episode of Finding Freedom, John Odermatt interviews Shaka Mitchell, Senior Fellow at the American Federation for Children, about the intersection of school choice, civil rights, and the future of education in America. They discuss how education reform can expand opportunity and strengthen communities, with a focus on empowering parents to choose the best educational path for their children. Shaka shares insights on the bipartisan history of school choice, the challenges families face in the current system, and the impact of funding and administration on educational outcomes. The conversation covers the competitive effects of school choice, recent legislative wins, and the role of technology and AI in shaping the future of learning. Shaka also highlights a new federal tax credit program that could make school choice accessible to more families nationwide. The episode wraps up with resources for listeners to learn more and get involved. Chapters: 00:00 - Introduction & Guest Welcome03:00 - Shaka Mitchell's Background07:30 - School Choice and Civil Rights15:00 - Funding, Administration, and Challenges25:00 - The Competitive Effects of School Choice35:00 - Technology, AI, and the Future of Education45:00 - New Federal Tax Credit Program50:00 - Final Thoughts & Resources We have a new show on Lions of Liberty! The PoliTicks Podcast! Be sure to subscribe to the standalone Politicks Podcast feed. This is the absolute best way to support the show! Listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. And remember, they're all Blood Suckers! Subscribe to John's Finding Freedom Show solo feed to listen to “Pursuit of Freedom,” which is a new podcast series where John shares the highs and lows of his entrepreneurial journey. Listen and Subscribe on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Follow the Lions of Liberty: Twitter Rumble YouTube Instagram Telegram Get access to all of our bonus audio content, livestreams, behind-the-scenes segments and more for as little as $5 per month by joining the Lions of Liberty Pride on Patreon OR support us on Locals! Check out our merchandise at the Lions of Liberty Store for all of our awesome t-shirts, mugs and hats! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of Finding Freedom, John Odermatt interviews Shaka Mitchell, Senior Fellow at the American Federation for Children, about the intersection of school choice, civil rights, and the future of education in America. They discuss how education reform can expand opportunity and strengthen communities, with a focus on empowering parents to choose the best educational path for their children. Shaka shares insights on the bipartisan history of school choice, the challenges families face in the current system, and the impact of funding and administration on educational outcomes. The conversation covers the competitive effects of school choice, recent legislative wins, and the role of technology and AI in shaping the future of learning. Shaka also highlights a new federal tax credit program that could make school choice accessible to more families nationwide. The episode wraps up with resources for listeners to learn more and get involved. Chapters: 00:00 - Introduction & Guest Welcome03:00 - Shaka Mitchell's Background07:30 - School Choice and Civil Rights15:00 - Funding, Administration, and Challenges25:00 - The Competitive Effects of School Choice35:00 - Technology, AI, and the Future of Education45:00 - New Federal Tax Credit Program50:00 - Final Thoughts & Resources

October 11, 2025; 8am: Federal employees are feeling the full weight of the government shutdown as it heads towards its third week. The Trump administration began laying off more than 4,000 federal workers, and an administration official warns that more are imminent. Employees who remain continue to work without pay. Lashanda Palmer, a TSA employee and leader of the local American Federation of Government Employees Union in Philadelphia, joins “The Weekend” to discuss the personal impact of the shutdown.For more, follow us on social media:Bluesky: @theweekendmsnbc.bsky.socialInstagram: @theweekendmsnbcTikTok: @theweekendmsnbcTo listen to this show and other MSNBC podcasts without ads, sign up for MSNBC Premium on Apple Podcasts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this week's episode of The Learning Curve, co-hosts U-Arkansas Prof. Albert Cheng and Walter Blanks of the American Federation for Children interview Prof. Robert Maranto and Sean Woytek co-authors of the Education Next piece, “Why Academically Intensive Charter Schools Deserve Our Attention.” They explore how rigorous charter school networks like BASIS Ed have achieved exceptional outcomes and what […]

Last week, The Real News Network published a bombshell interview with two federal whistleblowers working in the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Max spoke with Paul Osadebe and Palmer Heenan, two attorneys in HUD's Office of Fair Housing, about the “chaos” that has upended HUD under the new Trump administration, and the vulnerable Americans who are being systematically abandoned as a result. Then, on Monday, Sept. 29, exactly one week after going public, Osadebe and Heenan were fired in what the Federal Unionist Network describes as “a stunning act of illegal retaliation.” In this urgent followup interview, we speak once again with Osadebe and Heenan about the conditions of their firing, and what this attack on whistleblowers means for the future of government transparency and the future of HUD itself. Guests: Paul Osadebe is a shop steward for the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) – Local 476, a member of the Federal Unionists Network, and, until recently, an attorney working in the federal government. Osadebe is one of the four employees within HUD who have filed formal whistleblower complaints through the office of Senator Elizabeth Warren (D – Massachusetts). Osadebe was fired for his whistleblowing on Sept. 29. Palmer Heenan is a rank-and-file member of AFGE – Local 476, a member of the Federal Unionists Network, and, until recently, an attorney working in the federal government. Heenan is one of the four employees within the Department of Housing and Urban Development who have filed formal whistleblower complaints through the office of Senator Elizabeth Warren (D – Massachusetts). Heenan was fired for his whistleblowing on Sept. 29. Additional resources: Debra Kamin, The New York Times, “Trump appointees roll back enforcement of Fair Housing laws” Maximillian Alvarez, The Real News Network, “EXCLUSIVE: Federal whistleblowers expose how Trump's HUD is abandoning vulnerable Americans” Federal Unionists Network: “BREAKING: HUD whistleblowers fired after exposing civil rights violations” Federal Unionists Network website, BlueSky, and Instagram AFGE – Local 476 website Credits: Studio Production / Post-Production: Cameron Granadino

The Government Shuts Down. It's About Healthcare. Who Leads the Democrats? Blue State Spending Cancelled. AI Meme Wars. Hegseth's Embarrassment. Trump's Unhinged Speech to the Generals. No Nobel for Trump. With Linda Feldmann, White House Correspondent and Washington Bureau Chief for The Christian Science Monitor, Philip Bump, former Columnist for The Washington Post and Arthur Delaney, Senior Reporter at Huff Post. Today's Bill Press Pod is supported by The American Federation of Government Employees. More information at AFGE.org.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and the author of Why Fascists Fear Teachers: Public Education and the Future of Democracy (Thesis, 2025), talks about her new book and explains why she says education protects democracy.

We are joined by Randi Weingarten, the President of the American Federation of Teachers, to discuss her new book, “Why Fascists Fear Teachers: Public Education and the Future of Democracy.” In the book, Weingarten details how there has been a systematic demonization of teachers and public education in America. She argues that one of the pillars of public education is critical thinking, which prevents fascism from flourishing in society - so fascists (and wannabe fascists) hate it. We explore a variety of topics facing schoolchildren and their parents today, including charter schools, artificial intelligence, phones in schools, and the treatment of LGBTQ+ students. We also discuss Trump's proposed elimination of the Department of Education, attacks on teachers unions, and how we may have kept the schools closed for too long during Covid-19. READ Randi's new book: https://sites.prh.com/whyfascistsfearteachers

The Rich Zeoli Show- Hour 2: 4:05pm- Cliff Maloney—Citizens Alliance CEO & PA CHASE Founder—joins The Rich Zeoli Show to discuss the loss of his friend Charlie Kirk. Maloney says Kirk was a “great man” and a “great messenger.” 4:30pm- Corey DeAngelis— Senior Fellow at the American Culture Project & Author of the book, “The Parent Revolution: Rescuing Your Kids from the Radicals Ruining Our Schools.”—joins The Rich Zeoli Show to discuss the title of President of the American Federation of Teachers Randi Weingarten's new book, “Why Fascists Fear Teachers.” Why is Weingarten ratcheting up the vitriolic political rhetoric less than one week after Charlie Kirk was murdered for his beliefs? Plus, DeAngelis reacts to Weingarten baselessly calling him “weird” and a “stalker” simply for advocating for school choice. She also accuses DeAngelis of being “obsessed.” He hilariously responds: “No, Randi Weingarten! I don't want to date you!!” 4:50pm- On Monday, October 13th at 7:30pm—Rich will host New York Times best-selling author Jack Carr at the Zlock Performing Arts Center (at Bucks County Community College) in Newtown, PA. They'll sit down for an engaging discussion about Jack's latest thriller, Cry Havoc—the newest installment in his acclaimed James Reece series. Known for his real-world military experience and gripping, action-packed storytelling, Jack Carr brings an unmatched authenticity to the world of political and military thrillers. For tickets visit: 1210wpht.com.

The Rich Zeoli Show- Full Show (09/17/2025): 3:05pm- Krasner Ramps Up Vitriolic Language. During a town hall event on Tuesday, Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner said of Republicans: “fascists are going to be fascist” and abhorrently accused the party of not believing in racial or gender equality. While other public officials have turned down the heated rhetoric following the murder of Charlie Kirk, Krasner seems to be embarrassing venomous, purposefully divisive language. 3:30pm- Susan Crabtree—RealClearPolitics National Political Correspondent & Author of the book, “Fools Gold: The Radicals, Con Artists, and Traitors Who Killed the California Dream and Now Threaten Us All”—joins The Rich Zeoli Show to discuss her two concerning Secret Service reports for Real Clear Politics, “Secret Service Faces New Scrutiny After Agent Cheers Charlie Kirk's Murder” and “Secret Service Missed Glock in Bag at Trump Golf Course.” You can find them here: https://www.realclearpolitics.com/authors/susan_crabtree/. 4:05pm- Cliff Maloney—Citizens Alliance CEO & PA CHASE Founder—joins The Rich Zeoli Show to discuss the loss of his friend Charlie Kirk. Maloney says Kirk was a “great man” and a “great messenger.” 4:30pm- Corey DeAngelis— Senior Fellow at the American Culture Project & Author of the book, “The Parent Revolution: Rescuing Your Kids from the Radicals Ruining Our Schools.”—joins The Rich Zeoli Show to discuss the title of President of the American Federation of Teachers Randi Weingarten's new book, “Why Fascists Fear Teachers.” Why is Weingarten ratcheting up the vitriolic political rhetoric less than one week after Charlie Kirk was murdered for his beliefs? Plus, DeAngelis reacts to Weingarten baselessly calling him “weird” and a “stalker” simply for advocating for school choice. She also accuses DeAngelis of being “obsessed.” He hilariously responds: “No, Randi Weingarten! I don't want to date you!!” 4:50pm- On Monday, October 13th at 7:30pm—Rich will host New York Times best-selling author Jack Carr at the Zlock Performing Arts Center (at Bucks County Community College) in Newtown, PA. They'll sit down for an engaging discussion about Jack's latest thriller, Cry Havoc—the newest installment in his acclaimed James Reece series. Known for his real-world military experience and gripping, action-packed storytelling, Jack Carr brings an unmatched authenticity to the world of political and military thrillers. For tickets visit: 1210wpht.com. 5:00pm- David Gelman— Criminal Defense Attorney, Former Prosecutor, & a Surrogate for Donald Trump's Legal Team—joins The Rich Zeoli Show to discuss Utah County District Attorney Jeff Gray's Tuesday press conference where he announced charges against Tyler Robinson and confirmed he's seeking the death penalty for the murder of Charlie Kirk. Gray stated: “The defendant is believed to have targeted Charlie Kirk based on Charlie Kirk's political expression and did so knowing that children were present and would witness the homicide." 5:40pm- Embarrassing: Sen. Cory Booker lost his mind during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing with FBI Director Kash Patel—at one point continually screaming, “I'm not afraid of you!” 5:50pm- Congresswoman Lucy McBath (D-GA) accused FBI Director Kash Patel of making the U.S. less safe under his leadership. Patel rejected her accusation, destroying her claims with facts: “If we're failing...how are we arresting 23,000 violent felons? 2x as many as this time last year. How are we seizing 1,500 kg of meth, 25% increase from last year. We captured four top ten FBI most wanted from around the world in 7 months. That's more than the entirety of the last administration. We put 1,500 child predators in prison. We dismantled 300 human trafficking networks. So, which is it? You don't like me, that's fine. But don't you dare disparage the men and women of the FBI that are producing record results in historic fashion to protect this country. They are kicking ass ...