Podcasts about harris county democratic party

On Thursday's show: A group of Harris County Democratic Party officials are criticizing Houston Mayor John Whitmire over his participation in a fundraiser for U.S. Rep. Dan Crenshaw, a Republican. In a recent City Council meeting, the mayor also inflated the number of accused murderers on Houston streets as lawmakers consider bond reform. And Houston Public Works expects to raise water bills to fund a $4.2 billion overhaul of the East Water Purification Plant. Reporter Dominic Anthony Walsh updates us on those developments in city government.Also this hour: Independent bookstores across the city are taking part in the second annual Houston Bookstore Crawl. (It's like a pub crawl, but with far better results for your brain cells!) We learn why indie bookstores are thriving right now.Then, this month's edition of The Bigger Picture draws from the new film Sinners to explore the history of blues and dance halls in Houston.And James Baker turns 95 on Monday. We revisit a 2015 conversation about the Houston native's career in politics.

Ralph speaks to Washington Post columnist Dana Milbank about the Trump Administration's path of destruction in our federal government. Then, Ralph welcomes legendary public interest lawyer Alan Morrison to discuss the President's authority to impose tariffs and other constitutional questions.Dana Milbank is a nationally syndicated op-ed columnist for the Washington Post. He also provides political commentary for various TV outlets, and he is the author of five books on politics, including the New York Times bestseller The Destructionists and the national bestseller Homo Politicus. His latest book is Fools on the Hill: The Hooligans, Saboteurs, Conspiracy Theories and Dunces who Burned Down the House.I shouldn't be amazed, but Mike Johnson never ceases to amaze me with the rapidity with which he'll just drop to his knees whenever Trump says something.Dana MilbankWe're going to know this shortly, but it does appear that Trump's honeymoon may be over in the House as the conservatives finally seem to be finding their backbones. But I've thought that might happen before and then only to find out that they, in fact, they could not locate their backbones. So I don't want to be premature.Dana MilbankTrump seems to be gambling (and the administration seems to be gambling) that ultimately the Supreme Court is going to a wholesale reinterpretation of the Constitution to grant these never-before-seen executive powers, and it's possible that he's right about that. We're not going to know that. There have been a couple of preliminary rulings that seem friendly to Trump, but none of those is final, so we can't really be sure of it.Dana MilbankMy guess is that Chief Justice Roberts is seeing his legacy heading toward the ditch after his decision of Trump v. United States, where he said that Presidents cannot be criminally prosecuted….My guess is he's going to unpleasantly surprise Trump in the coming months.Ralph NaderAlan Morrison is the Lerner Family Associate Dean for Public Interest & Public Service at George Washington Law School. He currently teaches civil procedure and constitutional law, and previously taught at Harvard, NYU, Stanford, Hawaii, and American University law schools. He has argued 20 cases in the Supreme Court and co-founded the Public Citizen Litigation Group in 1972, which he directed for more than 25 years.It's inevitable that even for a non-economist like myself to understand that [the costs of tariffs] are going to be passed on. Other than Donald Trump, I don't think there's anybody who believes that these taxes are not going to be passed on and that they're going to be borne by the country from which the company did the exporting.Alan MorrisonIt's an uphill battle on both the statutory interpretation and the undue delegation grounds, but our position is rather simple: If the Congress doesn't write a statute so that there's something that the government can't order or do, then it's gone too far. In effect, it has surrendered to the President its power to set policy and do the legislative function. Interestingly, Trump has trumpeted the breadth of what he's doing here. He calls it a revolution. Well, if we have revolutions in this country, my copy of the Constitution says that the Congress has to enact revolution and the President can't do it on its own. So we think we've got a pretty strong case if we can get it to court.Alan MorrisonOne of the things that I've been struck by is that laws alone cannot make this country governable. That we can't write laws to cover every situation and every quirk that any person has, especially the President. We depend on the norms of government—that people will do things not exactly the way everybody did them before, but along the same general lines, and that when we make change, we make them in moderation, because that's what the people expect. Trump has shed all norms.Alan MorrisonNews 4/9/251. Our top story this week is the killing of Omar Mohammed Rabea, an American citizen in Gaza. Known as Amer, the BBC reports the 14-year-old was shot by the Israeli military along with two other 14-year-old boys “on the outskirts of Turmus Ayya” on Sunday evening. Predictably, the IDF called these children “terrorists.” According to NJ.com – Rabea formerly resided in Saddle Brook, New Jersey – Rabea's uncle sits on the board of a local Palestinian American Community Center which told the press “The ambulance was not allowed to pass the checkpoint for 30 minutes, a denial in medical treatment that ultimately resulted in Amer's death…[his] death was entirely preventable and horrifically unjust. He was a child, a 14-year-old boy, with an entire life ahead of him.” The Rachel Corrie Foundation, founded in honor of the American peace activist killed by an Israeli bulldozer while protesting the demolition of a Palestinian home, issued a statement reading “Rabea's death…was perpetuated by Israeli settlers who act with impunity…We believe that if our own government demanded accountability…Rabea would still be alive.” The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has sent a letter to Attorney General Bondi demanding an investigation, but chances of the Trump administration pursuing justice in this case are slim.2. Meanwhile, President Trump seems to be driving the U.S. economy into a deep recession. Following his much-publicized tariff announcement last week – which included 10% tariffs on uninhabited Heard and McDonald Islands – the S&P dipped by 10.5%, among the largest drops in history, per the New York Times. Far from making Trump back off however, he appears dead set on pushing this as far as it will go. After the People's Republic of China responded to the threat of a 54% tariff with a reciprocal 34% tariff, Trump announced the U.S. will retaliate by upping the tariff to a whopping 104% on Chinese imports, according to the BBC. Reuters reports that JP Morgan forecasts a 60% chance of a recession as a result of these tariffs.3. In more foreign affairs news, on Friday April 4th, South Korea's President Yoon Suk Yeol was officially removed from office by that country's Constitutional Court, “ending months of uncertainty and legal wrangling after he briefly declared martial law in December,” per CNN. The South Korean parliament had already voted to impeach Yoon in December of 2024. The court's decision was unanimous and characterized the leader's actions as a “grave betrayal of the people's trust.” Upon this ruling being handed down, Yoon was forced to immediately vacate the presidential residence. A new election is scheduled for June 3rd. Incredible what a political and judicial class unafraid to stand up to lawlessness can accomplish.4. Speaking of ineffectual opposition parties, one need look no further than Texas' 18th congressional district. This safe Democratic district – including most of central Houston – was held by Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee from 1995 until her death in 2024. According to the Texas Tribune, Lee planned to run yet again in 2024, triumphing over her 43-year-old former aide Amanda Edwards in the primary. However, Lee passed in July of 2024. Edwards again sought the nomination, but the Harris County Democratic Party instead opted for 69-year-old former Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, per the Texas Tribune. Turner made it to March of 2025 before he too passed away. This seat now sits vacant – depriving the residents of central Houston of congressional representation and the Democrats of a vote in the House. Governor Gregg Abbot has announced that he will not allow a special election before November 2025, the Texas Tribune reports. This is a stunning Democratic own-goal and indicative of the literal death grip the gerontocratic old guard continue to have on the party.5. One ray of hope is that Democratic voters appear to be waking up the ineffectual nature of the party leadership. A new Data for Progress poll of the 2028 New York Senate primary posed a hypothetical matchup between incumbent Senator Chuck Schumer and Democratic Socialist firebrand Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez – and found AOC with a staggering lead of 19 points. This poll showed AOC winning voters under 45 by 50 points, over 45s by eight points, non-college educated by 16 points, college educated by 23 points, Black and white voters by 16 points, and Latinos by 28. Schumer led among self-described “Moderates” by 15 and no other group. It remains to be seen whether the congresswoman from Queens will challenge the Senate Minority Leader, but this poll clearly shows her popularity in the state of New York, and Schumer's abysmal reputation catching up with him.6. Another bright spot from New York, is Zohran Mamdani's mayoral candidacy and specifically his unprecedented field operation. According to the campaign, between April 1st and April 6th, volunteers knocked on 41,591 doors. No mayoral campaign in the history of the city has generated a grassroots movement of this intensity, with politicians traditionally relying on political machines or enormous war chests to carry them to victory. Mamdani has already reached the public financing campaign donation cap, so he can focus all of his time and energy on grassroots outreach. He remains the underdog against former Governor Andrew Cuomo, but his campaign appears stronger every day.7. Turning to the turmoil in the federal regulatory apparatus, POLITICO reports Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has eliminated the Freedom of Information Act offices at the Centers for Disease Control, and other HHS agencies. An anonymous source told the publication that HHS will consolidate its FOIA requests into one HHS-wide office, but “Next steps are still in flux.” In the meantime, there will be no one to fulfill FOIA requests at these agencies. This piece quotes Scott Amey, general counsel at the Project on Government Oversight, who said this “sends a wrong message to the public on the administration's commitment to transparency.” Amey added, “I often say that FOIA officers are like librarians in knowing the interactions of the agency…If you don't have FOIA officers with that specific knowledge, it will slow down the process tremendously.”8. At the Federal Trade Commission, Axios reports the Trump administration has “paused” the FTC's lawsuit against major pharmacy benefit managers, or PBMs, related to “the drug middlemen…inflating the price of insulin and driving up costs to diabetes patients.” The case, filed against CVS Caremark, OptumRx and Express Scripts was halted by the FTC in light of “the fact that there are currently no sitting Commissioners able to participate in this matter.” That is because Trump unlawfully fired the two remaining Democratic commissioners Alvaro Bedoya and Rebecca Slaughter. In a statement, former FTC Chair Lina Khan called this move “A gift to the PBMs.”9. One federal regulatory agency that seems to be at least trying to do their job is the Federal Aviation Administration. According to the American Prospect, the FAA has “[has] proposed [a] rule that would mandate Boeing update a critical communications malfunction in their 787 Dreamliner plane that could lead to disastrous accidents.” As this piece explains, “very high frequency (VHF) radio channels are transferring between the active and standby settings without flight crew input.” The FAA's recommendation in is that Boeing address the issue with an update to the radio software. Yet disturbingly, in one of the comments on this proposed rule Qatar Airways claims that, “[they have] already modified all affected…airplanes with … [the recommended software updates] …However … flight crew are still reporting similar issues.” This comment ends with Qatar Airways stating that they believe, “the unsafe condition still exists.” Boeing planes have been plagued by critical safety malfunctions in recent years, most notably the 2018 and 2019 crashes that killed nearly 350 people.10. Finally, on a somewhat lighter note, you may have heard about Bryan Johnson, the tech entrepreneur dubbed “The Man Who Wants to Live Forever.” Johnson has attracted substantial media attention for his unorthodox anti-aging methods, including regular transfusions of plasma from his own son. But this story is not about Johnson's bizarre immortality obsession, but rather his unsavory corporate practices. A new piece in New York Magazine focuses on the lawsuits filed against Johnson by his all-too-mortal workers, represented by eminent labor lawyer Matt Bruenig. This piece relays how Johnson “required his staffers to sign 20-page NDAs,” and an “opt-in” document which informed his employees they had to be comfortable “being around Johnson while he has very little clothing on” and “discussions for media production including erotica (for example, fan fiction including but not limited to story lines/ideas informed by the Twilight series and-or 50 Shades of Grey.)” Bruenig says, “That stuff is weird,” but his main interest is in the nondisparagement agreements, including the one Johnson's former employee and former fiancée Taylor Southern entered into which has further complicated an already thorny legal dispute between Johnson and herself. Now Bruenig is fighting for Southern and against these blanket nondisparagement agreements in a case that could help define the limits of employer's power to control their workers' speech. Hopefully, Bruenig will prevail in showing that Johnson, whatever his pretensions, truly is a mere mortal.This has been Francesco DeSantis, with In Case You Haven't Heard. Get full access to Ralph Nader Radio Hour at www.ralphnaderradiohour.com/subscribe

Part 1:We talk with Derek Kelly, Chief of Staff, Harris County Democratic Party. We discuss the change in demographics in the cities in Texas, and how this will affect Texas elections.Part 2:We talk with Bill Curry who was a Connecticut state senator, comptroller and two time Democratic nominee for governor who served as Counselor to the President in the Clinton White House. and Jeff Sharlet, an American academic, journalist, and author. He is the Frederick Sessions Beebe '35 Professor in the Art of Writing at Dartmouth College. We discuss what is at stake in this election. What is the role of donors in this election, especially the very rich donors?  WNHNFM.ORG  productionMusic: David Rovics, "Time to Act", Song for Will Van Sproson

Part 1:We talk with Nicole Pedersen, Voting Protection Director, Harris County Democratic Party.We discuss the various tactics that Republicans, specifically Ken Paxton, Texas AG, is using to depress and interfere with voters. Voters are being harassed in their homes, laws are being challenged, threats are being issued to voters.Part 2:We talk with Bill Curry and Harold Meyerson.We discuss Harris-Biden debate. What is "weird" and what is "normal". How can Harris flesh out her message? WNHNFM.ORG   production

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: In a narrow vote, a committee of the Harris County Democratic Party picked former Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner as their nominee to replace the late Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee in the U.S. House: https://www.texastribune.org/2024/08/13/turner-jackson-lee-november-ballot-houston/ Harris County DA Kim Ogg's "big announcement" is that a joint investigation between her office and the Texas Rangers of suspected election fraud in 2022 has turned up nothing: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/houston/article/ogg-corruption-election-texas-harris-no-fraud-19653715.php That droning, two-hour Donald Trump/Elon Musk borefest earlier this week may have violated federal campaign finance laws: https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4826806-end-citizens-united-fec-complaint-trump-musk-interview/ El Paso slaps a huge delinquency charge onto an almost-half-million-dollar debt it's owed by Donald Trump over a 2019 rally he held there: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-rally-el-paso-payment-b2595353.html The civil trial regarding the responsibility of the parents of the shooter in the 2018 Santa Fe High School massacre continues in Galveston: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/14/us/shooting-parents-santa-fe-texas-trial.html As college kids head back to their campuses for the fall, the task of voting from outside their home counties is difficult and requires advance planning: https://www.texastribune.org/2024/08/14/vote-by-mail-texas-2024-election/ Progress Texas will set up our official HQ during TribFests' Open Congress on Saturday Septmeber 7 at Hideout Coffee at 7th and Congress! We'll be live all day recording for the podcast, hanging out with progressive activists including YOU, and moving our stylish merch. Come see us - it's free! https://festival.texastribune.org/event/651560b0-5404-4ea0-b75e-8725c648826d/websitePage:64071bfd-7c25-49f7-a1ca-90f3fa6ff376 See Progress Texas' analysis of Project 2025, and what it will mean for Texas should it be enacted: https://progresstexas.org/blog/project-2025-vs-progress-2025 ...And a complete guide to Project 2025 from Media Matters: https://www.mediamatters.org/heritage-foundation/guide-project-2025-extreme-right-wing-agenda-next-republican-administration The deadline to register for the November election is October 7. Are you registered? Are you sure? ALL Texas voters should confirm their registration, right now: https://govotetexas.org/ Thanks for listening! Find our web store and other ways to support our important work this election year at https://progresstexas.org.

The Gaza bombardment makes Netanyahu synonymous with Hamas! Houston Mayoral Candidate John Whitmire- Lock up the people we are afraid of, not those we are mad at. The Harris County Democratic Party may admonish Harris County DA Kim Ogg. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/politicsdoneright/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/politicsdoneright/support

.The Harris County Democratic Party leadership has changed. A few weeks ago, the precinct chairs elected a new chair. The county is blessed with scores of competent candidates who entered the race. A large majority of the precinct chairs elected Mike Doyle on the first ballot. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/politicsdoneright/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/politicsdoneright/support

Political consultant Jaime Rodriguez appeared on Politics Done Right to talk about the Democratic Party at large, the HCDP, and other topics of interest to all. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/politicsdoneright/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/politicsdoneright/support

At the top of the ballot, in the race for Governor, incumbent Governor Greg Abbott beat out his primary challengers — winning the Republican nomination for Governor to move forward in his bid for a third term in office. On the other side of the ticket — Beto O'Rourke, the El Paso native who ran for Senate against Ted Cruz four years ago — won over 90 percent of the vote for the Democratic party's nomination for governor. There were also some key races that will now head to runoffs. Incumbent Attorney General Ken Paxton faces a runoff for the Republican nomination against Land Commissioner George P. Bush. And down in South Texas, progressive candidate Jessica Cisneros will face a runoff with incumbent U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, a conservative Democrat, for Texas' 28th Congressional District. As we look at the Texas primaries and what these returns may mean for the midterms in November — one key question remains, will this be the year that Texas goes blue? For a look at how Democrats in Texas fared, we spoke with Odus Evbagharu, Chair of the Harris County Democratic Party.

At the top of the ballot, in the race for Governor, incumbent Governor Greg Abbott beat out his primary challengers — winning the Republican nomination for Governor to move forward in his bid for a third term in office. On the other side of the ticket — Beto O'Rourke, the El Paso native who ran for Senate against Ted Cruz four years ago — won over 90 percent of the vote for the Democratic party's nomination for governor. There were also some key races that will now head to runoffs. Incumbent Attorney General Ken Paxton faces a runoff for the Republican nomination against Land Commissioner George P. Bush. And down in South Texas, progressive candidate Jessica Cisneros will face a runoff with incumbent U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, a conservative Democrat, for Texas' 28th Congressional District. As we look at the Texas primaries and what these returns may mean for the midterms in November — one key question remains, will this be the year that Texas goes blue? For a look at how Democrats in Texas fared, we spoke with Odus Evbagharu, Chair of the Harris County Democratic Party.

Aron Solomon says Obamacare still in peril. Odus Evbagharu, the new HCDP Chair, says Dems will win. Wall Street wants your water. The Supreme Court recently ruled in favor of Obamacare. Esquire Digital's Aron Solomon explains why the threat is not over. Texas' Harris County Democratic Party elected a new chairperson, Odus Evbagharu. He told us where he intends to take the county. Wall Street Sharks Are Out to Privatize, Commodify, and Profit From Our Water. The good news is that the U.S. public is not only increasingly aware of the inexcusable inadequacies and inequalities in our water system but also increasingly outraged. “Wall Street's sharks smell money in the water. In fact, they are out to privatize, commodify and “profitize” (own) our water. Of course, with ownership comes control, both of water's use and price. Unsurprisingly, the two core precepts of these Wall Street profiteers are: Water is greatly underpriced, so let's make it more expensive for all users, including us common drinkers; and water must flow to its “highest use” (i.e., highest bidders), so its allocation should not prioritize nonindustrial farms, lower-income communities or even general public use—but rather advantage high-tech facilities, upscale suburban developments and high-dollar businesses willing to pay the most.” --- If you like what we do please do the following! Most Independent Media outlets continue to struggle to raise the funds they need to operate much like the smaller outlets like Politics Done Right SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube Channel here. LIKE our Facebook Page here. Share our blogs, podcasts, and videos. Get our books here. Become a YouTube PDR Posse Member here. Become a Politics Done Right Subscriber via Patreon here. Become a Politics Done Right Subscriber via Facebook here. Consider providing a contribution here. Please consider supporting our GoFundMe equipment fund here. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/politicsdoneright/support

Harris County Democratic Party's new chair on winning the state. Dr. Rachel Bitecofer on messaging. Matthew Dowd on why only Dems can save Democracy. Texas' Harris County Democratic Party elected a new chairperson, Odus Evbagharu. He told us where he intends to take the county. In short, he intends to engage it all and ensure its increased blueness. Matthew Dowd is a political pundit and consultant, and author of “A New Way: Embracing the Paradox as We Lead and Serve.” He is a vocal opponent of Trumpism and the fascist-leaning of a certain sect within the country. Mathew Dowd was as unequivocal as ever in his resolve to ensure that Republicans do not destroy our Democracy. He says unabashedly that the only way for our democracy to survive is for Republicans to sustain massive losses. That means Democrats must win en masse. Dr. Rachel Bitecofer accurately predicted Election 2018 and 2020. Her model provides the answers and techniques to win Election 2022. We discuss that today. Dr. Bitecofer has temporarily left academia to create a PAC intent on providing the assistance needed on the left to provide a winning narrative. Her new PAC, Strike PAC, is on point. --- If you like what we do please do the following! Most Independent Media outlets continue to struggle to raise the funds they need to operate much like the smaller outlets like Politics Done Right SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube Channel here. LIKE our Facebook Page here. Share our blogs, podcasts, and videos. Get our books here. Become a YouTube PDR Posse Member here. Become a Politics Done Right Subscriber via Patreon here. Become a Politics Done Right Subscriber via Facebook here. Consider providing a contribution here. Please consider supporting our GoFundMe equipment fund here. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/politicsdoneright/support

Retiring Harris County Democratic Party Chair Lillie Schechter discusses the changes she made to the Democratic Party in Harris County, Texas. She was successful. She is now passing the baton. Under her reign, Democrats have thrived in winning all major elections. For this reason, the Republicans in the Texas State Legislature are attempting to carve out policies that undemocratically depress the votes of the Democratic base in the county. Roland Martin has a wake-up call one hopes that the Democratic Party heeds sooner than later because it is existential for many of us. Allyson McKinney visited Politics Done Right to discuss her work with the organization she founded, Justice Revival. She made it clear that Christians have a responsibility to justice, equality, and much more. She was clear, as was her website with her mission and vision. The mission is to inspire, educate, and mobilize Christian communities to respond faithfully to the call to justice by standing in solidarity with the oppressed and defending the human rights of all. And the vision is is a just and equitable society in which every person can experience abundant life because the human dignity of all people is respected, the human rights of all are safeguarded, and all are treated as beloved members of the human family formed in the image of God. --- If you like what we do please do the following! Most Independent Media outlets continue to struggle to raise the funds they need to operate much like the smaller outlets like Politics Done Right SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube Channel here. LIKE our Facebook Page here. Share our blogs, podcasts, and videos. Get our books here. Become a YouTube PDR Posse Member here. Become a Politics Done Right Subscriber via Patreon here. Become a Politics Done Right Subscriber via Facebook here. Consider providing a contribution here. Please consider supporting our GoFundMe equipment fund here. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/politicsdoneright/support

Retiring Harris County Democratic Party Chair Lillie Schechter discusses the changes she made to the Democratic Party in Harris County, Texas. She was successful. Lillie Schechter is the retiring Harris County Democratic Party Chair. Texas' Harris County is a bellwether county and the third-largest county in the country, Los Angeles and Cook County Illinois the only two more populous. Under her reign, Democrats have thrived in winning all major elections but getting out the vote for this reason that Republicans in the Texas State Legislature are attempting to carve out policies that undemocratically depress the votes of the Democratic base in the county. --- If you like what we do please do the following! Most Independent Media outlets continue to struggle to raise the funds they need to operate much like the smaller outlets like Politics Done Right SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube Channel here. LIKE our Facebook Page here. Share our blogs, podcasts, and videos. Get our books here. Become a YouTube PDR Posse Member here. Become a Politics Done Right Subscriber via Patreon here. Become a Politics Done Right Subscriber via Facebook here. Consider providing a contribution here. Please consider supporting our GoFundMe equipment fund here. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/politicsdoneright/support

Trans activist Monica Roberts who is being honored at the 32nd Creating Change Conference presented by the National LGBTQ Task Force that takes place at the Sheraton Dallas in Dallas, Texas January 15th through January 19th, 2020 talks with Emmy Winner Charlotte Robinson host of OUTTAKE VOICES™. Roberts is a longtime award-winning human rights advocate. She has been advocating for the human rights of transgender people for over 20 years with a focus on the issues affecting Black trans people and will be receiving the Susan J. Hyde Award for Longevity in the Movement sponsored by Wild Geese Foundation. This year special focus will address issues facing trans women of color, the work being done to address anti-trans violence and systemic discrimination and moving the movement forward in our work for freedom, justice and liberation. The theme of this year’s Creating Change Conference is “Love, Learning & Liberation” and Rea Carey Task Force Executive Director and Kierra Johnson Deputy Executive Director will host the annual State of the Movement plenary. Though our LGBTQ community and families continue to be under attack by the current administration we know our community is strong, resilient, creative and determined. Since 1988 Creating Change has created networking opportunities and inspiration for thousands of committed people to develop and hone their activist skills. The Creating Change Conference is the foremost political leadership and skills-building conference for the LGBTQ social justice movement. Over 4,000 people from all over the country will attend this five-day program that features over 300 workshops, training sessions, meetings and events. We talked to Monica about what she hopes to accomplish at this year’s Creating Change Conference and her spin on our LGBTQ issues. Monica Roberts a native of Houston, Texas is the founding editor of the award-winning TransGriot blog. Her writing has appeared at Ebony.com, the Advocate, Black Girl Dangerous and in the 'Unapologetically Trans' monthly column in Houston's OutSmart magazine. Some of the honors that Monica has received are the GLAAD Media Award, the Robert Coles Call of Service Award from Harvard University's Phillips Brooks House Association, the Virginia Prince Transgender Pioneer Award, the Barbara Jordan Breaking Barriers Award from the Harris County Democratic Party, the IFGE Trinity Award and named to the 2019 OUT100. The National LGBTQ Task Force advances full freedom, justice and equality for LGBTQ people. They are building a future where everyone can be free to be their entire selves in every aspect of their lives.For More Info & Tix: creatingchange.org LISTEN: 500+ LGBTQ Chats @OUTTAKE VOICES

In this episode of SignalCast, we hand the hosting duties over to Lillie Schechter, chair of the Harris County Democratic Party. Here is her conversation with Wendy Davis, who's running for Congress in 2020.

Join us for a memorable program exploring the struggles of African-American transgender women, who are the most frequent victims of anti-trans violence. Toni Newman is the executive director of St. James Infirmary in San Francisco. St. James is a peer-based occupational health and safety clinic, offering free, compassionate and nonjudgmental health care and social services for former and current sex industry workers. With the many challenges facing the aforementioned—including but not limited to political climate, homelessness, violence and the overwhelming intricacies of the legal, public and social systems—St. James Infirmary offers an independent alternative, providing individuals with culturally competent and nonjudgmental services. Monica Roberts is the founding editor of the award-winning TransGriot blog and is an award-winning human rights advocate. She is a sought-after collegiate and conference speaker who has been advocating for the human rights of transgender people for more than 20 years, with a focus on the issues affecting black trans people. Her writing has appeared at Ebony.com, The Advocate, Black Girl Dangerous and OutSmart magazine. Roberts has also received the 2018 GLAAD Media Award, the Robert Coles “Call of Service” award from Harvard University's Phillips Brooks House Association, the Virginia Prince Transgender Pioneer Award and the Barbara Jordan breaking barriers award from the Harris County Democratic Party. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Texas has become a political battleground for national politics, and Harris County is set to lead Texas Progressives in the fight of a generation! But we’re all going to have to do our part to seize that political power. And this week, Nisha Randle of the Harris County Democratic Party and Indivisible Houston is going to tell us how to get there!

Houston progressives won big in the 2018 midterm elections. So what's next? Join us as we discuss with Lillie Schechter, Chair of the Harris County Democratic Party, how progressives have finally gained power in Harris County, and how we must fight to make sure that power translates into progressive policy. The #BlueWork that caused the #BlueWave must continue!

Last week, the court decided one of this term’s blockbuster cases — a case that could affect the future of affirmative action in this country. The plaintiff was Abigail Fisher, a white woman, who said she was rejected from the University of Texas because the university unfairly considered race as one of many factors when evaluating applicants. And while Fisher’s claims were the focus of the case, the story behind how she ended up in front of the Supreme Court is a lot more complicated. Edward Blum is the director of the Project on Fair Representation (AEI) On this episode, we visit Edward Blum, a 64-year-old “legal entrepreneur” and former stockbroker who has become something of a Supreme Court matchmaker — He takes an issue, finds the perfect plaintiff, matches them with lawyers, and works his way to the highest court in the land. He’s had remarkable success, with 6 cases heard before the Supreme Court, including that of Abigail Fisher. We also head to Houston, Texas, where in 1998, an unusual 911 call led to one of the most important LGBTQ rights decisions in the Supreme Court’s history. John Lawrence (L) and Tyron Garner (R) at the 2004 Pride Parade in Houston (J.D. Doyle/Houston LGBT History) Mitchell Katine (L) introduces Tyron Garner (Middle) and John Lawrence (R) at a rally celebrating the court's decision (J.D. Doyle/Houston LGBT History) The key links: - The website Edward Blum is using to find plaintiffs for a case he is building against Harvard University- Susan Carle's book on the history of legal ethics- An obituary for Tyron Garner when he died in 2006- An obituary for John Lawrence when he died in 2011- Dale Carpenter's book on the history of Lawrence v. Texas- A Lambda Legal documentary on the story of Lawrence v. Texas The key voices: - Edward Blum, director of the Project on Fair Representation- Susan Carle, professor of law at the American University Washington College of Law- Dale Carpenter, professor of Law at the SMU Dedman School of Law- Mitchell Katine, lawyer at Katine & Nechman L.L.P. - Lane Lewis, chair of the Harris County Democratic Party- Sheila Jackson Lee, Congresswoman for the 18th district of Texas The key cases: - 1896: Plessy v. Ferguson- 1917: Buchanan v. Warley- 1962: National Association for the Advancement of Colored People v. Button- 1986: Bowers v. Hardwick- 1996: Bush v. Vera- 2003: Lawrence v. Texas- 2009: Northwest Austin Municipal Utility District Number One v. Holder- 2013: Shelby County v. Holder- 2013: Fisher v. University of Texas (1)- 2016: Evenwel v. Abbott- 2016: Fisher v. University of Texas (2) Special thanks to Ari Berman. His book Give Us the Ballot, and his reporting for The Nation, were hugely helpful in reporting this episode.   More Perfect is funded in part by The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, The Charles Evans Hughes Memorial Foundation, and the Joyce Foundation. Supreme Court archival audio comes from Oyez®, a free law project in collaboration with the Legal Information Institute at Cornell.