Christian Nationalism is a giant threat to our country. A danger to women, to minorities, to the marginalized and to democracy itself. While these white, Christian nationalists believe they’re saving the country from heathenism, what they’re really offering is a theocracy of top down control with themselves at the top. We must see this threat for what it is, and that starts with understanding. Tim Whitaker is the founder of the New Evangelicals, an inclusive, Jesus-centered community that...

Wanna win back democracy? Start with the states. The federal government is clearly essential, and to save our nation the Democrats must win the Presidency, House and Senate in ’24, but we can’t stop there. So many of the terrible laws we’re seeing around the country come directly from Republican state legislatures. People like to blame the president when things don’t go their way, but so much of what affects our daily lives is decided in state houses. Which is why joining the State’s Project...

Fixing the crisis America is in is hard, but it’s also simple. We can’t stop talking about reproductive rights because it’s not just about stripping women of the right to manage their own lives and bodies, it’s about the slippery slope we find ourselves on if we accept that government can just take our essential human rights. At the end of the day, it’s not just about abortion, it’s about precedent. If they can take this freedom, what’s next? Emily’s List is out here fighting back, which is...

The Republicans are telling us their plans for America’s future and it is terrifying. The Democrats, in contrast, are vocally offering the opposite. Where the last Democratic House was the most effective in modern American history, passing more legislation passed than any Congress since FDR’s New Deal, the current Republican House has been the least effective, least cohesive since the Civil War. The American people deserve better than obstructionists playing games with our time and money. We...

I’ve been watching what’s been happening on college campuses with real uncertainty. I don’t believe we’re getting the full story from the media. Much like the horserace neck and neck BS they’re peddling for the election, I feel as if traditional media is pushing narratives with the protests that don’t tell the full picture and it leaves people feeling outraged or confused. As today’s guest David Rothkopf says, “If you want this crisis to be simple, you’re looking in the wrong place. It’s not...

Today we’re joined by Mini Timmaraju, President of Reproductive Freedom for All, to discuss how reproductive freedom isn’t just about access to the health care of abortion, but about how we think society should function. Do we believe our most fundamental and personal decisions belong to the government, or do we believe they belong to us? At the end of the day, it all comes back to democracy, and if our voices are heard and respected, or we’re controlled and silenced. We, as a country, have...

It’s not that everything that’s happened in capitalism is bad, but when it comes to economics, perhaps we should be asking what this endless growth means and for whom? Who is all this growth for, and what is it worth, if it really only benefits a tiny silver of our population. What if there was a Goldilocks version of the economy? Where it wasn’t communism, and it wasn’t winner take all capitalism, but something in between that benefits all of us and works within the limits of our planet?...

Membership in violent extremist organizations is up, especially with our veterans. Today we talk to former mission commander and veteran’s advocate Ken Harbaugh about his incredible film Against All Enemies, and why a disproportionate amount of our military veterans would end up taking violent action against the very country they swore to protect, and why they would think they were patriots for doing it. We talk about this spectacular film that leaves you with a true understanding of where we...

How do you lock in a minority worldview in America? You control the states. As our guest, democracy activist, author and professor, David Pepper tells us, “You win them. You gerrymander them. You suppress as many votes as you can, and then ram through your extremist agenda, and nobody can stop you.” We see it happening all over the country. This is how Republicans with unpopular opinions, who don’t speak for the majority of the people, continue to win. Democrats have been going along trying...

Former RNC Chairman Michael Steele reaches out to his party to remind them to vote R for Rights not Republican. He tells us that Republican values are still here, they just can’t breathe under this current top down, one person centric, wanna-be dictator. We talk about how the once great party has been co-oped, so it’s not just ok to be a Republican who votes for a Democrat this cycle, if you truly believe in the values of freedom, liberty and justice, then it’s absolutely essential you vote...

At the end of the day, Sage Lenier, climate activist and one of Time Magazine’s 10 Next Generation Leaders, reminds us that we need to accept what we’re doing on this planet is unsustainable. That we will ultimately need to slow down the systems of production and consider a real economic transformation if we want to survive, but instead of waiting for the federal government to make the change, we can start it ourselves. Our future is dependent on intergenerational collaboration, and the...

There is a clear and planned takeover of the American government by people who no longer want to work under a functioning democracy but some form of authoritarian, kleptocratic, theocracy and the Republican Party are on board for all of it. If you don’t know about Project 2025 go back and listen to the top of the year show, but this episode is all about the other half of the plan - something called Agenda 47, which is really Donald Trump’s personal plan. Now that he is the official Republican...

Sometimes we need to take a break from all the criticism of government to acknowledge the importance of government, especially when they’re doing good things. One of those good things was the recent creation of the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention because as we lose people to gun violence in our country every day, as America is put on “no travel” lists because of our gun epidemic, as we witness our suicide rates and accidental deaths by firearms grow exponentially, we clearly...

America is dealing with an existential threat in the 2024 election. It’s not Republican or Democrat, it’s democracy or autocracy, and we can’t screw it up. Which is why I’m pleased to be joined by political scientist and strategist Rachel Bitecofer to talk about her new book “Hit Em Where it hurts: How to Save Democracy by Beating Republicans at Their Own Game”. This is a powerful conversation about winning when we don’t have the luxury of losing.  As always, if you find worth in what we do,...

Author, professor and sociologist Michael Sierra-Arévalo talks to us about his detailed look into American policing with his new book The Danger Imperative: Violence, Death and the Soul of Policing. According to Arévalo, the story of policing isn’t the story of a few bad apples, but of an institutional structure and system that is essentially not working. The violence we see from our officers is the logical consequence of an institutional culture that privileges officers' survival over public...

Something magical is happening. As MAGA doubles down on extremism and chaos, they appeal to fewer and fewer Americans. At this point all they have is their mad king, while Democrats, liberals and anyone who believes in the American experiment has the opportunity to really make America into the country we tell people we are. We have to plan to win, organize to fight, and aim, not just for success, but for growth and expansion. We can do this and we should feel very exited about the...

Clearly there’s a need for a new type of media, one that exists explicitly to give people facts, but also to protect and strengthen our democracy. Today we talk to the amazing Tara McGowan, founder and publisher of Courier, one of the fastest growing news networks in the country. Courier is a new take on an old format that honors local news with real reporters on the ground, state news where these big federal decisions are playing out, and explanations of the biggest issues of the day the way...

“Anti-racist” isn’t an identity, it’s actions. It’s doing the work of deconstructing the systems of racism we were all raised in. Systems that harm us all. It’s not about being a “good person” or not being called “racist”, it’s about genuinely interacting with the world to make it better. And yeah, we’re going to make mistakes while we do it. We’re going to blow it and get embarrassed, but that doesn’t mean we should stop trying. Ultimately, it’s not about us. It’s about living and growing in...

Here we are at the top of 2024 with MAGA extremism on a rocket ship to the moon and the GOP hell-bent on stripping away as many of our fundamental rights & freedoms as possible. We don’t have a second or dollar to waste. We want to win 2024. We NEED to win 2024. But it doesn’t have to be endlessly miserable or expensive to do it. Which is why I want you to hear from the Executive Director of Swing Left, Yasmin Radjy. Swing Left is one of the largest drivers of grassroots volunteers and...

We can’t take our eyes off this court for a minute. Which is why I’m joined by Melissa Murray and Kate Shaw, two constitutional professors and hosts of Crooked Media’s legal podcast Strict Scrutiny, to go over the cases you really have to know. From Donald Trump’s Presidential immunity and ballot presence, to abortion drug access, to the attempt of big money to gut our federal agencies’ ability to regulate, these are things you need to know. We can’t just have justices out here taking perks,...

If you look at statistics it was actually non-voters who won the last Presidential election. Too many people think their vote doesn’t count, or as our guest, Wayne Liebman says, they think their vote counts too much and are afraid to make a mistake. The Blue Voter Guide takes the burden out of voting. They do the research into the candidates, ballot initiatives, and endorsements so you can see who shares your values and build a ballot you can be proud of. As Wayne says, “political campaigns...

The crisis in the Middle East, like so many issues that truly matter, is complicated and nuanced and simply won’t fit on a bumper sticker. It’s essential that we look at the whole picture and move beyond who needs to be punished (and many do) to set a goal of creating a place of peace and stability. This is also not an isolated issue. Governments around the world are shifting to the far right and supporting each other as they do it. So, whether it’s Putin, Netanyahu, Hamas or Trump, they’re...

It’s hard not to be cynical about American politics and the American experiment with all that’s going on, but the truth of the matter is we have tremendous leadership right now. The country is doing extremely well. Legislation that became law over the past two years is set to become tangible reality in the next two. Yes, we are looking at an increasingly undemocratic Republican Party who can’t even compromise with itself long enough to get their speaker elected, but we’re also looking at...

Happy New Year! Welcome to 2024, the year we either destroy or save America. This is it. Make it or break it. To give us a sense of the stakes, I’m joined by journalist Ahmed Baba who recently did an amazing article for the Independent about the the “conservative promise” of Project 2025. Project 2025 is a roadmap to fundamentally reshape the federal government into the image of the far right once a Republican president takes office. We keep talking about the horse race between two people...

Join me and John Pavlovitz post-Christmas to talk about how America seems off track with the Christian faith. As John says, “It’s not politics or religion that divides us, it’s vision.” What we see as the future and purpose of our country and our collective faiths. We’re in a vision divide America, and we have to ask ourselves if it’s better to live in a conditional community where you silence yourself to avoid being ostracized, or if it’s better to live authentically and seek a new tribe who...