Podcasts about democracy reform initiative

This week, Georgetown law professor Peter Edelman explains how the justice system punishes the poor and rewards the rich. Former FCC Commissioner Michael Copps says pending media mergers will give big business even more influence on what we see and hear. ------------------------------------- Support the Show Had enough of Fox News, the House Freedom Caucus, and Donald Trump? If you want the facts that you won’t get from them or from the fake news sites of the alt-right … then stay tuned! . Our sponsor, 21st Century Democrats, works hard to get everyday Democrats involved in returning our party to its roots... and to success at the ballot box. Sit back and listen, then stand up and fight. And follow 21st Century Democrats on Facebook for all the latest progressive news. We’re glad you can join us. -------------------------------------     Peter Edelman Just before the end of the year, Attorney General Jeff sessions revoked an Obama-era administration guideline that advised local courts against imposing excessive fines and fees on poor people.  The issue attracted wide attention after an investigation into the practice  in Ferguson, MIssouri raised concerns of a “modern day debtors’ prison.”  It also attracted the attention of Georgetown University law professor Peter Edelman who wrote a book about the issue titled, “Not a Crime to be Poor: The Criminalization of Poverty in America”.   Michael J. Copps Michael J. Copps was an FCC commissioner from 2001 to 2011 and currently heads the Media and Democracy Reform Initiative at Common Cause.   Jim Hightower How America's middle class rose… and fell.  

This week, former FCC Commissioner Michael Copps on how losing net neutrality will be a loss for democracy. Nan Aron, founder and President of the Alliance for Justice on what she calls the “Corporate Court” under Chief Justice John Roberts. And Bill Press with Ben & Jerry’s Ben Cohen on who will benefit  the most from  the GOP tax plan. ------------------------------------- Support the Show Had enough of Fox News, the House Freedom Caucus, and Donald Trump? If you want the facts that you won’t get from them or from the fake news sites of the alt-right … then stay tuned! . Our sponsor, 21st Century Democrats, works hard to get everyday Democrats involved in returning our party to its roots... and to success at the ballot box. Sit back and listen, then stand up and fight. And follow 21st Century Democrats on Facebook for all the latest progressive news. We’re glad you can join us. -------------------------------------   Michael J. Copps Michael J. Copps served as  an FCC commissioner from 2001 to 2011 where he was a tireless advocate for the “public interest” in our nation’s media … and for fighting to stem the tide of excessive consolidation in the telecommunications industries.  He continues that work as head of the Media and Democracy Reform Initiative at Common Cause where he has been sounding the alarm about a pending FCC decision that could be the end of “net neutrality”.   Nan Aron Nan Aron is the founder and President of the Alliance for Justice.  She is a leading progressive voice on matters related to our nation’s judiciary.     Ben Cohen Bill Press talks with  Ben & Jerry’s Ben Cohen about the GOP tax plan and what it means for Americans across the income spectrum, plus the launch of a new “Poor People’s Campaign”.   Jim Hightower The virtues of the egalitarian internet

Michael Copps was a commissioner with the Federal Communications Commission from 2001 to 2011, including a stint as acting FCC Chair in 2009. He is currently special advisor for Common Cause’s Media and Democracy Reform Initiative. Michael Copps returned to Tell Somebody to talk about the February, 2015 FCC vote for net neutrality and about media reform generally for the April 9, 2015 edition of the show. ​​Click on the pod icon above, or the .mp3 filename below to listen to the show, or right-click and choose "save target as" or "save link as" to save a copy of the audio file to your computer. You can also subscribe to the podcast, for free, at the iTunes store or other podcast directory. If you have any comments or questions on the show, or problems accessing the files, send an email to mail@tellsomebody.us. Follow Tell Somebody  on Twitter: @tellsomebodynow.   “Like” the Tell Somebody page on facebook:  www.facebook.com/TellSomebodyNow

On the March 12, 2015 edition of Tell Somebody, Todd O’Boyle,  program director for Common Cause’s Media and Democracy Reform Initiative talks about the FCC's recent decisions on Network Neutrality and Community Broadband.  In the second half of the show, Dr. Helen Caldicott opens a a symposium she organized on The Dynamics of Possible Nuclear Extinction ​​Click on the pod icon above, or the .mp3 filename below to listen to the show, or right-click and choose "save target as" or "save link as" to save a copy of the audio file to your computer. You can also subscribe to the podcast, for free, at the iTunes store or other podcast directory. If you have any comments or questions on the show, or problems accessing the files, send an email to mail@tellsomebody.us. Follow Tell Somebody  on Twitter: @tellsomebodynow.   “Like” the Tell Somebody page on facebook:  www.facebook.com/TellSomebodyNow

The November 13, 2012 edition of Tell Somebody features author and cabdriver Richard Tripp, founder and director of Care of Poor People Inc (COPP Inc) about his upcoming Winter Survival Event to provide food and clothing to the homeless, and former FCC Commissioner Michael Copps, currently Common Cause’s Senior Advisor for their Media and Democracy Reform Initiative, responds to a Los Angeles Times article about possible FCC plans to relax media cross-ownership restrictions. This page and the podcast are produced and maintained by Tell Somebody and may or may not reflect the edition of the show broadcast on the radio. Click on the pod icon above or the .mp3 filename below to listen to the show, or right-click and choose "save target as" to save a copy of the audio file to your computer.  You can also subscribe to the podcast, for free, at the iTunes store or your podcast directory. If you have any comments or questions about the show or any problems accessing the files, send an email to: mail@tellsomebody.us  

When it comes to fighting for the public good, during his term as Federal Communications Commissioner (FCC) Michael Copps proved to be one of the best. He joins us to carry on the call for smarter pro-consumer broadband and media policy. Former Comm. Copps always speaks his mind and cuts to the chase. Today he addresses how we get better broadband policies as the FCC moves forward, and how average citizens can impact new policies to address the rapidly changing media industry. Common Cause recently announced that former Comm. Copps will lead their national Media and Democracy Reform Initiative aimed to respond to the growing political and economic power of the communications industry. The Commissioner discusses the stripping of local control over cable and municipal broadband; carte blanche broadcast licensing without obligations to serve the public interest; challenges to ubiquitous broadband deployment and an open Internet; and attacks on funding for public broadcasting.