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In Part 2 of this series, we focus on foreign policy. In Part 1, we explained how Trump and his oligarchs enrich themselves off the backs of the world's poor and working-class at home. But in the case of foreign policy, Trump's plans involve the blatant pillaging and exploitation of other country's sovereign lands and resources. And again, this was prepared by the Biden regime and the sell-out democrats. Both parties are beholden to Zionism and the Military Industrial Complex. And Trump is just executing the next logical step in the colonial projects that the Democrats began.We cover the recent fight in the White House with Zelensky over the role of Ukraine, how Trump is continuing the Democrats Cold War on China, and Trump's plan for ethnically cleansing Gaza. Reading Notes: "Europe needs an independent foreign policy": Professor Jeffrey Sachs at European ParliamentHard truths about the Trump-Zelensky-Vance Oval Office blow-up, Responsible StatecraftZelensky's hostility to peace triggers White House meltdown, Aaron MateIt's not Russia that's pushed Ukraine to the brink of war by Seumas Milne - Before the West flipped the scriptCongress bans arms to Ukraine militia linked to neo-Nazis, Congressman Ro KhannaUS arming of Ukraine is a scandal on its own, the grayzoneThe US is arming and assisting neo-Nazis in Ukraine, while Congress debates prohibitionTrump plans to make Ukraine a US economic colony, exploiting its critical minerals - Ben NortonChina accuses US of ‘Cold War mentality' after release of Biden national security strategy , The HillBiden voters passed on Kamala Harris because of Gaza, new poll shows, Middle East Eye'Uncommitted' leaders stand by 2024 strategy after Trump floats Gaza takeover, NBC NewsRevolutionary Communists of America videoA Fighting Program for the Revolutionary Communists of AmericaManifesto of the Revolutionary Communist International RCA- Join Your Party
Sean Fawaz just returned from a comedy tour of the Middle East. He joins Michael Regilio to discuss free speech in theocratic countries and ponder if America is headed that way. The discussion turns to the Uncommitted movement post Trumps election. More at dogmadebate.com
Join Haaretz Editor-in-Chief Aluf Benn in conversation with Patt Morrison for a critical discussion on Israel's ongoing crisis. As part of the America at a Crossroads Israel in Crisis Briefing series, Benn provides expert analysis on the latest developments in Israel, including military strategy, political shifts, and regional tensions.From the impact of the war in Gaza to the evolving relationship between Israel and the United States, this briefing delivers key insights into the challenges facing Israel today.Aluf Benn has been the Editor in Chief of Haaretz, the longest running newspaper currently in print in Israel, since 2011. Haaretz is now published in both Hebrew and English. Aluf Benn holds an MBA degree from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, and a degree from Tel Aviv University. At Haaretz, Benn has served as an investigative reporter and head of the news division. His articles have been published in a variety of international newspapers, including The New York Times, The Guardian, Foreign Affairs and Newsweek.
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We're two and a half weeks into the second Trump administration, and it already feels like a century has passed. All of Donald Trump's nominees are getting confirmed, and Elon Musk is taking a chainsaw to our government institutions. The gang rip apart Trump, Musk, the GOP, the bad billionaires, and the “Uncommitted” movement in this super-sized episode! Get 15% off OneSkin with the code THENEXTLEVEL at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.comWe're two and a half weeks into the second Trump administration, and it already feels like a century has passed. All of Donald Trump's nominees are getting confirmed, and Elon Musk is taking a chainsaw to our government institutions. The gang rip apart Trump, Musk, the GOP, the bad billionaires, and the “Uncommitted” movement in this super-sized episode!Watch, listen and leave a comment. This ad-free video edition of The Next Level is exclusively for Bulwark+ members. You can add The Next Level to your podcast player of choice, here.
M.M. 41 UNCOMMITTED COMMITMENTS
Send us a textDo you struggle to set boundaries without feeling guilty or looking uncommitted?Setting boundaries is not about being rigid or saying no to everything—it's about creating space to lead strategically and effectively.In this episode, I share how boundaries transformed my leadership, enhanced my executive presence, and empowered me to focus on what truly matters.If you're a corporate woman leader who often feels overwhelmed, undervalued, or afraid of being perceived as uncommitted, this episode will resonate deeply.Tune in to find out:How overcommitting leads to overwhelm and burnout.Why setting boundaries positions you as an inspiring leader and role model.Learn how to say no confidently without damaging relationships.How to handle last-minute requests and “shiny object” projectsPractical tips to hold yourself accountable to your boundariesRecommended Next StepsReady to work with Lucy? Join the waitlist for 3SIXTY Leaders Club to be first to hear when a place opens up (coming soon)Download now - Free Imposter Syndrome GuideEnjoyed the episode?Don't keep it to yourself! Hit follow, leave a review, and tell your friends about the 360 LeadHership PodcastRate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts"I love Lucy's podcast, it's so useful." This helps me support more women -- just like you -- move towards achieving their leadership career goals faster. Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode!
America stands at a pivotal crossroads.With serious threats to America's democracy posed by nationalists, populists and other non-democratic candidates and forces, America at a Crossroads has offered weekly programming continuously since 2020 to encourage activism and passion to combat these threats to our American democracy.Through our weekly virtual town hall series, America at a Crossroads, we focus on combating authoritarianism and preserving American democracy.Register for our upcoming programs at jewsunitedfordemocracy.org/events/
Meet rising Democratic Party star Anderson Clayton. At just 26 years old, she is the youngest-ever state party chair, representing the Democrats in the red state of North Carolina. But despite electing Donald Trump in the 2024 election, North Carolina's red days may be soon behind it.Democrats secured the races for governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, and secretary of state in this election. They even won enough seats to end the Republican supermajority in the state legislature.So why did voters elect both Donald Trump and Democrats, at the same time, in November's elections?“I don't think that a political party defines how somebody is going to vote on the ballot. I think that they are looking for a person right now, and that's why it matters the types of candidates that we run,” Clayton tells Mehdi in this wide-ranging interview.While Democrats are playing the blame game on how Kamala Harris lost the election, Clayton says, “I don't think anybody's a lost cause. I actually think after this election cycle, we should be looking at every single person as somebody we're talking to.”But it's not just talking to voters that's key for Democrats moving forward. “We need to run young people,” Clayton explains. She continues, “They're 60% more likely to vote for a young person on the ballot regardless of what political party that they're affiliated with. And I think that we have to look at young people as a voting bloc that wants to see themselves represented.”Many young voters aligned themselves with the Uncommitted movement this election given the genocide in Gaza. While some Democrats blame these voters for the election loss, Clayton believes that Democrats can learn something from it: “It was them using political power in the right way because it's something where it's not discouraging people from the political process. It's saying, ‘No, let's use it to have our voices heard.”' She adds, “That's something where Democrats should be taking it and embracing it … because right now people do not want to build up the Democratic Party. It seems like people are more interested in going around it.”Watch the full interview to hear about political messaging in rural communities, the North Carolina GOP's attempt to curb the incoming governor's powers, and whether she'll throw her hat in the ring for DNC chair. Clayton also reacts to Bernie Sanders' criticism of the Democrats.We are making this fascinating interview free for all subscribers to watch, but please do consider becoming a paid subscriber if you're not already! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit zeteo.com/subscribe
Last week on this podcast, James Carville blamed identity politics and ‘woke' theory for the Democrats losing the election. Waleed Shahid, a former senior adviser to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and the Uncommitted campaign, believes this argument is lazy. This week, Jonathan Freedland speaks to Waleed about why the left is not to blame for Kamala Harris losing the election, and why the truth of who is might be uncomfortable for the Democratic party
As Donald Trump prepares to enter the White House for a second term, the reasons people voted him into office are becoming more clear. For Micki Witthoeft, it's cause for celebration. Her daughter, Ashli Babitt, was shot and killed by a police officer after storming the US Capitol on January 6, 2021. Today, Witthoeft is confident Trump will stand by his word and pardon everyone involved. “He said his administration's going to be one on ‘promises made and promises kept,' ” she said. “I felt like he was talking right to me.”But it's not the same sentiment for all voters. This week on Reveal, we look at the many contradictions behind Trump's victory, with stories from hosts Hanna Rosin and Lauren Ober of the new podcast from The Atlantic, We Live Here Now; Mother Jones reporter Tim Murphy; and Reveal producer Najib Aminy. We delve into January 6ers seeking pardons, “messy middle” voters who split their ballots, and members of the Uncommitted movement who wouldn't vote for Kamala Harris despite being opposed to Trump. Support Reveal's journalism at Revealnews.org/donatenow Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get the scoop on new episodes at Revealnews.org/weekly Instagram
Three of our favorite segments from the week, in case you missed them.How Trump will undo Biden's signature climate law (First) | The impact of the uncommitted movement (Starts at 24:00) | The Gen Z bro media diet (Starts at 48:15)If you don't subscribe to the Brian Lehrer Show on iTunes, you can do that here.
Aymann Ismail, staff writer at Slate, talks about his campaign season reporting on Muslim and Arab-American voters, the "uncommitted" movement, and how it affected turnout for Vice President Harris.
On this edition of Parallax Views, popular election analyst Josh Cohen aka Ettingermentum returns to breakdown the 2024 election, its outcomes, and just why exactly the Democratic Party lost the Presidency, House, and Senate. We'll look at where the Kamala Harris and the Democratic Party campaign went wrong in their race against Donald Trump and the Republican Party. Josh will discuss why he believes Joe Biden played a big role in the the defeat of Democrats along with Kamala Harris's inability to differentiate herself from Biden. We'll also talk about the Harris campaign as the Democrats' first "post-woke" campaign, the issue of inflation and the economy's role in the 2024 election, Gaza and the Uncommitted campaign, and what the future may hold for the Democratic Party (we'll talk about Gretchen Whitmer, Andy Beshear, and the wide-open field for Democrats as well as the emergence of the post-Obama Democratic Party in the aftermath of this election). Josh's main analysis: bottom line, Democrats were self-indulgent and arguably played things too safe in a time where they needed to creatively respond to the situation in America. Some other issues covered in the course of our conversation include: - Democrats trying to appeal to moderate Republicans (as seen by the Harris campaign cozying up to Liz Cheney) in this election cycle - Comparing Trump's win to the victories for abortion rights at the state level; are we really seeing a cultural shift to the right-wing; why was the Dobbs decision not enough for Democrats to win nationally? - Criticism of the analysis being provided by figures like Matthew Yglesias and James Carville in relation to the election; the role of figures like Yglesias in the tone of the Democrats' overall campaign in the election cycle - The border and immigration in relation to the 2024 election - Israel/Palestine and the Gaza crisis as a wedge issue for Democrats - The shattering of Joe Biden's reputation in the past 4 years and his low-approval ratings - Comparing Democratic candidates that won their election bids in 2024 to the ones that lost - Josh addresses the criticism that the results of the 2024 election had nothing to do with the economy because "the economy is fine"; the average Americans dissatisfaction with the current macro-economic environment - Democrats' loss of ground in New York - And more!
Subscribe to Bad Faith on Patreon to instantly unlock this episode and our entire premium episode library: http://patreon.com/badfaithpodcast National Spokesperson for the Uncommitted campaign Hudhayfah Ahmad returns to Bad Faith along with independent journalist and founder of votepact.org Sam Husseini to address the recent controversy surrounding Middle East Eye's report that the Uncommitted campaign effectively "committed" itself to a narrow range of political action after it accepted $400,000 from a Democratic Party-aligned PAC with the condition that it could not endorse any candidate outside the Democratic Party. Sam. Housseni makes the case for additional leverage via "vote pacts" -- agreements between Red- and Blue-aligned voters who want to make a principled third party vote to cancel each other out so they can confidently vote their values. Also, what's next for Palestine protests in the Trump era? Subscribe to Bad Faith on YouTube for video of this episode. Find Bad Faith on Twitter (@badfaithpod) and Instagram (@badfaithpod). Produced by Armand Aviram. Theme by Nick Thorburn (@nickfromislands).
Ralph and the team invite cofounder of RootsAction, Norman Solomon, to autopsy the carcass of the Democratic Party after Donald Trump's decisive defeat of Kamala Harris in the presidential election. They dissect what happened on November 5th and report what needs to be done about it. Norman Solomon is co-founder of RootsAction.org and executive director of the Institute for Public Accuracy. He is the author of War Made Easy, Made Love, Got War, and his newest book, War Made Invisible: How America Hides the Human Toll of Its Military Machine.The Democrats couldn't even get their base vote out that they got out in 2020. And what are they looking at? Are they looking at themselves in the mirror for introspection? Are they cleaning house? Do they have any plan whatsoever— other than collect more and more money from corporate PACS? This is a spectacular decline.Ralph NaderWe kept being told that party loyalty über alles, we had to stay in line with Biden. And…that lost precious months, even a year or a year and a half, when there could have been a sorting out in vigorous primaries. We were told that, "Oh, it would be terrible to have an inside-the-party primary system." Well, in 2020, there were 17 candidates, so there wasn't space on one stage on one night to hold them all—the debates would have to be in half. Well, it didn't really debilitate the party. Debate is a good thing. But what happened was this party loyalty, this obsequious kissing-the-presidential-feet dynamic allowed Biden to amble along until it became incontrovertible that he wasn't capable.Norman SolomonA lot of people on that committee—and of course, running the DNC—they and their pals had this pass-through of literally millions of dollars of consultant fees. Win, lose, or draw. It's like General Dynamics and Northrop Grumman, they never lose a war. And so, these corporate donors, they never lose a presidential race. They didn't lose what happened with Harris and Trump. They cashed in, they made out like the corporate bandits that they are.Norman SolomonOne reality as an activist that I've come to the conclusion on in the last couple of decades is that progressives tend to be way too nice to Democrats in Congress, especially those that they consider to be allies. Because they like what some of the Democrats do…and so they give too many benefits of the doubt. It's like grading them on a curve. We can't afford to grade them on a curve.Norman SolomonIn Case You Haven't Heard with Francesco DeSantisNews 11/6/241. As of now, Donald Trump is projected to win the 2024 presidential election by a greater margin than 2016. In addition to winning back Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Georgia and Arizona, Trump also appears to have flipped Nevada – which went for both Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton. Most shocking of all, Trump has won the national popular vote, something he failed to do in 2016 and 2020 and which no Republican has done in 20 years. Democrats also faced a bloodbath in the Senate elections, with Republicans on track to win a 54 seat majority in the upper chamber.2. Bucking tremendous party pressure, Representative Rashida Tlaib declined to endorse Kamala Harris at a United Autoworkers rally in Michigan just days before the election, POLITICO reports. Tlaib urged attendees to turn out but “kept her speech focused on down-ballot races.” Tlaib is the only member of “the Squad” to withhold her support for Harris and the only Palestinian member of Congress. She has been a staunch critic of the Biden Administration's blind support for Israel's campaign of genocide in Palestine and voted Uncommitted in the Michigan Democratic primary.3. Along similar lines, the Uncommitted Movement issued a fiery statement on the eve of the election. According to the group, “Middle East Eye ran a story…[which] contains unfounded and absurd claims, suggesting that Uncommitted made a secret agreement with the Democratic Party to not endorse a third-party candidate.” The statement goes on to say that “this baseless story…is misguided at best and a dishonest malicious attack at worst.” Uncommitted maintains that “leaders and delegates are voting in different ways, yet remain untied in their mission to stop the endless flow of American weapons fueling Israel's militarism.” In September, Uncommitted publicly stated that they would not endorse Kamala Harris, citing her continued support for the Biden Administration policy toward Israel, but urged supporters to vote against Donald Trump.4. Progressive International reports that over 50 sovereign nations have called for an immediate arms embargo on Israel, calling it “a legal, humanitarian and moral imperative to put an end to grave human suffering.” This letter cites the “staggering toll of civilian casualties, the majority of them children and women, due to ongoing breaches of international law by Israel, the occupying Power,” and warns of “regional destabilization that risks the outbreak of an all-out war in the region.” Signatories on this letter include Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, Norway, Mexico, South Africa, Brazil, Cuba, Bolivia, and China among many others.5. Representatives Rashida Tlaib and Cori Bush have sent a letter to President Biden accusing him of illegally involving the American armed forces in Israel's war without proper Congressional authorization. Per the accompanying statement, “The Biden administration has deepened U.S. involvement in the Israeli government's devastating regional war through comprehensive intelligence sharing and operational coordination, and now even the direct deployment of U.S. servicemembers to Israel. Not only do these actions encourage further escalation and violence, but they are unauthorized by Congress, in violation of Article I of the Constitution and the War Powers Resolution of 1973.” The letter concludes “The Executive Branch cannot continue to ignore the law…In the absence of an immediate ceasefire and end of hostilities, Congress retains the right and ability to exercise its Constitutional authority to direct the removal of any and all unauthorized Armed Forces from the region pursuant to Section 5(c) of the War Powers Resolution.” This letter was endorsed by an array of groups ranging from the Quincy Institute to Jewish Voice for Peace to the Presbyterian and Methodist Churches, and signed by other pro-Palestine members of Congress including Ilhan Omar, Summer Lee, and André Carson – though notably not AOC.6. In a story that touches on both the election and labor issues, the New York Times Tech Guild voted to go on strike Monday morning. The Times Tech Guild, which represents “workers like software developers and data analysts,” at the Times negotiated until late Sunday night, particularly regarding “whether the workers could get a ‘just cause' provision in their contract…pay increases and pay equity; and return-to-office policies,” per the New York Times. The Guardian reports “The Tech Guild's roughly 600 members are in charge of operating the back-end systems that power the paper's…[coverage of] the presidential election between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump – but also the hundreds of House and dozens of Senate races across the US that will determine who will secure control of Washington in 2025.” Kathy Zhang, the guild's unit chair, said in a statement “[The Times] have left us no choice but to demonstrate the power of our labor on the picket line…we stand ready to bargain and get this contract across the finish line.”7. In more labor news, AP reports the striking Boeing machinists have “voted to accept a contract offer and end their strike after more than seven weeks, clearing the way for the aerospace giant to resume production.” The deal reportedly includes “a 38% wage increase over four years, [as well as] ratification and productivity bonuses.” That said, Boeing apparently “refused to meet strikers' demand to restore a company pension plan that was frozen nearly a decade ago.” According to a Bank of America analysis, Boeing was losing approximately $50 million per day during the strike, a startling number by any measure. The union's District 751 President Jon Holden told members “You stood strong and you stood tall and you won,” yet calibration specialist Eep Bolaño said the outcome was “most certainly not a victory…We were threatened by a company that was crippled, dying, bleeding on the ground, and us as one of the biggest unions in the country couldn't even extract two-thirds of our demands from them. This is humiliating.”8. Huffington Post Labor Reporter Dave Jamieson reports “The [National Labor Relations Board] has filed a complaint against Grindr alleging the dating app used a new return-to-office policy to fire dozens of workers who were organizing.” He further reports that NLRB General Counsel Jennifer Abruzzo is seeking a “Cemex order” which would “force the company to bargain with the [Communications Workers of America].” In a statement, CWA wrote “We hope this NLRB filing sends a clear message to Grindr that…we are committed to negotiating fair working conditions in good faith. As we continue to build and expand worker power at Grindr, this win…is a positive step toward ensuring that Grindr remains a safe, inclusive, and thriving place for users and workers alike.”9. In further positive news from federal regulators, NBC's Today reports “On Oct. 25, the United States Copyright Office granted a copyright exemption that gives restaurants like McDonald's the “right to repair” broken machines by circumventing digital locks that prevent them from being fixed by anyone other than its manufacturer.” As this piece explains, all of McDonald's ice cream machines – which have become a punchline for how frequently they are out of service – are owned and operated by the Taylor Company since 1956. Moreover “The…company holds a copyright on its machines…[meaning] if one broke, only [Taylor Company] repair people were legally allowed to fix it…due to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act…a 1998 law that criminalizes making or using technology, devices or services that circumvent the control access of copyrighted works.” This move from the Copyright Office reflects a larger pattern of regulators recognizing the issues with giving companies like Taylor monopolistic free reign over sectors of the economy and blocking consumers – in this case fast food franchisees – from repairing machines themselves. With backing from public interest groups like U.S. PIRG, the Right to Repair movement continues to pick up steam. We hope Congress will realize that this is a political slam dunk.10. Finally, in an astounding story of vindication, Michael and Robert Meeropol – sons of Ethel Rosenberg, who was convicted of and executed for passing secrets to the Soviet Union – claim that long-sought records have definitively cleared their mother's name. Per Bloomberg, “A few months ago, the National Security Agency sent the Meeropols a box of records the spy agency declassified…Inside was a seven-page handwritten memo…The relevant passage…is just eight words: ‘she did not engage in the work herself.'” Put simply, Rosenberg was wrongfully convicted and put to death for a crime she did not commit. The article paints the picture of the men uncovering this key piece of evidence. “After he read it, Robert said his eyes welled up. “Michael and I looked at it and our reaction was, ‘We did it.'”This has been Francesco DeSantis, with In Case You Haven't Heard. Get full access to Ralph Nader Radio Hour at www.ralphnaderradiohour.com/subscribe
After a night of trepidation at Jason's watch party the results came in faster and more furiously than expected… Trump crushed Harris – not just in rural areas or in Red States, but in many middle-class suburbs/exurbs and even with Latino and Black men. This 2024 Trumpian landslide is the biggest re-alignment in American politics since Reagan crushed Carter in 1980. The ‘lumpenproletariat' Trump coalition of 2024 is actually highly dissimilarly economically, socially, ideologically and ethnically to the ‘whitelash' coalition that took him to victory in 2016. How will that affect its Disordering impacts on the global stage? Jason is joined by party guests -- FP deputy editor Sasha Polakow-Suransky and Jane Kinninmont -- to break down what the results mean for global order. Sasha shares insights into anti-immigrant sentiment and attempts to channel the angry anti-system voters from his home state of Michigan, while Jane discusses European defense arrangements and is pressed by Jason to provide a sliver of Celtic optimism. They attempt to explain the implications for the rest of the world: the transatlantic relationship, European security, Ukraine, tariff wars, the Middle East (Iran/Gaza), and China. Jason ends the episode with a forlorn farewell. He sees no silver lining, only peak disorder ahead. Subscribe to our Substack: https://natoandtheged.substack.com/ And Pray that the Disorderer-and-Chief doesn't cancel American democracy Show Notes Links To Get Sasha's Book ‘Go Back to Where You Came From': https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/sasha-polakow-suransky/go-back-to-where-you-came-from/9781568585932/ Check out his debate-style podcast Counterpoint: https://foreignpolicy.com/podcasts/counterpoint/ On the Demographic shifts and the re-ordering (or rather re-disordering) of American politics from racial/ethnic cleavages onto class lines On ‘Defending Europe with less America': https://ecfr.eu/publication/defending-europe-with-less-america/?amp ‘There is hope [maybe if you are Celtic but not if you are Anglo-American] — 10 ways to be prepared and grounded for another Trump presidency': https://wagingnonviolence.org/2024/11/10-things-to-do-if-trump-wins/ On Michigan's Arab voters: https://foreignpolicy.com/2024/10/28/election-michigan-harris-trump-arab-americans-lebanon-war-israel-gaza/?utm_content=gifting&tpcc=gifting_article&gifting_article=ZWxlY3Rpb24tbWljaGlnYW4taGFycmlzLXRydW1wLWFyYWItYW1lcmljYW5zLWxlYmFub24td2FyLWlzcmFlbC1nYXph&pid=OC20506955 And the ‘Uncommitted' movement: https://foreignpolicy.com/2024/08/21/michigan-biden-harris-gaza-uncommitted-arab-vote/?utm_content=gifting&tpcc=gifting_article&gifting_article=bWljaGlnYW4tYmlkZW4taGFycmlzLWdhemEtdW5jb21taXR0ZWQtYXJhYi12b3Rl&pid=OC20506955 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Election Day is tomorrow! More than 75 million people have already voted. And a slew of new polls released over the weekend show good news for Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign. Naturally, former President Donald Trump responded by railing against the polls at his rallies, even though polls aren't predictions, and both candidates have a good shot at winning Tuesday. Nate Silver, polling guru and author of the Substack newsletter “Silver Bulletin,” stops by to tell us what the polls are — and aren't — telling us ahead of Election Day.Also on the show: Abbas Alawieh, a Michigan resident and co-founder of the ‘Uncommitted' movement,' talks about how his fellow activists are feeling as they cast their ballots. And Crooked Correspondent Josie Duffy Rice breaks down election lawsuits in Georgia.Show Notes:Learn more about The Uncommitted Movement – https://shorturl.at/Qe3UXCheck out Nate Silver's polling – https://www.natesilver.net/Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/3kk4nyz8What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcastFollow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday
As the election approaches, conspiracy theories have flooded social media. On this week's On the Media, hear why journalists are struggling to keep up with disinformation, on and offline. Plus, what does The Washington Post's non-endorsement really mean? And, a look at the media coverage of the Uncommitted movement.[01:00] Host Micah Loewinger speaks with Brandy Zadrozny, senior reporter at NBC, about the growing swirl of disinformation around the election—and the toll it's taking. [14:26] Host Brooke Gladstone takes a close look at the implications of The Washington Post's decision to skip a presidential endorsement, and what it means to “obey in advance.”[24:07] Host Micah Loewinger interviews democratic strategist Waleed Shahid, a co-founder of the Uncommitted Movement, about how the press has covered Arab and Muslim voters.[37:34] Host Brooke Gladstone talks with historian Ira Chinoy, author of Predicting the Winner: The Untold Story of Election Night 1952 and the Dawn of Computer Forecasting, about how newspapers in the 1800s, radio stations in the 1920s, and television in the 1950s helped to make election night the spectacle it is today. Further reading:“Extremists inspired by conspiracy theories pose major threat to 2024 elections, U.S. intelligence warns,” by Brandy Zadrozny"On anticipatory obedience and the media," by Ian Bassin and Maximillian PotterPredicting the Winner: The Untold Story of Election Night 1952 and the Dawn of Computer Forecasting, by Ira Chinoy On the Media is supported by listeners like you. Support OTM by donating today (https://pledge.wnyc.org/support/otm). Follow our show on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook @onthemedia, and share your thoughts with us by emailing onthemedia@wnyc.org.
In the Democratic presidential primaries in Michigan earlier this year, rather than voting for Joe Biden, more than 100,000 people marked “uncommitted” on their ballots. It was an anti-war protest, meant to send a message to Biden to make a permanent ceasefire happen in the war in Gaza — or risk losing those voters in November.That campaign spread nationally. And while Biden is no longer the Democratic candidate, the Uncommitted movement is still going — even though it has garnered significant controversy.Nowhere does this matter more than in Uncommitted's home state of Michigan. Not just because it's a key battleground where the election may be won on razor-thin margins, but also because Michigan's significant Arab and Muslim communities are crucial voting blocs in the state. Our guest today, Rima Mohammad, is a Palestinian-American from Michigan, and a lifelong Democrat. She was also a delegate representing the Uncommitted movement at the Democratic National Convention. She tells us about the disillusionment many Arabs and Muslims are feeling with Kamala Harris and her campaign, and why she worries the Democrats may have reached a “point of no return” with many in her community.For transcripts of Front Burner, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/frontburner/transcripts
Dawud Walid, Executive Director of CAIR-MI, joins us to talk about the changing political dynamics of Michigan's Muslim community, why they're abandoning the Democratic Party and (in some cases) voting for Trump, and the demographic anomaly we know as Dearborn.Discover more at Enjoyer.com/PodcastFollow Dawud on YouTube: @HajjDawudWalid Follow James on X: @DownI75 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit michiganenjoyer.substack.com
To unlock Politicology+ visit politicology.com/plus This week, we discuss the evangelical preacher—Lance Wallnau—who's blending tent revivals with political mobilization to help elect Donald Trump. Then, we'll talk about the “Uncommitted” movement in Michigan, how it could impact the race, and Jill Stein openly embracing being a spoiler for Trump. Later, we look at Vice President Harris's push to appeal to men—especially Black men—and why Democrats should have a policy plan for men's issues. Finally, we head to Politicology+ where we dive into the recent controversies surrounding CBS News, particularly focusing on the reprimand of morning news anchor Tony Dokoupil and the 60 Minutes edit of their interview with Vice President Kamala Harris. Joining Ron Steslow on this week's panel: Matt Bennett (Founder & Executive Vice President for Public Affairs at Third Way) Andy Kroll (Investigative Reporter at ProPublica) Matthew Taylor (author of the new book The Violent Take it By Force: The Christian Movement That is Threatening Our Democracy) Segments this week: (04:23) Lance Wallnau (27:25) “Uncommitted” in Michigan (40:00) An Appeal to Men Not yet a Politicology+ member? Don't miss all the extra episodes on the private, ad-free version of this podcast. Upgrade now at politicology.com/plus. Send your questions and thoughts to podcast@politicology.com or leave a voicemail at (202) 455-4558 Read The Violent Take It By Force: The Christian Movement That Is Threatening Our Democracy— https://bit.ly/3YeTCIe Follow this week's panel on X (formerly Twitter): https://twitter.com/RonSteslow https://x.com/ThirdWayMattB https://x.com/AndyKroll https://x.com/TaylorMatthewD Related reading: Segment 1: WSJ - The Evangelicals Calling for ‘Spiritual Warfare' to Elect Trump - WSJ NPR - Pro-Trump Christian nationalists are on tour to recruit election workers BaptistNews - Thousands pray, worship and talk politics at ‘Million Women' event – Baptist News Global Segment 2: WDET - Michigan Muslim voters say they feel misunderstood by Republicans and Democrats - WDET 101.9 FM WP - Democrats attack Green Party's Jill Stein amid spoiler fears - The Washington Post Segment 3: NYT - As Black Voters Hesitate on Harris, Democrats Race to Win Them Over - The New York Times AP news - Harris announces a new plan to empower Black men as she tries to energize them to vote for her NYT - Black Voters Drift From Democrats, Imperiling Harris's Bid, Poll Shows - The New York Times Politico - Opinion | Democrats' Problem With Male Voters Isn't Complicated Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
So much of the fight for the presidency is coming down to battles for small slices of voters who can help throw swing states to one candidate or another. Abbas Alawieh, a leader in the Uncommitted movement, grapples with how to get his voters the thing they want. Prologue: When you have some power, but not a lot, how do you wield it when you're suddenly cast into the spotlight? (4 minutes)Act One: Zoe Chace and Ben Terris follow Abbas Alawieh as he fights to broker a deal at the DNC – a way to potentially satisfy the people who voted “Uncommitted” in the primaries as a protest vote against Biden's handling of the war in Israel and Gaza. (33 minutes)Act Two: Three weeks after the Democratic National Convention, Abbas speaks at a tense community meeting in Michigan about the Uncommitted organizers' general election recommendation and hears back from voters on how they feel about the Democratic nominee at this point. (15 minutes)Transcripts are available at thisamericanlife.orgThis American Life privacy policy.Learn more about sponsor message choices.
This week hosts Tiffany Cross, Angela Rye, and Andrew Gillum get philosophical and ask: is it worth it to try to convince people? If you're talking with someone and you disagree, when is it appropriate–and when is it impossible–to convert them to your side? We're looking at you, undecided voters. If you'd like to submit a question, check out our tutorial video: www.instagram.com/reel/C5j_oBXLIg0/ We are 29 days away from the election. Welcome home y'all! —--------- We want to hear from you! Send us a video @nativelandpod and we may feature you on the podcast. Instagram X/Twitter Facebook NativeLandPod.com Watch full episodes of Native Land Pod here on YouTube. Thank you to the Native Land Pod team: Angela Rye as host, executive producer and cofounder of Reasoned Choice Media; Tiffany Cross as host and producer, Andrew Gillum as host and producer, and Lauren Hansen as executive producer; Loren Mychael is our research producer, and Nikolas Harter is our editor and producer. Special thanks to Chris Morrow and Lenard McKelvey, co-founders of Reasoned Choice Media. Theme music created by Daniel Laurent.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In Michigan, many voters—particularly Arab American and Muslim voters—remain deeply upset by the Biden Administration's support for the Israeli military, in the face of the enormous death toll in Gaza. In her Presidential campaign, Kamala Harris has not articulated any major shift in policy. Earlier in the year, during the primary elections, activists urged Democrats to check the box for “Uncommitted,” as a rebuke to Biden. But now, just weeks away from the general election, these disaffected Democrats could cost Harris the election. Andrew Marantz, who has reported on the Uncommitted Movement, talks with one of the its founders, Abbas Alawieh, about the difficult moral calculus facing Muslim Democrats, and why the Party spurned overtures from pro-Palestinian groups. The antiwar candidate Jill Stein, of the Green Party, is now polling very well with Muslim voters, and Donald Trump's campaign is claiming that he can stop the war; however, Uncommitted leaders feel they cannot endorse Harris. In conversation with David Remnick, Marantz recalls that Hillary Clinton lost Michigan by around ten thousand votes; more than one hundred thousand people checked “Uncommitted.”
Voters in Michigan will play a key role in deciding the results of the presidential election.On Today's Show:Zoe Clark, political director at Michigan Public and co-host of the podcast “It's Just Politics” talks about the issues that voters in Michigan care about, and what the polls show about the chances that Trump and Harris have of winning the state.
Ralph welcomes Middle East expert and executive VP of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, Trita Parsi, to fill us in on the consequences of Israel boobytrapping pagers and walkie-talkies in Lebanon and how those tactics have the potential to blow back on us in the United States. Then we welcome back surgeon and humanitarian, Dr. Feroze Sidhwa, who has worked in Gaza during the Israeli assault, to update us on his efforts to get the Biden Administration to convince Israel to stop the killing. Trita Parsi is the executive vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, and the co-founder and former President of the National Iranian American Council. He is an expert on US-Iranian relations, Iranian foreign policy, and the geopolitics of the Middle East, and has worked for the Swedish Permanent Mission to the UN, where he served in the Security Council, handling the affairs of Afghanistan, Iraq, Tajikistan, and Western Sahara, and in the General Assembly's Third Committee, addressing human rights in Iran, Afghanistan, Myanmar, and Iraq. He has authored three books on US foreign policy in the Middle East, with a particular focus on Iran and Israel— Treacherous Alliance: The Secret Dealings of Iran, Israel and the United States, A Single Roll of the Dice – Obama's Diplomacy with Iran, and Losing an Enemy: Obama, Iran and the Triumph of Diplomacy.We're in a very sad situation in which we have a president who has been sitting on the front lines of American foreign policy for one-fifth of America's history, who thinks that he knows everything best, and clearly doesn't seem to be listening to anyone. And there's plenty of discontent inside the Biden administration itself—and people appear to have just given up and are waiting for the elections—but there's no clear signs yet that there won't necessarily be much of a change even after that.Trita ParsiLet's first remember that if any other entity had done this to Israel—or to us—we would not have hesitated for a second. We would have called it an act of terrorism, and we would have called it an act of war.Trita ParsiDr. Feroze Sidhwa is a trauma and critical care surgeon as well as a Northern California Veterans Affairs general surgeon, and he is Associate Professor of Surgery at the California Northstate University College of Medicine. Dr. Sidhwa served at the European Hospital in Khan Younis in March and April of this year, and he has done prior humanitarian work in Haiti, the West Bank, Ukraine, and Zimbabwe. Dr. Sidhwa and 45 other American doctors and nurses who have served in Gaza recently sent a letter exhorting President Biden, VP Harris, and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden to effect an immediate ceasefire.It's hard to appreciate, but really literally everything in Gaza that makes a place a society has been destroyed. I think of it in three levels— at the very base is agriculture, food production, and housing, at the level above that is healthcare, and at the level above that is things that are for a higher level of society, education, arts, industry, whatever. That top level is gone. Literally every university in Gaza has been obliterated, physically destroyed…The hospital system is almost completely useless right now…the functionality of the hospitals is very little more than a four walled space in which people can walk into and ask for a doctor to put bandages on them. And then even the lowest level…something like 85 or 90 % of the water sanitation and hygiene infrastructure in Gaza has been destroyed.Dr. Feroze SidhwaThis is just outrageous. I mean, why are we doing this even to ourselves? Is it worth corrupting the entire executive department of the United States so that we can murder more children? Is that what Americans want? I don't think so.Dr. Feroze SidhwaLet's talk about Lebanon itself, not just Hezbollah. This is war on Lebanon—that has a dysfunctional government, to be sure— but it is a state that the U.S. is allied with in a way, supplying modest weapons to the Lebanese army, and France has had long relations with Lebanon going back to the mandate period. In the U.S., this is a whole new constituency where they're losing relatives and friends.Ralph NaderMore links to the letter sent by Dr. Sidhwa and his colleagues:To Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in CanadaTo Prime Minister Keir Starmer in the UKHow to email the PresidentHow to call the PresidentWrite or Call the White HouseIn Case You Didn't Hear with Francesco DeSantisNews 9/25/241. On September 11th, Senator Patty Murray and Progressive Caucus Chair Pramila Jayapal sent a letter to the Biden administration demanding “an immediate, transparent, credible, and thorough independent U.S. investigation…into the killing of [Ayşenur] Eygi,” the American citizen murdered by Israeli forces during a protest in the West Bank. Senator Murray and Representative Jayapal both represent Washington state, where Ms. Eygi attended university. In this letter, Murray and Jayapal also list the numerous American citizens killed by Israeli soldiers even before the current explosion of tensions in the region, ranging from Rachel Corrie in 2003 to Shireen Abu Akleh in 2022. Senator Bernie Sanders echoed this call in his own statement on September 13th. Despite this pressure, the administration has not launched an investigation. The government of Turkey however – where Ms. Eygi was born, though she moved the United States when she was less than a year old – will pursue charges against Israel in the International Criminal Court and International Court of Justice, Reuters reports.2. The Intercept reports that the Uncommitted Movement will not endorse Vice President Kamala Harris' presidential campaign. In their official statement, the Movement leaders write “Vice President Harris's unwillingness to shift on unconditional weapons policy or to even make a clear campaign statement in support of upholding existing U.S. and international human rights law has made it impossible for us to endorse her.” Harris proved unwilling to even meet with the Uncommitted leaders. This cold shoulder could have disastrous consequences, particularly in Michigan where Uncommitted garnered over 100,000 votes in the Democratic primaries.3. Boeing is again in crisis. On September 20th, the New York Post reported that the chief of the company's space unit, Ted Colbert, had been ousted after Boeing's Starliner capsule left astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore stranded on the International Space Station. This comes amid a massive strike by Boeing machinists, 96% of whom voted in favor of the strike per Ryan Simms of KOMO News. The New York Post adds that Boeing's shares have lost over 40% of their value so far this year.4. In more union related news, on September 18th, the Congressional Workers Union announced that “staff in the Office of Congressman Mark Pocan and Congresswoman Val Hoyle secured the first-ever Memorandums of Understanding…between congressional staff and their members.” These MOUs include salary increases, back pay, and immediate cost-of-living adjustments. The union will continue to press for the first ever Congressional office collective bargaining agreement.5. On September 12th, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau “filed a proposed order against student loan servicer Navient for its years of failures and lawbreaking.” If approved by the court, this order would permanently “remove Navient from a market where it, among other illegal actions, steered numerous student loan borrowers into costly repayment options…illegally deprived student borrowers of opportunities to enroll in more affordable income-driven repayment plans and forced them to pay much more than they should have.” Additionally, Navient would be forced to pay out $100 million to harmed borrowers, on top of a $20 million penalty. CFPB Director Rohit Chopra is quoted saying “For years, Navient's top executives profited handsomely by exploiting students and taxpayers…By banning the notorious student loan giant from federal student loan servicing and ensuring the winddown of these operations, the CFPB will finally put an end to the years of abuse.” Navient, formerly Sallie Mae, is described as “a repeat offender with a long history of regulatory violations,” and when the CFPB first took legal action against the company in 2017, it was the largest student loan servicer in the country.6. More Perfect Union's Jordan Zakarin reports the National Labor Relations Board has ruled that Starbucks illegally closed all three of its Ithaca, New York locations and that the NLRB “ordered that those stores be re-opened, with the unionized staff re-hired and given 16 months of backpay.” Yet, Zakarin notes that because this was decided by an administrative law judge, Starbucks can and more than likely will appeal this decision. This case starkly exemplifies why the capitalist class feels so threatened by the newly reinvigorated NLRB.7. A deeply disturbing story sheds light on sexual assault by CIA officers in postings around the world. The AP reports Brian Jeffrey Raymond, a longtime CIA agent, was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison for drugging, photographing, and sexually assaulting more than two dozen women in postings around the globe. Yet Raymond's case is just the tip of the iceberg. “[A]nother veteran CIA officer faces…charges in Virginia for allegedly reaching up a co-worker's skirt and forcibly kissing her during a drunken party in the office…Still another former CIA employee…is scheduled to face a jury trial next month on charges he assaulted a woman…at the agency's Langley, Virginia, headquarters. That case emboldened some two dozen women to come forward to authorities and Congress with accounts of their own of sexual assaults, unwanted touching and what they contend are the CIA's efforts to silence them.” Tellingly, even Raymond's own attorneys contended that his “quasi-military” work at the CIA in the years following 9/11 contributed to his “emotional callousness [and] objectification of other people,” that led to his preying upon women. It is well worth remembering that, once set in motion, dehumanization is not easily stopped.8. Amid an expansive corruption probe in New York City, Gothamist reports just how much the NYPD is receiving in overtime pay in the subway; whereas last year, this slice of overtime pay totaled $4 million in taxpayer money, this year it has ballooned to $155 million, a nearly 4,000% increase. Meanwhile the Mayor continues to slash budgets for essential city services, such as libraries.9. Rolling Stone reports the Crypto lobby is spending gargantuan sums of money to take out Ohio Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown – reportedly $32 million by the end of September, or $800,000 per day. Aware that their cause is unpopular, they are not running pro-Crypto ads, but instead spots that say his opponent will stop “illegal immigrants from taking Ohio's tax dollars.” As Luke Goldstein of the American Prospect puts it “Dems are getting played like a fiddle by crypto; Schumer caved to their demands to stop the bleeding and then crypto PACs said thanks we're still dropping $32 mil in OH to knock out your senate majority.”10. Finally, in a story featuring a dizzying array of the worst things imaginable, Bloomberg reports “The owner of the shuttered Three Mile Island nuclear plant in Pennsylvania will invest $1.6 billion to revive it, agreeing to sell all the output to Microsoft…as the tech titan seeks…electricity for data centers to power [AI].” This story notes that “one of the site's two units permanently closed almost a half-century ago after the worst…nuclear accident” in American history, but Constellation Energy is “planning to reopen the other reactor, which shut in 2019 because it couldn't compete economically.” In other words, Microsoft is dumping money into a defunct nuclear power plant that has proven to be unsafe for the sole purpose of powering AI that has no proven benefits. Corporate greed caused a catastrophe at Three Mile Island before. Corporate hubris could easily cause another.This has been Francesco DeSantis, with In Case You Haven't Heard. Get full access to Ralph Nader Radio Hour at www.ralphnaderradiohour.com/subscribe
-VP Harris neglects Uncommitted voters, cozies up to crypto shills -Profiteers seize control of the U.S. organ donation system -FAA failing to address major problems in air safety -Rich Dick cashes out of pump and dump scheme
On today's episode, Chuck talks with Rep. Ruwa Romman, the Palestinian-American organizer and policy analyst representing Georgia's 97th House District. She is the first Muslim and Palestinian woman ever elected to the Georgia State House of Representatives. We talk about her background and her work as an elected official, as well as the Uncommitted movement within the Democratic Party and how she was supposed to speak at the DNC but was denied. It's an important part of the overall conversation surrounding the election and Rep. Romman brings a needed perspective to this conversation. Plus, Chuck and Big John talk about issues not getting enough coverage in Appalachia, according to the Appalachia subreddit. Learn more about Rep. Romman https://www.ruwa4georgia.com/https://www.instagram.com/ruwa4georgia/https://twitter.com/Ruwa4GeorgiaTimestamps05:57 — Issues not getting enough attention in Appalachia (according to r/Appalachia)29:20 — Interview with Georgia State Representative Ruwa Romman01:13:30 — Big John's Perpetual Beef with the Cincinnati BengalsTransition Music: “Leave it to Me” by Corduroy Brown https://corduroy-brown.com/-----------------------------------------------HELP SUPPORT APPODLACHIA!Join our Patreon, for as little as $5/month, and access live events, weekly exclusives, bonus series, and more patreon.com/appodlachia-----------------------------------------------Check out our fantastic sponsors!Red Rooster Coffee! Use our promo code “DOLLY” for free shipping!https://www.redroostercoffee.com/CBD and THC gummies & more: (use code “BANJO” for 25% off) http://www.cornbreadhemp.com/DISCLAIMER: None of the views expressed in this show represent the views of either Chuck or John's employers, and they never willSupport the show
We'd love to hear your thoughts on the podcast. Take the survey here or at wbur.org/survey. Local governments around the country are reconsidering the use of cash bail. But those changes often lead to political backlash. Here & Now's Peter O'Dowd continues his series from Harris County, which ended cash bail in 2019 for most misdemeanors. Then, we talk with Abbas Alawieh, a leader of the Uncommitted movement in Michigan. He has relatives in Lebanon who are trying to find safety from Israeli airstrikes against Hezbollah. And, author Ann Patchett talks about her new children's book — called "The Verts: A Story of Introverts and Extroverts."Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
Matt and Sam interview Waleed Shahid and Abbas Alawieh, two organizers of the Uncommitted Movement, about their experiences in the months following October 7 as well as before, during, and after the Democratic National Convention. As an Arab-American from Michigan and one of the state's two Uncommitted delegates to the DNC, what has Abbas heard from the people in his community, and what has he heard from his party? Why try to work within the Democratic Party to change its approach to Israel-Palestine? What were the Uncommitted Movement's "asks" at the convention, and why were they all refused? How does the Democratic Party, institutionally, need to change to better reflect the broadly pro-ceasefire views of its voters? And is there any hope that a possible Harris administration will be an improvement on the dreadful status quo?Sources:Waleed Shahid, “Why the Uncommitted Movement Was a Success at the DNC,” Jacobin, Aug 27, 2024"'The Uncommitted Movement Is the Floor of What's Possible:' An Interview with Waleed Shahid," Dissent, Aug 16, 2024Ben Terris, "A 'Ceasefire Delegate' Finds Lots to Do but Little to Celebrate," Washington Post, Aug 21, 2024Akbar Shahid Ahmed, "Gaza War Critics Are Inspired By The 1964 DNC — And They're Playing The Long Game," HuffPost, Aug 23, 2024Noah Lanard, "Why Were Democrats Afraid to Hear a Palestinian?" Mother Jones, Aug 31, 2024— "Here Is the Speech That the Uncommitted Movement Wants to Give at the DNC," Mother Jones, Aug 23, 2024Ta-Nehisi Coates, "A Palestinian American's Place Under the Democrats' Big Tent?" Vanity Fair, Aug 21, 2024
Listen to the rest of this premium episode by subscribing at patreon.com/knowyourenemyMatt and Sam interview Waleed Shahid and Abbas Alawieh, two organizers of the Uncommitted Movement, about their experiences in the months following October 7 as well as before, during, and after the Democratic National Convention. As an Arab-American from Michigan and one of the state's two Uncommitted delegates to the DNC, what has Abbas heard from the people in his community, and what has he heard from his party? Why try to work within the Democratic Party to change its approach to Israel-Palestine? What were the Uncommitted Movement's "asks" at the convention, and why were they all refused? How does the Democratic Party, institutionally, need to change to better reflect the broadly pro-ceasefire views of its voters? And is there any hope that a possible Harris administration will be an improvement on the dreadful status quo?Sources:Waleed Shahid, “Why the Uncommitted Movement Was a Success at the DNC,” Jacobin, Aug 27, 2024"'The Uncommitted Movement Is the Floor of What's Possible:' An Interview with Waleed Shahid," Dissent, Aug 16, 2024Ben Terris, "A 'Ceasefire Delegate' Finds Lots to Do but Little to Celebrate," Washington Post, Aug 21, 2024Akbar Shahid Ahmed, "Gaza War Critics Are Inspired By The 1964 DNC — And They're Playing The Long Game," HuffPost, Aug 23, 2024Noah Lanard, "Why Were Democrats Afraid to Hear a Palestinian?" Mother Jones, Aug 31, 2024— "Here Is the Speech That the Uncommitted Movement Wants to Give at the DNC," Mother Jones, Aug 23, 2024Ta-Nehisi Coates, "A Palestinian American's Place Under the Democrats' Big Tent?" Vanity Fair, Aug 21, 2024
Ralph welcomes back Dr. Michael Osterholm for a COVID check-up. They'll discuss the latest vaccines, what we know about long-haul COVID, updated testing guidelines, and some of the key lessons we can take from COVID and apply to future outbreaks. Plus, a call to action from Ralph. Dr. Michael Osterholm is a professor and director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota. In November 2020, Dr. Osterholm was appointed to President-elect Joe Biden's 13-member Transition COVID-19 Advisory Board. He is the author of Deadliest Enemy: Our War Against Killer Germs, and he has a weekly podcast called The Osterholm Update which offers discussion and analysis on the latest infectious disease developments.I think what we're trying to do today is use this vaccine to target those high-risk people in particular to say—you know what, you need to get it at least every four to six months, and that, unlike the flu vaccine, this is not going to be a once-a-year vaccine. If you did that— by just reducing serious illness, hospitalizations, and deaths—it would be a big accomplishment.Dr. Michael OsterholmThe last time you had me on, Ralph, we actually talked about the need for a panel to actually do a post-pandemic review. Not to point fingers, not to blame people, but—what should we have learned from that pandemic? And what I think is, for me, still a real challenge is we haven't seemed to learn through any of this. But more importantly—we haven't realized what happened with COVID could be child's play compared to what we could see, if this was anything like a “1918-like” pandemic of influenza.Dr. Michael OsterholmWe are using, today, virtually the same technology to make flu vaccines that we did in 1940. Now, that should wake everyone up. Dr. Michael Osterholm, on why we need to invest in vaccine developmentWe have, as a society, a cultural aversion to foreseeing and forestalling omnicides.Ralph NaderIn Case You Haven't Heard with Francesco DeSantisNews 8/28/241. Last week, the Uncommitted movement staged a sit-in at the DNC after the Democratic Party barred any Palestinian-American from speaking at the convention. According to Mother Jones, Uncommitted co-leader Abbas Alawieh, a delegate to the DNC, had been requesting a speaking slot for a Palestinian-American for two months in advance, and was only officially denied on the third night of the convention. Alawieh said he was “stunned” by the refusal, and added “We just want our voices to be heard.” As the article notes, “At the DNC, Republican staffers have been offered the chance [to speak]. An Uber lawyer who is high in the campaign got a prime-time slot. But not a single Palestinian has been given even five minutes on that stage.” Uncommitted gave the DNC an extensive list of potential speakers, including a physician just back from Gaza, and a Palestinian elected official from Georgia named Ruwa Romman. Her speech, available at Mother Jones, ended with the lines “To those who doubt us, to the cynics and the naysayers, I say, yes we can—yes we can be a Democratic Party that prioritizes funding our schools and hospitals, not…endless wars. That fights for an America that belongs to all of us—Black, brown, and white, Jews and Palestinians, all of us…together.” This was deemed unacceptable by the power brokers of the Democratic Party.2. In more bad news from the DNC, the New Republic reports that despite major progress in the party's foreign policy platform in 2020, “the center of gravity appears to have shifted almost as far—right back to where it had previously been.” Not only does the 2024 foreign policy platform include nothing about ending the sale and shipment of arms to Israel, the Democrats actually removed sections about ending the support for the Saudi war in Yemen, moving away from misguided forever wars, and cutting military spending – as well as criticizing Trump for being too soft on Iran. This article goes on to say “The Democratic platform abandons the progress made in 2020 in more subtle ways, too. The last platform noted that ‘when misused and overused, sanctions not only undermine our interests, they threaten one of the United States' greatest strategic assets: the importance of the American financial system.'…the new platform does not repeat these concerns…Both platforms call for competition with China, but in 2020 it said that Democrats would do so while avoiding the trap of a ‘new Cold War'—language that does not appear this time around.” In other words, the Democrats are trying desperately to scrub off any progress on foreign policy that pressure from the Bernie Sanders campaigns forced them to adopt into their platform. This is an ominous portend of what foreign policy could look like in a Kamala Harris administration.3. In yet more bad news from the DNC, the Huffington Post's Jessica Schulberg reports “The Democrats quietly dropped abolishing the death penalty from their party platform. This is the first time since 2012 the platform doesn't call for abolition and the first time since 2004 there's no mention of the death penalty at all.” Prior to 2012, the Democratic platform called for limiting the practice. This article continues, “Public support for the death penalty has been gradually declining. A Gallup poll last year found that 65% of Democrats oppose the punishment.” Yet despite this super-majority support the Democrats are abandoning this promise and did not even bother responding to her email asking if the party still supports death penalty abolition.4. On Monday, the Middle East Studies Association sent a letter to the University of Pennsylvania “denouncing its collaboration with the House Committee on Education and the Workforce's investigation of faculty members.” This letter expresses the association's, and its Committee on Academic Freedom's “grave concern about the apparent cooperation of the University…with the [Republican] witch-hunt…against…faculty, as well as faculty and students at other institutions of higher education.” Specifically, the Association accuses the university of providing the committee with materials – including course syllabi – despite no subpoena being issued. The Association compares this “witch-hunt,” to “the now-disgraced House Un-American Activities Committee hearings in the late 1940s and 1950s,” and makes clear that the House committee members are “less concerned with combatting invidious discrimination than with suppressing and punishing pro-Palestine speech.” This letter ends with a demand that the university “immediately desist from any form of cooperation…[and] to affirm [their] commitment to protect the academic freedom of [their] faculty, students and staff, and to vigorously defend them against all forms of governmental harassment and intimidation.”5. Remember the astronauts stranded on the International Space Station due to Boeing's incompetence? According to AP, “NASA decided Saturday it's too risky to bring [them] back to Earth in Boeing's…capsule, and they'll have to wait until next year for a ride home…What should have been a weeklong test flight for the pair will now last more than eight months.” As AP highlights, this is “a blow to Boeing, adding to the safety concerns plaguing the company on its airplane side. Boeing had counted on Starliner's first crew trip to revive the troubled spacecraft program after years of delays and ballooning costs. The company had insisted Starliner was safe based on all the recent thruster tests both in space and on the ground.” In other words, whether in the air or in space, Boeing craft are undependable and dangerous. According to Good Jobs First's Subsidy Tracker, Boeing has received nearly $100 billion in public subsidies, loans or bailouts since 1994.6. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has dropped out of the presidential race and endorsed Donald Trump, the BBC reports. In a press conference, Kennedy said he would “seek to remove his name from the ballot in 10 battleground states…where his presence would be a ‘spoiler' to Trump's effort.” That said, election officials in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Nevada said it was too late to take his name off the ballot. In exchange for his endorsement, Kennedy's running mate Nicole Shanahan “entertained the idea that Kennedy could join Trump's administration as secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services,” per AP, a perch that would allow him to carry out his anti-vaccine agenda. Kerry Kennedy, his sister, released a statement saying his support for Trump was a “betrayal of the values that our father and our family hold most dear. It is a sad ending to a sad story.”7. Last year, the Department of Justice announced an antitrust lawsuit accusing the meat industry of colluding to fix prices with the help of a data company, Agri Stats, that “violated Section 1 of the Sherman Act by collecting, integrating, and distributing competitively sensitive information related to price, cost, and output among competing meat processors,” per Common Dreams. Now, More Perfect Union has released a video on the case featuring Errol Schweizer, the former vice president of Whole Foods' grocery division, saying “This is probably one of the top five food scandals of the 21st Century, and we can't underplay it…People f*****g need to go to jail…for this s**t.”8. Labor Notes' Luis Feliz Leon reports “Costco turned down a card check agreement with the Teamsters.” In a statement, the Teamsters explain “Costco Teamsters were forced to suspend negotiations for a new National Master Agreement after the wholesale giant, despite its claims of being pro-union, refused to accept a card check agreement that would make it easier for nonunion Costco workers to join the Teamsters…Despite Costco's public reputation as a ‘worker-friendly' company, the wholesaler has undergone a troubling shift in its corporate culture and governance. Increasingly…catering to Wall Street shareholders at the expense of workers.” Teamsters General President Sean O'Brien is quoted saying “Costco's so-called ‘pro-worker' image is now nothing more than a talking point for investors…We are not here for empty rhetoric — we're here to win an industry-leading contract that stops Costco's corporate backsliding and guarantees workers the right to organize with a card-check agreement.” This statement also notes that “Costco is ranked as the 11th largest U.S. corporation on the Fortune 500 and reported $242 billion in revenue and $29.7 billion in annual gross profits in 2023.”9. According to Vox, the 2019 US teacher strikes were “good, actually.” This piece cites “New research [which] finds labor stoppages raised wages without harming student learning.” As this article explains, “Answering…questions [like do these strikes work? Do they deliver gains for workers? Do they help or hurt students academically?] has been challenging…due to a lack of centralized data that scholars could use to analyze the strikes…Now, for the first time…researchers …have compiled a novel data set to answer these questions, providing the first credible estimates of the effect of US teacher strikes.” According to this data, which covers 772 teacher strikes across 610 school districts in 27 states between 2007-2023, “on average, strikes were successful,” delivering average compensation increases of 3 percent one year post-strike and reaching 8 percent five years out. Not only that, the data show strikes related to “improved working conditions, such as lower class sizes or increased spending on school facilities and non-instructional staff like nurses…were also effective…as pupil-teacher ratios fell by 3.2 percent and there was a 7 percent increase in spending dedicated to paying non-instructional staff by the third year after a strike.” Perhaps most critically, “the researchers find no evidence that US teacher strikes…affected reading or math achievement for students in the year of the strike, or in the five years after…In fact…they could not rule out that the…strikes actually boosted student learning over time, given the increased school spending associated with them.” The bottom line is this: teacher strikes get the goods, for teachers, staff, and students alike.10. Finally, Bloomberg reports China has achieved their renewable power target six years ahead of schedule. According to this report, “The nation added 25 gigawatts of turbines and panels in July, expanding total capacity to 1,206 gigawatts…Xi set a goal in December 2020 for at least 1,200 gigawatts from the clean energy sources by 2030.” As Bloomberg notes, “China by far outspends the rest of the world when it comes to clean energy, and has repeatedly broken wind and solar installation records in recent years. The rapid growth has helped lead to declines in coal power generation this summer and may mean the world's biggest polluter has already reached peak emissions well before its 2030 target.” Impressive as these achievements are, solar and wind still only account for around 14% of energy generation in China. In order to arrest catastrophic climate change, much much more remains to be done.This has been Francesco DeSantis, with In Case You Haven't Heard. Get full access to Ralph Nader Radio Hour at www.ralphnaderradiohour.com/subscribe
Ten months into Israel's war with Gaza, Vice President and presidential hopeful Kamala Harris is highlighting the White House's work towards a ceasefire deal.But negotiations have stalled. The most recent talks in Cairo, sponsored by the U.S., ended without an agreement. And as tensions escalate on the border between Israel and Lebanon, the path forward seems even more unclear.Organizers and uncommitted delegates at the Democratic National Convention protested for a ceasefire in Gaza, an arms embargo for Israel, and the party's decision to deny the request of a pro-Palestinian speaker at the convention.What does this moment mean for the Biden White House? And what do we know about what Middle East foreign policy would look like under a potential Harris presidency?Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Connect with us. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
In the polls, convicted felon Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris are essentially tied. Jill Stein, Cornel West, and RFK, Jr. are third-party candidates, supported by far-right dark money groups aiming to "Ralph Nader" the election in Trump's favor. Meanwhile, mainstream media—especially the New York Times—continues to normalize MAGA fascism. Amidst growing election anxiety, it might be difficult to hear the pleas from the Uncommitted movement and their Democratic allies, who are advocating for a permanent ceasefire and hostage deal to end the war in Gaza. To help us understand the Uncommitted movement and its significance in this election, this week's guest is Palestinian-American and Georgia state representative Ruwa Romman. She was on a short list of Palestinian-Americans who submitted a two-minute speech for the DNC, which was ultimately rejected, despite the invitation to Democratic leadership to collaborate on the text. Though not an Uncommitted delegate herself, Rep. Romman will explain how to bridge our differences and move forward with a unified front. Holding our elected officials accountable isn't just a civic duty—it's essential for enacting real change and enforcing laws effectively, especially those to hold war criminals like Netanyahu and Hamas accountable. Despite the challenges ahead, there's a glimmer of hope. This week's bonus show, exclusive to our Patreon supporters at the Truth-teller ($5/month) level and higher, delves into how Trump broke the law (yet again!) to come to power in the 2016 election by accepting an illegal campaign donation from Egypt's dictatorship. To access this and all bonus episodes, be sure to subscribe to the show! Thank you to everyone who supports Gaslit Nation—we couldn't make this show without you! * Join us at a Gaslit Nation event! Gaslit Nation Patreon supporters at the Truth-teller level and higher, join the conversation at our live-tapings! Meet these incredible authors! You can also drop your questions in the chat or send them ahead of time through Patreon! Subscribe at Patreon.com/Gaslit to join the fun! September 16 at 7:00 PM ET: In-person live taping with Andrea and Terrel Starr at the Ukrainian Institute of America in NYC. Celebrate the release of In the Shadow of Stalin, the graphic novel adaptation of Andrea's film Mr. Jones, directed by Agnieszka Holland. Gaslit Nation Patreon supporters get in free – so message us on Patreon to be added to the guest list. Everyone else can RSVP here: https://ukrainianinstitute.org/event/books-at-the-institute-chalupa/ September 17 at 12:00 PM ET: Virtual live taping with investigative journalist Stephanie Baker, author of Punishing Putin: Inside the Global Economic War to Bring Down Russia. Her book has been highly praised by Bill Browder, the advocate behind the Magnitsky Act to combat Russian corruption. September 18 at 4:00 PM ET: Virtual live taping with the one and only Politics Girl, Leigh McGowan, author of A Return to Common Sense: How to Fix America Before We Really Blow It. September 24 at 12:00 PM ET: Virtual live taping with David Pepper, author of Saving Democracy. Join us as David discusses his new art project based on Project 2025. Show Notes: WATCH: Kamala Harris addresses war in Gaza 2024 at Democratic National Convention | 2024 DNC Night 4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oogNVOqnChc Watch: Palestinian American Lawmaker Gives Speech the DNC Wouldn't Allow on Stage https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8K5FIp-GN8 How to Stop Trump from Stealing the Election https://www.gaslitnationpod.com/episodes-transcripts-20/2024/7/30/how-to-stop-trump-from-stealing-the-electionnbsp Fani Willis vs. Trump: The Nazis Strike Back https://www.gaslitnationpod.com/episodes-transcripts-20/2024/01/24/fani-willis-trump-nazis
V & Sami are back from the DNC and they're ready to recap a very busy week. Still unhappy with trad media, they point out the double standard in the way Harris' speech is being fact checked versus the way the media is treating Trump. V also explains why there were no trans speakers at the DNC, and what was going on with the Uncommitted delegates. V & Sami also celebrate the joy and hope that was displayed at the DNC, along with Democrats reclaiming camo and the American flag. Then we share an interview at the DNC where Sami sat down with Senator Lephonza Butler, where Sen. Butler talks about brokering power, and explains why she's not running for reelection. Listen to our episode with Vice President Harris here: Is The Bodily Autonomy In The Room With Us? Ft. Kamala Harris Have questions for Sam & V? Email us at americanfeverdream@betches.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
We'd love to hear your thoughts on the podcast. Take the survey at wbur.org/survey. In a letter to Rep. Jim Jordan, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said he regrets bowing to what he calls White House pressure in 2021 to take down some Facebook posts related to COVID-19. Bloomberg's Kurt Wagner tells us more. Then, at last week's Democratic National Convention, Palestinian American Ruwa Romman supported the Vote Uncommitted movement, backing an immediate ceasefire and an arms embargo to Israel. Romman talks about what she wanted to tell the DNC crowds about the movement's goals as the election approaches. And, "Yo Gabba Gabba" has been reimagined for a new generation of families. The beloved characters are back in a new series airing on Apple TV + called "Yo Gabba Gabbaland!" Co-creators Christian Jacobs and Scott Schultz join us alongside the show's new 13-year-old host, Kamryn Smith.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
At last week's Democratic National Convention, organizers tried to put unity on display by featuring speakers with a range of ideological viewpoints who support Vice President Kamala Harris' bid for president. But one major voice was missing. DNC leaders denied the request of the Uncommitted Movement, the Pro-Palestinian anti-war in Gaza coalition, to have a Palestinian American speak on stage at the convention. One of the people who the group suggested was Georgia State Rep. Ruwa Romman, the state's first Palestinian American elected to public office. She joins us on the show to talk about the message the DNC's decision sends to voters opposed to U.S. support for Israel's war in Gaza.And in headlines: The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah traded fire with Israel on Sunday in the biggest flare-up of violence between the two in recent months, Republican Vice Presidential Nominee J.D. Vance says Donald Trump would veto a federal abortion ban if elected as president, and RFK Jr. threw his support behind Trump after suspending his independent bid for president. Show Notes:Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/3kk4nyz8What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcastFollow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday
Subscribe to Bad Faith on Patreon to instantly unlock this episode and our entire premium episode library: http://patreon.com/badfaithpodcast Last week, most eyes were glued to the Democratic National Convention programing: The Lil Jon roll call, AOC proclaiming that Harris is working "tirelessly" for a ceasefire, JB Pritzker bragging that he is a better billionaire than Trump, and Harris proclaiming hers will be the most "lethal" military ever. But the Green Party also had its own nominating convention, which prioritized the issues that once defined the Bernie left. This week, two Green Party National Co-Chairs --Margaret Elisabeth and Craig Cayetano -- join Bad Faith to weigh in on the DNC and contrast it with the Green Party's organizational structure, provide additional insight into why Cornel West may have decided to run as an independent, the new Green Party VP, & whether Uncommitted is wasting their leverage. They also take on the growing volume of anti-Green propaganda shared by high profile liberal accounts like George Takei's. Is the Green Party really doing nothing between presidential elections? Subscribe to Bad Faith on YouTube for video of this episode. Find Bad Faith on Twitter (@badfaithpod) and Instagram (@badfaithpod). Produced by Armand Aviram. Theme by Nick Thorburn (@nickfromislands).
On his show, Phil Donahue never shied away from questioning those in power, be they government officials or corporate CEOs. And there was no more frequent guest on his program than Ralph Nader. Along with guests Joan Claybrook, Michael Jacobson and Jeff Cohen, we pay tribute to a man Ralph calls “the greatest enabler and defender of the First Amendment right of free speech in American history.”Joan Claybrook is one of the public interest champions of the modern consumer movement, and she is president emeritus of Public Citizen. Prior to becoming president of Public Citizen, Ms. Claybrook was head of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in the Carter administration from 1977 to 1981. Before serving as NHTSA administrator, she founded and ran Public Citizen's Congress Watch division and worked for the Public Interest Research Group, the National Traffic Safety Bureau, the Social Security Administration, and the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare.[Phil Donahue] had the deepest understanding of the First Amendment of anybody I've ever met. And the reason is that not only did he have these voiceless leaders and victims on a show that other media would avoid like the plague—it would upset their advertisers, who would upset their corporate bosses—he would have people on whose views he vehemently disagreed with.Ralph NaderPhil [Donahue] knew that it wasn't just important to reach people on his show—that he had to have them accessible to materials that elaborated it in greater detail. And he did that for lots of people. But it all started with his sense of the purpose of the media and a public philosophy of justice for all.Ralph NaderDonahue was a great source of help to get information out to the public that they really wanted. And no one else would publicize it.Joan ClaybrookMichael Jacobson holds a PhD. in microbiology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and he co-founded and then led the Center for Science in the Public Interest for four decades. Dr. Jacobson is the author of Salt Wars: The Battle Over the Biggest Killer in the American Diet. And he is the founder of the National Food Museum.Phil really was one of a kind— where he studied up on the topic, he knew it thoroughly, he was smart, he was generous, kind, thoughtful, asked good questions. So it was just a wonderful, positive experience for various reasons to be on his terrific daytime TV show.Dr. Michael JacobsonJeff Cohen is Co-Founder and Policy Director at RootsAction. He is a media critic, columnist, documentary filmmaker, and retired journalism professor who founded the media watch group FAIR—Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting— in 1986. For years, he was a regular pundit on CNN, Fox News and MSNBC discussing issues of media and politics, and he is the author of Cable News Confidential: My Misadventures in Corporate Media. He was senior producer of MSNBC's Phil Donahue Show until it was terminated on the eve of the Iraq war.Management wrecked the show, and then they terminated the show three weeks before the invasion of Iraq. And remember, they terminated us right after the biggest anti-war marches in global history up until that point. And obviously there was a huge audience— if they had allowed Phil Donahue to be Phil Donahue and put on the experts that we wanted to put on. And we would have gotten huge ratings—but they ruined the show, they hurt our ratings. [And] when we were terminated—in spite of all of management's interference—we were still the most-watched program on MSNBC. Management doesn't usually cancel their most-watched television show, but they did it at MSNBC.Jeff CohenIn Case You Haven't Heard with Francesco DeSantisNews 8/21/241. Last week, the Kamala Harris campaign announced their first major policy proposal: “a federal ban on corporate price gouging on groceries,” per the New York Times. In a statement to reporters, the campaign said this policy would “[set]…rules of the road to make clear that big corporations can't unfairly exploit consumers to run up excessive corporate profits on food and groceries,” according to the Washington Post. Reporter Jeff Stein further elaborates that this plan is expected to include “[money] for small firms to compete [and will] Challenge [industry] mergers.” This policy stems from the Federal Trade Commission report published by the New York Times in March, that found “Large Grocers Took Advantage of Pandemic Supply Chain Disruptions …[and] used rising costs as an opportunity to further hike prices.”2. This week of course Kamala Harris is in Chicago for the Democratic National Convention. Just before the convention, Mother Jones ran a profile of progressive Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, in which he said “What's happening right now [in Palestine] is not only egregious, it is genocidal.” Chicago is the largest local government in the United States to pass a resolution calling for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza. Further illustrating the success of pro-Palestine activism, Prem Thakker of the Intercept reports the DNC “will host [its] first ever panel on Palestinian human rights,” featuring Layla Elabed, co-leader of the Uncommitted movement, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, former Congressman Andy Levin, and Jim Zogby, president of the Arab American Institute, among others. Ms. Elabed and her compatriot Abbas Alawieh said in a statement “Our focus remains on policy change. Vice President Harris has an opportunity to unite the party against Trump…by turning the page toward a human rights policy that saves lives…We will keep pushing for our party's leadership to break away from its current financing of Israel's horrific assault on Gaza and military rule over Palestinians.”3. Yet another sign that pro-Palestine activism is shifting the center of gravity in the Democratic Party, last Friday dozens of congressional Democrats – including Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi – sent a letter to President Biden and Secretary of State Blinken “urging a halt to weapons transfers to Israel,” per AP. This letter referred to the Israeli strike on American aid workers with the World Central Kitchen relief group, saying “In light of the recent strike against aid workers and the ever-worsening humanitarian crisis, we believe it is unjustifiable to approve these weapons transfers.” Other signatories include Reps. Rashida Tlaib, Barbara Lee, and AOC. This letter comes on the heels of a series of state polls by IMEU and YouGov showing “A significant share of Democrats and independent voters in pivotal swing states…are more likely to vote for the Democratic presidential nominee…if said nominee pledges support for an arms embargo to Israel,” per Zeteo. In Pennsylvania, 34% said more likely and only 7% less likely; in Georgia 39% said more likely and only 5% less likely, with similar numbers in Arizona. Put simply, it is clear that an arms embargo is both good politics and good policy. Even Pelosi knows it.4. A scandal is unfolding at the University of Florida, centering on a massive misuse of funds by the University president, former Senator Ben Sasse. The Alligator, the university newspaper, reports “In his 17-month stint as UF president, Ben Sasse more than tripled his office's spending, directing millions in university funds into secretive consulting contracts and high-paying positions for his GOP allies.” This piece continues “A majority of the spending surge was driven by lucrative contracts with big-name consulting firms and high-salaried, remote positions for Sasse's former U.S. Senate staff and Republican officials…[these] contracts have been kept largely under wraps, leaving the public in the dark about what the contracted firms did to earn their fees.” So much for the party of fiscal responsibility.5. A new piece in St. Louis magazine recounts the ongoing miscarriage of justice against Yolanda Greene. Ms. Greene was “fired from her job after being arrested—even though the police report that provided the basis of the charges against her is clearly contradicted by bystander video.” This piece continues “The police report says that Greene struck one of the officers ‘several times in the back near his neck, head, and shoulders with what appeared to be a closed fist.' [and that she] ‘actively assaulte[d]' a second officer.” Yet the bystander video shows “Greene on the ground and an officer [striking] her several times…A different video, captured by an officer's body camera, records another officer exclaiming, ‘Don't throw a strike'—even as the officer atop Greene does just that.” Mark Pedroli, Greene's lawyer, is quoted saying “I sent the tape over to [Wesley] Bell's office and said, ‘You're prosecuting the wrong people. You should be prosecuting the police for lying in these reports,'” yet Bell – who is nearly guaranteed a spot in the next congress after his successful AIPAC-backed primary against Cori Bush – is pressing ahead with these charges.6. Continuing its series on civil asset forfeiture, libertarian magazine Reason reports “A new class action lawsuit accuses Indiana law enforcement of seizing millions of dollars a year in cash from FedEx packages without ever informing owners of what crime they're suspected of violating.” This piece cites Sam Gedge a senior attorney at the “libertarian public interest law firm,” Institute for Justice, which claims “the Marion County Prosecutor's Office has sued to forfeit $2.5 million in currency from at least 130 FedEx parcels in transit from one non-Indiana state to another over the past two years. This scheme is one of the most predatory we have seen…It's illegal and unconstitutional for Indiana to forfeit in-transit money whose only connection to Indiana is the happenstance of FedEx's shipping practices.”7. According ProPublica, Arizona's experiment with school vouchers has failed spectacularly. As the publication explains “In 2022, Arizona pioneered the largest school voucher program in the history of education…any parent in the state…could get a taxpayer-funded voucher worth up to tens of thousands of dollars to spend on private school tuition, extracurricular programs or homeschooling supplies…Yet in a lesson for…other states, Arizona's…experiment has since precipitated a budget meltdown. The state this year faced a $1.4 billion budget shortfall, much of which was a result of the new voucher spending…Last fiscal year alone, the price tag of universal vouchers in Arizona skyrocketed from an original official estimate of just under $65 million to roughly $332 million…[and] another $429 million in costs is expected this year.” We hope this catastrophic budget implosion gives pause to the prominent Republicans and Democrats boosting the canard of “school choice.”8. The Federal Trade Commission has announced a new rule that will “combat fake reviews and testimonials by prohibiting their sale or purchase and allow the [FTC] to seek civil penalties against knowing violators.” FTC Chair Lina Khan adds “Fake reviews not only waste people's time and money, but also pollute the marketplace and divert business away from honest competitors…By strengthening the FTC's toolkit to fight deceptive advertising, the final rule will protect Americans from getting cheated, put businesses that unlawfully game the system on notice, and promote markets that are fair, honest, and competitive.” These types of much-needed, commonsense consumer protection rules are exactly why billionaires and corporate America are terrified of Lina Khan and have been mounting a shadowy campaign for her ouster.9. More Perfect Union reports “Ride share drivers in Massachusetts are now guaranteed a minimum wage of $32.50/hr, plus benefits.” According to the Verge, “The two companies also agreed to pay a combined $175 million, the bulk of which will be paid out to ‘current and former drivers who were underpaid by the companies,' [Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea] Campbell's office announced.” Despite these victories, Uber and Lyft drivers will still be classified as independent contractors instead of employees.10. Finally, per Huffington Post labor reporter Dave Jamieson, “The Culinary Union has reached a tentative agreement on its first contract with longtime Vegas Strip holdouts the Venetian and Palazzo [closing] a long chapter in which previous owner Sheldon Adelson successfully resisted organizing efforts.” In addition to the Culinary Union, the deal with the Venetian and Palazzo's new owners – private equity firm Apollo Global Management – also includes Bartenders Local 165, Operating Engineers Local 501 and Teamsters Local 986. As the Nevada Independent notes, “Combined, the Venetian and Palazzo have some 8,000 gaming and nongaming workers covering 7,100 hotel rooms, 225,000 square feet of casino space and 2.3 million square feet of convention space. It's unclear how many members of the workforce could be covered by the union agreements.”This has been Francesco DeSantis, with In Case You Haven't Heard. Get full access to Ralph Nader Radio Hour at www.ralphnaderradiohour.com/subscribe
At the Democratic National Convention this week in Chicago, Israel's war on Gaza was the elephant in the room. On this Intercept podcast special, we're talking about the Democratic Party's simmering debate about Gaza inside and outside the United Center — culminating in Kamala Harris's acceptance speech Thursday night. Intercept senior politics reporter Akela Lacy, who is in Chicago reporting on the convention, joins senior editor Ali Gharib to discuss Democrats' approach to the war and Harris's speech.Ahead of the convention, Harris's ascension raised the possibility of a changed approach to Gaza, and activists organized among delegates in the streets to try to make it happen. Protests raged. The “Uncommitted” movement pushed for Palestinian speaker on the main stage. And Harris's role in the war got a controversial shoutout from New york Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez — sparking some indirect swipes from a fellow member of the progressive Squad. By Thursday night, the war on Gaza made its way into Harris's speech. But did her words signal the change in policy that Palestine solidarity advocates were hoping for?Transcript coming soon. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Four days in Chicago, dozens of speeches by Democratic luminaries and backbenchers, and a spotlight on Kamala Harris, who reintroduced herself to America — your favorite podcast co-hosts endured watching the Democratic National Convention and are here to report on what they saw.It was, in many ways, a highly successful convention: massive crowds, palpable energy for the Harris-Walz ticket, and orations met with pundits' plaudits. But the Democrats' refusal to feature a speaker from the Uncommitted delegates, and the general lack of evident concern for Palestinian suffering, was profoundly disappointing — and morally grotesque. As were the choices to feature cops and ex-CIA agents on the convention stage, and the broad affirmation, from Democrats, of the right's positions on crime and the border. What to make of it all? We discuss how Kamala tried to define her career and candidacy, what we make of Tim Walz (so far), how Democrats talked about Trump (including the shifts from how they've done so in the past), and the state of the presidential race now that both conventions are, blessedly, over.Sources:Watch Kamala Harris's full DNC speech (YouTube)Watch Tim Walz's full DNC speech (YouTube)Watch Michelle Obama's full DNC speech (YouTube)Liliana Segura, "Democrats Abandoned Their Anti-Death Penalty Stance. Those on Federal Death Row May Pay the Price," The Intercept, Aug 23, 2024.Josh Leifer and Waleed Shahid, "The Uncommitted Movement Is the Floor of What's Possible,” Dissent, Aug 16, 2024Noah Lanard, "Here Is the Speech That the Uncommitted Movement Wants to Give at the DNC," Mother Jones, Aug 23, 2024
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It's an EmMajority Report Thursday! She speaks with Daniel Denvir, host of The Dig podcast, housing justice organizer for Reclaim Rhode Island, and alternate uncommitted delegate from Rhode Island to the Democratic National Convention, to discuss his experience so far on the ground at the DNC. Then, she speaks with Susan Rinkunas, contributing writer at Jezebel, to discuss the recent developments in abortion legislation around the country ahead of the election, as well as how abortion is being handled at the DNC. First, Emma runs through updates on the DNC's rejection of a possible Palestinian speaker, Dems' decision to drop the death penalty abolition from their platform, RFK's candidacy, Day 3 of the DNC, Canada's freight rail labor news, Israel's domestic discontent, the continuing genocide in Gaza, and the second raid of the Tate brothers' compound in Romania, before parsing through Tim Walz' well-received speech at last night's DNC. Daniel Denvir then joins, walking through the Uncommitted Delegation's platform and their request made to the DNC to have practically any Palestinian speak at the convention, as well as touching on reactions to the unsurprising – yet still disheartening – decision to double down on the party's record of anti-Palestinian discrimination (and support for their extermination). He and Emma then step back to assess why their platform so focuses on pressuring Biden for immediate action (rather than Harris for theoretical promises) and why Biden's claimed “negotiations” for a ceasefire are hollow without an immediate arms embargo, before tackling the successful Uncommitted organizing effort to get Harris delegates on board, the importance of pushing this fight on every level of the political spectrum, from grassroots to Congress, and how those of us outside of Chicago can help. Susan Rinkunas and Emma then look to the fights to get abortion rights on the ballots across myriad US states, first tackling the Arkansas Supreme Court's decision to deny ballot access to an amendment over paperwork issues, the major role Montana's referendum can play in helping Democrats' electoral efforts, Arizona's ongoing schemes to defend their use of 1873's Comstock act, and Florida's attempt to undermine democracy. After expanding the SCOTUS' recent decision cutting down a challenge to contraceptive fights, as well as the role of Comstock in the threat of a national abortion ban, Rinkunas wraps up by discussing the important and prevalent role reproductive rights and care access are playing at the DNC. And in the Fun Half: Emma is joined by Brandon Sutton who reflects on an experience at a seminar with Jeremy Corbyn, before they dive deep into the incredibly disheartening commitment by the Democratic establishment to lie to the faces of the US public, the importance of the ongoing protests in Chicago, the hypocrisies of American Empire, and more. They also talk with Mike from the PNW about ongoing NALC contract negotiations and Miranda Mitchell parses through the devastating public health situation in Gaza and the growing risk of a mass polio outbreak. Russell Brand objects to Kamala Harris' performative enjoyment of Doritos, and Bill Maher talks to kids, while drunk, about porn, drugs, and tits, and it goes exactly how you'd think, plus, your calls and IMs! Contact the DNC to get a Palestinian speaker on stage!: https://act.newmode.net/action/ifnotnow/urge-dnc-letpalestinespeak Follow Daniel on Twitter here: https://x.com/DanielDenvir Find out more about the Uncommitted National Movement here: https://www.uncommittedmovement.com/ Check out The Dig Podcast here: https://thedigradio.com/ Find out more about Reclaim Rhode Island here: https://reclaimri.org/ Follow Susan on Twitter here: https://x.com/SusanRinkunas Check out Susan's work at Jezebel here: https://www.jezebel.com/author/susanrinkunas Check out the LIMITED EDITION Vergogna shirt on the MR shop!: https://shop.majorityreportradio.com/collections/all-items/products/the-majority-report-vergogna-t-shirt Check out Tony Y, who designed the Vergogna shirt's website!: https://linktr.ee/tonyyanick AND! Check out Anne from Portland's website for HER Vergogna t-shirt! 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Democrats frustrated by Joe Biden's policy towards Israel and Gaza voted for “uncommitted” in the primaries, notably in the crucial swing state of Michigan. Does Kamala Harris have an opportunity to reach those voters now? Guest: Yazan “Yaz” Kader, uncommitted DNC delegate from the state of Washington and registered nurse. Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen. Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Democrats frustrated by Joe Biden's policy towards Israel and Gaza voted for “uncommitted” in the primaries, notably in the crucial swing state of Michigan. Does Kamala Harris have an opportunity to reach those voters now? Guest: Yazan “Yaz” Kader, uncommitted DNC delegate from the state of Washington and registered nurse. Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen. Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
President Biden saw a groundswell of protest during the Democratic primary as hundreds of thousands of voters concerned about the administration's response to Israel's war in Gaza voted "uncommitted." But some of the movements most prominent voices are tentatively warming to Kamala Harris, though they say there is still more work to be done.This episode: senior White House correspondent Tamara Keith, White House correspondent Asma Khalid, and national political correspondent Don Gonyea.The podcast is produced by Casey Morell and Kelli Wessinger. Our intern is Bria Suggs. Our editor is Eric McDaniel. Our executive producer is Muthoni Muturi. Listen to every episode of the NPR Politics Podcast sponsor-free, unlock access to bonus episodes with more from the NPR Politics team, and support public media when you sign up for The NPR Politics Podcast+ at plus.npr.org/politics.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
Vice President Kamala Harris faces pressure to lay out more policy proposals as former President Donald Trump accuses her of taking some of his own. “Uncommitted” movement co-founder Layla Elabed says they have “demanded” speaking time at the Democratic National Convention. Former DHS Under Secretary for Cyber and Infrastructure Suzanne Spaulding joins Meet the Press NOW to explain Iran's alleged hacking of the Trump campaign.
Headlines for August 09, 2024; “New Dawn” in Bangladesh? Nobel Peace Laureate Muhammad Yunus Sworn In as PM After Student Protests; “Uncommitted” Co-Chair Layla Elabed on Meeting Kamala Harris, Pressing VP for Arms Embargo on Israel; NYC Journalist Faces Hate Crime Charge for Allegedly Filming Gaza Protest Action; Police Raid Home