Podcasts about protectourcare

April 2, 2025 ~ Protect Our Care recently launched a multi-million dollar “Hands Off Medicaid” campaign. The goal is to stop the plan of some powerful lawmakers to cut trillions of dollars from Medicaid so they can give massive tax breaks to billionaires and big corporations. Guy and Jamie talk with Lesile Dach, chair of Protect Our Care, about the organization's advocacy against indiscriminate cuts to Medicaid.

Here's a useful little tool we never thought we'd need in the United States: a Health Care Sabotage Tracker. It is the growing list of ways that the new administration has already started having negative impacts on health care for every American. Joe Zepecki will tell us how the group Protect Our Care is keeping politicians accountable for sacrificing your health to pay for billionaires' tax cuts. UpNorthNews with Pat Kreitlow airs on several stations across the Civic Media radio network, Monday through Friday from 6-8 am. Subscribe to the podcast to be sure not to miss out on a single episode! To learn more about the show and all of the programming across the Civic Media network, head over to https://civicmedia.us/shows to see the entire broadcast line up. Follow the show on Facebook, X, and Instagram to keep up with Pat & the show! Guest: Joe Zepecki

On the radio show this week we dive into the confusion, harm, and chaos caused by Donald Trump's ridiculous Executive Orders and nominees, from a funding freeze that shut down Medicaid portals in all 50 states to the nomination of an unqualified, unfit, and utterly confused cabinet nominee in RFK Jr. We also learn about how the funding freeze has a situational impact on the already unstable child care sector, and how our advocacy helped reverse course – for now.  After that, we cover parenting through this chaos and how to advocate for your child and yourself. Finally, we discuss the impact of Trump's executive orders and funding threats on the criminal justice system and racial justice programs, and where we can push back.    *Special guests include: Joi Chaney, Protect Our Care, @ProtectOurCare, @protectourcare.org, Nina Perez, MomsRising/MamásConPoder, @MomsRising, @momsrising.bsky.social, @MamásConPoder, @mamasconpoder.bsky.social; Antoiniqua Daniels, MomsRising; Liz Komar, The Sentencing Project, @sentencingproj  

Robert Kennedy Jr. has his confirmation hearing before the Senate Finance Committee tomorrow, on that committee is Senator Steve Daines of Montana. Senator Daines gives us inside information leading up to this hearing with RFK Jr, the stances he takes on the important issues and the forces he is up against. Big Pharma and the left-leaning advocacy group Protect Our Care are going all out against RFK, creating war rooms to try and sway elected officials against him. Senator Daines has had the opportunity to confront RFK Jr. on vaccines, big agriculture and the use of the abortion pill, what he discovered is that RFK Jr. is very rational and relies heavily on unmitigated data when making decisions. Rob Crilly then joins me to take us inside Air Force One for the 4 days he spend with President Trump that he is calling "Typhoon Trump!" From North Carolina to California, Nevada and Florida, the message from President Trump was made clear "I'm back and I'm for real." Featuring: Senator Steve Daines U.S. Senator | Montana https://www.daines.senate.gov/ Rob Crilly Chief U.S. Political Correspondent | The Daily Mail https://www.dailymail.co.uk/ushome/index.html Read about Rob's full trip with President Trump in his daily mail article here: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14330215/donald-trump-air-force-one-columbia.html -- Sponsors: Ramp Want $250?? Ramp has easy-to-use cards, spend limits, approval flows, vendor payments, and more. Ramp makes all your spending smarter with seamless integration! Join Ramp now and get $250 upon sign-up. Just go to https://ramp.com/SPICER Wired 2 Fish Do you want to drink coffee from the finest coffee beans in the world? Wired 2 Fish sources directly from Mexico and Guatemala to bring you the freshest arabica coffee beans in the world. Wired 2 Fish cares so much about the earth that they give back 25% of their net profits to faith-based organizations and clean water initiatives. If you're a coffee lover and want to support a great company doing great work head to https://www.wired2fishcoffee.com/ use code: WECARE for 15% off your first order.  LifeVac How would you help a child, yourself or a loved one if they were choking? In the event of a choking accident, the LifeVac can turn anyone into a hero. It is now being used by police and fireman across the country and SAVING thousands of lives. The LifeVac is an upper airway clearing device in order to bring the safest, simplest method to save an aspirating person. Like a fire extinguisher or a first aid kit, this is a must have around the house with the hopes you never have to use it. You don't want to be without a LifeVac handy and if you ever have to use it, LifeVac will replace it for FREE. So head on over to https://lifevac.net/ and be prepared in case of a choking accident! -- Trump may never do another rally so this may be your last chance to experience it for yourself! Front Row Joes: https://frontrowjoes.movie/ -- Subscribe and ring the bell for new videos: https://youtube.com/seanmspicer?sub_confirmation=1 Listen to the full audio show on all platforms: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-sean-spicer-show/id1701280578 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/32od2cKHBAjhMBd9XntcUd iHeart: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-the-sean-spicer-show-120471641/ Become a part of The Sean Spicer Show community: https://www.seanspicer.com/ Follow The Sean Spicer Show on social media: Facebook: https://facebook.com/seanspicershow Twitter: https://twitter.com/seanspicershow Instagram: https://instagram.com/seanspicershow Stay in touch with Sean on social media: Facebook: https://facebook.com/seanmspicer Twitter: https://twitter.com/seanspicer Instagram: https://instagram.com/seanmspicer/ #politics #news #theseanspicershow #seanspicer #conservativemedia #podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Monday, Donald Trump issued some rambling, tortured claims. He bent over backwards to reassure people about Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and vouched for the polio vaccine—while bizarrely clarifying that he sees “problems” with vaccines and even opposes vaccine mandates in schools. We think this reveals a surprising political vulnerability. Trump knows RFK's extreme views are a problem, but also seems aware that being supportive of vaccine mandates might alienate some constituencies in his base. We talked to Anne Shoup, a senior adviser for the Democratic-allied group Protect Our Care, which is running ads against RFK, about whether stopping him is really possible and what more Dems should do to oppose Trump's nominees.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Monday, Donald Trump issued some rambling, tortured claims. He bent over backwards to reassure people about Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and vouched for the polio vaccine—while bizarrely clarifying that he sees “problems” with vaccines and even opposes vaccine mandates in schools. We think this reveals a surprising political vulnerability. Trump knows RFK's extreme views are a problem, but also seems aware that being supportive of vaccine mandates might alienate some constituencies in his base. We talked to Anne Shoup, a senior adviser for the Democratic-allied group Protect Our Care, which is running ads against RFK, about whether stopping him is really possible and what more Dems should do to oppose Trump's nominees. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Monday, Donald Trump issued some rambling, tortured claims. He bent over backwards to reassure people about Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and vouched for the polio vaccine—while bizarrely clarifying that he sees “problems” with vaccines and even opposes vaccine mandates in schools. We think this reveals a surprising political vulnerability. Trump knows RFK's extreme views are a problem, but also seems aware that being supportive of vaccine mandates might alienate some constituencies in his base. We talked to Anne Shoup, a senior adviser for the Democratic-allied group Protect Our Care, which is running ads against RFK, about whether stopping him is really possible and what more Dems should do to oppose Trump's nominees.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Monday, October 21st, 2024Today, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro says law enforcement should investigate Elon Musk's $1M voter lottery scam; Democrats in Congress are working to prevent another January 6th; questions surround Montana Republican Senate candidate Sheehy's bullet wound story; the Trump ground game in key swing states has been flagged as potentially faked; and a failed mic leaves Trump in awkward silence for over 20 minutes; and Allison delivers your Good News. Guest:Laura PackardProtect Our Care 2024 Bus Tour (protectourcare.org)Twitter: @lpackardFacebook: LauraPackardActivistInstagram: LauraPackardActivistThreads: @laurapackardactivistYouTube: LauraPackardTikTok: @laurapackardactivisthttps://www.laurapackard.comThank you Helix25% off Sitewide + 2 FREE Dream Pillows with any mattress purchase HelixSleep.com/DailyBeansStories:Pennsylvania Gov. Shapiro: Law enforcement should 'take a look at' Elon Musk voter payments (Alexandra Marquez | NBC News)Elon Musk and Marjorie Taylor Greene risk Dominion's wrath with revived conspiracy theories (The Independent)Democrats in Congress seek to prevent another Jan. 6 riot, protect Electoral College certification (Scott MacFarlane | CBS News)Montana ranger questions Senate hopeful Sheehy's bullet wound (Liz Goodwin | Washington Post)Revealed: Trump ground game in key states flagged as potentially fake (Hugo Lowell | The Guardian)Harris Social Media Toolkit Harris Campaign Social Media Toolkit (kamalaharris.com)Give to the Kamala Harris Presidential Campaign Kamala Harris — Donate via ActBlue (MSW Media's Donation Link)See What's On Your Ballot, Check Your Voter Registration, Find Your Polling Place, Discover Upcoming Debates In Your Area, And Much More! Vote411.orgCheck Your Voter Registration!vote.orgCheck out other MSW Media podcastshttps://mswmedia.com/shows/Subscribe for free to MuellerSheWrote on Substackhttps://muellershewrote.substack.comFollow AG and Dana on Social MediaDr. Allison Gill https://muellershewrote.substack.comhttps://twitter.com/MuellerSheWrotehttps://www.threads.net/@muellershewrotehttps://www.tiktok.com/@muellershewrotehttps://instagram.com/muellershewroteDana Goldberghttps://twitter.com/DGComedyhttps://www.instagram.com/dgcomedyhttps://www.facebook.com/dgcomedyhttps://danagoldberg.comCheck out the first 2 episodes of Trump's Project 2025: Up Close and Personal.https://trumpsproject2025pod.com/There is a new “Harris For President” Patreon tier:https://www.patreon.com/muellershewrote/membershipHave some good news; a confession; or a correction to share?Good News & Confessions - The Daily Beanshttps://www.dailybeanspod.com/confessional/From The Good NewsUtah Voter Information (Utah.gov)DR. KRISTIN LYERLY FOR WISCONSIN 8TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT  (kristinforwisconsin.com) Check out other MSW Media podcastshttps://mswmedia.com/shows/Subscribe for free to MuellerSheWrote on Substackhttps://muellershewrote.substack.com Follow AG and Dana on Social MediaDr. Allison Gill https://muellershewrote.substack.comhttps://twitter.com/MuellerSheWrotehttps://www.threads.net/@muellershewrotehttps://www.tiktok.com/@muellershewrotehttps://instagram.com/muellershewroteDana Goldberghttps://twitter.com/DGComedyhttps://www.instagram.com/dgcomedyhttps://www.facebook.com/dgcomedyhttps://danagoldberg.comHave some good news; a confession; or a correction to share?Good News & Confessions - The Daily Beanshttps://www.dailybeanspod.com/confessional/ Listener Survey:http://survey.podtrac.com/start-survey.aspx?pubid=BffJOlI7qQcF&ver=shortFollow the Podcast on Apple:The Daily Beans on Apple PodcastsWant to support the show and get it ad-free and early?Supercasthttps://dailybeans.supercast.com/OrPatreon https://patreon.com/thedailybeansOr subscribe on Apple Podcasts with our affiliate linkThe Daily Beans on Apple Podcasts

  It's a busy show today. While I was out in moving hell, the new term of the Supreme Extreme Court got underway. Today, our favorite legal expert Lisa Graves (DoJ & Senate veteran) joins in to let us know what's at stake at the court. We'll also check in with Heathcare advocate Laura Packard who's currently on a Protect Our Care national bus tour which hits Tempe, AZ today and Phoenix tomorrow before moving on to CA, NV, CO, MI, WI, OH and PA....

Despite legislative efforts, the American health care system continues to grapple with persistent challenges. In this episode, Leslie Dach discusses the intricate challenges and notable progress within America's health care landscape, highlighting persistent issues such as exorbitant costs and inadequate coverage. Drawing from his tenure at Walmart, he sheds light on the complexities faced by large employers in navigating the health care marketplace and reflects on the transformative impact of the Affordable Care Act, noting both persistent opposition and bipartisan support for reform initiatives. Tune in and gain valuable insights into the intricacies of health care reform and discover how you can contribute to building a healthier future for all Americans! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Special guest host Joe Zepecki sits in for Jane and Greg with a jam-packed show in store. He starts off briefly discussing the Trump hush money trial before being joined by State Senator LaTonya Johnson to discuss her new article on the need for voting rights legislation, appearing over at the Recombobulation Area. Then, Leslie Dach, president of Protect Our Care, joins the show to discuss the Affordable Care Act and the work the Biden administration is doing to protect it. As always, thank you for listening, texting and calling, we couldn't do this without you! Don't forget to download the free Civic Media app and take us wherever you are in the world! Matenaer On Air is a part of the Civic Media radio network and airs Monday through Friday from 10 am - noon across the state. Subscribe to the podcast to be sure not to miss out on a single episode! You can also rate us on your podcast distribution center of choice, they go a long way! To learn more about the show and all of the programming across the Civic Media network, head over to https://civicmedia.us/shows to see the entire broadcast line up. Follow the show on Facebook, X and YouTube to keep up with Jane and the show!

Wisconsin is one of only 10 states where Republicans still refuse to extend affordable healthcare coverage to families by using extra federal Medicaid dollars—and will soon be one of only two states not to allow new moms to be covered for health problems for up to a year instead of 60 days. We'll ask Joe Zepecki to put on his “Protect Our Care” hat to explain what Medicaid is and isn't. Guest: Joe Zepecki

We're joined by the chair of the healthcare advocacy group Protect Our Care, who joins us in trying to answer questions like, “What kind of person wakes up every day and makes it their mission to rip healthcare coverage away from millions of Americans—including free cancer screenings and lower prescription drug prices?” Guest: Leslie Dach

Today's guests: - Lynn Carey, Germantown - Dustin Klein, Milwaukee - Rick Whiting, Ashland - U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin for Wisconsin - Dan Shafer, Milwaukee, Columnist - Leslie Dach, Protect Our Care

Jesse Ferguson is a top Democratic strategist and comms expert - who cut his teeth in Virginia, ran the $60M+ DCCC Independent Expenditure in 2014, served as a top press aide to the Clinton '16 campaign, and is now a strategist advising numerous organizations and independent expenditures. In this conversation, Jesse talks key moments and lessons from his career, as well as providing his Messaging 101 on how he thinks of effective political communications.IN THIS EPISODE…Jesse's family connection to Joe McCarthy and the 1950s Red Scare…Jesse's early Republican leanings and the high-profile Republican he almost interned for…Jesse's theory of Virginia as a trendsetter in American politics…Jesse talks the importance of Mark Warner in the rise of Virginia Democrats…In college, Jesse starts Virginia21 to encourage more investment in Virginia higher education…Jesse talks the value of getting experience outside of DC…Jesse navigates multiple cycles rising through the ranks at the DCCC…Lessons from his “favorite job” running the DCCC IE in 2014…Jesse talks his senior comms role in the Hillary Clinton 2016 race…The 3 challenges the Hillary 2016 campaign had with the press…Jesse shares insights from health struggles he's faced…Jesse provides his Messaging 101 on speaking on the record, outlandish stunts, getting earned media, and more…Jesse's go-to “ABCV” message trick…The three TV shows that form the backbone of Jesse's approach to life…AND…agents of intolerance, George Allen, Mark Bergman, Demand Justice, Dukakis bumper stickers, early warning signs, earworms, Brian Fallon, Jerry Falwell, flowing hair, fruit flies, Steve Israel, Steve Jarding, Tim Kaine, kazoos, Abraham Lincoln, Travis Lowe, Stewart Mills, Robby Mook, Rick Nolan, Ralph Northam, The Palm, Jen Palmieri, Ed Peavy, pneumonic devices, press releases on camera, Protect Our Care, Red Dawn, Mame Reiley, the Richmond Jewish community, Pat Robertson, robots, Rockefeller Republicans, Michael Scherer, screen agnosticism, sharp elbows, Star Wars, Tikkun olam, Joe Trippi, the Urban Crescent, Kelly Ward, William & Mary, & more!

 On the radio show this week, we cover how YOU can access the new Child Tax Credit benefits of up to $300 per month per child that start on July 15th; the ways in which we can push to lower prescription drug prices; how your story can help move state and national change; and the big momentum growing behind paid family/medical leave in Congress so we finally join the other 177 countries in having this critical policy.   *Special guests include Elyssa Schmier, MomsRising, @MomsRising; Anne Shoup, Protect Our Care, @ProtectOurCare; Nancy Glenn, MomsRising, @MomsRising; Ruth Martin, MomsRising, @MomsRsising    

On the radio show this week, we cover how YOU can access the new Child Tax Credit benefits of up to $300 per month per child that start on July 15th; the ways in which we can push to lower prescription drug prices; how your story can help move state and national change; and the big momentum growing behind paid family/medical leave in Congress so we finally join the other 177 countries in having this critical policy. #ChildTaxCredit #LoweringDrugPrices #CareInfrastructure #PaidLeaveForAll *Special guests include Elyssa Schmier, MomsRising, @MomsRising; Anne Shoup, Protect Our Care, @ProtectOurCare; Nancy Glenn, MomsRising, @MomsRising; Ruth Martin, MomsRising, @MomsRsising

On the radio show this week, we cover how YOU can access the new Child Tax Credit benefits of up to $300 per month per child that start on July 15th; the ways in which we can push to lower prescription drug prices; how your story can help move state and national change; and the big momentum growing behind paid family/medical leave in Congress so we finally join the other 177 countries in having this critical policy.   *Special guests include Elyssa Schmier, MomsRising, @MomsRising; Anne Shoup, Protect Our Care, @ProtectOurCare; Nancy Glenn, MomsRising, @MomsRising; Ruth Martin, MomsRising, @MomsRising

Brad Woodhouse, executive director of Protect Our Care and senior advisor to the DNC, joins Gibbs and Murphy to discuss Ted Cruz’s jaunt to Cancun, the politics surrounding the nomination of Neera Tanden to lead the Office of Management and Budget, and how much air time – if any – Trump’s upcoming speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference should receive. Plus, the Hacks pick Brad’s brain about what to expect in the 2022 midterms. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Woodhouse brothers, Dallas, an ardent Republican, and Brad, a prominent national Democratic figure, are North Carolina siblings who have gained national attention in the past thanks to their political family feud. We spoke with Dallas last December, and on this week’s episode of Tying It Together With Tim Boyum, Brad joins us to talk about the interesting and, at times, contentious dynamic with his brother. The Woodhouse brother currently heads up Protect Our Care, which is focused on preserving and expanding the Affordable Care Act, but he has also worked with the Democratic National Committee and several campaigns, including several in North Carolina. He’ll also share his thoughts on the future of politics and health care. JOIN THE CONVERSATION Do you have any thoughts or questions for Tim? Weigh in on Twitter with the hashtag #TyingItTogetherNC. Afterward, rate the podcast and leave a review to tell us what you think!

On the #RADIO show this week we cover what is at stake for health care in the SCOTUS fight and the upcoming SCOTUS case; Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s legacy; hunger in America and the P-EBT/COVID hunger program wins; along with voter suppression and what people can do right now to help get out the vote. *Special guests include: Adam Hoyer, Protect Our Care, @ProtectOurCare; Lena Zwarensteyn, The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, @civilrightsorg; Robert Campbell, Feeding America, @FeedingAmerica; and Barbara Arnwine, Transformative Justice Coalition, @TJC_DC

On the #RADIO show this week we cover what is at stake for health care in the SCOTUS fight and the upcoming SCOTUS case; Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s legacy; hunger in America and the P-EBT/COVID hunger program wins; along with voter suppression and what people can do right now to help get out the vote.   *Special guests include: Adam Hoyer, Protect Our Care, @ProtectOurCare; Lena Zwarensteyn, The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, @civilrightsorg; Robert Campbell, Feeding America, @FeedingAmerica;  and Barbara Arnwine, Transformative Justice Coalition, @TJC_DC

Standing up for Truth. The evolution of Trump’s attack on the press.  A new commitment to covering climate change. Plus calling out the GOP effort to sabotage health care.    Donald Trump’s assault on truth and how we repair the damage. Why journalists are signing up to give the climate story the coverage it demands. Plus Bill Press on what’s at stake if the Affordable Care Act is struck down.    Kyle Pope Kyle Pope says the science is clear, but too often journalists are not. For too long, the U.S. media have downplayed and distorted  the climate change story, with devastating consequences. That’s why he has co-founded a new initiative involving over 60 news organizations to get the story right.   Brian Ott Well before his inauguration, Donald Trump launched a virile assault on the press and the very notion of truth itself. Since then, the attacks have only escalated. Brian Ott is a communications scholar who examines the intersection of rhetoric, media and democratic discourse.  He says the President has spearheaded a credibility crisis, and it relies on all of us to repair the damage.   Brad Woodhouse Donald Trump’s effort to destroy American health care and what it will take to save the Affordable Care Act.  Bill Press talks with Brad Woodhouse, president of Protect Our Care.   Jim Hightower Government for the rich, the poor be damned.

The Affordable Care Act is still under threat by Trump and the GOP in the courts and Trump's re-election would destroy healthcare in America.

Bill and Joe Williams of U.S News and World Report, Hanna Trudo of The Daily Beast and Brad Woodhouse of Protect Our Care break down this week's news. Plus a special in-depth interview with Roland Martin of #Roland Martin Unfiltered on how and why "white fear" drives so many white Americans. And the GOP.

I get a lot of listener questions about exercise and MS. And a lot of those questions come from people living with progressive MS, wondering whether the conversation about physical activity and MS applies to them.   My guest this week is Dr. Lara Pilutti,  an expert in the role of exercise in the management and treatment of disability arising from multiple sclerosis. We're talking about how you want to be thinking about exercise and why you want to be thinking about exercise, whether you're living with relapsing-remitting MS or progressive MS. We're also talking about this year's winner of the Dystel Prize for MS Research. We'll tell you about the long overdue approval of Ocrevus to treat early primary progressive MS in the U.K. You'll hear about the French research team that has found a connection between ancient retroviruses and MS. And we'll tell you about legislation introduced in Congress that's supposed to protect people with pre-existing conditions...but doesn't! We have a lot to talk about. Are you ready for RealTalk MS??! Now You Can Find RealTalk MS on Pandora  :53 Download the Free RealTalk MS App  1:18 You Can Be My Special Guest on RealTalk MS Episode #100   2:09 Dystel Prize for MS Research Awarded to Dr. Anne Cross  4:17 Ocrevus (Finally!) Approved in the U.K. for Treatment of Early Primary Progressive MS  6:10 Researchers Find a Connection Between Ancient Retroviruses and MS  7:12 Republican Legislators Introduce Bills That Protect People with Pre-Existing Conditions...Or Do They???!  8:25 My Interview with Dr. Lara Pilutti  14:53 ___________ ADD YOUR VOICE TO THE CONVERSATION I've always thought about the RealTalk MS podcast as a conversation. And this is your opportunity to join the conversation by sharing your feedback, questions, and suggestions for topics that we can discuss in future podcast episodes. Please shoot me an email or call the RealTalk MS Listener Hotline and share your thoughts! Email: jon@realtalkms.comPhone: (310) 526-2283 ___________ LINKS If your podcast app doesn't allow you to click on these links, you'll find them in the show notes in the RealTalk MS app or at www.RealTalkMS.com Be My Guest on RealTalk MS Episode #100 Download the RealTalk MS App for iOS Download the RealTalk MS App for Android Give RealTalk MS a Rating & Review  ___________ Follow RealTalk MS on Twitter, @RealTalkMS_jon, and subscribe to our newsletter at our website, RealTalkMS.com. RealTalk MS Episode 89 Hosted By: Jon Strum Guest: Dr. Lara Pilutti Tags: MS, MultipleSclerosis, MSResearch, MSSociety, Ocrevus, ProtectOurCare, Caregiving, RealTalkMS

Donald Trump went to the border to try and make the case that a wall needs to be built. Beto O'Rourke had his own rally just blocks from the Trump rally. They both pulled in impressive crowds, but Beto had the right message. Lawmakers say that they have a an "agreement in principle" to keep the government open. It doesn't give Trump a full border wall, so will he sign it? We talk to Brad Woodhouse from Protect Our Care, Dara Lind from Vox and the legendary Markos Moulitsas from DailyKos!

In this episode: We take a deep dive into the front groups propping up the Left’s defenses of Obamacare, Planned Parenthood’s labor practices come under scrutiny, and Washington continues its biennial tradition of defeated and retired Congressmen hanging around town, this time as lobbyists. Subscribe to the audio version of the podcast on your platform of choice at: https://influencewatch.fireside.fm/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/capitalresearchcenter Twitter: https://twitter.com/capitalresearch Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/capital.research.center/ Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/capitalresearchcenter/ YouTube: https://bit.ly/CRCYouTube

The logistics involved in traveling can be cumbersome, and that's twice as true if you're living with MS. Mobility issues and other special requirements can make travel challenging. But whether you're out exploring the world or just checking into a local hotel for a pampered staycation, travel can add so much to your quality of life. My guest on the podcast is Tarita Davenock. It's been 20 years since Tarita's MS diagnosis. And today, Tarita is the CEO of Travel For All, a travel agency that embraces the philosophy that travel should be inclusive, and not exclusive.       Last week, a federal judge declared the Affordable Care Act to be unconstitutional, and we're talking about what that means for people living with MS. We'll share some newly published results of a stem cell therapy clinical trial, we'll tell you about a study that demonstrates how exercise improves myelin repair in the mouse model of MS, and we'll tell you about CanProCo, a large MS research project just getting underway in Canada.    Jon and RealTalk MS were featured in last week's Causepods podcast. We'll tell you what that's all about, and how Causepods has created a way for you to support the National MS Society.   We have a lot to talk about! Are you ready for RealTalk MS?! ___________ The Affordable Care Act Was Ruled Unconstitutional -- What This Means for People Living with MS   2:11 RealTalk MS Is Featured on the CausePods Podcast  6:33 Encouraging Results From Stem Cell Therapy Study, But Questions Still Need To Be Answered  8:18 Ocrevus Approved for Treating Relapsing-Remitting MS in Scotland  10:53 Exercise Promotes Myelin Repair in Mouse Model of MS  12:07 The Canadian Proactive Cohort Study for People Living with MS Will Study 1,000 Canadians Living with MS   14:02 My Interview with Travel For All CEO, Tarita Davenock  16:37 ___________ LINKSIf your podcast app doesn’t allow you to click on these links, you’ll find them in the show notes in the RealTalk MS app or at www.RealTalkMS.com Download the RealTalk MS App for iOS Download the RealTalk MS App for Android National Patient Groups Denounce District Court Ruling Overturning Health Care Law Jon Strum & RealTalk MS on the Causepods Podcast GoFundMe Page Benefiting The National MS Society Prospective Phase II Clinical Trial of Autologous Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant for Treatment Refractory Multiple Sclerosis Multimodal Enhancement of Remyelination by Exercise with a Pivotal Role for Oligodendroglial PGC1a Travel For All Give RealTalk MS a Rating & Review ___________ Follow RealTalk MS on Twitter, @RealTalkMS_jon, and subscribe to our newsletter at our website, RealTalkMS.com. RealTalk MS Episode 69 Hosted By: Jon Strum Guest: Tarita Davenock Tags: MS, MultipleSclerosis, MS, RealTalkMS, TravelForAll, ACA, ProtectOurCare, MSActivist, HSCT, Ocrevus, CanProCo, MSSocietyCanada, Causepods

Reports are out there that John Kelly is resigning as Chief of Staff for Donald Trump. Has he finally had enough? The situation in NC and around the country shows a pattern of election fraud and disenfranchising voters. It's the only way that they can win elections anymore! They can't sell voters on their ideas, so they just STEAL seats! We ramp you up for the weekend with Brad Woodhouse from Protect Our Care, Eugene Scott from WaPo and Elaina Plott from The Atlantic.

Hey! It’s officially time for the Wooden Teeth to start chattering! We’re here to bust some myths, find out where your health collides with politics, laugh, and take some action. For our inaugural episode, we’ve got Brad Woodhouse in Washington, DC, who runs Protect Our Care, the organization fighting to defend the Affordable Care Act. And Brad’s magnificent Carolina accent. We’ve got that too.

Republicans got their wish. Brett Kavanaugh, an apparent sexual predator and partisan idealogue, was confirmed to the Supreme Court. His legitimacy will be questioned for decades to come, but that doesn't change the fact that he has a lifetime appointment. It's time to get mad. It's time to get even. It's time to VOTE. It's time to show Republicans how powerful the Democratic base can be. Hold them accountable for this charade. We talk about firing up the base with Brad Woodhouse from Protect Our Care, all things White House with Chris Cadelago from Politico and we get an inside look at Kavanaugh's confirmation with Eliza Collins from USA Today.

In Episode 003 of the Origin Stories: A Podcast About Politics and People, longtime talk radio producer Brent Jabbour speaks Protect Our Care Executive Director Brad Woodhouse about going from being a theatre major in college to working as Communications Director for the Democratic National Committee. Woodhouse also discusses the interesting situation of having a brother who is the Executive Director of the North Carolina Republican Party. Subscribe to the podcast onItunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Spreaker, TuneIN, or wherever you consume Podcasts.Again, if you like the project share it with your friends, follow me on Twitter @BrentJabbour and/or like the page on Facebook.Transcript:This is episode three of Origin Stories: A Podcast about politics and People. My name Brent Jabbour and this week we speak with Brad Woodhouse. He is the executive director at Protect Our Care. He is the former DNC Communications Director, he was an Obama surrogate in 08 and 2012. He's what I would consider a Democratic operative, that is just a buzzword, it doesn't really mean anything in particular. It's like a Democratic strategist. It just means what's going on. He knows the inner-workings of what is going on with the party. And, we had a pretty good discussion. I always found Brad pretty interesting because his brother is the Executive Director of the North Carolina Republican Party and he is entering his second cycle there. So, he is this key Democratic operative his brother high ranking Republican in the North Carolina party. They've actually played that up, you've seen them appear on Fox together, on CSpan, there is a famous viral clip of them going at it and their mom giving a call into the program. He's a really personable guy, we've had him on the Ed Schultz Radio show and the Ed Show on MSNBC quite a bit. So I have spoken with him many times and he was always friendly. He was just a guy I thought has a lot of personality and I would love to sit him down and talk about what's going on right now in politics in the United States. So, we touched on that.We talked about his Origin Story, if you will, he started out thinking he could be a big movie star because he was a theatre major in college. Then he saw Bill Clinton accept the Democratic nomination in 1992. And, it just clicked for him. And he decided to go into politics as his family had in the past. We talk about a lot of things. We obviously re-litigate the 2016 election because you can't sit down with anyone today without doing that. But we also talk about what is important for Democrats to win in 2018 and then moving into 2020. He is very critical of President Donald Trump so we will talk a lot about that. I think it was a really enjoyable conversation. Just a little bit of a heads up. Next week, I have already recorded it, but I sat down with my first sitting United States Congressman, that's an elected official, that's a big deal for me. I go to go into Congress and actually sit down with somebody. I sat down with Kevin Cramer of North Dakota who is in a big Senate race and I speak a lot about that race. In fact, we talk about that in this particular episode of the podcast. Looking forward to that.If you like what you hear, remember to subscribe on Itunes or wherever you get your podcasts so you can get it delivered right to your ears. Would love for that to be the case for you every Thursday when we release new episodes. You can follow on Facebook. Facebook.com/podcastoriginstories or follow me on Twitter @BrentJabbour. Here we go. I'm not going to waste too much more time. It's Brad Woodhouse, Democratic Operative from Protect Our care. Origin Stories: A Podcast About Politics and People, Episode three, here we go!Brent Jabbour:I don't know why, but you were in my building one time and I rode the elevator up with you. And, I have this little anxiety issue, where I can never remember somebody's name when I see them. It happens to me...Brad Woodhouse:That happens to a lot of people. Brent Jabbour:I don't want to be like: "Hey there big guy, I know you." Because I am sure you get that regularly, being somebody television. But, I also, I should know. I immediately got off the elevator and I said: "It was Brad Woodhouse. Damnit!"Brad Woodhouse:Man, that happens to everybody. That being on the spot. And you have that classic brain fart, they call it. Brent Jabbour:I also have this new thing where I've realized that you see somebody and you say hello to them and then you realize: "Oh, now I have to have a conversation with this person."Not that I want to be rude or anything. But, I just wanted to say hello. Brad Woodhouse:It's also that question of whether you make eye contact or not. If you make eye contact it's like: "Hey, hello, how are you?" And sometimes it's just better to not make eye contact. Brent Jabbour:So, you grew up in North Carolina. Your brother is the RNC chair of North Carolina?Brad Woodhouse:So, he's the Executive Director of the North Caroline Republican Party. I guess this is his second full cycle doing that. So, he's been there awhile. Brent Jabbour:Let's how you guys got to be. How did you become a key Democratic operative and he becomes a face of the Republican party in your home state? Brad Woodhouse:Well, the long-ago story for both of us, the origin story, is our parents. They were both very involved politically. They went into politics right out of college. They both worked in state government, in state politics. My father went on, he had a myriad of interests. He was Democratic operative back in the sixties and then he went later to work for Jesse Helms, so complete opposite of how he started. And, just as a citizen, he supported Ross Perot for president in 1992. So, he was kind of all over the map. But, he was very engaged politically. My mom was engaged politically. And, another thing was, they really forced us to be engaged politically and to pay a lot of attention to the news. I knew at a very early age who Walter Cronkite was, who Frank Reynolds was, Eric Sevareid, all of these anchors. The anchors for our local television, we took two newspapers a day, back when there was an afternoon newspaper delivered in Raleigh. So, it was a combination of politics and news. So, I think it was inevitable. My brother, originally he got a degree in journalism. Originally he was a television reporter doing all the types of things television reporters do. And eventually went on to become the public affairs director for the NBC affiliate in Raleigh. And, had the local version of Meet the Press. And, then from that, he left and went directly into politics. Ya know, when I graduated from college I didn't think I was going to go into politics. My first job was with Marriott as a management trainee. It was always in the back of my mind. I had majored in political science. I was watching the Democratic national convention in 1992, I was in Birmingham, AL, I was working for Marriott. And, I saw Bill Clinton's speech and I basically quit the next day and moved back to North Carolina and volunteered for a congressional campaign. Brent Jabbour:I think that is what the interesting thing about the world of politics is. If you're interested in it. You don't have to be a professional in the business in any way. I mean, you grew up in that realm, so you had that background. But, you can be interested in it and something like that can just inspire you to say i might give up the next six months of my life to go knock on doors, sleep in an office where you eat pizza 6 nights a week.So, was your brother always leaning conservative and you were always leaning (liberal)? Brad Woodhouse:That's what's interesting. When I was in college, Dallas was still in High School in North Carolina. Frankly, we weren't particularly close. You know, he did some of the same things in High School that I did. He acted, he did musicals, he was in show choir, and he had an interest in being out there and being a performer. And, that is one reason... I did a lot of that in high school and college. I was a theatre major in college originally. And, politics gives you an outlet for people who are not actually that talented in performing arts to be on the public stage in another venue. So, I wasn't really sure what his political leanings were when he was in high school and early in college. Then, when he got out of college, he was a television reporter, so he played it kind of straight. And, when he took over, he was the host of NBC 17's version of meet the press every sunday, and you began to see his political leanings started to come out. You could see he had this antipathy towards governent and government programs, and people who recieve government assistance, and one thing led to another.But, he was probably in his mid-twenties before I realized he was moving in that direction. And then it became stronger and stronger and stronger. And incidently, the same thing happened to me. I didn't feel real ideoligically inclined when I was in college. I didn't volunteer for campaigns, I wasn't involved politically. I was just as likely to be inspired by George H.W. Bush giving a speech as somebody else. It's kind of incredible, that speech I watched Bill Clinton give, just turned me on. I said I want to do politics, I want to do government, I want to do that type of work. And then all my families connections in North Carolina were on the Democratic side. So, I moved home, and the rest is kind of history. Brent Jabbour:I have a couple of things I want to hit on here. First, on the theatre major thing, what really drew you to theatre?Brad Woodhouse:Well look, I had at an early age had an interest in acting. Probably when I was in Junior High school, I asked my mom to sign me up for acting classes. I did improvisation training. And then, whenever there was a little thing to do, we had a 6th-grade sing-a-long, and they needed someone to play Rudolf and I say: "I want to do that." I just was drawn to it. Like a lot of kids, I thought I was going to be a movie actor. Then I became a Springsteen freak and I wanted to sing Springsteen at a school show. Now, I can't carry a tune. So, that was another reason I couldn't continue as a performance artist. I can't sing. So, I never got the chance to play Bruce Springsteen in High School. But, I was really drawn to it. I had some leading roles in theatre in High School and even in Raleigh Little Theatre, Peace College, I did some work. And, you know I had the opportunity to go to the University of South Carolina as a theatre major. I went to the University of South Carolina the day after I graduated from High School and immediatly started in a summer musical. So, I thought I was going to be an actor. Brent Jabbour:And, I think the question I was really going to ask here... Because I think I felt the same way, which was initially the reason I got into radio initially too, because I thought there could be some... I wanted people to hear my voice. Like you said, it's easy to go into the political or punditry world. Not that you don't need talent. People, by the way, underestimate the amount of talent that people like you have. The people you see on television everyday. Believe me, there are a lot of people who show up one time and don't make it because they don't know how to articulate a thought, they don't have any exuberance. You can see Brad Woodhouse on television for three minutes, and you get a pretty good understanding of who you are, your personality. You have that southern, North Carolina draw, that kind of draws you in a little bit.Also, the reason I came up with this idea is because I think there are a lot of people who see you for three minutes and they make an immediate snap judgement on you and they don't really get an idea of who you are, besides, sometimes I see this blowhard on television, not that you are a blowhard. So, you were inspired by Bill Clinton in 1992, and I think a lot of people in my generation, I'm 34, we got inspired by Obama probably in the same way to get politically active. And I think you can see the paralells between those two, because they motivated people to get out, they motivated people who you see getting involved now because they saw Obama give that speech or Bill Clinton accepting the nomination in 1992. Who is going to be the next person in the Democratic party to inspire the masses to get out and do something. Look, I have spent a lot of time re-litigating the 2016 campaign.Brent Jabbour:I've said it a million times, Hillary Clinton was probably the most qualified person to ever run for the office, but she just didn't know how to connect with the people that way. And, we as a Democratic party clearly need that because we can't seem to motivate people on good policy.Brad Woodhouse:Right, yeah. Well, look it's a good question. I don't think we have seen that moment yet, where we know who that next person is. Politics is all about timing. It could be that the next Democrat who wins the nomination and hopefully becomes president and hopefully denies Trump a second term, may not be that person. It may be the person who is just the best person to defeat Donald Trump. And that might be what inspires the masses in the country, on our side, and among right-thinking independents might be OK, we have to defeat Trump. This is the best person to defeat Trump. It could be that we have that. But, sometimes it skips a generation. You don't have a Bill Clinton or Barack Obama type politician in every election cycle. So, it remains to be seen. Look, I think some of the potential that we have on the bench... People like to say Democrats don't have a bench, you look at the number of really talented people thinking about running for office, either in politics or not in politics. It's really impressive. The bigger problem we have is we may have 20 people on stage at some point. But, Barack Obama we knew after that 2004 speech. It was almost inevitable that... maybe not inevitable that he was going to be President. But, inevitable that he was going to lead a cohort of Americans down some type of path towards change. Because he was so inspiring. He captured so many people's attention. And, the interesting thing about Obama of course, is that all of the lucky, I don't want to say luck he is a talented politician. But all of the breaks he got. He had a primary that fell his way when divorce records came out. He had a general election when more divorce records came out. Remember they had to import Alan Keyes from Maryland to even run against him in the Senate race in 2004. But that speech that he gave in 2004 you knew... He wasn't in Senate a day before people started to speculating when he would run for president. There are other people who have that same speculation around them. Senators who are in their first term for example. But we'll see. No one right now has quite captured that imagination. Brent Jabbour:I think that in that particular situation as well. You talk about these first-term Senators, Kamala Harris is who you are mostly referring to. Maybe Elizabeth Warren, but she is in her second term. Not that I want to downplay those women's roles, but the fact is, they don't have that Pizzaz that Obama had. Obama/Biden is the most charismatic two politicians that I can think of ever been near each other. I don't know if they really did... but they looked... Look, I'm a big optics guy. While I perceive the reality of what things are, I also spend a lot of time understanding most people just see things on the surface level. And, Presidential races are popularity contests. They aren't about who has the best policies, they are about who can whip up the most votes in America. And, I think that those two Senators I love them both very dearly, I love their politics, I just don't think they move the dial in a national election in the middle of the Country. You would think that Obama/Biden wouldn't, but Biden speaks directly to your heart so that helps. And, Obama said all the right things. He may not have been the best in acting as a president to some people on the left, however, he, in my opinion, he knew what to say at all times. I spend a lot of time, I was just thinking about this-this morning. I spend a lot of time pretending with other people on the left that I don't just love Obama and every moment of the 8 years he was president of the United States. Sure, there were some issues I didn't really care for, but the fact is, I can wipe all that away because he was charismatic, he won, and I think most of the time he did the right thing. Brad Woodhouse:Well, I think, he accomplished a lot. He inspired millions of people in this country. His election, obviously, in 2008 was as historic anything that has ever happened in this country politically. And almost anything that has happened in the country period. And he is such a popular ex-president. I think this charisma that he had with Biden, and the relationship they have it's real, it's true. I mean you think about the fact that they still do things together.When Bill Clinton and Al Gore left the White House, it may have been years before they spoke or did anything together. Cheney and Bush, these are business relationships in the White House generally. I think it was a real friendship, there was a real kinship there. I do think that Biden is an inspiring figure for a lot of reasons. His life story. The travails he's gone through. His son, his family. And bringing himself up by the bootstraps. But, I think we are blessed a number of great candidates and we just don't know until we see them. There are so many tests. Their announcement speech. Did they move the dial? Did they move the needle? Did they move people to cheer and tear up? And maybe we take too much stock in that. Look, I think the country might be better off if the person with the best policies did win. But that's not realistic. Policies get you through editorial board meetings. They don't get you elected. Getting elected is a combination of smart policies, but really articulation of the American people are and where you want them to go. A really forward vision. And, I think Barack Obama had that. And it may have been an idealistic vision. It may have been an almost unreasonable vision that the country could come together. Washington could clean up its act. But It's what people wanted at the time. And, it was a reaction to people's antipathy towards both big government and big business. And, he had an opportunity, in the campaign, to fuse those strands of populism and idealism together. Democrats will find that person again. Is it the 2020 cycle? It might be. The true test is not some persons performance at a hearing on Capitol Hill or one appearance on Meet the Press or CNN. It's going to be when they are out there on the hustings. Are they connecting with the American People? Are they meeting the American people where they are and where the American people want to go? I think we are going to have it in 2020. Is it Obama redux or Clinton redux? It might not be. But given where we see this president, where we see his numbers, we see where he is taking the country down this path of divisiveness and everything. I am not sure we are going to have to have Obama 2.0 to win in 2020.Brent Jabbour:The more you talk about this, the more I think if Joe wants to run, he has my full support. Because he does have the charisma. We'll get to see a lot of Obama. Which I always appreciate. But, also, he speaks to the heart of people in the middle of the country. And, I know we've talked about all of this so much since the election. And there are a lot of people on the left who say: "Stop calling them working-class Americans, what you mean is white people who are racists in the middle of the country." No that's not what I mean, I mean people who work for a living. It's easy for people in Washington D.C., who are Democratic operatives, to say: "Oh, you guys are just mad because it was a woman who ran." No, while I think there was a little of that, I actually had a union leader tell me: "Look, I'm around these guys every day, some of them just aren't going to vote for a woman." But we will grow out of that. I mean ten years ago, everybody would have said: "Look, nobody's gonna vote for a black guy." And he became the President of the United States. Look, Hillary Clinton had so much baggage from the Bill Clinton years. When I was a kid during the Bill Clinton years, I didn't know much about it. All I really knew was Hillary was a ball buster. That's not actually true, it's just the impression that you are given. And, sometimes perception is reality...Brad Woodhouse:The Clintons were interesting. Because there was this vicious cycle where they distrusted the press. The press distrusted them. It fed more and more distrust. And then when you put on top of it all of the made up scandals. Travelgate, made up. Whitewater, made up. All of these kinds of made up scandals. And there was no reservoir of goodwill for the Clintons to go to the press because of their distrust for the press and the press' distrust for them. And to get the fairest of hearings. And, I get the resentment that the Clintons have about that. If you look at one of their chief antagonists, who came around to them, David Brock later on. Think about how many things David Brock, funded by Richard Mellon Scaife and those folks, fed into the American distrust of the Clintons that was all phony. It was all made up. Troopergate, Whitewater, all this stuff. And then the President ultimately stumbles into the Monica Lewinsky thing, which is on him. But, there is no reservoir of goodwill with the press to help him out of that, even though he won in the end. And ended his presidency very popular. Hillary had to live with all of that mud, so to speak. Brent Jabbour:Did Obama get away from the whole distrust for the press and everything because he had African American press to go to. I mean, you would always see him on the Joe Madison show, or several other...Brad Woodhouse:There was a healthy bit of (distrust) between the Obama White House and the press. I think that is true of all White Houses. It is a balancing act. Reporters want access. Presidents want unfettered ability to deliver their message. And to be covered. And, you will have a lot of reporters who felt like there was a little bit of heavy-handed tactics from the campaign and the White House. And, they think they should have gotten more access. But, I think given the state of affairs in the Trump presidency, it's been like 20 days since Sara Sanders held an on-camera television briefing. The pendulum has swung so far. In retrospect... And look, I don't think the press ever really had any antipathy toward the President. I think they occasionally felt like his spokespeople, or others, or when I was at the DNC and I was vociferously defending the President and his policies. And occasionally I went over the line in taking on journalists that I felt like were being unfair. So, I think there is a little bit of that that goes on. I think by-and-large the press looks back now on the Obama years and feels like that they had it pretty good. Ya know, Josh Earnest and Jay Carney, all of those people who stood at that podium tried to be fair and represent the President they worked for, but also tried to help the press.And, you don't have that. There is no feeling that Sean Spicer before or Sara Sanders now is trying to help the American people or help the press understand what the President is thinking and what the President is trying to accomplish. They are trying to bully the press into not being critical of this president and not reporting accurately on this president. Brent Jabbour:I'll tell you what. The White House Press Briefings are an hour long campaign ad for Donald Trump. Which, technically any press briefing is such a thing. Like you said, she just attacks the press and all that does is feed into the base and those people who love Trump and say: "See, he's not going to be pushed around by the Washington elite, they're not going to let them lie to me." And they win. The Trump Administration, they win on a lot of different fronts. And right now, I'm concerned about the Democrats, and as we talked about that whole thing about who will pick up that mantle. Who is going to be the next candidate to really move the dial. I think we are going to have a hard time running against Trump. Because, he is going to be able to talk to those establishment Republicans who maybe they don't really care for the Stormy Daniels payoff and everything. But he is going to be able to say several things to them that is going to really work to his base and those people who really voted for him. Number one, he nominated two Supreme Court Justices.Brad Woodhouse:It's the holy grail for a lot of Republicans. Brent Jabbour:Any other president who does that. You could start four wars and your going back...Brad Woodhouse:The truth is, the Evangelicals they could live with Donald Trump sleeping with and paying off 25 porn stars as long as they get Supreme Court Justices that will overturn a woman's right to choose. They could care less about the President's morality. Brent Jabbour:And we are in trouble because I hope RBG can hold on. Because he could literally go on stage when he's running in 2020 and say: "She's not going to make it 4 years, so you better re-elect me." He's got that. You can hate tariffs and all the things he is doing on trade all you want, but working-class Americans, not just white Americans, I mean people who work for a living they see that and say whether it works or not, he tried. Something that the Obama administration never did, Clinton put in a bad trade deal. So it's easy for him to say that. Job numbers are still going up, which is a lot of work the Obama Administration did. And, he may inadvertently negotiate peace on the Korean Peninsula. Brad Woodhouse:Yeah, well that I think is a big if. The backdrop of all that is the Mueller Investigation. The backdrop of all that is still Manafort is getting ready to go on trial again. Some backdrop of all that 2020 discussion is what happens in 2018. Do the Democrats take back the house? Do they maybe take back the Senate? How do they handle that? Do they push for partisan impeachment? Do they just investigate, investigate, investigate and let Mueller finish what he is doing? I think the most interesting thing that I see that could be... Look, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama had horrific midterms. So, we shouldn't overread what happens in November. But, if you look at the polls that are coming out now, Trump's approval rating is down into the mid-to-high thirties. He's even losing his base in that regard. And, his approval rating in some of the reddest states is at 50 percent or below. Now, those are not states that we are going to go and grab those electoral votes in 2020. But, if he's having to chase reliably red states to guarantee those electoral votes in 2020 there is something going to be left on the sideline. Maybe it's Michigan, maybe it's Wisconsin, maybe it's Pennsylvania. Brent Jabbour:Oh Brad, let me tell you why you are over analyzing this. Because we did the exact same thing in 2016. We looked at the same exact situation, we said: "He's not doing enough in Florida that's going to be a Democratic win, he's not doing enough here, he's not doing enough there." Meanwhile, we didn't go to Michigan and Wisconsin. We lost those states and he still won Florida. Brad Woodhouse:I agree one hundred percent. I'm not in the camp that believes Demographics is destiny and we should just follow that path. Or, that the entire solution is in the white working class. It's crazy, it's nuts, Obama didn't build a single coalition to win in 2008 or 2012. Bill Clinton didn't either. You've got to build a coalition of people that see in their self-interest and their inspiration and in their forward-looking vision for the country something in a President that will inspire a Latina woman to vote in Tucson and a factory worker to vote in Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania. And, that's what we need. And, this either/or is the craziest discussion. It's also this either the Bernie side or the Clinton side. There is no Bernie side or Clinton side. Right now Clinton isn't running for president, Bernie's not running for President yet. If allow that inner seam warfare to continue then Donald Trump could get elected to a second term.Brent Jabbour:I think what you talk about with that Bernie/Hillary divide. And, I think there is a Bernie Sanders wing of the party, and there is a little wing of the party that is even further left than Bernie. And, i think the problem is... And, I'm going to call you an establishment type, I hope that doesn't offend you. Because I would say I'm a little left of establishment although there were many times when I lived in North Dakota running Ed's radio show for many years and I thought I was as progressive as you get then I moved to D.C. and I realized I may be center-left. But, I think that the people on the establishment side are doing as much damage as the people on the far left Bernie-side are to this conversation. Because, those establishment people are saying: "We're not going to let you run our party." Which means: "We're not going to let you be part of our party. We aren't going to appease you in any way." And there are a lot of things going on behind the scenes at the DNC which I don't want to talk about right now. It's just some nuanced nonsense. But, I just think there is a mutual hatred on both sides of this party for those people. I don't know what the solution in 2018 and 2020 is to kind of bring those two sides together. Brad Woodhouse:Well, first thing in 2018 is to focus on the Republicans. It is not to have an all-out war between various factions of the Democratic party. We've had primaries, and there have been a number of Democratic primaries where single payer was the issue. And single payer advocates won. And there have been other primaries where the single-payer advocate lost. And there are other issues like that that have played out in Primaries. We are almost done with Primary season. What we need to focus on is Republicans, they're in charge. And we need to focus on Republicans. And I say Republicans to the exclusion of Trump. Trump is going to be covered every single day. Trump is making negative news for himself and Republicans every single day. On Twitter, Bob Mueller is driving Trump news, Stormy Daniels is driving Trump news. Democrats need to focus on their Republican opponents and Republican Governance. If you look, people don't like the way Republicans have governed in Congress. They don't like what they did on healthcare. The tax bill is unpopular. Can you imagine? How fucked up are you as a party if you pass a tax bill, a tax cut and it's unpopular. I mean, Republicans couldn't sell Kool-Aid to children if they can't sell a tax cut to the American people. I think those are the things we need to focus on. Inevitably after this election, probably days after this election, we're going to start having a conversation as a party about what our priorities are. And you know what? Good. We'll have that fight. We'll have that argument. It will play out in the 2020 primary for President and maybe it will create a divide that we can't bridge but maybe we will have that person who can talk to both sides. This is not a choice between people who supported Hillary Clinton or people supported Bernie Sanders. In 2020 it's going to be about who can best deny Donald Trump a second term. Brent Jabbour:You made me think because I don't believe there is a "Blue Wave." I don't buy it for a couple of reasons. One, there aren't enough Senate seats up. I think Heidi Heitkamp in North Dakota is in trouble. I think Kevin Cramer can win that seat. I've talked about that a lot, I don't know why. It's the one that really strikes me as the one that will probably go Republican. But I think we will get the Nevada seat. Brad Woodhouse:I'll say this. We've done a lot of work with her and her office. And, she is making healthcare the number one issue in that race. She's a cancer survivor. Pre-existing conditions has exploded as an issue on the campaign trail because the Trump administration decided to weigh-in in favor of this lawsuit in Texas that would get rid of all those protections for people. I'll predict on this podcast that she does win. And, I think she'll win because Kevin Cramer can't explain what he would do to make people's lives better, particularly on health care. And I think she can. But, I'm with you in this respect. A blue wave in the Senate is going to be hard because of the map. The truth is we could very well find ourselves with about the same math as we have now. They could knock a Democrat or two. I think the numbers are showing that is going to be increasingly difficult. The President is going to be a drag, even in some of these red states. But, they could knock off a Democrat or two. But, I think there is a good chance that we win Nevada. And that we win either Arizona or Tennessee. But, the map is daunting. We are defending far more seats. But, I think it will be your definition of a wave. If we sweep out 50 Republicans in the House or 40 Republicans in the House and take some state legislative seats, chambers that we don't have, in advance of redistricting. I mean, I feel pretty good about that. Brent Jabbour:Do Democrats not realize that when they talk about the Blue Wave in the House, do they not understand what Gerrymandering is and what has been done to the map in most states. And I'm glad you mentioned House seats. Becaue, I was going to mention that as well. You know, I have strangely spoke with more Republicans than I have Liberals as I have been recording this thing, more scheduling issues than anything. And, a lot of them say, we are really working in the State Houses because we saw the Democrats doing that. And now we're doing better. Democrats aren't focused on those State Houses. We're not winning those State Houses. You've seen what happened, especially since 2010. We're not doing enough. We need to win those legislatures becuase we need to redraw those lines. Brad Woodhouse:There has been a cascading effect of Gerrymandering. People think of Gerrymandering as the U.S. House of Representatives. Remember, Legislative seats, State Senate seats, and it all ladders up. It is not just about winning. We need to win the House. We need to have Democrats in the House be a check on this President, investigate this President, push strong Democratic policies, even if we have a Republican Senate and a Republican President that won't adopt them. We do need to have an agenda going into 2020. Democrats are never going to maintain power in Congress for long if we don't get a hold of these state legislative chambers. Remember, we have a very undemocratic United States Senate. We've got states, where two Republican Senators represent about as many people as a member of Congress does in a Congressional district. Yet, they have as much power in the Senate as two Democrats who represent 40 million people in California. That's the constitution, that's how the Senate is going to be elected, and how it's going to be portioned. So we can do that in the House. We can do that by winning State Legislative chambers and fighting every bit of redistricting legally, legislatively, administratively, anyway we can to make sure we get a better result in this next reapportionment. Brent Jabbour:I just feel... I'm getting jaded even in the middle of my own...Brad Woodhouse:Well look, there is less going on than we'd like, but there is more going on than has been. We have the Holder/Obama group that is doing legislative redistricting. They have a legal strategy, they have a legislative strategy, they have an electoral strategy. That group, along with the DLCC, along with the work that we're doing. Remember, if we win the House of Representatives a lot of those victories are going to sweep in a lot of people below them. Because the turnout machines for some of these congressional races will far exceed anything that a state legislative or State Senate candidate can do. So, we can't count on that. We have to run races all the way down, down to the ZooKeeper level. We need to elect up and down the ballot. But, there is more going to affect the outcome of State Legislative chambers than we've seen in the past. Brent Jabbour:I just think that we need to get to talk about that. I feel like we try to trick people into doing what we need to do. When, if we simply just said: Hey Democrats in Georgia, in North Carolina, in any state that has a purple opportunity. We can say, hey Democrats there, just so you understand we need you to vote, not just because you love this candidate or you love that candidate. We need you to vote because we need to win, and we need to win this State House so we can make this work for everybody. We say "turn out the vote" and almost try to shame people into voting. Not just we, everybody does. There is no explanation of what's going on most of the time. And, normal people do not have an understanding, normal people, but people who are out there...Brad Woodhouse:They're Busy... People running their lives, they don't pay attention to this every day. And, the thing that you're suggesting is exactly right. We need to constantly have a civics lesson with the American people, particularly those we want to come vote for us, about political power. And, I think for too long Democrats across the country felt like political power resided in the presidency. Ask Bill Clinton after 1994 or Barack Obama after 2010. There is a whole lot of political power that resides in Congress, and those things bubble up from redistricting. From districts that are now more favorable to Republicans. You're right. One of the biggest headwinds against Democrats is the actual districts that we're running in. There are those districts that Hillary Clinton won in 2016. There are enough of them, if you turned every single one of them, to win a bare majority. You want a governing majority. But, you're right, we need a civics lesson to the American people. It is as important for Democrats to control the state legislature in Georgia as it is to control the House of Representatives in Washington. Because they all flow one to the other. Brent Jabbour:Also, the Democrats need to understand 51 Senators ain't going to win you anything. Number one, Republicans will obstruct, we saw that during the Obama administration. Essentially, Mitch McConnell should have been elected President of the United States because he is the one that did the most for Republicans over the last 8 years of his presidency. And, also, we can't always count on Democrats. It's funny, Republicans are now starting to face that now in the House with the Freedom Caucus and they can hold them hostage. Democrats don't do it as heavy-handed. But there are, it's a wide swath of a party, they don't fall in line all the time. So you're going to have people in red states, you know in the Senate it is the Joe Manchin, Heidi Heitkamp, Donnelly, Tester, that you will always have to worry about because they have to worry constituents who are constituents in a red state for the most part. Brad Woodhouse:That's exactly right. Now, look, let's be clear, I'll take 51 Democrats in the Senate over 51 Republican Seats in the Senate any day. The biggest impediment to progress in the event we take back the House and the Senate is obviously a Republican administration. This is looking way ahead. But, if you assume we took back the House and the Senate. You know, Trump's a deal maker. There are a lot of Democrats that will dilute themselves into the notion that they can go make deals with Trump. And, I think Trump is an immoral, illegitimate President. And fuck making deals with that guy. We would not need to help him get re-elected by cutting deals that may be in our favor in the short term and risk that long-term. Obviously, if you take back the House and the Senate you do have to cut some deals because you have to fund the military and keep the government open. Brent Jabbour:While I agree with you to a certain extent about screw that guy why would I want to help him, actually I'm sorry, I can say it. Fuck that guy, I don't want to help him. I don't want you to get the idea that I'm not with you here. But, I think there has to be some sort of governance. Brad Woodhouse:No doubt. But we should just impose our will on him instead of the other way around.Brent Jabbour:Right. The Democrats can give themselves trapped into giving him the wall or something. Brad Woodhouse:Right, give him the wall in exchange for something else. And, I mean that's not the approach we should take.Brent Jabbour:I'd like to go back to you for just a little bit before we wrap up for the hour. So, when you left your job at Marriott and were inspired by President Clinton. What was that road like from knocking on doors to...Brad Woodhouse:I was really fortunate because my parents had been involved in politics and state government since they were in college. I was fortunate, they had some really good people for me to lean on in getting a foot in the door. Look, anybody can make it in politics if they are willing to really gut it out. It helps to know people. The first thing that I did actually. I don't remember my parents having any influence on this. I volunteered for a congressional campaign. David Price was running for re-election in 1992. I got home, it was too late to get involved in the Presidential race, so I volunteered for David Price. He was already in Congress, he had a staff. He didn't have anything for me when it was all over with. So, that same year, Jim Hunt was elected again to his third term, non-consecutive, as governor of North Carolina. My parents knew Hunt, they had been in campaigns with Hunt, but also they knew a very influential State Senator who had a lot of influence over the Governor-elect's inauguration and transition. And, one thing led to another, and I worked in his administration. And, after he had served that first term, and was re-elected for a second, I had a chance to come to Washington and work for Congressman Bob Ethridge who spent seven terms here. Went back in 2001 to work in a Senate race. Erskin Boles ran for United States Senate against Liddy Dole, he lost, but I had the opportunity to succeed a friend of mine who had been Bob Ethridge's press secretary at the DSCC, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. Robert Gibbs had been in Ethridge's office, he'd gone on to work on Senate campaigns. Eventually, he made it to the DSCC. He recruited me to do my stint in North Carolina in 02. And then in 03-04 I succeeded him at the DSCC and went on from there. Brent Jabbour:What's it like being seen as a surrogate for the sitting President. Brad Woodhouse:It was a rush. So, I came kind of late in 08 to the presidential game. My wife was pregnant in 2007 when Obama started to run. Gibbs was always trying to get me to go to the campaign. He tried to get me to go to Iowa. Tried to get me to come to Chicago. And, I was running an organization, Americans United For Change at the time. A liberal organization. Biggest claim to fame early on was stopping the President's effort to privatize Social Security. So, I was running this. I was the President of it. It was a multi-million dollar thing. We were neutral, obviously, in the primary. My wife was pregnant. I could never get on the campaign. If I had had an opportunity to go work on the Presidential campaign during the primary itself, I would have worked for Obama. And, after he got the nomination, they asked me to come run the rapid response communications efforts over at the DNC on behalf of the campaign during the general election against John McCain. I got over there and I was nuts and bolts. I was hiring people, getting people out in the field, organizing bus tours, crafting web videos, doing all of the rapid response thing that the DNC is involved in, in a really robust way. And then, somebody asked me one day to go on television. And I was like, What? And, for all I know it could have been Ed Schultz's show, I'm sure it was probably MSNBC. So, it was such a rush. And you start doing it and you don't screw it up. I remember some of the moments. It was 2008, I was on MSNBC, probably with Alex Witt on Sunday morning. And the news broke that Colin Powel was going to endorse Obama. Of course, he was going on Meet the Press to announce it. But, I was just by happenstance the first Obama campaign surrogate on TV to react to it and that was a rush. And then at the end, I didn't know this until later. This is an interesting story, I've never even relayed. I believe it's true, but I heard it second hand. But, the Obama campaign stopped putting any of its surrogates on Fox. And, all of a sudden, I noticed I was doing Fox a lot. Karen Finney, who was Communications Director at the DNC at the time, we were like going down to the studio at the DNC doing Fox and Friends, Shep Smith, we were doing all of the Fox shows. Like, why are we doing so much Fox?We found out after the election, that the Obama campaign just made a decision that they were being so unfairly portrayed on Fox that they just weren't going to do it those last few weeks. That was a whole other thing where you got to be out there and have that kind of platform to yourself as a surrogate. So, there is the rush part of it, which is probably why I was in Theatre, to begin with. The kind of rush you get from being in front of an audience getting kind of instant feedback. And, the other part of it, and this kind of went on as I was in the DNC, and later working for the re-elect in 2012 is you take a lot of crap. I mean, you take a lot of crap. It's also very stressful too. It's very stressful to go on television and know that one misspoken word, one mangled word-salad could hurt the President or hurt the President's chances. Fortunately, I don't think I ever screwed up that badly. But, you do get a lot of incoming. Especially, I got on Twitter in 2010 and just getting killed by these conservatives, Obama haters. Brent Jabbour:It's funny because I have friends who go on Fox and go on a lot of other networks too. But, they go on Fox and they will say I go on MS, I go on CNN, they do some international news here and there. And Honestly, I get positive reaction. And, they are Democrats. And they will go do a Fox hit with Tucker Carleson and they say their voicemail will explode, their office email will get destroyed, their Twitter is just the nastiest, most disgusting things. And just because I am a liberal. And they have told me, I don't mind, Tucker treats me well on the air, but I get hammered by these crazies who are just followers of his. Brad Woodhouse:And you get it. During the height of the election season. I saw less of this in 08 because I wasn't on the campaign trail. But in 2012 and then in 2016 I was running Correct the Record which was a Super PAC supporting Hillary Clinton. I was appearing, basically, as a surrogate, or talker on her behalf. And, that went off the rails. Because all of a sudden, it was nothing like the period where I was at the DNC for Obama's first term, or during the re-elect. I mean, the level of nastiness... And then you know supporters of Trump on 4Chan put all of our addresses out from the FEC report. Our home addresses, our phone numbers. Of course, my phone number was in Wikileaks. And then, you start to really get blown up. So, then, you have these moments where you ask: Is it all worth it? Fuck yeah, it's worth it. I mean I've had death threats on my voicemail. "I wish you would die, and you should crawl off and die." That type of thing. It kind of shakes you up at first. But then you are like fuck this. It's a voicemail. Brent Jabbour:When do you start taking that death threat seriously? I mean, I know people call and they say... They will word it vaguely like: "You should die."Brad Woodhouse:I think you always want to take that type of stuff seriously. Where I think people got a little shook up in 2016 in particular... Never in 2012, I never felt like... I had nasty people on Twitter and voicemail, but never felt unsafe. In 2016, at Correct the Record, we had people doing things to just shake up the staff, because we were so vociferously supporting Hillary Clinton. They would send... You know you can order from the U.S. Postal Service boxes to be delivered to your house and then you paid for them. Well, we had people just getting massive delivery of these boxes to their home. And, it was all meant to freak them out. We had people getting Pizza deliveries to their house. We had a woman who lived out in Maryland who had a nasty note left on her doorstoop. So, some crazy ass person came to her house and left a note. I don't know what the tradition was. I don't know why everytime someone got paid in a campaign their home address had to be on the FEC report, so we just paid people at the office. Of course, it was out there by then. And we took people's names off the FEC report. We took people's names off the website unless it had to be on there. We tried not to release people's cell phone numbers widely to the press unless it was a spokesperson who had to be out there. And we at Correct the Record, at the building on Massachusetts, we hired extra security during the election. We put up extra firewalls for internet security. We know that during that period of time the hacking was going on at the DNC and of John Podesta's emails that there were attempted hackings over there. We don't know the source. But, we can assume, if all this other stuff was going on, that those hackings were coming from the same source. 2016 did more to shake me up, so to speak than 2008 or 2012. The level of nastiness, intrusion, and personal attacks... And then these tactics of things coming to your physical home. Never to mind. This is interesting... This strategy was even discussed on 4Chan, go after the junior people. The senior people have been through this, they know how to handle this. Go after the junior people, freak them out, make them not come into work, disrupt their activity. It was really insidious. Brent Jabbour:Do you expect that to continue. Not just with Trump, but as we move on. I mean, now that people have seen these dirty tactics. Look, probably not the first people in political history to order a bunch of pizzas to a campaign headquarters.Brad Woodhouse:These were going to people's homes. So the signal there is that hey, we have your home address. But, I don't see any end to the level of nastiness of the extremes on both sides. I don't see any end of the nastiness coming from the sitting President of the United States. He got elected dividing the country against itself. He got elected playing the race card, the sex card, everything. So, I have no doubt that that's going to continue. I'm not going to bullshit you and say "oh, I think it will get better." I just don't. I just think we are in a period here where we are essentially in political warfare and it's over the future of... It's not over the future of the country like the direction we will take, whether we have tax cuts or not. It's kind of over the future of our democratic institutions. I mean you have a President who is saying the FBI should investigate someone who submitted a fucking OpEd to the New York Times. It's a police state he wants. And, the people who support him... If the police state defends their interest, particularly what they believe is their birthright for the country to be more like them, and more like the way they look and the way they talk, than the diverse nation that we really are. Then they are going to live with that. And, it's going to be an existential fight. So, I think it's going to stay as nasty as it is. The hope on our side is... I like to believe that when they go low, we aim high. Michele Obama's famous phrase. I would like to believe we can do that and win. I do think, whoever is our candidate in 2020, should not try to out-Trump Trump. We need to be tough on Trump, but we can not divide and win. We have to put together a coalition and win. We can't divide and win. Brent Jabbour:I think we will wrap it right there. I always try to wrap on a solid moment and that one was dire and scary so, we will keep it there. Brad, did you have fun? Brad Woodhouse:Yeah, this was great. And, I'm thrilled. This might be my first podcast. Brent Jabbour:I don't know why I ask everyone if they had fun. Because that is the most important thing.Brad Woodhouse:No, it's great. I enjoy it. I look forward to hearing it and sharing it and lifting it up.Brent Jabbour:Thank you so much, Brad Woodhouse.

We take advantage of digital tools every day to make our lives easier. But when it comes to managing our health, there's still a long way to go. That's why the MS Society in the UK commissioned a report titled "Improving Care for People with MS: The Potential of Data & Technology". That report has just been published, and we're discussing some of the observations and recommendations contained in this remarkable report with my special guest, Michelle Mitchell, CEO of the MS Society in the UK.     We're also talking about a new artificial intelligence-based data analysis platform that can diagnose MS sooner than traditional diagnostic methods, with 90% accuracy. We'll tell you about a new poll that shows that the overwhelming majority of American voters support protecting the rights of people with pre-existing medical conditions, in spite of the Justice Department's efforts to remove those protections. We're taking a look at new research that could change the game when it comes to myelin repair. And we'll tell you about two different MS research studies that are recruiting participants to complete a 15-minute online survey.   We have a lot to talk about. Are you ready for RealTalk MS? ___________ AI-Enabled Data Analysis Platform Can Diagnose MS  1:37 Latest Poll Shows Overwhelming Voter Support For Protecting Patients With Pre-Existing Medical Conditions in the U.S.  3:40 Groundbreaking Research Highlights Different Paths to Myelin Repair  7:24 2 Research Studies Recruiting Participants for Online Surveys  12:07 Interview with Michelle Mitchell  13:49 ___________ LINKSIf your podcast app doesn’t show these links, you’ll find them in the show notes at www.RealTalkMS.com iQuity Friend of the Court Brief Filed in U.S. District Court by the National MS Society, American Cancer Society, the American Diabetes Association, the American Heart Association, and the American Lung Association University of Melbourne Research Devising New Way to Repair Myelin CWRU Research Demonstrates Blocking Cholesterol Enzyme Stimulates Myelin Repair Study Opportunity: Coping Styles in MS & Other Autoimmune Diseases Study Opportunity: Treatment Options For Walking Difficulties in MS Improving Care for People with MS: The Potential of Data & Technology MS Society of Great Britain   Give RealTalk MS a Rating & Review ___________ Follow RealTalk MS on Twitter, @RealTalkMS_jon, and subscribe to our newsletter at our website, RealTalkMS.com. RealTalk MS Episode 46 Hosted By: Jon Strum Guest: Michelle Mitchell Tags: MS, MultipleSclerosis, MSResearch, iQuity, ProtectOurCare, mssocietyuk, nuffieldtrust, mscare, RealTalkMS

Using cannabis to treat MS symptoms has become a hot topic. And thanks to social media, a lot of opinions about cannabis and MS are posted as if they're facts...and that's not always the case. So, we're talking about cannabis and MS in this episode of RealTalk MS. We'll try to demystify it a bit and we'll give you an idea of what some of the research is telling us. We'll talk about which MS symptoms cannabis might be good for...and which ones it might not be good for.     We're also talking about the latest reason that your health insurance premium is likely to rise in 2019 in the U.S., we'll walk you through "Clinical Trials 101" and explain what each phase of a clinical trial is really all about, and we'll give you the latest update on Ocrevus being rejected as a treatment for PPMS in the U.K. We have a lot to talk about! Are you ready for RealTalk MS? ____________ U.S. Suspends Payments to Health Insurers  1:47 Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Clinical Trials  8:25 Clinical Trial to Track Urinary Symptoms in MS Is Recruiting Participants  15:05 NICE Rejects Ocrevus for PPMS  16:47 Cannabis & MS  19:04 ___________ LINKSIf your podcast app doesn’t show these links, you’ll find them in the show notes at www.RealTalkMS.com U.S. Suspends Payments to Health Insurers Become an MS Activist National MS Society Brochure on Participating in a Clinical Trial ClinicalTrials.gov Sample Urinary Symptoms & MS Clinical Trial Survey Cannabis Use in People with Parkinson's Disease and Multiple Sclerosis: A Web-Based Investigation National MS Society Research Paper on Cannabis & MS AAN Guidelines for Medical Marijuana Real World Experience of Medical Marijuana in Symptomatic Management of Multiple Sclerosis and Transverse Myelitis Cannabidiol to Improve Mobility in People with MS Knowledge and Attitudes of Australian General Practitioners Towards Medicinal Cannabis: A Cross-Sectional Survey Give RealTalk MS a Rating & Review ___________ Follow RealTalk MS on Twitter, @RealTalkMS_jon, and subscribe to our newsletter at our website, RealTalkMS.com. RealTalk MS Episode 43 Hosted By: Jon Strum Tags: MS, MultipleSclerosis, MSResearch, Ocrevus, ACA, ProtectOurCare, MSActivist, CannabisandMS, Cannabis, RealTalkMS

Donald Trump was supposed to meet with the Philadelphia Eagles to celebrate their Super Bowl win, but after a large majority of players announced that they weren't going to attend, Trump has canceled the meeting. Totally childish! The Trump team got caught in an obvious lie about the infamous meeting in Trump Tower. We explain what's actually going on. We talk about the state of Obamacare with Brad Woodhouse from Protect Our Care, ranked choice voting with Rob Richie from FairVote and all the latest scandals from Scott Pruitt with Emily Atkin from The New Republic!

Bill Press welcomes Graham Vyse, Brad Woodhouse and Evan McMorris-Santoro to discuss the biggest political stories of 2017 including Donald Trump's Charlottesville press conference, Democratic wins in key states, Mike Pence's creepy worship of Trump and Sean Hannity's attack on Bill Press - the full Friday edition of the Bill Press Show!

Protect Our Care's Leslie Dach joins The Great Battlefield podcast to about the Protect Our Care coalition's work to educate and mobilize people to save health care from Trump and the GOP.

Rays Talk Show Episode 254: Host Ray Collazo is joined by Health Policy expert David Thomsen to discuss the current state of health debate in Washington. Thomsen breaks down why the House passed AHCA bill is sooooooo bad (especially for Latinos) and why we need to #ProtectOurCare now more than ever. Thomsen shares what to expect in Senate debate and how we can put pressure on our federal officials to stop this attack on our health.  Thomsen and Collazo discuss the mood in Washington during the Trump scourge and their mutual obsession with political podcasts. Respect to Pod Save America, Tamarindo Podcast and other podcasts that speak truth to power. 

Bill Press welcomes Leslie Dach, Sam Baker, Carimah Townes, & Jack Jenkins to discuss Democrats' tough questions for SCOTUS nominee Neil Gorsuch, Tom Price's mission to kill Obamacare, why Gorsuch's 'frozen trucker' ruling matters, & new information on the NYC cop who killed Eric Garner in 2014 - all the big highlights from this Wednesday edition of the Bill Press Show!

Thirteen Democrats helped kill a measure in the Senate that could have led to cheaper prescription drugs for Americans. We single them out, particularly one Senator who’s positioning himself for a 2020 presidential run.Meltdowns, these days, tend to be of the social media variety. But if there is another major nuclear disaster with fallout spread around the world, like there was after the Fukushima catastrophe, will the EPA ensure that your drinking water is safe? Truthout’s Mike Ludwig just wrote about the issue. He joins us to discuss his story. Also, the man tapped by Donald Trump to be the next Director of the CIA, Congressman Mike Pompeo, had his confirmation hearing today. And he was asked about a creepy op-ed he wrote a year ago calling for a massive new surveillance program. He still stands by it. We explain in a Classified Session.

Thirteen Democrats helped kill a measure in the Senate that could have led to cheaper prescription drugs for Americans. We single them out, particularly one Senator who’s positioning himself for a 2020 presidential run.Meltdowns, these days, tend to be of the social media variety. But if there is another major nuclear disaster with fallout spread around the world, like there was after the Fukushima catastrophe, will the EPA ensure that your drinking water is safe? Truthout’s Mike Ludwig just wrote about the issue. He joins us to discuss his story. Also, the man tapped by Donald Trump to be the next Director of the CIA, Congressman Mike Pompeo, had his confirmation hearing today. And he was asked about a creepy op-ed he wrote a year ago calling for a massive new surveillance program. He still stands by it. We explain in a Classified Session.

Edition #1070 Today we take a look at the plans the GOP has for peoples ability to access and afford their reproductive and health rights Be part of the show! Leave a message at 202-999-3991 ​Show Notes Ch. 1: Opening Theme: A Fond Farewell - From a Basement On the Hill Ch. 2: Act 1: Ohio on the Pulse - Full Frontal with Samantha Bee (@FullFrontalSamB) - Air Date 12-13-16 Ch. 3: Song 1: Human of the Year - Regina Spektor Ch. 4: Act 2: The GOP Has No Alternative To Obamacare Because The ACA WAS The Republican Plan! - @Thom_Hartmann - Air Date: 12-02-16 Ch. 5: Song 2: Bad Idea - Goose Ch. 6: Act 3: Religious-Right Activist: Ohio Legislation Was Meant To Be the 'Arrow In the Heart of Roe V Wade' - Majority Report (@MajorityFM) - Air Date 1-2-17 Ch. 7: Song 3: One Way Street - Ann Peebles Ch. 8: Act 4: The complicated procedures of repealing Obamacare - The Zero Hour w @RJEskow - Air Date 1-7-17 Ch. 9: Song 4: Fox In the Henhouse - Leap of Faith: The Musical (Original Broadway Cast Recording) Ch. 10: Act 5: Texas Now Requires Funeral Services for All Abortions - @DavidPakmanShow - Air Date 12-1-16 Ch. 11: Song 5: I'm Against It - Groucho Marx Ch. 12: Act 6: Kellyanne Conway: IT'S NOT FAIR That Dems Wont Help Destroy Obamacare - Majority Report (@MajorityFM) - Air Date: 01-06-17 Ch. 13: Song 6: I Started Something I Couldn't Finish - The Smiths Ch. 14: Act 7: Fighting for reproductive rights in the age of Trump - Popaganda from @BitchMedia - Air Date 11-24-16 Ch. 15: Song 7: N/A Ch. 16: Act 8: Save Health Care! Attend an #OurFirstStand Rally on 1.15 via @BernieSanders - Best of the Left Activism Ch. 17: Song 8: This Fickle World - Theo Bard Ch. 18: Act 9: Trump Doubles Down On Planned Parenthood Witch Hunt - @TheYoungTurks - Air Date 12-23-16 Voicemails Ch. 19: Responding to episode on 2007 - Alan from Connecticut Ch. 20: Members now get all of their shows in the members feed - Dave from Olympia, WA Ch. 21: It's important to take action - Louis in Texas Ch. 22: Get up, stand up! - Matt from Pittsburg, PA Voicemail Music: Loud Pipes - Classics Ch. 23: Final comments on self care and political action Closing Music: Here We Are - Everyone's in Everyone Activism: TAKE ACTION Save Health Care on Jan. 15th! Find an #OurFirstStand rally near you. Use #OurFirstStand, #ProtectOurCare, #SaveHealthCare, #MakeAmericaSickAgain, #CareNotChaos and #IStandWithPP to join the healthcare conversations online.  EDUCATE YOURSELF Not Just Obamacare: Medicaid, Medicare Also on GOP's Chopping Block (The Huffington Post) Republicans’ 4-Step Plan to Repeal the Affordable Care Act (The New York Times) Repealing Obamacare Could Leave 59 Million Americans Uninsured (The Atlantic) Repealing Obamacare Effects Everyone (CNN Money) GOP to Defund Planned Parenthood in Obamacare Repeal (The Hill) 9 Things People Get Wrong About Planned Parenthood (The Cut) Written by BOTL Communications Director, Amanda Hoffman Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Thanks for listening! Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Check out the BotL iOS/Android App in the App Stores! Follow at Twitter.com/BestOfTheLeft Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Review the show on iTunes and Stitcher!

One man is trying to repeal Obamacare. The other is trying to save it. As Congress returns and the health reform battle begins, this week's PULSE CHECK features two key figures on opposite sides of the Affordable Care Act. First, Rep. Phil Roe joins POLITICO's Dan Diamond (starts at the 1:40 mark) to explain his new ACA replacement proposal, which is backed by the Republican Study Committee, why he thinks Obamacare is in a "death spiral," and what he knows as a doctor who spent decades treating patients in rural Tennessee. After the break, Leslie Dach — a former top HHS official and the head of Protect Our Care, a new coalition of advocacy groups — talks about the plan to defend Obamacare (starts at the 24:30 mark), how they're judging success, and why he thinks Republicans are in "disarray." He's joined by Meaghan Smith, a former HHS official now at SKDknickerbocker. We’d appreciate your help: Please share PULSE CHECK and rate us on your favorite podcast app! Have questions, suggestions or feedback? Email ddiamond@politico.com.