The fight for voting by mail: Pramila Jayapal; “Trial of the Chicago 7”: Ella Taylor

Listen HERE
When Attorney General Bill Barr told the House Judiciary Committee recently that voting by mail on a large scale presented a “high risk” for “massive voter fraud,” Pramila Jayapal challenged him—with evidence. She’s co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, she represents Seattle, and she talks about the fight against Trump for voting by mail. Her new book is Her new book is “Use the Power You Have: A Brown Woman’s Guide to Politics and Political Change.”
Plus: The new Aaron Sorkin film, “Trial of the Chicago 7,” starring Sacha Baron Cohen as Abbie Hoffman, opens on Netlfix Friday–Ella Taylor comments on the film, and on other political films of the week.  10-16-20

Pence’s Lies in The VP Debate: Harold Meyerson; Lessons from Ohio: Sherrod Brown; Alex Gibney’s Covid-19 doc: Ella Taylor; John Lennon tribute

Listen HERE
Pence faced an impossible task in the VP debate Wednesday night – defending Trump’s inaction on the pandemic; but Kamala Harris also faced challenges: she couldn’t be an angry black woman. Harold Meyerson comments.
also: Ohio SenatorSherrod Brown talks politics and history, and the lessons Biden should learn from his recent reelection in Ohio, where he won by 8 points in a state Hillary lost by 6.
plus: “Totally Under Control” is Alex Gibney’s powerful new documentary on Trump’s Covid-19 failures – Ella Taylor comments.
Finally, we remember John Lennon – tomorrow, Oct. 9, would have been his 80th birthday.  10-8-2020

Trump Gets the Best Medical Care While Working to End Healthcare for Tens of Millions: Amy Wilentz on Covid-19, plus Ari Berman on Voting Rights

Listen HERE
When Trump left Walter Reed hospital, he tweeted “don’t be afraid of Covid-19.” Amy Wilentz disagrees, and argues that, while the president got the best medical care in the world—which we would want for any president—at the same time he’s trying to abolish Obamacare, which provides healthcare for tens of millions of Americans.
Also: Ari Berman talks about voting rights and voter suppression, about the voter protection efforts of the Biden campaign and the Democratic Party, and about recent Supreme Court decisions on voting rights cases.  10-7-2020

Republicans Needed this Debate like a Hole in the Head: Harold Meyerson, plus Ella Taylor on Political Women on TV

Listen HERE
Trump made no attempt in the first debate to win over undecideds- so what WAS his plan? And what is to be done to make future debates more bearable? Harold Meyerson comments.
Plus: Ella Taylor on women in politics on TV this week: “Mrs. America” with Cate Blanchett as Phyllis Schlafly; “The Glorias,” with Julianne Moore as Gloria Steinem, and “All In,” a voting rights documentary featuring Stacey Abrams.  1-01-2020

That Terrible Debate: John Nichols, plus Katha Pollitt on Melania

Listen HERE
Biden debated Trump on Tuesday night—John Nichols has our analysis, and suggests that it may be the Republicans who pull out of the remaining debates, given the damage their candidate did to his candidacy and the rest of the Republican candidates.
Also: Remember the days of the hashtag “Free Melania”? Remember how we said she was a hostage in the White House? Now there’s a book that says we were all wrong about that—Katha Pollitt talks about Stephanie Winston Wolkoff’s “tell-not-quite-all,” Melania and Me: The Rise and Fall of My Friendship With the First Lady.  9/30/2020

 

 

Expand the Court! Elie Mystal on Court Packing, plus Sonia Shah on Climate Disasters

Listen HERE
We need at last two more justices on the Supreme Court—and more would be better—as many as ten more.  Elie Mystal explains—he’s the magazine’s justice correspondent.
Also: how climate change is forcing migration out of low lying coastal areas: Sonia Shah reports on what happened in the Bahamian island of Abaco after Hurricane Dorian last September—and what we need to do now about migration forced by climate change. Sonia is an award-winning reporter; her new book is The Next Great Migration: The Beauty and Terror of Life on the Move. 9-23-2020

The Supreme Court Fight and Joe Biden: Harold Meyerson; Refugees: David Nasaw; “Hacking Your Mind”: Ella Taylor

Listen HERE
Trump’s rush to fill the Supreme Court vacancy will help Biden in several ways, Harold Meyerson says–first of all, by making the Republican threat to Obamacare an urgent issue. Harold is editor-at-large of The American Prospect.
Also: Refugees—after World War II in Europe, and today. Historian David Nasaw explains—his new book is The Last Million: Europe’s Displaced Persons, from World War to Cold War.
Plus: Hacking your mind: We make many of our decisions, including political ones, NOT on the basis of what we “think,” but rather on feelings, intuition, and habits. New work by social scientists helps explain how this works for Donald Trump — that’s the argument of a new series on PBS called “hacking your mind.” Ella Taylor has our review. 9-24-20

Trump Needs Wisconsin to Win, but Biden Is Ahead: John Nichols With Good News from a Swing State, plus David Nasaw on Refugees

Listen HERE
Voting by mail in Wisconsin will not be thrown into chaos by the state supreme court—John Nichols reports on a state Trump needs to win, where Biden is ahead.
Plus: Refugees—after World War II in Europe, and today. Historian David Nasaw explains—his new book is The Last Million: Europe’s Displaced Persons, from World War to Cold War. 9-17-2020