Podcast appearances and mentions of Jim Hightower

The Sports Scouting Report interviews HC Jim Hightower from St. Thomas More HS. He is an excellent coach with tons to talk about! Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel, and follow us wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks for watching!

The MAGA movement didn't disappear after Trump's defeat in the 2020 election. If anything, Republicans and extremists outside the party have learned how to effectively organize and seize power in the intervening years. We can look to Florida and Texas, and even to smaller-scale examples like Shasta County to glean what could come from a Trump victory next Tuesday. The Marc Steiner Show looks back on the past two years of key interviews with journalists, scholars, and activists who've been fighting the rising threat first-hand.Listen to the full stories here:1. J.D. Vance is a creature of Silicon Valley, not Appalachia (August 2024) with David Corn, DC Bureau Chief of Mother Jones 2. Trump, Project 2025, and the plan to bring autocracy to the US (November 2023) with Paris Marx, tech writer and host of Tech Won't Save Us3. Democrats need to ‘stop talking bullshit and do something' (November 2023) with Jim Hightower, former Texas State Agricultural Commissioner Studio Production: David Hebden, Cameron GranadinoAudio Post-Production: David Hebden, Alina NehlichHelp us continue producing The Marc Steiner Show by following us and becoming a monthly sustainer.Sign up for our newsletterLike us on FacebookFollow us on TwitterDonate to support this podcast

The MAGA movement didn't disappear after Trump's defeat in the 2020 election. If anything, Republicans and extremists outside the party have learned how to effectively organize and seize power in the intervening years. We can look to Florida and Texas, and even to smaller-scale examples like Shasta County to glean what could come from a Trump victory next Tuesday. The Marc Steiner Show looks back on the past two years of key interviews with journalists, scholars, and activists who've been fighting the rising threat first-hand.Listen to the full stories here:1. J.D. Vance is a creature of Silicon Valley, not Appalachia (August 2024) with David Corn, DC Bureau Chief of Mother Jones 2. Trump, Project 2025, and the plan to bring autocracy to the US (November 2023) with Paris Marx, tech writer and host of Tech Won't Save Us3. Democrats need to ‘stop talking bullshit and do something' (November 2023) with Jim Hightower, former Texas State Agricultural Commissioner Studio Production: David Hebden, Cameron GranadinoAudio Post-Production: David Hebden, Alina NehlichHelp us continue producing The Marc Steiner Show by following us and becoming a monthly sustainer.Sign up for our newsletterLike us on FacebookFollow us on TwitterDonate to support this podcast

Welcome back to The Hot Dish, where we dive deep into the heart of America's rural and small-town landscapes.In this episode, Heidi sits down with the renowned Texas Agriculture Commissioner, Jim Hightower. Jim delves into his lifelong advocacy for rural communities, sharing grassroots movements and economic battles that have shaped his work. Listeners will gain an understanding of how consistent challenges in rural areas can be met with innovative, people-centered policies. You can learn more about Jim Hightower at Https://jimhightower.com and subscribe to his newsletter at Https://jimhightower.substack.com.As we close out the summer, we here from Ezekiel Wells and and Lucas Kult-Banout, who have just wrapped up their Crossroad America summer tour. Their stories illuminate the lessons of warmth and mutual respect found in the communities they visited, emphasizing the importance of understanding and bridging the divides in our country.Join us on The Hot Dish every other week, where we serve up hearty conversations that resonate with every corner of the country. The Hot Dish serves up the unfiltered truth straight from the heartland.We want to hear from you! Email us at podcast@onecountryproject.com. To learn more, visit https://onecountryproject.com

Welcome to another episode of "Don't Touch My Mindset." I'm Jay Chase, and today we're exploring the concept of 'Two Timelines' and how they profoundly shape our growth and relationship with our future selves. Introduction to Two Timelines: We start by introducing the idea of operating from two timelines and using them as a measure of our progress. Highlighting the importance of freeing ourselves from past constraints to open possibilities for future actions. Courage and Self-Reflection: Diving into Jim Hightower's insights on courage over conformity, we discuss the necessity of carving one's path. A reflective segment urges listeners to consider the trajectory of their lives and the influences around them, advocating for the bravery needed for change and self-directedness. Goal Evaluation and Reflection: Reflecting on the year's first quarter, we prompt listeners to assess their headway towards their set ambitions. Sharing personal setbacks and challenges, reinforcing the need for self-awareness and compassion on this journey. Personal Growth Journey: Sharing my personal growth story post-prison, underscoring my dedication to self-betterment and continuous learning. Discussing the creation of a 90-day action plan that served as a catalyst for personal enhancement. Relationship with Future Self: Delving into the significance of nurturing a connection with our future selves and its impact on personal growth. We cite research on the common disconnection from our future identities, underlining the power of future-self visualization. Action Plan for Future Self: We outline a comprehensive plan for becoming your envisioned future self, including actionable commitments to growth, knowledge acquisition, and self-care. A discussion on implementing a system of consequences within the action plan to maintain motivation and accountability. Conclusion and Call to Action: A final call to action for listeners to contemplate their timelines and measure their progress towards 'becoming.' A strong message to maintain focus on personal growth, inspiring listeners to delve deeper into their aspirations and the passage of time. Encouraging the audience to engage with the podcast community through ratings, reviews, and social sharing. Closing with a heartfelt reminder to protect and nurture your mindset always. Connect with Us: For more insights and resources, visit our platform: ⁠⁠Don't Touch My Mindset Platform⁠⁠ RATE - REVIEW - SHARE WITH A FRIEND! Sign up for the ⁠⁠90 day Growth Challenge⁠⁠ Join the conversation in our Facebook Group: ⁠⁠Facebook Group⁠⁠ Discover more about Jay and his vision at: ⁠⁠Jay's Website⁠⁠ Here's to a season of groundbreaking growth, transformation, and boundless possibilities. Let's amplify our visions and soar to new heights together! #DontTouchMyMindset #VisionExpansion #PersonalGrowth #AmplifyWorkshop #MindsetMatters

Greg Abbott, the Republican governor of Texas, has spearheaded a manufactured political crisis over the state of the US-Mexico border for years. Not content to send hundreds of non-consenting migrants to Democrat-run cities by the busload, Abbott's latest stunts have now brought him into confrontation with the federal government over the border. Jim Hightower and David Griscom return to The Marc Steiner Show to discuss the impact of Abbott's standoff on border communities and migrants.Jim Hightower is a national radio commentator, writer, public speaker, and author of the book, "Swim Against the Current: Even a Dead Fish Can Go With the Flow". He publishes the monthly "Hightower Lowdown." David Griscom is a writer and Texan based in Austin and the cohost of the podcast Left Reckoning.Studio / Post-Production: David HebdenHelp us continue producing The Marc Steiner Show by following us and becoming a monthly sustainer:Donate: https://therealnews.com/donate-pod-mssSign up for our newsletter: https://therealnews.com/nl-pod-stLike us on Facebook: https://facebook.com/therealnewsFollow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/therealnews

Greg Abbott, the Republican governor of Texas, has spearheaded a manufactured political crisis over the state of the US-Mexico border for years. Not content to send hundreds of non-consenting migrants to Democrat-run cities by the busload, Abbott's latest stunts have now brought him into confrontation with the federal government over the border. Jim Hightower and David Griscom return to The Marc Steiner Show to discuss the impact of Abbott's standoff on border communities and migrants.Jim Hightower is a national radio commentator, writer, public speaker, and author of the book, "Swim Against the Current: Even a Dead Fish Can Go With the Flow". He publishes the monthly "Hightower Lowdown." David Griscom is a writer and Texan based in Austin and the cohost of the podcast Left Reckoning.Studio / Post-Production: David HebdenHelp us continue producing The Marc Steiner Show by following us and becoming a monthly sustainer:Donate: https://therealnews.com/donate-pod-mssSign up for our newsletter: https://therealnews.com/nl-pod-stLike us on Facebook: https://facebook.com/therealnewsFollow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/therealnewsBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-marc-steiner-show--4661751/support.

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: Much discussion of yesterday's Texas Supreme Court hearing of the Zurawksi vs. State Of Texas case: https://www.statesman.com/story/news/state/2023/11/29/texas-supreme-court-hears-case-challenging-texas-abortion-bans-health-risks-pregnancy-women/71727577007/ ...Amanda Zurawski appeared after the hearing on MSNBC's The Reid Out show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRZM63wun-Y Governor Abbott, in lieu of announcing a fifth special session, has begun endorsing pro-voucher primary challengers to sitting Republican House members who voted against vouchers: https://www.texastribune.org/2023/11/28/new-article-greg-abbott-school-vouchers-hugh-shine-endorse/ The international bridge at Eagle Pass has been closed to incoming traffic from Mexico until further notice: https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/bridge-in-eagle-pass-shutting-down-to-vehicles-border-patrol-eagle-pass-mexico-texas-immigration-migrants-illegal-undocumented/273-405e5169-bf7d-4351-8f52-640765a5612d A new twist in the Galveston voting maps case could threaten the Voting Rights Act: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/nov/28/galveston-texas-voter-map-case-appeals-court Four "emerging" Texas public universities stand to improve their national standing with new voter-approved state funding: https://www.insidehighered.com/news/government/state-policy/2023/11/27/game-changer-research-ranking-texas-universities ...While a "red state brain drain" is well underway: https://newrepublic.com/article/176854/republican-red-states-brain-drain Battery operators, seen as a possible solution to Texas power grid woes, are facing difficulties of ERCOT's creation: https://www.expressnews.com/business/article/texas-battery-operators-worry-new-ercot-regs-18517667.php Legendary Texas progressive Jim Hightower talks about the history of progress in the Lone Star State in a new episode of the Marc Steiner podcast: https://youtu.be/TmBI9HpEolY?si=nXtfln-3ZKxSWzAo Thanks for listening! Grab your tickets for our upcoming Austin and Dallas holiday parties now - https://progresstexas.org/.

People write off states like Texas as dyed-in-the-wool Republican strongholds, but it wasn't always that way. Legendary author, organizer, commentator, and former State Agricultural Commissioner Jim Hightower is living proof that there is a strong progressive tradition in Texas that stretches back to the 19th century. Hightower has fought the far right for decades, but he has also seen how Democrats have abandoned grassroots organizing and how the Democratic Party has been hijacked by corporate money and self-serving elites. In this special episode of The Marc Steiner Show, recorded at Hightower's home in Austin, Texas, we talk to Hightower about House Bill 2127 (aka "The Death Star Bill"), how corporate power and far-right nuts took over Texas politics, and how to rebuild the progressive movement in the Lone Star State.Read the transcript of this podcast here. Additional links:Jim Hightower's websiteThe Hightower Lowdown SubstackPre-Production: Kayla Rivara, Maximillian Alvarez, Marc Steiner, David Griscom, Alexander Koffler Studio Production: Alexander KofflerPost-Production: David HebdenHelp us continue producing The Marc Steiner Show by following us and becoming a monthly sustainer:Donate: https://therealnews.com/donate-pod-mssSign up for our newsletter: https://therealnews.com/nl-pod-stLike us on Facebook: https://facebook.com/therealnewsFollow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/therealnews

People write off states like Texas as dyed-in-the-wool Republican strongholds, but it wasn't always that way. Legendary author, organizer, commentator, and former State Agricultural Commissioner Jim Hightower is living proof that there is a strong progressive tradition in Texas that stretches back to the 19th century. Hightower has fought the far right for decades, but he has also seen how Democrats have abandoned grassroots organizing and how the Democratic Party has been hijacked by corporate money and self-serving elites. In this special episode of The Marc Steiner Show, recorded at Hightower's home in Austin, Texas, we talk to Hightower about House Bill 2127 (aka "The Death Star Bill"), how corporate power and far-right nuts took over Texas politics, and how to rebuild the progressive movement in the Lone Star State.Additional links:Jim Hightower's website: https://jimhightower.com/The Hightower Lowdown Substack: https://jimhightower.substack.com/Pre-Production: Kayla Rivara, Maximillian Alvarez, Marc Steiner, David Griscom, Alexander Koffler Studio Production: Alexander KofflerPost-Production: David HebdenHelp us continue producing The Marc Steiner Show by following us and becoming a monthly sustainer:Donate: https://therealnews.com/donate-pod-mssSign up for our newsletter: https://therealnews.com/nl-pod-stLike us on Facebook: https://facebook.com/therealdewsFollow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/therealnewd

Listen now (24 mins) | Editors’ note: Back in 2010, Hightower appeared on Bill Moyers’ much-beloved (and much missed!) PBS show. They covered so much ground together that applies to today’s politics that we thought our sub…

Your doctor is out and unable to see you now. Not out for lunch or out on vacation -- but out of medical practice. America's perverse health care system, which sublimates care to the profiteering demands of Wall Street speculators who essentially own today's system, has been driving out hordes of nurses, pharmacists… and now doctors. These practitioners take their Hippocratic Oath seriously: “First, do no harm.” Yet, again and again they see corporate managers of hospital chains, physician clinics, etc. doing severe harm, routinely slashing staffing levels, eliminating services, rejecting low-income patients… and raising prices. All to prop-up the profits of rich, absentee investors. A prominent physician recently wrote that in 2021 alone four times more doctors quit the profession than joined. He says his colleagues are demoralized by “the diseased systems for which we work.” The disease is money. The primary measure of “care” is now how much profit the system generates for its uncaring corporate owners, so one's health is largely dependent on one's wealth. The morally abominable result is that hundreds of thousands of preventable deaths are occurring each year. Yes, profit-based health care is a killer. This is Jim Hightower saying… It's time to be blunt: For-profit health care is the creation of profiteers and the politicians they buy. It's insane to let their greed dictate the allocation and quality of this essential human need. Luckily, a better way is right in front of us: Medicare. This enormously-popular public program of universal coverage for each and every American over 65 has proven to be an effective and fair system that is far cheaper and much, much more caring than Wall Street's privatized scheme. So, let's eliminate the profiteers by extending Medicare to all of us – every woman, man, and child in our society. To help go to: ourrevolution.com/issues.

No one needs another outrage to worry about, but here's one that could literally be your last worry. Our hospitals are killing us. Not that the staffers are going room to room snuffing our patients, of course, but hospital owners and top executives are nonetheless killing thousands of ill Americans entrusted to their care. They are doing by deliberately short-staffing their facilities and shortchanging sick and injured people they're richly paid to serve. At the core of this outrage is a fatal structural flaw in our healthcare system, namely that these are no longer “our” hospitals. Instead of being public or non-profit entities for the Common Good, focused squarely on patients, hospitals today tend to be private operations controlled by corporate profiteers. Pitting patients against profits is no way to run a hospital, for it means money will ultimately rule over health (and over life itself). Ask a nurse. These dedicated professionals are the solid pillars of American health. More than doctors and way more than administrators, nurses make a hospital function, providing the primary care and constant, on-site monitoring that are the essence of an ethical, healthy system. Yet, thousands have already fled the work they love, another third plan to leave this year – and thousands more are going on strike. Why? Because the profit system demands massive staff cuts, leaving way too few nurses to meet the basic needs of patients, causing burnout among nurses… and unnecessary deaths of the people they care for. A damning 2021 study revealed that forcing fewer nurses to tend to an ever-larger caseload effectively killed more than 4,000 New York hospital patients in the previous two years alone. This is Jim Hightower saying… Yet, the corporate powers insist on treating nurses just as a cost to be cut, arguing that hospitals must have “staffing flexibility.” In other words: Cut nurses/Raise profits.

Jim Hightower reveals an inconvenient truth about Wall Street & nursing homes. Michael Hayes dismantles the false faith too many have in police truthfulness or morality. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/politicsdoneright/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/politicsdoneright/support

I saw this go by on Twitter, and boy, does artist Steve Sack nail it or what?Jim Hightower's Lowdown is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

We celebrate Martin Luther King Jr Day and National Religious Freedom Day, “eulogize” Cardinal Pell via Tim Minchin's song, “Come Home Cardinal Pell,” then hear irreverent Jim Hightower pillory religious entanglements in Texas.

Air Date 1/11/2023 Today, we take a look at the way unscientific guidelines, government subsidies, corporate propaganda, cultural context, capitalism, community stigma, and many actively and loudly wallowing in ignorance have shaped your personal food choices. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991 or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com  Transcript BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Get AD FREE Shows and Bonus Content) Join our Discord community! OUR AFFILIATE LINKS: BestOfTheLeft.com/Libro SUPPORT INDIE BOOKSHOPS, GET YOUR AUDIOBOOK FROM LIBRO! SHOW NOTES Ch. 1: 'Healthy' Food, Nutrition and Access - The Brian Lehrer Show - Air Date 10-12-22 The FDA has proposed new standards for food to qualify for its "healthy" seal of approval. Marion Nestle, professor emerita of nutrition, food studies, and public health at NYU talks about the changes, plus food insecurity and access to healthy food. Ch. 2: The Meat Merchants Feeding Climate Catastrophe: Spencer Roberts and Jan Dutkiewicz Part 1 - This is Hell! - Air Date 11-29-22 Chuck Mertz speaks with science writer Spencer Roberts and political economist Jan Dutkiewicz about their New Republic Article, "How the Meat Industry Undermines Effective Climate Policy". Ch. 3: The Politics of Meat ft. Jan Dutkiewicz - Our Hen House - Air Date 8-28-21 Political economist Jan Dutkiewicz, PhD, joins the podcast for a fascinating conversation about the ethical, political, legal, social, and environmental intersections of meat consumption. Ch. 4: Which food future will you choose? - Jim Hightower's Radio Lowdown - Air Date 11-25-22 As the eminent farmer-poet-activist Wendell Berry tells us, eating is a profound political act. Ch. 5: The Meat Merchants Feeding Climate Catastrophe: Spencer Roberts and Jan Dutkiewicz Part 2 - This is Hell! - Air Date 11-29-22 Ch. 6: Black, Brown, and Diverse Plant-Based People for Equity w/ Lisa Dumas - Our Hen House - Air Date 10-29-22 Lisa Dumas is on a mission to make the world a better place. This week she joins us on the podcast for a conversation about how she's working toward expanding access to plant-based food options to those in need. Ch. 7: High-End Veganism and the Rise of Plant-Based Eating - Past Present - Air Date 10-5-21 In this episode, Natalia, Neil, and Niki discuss the history of veganism in light of an eviscerating review of the new plant-based menu at the New York restaurant Eleven Madison Park. Ch. 8: Animal Agriculture is the New Oil w/ George Monbiot - Downstream - Air Date 6-8-22 In his new book Regenesis: Feeding the World Without Devouring the Planet, George Monbiot warns that we're approaching a tipping point in the fight to protect the planet. Ch. 9: A (Mostly) Vegan World Plantf*ckers Can Save Us All - UNFTR - Air Date 1-8-22 It's finally time to unf*ck our food system and talk about veganism. We decided not to pursue this topic from a moral or ethical perspective, but that doesn't mean this isn't a story about justice. MEMBERS-ONLY BONUS CLIP(S) Ch. 10: The Politics of Meat ft. Jan Dutkiewicz Part 2 - Our Hen House - Air Date 8-28-21 Ch. 11: The Meat Merchants Feeding Climate Catastrophe: Spencer Roberts and Jan Dutkiewicz Part 3 - This is Hell! - Air Date 11-29-22 FINAL COMMENTS Ch. 12: Final comments on our emotional attachment to our perspective on food MUSIC (Blue Dot Sessions) SHOW IMAGE Description: A woman with short gray hair and glasses stands in front of the brightly lit meat section at a grocery store. She looks down at a package of meat in her hands. Credit: "d2590-1" by U.S. Department of Agriculture, Flickr | License: CC by 2.0 | Changes: Cropped   Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com

Sometimes, stupid political ideas beget even stupider political tactics. For example, a faction of right-wing Republicans want to stop public discussion and actions involving two ideas they hate: (1) racism always has been and still is a systemic problem in American society; and (2) LGBTQ people are a normal and welcome part of... well, of us – America's richly diverse society. Aside from the raw ignorance behind the GOP's denial of these realities, consider the boneheadedness of their current campaign to impose their bigotry on America: Book banning. At least 50 extremist groups are roaming from city to city, funded by deep pocket right-wingers like the Koch brothers' political network, to demand that books they don't like be removed from schools and libraries. Worse, their open assault on knowledge and our freedom to read includes the nasty tactic of demonizing and threatening librarians who resist their dictates. Librarians! As a group, these truly helpful people are a national treasure, serving the common good – yet they're getting physical threats and being fired by these little right-wing mobs. The good news is that their surreptitious attacks are being exposed, and local folks are rising up against the book banners and partisan thugs spreading their ignorance and usurping people's freedom to learn. For example, when two high school girls in Leander, Texas, asked to check out a few books from their library, they were stunned to learn that the school district had banned all the titles they requested. Students had not been informed of this censorship much less consulted. Rather than whine, the two feisty girls organized the Banned Book Club in their school, reading “prohibited” titles as a group, then meeting twice a month to discuss the books, including the ban. This is Jim Hightower saying... To get more information and to fight this right-wing repression, contact American Library Association: ala.org.

Ralph welcomes back old friend and America's Number One Populist, Jim Hightower to hash out a whole range of topics including what happened with Beto O'Rourke in the recent governor's race in Texas, the battle between corporate Dems vs. progressive Dems and much, much more. Plus, Ralph warns again about falling for the relentless corporate pitch for Medicare (Dis)Advantage and gives us an update on the ongoing Boeing Max 8 litigation.Jim Hightower is a syndicated columnist, national radio commentator, and America's Number One populist.  He has written many books including Swim Against the Current: Even a Dead Fish Can Go With The Flow. Mr. Hightower is a board member of Public Citizen. He is also a founding member of Our Revolution, an organization inspired by the issues brought up in the Bernie Sanders campaign. Along with that, he writes a monthly newsletter called the Hightower Lowdown.Shakespeare said “First, kill all the lawyers,” but I think first, kill all the consultants.Jim Hightower[To see what's gone wrong], you've got to go back… to when the Democratic Party didn't just abandon Texas, they abandoned grassroots politics. They went with the money.Jim HightowerIf you don't show up, you're not gonna win. And we're not going to win just by going to cities and the inner suburbs. Yes, we have to be strongly active there. Yes, we have to be totally committed to women's right to control their own bodies. All of that is a given. But you've got to have something in addition to that.Jim HightowerRepublican attorneys general, Republican congressional leaders when they're in charge, they use power. And they use it to change the structure of the system… And we tend to fumble around with it and say we've got to be cautious, we don't want to offend anybody, and we need to pursue the law carefully. That's why we have to have grassroots movements that build power at a local level.Jim Hightower Get full access to Ralph Nader Radio Hour at www.ralphnaderradiohour.com/subscribe

Jim Hightower,  former Texas  Agriculture Commissioner, national radio commentator, writer, public speaker, and New York Times best-selling author, joined the ProGov Podcast to discuss local food policy, monopolies, and the rights of nature. Listen in to learn what local governments and grassroots organizations can do to safeguard our local food systems.

For many people, the animals they adopt and love become more like family members than pets. We have deep relationships, with cats, dogs, parrots, goats, horses, and other fellow critters – who at least pretend to love us back, providing comfort and joy all around. Sadly though, life for all of us animals is a spin around the wheel of fortune, so illness and injuries happen. That's why one of the most valued members of every community are the staffers in our local veterinarian office. Practically all vets, nurses, technicians, and support staff are there chiefly because they love animals and get personal satisfaction from providing care for them. When I say they are “there,” I not only mean 9 to 5, but this group of independent health providers are committed to being there when needed – including off hours and days off, for animal misfortune and suffering don't go by clocks and calendars. Local practitioners also try to be there for low-income people, offering deferred payment plans and even discounted fees so their animals can get the treatment they need. But wait – sound the ambulance sirens! Something is going horribly wrong! This venerable profession has recently been collapsing into a corporate model of Wall Street owned chains. They are monopolizing markets, reducing staff, gutting service, and prioritizing the love of money over the love of animals. It's not uncommon these days for franticly-worried customers to bring an ill or injured pet into their old reliable vet office only to find it has quietly come under chain ownership, is understaffed, and is unwilling to accept the patient, forcing a desperate scramble to find emergency care, often out of town. This is Jim Hightower saying... The same profiteering corporate mentality that has proven disastrous for human health care is now rapidly locking down pet care – and that's an act of animal cruelty.

JIM HIGHTOWER HIGHLIGHTS THE LONE STAR LOW-DOWN AT GREE-GREE #109     Our Green Grassroots Emergency Election Protection zoom this week features the great Texas commentator JIM HIGHTOWER.     Jim's brilliant populist screeds have been enlightening the airwaves and op ed columns for decades.   Irreverent, witty and often downright belly-laughable, Hightower brings to this show a critical grassroots perspective that virtually no one else can offer.   His reports on the bottom-up campaigning now transforming Texas politics help transform our view of what's possible in a Lone Star state undergoing a top-to-bottom demographic transformation.   Everywhere beloved for his legendary  commitment to “small d” democracy, Jim's unique perspective bursts our hour at the grassroots seams.     Do not miss this genius screed from deep in the belly of the southern Heartland.    

Let's all gather ‘round the campfire, Buckaroos and let Ol' Cactus Jim here tell you about some of today's hardy, hard-working cowboys. Yes, those manly men who live free-spirited, yippy-ti-yi-yo, cowboy lives out in the rustic ranch country of the Rocky Mountain West. Oh, wait – that was a century ago. The “cowboys” who're now humming “Home On The Range” across Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming are multimillionaire and billionaire corporate titan and celebrities like Rupert Murdoch, Bill Gates, and Bruce Willis. They don't really live there nor mix with locals, no do they actually “ranch” their spectacular 300,000-acre spreads, since they don't know how. So they hire real ranching outfits to bring in some cattle, sheep, and other ranching accruements, then they fly in on private jets occasionally and strut around like John Wayne. They are in a word, pathetic. But they surely are land barons, spending up to $200 million each for their vast spreads. Indeed, these dilettantes rule the availability of ranchland and scenic wilderness, pricing out people who really want to ranch and locking out families who want to experience some of nature's most majestic rivers and mountains. Fifteen years ago, the biggest private landowners held 27 million acres; now they've grabbed 42 million acres for themselves. Well, say apologists for wealth concentration, they bought the land with their money, so it's fair and square. But hold on slick. They don't come just for the views, hunting, and exclusivity – their ranches get generous land subsidies, plus, states like Wyoming provide no-tax hideaways for their wealth. This is Jim Hightower saying… So, even though you and I are shut out of these gated land baronies, at least we can take pride in knowing that it's our tax dollars that help the rich buy them… and lock the gates.

The past, present and future of progressives in the Senate. Senator Sherrod Brown on his book Desk 88: Eight Progressive Senators Who Changed America. Sherrod Brown Senator Sherrod Brown's most recent book offers a timely history of 20th-century American progressivism. Along the way he makes a compelling case to believe in the future of the Progressive idea in American politics. Todd Gitlin Columbia University professor Todd Gitlin, a long-time chronicler of progressive politics, urges the left to nail down a simple program that appeals to the general public. Jim Hightower   A Rube Goldberg Inflationary Spiral   Last July, several GOP senators combined their 5-watt intellects to charge that inflation was rising because of the “insane tax and spending spree of President Biden and the Democrats.”   Never mind that the “insane” spending is for such sensible, productive, and enormously popular national needs as childcare and jobless benefits, Mitch McConnell's rabidly partisan flock saw the chance to politicize the public's legitimate worries about rising prices. Bill Press The Darker Side of Right-wing Media   As Bill used to say on his radio show, you don't need to watch Fox News or listen to Rush Limbaugh, because Media Matters for America was doing it for you. They're still doing it and they've added other right-wing outlets like One America News Network or OAN. In today's podcast, Media Matters writer Bobby Lewis takes us down the dark rabbit hole that is OAN. It's not only dark, it's dangerous.    If you'd like to hear the entire episode, visit BillPressPods.com.  

Raise the minimum wage.   Revisiting some of the conversations we have had about raising the minimum wage. David Cooper Progressive Democrats have made raising the minimum wage a priority for the new administration. And for a good reason.  David Cooper says a $15 minimum wage would lift pay for tens of millions of workers and help reverse decades of growing pay inequality. Janelle Jones Economic analyst Janelle Jones says a higher minimum wage is a crucial tool in bridging our nation's widening income inequality gap  And in the face of federal inaction, cities and states are setting up to the plate. Jim Hightower   Whip Inflation Now!   Republican politicos are all over Joe Biden for failing to stop inflation. Perhaps you wonder, though, what these squawkers would do if they were in charge?   No need to wonder – just look back to 1974, when Americans were being pummeled by price spikes that topped 12%, nearly double what we're enduring today. But by Gollies, President Gerald Ford and his Republican contingent in Congress met the challenge head-on with a new magical program of economic uplift they called WIN – Whip Inflation Now! Bill Press Trump's Washington and The Price Of Submission   Mark Leibovich is the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller This Town. His new book, Thank You for Your Servitude, DONALD TRUMP'S WASHINGTON AND THE PRICE OF SUBMISSION is the eyewitness account of how the GOP collaborated with Donald Trump to transform Washington's “swamp” into a gold-plated hot tub—and a onetime party of rugged individualists into a sycophantic personality cult. A long time New York Times writer, he is now at the Atlantic, in part, he says, because he can use profanity there.    If you'd like to hear the entire episode, visit BillPressPods.com.  

The religious right's rise to political power   We take a look back at how the religious right and the white nationalist movement took over the Republican party. Katherine Stewart Katherine Stewart's explores the rise of the religious right in America and its vast reach into American politics. She warns that the end result is fundamentally anti-democratic, and it is dangerously anti-science. Damon Berry Religion professor Damon Berry says real Christians want nothing to do with the white nationalist movement, which he says is growing. Jim Hightower   The Sunshine State's Dark Bully   How about Ron DeSantis? The Florida governor is the new darling of the right-wing media, funders, and other establishment powers who're pushing him to be your next president.   “Ron DeSantis is the new Republican Party,” gushed one arch-conservative media maven. That's odd, since what characterizes Ron's tenure (and is causing a collective swoon for him within the rightist hierarchy) is his Big Government authoritarianism.   Bill Press Pope Pius XII and WW II-The Secret, Sordid History   The Pope at War: The Secret History of Pius XII, Mussolini, and Hitler is a new explosive and controversial book by Pulitzer-Prize-winning author David Kertzer, a Professor of Social Science at Brown University. The book tells the story of Pope Pius XII and his actions during World War II, including how he responded to the Holocaust. Spoiler alert: He did not cover himself in glory.    If you'd like to hear the entire episode, visit BillPressPods.com.  

The one thing Trump manufactured successfully… “Former Republicans”   Revisiting our interview with Author Rick WIlson on his book “Everything Trump Touches Dies: A Republican Strategist Gets Real About the Worst President Ever.”   Rick Wilson The presidency of Donald Trump has brought discord to a party known for its political discipline as critics within the GOP take aim at a President they feel is destroying their party. Among them is Rick Wilson.  Never one to mince words, his book is a scathing critique of Donald Trump. Jim Hightower   Beware: The GOP Has Chosen to Embrace The Crazy   Perhaps you remember Sen. Barry Goldwater, the GOP's fringy, far-right-wing 1964 presidential nominee who famously said, “Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice.” Today, however, the core of the Republicans Party has gone so far beyond the fringe that they would boo Goldwater's right-wingism as insufficiently rabid. Instead, their new rallying cry is: “Nuttiness in the defense of extremism is no vice.” Bill Press SCOTUS: "Outrageous. Aggressive."   Bill and his guest Elizabeth Wydra runs down the major and disastrous decisions from this Supreme Court. Wydra is the Constitutional Accountability Center's President. From 2008-2016, she served as its Chief Counsel. Throughout her tenure she has filed more than 200 briefs on behalf of the Constitutional Accountability Center and clients, which include preeminent constitutional scholars and historians, state and local government organizations, groups such as the League of Women Voters and the AARP, and members of Congress.   If you'd like to hear the entire episode, visit BillPressPods.com.  

The legacy of Woody Guthrie   Ten years later, we revisit a show celebrating the Centennial of the birth of Woody Guthrie with interviews from Pete Seeger and former Senator Fred Harris. Pete Seeger Our first guest today was a truly great American, perhaps the leading progressive icon of our times. In honor of the centennial of the birth of Woody Guthrie, Pete had some fun telling stories on Woody, and revealing the history of the anthem “This Land is Your Land.”  http://www.peteseegermusic.com/  http://www.woodyguthrie.org/   Fred Harris Fred Harris was a populist when he was the U.S. senator from Oklahoma. He talked with us about the legacy of Woody Guthrie and the lessons we learned from the Dust Bowl Era of American history. Jim Hightower   An Angry Public Will Overcome Arrogant Officials   Donald Trump's criminal attempt to steal the 2020 election failed, but it's not the only recent coup attack on our democracy. In the last few years, a cabal of right-wing zealots have plotted to seize control of the US Supreme Court. By hook and crook, they've installed a six-judge majority, and now they're using them as a political cudgel to try stealing not just a constitutional right, but an inherent human right from American women – the right to make their own reproductive decisions. By judicial fiat, the right-wing judges have decreed that the state will make birth decisions, regardless of what mothers want. This is the Republican Party's current concept of “small government.” Bill Press The Man Who Could Primary Sen. Sinema   Congressman Ruben Gallego of Arizona. This is his fourth term in Congress where he focuses on national security issues and the health and welfare of veterans. He's a veteran himself having served in Iraq as an infantryman in the Marines. He is the son of Hispanic immigrants and the first in his family to attend college, in this case Harvard University. If you'd like to hear the entire episode, visit BillPressPods.com.  

Environmental initiatives are often smeared as being anti-labor, while unions are often painted as anti-clean energy. Neither is necessarily true—in fact, the fights for climate and economic justice are deeply intertwined. Wallace Mazon Activist Wallace Mazon says the fight for good jobs has to go hand in hand with the fight against climate change. Joseph B. Uehlein Joseph B. Uehlein works at the forefront of building union support for the effort to confront climate change.  He says the Green New Deal has the potential to rebuild the labor movement and unite the working class.   Jim Hightower   The Curse of Medical Debt   What's the most damning thing about America's healthcare system? The system.   While our doctors, nurses, and technicians are among the best in the world, the system itself is not even designed for care, but for the constant expansion of profits for insurance giants, drugmakers, hospital chains, system managers, financiers, and other voracious components of the medical industry. For starters, ponder that term, “medical industry.” Bill Press The Still Dangerous Case of Donald Trump   During the hearings of the January 6th Select Committee, one question keeps coming up, “Did Donald Trump believe he had actually won the election?” “How could it be, that after being told repeatedly that no substantial fraud had occurred, he still maintained he won?”     “Is the man crazy?”   It just so happens that we looked into this very question on the Bill Press Pod back in the summer of 2020 with our series, The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump If you'd like to hear the entire episode, visit BillPressPods.com.

Protecting America's Future.   Children are not allowed to vote, but they have the most vested interest in America's future. Today we hear from experts about how the way complex political fights affect minors and what can be done about them. Simon Workman Simon Workman works on policy solutions that will improve the lives of children. It's an issue, he says, that affects all Americans and tells us how voters can make politicians accountable. Danielle Allen Danielle Allen tells the story of her cousin, a young man who was tried as an adult at age 15 for attempted carjacking.  After 13 years in prison, he was released and died violently at the age of 29. It is a story she says, about the deep and destructive “war on drugs” that has corrupted a criminal justice system that has abandoned our nation's youth. Jim Hightower   Kartoonus Americanus Is Going Extinct!   Right before our eyes, an invaluable American species is fast disappearing from view. Kar-toon-us A-mer-i-kan-as.   These are the newspaper cartoonists who've long delighted readers and infuriated power elites. And there's nothing natural about their sudden decline – it's not the result of a declining talent pool, and certainly not due to a lack of political targets. Rather, what's happening is that their media habitat is being intentionally destroyed. Bill Press The J6 Committee Makes its Case.   The January 6th Select Committee hearings. We'll hear from California Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren, who led the questioning in Monday's hearing.    If you'd like to hear the entire episode, visit BillPressPods.com.  

The trap of poverty wages. According to researchers, the number of Americans living at or near the poverty line has risen sharply since the beginning of the pandemic. This week, we hear from experts about the plight of poverty-wage workers around the world and the best strategies for combatting those conditions at home. Annelise Orleck Historian Annelise Orleck traveled the world to write a book about  workers who live on poverty wages. What she found gave her a renewed sense of hope and possibility. Elizabeth Lower-Basch Elizabeth Lower-Basch has a long history inside and outside of government figuring out the best ways to assist struggling families. She says that “work requirements” for people on public assistance is exactly not the way to help. Jim Hightower   How Can Democrats Save the Party… From Their Own Leaders?   “It's over.” “Biden's numbers are in the ditch.” “Democrats are doomed.” “Call the priest.”   These are Democrats talking! Even before November's congressional elections are run, many conventional-thinking Democratic operatives are surrendering to a presumed Republican sweep. You don't need a political science degree to know that if you start out announcing that you'll lose, chances are you will. Bill Press "We're in a Bad Place Right Now." With Norm Ornstein   Norman Ornstein is one of the leading experts on the Congress and an Emeritus Scholar at the American Enterprise Institute. He is the author, with Thomas E. Mann of the 2012 book, It's Even Worse Than It Looks: How the American Constitutional System Collided With the New Politics of Extremism and with Thomas E. Mann and E.J. Dione, the author of the 2017 book, One Nation After Trump: A Guide for the Perplexed, the Disillusioned, the Desperate, and the Not-Yet Deported.   If you'd like to hear the entire episode, visit BillPressPods.com.  

Rebuilding our nation's manufacturing muscle.   The supply chain is in the news lately, with most stories about it focusing on the end results for consumers. But how can government look out for the interests of American manufacturing workers in a way that protects their rights while strengthening domestic manufacturing? This week, we talk to two experts about how to achieve those goals.  John Pouland John Pouland explains a study that details how the conventional political wisdom has completely missed the biggest electoral earthquake of the last decade, specifically highlighting how both Democratic and Republican parties have discounted and misjudged their appeals to voters in manufacturing-heavy working-class towns.  Tom Conway As head of North America's largest industrial union, Tom Conway speaks for over 800,000 workers. He says now more than ever, we need to protect working people and fight to rebuild our nation's manufacturing muscle.  Jim Hightower   Enthroning Corporate Power Over America   “Equal Justice Under Law.” That's the noble principle carved into the marble façade of the temple-like Supreme Court building.   Today, though, six right-wing, corporate-dominated activist judges control the present Court, and they're implementing an elitist creed mocking that ideal. By putting the interests and power of the wealthy over the rest of us. Bill Press The Second Amendment is About Slavery   Elie Mystal returns to the Bill Press Pod with a withering takedown of the Second Amendment, Justice Alito and Supreme Court Ethics. He is The Nation Magazine's Justice Correspondent. He's a frequent guest on MSNBC commenting on the intersection between the legal and the political. A graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School, he gave up Big Law to fight for justice.   If you'd like to hear the entire episode, visit BillPressPods.com.  

A minimum and maximum wage.   The minimum wage often stands in for a variety of different workers-rights issues in political debates. This week we dig into how minimum wage laws can function as part of a broader social agenda—and study their direct, and incredibly intriguing opposite.  Janelle Jones Economic analyst Janelle Jones says a higher minimum wage is a crucial tool in bridging our nation's widening income inequality gap  And in the face of federal inaction, cities and states are setting up to the plate. Sam Pizzigati Income inequality in America is now at a rate we haven't seen in close to 100 years.  In a new book, author Sam Pizzigati says it's time to resurrect an idea once endorsed by President Franklin  D. Roosevelt … a maximum wage for our nation's highest earners. Jim Hightower   A Rube Goldberg Inflationary Spiral   Last July, several GOP senators combined their 5-watt intellects to charge that inflation was rising because of the “insane tax and spending spree of President Biden and the Democrats.”   Never mind that the “insane” spending is for such sensible, productive, and enormously popular national needs as childcare and jobless benefits, Mitch McConnell's rabidly partisan flock saw the chance to politicize the public's legitimate worries about rising prices.   Bill Press To Stop Gun Violence, Elect Democrats.   With the tragic massacre of children and teachers in Uvalde, Texas dominating the news, we talked to Igor Volsky of Guns Down America about what can be done, if anything, to combat gun violence and the politicians who support it. But our gun laws cannot change unless our politicians do, so Bill also talked to two sharp political reporters about the 2022 primaries: Niall Stanage, White House Columnist for The Hill and Political Analyst at News Nation AM and Maya King, Politics Reporter for the New York Times covering the South based in Georgia.   If you'd like to hear the entire episode, visit BillPressPods.com.  

Teachers at the front line of progressive politics.   How a wave of teachers strikes in red state America is changing the political landscape. Education advocate Jeff Bryant tells us why a record number of educators are running for office, and what they want. Eric Blanc In 2018, in some of the reddest states in our nation, teachers led  a series of walkouts demanding not only better pay for themselves, but better schools for the children they teach.  Writer Eric Blanc embedded himself in this unlikely and powerful rebellion for an inside view of a movement that has the potential to rebuild working class politics in America. Jeff Bryant Jeff Bryant has written extensively about the intersection of education and politics. He says that a movement that began with teachers' walkouts has turned into an a record number of educators running for office and fighting for the future of public schools. Jim Hightower   Save the Whales! Save Polar Bears! Save Political Cartoonists!   I never dreamed of growing up to be a political activist/ commentator, but here I am, and it's worked out pretty well for me. I've been lucky enough to have a voice in public matters and eke out a modest living running my mouth as an independent populist agitator. Still, I have to confess to the sin of Job Envy. Not in the sense of being resentful, but regretful about my own inability to lift the trade of journalistic commentary to the heights attained by a small, feisty collection of unique public opinionators: Political cartoonists. Bill Press “News for People Who Give a Damn.”   Journalist Judd Legum was a regular on the Bill Press Show for years. Today, he makes his debut on the Bill Press Pod. Legum writes a four-times per week newsletter, Popular Information, that practices Independent Accountability Journalism. He compares what people and institutions SAY to what these same people and institutions actually DO. Today we talked about the Great Replacement Theory behind the Buffalo shooting, that has been mainstreamed by Right Wing media and politicians; which corporations are contributing to Right Wing politicians while espousing Human Rights; Ron DeSantis and book banning in Florida and what the heck is going on with Elon Musk.   If you'd like to hear the entire episode, visit BillPressPods.com.  

Homegrown extremism in America.   This week marks the ten-year anniversary of the Facebook corporation going public on Wall Street. We examine that story from two different angles: The growing income inequality in America, which has often been fueled by Silicon Valley bubbles and the financialization of our economy, and the way Big Tech has helped stoke right-wing rhetoric—and even violence.   Ron Formisano Distinguished historian Ron Formisano has written a book about plutocracy and says we are in a new “gilded age” when the state and federal governments are up for sale. Brian Levin Brian Levin, director of the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University San Bernardino, is one of the most trusted voices on hate and extremism in America. We discuss how the landscape of political violence has changed under the Trump administration. Jim Hightower   Why Should We the People Respect a Court That Disrespects the People?   Mitch McConnell, the perpetually sour old goose who heads the Senate Republican Caucus, had a hissy fit when the news leaked out that American women are about to have their most fundamental constitutional right taken from them by a cabal of Supreme Court judges.   What made Mitch twitch, of course, was not the bad news for women… but the leak. Bill Press Midterm Ground Zero.   Former Progressive Caucus Co-chair Mark Pocan and the Democratic Party of Wisconsin are at the center of the 2022 midterms. Ron Johnson is up for reelection and control of the Senate may hinge on that race. There are competitive House seats that may determine control in that chamber. In Wisconsin the legislature is so gerrymandered, it is almost impossible for the Democrats to gain control. So having a Democratic governor is the one check on the extremist Wisconsin Republican Party.   If you'd like to hear the entire episode, visit BillPressPods.com.  

From rideshare apps to food-delivery services—to ballot measures like California's proposition 22, which allows companies to treat their employees interchangeable and dispensable—the new economy of the gig and temporary work is proving to be a disaster for workers' rights and long-term stability. This week we talk to two experts about just what is being lost in this transformation.  David Rolf Union leader David Rolf says even Republicans can be persuaded that America will be better off with a strong middle class. But it's the plutocrats and their hired guns standing in the way. Louis Hyman In his book, labor historian Louis Hyman tells the story of America's transformation to a temp economy and why he calls it the moral crisis of work in the 21st century. Jim Hightower   America needs a quality childcare system   Nearly every nation with an advanced economy (and some not so advanced) treats child care as a fundamental public good essential to nurturing children, families, and the whole society. But not our US of A.   Indeed, our so-called leaders relegate millions of working parents and 21 million kids under 5 to the tender mercies of a for-profit market, with child care facilities ranging from impossibly expensive to helter-skelter, unlicensed Kiddie Korrals. Bill Press Midterm Madness Begins   With the midterms just seven months away, Bill talks to Kyle Kondik, Managing Editor of Sabato's Crystal Ball, the University of Virginia Center for Politics' nonpartisan newsletter on American campaigns and elections. They focus on the primaries coming up in the month of May in the GOP where Trump has endorsed candidates. How these primaries turn out may determine who controls the Senate in 2023. They also discuss the likelihood of the Republicans taking over the House of Representatives. And a little conversation about Biden and Trump in 2024.   If you'd like to hear the entire episode, visit BillPressPods.com.  

We must go further with voting rights.   With primary races soon to be in full swing, we take a closer look at some of the structural hurdles Americans face at the polls—and at just how narrowly President Biden was elected two Novembers ago.  Phil Keisling Phil Keisling used to be the secretary of state for Oregon, one of three states that allow people to vote by mail. He said the practice increases turnout, especially among younger and more diverse voters. Amel Ahmed The passage of H.R.1 would mark a necessary advance in defense of the right to vote.  But does that go far enough? Amel Ahmed says more can be done to go on the offense in the struggle over voting rights.  Jim Hightower   We're Stuck on a Monopoly Merry-Go-Round   The problem with our so-called “free market” is that it's not free for you and me. It's largely controlled by monopolies, which are free to inflate prices just because they can, letting gougers gleefully extract unwarranted monopoly profits from us.   This milking of consumers by tightly consolidated industries is propelling today's surging price hikes. Bill Press Ukraine: "A Grinding Slog."   Today's guest is Joe Cirincione, here for a monthly update on Putin's war in Ukraine. Cirincione is a Fellow at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft. He previously served for over 12 years as the President of the Ploughshares Fund, a foundation focused on nuclear nonproliferation and conflict resolution. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.   If you'd like to hear the entire episode, visit BillPressPods.com.  

For many people, the animals they adopt and love become more like family members than pets. We have deep relationships, with cats, dogs, parrots, goats, horses, and other fellow critters – who at least pretend to love us back, providing comfort and joy all around. Sadly though, life for all of us animals is a spin around the wheel of fortune, so illness and injuries happen. That's why one of the most valued members of every community are the staffers in our local veterinarian office. Practically all vets, nurses, technicians, and support staff are there chiefly because they love animals and get personal satisfaction from providing care for them. When I say they are “there,” I not only mean 9 to 5, but this group of independent health providers are committed to being there when needed – including off hours and days off, for animal misfortune and suffering don't go by clocks and calendars. Local practitioners also try to be there for low-income people, offering deferred payment plans and even discounted fees so their animals can get the treatment they need. But wait – sound the ambulance sirens! Something is going horribly wrong! This venerable profession has recently been collapsing into a corporate model of Wall Street owned chains. They are monopolizing markets, reducing staff, gutting service, and prioritizing the love of money over the love of animals. It's not uncommon these days for franticly-worried customers to bring an ill or injured pet into their old reliable vet office only to find it has quietly come under chain ownership, is understaffed, and is unwilling to accept the patient, forcing a desperate scramble to find emergency care, often out of town. This is Jim Hightower saying... The same profiteering corporate mentality that has proven disastrous for human health care is now rapidly locking down pet care – and that's an act of animal cruelty.

There are two tax systems, one for the rich, and one for the rest of us.   Donald Trump is certainly a figure of unique notoriety, but his manipulation of tax law is simply one window into the way the wealthy avoid paying their fair share. This week, we look at what his case can teach us about the 1 percent more broadly—and at one solution that might make American taxation more equitable. David Cay Johnston  David Cay Johnston has spent years reporting on Donald Trump's business practices, and on the inequities of the U.S. tax code. He says reporting from the New York Times on Trump's taxes offers greater proof of two tax systems, separate and unequal.  Emmanuel Saez Economist Emmanuel Saez studies wealth and income inequality around the world. His book argues that the American economy isn't working for half of the nation and makes the case for a tax system that is truly progressive. Jim Hightower   The Corporatization of Pet Care: Animal Cruelty?   For many people, the animals they adopt and love become more like family members than pets. We have deep relationships, with cats, dogs, parrots, goats, horses, and other fellow critters – who at least pretend to love us back, providing comfort and joy all around.   Sadly though, life for all of us animals is a spin around the wheel of fortune, so illness and injuries happen. That's why one of the most valued members of every community are the staffers in our local veterinarian's office. Bill Press "A Catastrophic Event in Food." With Amb. Cindy McCain   Cindy McCain is the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture which leads international efforts to defeat hunger and improve nutrition and food security. She is the widow of former Arizona senator and 2008 Republican nominee for President, John McCain. In 2020 she endorsed Joe Biden for president. She has a long history with helping people in need. From 1988 to 1995, she founded and operated a nonprofit organization, the American Voluntary Medical Team, which organized trips by medical personnel to disaster-stricken or war-torn third-world areas.   If you'd like to hear the entire episode, visit BillPressPods.com.  

Fighting right-wing smears of progressive healthcare proposals.   Republicans have been so effective at smearing so-called “government-run” healthcare as expensive and wasteful that they have obscured just how much the current, private healthcare industry gouges Americans on everything from pharmaceutical drugs to routine care. This week, we're re-airing two interviews with experts who say healthcare can be safer and more affordable if corporations got out of our collective pockets.  Dan Zuberi  If hospitals would spend a little more money paying their own employees, instead of outsourcing for the cheapest support workers, they would save money by cutting down on costly hospital infections. That's the analysis from health professor Dan Zuberi. Steve Knievel  Steve Knievel is an advocate for Public Citizen's Access to Medicines program, focusing on expanding affordable access to medicines. They say that to help stop Big Pharma's price gouging in the U.S., Congress must listen to the American public, ignore the pharmaceutical industry's high-paid lobbyists and finally pass legislation granting Medicare the authority to negotiate drug prices. Jim Hightower   The Sad Whine of Supreme Court Right   Ralph Waldo Emerson told about a guest who came to dinner and spent the entire evening prattling about his own integrity: “The louder he talked of his honor,” Emerson wrote: “the faster we counted our spoons.”   Today, America has not one, but six guests in our national home babbling about their integrity. They are the six extremist Republican judges who now control our Supreme Court, and it's a bit unsettling to hear them go on and on, almost frantically pleading with us to believe in their judicial impartiality. Bill Press The View From Europe with NPR's Sylvia Poggioli   Sylvia Poggioli is senior European correspondent for NPR's International Desk. She covers Italy, the Vatican, Western Europe, and the Balkans. Poggioli has reported on the fall of communism in Eastern Europe, the civil war in the former Yugoslavia, and how immigration has transformed European societies.   If you'd like to hear the entire episode, visit BillPressPods.com.  

Cultivating the next Labor movement.   Many of the policy decisions that affect workers' lives seem arcane and abstract, and are not the hot-button news items that other issues inevitably become. Today we look at two different spheres of policy that have serious, immediate effects on the lives of American workers.  Nelson Lichtenstein Labor historian Nelson Lichtenstein explains how the current antitrust revival has the potential to prevent similar failures and advance unionization at Amazon and other giant corporations. Dan Mauer Communications Workers of America's Dan Mauer says trade policy under NAFTA benefits multinational corporations at the expense of American workers and calls for a new framework that puts workers' rights first. Jim Hightower   Democrats, please Be Democrats!   I think we can now say the obvious: The Republican Party has gone bull goose bonkers. Its leaders have turned the once-proud GOP brand into an unprincipled gaggle of corporate profiteers, hatemongers, and screwball conspiracy theorists. They're so far out that the Hubble Telescope can't find them!   But where is my Democratic Party? Here's a transformative opportunity to forge a solid political coalition – a multi-racial, urban-rural, farm-labor alliance based on fundamental principles and programs of fairness and opportunity for all. Bill Press Rolling Back Rights. With CNN's Ron Brownstein   Ron Brownstein is one of the sharpest analysts of American politics. He is a Senior CNN Political Analyst and a Senior Editor for The Atlantic. He's been reporting and writing about the radical rollback of rights in Red states.   If you'd like to hear the entire episode, visit BillPressPods.com.  

The rich have organized themselves into a powerful lobby.   The wealthiest Americans like to imagine the current economic system as a meritocracy, where their status is the inevitable result of hard work and virtue. This week, we talk to two experts about how, in fact, the rich have rigged the tax code and economic policy to secure the economic order and prevent it from ever changing.  Isaac Martin Professor Isaac Martin has studied one particular economic trend in American history and tells us about that, and the topic of his book “The Rich People's Movements.” Erica Payne In 2010, Erica Payne organized some of the richest Americans to demand higher taxes on millionaires like themselves.  Her recent book offers an insider's view of how the wealthy have rigged the tax code in their favor and offers a blueprint to unrig it. Jim Hightower   Supreme Thieves in Robes of “Justice”   As we know, “government ethics” can be a very slippery concept.   That's why We The People have insisted that every public official – from congress critters to dog catchers – swear to abide by some minimum standard of proper behavior. Not that all will honor it, but a code of ethics provides a measure of legal action against those who are grabbers and grifters. Bill Press "The Constitution is Trash." with Elie Mystal   Elie Mystal is The Nation Magazine's Justice Correspondent. He's a frequent guest on MSNBC commenting on the intersection between the legal and the political. A graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School, he gave up Big Law to fight for justice.   If you'd like to hear the entire episode, visit BillPressPods.com.  

The myths—and dangers—of austerity politics   Republicans often tout simple spending cuts as markers of economic responsibility. But that sort of superficial belt-tightening often proves to be far more reckless in the long run. This week, we revisit interviews with two economists about the myths—and dangers—of austerity politics.  Mark Blyth Mark Blyth is a professor of international economy at Brown University, and he succinctly explains what's wrong with austerity as a cure for an ailing economy: “Tighter belts,” he says, “only work if we all wear the same pants.” Simon Johnson Economist Simon Johnson warns that irresponsible austerity methods proposed by Republicans could throw the world into a financial catastrophe. And, he says, it would be the private sector that really suffers. Jim Hightower   What's Up with This Crazy Trucker Protest?   The recent traffic-clogging protests by truck drivers in the US and Canada are about drivers being angry over COVID-19 vaccine mandates – right?   Uh… no. That's the line being put out by right-wing extremists trying to use the legitimate gripes of truckers for their own political gain. The extremists are nuts… not the truckers. Bill Press What's Next for Putin's War   Twenty-six days into Putin's War in Ukraine, can anything be done to stop the carnage and stop Putin? What are the likely next steps, diplomatically and militarily? What are the risks of a wider war, of a nuclear war? To provide some context, Bill has arranged to talk again with the two experts on foreign affairs who gave us their first assessment of the situation in Ukraine three weeks ago. A lot has changed. . Steven Pifer was our Ambassador to Ukraine in the last two years of the Clinton Administration and was the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State with responsibilities for Russia and Ukraine in the first four years of the George W. Bush Administration. He is currently a Fellow at Stanford University and the Brookings Institution. Joining him is Joe Cirincione, a Fellow at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft. He previously served for over 12 years as the President of the Ploughshares Fund, a foundation focused on nuclear nonproliferation and conflict resolution. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.   If you'd like to hear the entire episode, visit BillPressPods.com.  

Building state-level progressivism.   In continuing our effort to examine power at the state and local level, we look at two case studies: The state senates in Colorado and Kansas, and how progressive agendas were devised and executed in each.  Jessie Ulibarri  Former Colorado state senator Jessie Ulibarri talks about building progressive power in statehouses. Anthony Hensley Then-Kansas state senate minority leader Anthony Hensley tells us about a bipartisan effort to roll back a statewide tax cut from five years prior.  Jim Hightower   Now, Robots are Coming for White-Collar Jobs   In CorporateSpeak, there are no “job cuts.” Instead, firings are blandly referred to as “employment adjustments.”   Now, though, corporate wordsmiths will need a whole new thesaurus of euphemisms, for masses of job cuts are coming for employees in the higher echelons of the corporate structure. Don't look now, but an unanticipated result of the ongoing pandemic is that it has given cover for CEOs to speed up the adoption of highly-advanced RPAs (Robotic Process Automation) to replace employees once assumed to be immune from displacement. John Bolton Why Did Putin Wait?   John Bolton had unimpeachable Republican and Conservative credentials. Until he went to work for Donald Trump as his National Security Advisor. It did not go well as he detailed in his book, The Room Where It Happened: A White House Memoir. Bolton and Bill discuss the current situation in Ukraine and Trump's attitudes toward Russia, Ukraine and Vladimir Putin.   If you'd like to hear the entire episode, visit BillPressPods.com.  

In CorporateSpeak, there are no “job cuts.” Instead, firings are blandly referred to as “employment adjustments.” Now, though, corporate wordsmiths will need a whole new thesaurus of euphemisms, for masses of job cuts are coming for employees in the higher echelons of the corporate structure. Don't look now, but an unanticipated result of the ongoing pandemic is that it has given cover for CEOs to speed up the adoption of highly-advanced RPAs (Robotic Process Automation) to replace employees once assumed to be immune from displacement. As one analyst told a New York Times reporter, “With RPA you can build a bot that costs $10,000 a year and take out two to four humans.” Prior to the COVID crisis, many top executives feared a public backlash if they pushed automation too far too fast. But, ironically, the economic collapse caused by the pandemic has so discombobulated the workplace and diverted public attention that corporate bosses have been emboldened to rush ahead. While the nationwide shut-down of offices and furloughing of employees has caused misery for millions, one happy purveyor of RPA systems notes that it has “massively raised awareness among executives about the variety of work that no longer requires human involvement.” He cheerfully declares: “We think any business process can be automated,” advising corporate bosses that half to two-thirds of all the tasks being done at their companies can be done by machines. This is Jim Hightower saying… Conventional corporate wisdom blithely preaches that all new technologies create more jobs than they kill, but even those pollyannish preachers are now conceding that this robotic automation of white-collar jobs is being imposed so suddenly, widely, and stealthily that losses will crush any gains. “We haven't hit the exponential point of this stuff yet,” warns an alarmed analyst. “And when we do, it's going to be dramatic.”

Fighting back against the Plutocrats.   With Russia in the news lately, a lot has been said about the power wielded by that country's plutocrats. This week, we look back at the overwhelming influence a few wealthy billionaires have over the American government—and at the ways Americans are ready to fight back. Sheila Simon Former Democratic Lieutenant Governor of Illinois Sheila Simon explains how her state was taken over by a Republican governor operating not on ideology but on helping his business buddies make more money. Stanley Greenberg Progressive Democrats are not only fighting to get Donald Trump out of the White House,  but for a new alignment of politics in America that will realize a progressive agenda on everything from jobs and immigration to health care and the climate. Jim Hightower   Is Your Job in the Robot Kill Path?   Hunters have come up with euphemisms to make what they do sound… well, less unpleasant. For example, animals aren't killed, they're “harvested.”   Corporate America is now adopting this verbal ploy, for CEOs urgently need to soften the image of their constant hunt for ways to kill jobs. Their urgency is that they're now pushing a huge new surge in cuts – this time targeting college-educated, white-collar professionals.   Barbara McQuade The Case Against Trump. with fmr US Attorney Barbara McQuade   Can Congress file charges against Trump? Will the Justice Department file charges against Trump? Can a former president even be charged with a crime or even if true, can Trump still just get away with it? To get the answers, Bill talks to Barbara McQuade, an NBC News and MSNBC legal analyst. She is a professor at the University of Michigan Law School and a former U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan.    If you'd like to hear the entire episode, visit BillPressPods.com.  

A look back at Republican tactics.   While Donald Trump dominated the news for much of the last half-decade, Republicans have been tinkering with messaging that obscures just how hostile they are to most Americans' wants and needs. Today we look back at two instances of this: their attempts to cast theirs as the party of economic equality, and their willingness to use racial and cultural wars and wedge issues to divide the working class. Tom Geoghegan Labor lawyer Tom Geoghegan thinks Republican “faux populism” is a good sign for Democrats … because we own the issue. Daniel McGraw Donald Trump's anti-Hispanic rhetoric may make no difference. Why? Because the Latino vote is mostly set in states other than Florida and possibly Colorado, says voting analyst Daniel McGraw. Jim Hightower   A Rube Goldberg Inflationary Spiral   Last July, several GOP senators combined their 5-watt intellects to charge that inflation was rising because of the “insane tax and spending spree of President Biden and the Democrats.”   Never mind that the “insane” spending is for such sensible, productive, and enormously popular national needs as childcare and jobless benefits, Mitch McConnell's rabidly partisan flock saw the chance to politicize the public's legitimate worries about rising prices.   Jamie Raskin Bill's Take on Biden's State of the Union   Although Biden is not known as a great orator, he gave a great speech Tuesday night.   If you'd like to hear the entire episode, visit BillPressPods.com.  

The threat of Republican gerrymandering on the 2022 Midterms.   David Daley With Texas starting their vote process for the 2022 Midterms this week, with one of the most devastatingly gerrymandered maps in the country, we take a look back to how we got here. David Daley is one of the nation's leading authorities on partisan gerrymandering. And he says if Democrats don't do more to stop it, Republicans will have the power to shape elections for years to come.  Jim Hightower   A Phoenix is Rising   Our local newspapers are being merged, purged, shrunk, shut down, and looted by Wall Street profiteers – yet there's good news. In the towns those media vultures are torching, a phoenix is rising!   Hundreds of determined locals, often led by people of color, are finding new ways to pay for and revive top-quality, local journalism. For example, the Ferndale (CA) Enterprise moved to an old Victorian home, renting upstairs rooms to vacationers to subsidize the paper. Jamie Raskin "This Was a Coup."   Congressman Jamie Raskin was inside the Capitol, with family, on January 6th.  On January 5th he had buried his 25-year-old beloved son who had killed himself to escape a crippling depression. On January 12th, Raskin was named Lead Impeachment Manager for the second Impeachment Trial of Donald Trump. That eventful January is the subject of his New York Times Bestseller, Unthinkable: Trauma, Truth, and the Trials of American Democracy. In his interview with Bill, he shares his thoughts and emotions about the death of his son, the coup and the inside story of the Impeachment Trial. Plus he hints at just what the January 6th Committee knows about the Trump-organized coup attempt. If you'd like to hear the entire episode, visit BillPressPods.com.  

The legacy of Jimmy Carter   James Fallows Jimmy Carter was an “outsider” who won the Democratic presidential nomination 40 years ago. His former speechwriter, James Fallows, says that an outsider can win the White House if the public feels there is a crisis – but then it becomes very hard to actually govern. He also says that he should be remembered for many things, not the least of which is deregulation, which paved the way for, among other things, microbreweries! Jim Hightower   Who was Smedley Darlington Butler, and why is he important?   Many Americans can't believe that political coups are part of our country's history – but consider the Wall Street Putsch of 1933.   Ever heard of it? It was a corporate conspiracy to oust Franklin D. Roosevelt, who had just been elected president. With the Great Depression raging and millions of families financially devastated, FDR had launched several economic recovery programs to help people get back on their feet. Jack Jenkins Christian Nationalism Linked to The Insurrection.   According to a new and comprehensive investigation, Christian Nationalism was used to "bolster, justify and intensify the January 6 attack on the Capitol." Bill talks to Jack Jenkins, one of the top reporters covering the religion and politics beat. They explain just what Christian Nationalism is, how it was an integral part of the January 6th events and how it is driving GOP politicians.   If you'd like to hear the entire episode, visit BillPressPods.com.

We are joined this week by a Texas legend! Known as “America's most popular populist,” Jim Hightower is a national radio commentator, writer, public speaker, and New York Times best-selling author. Hightower frequently appears on television and radio programs, bringing a hard-hitting populist viewpoint into the mass media. In addition, he works closely with the alternative media, and in all of his work he keeps his ever-ready Texas humor up front, practicing the credo of an old Yugoslavian proverb: “You can fight the gods and still have fun.”