DSR's Words Matter

The Disease that is Killing the Justice Department... and Much of DC

Thu, 07 May 2026 20:49:00 -0000

The Justice Department is unrecognizable. It continuously violates and obstructs true justice. Instead, it effectively as Donald Trump’s own private law firm. The blatant corruption and cronyism is sickening across all of DC’s institutions under the Trump administration. Where is Donald Trump and the Supreme Court leading our country? Tune in for this week’s therapy session with Norm Ornstein and David Rothkopf.

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It Is a Make or Break Moment for America

Fri, 01 May 2026 21:00:00 -0000

The Supreme Court is taking away your rights. The ruling gutting the Voting Rights Act isn’t based on sound legal decision-making - it represents strategic moves to reshape the future of our country. How did we let partisan politics overrule constitutional integrity? David Rothkopf and Norm Ornstein delve into the ramifications of these rulings, the never-ending destruction of our democracy from the Trump administration, and the potential paths forward.

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We Need More Scorched Earth Dems!

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 21:45:00 -0000

Congress is broken. Justice is gone. Corruption runs rampant in our government, and our most vile politicians get off scot-free. Meanwhile, many still view the Democrats negatively, and this perception is going to present significant hurdles for the midterms this year and beyond. What is missing within the Democratic party? What is the most effective strategy here to save our democracy? Tune in as David Rothkopf and Norm Ornstein discuss why we need scorched earth Democrats and where we go from here.

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The Man Who Collects Raccoon Private Parts is Not the Biggest Loon in Trumpworld

Thu, 16 Apr 2026 21:21:00 -0000

The lunatics are truly running the asylum formerly known as the White House. Sadly, a man who collects raccoon genitalia running the HHS isn’t even the craziest of the bunch. Norm Ornstein and David Rothkopf are back to try and navigate the insanity of this Trump’s self-imposed Iran quagmire and the levels of nuttiness in Trumpworld.

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A Confederacy of Nutlicks

Thu, 09 Apr 2026 21:47:00 -0000

Corruption, dark money, and dangerous leadership - three elements that have characterized the Trump administration. We are governed by a maniac and his corrupt cronies, such as Howard Lutnick. Norm Ornstein and David Rothkopf are back to discuss the rampant corruption within the current administration, the degradation of integrity within our public institutions, and the mess of Trump’s war in Iran.

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Depravity as Far as the Eye Can See

Fri, 03 Apr 2026 09:00:00 -0000

Pam Bondi is out as attorney general. Todd Blanche is set to replace her, at least according to Trump. Why did Bondi’s firing come now? Was it the result of her mismanagement of the DOJ, or did this decision have more to do with Donald Trump and the Epstein Files? And what does her supposed processor Todd Blanche have in store for our justice system? Norm Ornstein and David Rothkopf are back to discuss the state of the DOJ, Bondi’s firing, and more.

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Top House Dem: Trump’s Got No Good Options in Iran

Fri, 27 Mar 2026 18:35:00 -0000

Donald Trump’s war in Iran is turning into quicksand. With every decision he makes, we sink deeper into this conflict, and our President is nowhere close to achieving his goals. So what will the next phase of the war look like? Representative Adam Smith, ranking Democrat of the House Armed Services Committee, joins David Rothkopf and Norm Ornstein to share his perspective from Congress on this war and more.

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A Fiasco Wrapped In A Disaster Inside a Catastrophe

Thu, 19 Mar 2026 22:15:00 -0000

Trump cannot avert a national embarrassment even if he tried. From alienating our closest European allies, to destabilizing the global economy with his attack on Iran, and now to joking about Pearl Harbor to the face of Japan’s Prime Minister - things are only getting worse. Tune in as Norm Ornstein and David Rothkopf reflect on our current state of global affairs and Trump’s domestic and foreign policy agenda.

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Kleptocracy, Kakistocracy, Nihilocracy, Schemeocracy! This is a F**ckedupocracy

Fri, 13 Mar 2026 18:35:00 -0000

The Trump administration is a shining example of every terrible -ocracy you can imagine. As global oil prices skyrocket and conflict with Iran rages on, it’s clear that this administration continues to succumb to its worst impulses. Norm Ornstein and David Rothkopf breakdown the uniquely corrupt dealings of Trump and how the battle for American democracy is about to reach new heights.

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Trump’s Mental Meltdown (feat. Mary Trump)

Fri, 06 Mar 2026 18:10:00 -0000

Donald Trump is clearly declining - mentally, physically, and at the polls - and he knows it. What does this mean for the rest of Trump 2.0? What does the dismissal of Kristi Noem and appointment of Markwayne Mullen tell us about loyalty and competence within the administration? Mary Trump joins David Rothkopf and Norm Ornstein to discuss our sunsetting president’s personal and political downfall.

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Our Chances for Restoring Our Democracy are Hanging by a Thread

Thu, 26 Feb 2026 21:55:00 -0000

The SAVE Act is the next assault on democracy by this administration — and it might just be the biggest yet. Trump and his cronies are focusing on pulling out all the stops to get this voter suppression bill passed including calls to end the filibuster. Norm Ornstein and David Rothkopf are back to break down the cataclysmic effects this bill would have on our democracy and the mounting danger that threatens to pass the point of no return.

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Special Edition: Why the SCOTUS Tariff Decision May Lead to More Abuses of Power by Trump

Fri, 20 Feb 2026 20:35:00 -0000

The Supreme Court has ruled against Donald Trump’s tariff agenda in a major blow to his economic policy. Are we finally seeing real pushback against this administration? What does this decision mean for our democracy? Norm Ornstein and David Rothkopf react to this evolving story, discussing the SCOTUS decision, the SAVE Act, and the corruption within the Trump administration.

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American Democracy at a Point of No Return

Fri, 13 Feb 2026 01:00:00 -0000

Concerns about an impending government shutdown are growing, and it is critical that the Democratic Party can adopt strong messaging to voters. There is no oversight for the Republican cult in Washington - Bondi, Bovino, Blanche, the list is endless. If we can still save our democracy, we need to do so now. Tune in as David Rothkopf and Norm Ornstein discuss the looming government shutdown, the threats to voting rights, and the hideousness of Pam Bondi.

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Surveying the Devastation of the Past Week of Business as Usual Under Trump

Thu, 05 Feb 2026 21:15:00 -0000

Welcome to another week in Trump’s America. The President is “renovating” the Kennedy Center a la the East Wing of the White House, the Washington Post continues it’s descent into darkness, and MAGA cronies are looking for any way to undermine democratic elections this November. What is going on in America? David Rothkopf and Norm Ornstein discuss all this and more.

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Don't Believe the BS That Trump & His Goons Are Changing Tactics

Wed, 28 Jan 2026 22:30:00 -0000

Alex Pretti was murdered by ICE agents in Minneapolis. Where is the accountability? The Republican Party appears more concerned with public relations than addressing the violence and intimidation of MAGA. What path forward do we have? Norm Ornstein and David Rothkopf discuss all this and more. Tune in here.

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The One Big Thing We Need to Do to Save the Country

Thu, 22 Jan 2026 22:30:00 -0000

If Donald Trump is right about one thing, it’s that “we’ve never seen anything like this.” From the disastrous alienation of our NATO allies over Greenland, to his actions in Venezuela and Jack Smith’s congressional testimony against Trump, our political situation is at an all-time low. How do we save our country? How do we fight back against the evils of the Trump regime? Tune in as Norm Ornstein and David Rothkopf address the current political situation and our future.

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The Steps We Must Take to Stop Trump's American Gestapo

Thu, 15 Jan 2026 22:50:00 -0000

Donald Trump is now threatening to invoke the Insurrection Act to send federal troops to Minneapolis. The public outrage and protests over the killing of Renee Good is testing the limits of Trump’s authoritarianism, yet he continues to double down against his growing negative public perception on both sides of the political spectrum. Would Trump try to suspend elections or declare martial law to maintain power? How do we fight back against this administration’s authoritarian thuggery? Norm Ornstein and David Rothkopf discuss the events in Minneapolis and what we must do to stop this violence.

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We Are Living in a Horror Movie...and the Monsters are in Charge

Fri, 09 Jan 2026 22:40:00 -0000

On Wednesday, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer brutally murdered Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis. Meanwhile, Donald Trump and other MAGA officials have defended the agent’s action, marking another step in the growing militarization of the agency and disregard for civil rights. Where is the damn accountability when Trump loyalists are out on the streets committing brutal acts of violence? David Rothkopf and Norm Ornstein discuss these tragedies and more.

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In Search of Optimism About 2026

Tue, 23 Dec 2025 19:15:00 -0000

It’s been a disastrous year in American politics. Donald Trump is going around naming everything after himself and proclaiming everything is great while the economic realities for millions of Americans continue to sour. Is there anything to be optimistic about as we approach 2026? David Rothkopf and Norm Ornstein take stock of our current situation and look forward to the new year.

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Reflecting on Rob Reiner and his Legacy

Thu, 18 Dec 2025 16:00:00 -0000

Rob Reiner and his wife Michelle were tragically murdered. Their son, who has history of struggles with addition and mental health, is currently the lead suspect. Across the country, mental health issues have and continue be poorly treated and often stigmatized, when we desperately need compassionate policy reform. On this week’s episode of Words Matter, Norm Ornstein and David Rothkopf discuss Rob Reiner’s artistic and social justice legacy, the inadequacies of our nation’s mental health policies, and how we can address political reform.

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MAGApocalypse Now

Thu, 11 Dec 2025 23:17:00 -0000

The Republican Senate just voted against extending the Affordable Care Act. Twenty million people could lose their healthcare coverage soon, and the Republicans have yet to present a viable healthcare plan. Norm Ornstein and David Rothkopf discuss this MAGApocalypse, the GOP implosion, and the dangerous consequences of a lame-duck Trump.

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MAGA is Coming Apart at the Seams

Thu, 04 Dec 2025 15:00:00 -0000

Tuesday was a surprisingly difficult victory for the Republicans in red Tennessee. The speical election’s electoral results have a lot to tell us about the increasing tensions and discontent within the Republican party. Norm Ornstein and David Rothkopf are back to discuss the fragile state of GOP leadership, the absurd levels of political corruption within MAGA, and the implications Tuesday’s results could have for 2026 and beyond.

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A Curmudgeon's Guide to What to Be Thankful For

Wed, 26 Nov 2025 00:05:00 -0000

As we approach Thanksgiving in our current political climate, Norm Ornstein and David Rothkopf ask - what is there to be thankful for? Donald Trump’s influence appears to be waning and Democratic leaders have started to push back on Republican policies in significant ways, yet there are many major challenges that remain. Tune in as Norm and David attempt to find thankfulness in the midst of political chaos.

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How Much Worse Can It Get? (Spoiler Alert: Way Worse)

Thu, 20 Nov 2025 22:00:00 -0000

If the current political climate wasn’t bleak enough, Donald Trump is now calling for his political enemies to be executed. The transgression of these military and CIA veterans? Calling on their military colleagues to uphold the Constitution. The president is calling for unprecedented levels of political violence and his administration cronies are supporting him. David Rothkopf and Norm Ornstein are back to discuss the terrifying implications for our democracy.

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The Cruelty Is The Point

Fri, 14 Nov 2025 01:07:00 -0000

As deeply disturbing as our current political situation is, the consequences of dysfunction in Washington on average Americans is what really matters. Norm Ornstein and David Rothkopf are back to discuss the devastating impact on real people of everything from DC corruption to MAGA efforts to gut essential healthcare and social services upon which tens of millions of us depend.

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We Moved a Step Closer to the End of MAGA This Week

Thu, 06 Nov 2025 22:30:00 -0000

The Tuesday elections were a massive success for the Democrats and a beacon of hope for the United States. Nevertheless, we are still living under a Donald Trump presidency, and the impact of these victories are yet to be seen. Will these successes have a lasting effect for the Democrats? David Rothkopf and Norm Ornstein are back to discuss the elections, Nancy Pelosi’s retirement, California's Proposition 50, and more.

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Crazier Craziness from Trump Lies Ahead

Thu, 30 Oct 2025 20:01:00 -0000

You may think you’ve seen crazy, but when it comes to Trump, you ain’t seen nothing yet. With SNAP benefits set to expire and the effects of the shutdown mounting by the day, Republicans face a difficult political question: is it time to do the right thing? Norm Ornstein and David Rothkopf break down this fraught moment, why Republicans just might cave, and the lights at the end of the tunnel for Democrats.

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Searching Through the Rubble of the White House for One Little Bit of Positive News

Fri, 24 Oct 2025 19:45:00 -0000

Donald Trump just tore down the East Wing of the White House. Yup, that’s right - the President of the United States, in the middle of a government shutdown, decides that what America really needs is a new grand ballroom in Washington, DC. Where is the accountability? How is such corrupt politics being normalized? Join David Rothkopf and Norm Ornstein as they search through the rubble and try to find answers.

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The Government's War on Democracy is a War on You

Fri, 17 Oct 2025 22:17:00 -0000

Words matter to the Trump administration, and their willingness to accept and embrace the most vile language and discourse is despicable. At the same time, popular media is normalizing the administration's antidemocratic agenda while we slide further into authoritarianism. Why can’t anybody call out the Trump administration for the authoritarian regime it is? Tune in as David Rothkopf and Norm Ornstein discuss this chilling behavior, the dangers of Trump’s political discourse, and the state of our slowly dying democracy.

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The Big Reason Trump and MAGA Must Be Held to Account

Wed, 08 Oct 2025 19:00:00 -0000

"When they go low, we go high" is officially dead—and David Rothkopf and Norm Ornstein are here to unleash a scathing critique of the Democratic Party's refusal to fight back. We need to ask: how do Democrats confront the "fuck around and find out" economy, quadrupled healthcare costs, the National Guard invasions, and finally make the Republican Party pay for their blatant disregard for our democracy?

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Welcome to a Government Shutdown Only A Mussolini Could Love

Fri, 03 Oct 2025 17:45:00 -0000

The current government shutdown is unlike any we have seen before. President Trump is turning this into a political assault on blue states, energy projects, infrastructure projects, and more. What does this shutdown really mean for our democracy? Where are the bold politicians, either left or right, who can take a stand against Trump’s excesses? Tune in as David Rothkopf and Norm Ornstein discuss the current state of our government and more.

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“Budgets? We Don't Need No Stinkin' Budgets!"

Thu, 25 Sep 2025 19:30:00 -0000

Make no mistake - we are headed towards a government shutdown and it is a strategic move from the Trump administration. So what are the Democrats doing to avert a disaster? What does this signify about the current political landscape in America and why aren’t news outlets calling out this clear constitutional crisis? Tune in as David Rothkopf and Norm Ornstein tackle all this and more.

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Freedom of Speech in America is on Life Support

Wed, 17 Sep 2025 18:30:00 -0000

“This is a 10,000-meter race to a full-blown police state, and they’re picking up speed.” The Trump administration is using the Charlie Kirk assassination as a tool to attack free speech at an alarming rate. Under the guise of “hate speech,” Trump and his cronies are taking aim at everyone from ABC reporters to Democratic organizations and NGOs. What comes next for free speech in America? Tune in as Norm Ornstein and David Rothkopf discuss all this and more.

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Post-9/11 We Tried to Unite, Following the Kirk Shooting it’s the Opposite

Thu, 11 Sep 2025 21:45:00 -0000

Yesterday, on September 10th, 2025, Charlie Kirk was assassinated. Today, September 11th, marks the 24th anniversary of the largest terrorist attack in U.S. history. Laurie Garrett joins David Rothkopf and Norm Ornstein in a sincere conversation to memorialize 9/11, as well as discuss the tough challenges we’ve faced since, including the alarming upwards trend of political violence.

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It's Time for an End to the Bland Leading the Bland in the Democratic Party

Fri, 05 Sep 2025 15:46:00 -0000

Democratic leadership doesn’t seem to be up to the challenge of this new Trump era. Despite some strong Democratic figures fighting back, the party has been lethargic to say the least. So what do Democrats need to do to reenergize? Tara McGowan and Simon Rosenberg are back with David Rothkopf to diagnose the problem and prescribe solutions to cure this malaise.

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Remember Voting? Those Were the Good Old Days!

Tue, 19 Aug 2025 21:30:00 -0000

President Trump met with Vladimir Putin and listened to him warn against mail-in voting. Then, Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders visited the White House as a united front in an attempt to gauge their transatlantic ally and secure peace. Meanwhile, the National Guard continues to loiter around D.C.’s tourist areas, not to stop crime but to display a show of force and distract American voters. What is the root of Trump’s admiration for Putin? Why is D.C. at the center of national media coverage? And how is this administration attacking election integrity beneath the surface? Tune in as Norm Ornstein and David Rothkopf discuss all of this and more.

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From Arby’s to Subway - a Week in Review

Thu, 14 Aug 2025 21:05:00 -0000

As if Trump’s authoritarian transgressions weren’t already blatant, the President has now deployed National Guard troops to “protect” our nation’s capital - but we know these actions are politically motivated. Why haven’t media pundits treated this actions as existential threats to our democracy? Why is a Subway sandwich-wielding protestor treated more harshly than January 6th protestors? And what is going on with Laura Loomer and Arby’s? Tune in to this week’s edition of Words Matter as David Rothkopf and Norm Ornstein tackle all of this and more.

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Cartman is the New Walter Cronkite

Thu, 07 Aug 2025 19:45:00 -0000

“Thank God for South Park.” Words Matter is back for another weekly edition of political therapy with Dr. Norm Ornstein and David Rothkopf. Tune in as Norm and David discuss the current administration’s attacks on education, their ever-increasing political abuses, and how South Park is doing a better job than the Democratic party at laying bare the horrors of this administration.

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DSR: Hard Truths About the Hell of Gaza

Thu, 31 Jul 2025 19:53:00 -0000

Due to unforeseen circumstances, we were unable to record a new episode of Words Matter this week. The following show is an episode of Deep State Radio recorded on July 30, 2025.

The conditions in Gaza are hellish, and they are about to get much worse. Thousands more Palestinians are at risk of dying from famine all while the Israeli government makes plans to annex more of the territory. Refugees International President Jeremy Konyndyk joins Rosa Brooks, Ed Luce, Kori Schake, and David Rothkopf to shine a light on the horrifying crisis underway in Gaza.

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What Do the Kids from South Park Know About America Today That the Rest of Us Need to Learn?

Thu, 24 Jul 2025 21:30:00 -0000

South Park is back, and they don’t care about pissing off Donald Trump… unlike Columbia University. While Trump fumes about his disastrous PR and anybody who dares to even joke about him, the sinister undercurrents of his regime continue to flow. Norm Ornstein and David Rothkopf are back to discuss the challenges facing universities, the complete erosion of legal norms under Trump, and the latest episode of South Park.

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Never Mind Being Blind, Right Now Justice in the US is Near Death

Thu, 17 Jul 2025 22:36:00 -0000

Make no mistake - the Justice Department is actively fostering Trump’s authoritarian regime and increasingly rewarding loyalty over legality. Between the blatant partisanship, abuse of the shadow docket, the cuts to the Department of Education and Emil Bove’s nomination - where has our justice gone? Dahlia Lithwick joins David Rothkopf and Norm Ornstein to discuss the erosion of our democracy and more.

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A Prescription for Saving the Country

Thu, 10 Jul 2025 19:35:00 -0000

The United States is a country in need of saving. From the blatant illegality of numerous White House decisions to the fecklessness of Congress, wide-ranging changes are clearly needed. David Rothkopf and Norm Ornstein break down the erosion of democratic norms, the complicity of the main stream media, and the desperate need for Democrats to be a real opposition party again.

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How to Celebrate This Independence Day

Thu, 03 Jul 2025 20:27:00 -0000

Before we grab a hotdog and head out to the 4th of July fireworks, we have to reflect on the current state of our country and ask ourselves, "is this really what the Founding Fathers would have wanted?" David Rothkopf and Norm Ornstein discuss the significance of Independence Day, reflecting on the founding fathers and the current political landscape. They explore the challenges facing democracy today, including corruption, the impact of policies on everyday lives, the role of young voters in shaping the future and more.

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Iran and Trump: Triumph or Fiasco?

Thu, 26 Jun 2025 21:00:00 -0000

Donald Trump’s actions regarding Iran are raising important questions for America: how reliable is our intelligence? How is disinformation warping public reality? Here in the US, Zohran Mamdani’s victory in NYC is a glimmer of hope for the Democrats, but the party needs to unite against our biggest challenges… or else. Tune in as David Corn joins Norm Ornstein to tackle all of these issues and more.

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Trump's Violent Cult and What to Do About It

Fri, 20 Jun 2025 14:27:00 -0000

The recent events in Minnesota, where a gunman assassinated one congresswoman and injured another, is part of clear and troubling rise in political violence in the U.S. At the same time, President Trump and MAGA continue to normalize violence in political discourse. How do the events of the past week reflect a changing political climate? What does the discourse around political violence tell us? And what is the connection between MAGA and American gun culture? Tune in as David Rothkopf and Norm Ornstein address all this and more.

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Stop Waiting for Us to Become an Autocracy. We're Already There.

Mon, 09 Jun 2025 20:00:00 -0000

Trump’s deployment of the National Guard to California is not just about immigration and Los Angeles - it is a damning step in his long-lasting effort to to exploit and deploy the U.S. military to act as his own personal police force. Miles Taylor, former DHS Chief of Staff who endured persecution for his criticisms of the Trump administration, joins Norm Ornstein and David Rothkopf to discuss the disastrous implications of Los Angeles and explain why “people should be more worried about this than anything they’ve seen so far in the second Trump administration.” Tune in here.

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They Are Monsters

Thu, 05 Jun 2025 20:00:00 -0000

While Donald Trump and Elon Musk are currently feuding in a King Kong vs. Godzilla battle on social media, the devastating impact of their short-lived union continues to unfold. ICE is picking people off the street like a quasi American Gestapo, while the issue of foreign students is set to hamper US higher education for years - and not just in Ivy League schools, but on the global stage. Where has our fundamental decency gone? Norm Ornstein and David Rothkopf are back to address this chilling political combination of nihilism, sadism, and chaos. Tune in here.

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Lawless: How The Supreme Court Runs on Conservative Grievance, Fringe Theories, and Bad Vibes

Thu, 29 May 2025 22:00:00 -0000

On this week’s episode of Words Matter, Leah Litman, legal expert and author of Lawless: How the Supreme Court Runs on Conservative Grievance, Fringe Theories, and Bad Vibes, joins David Rothkopf and Norm Ornstein to discuss the current realm of law and lawlessness. What messages are the courts sending by striking down Trump’s tariff policies? How promising is it that these judges are standing up to Trump, and what major concerns still remain, even with these recent steps forward? Tune in as Leah, Norm and David discuss all this and more.

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A Bad Week for Norms (Except Our Norm)

Thu, 22 May 2025 20:25:00 -0000

Donald Trump’s Domestic Policy Bill is akin to a murder-suicide pact. Not only could it be political suicide for the Republicans, but it was also have damning effects on the American public. How is this bill going to affect social welfare programs? Will this bill actually present a turning point in the Trump administration? Tune in as Norm Ornstein and David Rothkopf tackle all of this and more.

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The Existential Political Issue Most Democrats Aren't Focusing On Yet

Thu, 15 May 2025 20:00:00 -0000

The Supreme Court’s decisions on birthright citizenship and nationwide injunctions could have significant implications for executive power. What does this mean for the future of our nation? How can we rebuild government structures post-Trump? What reforms, such as an expansion of Congress, should Democrats be prioritizing? Tune in as David Rothkopf and Norm Ornstein tackle all of this and more:

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Why Having an American Pope May Be Bad News for Trump

Thu, 08 May 2025 19:35:00 -0000

There's a new American Pope—one who has been openly critical of the U.S. government. What does this mean for Trump? Meanwhile, in the background of this major news from the Catholic Church, Trump is striking tariff deals with the UK. But is the deal all that Trump says it is? Norm Ornstein and David Rothkopf are back to break down all the latest—from the Vatican to the White House. Tune in for all this and more.

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Special DSR-Words Matter Mash Up Edition: The Last Waltz

Thu, 01 May 2025 21:23:00 -0000

On this week’s special DSR-Words Matter mash up episode, Ed Luce and Norm Ornstein join David Rothkopf to talk about all the chaos of the Trump administration. What is going on with Mike Waltz’s “promotion” to the UN, and who is next on the Trump chopping-block? How are leading Democrats responding to this ongoing mess? Tune in for all this and more.

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Lessons in Kakistocracy

Thu, 24 Apr 2025 21:00:00 -0000

On this week’s episode of Words Matter, founder of Talking Points Memo Josh Marshall joins Norm Ornstein to discuss everything wrong with the Trump administration. What is so uncanny about Trump’s foreign policy towards Russia and Ukraine? What message are we signaling to our allies? And how much worse could this all become? Tune in for all this and more.

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Who Knew You Could Dismantle Democracy in America This Quickly?

Thu, 17 Apr 2025 20:15:00 -0000

We’re not three months into this presidency and we’re already witnessing our democracy crumble. Trump’s administration continues to bless Putin with political gifts, our president is trying to hijack the IRS to punish Harvard University, and the administration continues to challenge the courts on the Abrego Garcia case. How can our president subvert the rule of law so flagrantly, and dismantle the institutions at the bedrock of our democracy? Norm Ornstein and David Rothkopf are back to break down everything from the past week and more.

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Oy Gevalt

Thu, 10 Apr 2025 19:51:00 -0000

Donald Trump’s tariffs and economic policies are continuing to eviscerate the American economy. The markets are tanking, the administration is actively destroying our social security system, yet Republicans continue to be confirmed. On top of all this, too, Trump’s police state tactics are snatching people off the street and in a series of illegal deportations. Norm Ornstein and David Rothkopf are back to breakdown this absolute disaster of a week. Tune in for all this and more.

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Time for Dems to Channel Nancy Reagan: Just Say No

Thu, 03 Apr 2025 22:08:00 -0000

There’s no other way around it - Donald Trump’s tariffs reek of idiocy piled high with stupidity with devastating ramifications for 99% of Americans outside of the filthy rich. Democrats are beginning to make waves, both in the Wisconsin election and with Cory Booker’s filibuster. But is it enough? Or do we need to be doing more, and what does that look like? Tune in as David Rothkopf and Norm Ornstein tackle all of this and more.

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Pulling the Stefanik Nomination is a Sign MAGA is Scared

Thu, 27 Mar 2025 19:31:00 -0000

Signal-gate has dominated the news cycle over the past few days, but it's not the only thing going on in this administration. Trump is issuing executive orders, RFK Jr. is gutting HHS and state health programs, JD Vance is on his way to Greenland, and the White House just pulled Elise Stefanik’s nomination. Is MAGA realizing they are more politically vulnerable than before? Tune in as Norm Ornstein and David Rothkopf discuss all this and more.

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Three Bullets to the Heart of the Constitution

Thu, 20 Mar 2025 20:08:00 -0000

On this week’s episode of DSR’s Words Matter, Slate journalist and Supreme Court expert Dahlia Lithwick joins Norm Ornstein and David Rothkopf to discuss America’s ongoing legal crisis. Are we actually in a constitutional crisis? Can we count on the courts to protect us when they continue to hand concessions to Trump? What roles do figures such as Justices Roberts and Boasberg play in this authoritarian showdown? Tune in as Dahlia, Norm and David tackle all this and more.

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American Pain

Thu, 13 Mar 2025 22:06:00 -0000

We are currently on the verge of a government shutdown. It’s clear that Donald Trump and his cronies are trying to get away with something, and the cult in the Republican Party is all for it. Norm Ornstein and David Rothkopf are here to ask: What the hell is going on? Is there any way to avoid a government closure? Are the Democrats showing any signs of resistance? And is there anything at all to be optimistic about? Tune in to hear all this and more.

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How Do Dems Fight Back Effectively?

Thu, 06 Mar 2025 21:05:00 -0000

After years of attacking Democrats for America’s economic woes - and promises that he would turn everything around once in office - Trump is already confronting the possibility of a 2025 depression. At the same time, rather than attack Trump for the current economic downturn or raising awareness amongst the public, Democratic politicians have settled for little more than exclaiming their distaste for the president while wearing pink suits in protest. Why can’t the Democratic Party coordinate an effective counterattack to the Trump administration? What does the party need to do to fight back effectively? David Rothkopf and Norm Ornstein are back to address all these questions and more.

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Time For Dems to Stand Up — And We Mean it This Time

Thu, 27 Feb 2025 21:26:15 -0000

Will the real opposition party please stand up? Republicans are marching towards political suicide with the passage of Trump’s bad budget bill, but Democrats are nowhere to be found. Norm Ornstein and David Rothkopf break down why dems need to find their courage before it’s too late.

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It’s Worse Than You Think - What You Can Do About It

Thu, 20 Feb 2025 23:10:00 -0000

Since last week, the United States is now pro-Russia, anti-NATO, and anti-democracy. Kash Patel runs the FBI, Pete Hegseth is slashing the DoD, and the Trump administration is taking the official position that they don’t have to listen to the courts. Everything we feared is real, and it’s only going to get worse. What can we do about all of this? Where do we go from here? David Rothkopf and Norm Ornstein tackle all of these pressing questions and more.

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Where Are the Leaders This Moment Demands?

Thu, 13 Feb 2025 21:18:00 -0000

What the hell is happening this past week? Between Trump’s takeover of the Kennedy Center, Pete Hegseth’s dismissal of NATO allies in Europe, and Elon Musk’s increasing control within the government - where is the political resistance in Washington? David Rothkopf and Norm Ornstein break all of this down and why Washington needs a Democrat who is going to stand up and say “f*ck you.”

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Screw Your Feelings, Time to Figure Out How to Fix This Mess

Thu, 06 Feb 2025 21:46:45 -0000

Trump and his DOGE cronies are continuing to upend and disregard traditional government procedure to illegally push their political agenda. All the while, the Democrats in Congress are asleep at the wheel. David Rothkopf and Norm Ornstein come together to discuss the real question at heart for the Democrats: what are you going to do to stop it?

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Hearings, Hypocrisy, and the Inauguration

Tue, 21 Jan 2025 11:00:00 -0000

The clock is ticking down towards Donald Trump’s inauguration, and we are already witnessing the first steps of his second term. Norm and Kavita are here to analyze everything from the past week - from the confirmation hearings to the shortcomings of the Democratic Party - and address the lunacy which is to come.

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Get Ready for a Totally Turbulent 2025

Tue, 07 Jan 2025 22:02:38 -0000

If Donald Trump’s press conference at Mar-a-Lago was any indication, we’re in for a wild 2025. From threatening military action against US allies to fueling FBI Jan 6 conspiracies the conference ran the gamut of bad news. Norm and Kavita are back in the new year to break it all down, discuss the rising influence of Elon Musk, the need for robust counter-media networks, and more.

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What Fresh Hell Is This? A Preview of the New Congress

Thu, 02 Jan 2025 20:29:48 -0000

New year, new congress. As Republicans take control of both houses, what can we expect over the next few months? Norm Ornstein joins David Rothkopf to break down the biggest challenges that await this new congress, including the search for a new speaker and more.

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2024 Ends, Another Trump Term Begins

Tue, 17 Dec 2024 16:00:00 -0000

While we head into the holiday season and the final days of 2024, the second-term coming of Donald Trump gives us little optimism for 2025 and the years to come. Trump’s outrageous lawsuits, the takedown of the Al-Assad regime in Syria, and, of course, TikTok… What comes next? Norm and Kavita are back to tackle all these issues and more.

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Transitions, Nominations, Resignations

Thu, 12 Dec 2024 17:09:59 -0000

Ever since the election, the lead-up to Donald Trump’s second presidential term has been fraught with nonsensical politics, inane cabinet picks, and a sense of both confusion and worry. Norm and Kavita are back to help guide us through this uncertainty, analyze the situations surrounding figures like Kari Lake and Christopher Wray, and more. The members-only section also features an intimate conversation on the health insurance industry.

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Preparing for the Transition

Thu, 05 Dec 2024 20:16:34 -0000

On today’s episode of Words Matter, Norm and Kativa are back to break down everything related to the upcoming presidential transition. Which of Trump’s current nominees will make it through to the next administration? What can and should the Democrats do now in the House and the Senate? Additionally, members will receive a bonus discussion on presidential pardons, both past and present. Tune in here:

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Where Do We Go From Here?

Thu, 14 Nov 2024 16:32:00 -0000

Since winning the election, Donald Trump has been quick to cement his new administration and lay the groundwork for his frightening and ludicrous political agenda. As news of his appointees comes out, we are forced to ask ourselves - where do we go from here? Norm and Kavita are back to take stock of this unfortunate situation and analyze what our future holds… as well as talk about puppies and the humanity in dogs. Listen here.

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The 2024 Election and Trump’s Future America

Thu, 07 Nov 2024 19:27:05 -0000

Norm and Kavita are back to share their raw emotions after the election, discuss the grim realities facing the country, and break down the meaning and horrors of a second Trump presidential term. What will be different this time around? How can President Biden best serve his final days in office? Where do both parties stand and where do we go from here? DSR Network members will also get to listen to Norm and Kavita analyze Trump’s healthcare plans and the dangers of RFK Jr. and medical disinformation.

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October Spooks and Surprises: the Final Days of the Race

Thu, 31 Oct 2024 20:47:00 -0000

As we approach the election's final days, the entire country has its eyes set on Tuesday. How are the candidates faring in this final stretch? Is Trump’s racist MSG rally a true October Surprise? Do we have any idea at all where we are headed between now and Election Day? Tune in to hear Norm and Kavita discuss all this and more:

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Nervously Optimistic, Neurotically Confused

Thu, 24 Oct 2024 15:41:00 -0000

David Rothkopf joins Norm to break down the final twelve days of the presidential race, from Kamala Harris’ CNN Town Hall to Trump’s incredibly concerning and outspoken affinity for Nazis. How does the election landscape look as we head into the final stretch? How confident can we be in a Harris victory, and what is truly at stake if Trump wins? Tune in to hear Norm and David discuss all this and more.

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Hurricanes, Hypocrisy, Healthcare and More

Sat, 12 Oct 2024 14:00:00 -0000

It’s been a whirlwind of a week, and Norm and Kavita are back to discuss it all: Hurricane Milton in Florida, Republican FEMA hypocrisy, the public health disinformation spewing from the RFK Jr-Trump alliance, Trump’s mental deterioration, and more. Members will also get to hear exclusive insider content on Kamala Harris’ healthcare plans.

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Headlines Matter - the Jack Smith Report

Fri, 04 Oct 2024 19:29:00 -0000

Special Counsel Jack Smith’s 180-page report, filed on Wednesday, provides damning evidence against Donald Trump which could carry serious legal implications - why is this not the banner headline of every major media outlet? What does this report show, and what ramifications could it have on the election and beyond? Norm and Kavita are back to discuss this and more. Members will also get a discussion of the Harris campaign’s strategy and the VP debate.

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Last Week on the Campaign Trail

Tue, 24 Sep 2024 14:00:00 -0000

Norm and Kavita are back to discuss the past week of events in each presidential campaign. Kamala Harris continues to outpace the GOP and previous Democratic candidates in fundraising, while the Trump campaign continues to make outrageous statements about women and abortion rights. What are the polls telling us about the state of these campaigns as we inch closer to Election Day? And, in the members-only section, what the hell is going on with Mark Robinson? Listen to all this and more here:

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The Language of the Campaigns

Tue, 17 Sep 2024 17:06:16 -0000

From Charlottesville to Springfield, Donald Trump has been spewing language and misinformation that has incited real world violence. How have the candidates been using or abusing language in their campaigns? Norm and Kavita are back to break down this flurry of language in the media and show that words really do matter. Bonus content for members also includes a conversation on the recent assassination attempt and gun violence.

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Debate Day and Beyond

Tue, 10 Sep 2024 15:36:00 -0000

With the presidential debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump looming, Norm and Kavita are back to break down the campaign and analyze each of their strategies, as well as discuss the Trump ticket’s ever-increasing craziness. Listen here:

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After the Convention High, the Question Will Be: Will Your Vote Count?

Thu, 22 Aug 2024 18:43:00 -0000

With Kavita in attendance at the DNC, David Rothkopf joins Norm to discuss to the highs of the convention in Chicago. What steps are next for Harris in the final push towards Election Day? How can the party capitalize on its electrifying convention and drive up voter turnout? Find out right here.

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The Paris Olympics, Chicago Convention Special

Thu, 15 Aug 2024 18:28:00 -0000

On today’s episode of Words Matter, Norm and Kavita are back to discuss the latest events in the media, from Kavita’s personal experiences at the Paris Olympics to the shifting election dynamics ahead of the upcoming Democratic National Convention in Chicago. How will the DNC affect Trump’s campaign planning? What’s next for Tim Walz and JD Vance? Listen here:

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Inside the First Days of the Harris Campaign

Wed, 24 Jul 2024 19:56:23 -0000

Just days after Biden dropped out of the race and endorsed Kamala Harris for president, we are beginning to see the first signs of a new and reinvigorated Democratic campaign. On today's episode, Norm and Kavita are back to discuss the Harris v. Trump presidential race and more.

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From Pennsylvania to Milwaukee - Last Week in the Trump Campaign

Tue, 16 Jul 2024 21:00:00 -0000

From an attempted assassination to the Republican National Convention, much has changed the direction of Trump’s campaign in the past few days. Norm and Kavita are back to discuss the shooting in Pennsylvania, the announcement of JD Vance as Trump’s running mate, and Trump’s ongoing legal issues.

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Dealing with the Backlash - the Democratic Party and Biden’s Future

Thu, 11 Jul 2024 20:35:25 -0000

Growing concerns over President Biden’s ability to remain in the election has created a divisive conversation that has rocketed to the forefront of major media coverage. How are these discontents taking shape in Washington? Norm and Kavita are back to discuss Biden’s commitment to remaining in the race, growing concerns within the Democratic Party, and the behind-the-scenes debates taking place in Washington.

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Justices are Blind

Thu, 04 Jul 2024 09:00:00 -0000

This Supreme Court’s series of bad decisions will go down in history. Norm and Kavita are back to break down the latest legendarily awful decisions from the Roberts court and why we’ll be dealing with the fallout for years to come.

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Special Three Alarm Emergency Debate Episode

Fri, 28 Jun 2024 21:02:26 -0000

Thursday’s debate was certainly something. Much of the Democratic camp is sounding the alarm after President Biden’s less than stellar performance, and discussions are swirling on whether or not it’s time for a new candidate. Norm Ornstein and Kavita Patel join David Rothkopf on this special episode to discuss what happened and where we go from here.

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Justice Delayed is Justice Denied

Tue, 25 Jun 2024 20:28:22 -0000

The Supreme Court is about to deliver some monumental verdicts, but some of the most consequential cases in the country have been delayed time and time again. Norm and Kavita are here to break down the biggest cases that are still on the horizon and why some justices keep dragging their feet.

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Walking the Fine Line of Media Accountability

Tue, 18 Jun 2024 16:57:27 -0000

The media and journalists are pillars of a healthy democracy, but they’re not infallible. So how do we hold errant media personalities and companies accountable? Norm and Kavita break down this unique issue and pay tribute to one of the greats, Howard Fineman.

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The Fire Sale at the Supreme Court

Tue, 11 Jun 2024 19:30:29 -0000

Money can’t buy happiness. But it seems like it can buy you a Supreme Court justice. The corruption of certain justices continues to be laid bare for all to see, but the question remains: what can we do about it? Norm and Kavita break it all down.

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Trump is Guilty… So What Happens Now?

Tue, 04 Jun 2024 18:45:32 -0000

Trump is guilty 34 times over. That’s a big deal. So, what happens now? Norm and Kavita break down the political ramifications of the ruling, how MAGA-world is coping with the news, and the political fallout that is already underway.

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An All-You-Can-Listen Political Buffet

Tue, 21 May 2024 17:28:47 -0000

To say it’s been a busy week in American politics would be an understatement. Thankfully, Kavita and Norm are here to discuss the unfolding dynamics of the primaries and Senate races, the state of the Supreme Court and upcoming decisions, and why voters’ economic perception isn’t matching the reality.

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Trump’s Cronies are Out in Full Force

Tue, 14 May 2024 18:25:04 -0000

As Donald Trump deals with a gag order in his hush money trial, his various cronies have come out of the woodwork to do his dirty work. JD Vance, Tommy Tuberville, and more have come out to criticize the trial and jockey for a vice presidential nomination. Norm and Kavita break down this MAGA race to the bottom and more.

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Can Trump Handle the Truth?

Fri, 10 May 2024 18:12:52 -0000

Each day of Trump’s election interference trial manages to be more salacious than the last. From the testimony of Stormy Daniels to Trump’s inability to stop smearing everyone involved, it’s clear that the trial will continue to be a roller coaster until the very end. Norm and Kavita take us through the latest from the trial, and what could be around the corner.

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Untangling the University Protests

Tue, 30 Apr 2024 19:29:01 -0000

There’s much to unpack with the ceasefire protests at universities across the country. From students occupying a building at Columbia to the abysmal response by USC’s administration, it is clear that there is no easy way to address the issue. Norm and Kavita break down the latest news on this contentious topic, and why it may be even more impactful than we realize.

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What Happens When Leaders Don’t Lead

Fri, 26 Apr 2024 15:52:43 -0000

At the Supreme Court and college campuses, leaders aren’t leading. As the court weighs incredibly consequential decisions and colleges grapple with divisive protests, we need clear leadership more than ever. Norm and Kavita discuss this unique problem and where we go from here.

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Accountability is Gone but Not Forgotten in the Senate

Fri, 19 Apr 2024 14:00:00 -0000

The House is its own special kind of crazy, but the Senate is no slouch either. Tom Cotton’s recent comments calling for Americans to “take matters into their own hands” in response to protests reminds us that Senators can seemingly call for acts of violence and get away with it. Norm and Kavita break down the fall of accountability in the Senate and why some Senators continue to embarrass the institution.

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Republicans are Reaching New Levels of Ineptitude

Fri, 12 Apr 2024 16:33:51 -0000

House Republicans are fighting or floundering, Mike Johnson is traveling to Mar-a-Lago to pray at the altar of Trump, and Arizona lawmakers grapple with an archaic abortion law. All in a week’s work for this Republican Party. Norm and Kavita discuss the farce that is the contemporary Republican agenda and more.

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Joe Biden’s Israel Problem is Going from Bad to Worse

Fri, 05 Apr 2024 14:55:44 -0000

The Biden administration’s policy towards Israel has been controversial to say the least. As the conflict grinds on and the election approaches, it is clear that the conflict will loom large in the voting booth. Norm and Kavita break down the key issues that Biden faces, and why the administration desperately needs a new strategy.

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How is the Supreme Court Still Surprising Us?

Tue, 26 Mar 2024 22:30:00 -0000

The Supreme Court recently commenced hearings on a case that could restrict access to mifepristone, and the results were surprising. Only Justices Alito and Thomas appeared inclined towards supporting the ban on the drug, raising questions about the court's future direction. Norm and Kavita delve into the nuances of the hearing and the significant influence of women on the case.

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If It’s Broke, Fix It - Why Congress Needs Reforms

Fri, 22 Mar 2024 15:00:00 -0000

It’s an open secret that Congress is broken. Between extremism from House Republicans to an inability to pass a budget, there is something deeply wrong on the Hill. Norm and Kavita discuss the ways in which we can fix our ailing system, and why some solutions even have the ever elusive support of Republicans.

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Reflecting on Four Years of COVID

Fri, 15 Mar 2024 14:00:00 -0000

On March 13, 2020, COVID was declared a national emergency. Four years on, Norm Ornstein and Kavita Patel reflect on fallout of the COVID pandemic, what we learned, and why we're more prepared than ever for the next pandemic. Members get exclusive access to a discussion on the chaos around Representative Ken Buck's surprise early departure from Congress.

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Trump’s Potemkin Village

Fri, 01 Mar 2024 15:26:58 -0000

Donald Trump is the healthiest, most successful, and most innocent man in America — according to Donald Trump. The grifts and lies show no signs of slowing even as the walls close in around the former president. Norm and Kavita go over the many machinations of the former president, including the New York criminal trial, his efforts to turn the RNC into his personal piggy bank, and more.

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Alabama’s Twisted ‘Family Values’ aren’t very Small Government

Fri, 23 Feb 2024 17:26:31 -0000

The Republican crusade against families continues. The Alabama Supreme Court ruling equating embryos with babies makes clear the fact that they won’t stop any time soon. So what comes next? Norm and Kavita break down the ruling and the political fallout.

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Courting Disaster

Fri, 09 Feb 2024 17:33:42 -0000

The Supreme Court is finally hearing Trump’s appeal of the Colorado ruling removing him from the ballot. The decision will be massive, but it is not the only legal challenge on Donald Trump’s plate. Norm and Kavita break down the case before the Court, and the state of Trump’s numerous legal battles.

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The Impending Border Battle

Tue, 30 Jan 2024 19:58:59 -0000

Greg Abbott and the House Republicans are using the border as a political poker chip, with disastrous implications for immigrants. As Abbott continues to defy the Supreme Court and the House refuses to pass immigration reform, what does the Biden administration need to do? Norm and Kavita discuss the answers and more.

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Is it Time to Panic Yet?

Thu, 25 Jan 2024 20:33:20 -0000

Donald Trump is now the GOP's presumptive nominee. How should the Biden team be responding? What should they be doing differently.?David Rothkopf joins Norm and Kavita to analyze the good, the bad, and the ugly of the election so far and what comes next.

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Does the Trump Train Have Brakes?

Fri, 19 Jan 2024 18:06:27 -0000

The Iowa caucus was a blowout. Trump trounced DeSantis and Haley, leaving us all wondering how much longer they will hold on. But how much can we actually learn from the caucus? Norm and Kavita are back to break down the lessons from Iowa and the trouble for Trump looming on the horizon.

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Political Prognostications for the New Year

Fri, 05 Jan 2024 13:00:00 -0000

With 2023 in the rearview mirror, many of our greatest political challenges remain unresolved. Norm and Kavita are back for a new year with new political prognostications about what 2024 holds for Congress and what will undoubtedly be a dramatic campaign season.

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Dr. Ornstein's Political Prescriptions for Smart Democrats

Fri, 15 Dec 2023 20:49:35 -0000

Democrats have their work cut out for them moving into the new year. With monumental elections on the horizon, Norm has plenty of ways the Democrats can press the advantage. In this insightful episode, David Rothkopf fills in for Kavita to discuss the House, Senate, and presidential elections.

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The Fight for Abortion in Texas and Senate Skullduggery

Fri, 08 Dec 2023 20:33:16 -0000

Norm and Kavita are back! Republicans at both the state and national level have continued to chip away at abortion rights, with a case in Texas drawing national attention and the ire of the state’s AG, Ken Paxton. In addition, Senate Republicans have blocked Ukraine funding, demanding border action. Join us as we break down all this and more.

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The First Rule of Congressional Fight Club

Fri, 17 Nov 2023 19:18:12 -0000

Norm and Kavita are breaking the rules this week to talk about congressional fight club. With threats of violence by multiple GOP members, its clear that tensions are high as Republicans struggle to govern. With the government shutdown pushed to next year, join us as we break down the political field heading into 2024.

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Should We Be Worried About 2024 Polls?

Tue, 07 Nov 2023 20:05:07 -0000

Recent polls on a Biden and Trump showdown in 2024 aren’t great for the incumbent president. But with just under a year to go before the election, how worried should we really be? David Rothkopf joins Norm to explain how Biden can bounce back and why the lunacy of the Republican Party will be its own undoing.

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Managing Mental Health with Dr. Ben Miller

Mon, 30 Oct 2023 18:33:11 -0000

In the face of such overwhelming bad news, it’s all too easy to feel hopeless. Dr. Ben Miller joins Kavita and Norm to talk about the narrative of mental illness in mass shootings, and shares ways that we can maintain good mental health even when the news is bleak. Don’t miss this important episode.

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Words Matter - So Close and Yet So Far: The Search for a Speaker

Thu, 19 Oct 2023 18:10:00 -0000

Two failed votes for Jim Jordan later, and the House is still no closer to electing a speaker. Norm and Kavita break down what could come next for a speaker pro tempore-led Congress and where the Republican caucus will go from here.

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A Little Bit of Everything with Laurie Garrett

Thu, 12 Oct 2023 17:17:49 -0000

With Norm away this week, Kavita is joined by Laurie Garrett for a conversation on a potpourri of topics. From the situation in Israel, to the House speaker race, to updates on COVID, there is a little bit of everything in this week’s episode. Don’t miss it!

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The Speaker Has Left the Building

Fri, 06 Oct 2023 12:26:56 -0000

Another average week for the US Congress. With the shocking removal of Speaker McCarthy by a small cadre of his own party, the divisions within the Republican Party have reached new levels. Thankfully, Kavita is back with Norm to try and make sense of it all.

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R.I.P GOP: A Political Party is a Terrible Thing to Waste

Fri, 29 Sep 2023 15:51:00 -0000

The Republican Party is falling apart before our very eyes. Between the anarchic second presidential debate and the impending threat of a destructive government shutdown, it’s clear that the party is not going quietly. David Rothkopf and Norm discuss all this and more.

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Rantapalooza: Norm and David are Triggered

Fri, 22 Sep 2023 14:00:00 -0000

Norm and David are not happy, and for good reason.The latest judiciary committee hearing reminds us all how far down the rabbit hole the Republican party has gone in the pursuit of scorched-earth politics, but it is not the only example of Republican lunacy this week. Norm and David break down the latest news and more in suitably ranty fashion.

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Is It Time For a New Generation? The Narrative Around Joe Biden

Fri, 15 Sep 2023 16:20:19 -0000

It is no secret that the media remains hyper-focused on Joe Biden’s age and the growing desire for a younger generation of politicians. As the election cycle continues to ramp up, Norm and Kavita break down how the conversation around Joe Biden and Kamala Harris will make waves in 2024.

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Georgia’s Special Grand Jury Is On My Mind

Fri, 08 Sep 2023 18:11:00 -0000

The latest special grand jury report from Georgia reveals recommended charges against 39 people including Senator Lindsey Graham. With Senator Graham and other high-profile individuals being named, Norm and Kavita break down DA Fani Willis’s potential course of action and more, including the latest on Trump's numerous cases.

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Back to School Special: Trials and Tribulations

Thu, 31 Aug 2023 16:54:57 -0000

School is back in session this week as Norm and Kavita tackle the latest in Trump's many trials. Trump remains the frontrunner despite a deluge of legal woes, but new information coming to light daily and the threat of the 14th amendment could imperil his candidacy. Tune in for all this and more.

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Special Edition: After a Lightweight Debate on to Weightier Issues

Thu, 24 Aug 2023 17:30:55 -0000

Last night’s Republican debate may not have had a clear winner, but America was the clear loser. In this special episode, David Rothkopf joins Kavita Patel and Norm Ornstein to discuss the Republican presidential debate and what it means for the future of the party, why Ramaswamy is the front-runner for most unhinged candidate, and how Donald Trump still won - even though he wasn’t there.

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Best Of - On the Fringe No Longer: Republicans Mainstream the Extreme

Fri, 18 Aug 2023 15:46:33 -0000

Norm and Kavita are taking a much deserved break this week, so we're bringing you one of the best episodes of 2022.

Original Description:

July 23, 2022

On this week's episode, we talk about how the Republican Party is embracing ideologies that used to be fringe, how the media is missing the mark, and what the future of the GOP could look like. We ground all of our analysis in the words of Matt Birk, David Brooks, and Joe O'Dea.

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Will Legal Drama Actually Empower Trump?

Fri, 11 Aug 2023 14:00:27 -0000

With the sound defeat of Issue 1 in Ohio, Norm and Kavita discuss whether Democrats can apply the lessons learned to 2024. Also on the agenda are the latest developments with Trump’s documents case in Florida, and whether or not the myriad legal woes will actually help Trump in the next election. Don’t miss it.

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Breaking Down the January 6th Indictment

Fri, 04 Aug 2023 14:00:00 -0000

If you've been watching as much coverage of the indictment as we have, then you're probably more confused than ever. Norm and Kavita are here to make sense of it all, discussing what the indictment really means, how we got to this point, and what it will mean for Trump and the Republicans moving into 2024.

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If You Can’t Take the Heat… Talking Climate, the Border, and More

Thu, 27 Jul 2023 17:06:00 -0000

It’s hot here in DC, but we’re not alone. Norm and Kavita talk climate change and what the administration can do to combat disinformation to change the conversation around climate. Additionally, we discuss what the Democrats can and should be doing to stop Governor Abbott’s abhorrent policies at the border. For all this and more, tune in!

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The Republicans' Race to the Bottom with Mary Trump

Fri, 21 Jul 2023 14:00:00 -0000

The Republican party is not sending their best. With the 2024 election cycle ramping up, Norm and guest Mary Trump break down the lackluster field of Republican candidates and the issues propelling their narrative. Also on the table are Trump’s latest legal woes. What effect could they have in 2024, and why are people upset about the January 6th indictment? Join us and find out.

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The Economy Under Biden is Great; Why Don’t We Act Like It?

Fri, 14 Jul 2023 15:37:28 -0000

With the economy continuing to rally despite the odds, why are conversations about Biden’s economic performance so negative? Norm and Kavita discuss why voters have differing perceptions of the economy, and how they will play a key factor in the 2024 election. They also discuss the Vice President’s performance so far, and whether she will be an asset or liability to Biden’s reelection campaign. All this and more on the latest episode of Words Matter.

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How the Biden Administration Can Fix the Agencies Trump Broke

Fri, 07 Jul 2023 16:41:00 -0000

With recent developments around the indictment of Donald Trump, Norm and Kavita discuss how the executive branch and Congress can work to repair agencies damaged by the Trump presidency. Looking to the future, how do the administration and other elected officials craft a more responsible federal government? Discover the answers in this week's episode.

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Supreme Court Strikes Down Affirmative Action

Fri, 30 Jun 2023 20:48:18 -0000

Norm and Kavita are back to discuss today’s headline story; the Supreme Court’s decision striking down Affirmative Action. Norm and Kavita break down the implications of the ruling, as well as the state of the Biden presidency with recent discussions surrounding the President’s health.

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Supreme Court Rules On Biden’s Immigration Guidelines, Justice Alito and More

Fri, 23 Jun 2023 19:51:22 -0000

Norm and Kavita are back this week to discuss the 8-1 ruling in favor of the Biden administration’s immigration enforcement guidelines. From there, they turn their attention to Justice Alito, who earlier in the week wrote a preemptive opinion piece for the Wall Street Journal addressing the ProPublica investigative piece which disclosed his fishing trips with a Billionaire Hedge Fund manger that petitioned the Supreme Court to rule in his favor in his business dealings. Don’t miss it!

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Check Your Blood Pressure Before You Listen to this Episode

Fri, 16 Jun 2023 14:08:59 -0000

The lies and deflections from Republicans defending Trump have spun up the ire of "Words Matter" co-host Norm Ornstein. So in this episode he not only explains why but guest co-host David Rothkopf tries unsuccessfully to defuse his anger. Instead, both recount the facts surrounding the case for which Trump was arraigned this week and the likely cases to come and frankly, the outrage only grows. Join them to understand why it is fully justified.

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We Have a Debt Ceiling Deal!

Fri, 02 Jun 2023 15:30:57 -0000

Norm and Kavita discuss the passing of the debt ceiling deal in the House of Representatives. Since taping, the bill also passed the Senate and is expected to be signed as early as Friday, June 2, 2023 by President Biden. In the members-only section, they discuss the recent alleged recordings of former President Trump stating that he knew that documents in his possession were classified. Tune In!

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DeSantis Announces Candidacy

Fri, 26 May 2023 04:00:00 -0000

Norm and Kavita are both traveling, but that doesn’t stop them from discussing the issues. This week, in this abbreviated version of Words Matter, Norm and Kavita discuss Ron DeSantis’s presidential bid announcement, the Surgeon General’s announcement on the impact of social media on adolescents and the Nebraska Abortion Case.

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Words Matter: Have We Turned the Corner on the Debt Ceiling Negotiations?

Fri, 19 May 2023 04:00:00 -0000

This week, Norm and Kavita discuss the latest developments in the negotiations between the White House and lawmakers on the debt ceiling. In the members only segment, they discuss some wins for Democrats in elections in Florida and Pennsylvania. Tune In!

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Justice is Being Served

Fri, 12 May 2023 13:45:22 -0000

This week, Norm and Kavita discuss the E. Jean Carroll Civil verdict and Trump’s CNN town hall meeting. In the bonus section, they discuss Congressman’s Santos’ legal woes and the latest in the debt ceiling negotiations. Join us for this timely discussion.

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The Latest on the Debt Ceiling, Trump's Legal Woes, Clarence Thomas Payments, The Proud Boys Convictions

Sat, 06 May 2023 00:27:48 -0000

On this week's episode of Words Matter, Norm and Kavita discuss the latest developments on the debt ceiling, the Seditious Conspiracy convictions of the Proud Boys, Trump's legal woes and Clarence and Ginni Thomas.

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Too Numerous To Count (TNTC)

Fri, 28 Apr 2023 13:02:23 -0000

This week, as Kavita so eloquently put it, there are so many issues to discuss. Norm and Kavita tackle the debt ceiling, touch on the Disney/DeSantis dispute and in the members only section, discuss the Biden 2024 announcement. Don't miss this timely discussion.

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Could the US Default on its Debt?

Fri, 21 Apr 2023 17:30:04 -0000

On this week’s episode of Words Matter, Norm and Kavita discuss the GOP’s debt ceiling proposal. In the members only section, Norm and Kavita discuss the situation with Dianne Feinstein and how it’s impacting the Senate.

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Why Does the Judiciary Branch Wield So Much Power?

Fri, 14 Apr 2023 14:42:22 -0000

On this week’s episode of Words Matter, Norm and Kavita discuss a number of judiciary issues, including reproductive health. In a special extended bonus section, Norm and Kavita tackle Clarence Thomas and Diane Feinstein.

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Why Can't We Have an "Operation Indictment Warpspeed?"

Fri, 07 Apr 2023 04:00:00 -0000

Note: This episode was taped prior to the announced indictments of Donald Trump. The absence of real indictments against Donald Trump allows him to set the narrative. That's not a good thing. So maybe prosecutors should consider drinking a little more Red Bull, having a few more cups of coffee. This is getting ridiculous. We discuss with Dr. Kavita Patel, Norm Ornstein and David Rothkopf. We also discuss who will be the GOP candidate for president when Trump and DeSantis flame out. And we consider the imponderable: Why is George Santos still a member of Congress. Join us for answers to all the most pressing political questions.

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Sue the Gunmakers, Tax the Bullets, Just Do Something!

Fri, 31 Mar 2023 12:00:00 -0000

In the wake of yet another tragic mass shooting--and we're averaging two per day this year in the US--Americans are again asking the question what can be done. The response of the GOP: "Nothing." That's their plan and it has worked so far to make the U.S. a very dangerous place. So what can we do to help combat this national gun pathology? On this episode of "Words Matter" Dr. Kavita Patel, Norm Ornstein and David Rothkopf discuss. Don't miss it.

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The Politics of Justice

Fri, 24 Mar 2023 22:00:00 -0000

Trump might finally be indicted but what impact will that have on the political landscape? Kavita and Norm seek to answer that question during this engaging conversation. Members get a bonus conversation about COVID and the recent UN Climate Report.

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Bail outs for thee but not for me?

Fri, 17 Mar 2023 20:51:56 -0000

Silicon Valley Bank collapsed in spectacular fashion last week but the Biden administration stepped in to save its depositors. Was that the right thing to do and what can prevent things like this happening in the future? Norm and Kavita discuss during this thoughtful conversation. Members get a bonus conversation about Ron DeSantis and his views about the war in Ukraine.

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Our Two Speed Country

Fri, 10 Mar 2023 23:00:00 -0000

From the media and books to drag shows and voting, states is in the South have been trying to turn back the clock. Kavita and Norm talk about these updates, what they mean for the country as a whole, and what we can do about it. Members get a bonus conversation about Walgreens.

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Lab Leaks and Committees Speak

Fri, 03 Mar 2023 23:07:45 -0000

Congress is back in session and there is lots of news. First Kavita and Norm talk about the Department of Energy's report around the "Lab Leak" theory and then they discuss Attorney General Merrick Garland's testimony in front of the House Judiciary Committee. Members of The DSR Network get a bonus conversation about the recent hearing on the Equal Rights Amendment.

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East Palestine's toxic plume and America's toxic politics

Fri, 24 Feb 2023 22:29:32 -0000

Kavita is back from her trip but the problems in the country haven't moved much. The train derailment in East Palestine has caused concerns about environmental and health impacts while the right-wing media pushes it as race issue. Members of The DSR Network get access to a bonus segment about Mark Brnovich.

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Nikki Haley Jumps In

Fri, 17 Feb 2023 22:32:22 -0000

On this week's episode, Kavita is still out of town. So Norm and producer Grant Haver talk Nikki Haley getting into the Presidential race, her potential candidacy, and what this means for the future of our democracy. Members of The DSR Network get access to a bonus segment about the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio.

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The State of Our Union Is....

Fri, 10 Feb 2023 23:00:04 -0000

On this week's episode, Kavita is still out of town. So Norm and producer Grant Haver talk about the State of the Union, what it says about the future prospects for Joe Biden, and if it matters. Members of The DSR Network get access to a bonus segment about the House "oversight" hearings on Twitter and the weaponization of government.

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Modernizing Congress with Rep. Derek Kilmer

Sat, 04 Feb 2023 02:29:02 -0000

On this week's episode, Norm talks with Representative Derek Kilmer (WA-6) about his work as the Chair of the Modernizing Congress Committee, what they were able to accomplish, and what work is left to do. Members of The DSR Network get access to a bonus segment where Norm and producer Grant Haver talk reflect on the interview.

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What to do when the government does nothing about guns

Fri, 27 Jan 2023 22:42:55 -0000

On this week's episode, Norm and Kavita talk about the never ending cycle of gun violence in the United States and what communities should do since the government is incapable of making progress on this issue. Members get a bonus conversation about the continuing kerfuffle about classified documents.

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America at the (debt) limit

Fri, 20 Jan 2023 22:23:38 -0000

On this week's episode, Norm and Kavita talk about the debt limit, what the U.S. can do at this point to pay its bills, and where we expect this to end. Members get a bonus conversation about the West Wing reboot and China.

Read more about the debt limit here: https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/IN/IN12045

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A House Divided Against Itself

Fri, 13 Jan 2023 22:12:55 -0000

On this week's episode, Norm and Kavita talk about the start of a divided and performative Congress. Members of The DSR Network get a bonus conversation about Biden's classified documents and the Republicans investigations efforts across the government.

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Seeking a Speaker

Fri, 06 Jan 2023 21:04:18 -0000

On this week's episode, Norm and Kavita talk about Kevin McCarthy's quixotic quest to become speaker of the House and what it means for average Americans. What does this clown show mean for the most pressing issues facing the United States? Members of The DSR Network get a bonus conversation about the COVID crisis in China and how anti-vax terrorists are seizing on high profile deaths and injuries.

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Best Of: Walker, Oz, and What Happens if They Win?

Fri, 30 Dec 2022 23:00:00 -0000

Originally Aired: October 8, 2022

On this week's episode, Norm and Kavita talk about the Senate races in Georgia and Pennsylvania. In the bonus segment, Words Matter Producer Grant Haver talks with Norm about what's on Democrats agenda if they win the midterms.

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Best Of: New York, Florida, and Dark Money Matters

Thu, 29 Dec 2022 23:00:00 -0000

Originally Aired: August 26, 2022

On this week's episode, we talk about the primaries in New York and Florida as well as the news the Leonard Leo now has over one billion dollars to spend on conservative political causes.

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Best Of: Midterm Madness

Wed, 28 Dec 2022 23:00:00 -0000

Originally Aired: August 12, 2022

On this week's episode, we talk about all the races we are following for the midterms, and our campaign experiences. You won't want to miss it!

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Best Of: The IRA Under the Microscope

Tue, 27 Dec 2022 23:00:00 -0000

Originally Aired: September 2, 2022

On this week's episode, we do a deep dive on the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. In the bonus segment, Norm talks about the latest Trump crime news and Biden's most recent speech.

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Best Of: Views from the Road: Liz Cheney, John Fetterman, and Chautauqua

Mon, 26 Dec 2022 23:00:00 -0000

Originally Aired: August 19, 2022

On this week's episode, we talk about Liz Cheney's defeat, the senate race in pennsylvania, and we get the view from Chautauqua. You won't want to miss it!

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Holiday Mailbag

Fri, 23 Dec 2022 23:00:00 -0000

On this week's episode, Norm and Kavita answer your questions about everything from how to fix the Republican party, what policies are dividing the Democratic party, and much more. Members of the DSR Network get access to a bonus conversation featuring non-political questions around books that have impacted Kavita and Norm and how to turn off from the news.

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The Final Days of the 117th Congress

Fri, 16 Dec 2022 22:22:12 -0000

On this week's episode, Norm and Kavita discuss what Congress needs to do before the holidays. Members of the DSR Network get access to a bonus conversation about the recently released texts from Republicans around January 6th. If you want to submit questions for next week's mailbag episode email podcasts@thedsrnetwork.com or tag us on your favorite social media app!

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Senator Warnock (D-GA) and Senator Sinema (I-AZ)

Fri, 09 Dec 2022 22:52:29 -0000

On this week's episode, Norm and Kavita discuss Senator Warnock winning his run off race and what that means for his political ambitions and the Senate. They also discuss how the changing order of the Democratic primaries will impact 2024. Members of the DSR Network get access to a bonus conversation about the Senator Sinema leaving the Democratic party to become an independent.

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The Lame Duck Congress

Fri, 02 Dec 2022 23:00:00 -0000

On this week's episode, Norm and Kavita discuss what remains on the agenda for the lame duck Congress including issues like the debt limit and the looming threat of a railroad strike. Members of the DSR Network get access to a bonus conversation about the respect for marriage act and World AIDS day.

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Best Of: The January 6th Hearings and the Ongoing Coup

Fri, 18 Nov 2022 23:00:00 -0000

Originally Aired: June 17, 2022

On this week's episode, we talk about the January 6th committee hearings, the Republican candidates for office that believe in the big lie, and how the media is talking about all of this. We ground all of our analysis in the words of Representative Liz Cheney, Pennsylvania Gubernatorial Candidate Doug Mastriano, and Tucker Carlson.

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Midterm Reflections

Fri, 11 Nov 2022 23:00:00 -0000

On this week's episode, Norm and Kavita provide their analysis of the midterms, discuss what they got right (and wrong) heading in, and where this goes from here. Members of the DSR Network get a bonus segment on how the parties should react to the results headed into 2024.

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The Last One Before The Midterms

Fri, 04 Nov 2022 22:00:00 -0000

Each week, Norm Ornstein and Kavita Patel, talk about the issues facing our country as we head into the midterms and what our leaders are saying and doing about them. We hope you like the show and we'd love to hear your feedback. If you have any comments feel free to send us an email at podcasts@thedsrnetwork.com.

On this week's episode, Norm and Kavita are joined by EJ Dionne to discuss his latest column "In the midterms, GOP extremism is the ghoul in the room" and then they give their predictions about the midterms. Members of the DSR Network get a bonus segment on Biden's speech on the value of Democracy.

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A Woman, Her Doctor, and the Debate Between Oz and Fetterman

Fri, 28 Oct 2022 21:08:13 -0000

On this week's episode, Norm and Kavita talk about the debate between Oz and Fetterman and between Gretchen Whitmer and Tudor Dixon. In the bonus segment Producer Grant Haver and Norm talk about the crossover between foreign policy and domestic politics.

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Debating Debates

Fri, 21 Oct 2022 23:15:06 -0000

On this week's episode, Norm and Kavita talk about the recent debates in races across the country including Marco Rubio v. Val Demings, Tim Ryan v. JD Vance, and Raphael Warnock v. Herschel Walker.

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The Elections Up And Down The Ballot

Fri, 14 Oct 2022 22:52:08 -0000

On this week's episode, Norm and Kavita talk about the Senate races in North Carolina and Nevada as well as state and local races vital to defending democracy.

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Walker, Oz, and What Happens if They Win?

Sat, 08 Oct 2022 15:53:06 -0000

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The polls and polling with Anna Greenberg

Fri, 30 Sep 2022 19:52:28 -0000

On this week's episode, Norm and Kavita talk with Anna Greenberg of GQR about the polls headed into the midterms and the broader conversation around the value of public polling in our extremely partisan environment.

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Political Stunts and Immigration Policy

Fri, 23 Sep 2022 21:12:42 -0000

On this week's episode, Norm and Kavita talk about immigration policy and the political stunts performed by Ron DeSantis and Greg Abbott around the issue. For members, Kavita and Norm talk about the latest Trump legal news.

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Freight and Foreign Policy

Fri, 16 Sep 2022 19:58:46 -0000

On this week's episode, Norm and Kavita talk about Biden's successful handling of the potential train workers strike and the intersection for foreign and domestic policy. For members, Kavita and Norm talk about the Fetterman-Oz race and a Washington Post Editorial about Fetterman's health.

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The State of Labor on Labor Day

Fri, 09 Sep 2022 19:18:16 -0000

On this week's episode, we talk with Michael Strain, the director of Economic Policy Studies, and the Arthur F. Burns Scholar in Political Economy at the American Enterprise Institute, about where the labor market is and what the recent reports tell us about the economy overall.

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The IRA Under the Microscope

Fri, 02 Sep 2022 21:38:20 -0000

On this week's episode, we do a deep dive on the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. In the bonus segment, Norm talks about the latest Trump crime news and Biden's most recent speech.

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New York, Florida, and Dark Money Matters

Fri, 26 Aug 2022 21:02:23 -0000

On this week's episode, we talk about the primaries in New York and Florida as well as the news the Leonard Leo now has over one billion dollars to spend on conservative political causes.

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Views from the Road: Liz Cheney, John Fetterman, and Chautauqua

Fri, 19 Aug 2022 23:00:00 -0000

Each week, Norm Ornstein and Kavita Patel, we will talk about the issues facing our country as we head into the midterms and what our leaders are saying and doing about them. We hope you like the show and we'd love to hear your feedback. If you have any comments feel free to send us an email at podcasts@thedsrnetwork.com.

On this week's episode, we talk about Liz Cheney's defeat, the senate race in pennsylvania, and we get the view from Chautauqua. You won't want to miss it!

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Midterm Madness

Fri, 12 Aug 2022 20:55:20 -0000

On this week's episode, we talk about all the races we are following for the midterms, and our campaign experiences. You won't want to miss it!

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Political Potpourri: Biden's Messaging Problem, Abortion in Idaho and Kansas, and January 6th

Fri, 05 Aug 2022 22:00:00 -0000

On this week's episode, we talk about why Biden's political successes are translating into better polling, abortion rights in Idaho and Kansas, and the latest news on January 6th. We ground all of our analysis in the words of Karine Jean-Pierre and Merrick Garland.

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It's the Economy, Stupid!

Fri, 29 Jul 2022 20:28:39 -0000

On this week's episode, we talk about the economy and why inflation is up but unemployment is down as well as the deal around the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. We ground all of our analysis in the words of Jerome Powell and Joe Manchin.

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On the Fringe No Longer: Republicans Mainstream the Extreme

Fri, 22 Jul 2022 22:00:00 -0000

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It's All Healthcare: COVID, MonkeyPox, and Abortion

Fri, 15 Jul 2022 20:45:59 -0000

On this week's episode, we talk the continued COVID-19 pandemic, the rise of Monkeypox, and, for members, the current state of reproductive rights. We ground all of our analysis in the words Antony Fauci, Ashwin Vasan, Ashish Jha, and Andrea Miller.

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The Bill of Rights and the Continued Fight for Freedom

Sat, 09 Jul 2022 00:31:00 -0000

We're relaunching the show with new hosts Norm Ornstein and Kavita Patel. Each week we will talk about the issues facing our country as we head into the midterms and what our leaders are saying and doing about them. We hope you like the show and we'd love to hear your feedback as we continue to shape it moving forward. If you have any comments feel free to send us an email at podcasts@thedsrnetwork.com.

On this week's episode, we talk about the first, second, ninth, and tenth amendments and for members we talk about disinformation and Twitter. We ground all of our analysis in the words of the Bill of Rights.

Links for your consideration:

https://www.heritage.org/firearms/commentary/these-10-examples-defensive-gun-use-underscore-second-amendments-true-purpose

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Supreme Injustices

Fri, 01 Jul 2022 20:46:55 -0000

On this week's episode, we talk about the end of a monumental Supreme Court term and the explosive testimony of Cassidy Hutchinson before the January 6th committee. We ground all of our analysis in the words of Justice Barrett, Cassidy Hutchinson, and Kelly Shackelford.

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The January 6th Hearings and the Ongoing Coup

Fri, 17 Jun 2022 23:05:46 -0000

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Guns: What Are They Good For?

Mon, 06 Jun 2022 23:13:39 -0000

On this week's episode, we talk about the epidemic of mass shootings in the country, the mental health red herring, and how this will impact the midterm elections in the fall. We ground all of our analysis in the words of America's political leaders like President Biden, Senators Mitch McConnell and Chris Murphy, and former Governor of New York Andrew Cuomo.

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Votes Matter: Counting to Nine on Abortion Rights

Thu, 09 Dec 2021 14:41:25 -0000

The Supreme Court is poised to overturn Roe v. Wade — or at least change the abortion-rights landscape dramatically. Katie sits down with Sarah Isgur and David French of The Dispatch to answer the question: Why is this happening?

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American's Mission Statement read by Senator John F. Kennedy

Mon, 05 Jul 2021 03:54:34 -0000

On July 4th we celebrate the birth of the American Experiment. The Declaration of Independence -- written in the Spring of 1776 by a 33 year old Thomas Jefferson -- is America’s mission statement. And like all mission statements, the words represented not what we were, but what we aspired to be. In fact, the author himself was a gifted writer, but a deeply flawed person who – like his country -- did not embody the ideas and ideal of that document.

For more than two hundred and forty years, the story of America has been the struggle between those who want to move us close to the words of our mission statement – and those who want to stop them.

It is often forgotten that the Declaration itself was meant to be spoken.

In 2004 the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library released a previously unknown 1957 recording of then-Senator Kennedy reading the Declaration of Independence in New York on July 4th.

So this week to honor Independence Day -- And to remind ourselves that as a country must continue the struggle to turn America’s founding words into reality – we give John F. Kennedy’s reading of the Declaration of Independence the final word.

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Barack Obama's Eulogy for the Honorable Reverend Clementa Pinckney

Mon, 21 Jun 2021 07:05:52 -0000

On June 26th 2015 President Barack Obama delivered the eulogy at the funeral of the Reverend Clementa C. Pinckney, the senior pastor of the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston and a South Carolina State Senator.

Reverend Pinckney and 8 other Black church members had been murdered a week earlier during Bible Study in a racially motivated mass shooting perpetrated by a white supremacist.

The Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church is one of the oldest Black churches in the United States, and it has long been a center for organizing events related to civil rights.

Founded in 1816, the church played an important role in the history of South Carolina, during slavery and Reconstruction, during the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 60s and in the Black Lives Matter movement.

It is the oldest African Methodist Episcopal Church in the South, often referred to as "Mother Emanuel".

Rev. Pinckney, was a well known activist who had held rallies after the shooting of Walter Scott by a white police officer two months earlier, in nearby North Charleston. As a state senator, Reverend Pinckney had pushed for legislation requiring police to wear body cameras.

The Reverend and his church were targeted because of their history and role in civil rights activism.

With a rousing eulogy and a chorus of “Amazing Grace,” President Barack Obama called on the country to honor the nine victims of the South Carolina church massacre by working toward racial healing.

He said that included removing the Confederate battle flag from the South Carolina State House grounds.

“It’s true, the flag did not cause these murders,” The President said, but “we all have to acknowledge the flag has always represented more than just ancestral pride. For many, black and white, that flag was a reminder of systemic oppression and racial subjugation. We see that now.”

“By taking down that flag,” he said, “we express God’s grace.” But I don't think God wants us to stop there.“

On July 6, 2015, the South Carolina Senate voted to remove the Confederate flag from display outside the South Carolina State House.

Make no mistake - the protests we have seen in the last month are a continuation of that struggle. And none of us can stop - none of us should rest until we dismantle and remove every symbol and every fact of the systemic oppression and racial subjugation that President Obama described in his eulogy of Reverend Pinckney.

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American History Tellers -- Lindsay Graham Interview

Mon, 14 Jun 2021 07:05:21 -0000

Not THAT Lindsay Graham. This week we profile one of our favorite podcasts American History Tellers. The Cold War, Prohibition, the Gold Rush, the Space Race. Every part of your life -the words you speak, the ideas you share- can be traced to our history, but how well do you really know the stories that made America? American History Tellers will take you to the events, the times and the people that shaped our nation. And they'll show you how our history affected them, their families and affects you today. Hosted by Lindsay Graham (not the Senator). From Wondery, the network behind Tides Of History, History Unplugged, Fall Of Rome and Dirty John.

And check out Lindsay's latest podcast -- American Elections: Wicked Game

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you got your podcasts. American Elections: Wicked Game http://wondery.fm/AmericanElectionsWM

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President John F. Kennedy on Civil Rights

Mon, 07 Jun 2021 13:08:07 -0000

This week we highlight presidential leadership and one of the most important civil rights speeches ever delivered by a sitting American president.

By June of 1963, John F. Kennedy has been president for nearly two and a half years.

While Kennedy had long privately expressed his deep moral objections to the treatment of black people in American society and indicated support for New federal legislation.

His public comments ranged from cautious moderate criticism to a 1950s version of “both sides-ism” but were mostly nonexistent.

In June of 1963, however the man and the moment met.

Alabama Governor George Wallace’s staged photo op defiance of federal law by standing in the school house doorway had lasted less than 90 minutes.

On June 11th 1963 two black students were peaceful enrolled at the University of Alabama under the protection of a federalized Alabama National Guard commanded by US Marshals under the direction of the Department of Justice and the Attorney General of the United States.

Kennedy’s advisors recommended and Fully expected that the president would NOT address the American people that evening.

With a little less than 18 months until to the 1964 elections, the President’s legislative agenda and his political future depended upon the votes Southern Democrats in Congress and those of their politically unforgiving constituents.

The President had other ideas. Kennedy saw a way to exercise moral leader on an issue where he had to that point failed. He would request Network Television airtime to address the nation on the issue of civil rights.

The facts and statistics on racial inequality in the United States described by President Kennedy to the American people that evening had even never been acknowledged by a President before - much less spoken in such a detailed and direct language.

In a telegram to the White House after watching the President’s remarks in Atlanta with other civil rights leaders, the Reverend Dr Martin Luther King Jr. described the address as ONE OF THE MOST ELOQUENT, PROFOUND,AND UNEQUIVOCAL PLEAS FOR JUSTICE AND FREEDOM OF ALL MEN, EVER MADE BY ANY PRESIDENT.

Dr King knew that Kennedy was moved by his now famous “Letter from Birmingham Jail” - written just weeks before.

To President Kennedy and many Americans Dr. King’s letter was more than than a spirited defense of civil disobedience. It was an indictment of white indifference.

As you listen to the speech, you will hear Kennedy echoing King’s “Letter”

The President rejects the idea that Black Americans should have to wait for equality. "Who among us," Kennedy asks the American people, "would then be content with counsels of patience and delay?"

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ENCORE: Hill Women - with Cassie Chambers

Mon, 17 May 2021 07:05:08 -0000

Our guest this week is a writer, lawyer, speaker and an advocate. Cassie Chambers grew up in Eastern Kentucky, graduated from Yale College, the Yale School of Public Health, the London School of Economics, and Harvard Law School, where she was president of the Harvard Legal Aid Bureau, a student-run law firm that represents low-income clients.

Cassie received a Skadden Fellowship to return to Kentucky to do legal work with domestic violence survivors in rural communities.

In 2018, Cassie helped pass Jeanette’s Law, which eliminated the requirement that domestic violence survivors pay an incarcerated spouse’s legal fees in order to get a divorce.

Her new book, Hill Women: Finding Family and a Way Forward in the Appalachian Mountains, celebrates the amazingly resilient women in her family and the beloved mountain culture that helped shape her.

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ENCORE: FDR on Democracy with Professor Harvey Kaye - Part 2

Mon, 10 May 2021 07:05:36 -0000

This week we welcome back historian and sociologist Harvey J. Kaye for Part 2 of our discussion of his important book FDR on Democracy: The Greatest Speeches and Writings of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

Harvey J. Kaye is Professor Emeritus of Democracy and Justice Studies and Director of the Center for History and Social Change at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay.

An award-winning author and writer, he has written 9 books – including:

Follow Professor Kaye on Twitter @harveyjkaye

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SpyTalk: Shots in the Dark

Sun, 09 May 2021 22:55:47 -0000

Jeanne Meserve looks into the mysterious directed-energy attacks on officials in Washington with Mark Zaid, lawyer for CIA and State Department victims. Then Ronen Bergman, author of a groundbreaking book on Israeli assassination operations, talks with Jeff Stein about the effect of Mossad’s hits on Iran’s nuclear scientists and uranium facilities. Last but hardly least, Jeanne talks at length with technology venture capitalist Gilman Louis about his work with the CIA and the perils of losing the race on artificial intelligence to America’s adversaries.Each week, we’re bringing you a new episode of one of our favorite podcasts, Deep State Radio.Deep State Radio, hosted by David Rothkopf, produces new episodes 2-3 times per week and brings together top experts, policymakers, and journalists from the national security, foreign policy, and political communities. You can subscribe to the podcast on Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.If you become a member of the DSR Network, you’ll receive benefits such as ad-free listening via private feed, discounts to virtual events and Deep State Radio Swag, and access to the member-only Slack community. This is one of the most closely followed podcasts among the people influencing the most important decisions in Washington and worldwide today. You can learn more by visiting thedsrnetwork.com. Listeners to Words Matter will receive 25% off of the regular membership price. Use code wordsmatter at checkout.

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ENCORE: FDR on Democracy with Professor Harvey Kaye - Part 1

Mon, 03 May 2021 07:05:21 -0000

This week we welcome historian and sociologist Harvey J. Kaye for Part 1 of our discussion of his important book FDR on Democracy: The Greatest Speeches and Writings of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

Harvey J. Kaye is Professor Emeritus of Democracy and Justice Studies and Director of the Center for History and Social Change at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay.

An award-winning author and writer, he has written 9 books – including:

Follow Professor Kaye on Twitter @harveyjkaye

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SpyTalk: A CIA Spy in Syria, and US Responses to Russian, Chinese and Other Adversary Hacking

Sun, 02 May 2021 23:40:32 -0000

This week, in the debut edition of the SpyTalk podcast, co-host Jeff Stein talks to the Washington Post’s Joby Warrick about an extraordinary CIA operation in Syria, as told in his new book, Red Line. Jeff and co-host Jeanne Meserve also discuss the Biden administration’s recent expulsion of suspected Russian spies, then Jeanne talks with former NSA Director and Cyber Command chief Admiral Mike Rogers about Chinese, Russian and other hackers’ infiltration of U.S. computer networks.

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A Tribute to Walter Mondale

Mon, 26 Apr 2021 07:05:41 -0000

Walter Frederick "Fritz" Mondale (January 5, 1928 – April 19, 2021) was a politician, statesman, diplomat, and lawyer who served as a U.S. senator from Minnesota from 1964 to 1976 and as the 42nd vice president of the United States from 1977 to 1981 under President Jimmy Carter.. In 1984 he was the Democratic Party's nominee for president of the united states.

As a Senator, Mondale had been the primary sponsor of the Fair Housing Act of 1968 – transformative legislation that outlawed the Refusal to sell or rent a dwelling to any person because of their race, color, religion or national origin.

Walter Mondale was the first vice president to have an office in the White House and established the concept of an "activist Vice President." He began the tradition of weekly lunches with the president, which continues to this day. More importantly, he expanded the vice president's role from figurehead to presidential advisor, full-time participant, and troubleshooter for the administration. Subsequent vice presidents have followed this model.[38

In 1984 he made history as the Democratic presidential nominee when he selected New York Congresswoman Geraldine Ferraro as his running mate. Making her the first woman on a national ticket

In August of 2019, we had the honor and privilege of spending some with former Vice President Mondale as Joe Lockhart and I traveled to Minneapolis to interview him for Words Matter.

Joe had served in a senior position on Mondale’s 1984 Presidential Campaign and as far as Walter Mondale was concerned - that made him part of the family, literally.

They had kept in touch over the years. The former Vice President regularly held events and get togethers with his former staffers where ever he traveled - and Joe had always attended no matter how busy he was.

At 91, Mondale was still very sharp and as always polite, courteous and inquisitive. He asked about Joe’s wife and children by name and remembered small details about their last visit that Joe himself had forgotten.

He wanted to understand all he could about how podcasts worked, how many people listened, and why they were popular.

What impressed me most about him were his humility, self awareness and introspection. While most politicians can muster faux humility – during a campaign – that was not what Walter Mondale was all about. As with everything else - he was sincere and genuine.

Mondale was brutally honest and realistic about why his 1984 campaign had been soundly defeated. Even with the microphones turned off, he was complimentary of former Presidents Reagan and George HW Bush - And unlike like most politicians- he took full responsibility (even for things that were not his fault) for the historic loss to Ronald Reagan.

As we got ready to leave, the former Vice President was the embodiment of Minnesota Nice - he thanked us for making the trip, told us how much he enjoyed the interview, made Joe promise to send his regards to his family and even asked if we were all set with ride to airport.

As he walked us to the elevator - he shook my hand and gave Joe a hug and told us both to “keep up the good fight”.

Last weekend - just days before his passing Walter Mondale sent a final message to his staff:

Dear Team,

Well my time has come. I am eager to rejoin Joan and Eleanor. Before I Go I wanted to let you know how much you mean to me. Never has a public servant had a better group of people working at their side!

Together we have accomplished so much and I know you will keep up the good fight.

Joe in the White House certainly helps.

I always knew it would be okay if I arrived some place and was greeted by one of you!

My best to all of you!

Fritz

With that let’s listen to Joe Lockhart’s interview with the late, great former Vice President - Walter Mondale.

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Deep State Radio: A Tale of Two COVIDS

Thu, 22 Apr 2021 14:47:13 -0000

On the one hand, America's vaccine roll out is making great progress. On the other, in the last week COVID cases are on the rise in 38 states. On the one hand, the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines are working remarkably well. On the other hand, Astra Zeneca and perhaps Johnson and Johnson not so much. (Or maybe the government is over-reacting to a very tiny number of problem cases with the J&J vaccine.) On the one hand we know more about the disease. On the other hand it keeps changing and about a third of us just don't want to know the science. Where does this lead? We discuss with Pulitzer Prize-winner Laurie Garrett, former senior Obama health specialist Dr. Kavita Patel and Ryan Goodman of NYU Law School. Also: A special conversation about latest revelations about Trump and Russia and the Biden team's response. Each week, we’re bringing you a new episode of one of our favorite podcasts, Deep State Radio.Deep State Radio, hosted by David Rothkopf, produces new episodes 2-3 times per week and brings together top experts, policymakers, and journalists from the national security, foreign policy, and political communities. You can subscribe to the podcast on Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.If you become a member of the DSR Network, you’ll receive benefits such as ad-free listening via private feed, discounts to virtual events and Deep State Radio Swag, and access to the member-only Slack community. This is one of the most closely followed podcasts among the people influencing the most important decisions in Washington and worldwide today. You can learn more by visiting thedsrnetwork.com. Listeners to Words Matter will receive 25% off of the regular membership price. Use code wordsmatter at checkout.

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Columbine - 22 years Later

Mon, 19 Apr 2021 07:05:56 -0000

The shooting at Columbine High School in Colorado happened 22 years ago this week. Katie gives a special Final Word to Laura Hall and Sarah Bush -- sisters who survived the shooting, and in 2019 ran the Boston Marathon together.

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"Good Trouble" with John Lewis

Mon, 12 Apr 2021 07:05:50 -0000

John Robert Lewis was a politician, statesman, and civil rights leader who served in the United States House of Representatives for Georgia's 5th congressional district from 1987 until his death in 2020. He was the chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee from 1963 to 1966.

Born near Troy, Alabama, on February 21, 1940, he the third of ten children of Willie Mae and Eddie Lewis.[2][3] His parents were sharecroppers in rural Pike County, Alabama,

As a child in rural Alabama in the 1940s, young John Lewis was disturbed by the evidence that he saw around him of the South’s Jim Crow racial segregation laws. He wanted to know why they existed.

Even as a small child he would ask his mother why black children went to separate schools from white children, why Black people were forced to use separate bathrooms, separate drinking fountains and sit in separate sections in public places.

His mother discouraged his curiosity, by saying, “Don’t get in the way. Don’t get in trouble.” But, as John Lewis often explained later, he went in the other direction – he got in the way. He got into trouble – GOOD TROUBLE as he famously called it.

Inspired by the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr who he first met at the age of 18, John Lewis was already an established Civil Leader by the age of 21. He had been one of the 13 original Freedom Riders in 1961 and lead the way in desegregating interstate transportation

At 23, John Lewis became the chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and was one of the "Big Six" leaders of groups who organized the August 1963 March on Washington. He was the youngest person to speak at the Lincoln Memorial on August 28th 1963 – on the same stage that Dr. King delivered his iconic “I have a Dream” Speech.

While he held many important leadership roles in the civil rights movement and the fight to end legalized racial segregation in the United States. the cause John Lewis became most associated with was that of Voting Rights.

In 1965, John Lewis organized some of the voter registration efforts during the Selma voting rights campaign, and became nationally known for his prominent role in the Selma to Montgomery marches.[49]

On March 7, 1965 – a day that would become known as "Bloody Sunday" – Lewis and fellow activist Hosea Williams led over 600 marchers across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama.

At the end of the bridge and the city-county boundary, the marchers were met by Alabama State Troopers who ordered them to disperse.

When the marchers stopped to pray, the police discharged tear gas and mounted troopers charged the demonstrators, beating them with nightsticks. Lewis's skull was fractured, but he was aided in escaping across the bridge to Brown Chapel, a church in Selma that served as the movement's headquarters.[50] Lewis bore scars on his head from this incident for the rest of his life.[51]

In March 2015, on the 50th anniversary of Bloody Sunday, President Barack Obama, delivered a speech in Selma and then John Lewis lead the way as President Obama, former President George W. Bush and 40,000 Civil Rights Movement veterans and marched across that very same bridge.

With that – let’s listen to the honorable John Robert Lewis talk about the importance of “good trouble”

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Deep State Radio: It's Not Too Early to Predict What Biden Era Politics Will Be Like

Sat, 10 Apr 2021 15:53:51 -0000

By this time during the presidency of the former guy, his national security advisor had been booted, the Muslim ban had been tried and Comey was days from getting fired. We also knew that the GOP was simply not going to do anything about even the worst things Trump was doing. So it's not too early to make some prognostications about about the political weather we can expect in the Biden Era. The bad news is, we already know the GOP is still Trump's GOP, obstructionist at best, anti-democratic, racist, corrupt and traitorous at worst. The good news is that so far, Joe Biden has managed to by-pass the Beltway and win bi-partisan support by listening to the American people and giving them the kind of programs and change the majority of them have long supported. Will this continue? What could result in a course change? We discuss with Max Boot of the Council on Foreign Relations and the Washington Post, Dr. Kavita Patel, former Obama White House official and practicing physician and Ryan Goodman, NYU Law professor and co-editor of "Just Security." Join usEach week, we’re bringing you a new episode of one of our favorite podcasts, Deep State Radio.Deep State Radio, hosted by David Rothkopf, produces new episodes 2-3 times per week and brings together top experts, policymakers, and journalists from the national security, foreign policy, and political communities. You can subscribe to the podcast on Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.If you become a member of the DSR Network, you’ll receive benefits such as ad-free listening via private feed, discounts to virtual events and Deep State Radio Swag, and access to the member-only Slack community. This is one of the most closely followed podcasts among the people influencing the most important decisions in Washington and worldwide today. You can learn more by visiting thedsrnetwork.com. Listeners to Words Matter will receive 25% off of the regular membership price. Use code wordsmatter at checkout.

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Preview: SPY AFFAIR from Wondery

Tue, 06 Apr 2021 13:08:46 -0000

A charismatic Russian woman arrives in the US on a mission to improve relations between the two countries, and she soon makes some powerful friends. But who is Maria Butina? And who is she working for? As Maria gets closer to the rich and connected she also attracts the attention of the FBI. In the politically charged world of US-Russia relations, everyone has secrets and almost nothing is what it seems. From Wondery, the makers of The Shrink Next Door and Dr. Death comes SPY AFFAIR a story about deception, appearances and betrayal. Hosted by Celia Aniskovich.Listen today at wondery.fm/SAWordsMatter

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Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. - "I've Been to the Mountain Top"

Mon, 05 Apr 2021 10:57:54 -0000

On April 3, 1968 the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was in Memphis, Tennessee to lend his support, his help, and his leadership to the Memphis Sanitation Worker’s Strike.

That February, Black sanitation workers had walked off the job because two of them had been crushed to death in a garbage compacting truck. There was already unrest and tension because the Black workers were paid poorly and treated even worse. They deserved a raise and better working conditions.

On March 28, Dr. King participated in a huge Memphis march, but to his dismay, it ended in violence. With the intention of leading a peaceful march later that week, Dr. King returned to Memphis on April 3. That evening, he spoke at Mason Temple, then the Church of God in Christ world headquarters.

As he had throughout the tumultuous struggle for Civil Rights during the 1950s and 60s, Dr. King called on America and Americans to live up to the promise of our founding creed, and to honor the words of our founding documents.

As Dr. King came to the end of his speech, he talked about his 1958 attempted assassination, the bomb threat that delayed his plane that day, and threats made against him in Memphis.

As a storm raged outside the packed church, Dr. King prophetically spoke of his own mortality.

The next day, Thursday, April 4, 1968, Dr. King was at the Lorraine Motel with aides and friends; Rev. Billie Kyles of Memphis arrived to take the group to dinner. At about 6 p.m. Dr. King stood with Rev. Kyles on the balcony outside his Room 306 and told musician Ben Branch to be sure to play “Take My Hand, Precious Lord” at the rally that evening.

Then, as Dr. King leaned over the balcony railing to speak with his young aide Reverend Jesse Jackson he was struck down by an assassin’s bullet.

He was 39 years old.

Later that evening, in Indianapolis, Indiana – presidential candidate, Senator Robert Kennedy delivered the news of Dr. King’s murder to a crowd of black and white supporters.

Exactly two months later Robert Kennedy himself was assassinated in Los Angeles after winning the California Democratic presidential primary.

With that, let’s listen to the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s “I've Been to the Mountain Top” in its entirety.

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Deep State Radio: One-on-one with Gayle Tzemach Lemmon: Why It is So Important to Tell the Stories of Heroic Women

Sat, 03 Apr 2021 14:55:33 -0000

Too much of world history is written by men about men for men. The result is that cultural biases of a male-centric world are reinforced. But another consequence is that the vitally important stories about heroic women who are shaping our communities an our futures go unnoticed. Gayle Tzemach Lemmon, author of the Daughters of Kobani, is addressing this shortcoming with powerful books telling the story of remarkable women across the greater Middle East. We discuss with her the future of the US in the region, the future of women in the region and how average American can make a difference in resetting our priorities. Don't miss it.Each week, we’re bringing you a new episode of one of our favorite podcasts, Deep State Radio.Deep State Radio, hosted by David Rothkopf, produces new episodes 2-3 times per week and brings together top experts, policymakers, and journalists from the national security, foreign policy, and political communities. You can subscribe to the podcast on Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.If you become a member of the DSR Network, you’ll receive benefits such as ad-free listening via private feed, discounts to virtual events and Deep State Radio Swag, and access to the member-only Slack community. This is one of the most closely followed podcasts among the people influencing the most important decisions in Washington and worldwide today. You can learn more by visiting thedsrnetwork.com. Listeners to Words Matter will receive 25% off of the regular membership price. Use code wordsmatter at checkout.

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Preview: SPY AFFAIR from Wondery

Sat, 03 Apr 2021 14:50:44 -0000

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Preview: SPY AFFAIR from Wondery

Wed, 31 Mar 2021 01:47:25 -0000

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Preview: SPY AFFAIR from Wondery

Tue, 30 Mar 2021 07:59:00 -0000

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Geraldine Ferraro Becomes the First Woman on a National Ticket

Mon, 29 Mar 2021 07:05:07 -0000

Geraldine Ferraro was a politician, diplomat, attorney - and also a teacher, activist, author, and businesswoman.

The daughter of an Italian immigrant, Geraldine lost her father when she was 8, and moved with her family to the South Bronx where her mother worked in the garment industry to support them.

She was an outstanding student winning a full scholarship to college, and earning a degree in English with honors.

Geraldine Ferraro worked as a public school teacher in Queens before entering Fordham University School of Law in 1957. She continued to teach second grade at PS 57 in Queens during the day while going to law school in Manhattan at night and was of 2 women in her graduating class of 179 to earn a Juris Doctorate in 1960.

Ferraro raised a family and worked as a civil lawyer for 13 years - occasionally doing pro bono work for women in family court.

She joined the Queens District Attorneys Office in 1974 heading the new Special Victims Bureau that dealt with sex crimes, child abuse, and domestic violence.

Before she made history as the first woman to run for office on a national ticket - Geraldine Ferraro was a rising star in the Democratic Party and a powerful voice in Congress.

Elected in 1978 to Represent New York’s 9th Congressional District in Brooklyn and Queens, a seat once held by Joseph Pulitzer and later by Chuck Schumer.

In only her second term she served in a prestigious leadership position as Secretary of the House Democratic Caucus - under legendary Speaker Tip O’Neil. A position perviously held by Shirley Chisholm and later by James Clyburn.

In July of 1984, former Vice President Walter Mondale made history when he asked Ferraro to join the Democratic ticket as his running mate when he became the presidential nominee to challenge incumbent President Ronald Reagan and his Vice President George HW Bush.

One hundred and ninety-seven years after the Constitutional Convention was held in Philadelphia in 1787, a female candidate was finally nominated for national office at the Democratic Convention in San Francisco in 1984.

36 years, 6 months and 2 days later Senator Kamila Harris – also the daughter of immigrants, was sworn in as the 49th Vice President of the United States

Let’s listen to the Honorable Geraldine Ferraro’s historic acceptance speech for the 1984 Democratic Vice Presidential nomination

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Deep State Radio: When Can We Go To War and Who Decides?

Sun, 28 Mar 2021 23:46:11 -0000

Few decisions a government can make are more consequential than deciding when the use of force is warranted. In the US a debate has raged for decades about how much latitude a president should have in making such decisions and what role Congress should play. Legal contortionism has turned congressional authorizations for the use of force in one circumstance into blank permissions slips still cited by president decades later. This week, the Congress has begun to reconsider these profoundly important issues and we are joined by experts Steve Pomper, formerly of the Obama NSC, and Oona Hathaway, professor at Yale Law School, as well as regular co-host Ryan Goodman, co-editor of Just Security and professor at NYU Law School for a discussion on what changes are needed and which are possible. Don't miss it.Each week, we’re bringing you a new episode of one of our favorite podcasts, Deep State Radio.Deep State Radio, hosted by David Rothkopf, produces new episodes 2-3 times per week and brings together top experts, policymakers, and journalists from the national security, foreign policy, and political communities. You can subscribe to the podcast on Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.If you become a member of the DSR Network, you’ll receive benefits such as ad-free listening via private feed, discounts to virtual events and Deep State Radio Swag, and access to the member-only Slack community. This is one of the most closely followed podcasts among the people influencing the most important decisions in Washington and worldwide today. You can learn more by visiting thedsrnetwork.com. Listeners to Words Matter will receive 25% off of the regular membership price. Use code wordsmatter at checkout.

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Maya Angelou at Spelman College

Tue, 23 Mar 2021 17:18:33 -0000

Dr. Maya Angelou was a poet, professor, memoirist, actor, singer, author, educator and civil rights activist. She published seven autobiographies, three books of essays, several books of poetry, and appeared in numerous plays, movies, and television shows over a 65 year career. She received dozens of awards and more than 50 honorary degrees

In literary circles, Maya Angelou is best known for her series of seven autobiographies, which focus on her childhood and early adult experiences. The first, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1969), tells of her life up to the age of 17 and brought her international recognition and acclaim.

Her books center on themes including racism, identity, and family

She was active in the Civil Rights Movement and worked closely with both Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X.

On January 20, 1993, Angelou became the second poet in American history -- and the first African American and woman -- to read a poem at a presidential inauguration, when she recited her original work "On the Pulse of Morning" at the first inauguration of Bill Clinton.

She was the first poet to make an inaugural recitation since Robert Frost at the inauguration of John F. Kennedy in 1961.

Angelou's audio recording of the poem won the 1993 Grammy Award for "Best Spoken Word" - introducing her to a whole new generation and bringing much deserved recognition for her previous works.

As evidenced by her Grammy win - Maya Angelou was as brilliant a performer as she was a writer.

In 2011 - she awarded the national’s highest civilian honor - the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

But of all her awards and accolades - one of the most memorable was her 1992 commencement address at Spelman College -an private historically black women's liberal arts college in Atlanta, Georgia,

The Spelman Messenger later wrote -

“ Maya Angelou left an indelible mark upon the world. Her wit, wisdom, and work will continue to inspire generations of Spelman women.”

With that - let’s listen to Grammy winning poet Maya Angelou and her iconic 1992 Spelman College Commencement Address

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Angela Davis and the Importance of Academic Freedom

Mon, 15 Mar 2021 07:05:41 -0000

Dr. Angela Davis is an activist, philosopher, academic and author.

Born in Birmingham, Alabama during World War II - she attended segregated black elementary and middle schools in the 1950s.

Davis studied philosophy at Brandis University and did her graduate work in Germany with famed philosopher Herbert Marcuse.

She would later say that: “Herbert Marcuse taught me that it was possible to be an academic, an activist, a scholar, and a revolutionary.”

After returning to the United States, Angela Davis joined the Communist Party, became involved in the Black Panther Party, the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee, second-wave feminism and actively protested the War in Vietnam.

In 1969 Angela Davis became an acting Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of California Los Angeles.

That same year the University of California initiated a policy against hiring Communists.[

At their September 19, 1969, meeting, the Board of Regents - urged on by then-Governor Ronald Regan, fired Professor Davis from her teaching post because of her political beliefs.”

On October 8th 1969, Angela Davis gave a speech at UCLA protesting her dismissal.

“Education” she told a cheering student audience, “should not mold the mind according to a prefabricated architectural plan. It should rather liberate the mind. Because the mind has to be liberated in order to perceive the world, to see society, to understand what its advantages are, what its disadvantages are.”

In that same speech Angela Davis drew persuasive links between the suppression of academic freedom, academic and social institutional racism, and the rise of totalitarianism in German during the 1930s.

Later that month Angela Davis was reinstated by a California Superior Court judge and completed teaching the 1969-70 academic year.

With that - let’s listen to Angela Davis talk about academic freedom, institutional racism and the dangers of totalitarianism.

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Eleanor Roosevelt and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Mon, 08 Mar 2021 08:05:41 -0000

This week, in honor of Women’s History Month, we wanted to pay tribute to one of the most consequential leaders in American History. Eleanor Roosevelt was the niece of the 26th President of the United States and the wife of the 32nd – but make no mistake, she was a political thinker, an international activist and a World Leader in her own right.

Of her many achievements and successes, perhaps none was more personally satisfying and poignant than her work - after FDR’s death - at the United Nations -- in particular, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Adopted at the Third Session of the U.N. General Assembly held in Paris, to this day it is one of the most meaningful and important accomplishments in the 75-year history of that World Assembly. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, as Ken Burns noted in his award-winning series, The Roosevelts, was history's first attempt at laying out the principles under which all nations should behave toward their own citizens and toward each other.

And it was largely the work of one delegate from the United States, Eleanor Roosevelt.

It was no easy task leading the international drafting committee at the dawn of the Cold War. But the former First Lady, as always, was shrewd, persuasive, and relentless.

As tough as she was tactful, she drove her fellow delegates so hard that one felt compelled to remind her that they "had human rights too."

"If they wanted shorter days, Theodore Roosevelt's favorite niece answered, "they should make shorter speeches."

At 3 a.m. on the morning of December 10th, 1948, the General Assembly approved the Universal Declaration of Human Rights without a single dissenting vote.

And after the historic vote, the entire General Assembly did something it had never done before and has never done since. It rose to give a standing ovation to a single delegate, Eleanor Roosevelt.

Please listen to Eleanor Roosevelt 1948 speech on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

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Deep State Radio: Washington Got You Pissed Off? Us Too!

Sat, 06 Mar 2021 13:05:08 -0000

Weren't we supposed to get a break from being angry at DC? At the political inanity? The recklessness? The law breaking with impunity? Sure its the same old people being inane and reckless and breaking the law but even with Democrats in charge in the White House and in both houses of Congress, progress is painfully hard to come by, setbacks are frequent, Republicans seem disciplined and Democrats can't get together around core ideas. Or can they? Are there glimmers of hope? Patterns or opportunities that should trigger a little more optimism? We discuss with Greg Sargent of the Washington Post, Dr. Kavita Patel, of the Brookings Institution and formerly of the Obama White House and Ryan Goodman, professor at NYU Law School and co-editor of "Just Security." Join us. You might feel better.

Each week, we’re bringing you a new episode of one of our favorite podcasts, Deep State Radio.

Deep State Radio, hosted by David Rothkopf, produces new episodes 2-3 times per week and brings together top experts, policymakers, and journalists from the national security, foreign policy, and political communities. You can subscribe to the podcast on Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

If you become a member of the DSR Network, you’ll receive benefits such as ad-free listening via private feed, discounts to virtual events and Deep State Radio Swag, and access to the member-only Slack community. This is one of the most closely followed podcasts among the people influencing the most important decisions in Washington and worldwide today.

You can learn more by visiting thedsrnetwork.com. Listeners to Words Matter will receive 25% off of the regular membership price. Use code wordsmatter at checkout.

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Shirley Chisholm - Black Feminist Pioneer

Fri, 26 Feb 2021 22:32:37 -0000

As Black History Month ends and Women’s History Month begins, we wanted to honor a pioneer in the struggle for equal rights for both movements.

Shirley Anita Chisholm was a politician, educator, activist, community organizer and author.

Born in Brooklyn, New York in 1924, as a child during the Great Depression - while her parents struggled to make ends meet - young Shirley and her two sisters were sent to Barbados to live with their Grandmother. Long before the Civil Rights movement in the United States, young

Shirley watched as her community advocated for their rights as she witnessed the Barbados workers' and anti-colonial independence movements. Chisholm would later say about her time on Barbados with her Grandmother: “Granny gave me strength, dignity, and love. I learned from an early age that I was somebody. I didn't need the Black Revolution to tell me that."

In 1964, after nearly two decades as an educator and community activist, Chisholm ran for and was elected to the New York State Assembly.

Even within the New York Democratic Party, Shirley Chisholm had faced resistance to candidacy based on her sex - so she took her

campaign directly to women, using her role as Brooklyn branch president of Key Women of America to mobilize female voters.

Four years later - in 1968, Shirley Chisholm became the first Black woman elected to the United States Congress, representing New York's 12th congressional district for seven terms from 1969 to 1983.

Her 1968 congressional campaign slogan was "Unbought and Unbossed" - which later became the title of her memoir and a documentary film on her amazing life.

On January 25, 1972, in a Baptist church in her district in Brooklyn - Shirley Chisholm became the first African-American candidate for a major party's nomination for President of the United States, and the first woman to run for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination.

In her presidential announcement - she called for a "bloodless revolution" at the forthcoming Democratic nominating convention and described herself as representative of the people offering a new articulation of American identity:

"I am not the candidate of Black America, although I am Black and proud. I am not the candidate of the women's movement of this country, although I am a woman and equally proud of that. I am the candidate of the people and my presence before you, symbolizes a new era in American political history."

Let’s listen to Civil Rights and Women’s Rights Pioneer Shirley Chisholm announce her candidacy for President of the United States.

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Deep State Radio: The Accountability Conundrum: How Do We Form Commissions to Investigate 1/6 or COVID in the Current Political Environment?

Fri, 26 Feb 2021 15:50:55 -0000

When the 9/11 Commission was formed in the wake of the Al Qaeda attacks on the US, the current was united in grief and anger but politically polarized and it was very difficult to find a path forward that would be credible and an effective driver of reform. But the divisions of the early 2000s were nothing compared to what we have today and the problem is compounded by the active culpability one political party has in both of the issues that demand investigation. So, how do we get to accountability today? We discuss this question with former 9/11 Commissioner, former Indiana congressman Tim Roemer as well as Ryan Goodman of NYU Law School and "Just Security" and Dr. Kavita Patel of the Brookings Institution and former senior Obama White House staffer. Join us.

Each week, we’re bringing you a new episode of one of our favorite podcasts, Deep State Radio.

You can learn more by visiting thedsrnetwork.com. Listeners to Words Matter will receive 25% off of the regular membership price. Use code wordsmatter at checkout.

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Malcolm X - "The Ballot or the Bullet"

Mon, 22 Feb 2021 08:05:19 -0000

He was born Malcolm Little in Omaha, Nebraska- and he became one of the most celebrated, influential and misunderstood leaders of the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s

Malcolm X was a Muslim Minister and human rights activist - best known as a pioneer of the Black Nationalist Movement and as an apostle for self-respect and uncompromising resistance to white oppression.

By the time he was assassinated 56 years ago this week - Malcolm X had become one of the greatest and most influential African Americans in history.

He is credited with raising the self-esteem of Black Americans and reconnecting them with their African heritage. He is largely responsible for the spread of Islam in the Black community in the United States.

Many African Americans, especially those who lived in cities in the Northern and Western United States, felt that Malcolm X better articulated their struggle against racism and inequality than the mainstream civil rights movement did.

He argued that if the U.S. government was unwilling or unable to protect Black people, Black people should protect themselves.

Although he had publicly criticized the mainstream civil rights movement for its emphasis on nonviolence and racial integration - after he left the Nation of Islam in March of 1964, Malcolm X declared his willingness to cooperate with that Movement.

Of those civil rights leaders he said: “I've forgotten everything bad that [they] have said about me, and I pray they can also forget the many bad things I've said about them."

Originally delivered in Cleveland, on April 3rd 1964 - this recorded version was delivered in April 12th in Detroit.

Today, historians regard “The Ballot or the Bullet” as one of the most influential speech in American history.

Far from a call to violence – Malcolm X sought educate his community as to the extent of their political power:

The whites are so evenly divided that every time they vote, the race is so close they have to go back and count the votes all over again. Which means that any block, any minority that has a block of votes that stick together is in a strategic position. Either way you go, that's who gets it. You're in a position to determine who'll go to the White House and who'll stay in the doghouse.

While distancing himself from the Nation of Islam - Malcolm X described his continued commitment to Black Nationalism, which he defined as the philosophy that African Americans should control the political, economic and social destinies of their own communities.

Like many of the great speeches we feature - Malcolm X tied his and his people’s struggle to American’s Founding and embraced the spirit of the American Revolution:

The white man made the mistake of letting me read his history books. He made the mistake of teaching me that Patrick Henry was a patriot, and George Washington – there wasn't nothing non-violent about ol' Pat, or George Washington. "Liberty or death"- is what brought about the freedom of whites in this country from the English.

This is why I say it's the ballot or the bullet. It's liberty or it's death. It's freedom for everybody or freedom for nobody.

Here is Malcolm X’s historic speech - "The Ballot or the Bullet" - in its entirety.

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Deep State Radio: On January 6, the Noose Was for Mike Pence...Now a Legal Noose Is Tightening Around Trump

Fri, 19 Feb 2021 21:06:31 -0000

While Trumpists may have celebrated that the disgraced former president was not convicted by the Senate and the Senators who voted to convict have been attacked for their show of conscience, the reality is that Trump's legal prospects are not good. Mitch McConnell, his one time ally, called for his prosecution. Multiple cases in which he is a target are under way--in NY, Atlanta, and Washington DC. A commission is being called to investigate the January 6th insurgency. We discuss where these may lead and how the GOP may handle the consequences with former Trump Admin senior staffer Olivia Troye and Ryan Goodman of NYU Law School and "Just Security." Don't miss it.

Each week, we’re bringing you a new episode of one of our favorite podcasts, Deep State Radio. Deep State Radio, hosted by David Rothkopf, produces new episodes 2-3 times per week and brings together top experts, policymakers, and journalists from the national security, foreign policy, and political communities. You can subscribe to the podcast on Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. If you become a member of the DSR Network, you’ll receive benefits such as ad-free listening via private feed, discounts to virtual events and Deep State Radio Swag, and access to the member-only Slack community. This is one of the most closely followed podcasts among the people influencing the most important decisions in Washington and worldwide today. You can learn more by visiting thedsrnetwork.com. Listeners to Words Matter will receive 25% off of the regular membership price. Use code wordsmatter at checkout.

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Senate Chaplain, Rear Admiral (Ret.) Barry C. Black

Mon, 15 Feb 2021 08:05:55 -0000

Last week, as the House Managers presented their Impeachment case -- a step-by-step, rigorous, fact-based prosecution that clearly drew the connection between Donald Trump’s words and the violence that ensued in that very chamber little more than a month earlier - we thought back to the stirring words of the Senate Chaplain, Rear Admiral (Ret.) Barry C. Black following that failed insurrection.

At 4:45am on the morning of January 7th - just hours after an angry mob had violently attacked the US Capitol - a joint session of Congress certified the free and fair election of Joe Biden as the 46th President of the United States.

As the proceeding drew to a close - Vice President Mike Pence, who just hours earlier was targeted for execution by the mob in that very building - recognized the Senate Chaplain to give the final invocation.

Let’s listen to the powerful prayer offered by the Senate Chaplain, Rear Admiral (Ret.) Barry C. Black.

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Deep State Radio: When is an Open and Shut Case Not an Open and Shut Case?

Fri, 12 Feb 2021 14:22:42 -0000

The House Impeachment managers proved beyond any reasonable doubt that Donald Trump incited an insurrection against the US government that resulted in six deaths over 140 injuries and profound damage to our democracy. Good as they were, we have to admit, it wasn't that tough to do because we all saw the events unfold. So, ensuring justice will be done should be easy, right? Not so fast. The Senate Kangaroo court you will remember from a year ago is back in session and most of the GOP simply do not care about facts or the law or the Constitution or the judgment of history. Which is why Trump will be acquitted. But...what then? What does it mean? Can other prosecutions follow? We discuss with former US Attorney Barb McQuade, NYU Law's Ryan Goodman and Dr. Kavita Patel of the Brookings Institution. We also include an update on a bunch of breaking COVID news with Kavita. So...don't miss this episode.

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The Legendary Barbara Jordan on Impeachment

Mon, 08 Feb 2021 08:05:32 -0000

Barbara Jordan was a lawyer educator politician and a leader of the civil rights movement a Democrat and Houston native. Jordan was the first African-American elected to the Texas Senate after Reconstruction and the first southern African-American woman elected to the United States House of Representatives.

On July 25th 1974 Congresswoman Jordan delivered a televised opening statement as the House Judiciary Committee began consideration of articles of impeachment against President Richard Nixon. It is regarded by historians as one of the greatest speeches in all of American history. Congresswoman Jordan offered a passionate and powerful defense of the United States Constitution. A document, she noted, did not include people like her when it was written and completed in 1787.

Congresswoman Jordan also provided thoughtful and well documented explanations of our system of checks and balances which were designed to stop any politician from abusing their power. She stuck to the facts and the law and noted the seriousness and the solemn duty she and her fellow members were about to undertake. As she quoted extensively from the Founders, Congresswoman Jordan explained that those who had drafted and ratified the Constitution anticipated actions like Nixon's and had created the check of impeachment to guard against such executive overreach and abuse of office. So this week we give Congresswoman Barbara Jordan the Final Word.

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Deep State Radio: In Search of the Republican "Taliban We Can Work With"

Fri, 05 Feb 2021 15:46:25 -0000

Has the GOP lost its mind? Or is its embrace and defense of lunatics, violent extremists, traitors, sex offenders, racists and the highly corrupt a shrewd, carefully considered political strategy? How should Democrats respond? How do they get accountability for abuses when the GOP absolutely refuses to go along? How do they achieve progress on healing our wounds when the other party actively wants to deepen them? And what kind of role will President Biden play in all this? What has he already shown us? We discuss with Dr. Kavita Patel, former top health advisor in the Obama White House, Rosa Brooks, professor at Georgetown Law School and Ryan Goodman, co-editor of "Just Security" and professor at NYU Law School. It's a great wide ranging conversation that you won't want to miss. Join us.

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Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Impeachment

Mon, 01 Feb 2021 08:05:15 -0000

As it looks more and more likely that the Republicans in the Senate will not hold former President Donald Trump accountable for his actions in inciting an insurrection against the United States, we thought it important to remind our listeners why it matters.

And we could think of no more articulate voice than the duly elected Speaker of the People's House.

Let's remember what happened.

The President of the United States encouraged his supporters to launch an attack on the Capitol in an effort to stop Congress from certifying the free and fair election of Joe Biden. Six people were killed and dozens more permanently injured.

We have seen such things happen in other countries. But for those who think that America is exceptional, it was a rude awakening.

"It can't happen here," they said

It did.

On January 13th, as the House of Representatives began considering the Article of Impeachment now before the United States Senate, Speaker Nancy Pelosi reminded those gathered in the very chamber that had been violently attacked by an angry mob just one week earlier, that words matter, truth matters and accountability matters.

We could not agree more.

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Deep State Radio: Was Trump's Coup Attempt on January 6th the Start of Something Much Worse?

Fri, 29 Jan 2021 14:30:59 -0000

While some may look at the Trump coup attempt on January 6th as the last desperate act of the disgraced former president to remain in power, it is already being seen among white supremacist groups as a long expected signal of an escalation in domestic unrest leading to a civil war they have long planned and hoped for. The fact that Trump is likely to go unpunished for leading the January 6th effort and the Republican Party is taking a strong stand against accountability for that assault may only make matters worse. We discuss the case for Trump's conviction by the Senate, how we got to the 6th and what it augurs for the future with Elizabeth Neuman, Director of the Republican Accountability Project and former U.S. Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security and Ryan Goodman, co-editor of "Just Security" and professor of law at NYU Law School. Don't miss this chilling conversation.

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INAUGURATION SPECIAL: Amanda Gorman, Lady Gaga & Joe Biden

Mon, 25 Jan 2021 12:15:44 -0000

Last week, after 4 long, divisive and tragic years, we witnessed the continuation of a 244-year-old American tradition.

It was not a peaceful transfer of power. As incoming White House Chief of Staff, Ron Klain correctly noted, “there was nothing inevitable about this day.”

Nonetheless - last Wednesday we watched a quadrennial ceremony that Ronald Reagan once called both “commonplace and miraculous” - commonplace because it has happened every 4 years for the 244 - and miraculous because it has happened every 4 years for the last 244.

It was, as John F Kennedy said exactly 60 years earlier- “not a victory of party, but a celebration of freedom.”

It is a ritual that in the past many of us had taken for granted. Not this year - if the last 4 years have taught us anything it is that words truly do have power and they have consequences.

Not since Abraham Lincoln, had a new president given an inaugural address to a more divided nation while under the real threat of armed conflict.

And Joe Biden rose to the occasion.

Let us never forget how close we came to last week NOT happening and as Lincoln said at Gettysburg – rededicate ourselves to a new birth of freedom – where truth, facts and power of words are given their proper place. #WordsMatter

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Deep State Radio: Three Wednesdays - Storming the Capitol, Impeachment & Inauguration...Where Does It Leave the Average American?

Fri, 22 Jan 2021 15:48:38 -0000

The past two weeks are unlike any America has ever seen. In the midst of a national pandemic and economic crisis, we saw an unprecedented insurrection on Capitol Hill incited by our then president, an impeachment and then the inauguration of a new leader. On Capitol Hill it was a traumatic period of highs and lows. But it has left America shaken too and asking what's next. We discuss this with Rep. Veronica Escobar of Texas and Dr. Kavita Patel, former senior health advisor in the Obama White House. It's an extraordinary conversation and you won't want to miss it. Join us for this special episode.

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In Honor of Dr. Martin Luther King - "A Letter from Birmingham Jail"

Mon, 18 Jan 2021 08:05:56 -0000

Last week would have been the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s 92nd birthday. Given all that has happened over the last year and the last few weeks, we wanted to highlight one of the most significant and consequential calls for racial equality and social justice in American History - “Letter from Birmingham Jail”

On Good Friday, April 12, 1963 - the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr and fellow civil rights leaders were arrested in Birmingham, Alabama as they lead a now famous Campaign of non-violent direct action to protest racial segregation and oppression in that Southern City.

In the early 1960s, Birmingham was one of the most racially segregated cities in the United States - enforced by both law and culture. Black citizens faced legal and economic oppression, and violent retribution when they attempted to even draw attention to these conditions

The Birmingham Campaign would become a pivotal moment in the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. President Kennedy’s Address to the Nation on Civil Rights, the August 1963 March on Washington and many other events were a direct result of this campaign and Dr. King’s now famous letter.

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Deep State Radio: Ask the Experts - How Do We Make January 6 a Positive Turning Point for America?

Fri, 15 Jan 2021 18:18:51 -0000

We have never seen events like those that occurred on January 6. We have never had a president who posed the kind of threat to our security presented by Donald Trump. We are facing new challenges to our society and government associated with social media and widespread radicalization. How do we respond to these challenges? Who must be held accountable? We conducted a webinar with three experts--Asha Rangappa, former FBI Agent and currently a senior lecturer at Yale's Jackson Institute for Global Affairs, Harry Litman, former US Attorney and Deputy Assistant Attorney General, and Ryan Goodman, co-editor of Just Security and professor at NYU Law School. Our listeners asked them questions. You'll be interested in their answers. Join us.

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ENCORE: Stacey Abrams

Mon, 11 Jan 2021 08:05:52 -0000

We honored to be joined this week by New York Times bestselling author, serial entrepreneur, nonprofit CEO and political leader Stacey Abrams. In 2018, after serving for eleven years in the Georgia House of Representatives, seven as Democratic Leader, Stacey Abrams became the Democratic nominee for Governor of Georgia, winning more votes than any other Democrat in the state’s history.

Leader Abrams was the first black woman to become the gubernatorial nominee for a major party in the United States, and she was the first black woman and first Georgian to deliver a Response to the State of the Union.

After witnessing the gross mismanagement of the 2018 election by the Georgia Secretary of State’s office, Leader Abrams launched Fair Fight to ensure every American has a voice in our election system.

Over the course of her career, Leader Abrams has founded multiple organizations devoted to voting rights, training and hiring young people of color, and tackling social issues at both the state and national levels.

Stacey Abrams is a lifetime member of the Council on Foreign Relations, where she serves on the Subcommittee on Diversity.

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Deep State Radio: The Trump Coup - A Week in Washington Like No Other

Fri, 08 Jan 2021 15:00:28 -0000

In the midst of a pandemic, with almost 4000 people dying every day, when the nation should be coming together, the President of the United States once again tore it asunder. Worse, what he did was mobilize the first violent coup attempt in US history on the back of his months long seditious efforts to nullify the November election and steal the sovereign power of American voters. As it happens, he also did it on a week when the Democratic Party secured control of the US Senate, another development with seismic consequences in Washington. We discuss these events and their meaning with former Hillary Clinton and Stacey Abrams advisor Karen Finney, election law specialist Rick Hasen, former Obama health policy advisor Dr. Kavita Patel and NYU Law Professor and co-editor of "Just Security" Ryan Goodman. It's an important deep dive into the meaning behind the events of an extraordinary week. Join us.Each week, we’re bringing you a new episode of one of our favorite podcasts, Deep State Radio. Deep State Radio, hosted by David Rothkopf, produces new episodes 2-3 times per week and brings together top experts, policymakers, and journalists from the national security, foreign policy, and political communities. You can subscribe to the podcast on Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. If you become a member of the DSR Network, you’ll receive benefits such as ad-free listening via private feed, discounts to virtual events and Deep State Radio Swag, and access to the member-only Slack community. This is one of the most closely followed podcasts among the people influencing the most important decisions in Washington and worldwide today. You can learn more by visiting thedsrnetwork.com. Listeners to Words Matter will receive 25% off of the regular membership price. Use code wordsmatter at checkout.

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Deep State Radio: Why Having the Most Diverse Cabinet in History Matters

Wed, 06 Jan 2021 18:32:45 -0000

Joe Biden's cabinet will look more like America than any in our history. It will contain more women, more people of color, a wide range of ages, political perspectives and regional points of view. Does that matter? How? And what is still missing? We discuss and then we turn our attention to the latest developments in the COVID crisis, Trump's increasingly erratic behavior as his exit approaches and when, if ever, life may return to "normal." It's a conversation with our regulars Dr. Kavita Patel, former head of health policy in the Obama White House, and Ryan Goodman, co-editor of "Just Security" and professor at NYU Law School. You won't want to miss it.Each week, we’re bringing you a new episode of one of our favorite podcasts, Deep State Radio. Deep State Radio, hosted by David Rothkopf, produces new episodes 2-3 times per week and brings together top experts, policymakers, and journalists from the national security, foreign policy, and political communities. You can subscribe to the podcast on Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. If you become a member of the DSR Network, you’ll receive benefits such as ad-free listening via private feed, discounts to virtual events and Deep State Radio Swag, and access to the member-only Slack community. This is one of the most closely followed podcasts among the people influencing the most important decisions in Washington and worldwide today. You can learn more by visiting thedsrnetwork.com. Listeners to Words Matter will receive 25% off of the regular membership price. Use code wordsmatter at checkout.

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FDR on Democracy with Professor Harvey Kaye - Part 2

Mon, 04 Jan 2021 08:05:25 -0000

Harvey J. Kaye is Professor Emeritus of Democracy and Justice Studies and Director of the Center for History and Social Change at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay.

An award-winning author and writer, he has written 9 books – including:

Follow Professor Kaye on Twitter @harveyjkaye

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ENCORE: His Very Best with Jonathan Alter

Mon, 28 Dec 2020 08:05:01 -0000

Jonathan Alter is a best-selling author, documentary filmmaker, television producer, NBC News analyst, columnist. And the Co-host, Sirius XM Alter Family Politics.

Jonathan"s books on Presidents Franklin Roosevelt and Barack Obama The Defining Moment: FDR's Hundred Days and the Triumph of Hope, and The Promise: President Obama, Year One, detail two Chief Executives who took office during times of extraordinary crisis.

His most recent book is His Very Best: Jimmy Carter, A Life.

You can order Jonathan's latest book here: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/His-Very-Best/Jonathan-Alter/9781501125485

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FDR on Democracy with Professor Harvey Kaye - Part 1

Mon, 21 Dec 2020 08:05:41 -0000

Harvey J. Kaye is Professor Emeritus of Democracy and Justice Studies and Director of the Center for History and Social Change at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay.

An award-winning author and writer, he has written 9 books – including:

Follow Professor Kaye on Twitter @harveyjkaye

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The intersection of Wall Street & Washington with William D. Cohan

Mon, 14 Dec 2020 08:05:58 -0000

William D. Cohan is a special correspondent for Vanity Fair, and through his work there and other writings, Bill has proven himself to be one of the most meticulous and intrepid journalists working today. A former senior Wall Street M&A investment banker for 17 years at Lazard Frères & Co., Merrill Lynch and JPMorganChase, Bill is a New York Times bestselling author covering the important intersection between Wall Street and Washington. Bill is the author of 6 books:

The Last Tycoons: The Secret History of Lazard Frères & Co.

House of Cards: A Tale of Hubris and Wretched Excess on Wall Street

Money and Power: How Goldman Sachs Came to Rule the World

The Price of Silence: The Duke Lacrosse Scandal

Why Wall Street Matters

Four Friends: Promising Lives Cut Short

Follow Bill on Twitter: @WilliamCohan

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Deep State Radio: Trump's Endgame: How Bad Can it Get?

Sat, 12 Dec 2020 16:19:34 -0000

Despite his historic losing streak in the courts (not to mention his big election loss), Donald Trump continues to argue he was robbed. And many in his own party are supporting Trump's arguments and his baseless conspiracy theories. In fact the vast majority of Republicans now believe what is a complete fairy tale from a president who, whether he likes it or not, has just a few short weeks left in office. What is the significance of this extraordinary GOP unity around what amounts to nothing less than a coup attempt, an effort to disenfranchise millions of American voters simply because they did not support Trump. We discuss with NYU Law School's Ryan Goodman and former FBI special agent and senior lecturer at Yale's Jackson Institute for Global Affairs Asha Rangappa. Don't miss it.Each week, we’re bringing you a new episode of one of our favorite podcasts, Deep State Radio. Deep State Radio, hosted by David Rothkopf, produces new episodes 2-3 times per week and brings together top experts, policymakers, and journalists from the national security, foreign policy, and political communities. You can subscribe to the podcast on Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. If you become a member of the DSR Network, you’ll receive benefits such as ad-free listening via private feed, discounts to virtual events and Deep State Radio Swag, and access to the member-only Slack community. This is one of the most closely followed podcasts among the people influencing the most important decisions in Washington and worldwide today. You can learn more by visiting thedsrnetwork.com. Listeners to Words Matter will receive 25% off of the regular membership price. Use code wordsmatter at checkout.

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Deep State Radio: The One in Which They Scare the Shit Out of You

Tue, 08 Dec 2020 19:56:59 -0000

We are about to enter a period of national catastrophe unlike any we have ever seen, unlike the past year, unlike wars through which we have lived. Mass death during this time is preventable if you listen to scientists and use common sense. But half the country does not. They have embraced an 11th Century combination of superstition and ignorance and are condemning their relatives, their neighbors and their friends to death. Even with a vaccine and competent administration on the horizon, the next three months will be terrible and the crisis may linger into next summer. For all these reasons, listen to this special conversation with Dr. Kavita Patel, a practicing physician who is also a former top Obama White House health policy official, Laurie Garrett, Pulitzer Prize-winning expert on pandemics, and Ryan Goodman of "Just Security" and NYU Law School. It is a conversation you will want to share with your family and friends.Each week, we’re bringing you a new episode of one of our favorite podcasts, Deep State Radio. Deep State Radio, hosted by David Rothkopf, produces new episodes 2-3 times per week and brings together top experts, policymakers, and journalists from the national security, foreign policy, and political communities. You can subscribe to the podcast on Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. If you become a member of the DSR Network, you’ll receive benefits such as ad-free listening via private feed, discounts to virtual events and Deep State Radio Swag, and access to the member-only Slack community. This is one of the most closely followed podcasts among the people influencing the most important decisions in Washington and worldwide today. You can learn more by visiting thedsrnetwork.com. Listeners to Words Matter will receive 25% off of the regular membership price. Use code wordsmatter at checkout.

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Fox News "Hoax" with Brian Stelter

Mon, 07 Dec 2020 08:05:47 -0000

Brian Stelter, host of CNN's Reliable Sources, joins Katie Barlow and Joe Lockhart to talk about his new book HOAX - Donald Trump, Fox News, and the Dangerous Distortion of Truth. Brian talks about the battle between Fox News journalists and the network’s primetime opinion hosts - Tucker Carlson, Laura Ingraham, and Sean Hannity. Brian credits former Fox anchor Gretchen Carlson as being the catalyst behind the international #MeToo movement. Brian also explains how American lives were lost during the Coronavirus pandemic because viewers believed the information they saw and heard on the network.

If you are interested in Brian Stelter's book HOAX - Donald Trump, Fox News, and the Dangerous Distortion of Truth you can find it at: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Hoax/Brian-Stelter/9781982142445

Sign up for Brian's must read and highly influential Reliable Sources newsletter here: https://form.cnn.com/reliable_sources

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Make America RADICAL Again with Harvey Kaye

Mon, 30 Nov 2020 08:05:53 -0000

This week we welcome historian and sociologist Harvey J. Kaye to discuss his important book Take Hold of Our History: Make America Radical Again .

Harvey J. Kaye was formerly the Ben and Joyce Rosenberg Professor of Democracy and Justice Studies and Director of the Center for History and Social Change at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay.

An award-winning author and writer, he has written 9 books – including:

Thomas Paine and the Promise of America (2005)

The Fight for the Four Freedoms: What Made FDR and the Greatest Generation Truly Great (2015)

“Why Do Ruling Classes Fear History?” and Other Questions (1996)

Follow Professor Kaye on Twitter @harveyjkaye

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Deep State Radio: Megashocker - A Normal Conversation About Policy and Politics

Fri, 27 Nov 2020 08:05:05 -0000

We go where no one else dares: To imagine a Trumpless future, a normal American president doing normal American president-y things like making domestic and foreign policy, succeeding sometimes, faltering other times and doing his best for the American people. Yes, we bring together a great group of experts to have a discussion about what the Biden Administration is likely to look like, how it will differ from the Obama years, where successes are likely and where we have concerns. Joining the conversation are Harvard University's Stephen Walt, the Chicago Council on Global Affairs Ivo Daalder, former senior Obama White House staffer Dr. Kavita Patel and Ryan Goodman of NYU Law School and "Just Security." It will transport you into a world you might not have thought you'd ever see again. Join us.Each week, we’re bringing you a new episode of one of our favorite podcasts, Deep State Radio. Deep State Radio, hosted by David Rothkopf, produces new episodes 2-3 times per week and brings together top experts, policymakers, and journalists from the national security, foreign policy, and political communities. You can subscribe to the podcast on Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. If you become a member of the DSR Network, you’ll receive benefits such as ad-free listening via private feed, discounts to virtual events and Deep State Radio Swag, and access to the member-only Slack community. This is one of the most closely followed podcasts among the people influencing the most important decisions in Washington and worldwide today. You can learn more by visiting thedsrnetwork.com. Listeners to Words Matter will receive 25% off of the regular membership price. Use code wordsmatter at checkout.

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How to Connect Across the Political Divide with Tania Israel

Mon, 23 Nov 2020 08:05:25 -0000

Tania Israel is an award winning psychologist,, professor, author, activist, speaker, researcher, and counselor. As well as an occasional playwright, actor and lyricist. Professor Israel is psychologist in the Gevirtz Graduate School of Education at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) and the author of Beyond Your Bubble: How to Connect Across the Political Divide, Skills and Strategies for Conversations That Work.

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Deep State Radio: Are We Entering What Will Be the Least Festive Holiday Season in Our Lifetimes?

Tue, 17 Nov 2020 10:13:59 -0000

With COVID spiking we will pass over 450,000 dead of the pandemic within months. Hospitals and morgues are being stretched past capacity. The White House has given up doing anything about the crisis and is not helping the incoming administration prepare. Holiday plans for many Americans will no longer be able to include family gatherings or travel. The economic crisis lingers and the Trump Administration is engaged in an extraordinary and worrisome campaign of attacking our government from within. We discuss with Pulitzer Prize-winner Laurie Garrett, former senior Trump White House official Oliva Troye, and NYU Law School's Ryan Goodman as part of a special session that included live questions from our listeners. Don't miss this special episode.Each week, we’re bringing you a new episode of one of our favorite podcasts, Deep State Radio. Deep State Radio, hosted by David Rothkopf, produces new episodes 2-3 times per week and brings together top experts, policymakers, and journalists from the national security, foreign policy, and political communities. You can subscribe to the podcast on Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. If you become a member of the DSR Network, you’ll receive benefits such as ad-free listening via private feed, discounts to virtual events and Deep State Radio Swag, and access to the member-only Slack community. This is one of the most closely followed podcasts among the people influencing the most important decisions in Washington and worldwide today. You can learn more by visiting thedsrnetwork.com. Listeners to Words Matter will receive 25% off of the regular membership price. Use code wordsmatter at checkout.

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His Very Best with Jonathan Alter

Mon, 16 Nov 2020 12:03:00 -0000

Jonathan Alter is a best-selling author, documentary filmmaker, television producer, NBC News analyst, columnist. And the Co-host, Sirius XM Alter Family Politics.

His most recent book is His Very Best: Jimmy Carter, A Life.

You can order Jonathan's latest book here: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/His-Very-Best/Jonathan-Alter/9781501125485

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Deep State Radio: After the Past Four Years, Do We Have Enough Energy to Celebrate Properly?

Wed, 11 Nov 2020 21:49:10 -0000

As of the recording of this edition of Deep State Radio, no victor had been called in the presidential race. But it seems likely Joe Biden is the next president of the United States. Will we be able to appreciate and celebrate that or will challenges to the results, a rapidly deepening COVID crisis, election irregularities, and the possibility of divided government yuck our collective yum? We discuss with Greg Sargent of the Washington Post, former Obama WH official Dr. Kavita Patel, election integrity advocate Jennifer Cohn and Ryan Goodman of NYU Law School. Don’t miss it.

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She the People with Aimee Allison

Mon, 09 Nov 2020 08:05:39 -0000

Aimee Allison is founder and president of She the People, a national network elevating the voice and power of women of color. She brings together voters, organizers, and elected leaders in a movement grounded in values of love, justice, belonging, and democracy.

In April 2019, she convened the first presidential forum for women of color, reaching a quarter of the American population. A democratic innovator and visionary, she leads national efforts to build inclusive, multiracial coalitions led by women of color. She leverages media, research and analysis to increase voter engagement and advocate for racial, economic and gender justice. Aimee is a columnist for Newsweek and the author the book of Amy of None.

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"Our Voices, Our Vote" with Wesley Lowery

Mon, 02 Nov 2020 08:05:55 -0000

Katie and Jen sit down with award-winning journalist and author, Wesley Lowery. Wesley has reported for the Los Angeles Times, the Boston Globe, CBS News and in 2016 won a Pulitzer Prize as a lead on the Washington Post’s “Fatal Force” Project. He is the author of They Can't Kill Us All: Ferguson, Baltimore, and a New Era in America's Racial Justice Movement Wesley's latest project with Tiffany Cross - More than a Vote: Our Voices, Our Vote is available on Audible.

More than a Vote is an organization of Black athletes and artists lead by LeBron James, working to combat systemic, racist voter suppression by educating, energizing, and protecting the Black community in 2020. Read their letter asking fans to join in the fight against Black voter suppression.

Follow Wesley Lowery on Twitter: @WesleyLowery

Download More than a Vote: Our Voices, Our Vote with Tiffany Cross: https://www.audible.com/pd/More-Than-a-Vote-Audiobook/B08LF4GYYV

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Deep State Radio: Can We Get There From Here: The Precarious Path to "The Third Reconstruction"

Sat, 31 Oct 2020 09:40:39 -0000

A Democratic victory in the 2020 elections is not a sure thing. As we have discussed on other episodes, the elections are fraught with risks. Further, once an election takes place, there are many ways that the President or his allies can try to cling to power. Only after there is a smooth transition and new leadership however, can the US turn to the business of effectively confronting our looming challenges associated with the pandemic, economic recovery and the climate crisis. Rising to those challenges could be a moment of great hope, even of rebirth, for the United States. We discuss how we get there from here with Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Maryland), one of the very smartest members of the U.S. Congress, and with our regulars, Dr. Kavita Patel, former senior official in the Obama White House and Ryan Goodman, professor at NYU Law School and co-editor of "Just Security." Don't miss it.

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Deep State Radio: The View from Inside the Trump White House: It Ain’t Pretty

Tue, 27 Oct 2020 07:05:08 -0000

Some of the most hard-hitting and shocking criticisms of Donald Trump have come from insiders in his administration. From Rex Tillerson’s calling his former boss a “fucking moron” to his former Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats saying that having watched Trump up close the only conclusion he could draw was that the Russian’s had something on the president. Miles Taylor, former chief of staff in the Department of Homeland Security, and Olivia Troye, a former top national security aide to Vice President Mike Pence are among the most vocal former insiders turned critic. On this edition of Deep State Radio join them, NYU Law School Professor Ryan Goodman and former White House senior health advisor Dr. Kavita Patel to get a glimpse of the dysfunction up close. Join us.

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The Debate about Debates - with Susan Page

Mon, 26 Oct 2020 07:05:53 -0000

This week Katie and Jennifer are joined by award-winning journalist, author and the Washington Bureau Chief for USA Today, Susan Page.

Susan has covered six White House administrations and ten presidential elections, and interviewed nine presidents. She was the first woman to serve as music chairman of the Gridiron Club show and was the president of the club, the oldest association of journalists in Washington, in 2011. She was president of the White House Correspondents Association in 2000.

In 2019 she wrote a biography of former First Lady Barbara Bush titled The Matriarch: Barbara Bush and the Making of an American Dynasty. And is working on an upcoming biography of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Earlier this month she served as the moderator of the 2020 vice presidential debate between Mike Pence and Kamala Harris, which took place on October 7, 2020 in Salt Lake City.

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Deep State Radio: A Song of Fire and Ice...and Cyber and Terrorists and Lawyers

Tue, 20 Oct 2020 07:05:00 -0000

In Game of Thrones leadership decisions were made with the help of dragons and Moon Doors and Valyrian steel daggers. In America today, people play just as rough but their tools are cyber warfare, disinformation, mobilized extremist groups and court orders that suppress the vote. It is so sordid it makes you wish there were still a dragon or two available. But absent that, understanding and preparing for the threats democracy faces is our best option. That's on this episode we speak to former FBI Agent and cyber specialist Clint Watts, former White House official Dr. Kavita Patel and "Just Security" co-editor and NYU law professor Ryan Goodman. Don't miss it.Each week, we’re bringing you a new episode of one of our favorite podcasts, Deep State Radio. Deep State Radio, hosted by David Rothkopf, produces new episodes 2-3 times per week and brings together top experts, policymakers, and journalists from the national security, foreign policy, and political communities. You can subscribe to the podcast on Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. If you become a member of the DSR Network, you’ll receive benefits such as ad-free listening via private feed, discounts to virtual events and Deep State Radio Swag, and access to the member-only Slack community. This is one of the most closely followed podcasts among the people influencing the most important decisions in Washington and worldwide today. You can learn more by visiting thedsrnetwork.com. Listeners to Words Matter will receive 25% off of the regular membership price. Use code wordsmatter at checkout.

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SCOTUS on the Hot Seat

Mon, 19 Oct 2020 07:05:53 -0000

This week, Jennifer Duck, Emmy award-winning producer and instructor of journalism in the department of Cinema, Media and Television questions Katie about the Senate Judiciary Committee for the next Supreme Court Justice.

Listen to Jen and Katie, talk law, politics, and journalism.

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DSR: The 3 a.m. Call is Coming from Inside the White House

Tue, 13 Oct 2020 07:05:46 -0000

The biggest national security story in America today is the biggest domestic story and the biggest political story and the biggest economic story and the biggest public health story. The COVID outbreak at the White House might have resulted in greater empathy for those who have suffered so due to the pandemic but the opposite seems to be happening. It seems to be leading to an effort by the president and his supporters to double down on disastrous policy choice and to put more Americans at risk. We discuss with Pultizer Prize Winner Laurie Garrett, Dr. Kavita Patel, former WH staffer, Kori Schake of the American Enterprise Institute and Rosa Brooks of Georgetown Law Center. Don't miss it.Each week, we’re bringing you a new episode of one of our favorite podcasts, Deep State Radio. Deep State Radio, hosted by David Rothkopf, produces new episodes 2-3 times per week and brings together top experts, policymakers, and journalists from the national security, foreign policy, and political communities. You can subscribe to the podcast on Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. If you become a member of the DSR Network, you’ll receive benefits such as ad-free listening via private feed, discounts to virtual events and Deep State Radio Swag, and access to the member-only Slack community. This is one of the most closely followed podcasts among the people influencing the most important decisions in Washington and worldwide today. You can learn more by visiting thedsrnetwork.com. Listeners to Words Matter will receive 25% off of the regular membership price. Use code wordsmatter at checkout.

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Spot the Troll: Social Media & the 2020 Campaign

Mon, 12 Oct 2020 07:05:43 -0000

Katie and Jennifer Duck talk to Clemson University Professor Darren Linvill about social media and the 2020 campaign. Professor Linvill is a academic, an author, a researcher and an expert on social media disinformation and political discourse. As an Associate Professor in Clemson's Department of Communications, his research explores state sponsored social media disinformation and its influence on civil and political discourse. In addition to his academic publications, Dr. Linvill has written for The Washington Post and Rolling Stone. He and fellow Clemson Professor Patrick Warren created the Spot the Troll Quiz to help promote social media literacy.

Take the Spot the Troll Quiz: https://spotthetroll.org/start

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October Surprises - What's Next?

Mon, 05 Oct 2020 07:05:33 -0000

Mary Ellen Pethel and Jennifer Duck join Katie to talk about the debates, President Trump's COVID-19 diagnosis and the history of women as candidates and voters.

ABOUT THE GUESTS

Mary Ellen Pethel is an author, historian, digital humanist, and academic entrepreneur who serves as an Assistant Professor at Belmont University. Dr. Pethel is widely published. Her latest book is Athens of the New South…And she is currently working on a manuscript celebrating the 50th anniversary of Title Nine. She teaches courses such as “Making the Modern City,” which inspired the historical walking tour app, NashvilleSites.org. She also teaches a course called: "The Good Life” and “Democracy, Media, and the Public Sphere.”

Jennifer Duck -- Emmy award-winning producer and instructor of journalism in the department of Cinema, Media and Television. Prior to her work with Belmont, Jen was a producer for CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360 and Katie Couric’s syndicated show in New York. Additionally, she worked for Oprah Winfrey Network in Los Angeles. Jen began her career at ABC News in Washington, D.C. and traveled around the world aboard Air Force One as White House producer covering President George W. Bush and reported from the campaign trail as President Barack Obama and Senator John McCain canvassed the country in 2008. Jen has been a consultant for Words Matter on-and-off since our launch in August of 2018.

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Deep State Radio: Our Unfolding Democratic Emergency: The Red Lights are Already Flashing

Fri, 02 Oct 2020 07:05:40 -0000

The Constitutional rot of the past four years has set the stage for the corruption of our institutions and, equally importantly, for growing delegitimization of our government. This plays into the hands of a president who is ever more desperate to cling to power lest he lose his fortune and his freedom. This in turn has experts who are studying the preparations for the November 3 election to express deep concern that we may be heading into a period of profound crisis for our system, one that, should Trump prevail in undermining the will of the people could mean the collapse of our system and a the onset of a period of national chaos. This is not abstract. Critical, dangerous steps confirming this is the direction we are headed are already taking place. We discuss with Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Barton Gellman, Rosa Brooks of the Georgetown Law Center and Ed Luce of the Financial Times. It is essential listening.Each week, we’re bringing you a new episode of one of our favorite podcasts, Deep State Radio. Deep State Radio, hosted by David Rothkopf, produces new episodes 2-3 times per week and brings together top experts, policymakers, and journalists from the national security, foreign policy, and political communities. You can subscribe to the podcast on Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. If you become a member of the DSR Network, you’ll receive benefits such as ad-free listening via private feed, discounts to virtual events and Deep State Radio Swag, and access to the member-only Slack community. This is one of the most closely followed podcasts among the people influencing the most important decisions in Washington and worldwide today. You can learn more by visiting thedsrnetwork.com. Listeners to Words Matter will receive 25% off of the regular membership price. Use code wordsmatter at checkout.

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Audience of One: Donald Trump, Television, & the Fracturing of America

Mon, 28 Sep 2020 07:05:00 -0000

It is impossible to understand Donald Trump without understanding America's relationship with television. James Poniewozik is the chief television critic for The New York Times. He often focuses on the intersection between television, politics and culture. He is the author of the new book -- Audience of One: Donald Trump, Television, and the Fracturing of America

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Deep State Radio: Have We Already Seen the October Surprise?

Sat, 26 Sep 2020 02:12:50 -0000

Is a resurgent COVID the October Surprise? Is it the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg? Will it be the nomination and approval of a replacement for her prior to the election? Will it be the announcement of a vaccine? Or is it tied to the president's reluctance to guarantee a peaceful hand-over of power if he loses. We discuss these options and others with Mimi Rocah, candidate for Westchester, NY, District Attorney, Katie Barlow, attorney and journalist, and Dr. Kavita Patel, practicing physician and former senior Obama White House aide. Co-hosts Ryan Goodman of NYU Law School and David Rothkopf of The DSR Network explore the implications of this week's developments on all these issues with our guests and the discussion is riveting. You can subscribe to the podcast on Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. If you become a member of the DSR Network, you’ll receive benefits such as ad-free listening via private feed, discounts to virtual events and Deep State Radio Swag, and access to the member-only Slack community. This is one of the most closely followed podcasts among the people influencing the most important decisions in Washington and worldwide today. You can learn more by visiting thedsrnetwork.com.

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The Ginsburg Tapes - In Memory of Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Mon, 21 Sep 2020 07:07:39 -0000

Last week, America lost an iconic jurist and a life long advocate for equal rights. In memory of the Honorable Ruth Bader Ginsburg, we replay Katie's interview with Lauren Moxley, the host of The Ginsburg Tapes Podcast -- which chronicles Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s oral arguments before the then all-male United States Supreme Court from 1972 to 1978 —before she became #Notorious RBG.

The Ginsburg Tapes allows the listener to be a fly on the wall for some of the most important cases in American jurisprudence as future Justice Ginsburg challenged laws treating men and women differently. In between the actually Supreme Court recordings, Lauren puts the cases, the law and even the Justices themselves in historical context and explains how as a lawyer, RBG really did change the World.

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"HOAX" with Brian Stelter

Mon, 14 Sep 2020 07:05:36 -0000

Recorded September 9, 2020

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"If you don't know, now you know - with Congressman Hakeem Jeffries

Mon, 07 Sep 2020 07:05:14 -0000

Congressman Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) joins Katie Barlow and Joe Lockhart to talk about the 2020 elections, systemic racism and the Trump Administration’s response to the Coronavirus pandemic. Congressman Jeffries recalls his role in the Impeachment Trial of President Trump, including when he became the first person in history to quote Biggie Smalls on the floor of the United States Senate. He also explains why the future of American democracy may well hinge on the results of the November elections.

Recorded September 4, 2020

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product in the coming weeks. Become a member: www.cafe.com/words

includes analysis by Elie Honig, links to new content, and more: www.cafe.com/brief

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The Barlow Group: "Rainbows & Rainclouds" with Jen Psaki and Paul Begala

Mon, 31 Aug 2020 07:05:04 -0000

White House and campaign veterans Jen Psaki and Paul Begala join Katie Barlow and Joe Lockhart for a discussion about the “Rainbows & Rainclouds” of the 2020 presidential campaign. In a McLaughlin Group tribute, Joe joins the panel, and Katie leads the group as they analyze the political landscape heading into the home stretch of the race for the White House. Jen explains the challenges facing Team Biden as they work to keep the Democrats united. Paul says the best strategy for defeating Trump is to ignore his Twitter feed and focus the voter’s attention on his track record and how his Administration has negatively impacted their lives. And Joe discusses Q-Anon – and why Team Trump is looking to this dangerous conspiracy group for new voters.

Recorded August 28, 2020

Words Matter will become part of the CAFE Insider membership product in the coming weeks. Become a member: www.cafe.com/words

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And check Paul Begala’s new book You’re Fired: The Perfect Guide to Beating Donald Trump. https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Youre-Fired/Paul-Begala/9781982160043

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Trump's "Magic Dust" with Michael Steele

Mon, 24 Aug 2020 07:05:31 -0000

Former RNC Chairman Michael Steele joins Katie Barlow and Joe Lockhart to talk about the virtual Republican National Convention, the future of his party, and Donald Trump’s “magic dust” with voters that the press and the political class often miss. Steele explains why he joined the Republican Party in the 1970s. He discusses where the party was heading then, and how it continued to grow until 2012. And Steele details how under Donald Trump, the GOP has been transformed into haven for racists, grifters, and conspiracy theorists.

Recorded August 20, 2020

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Governor Terry McAuliffe

Mon, 17 Aug 2020 07:05:10 -0000

Former Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe joins Katie Barlow and Joe Lockhart to talk about Vice Presidential Nominee Kamala Harris, the virtual Democratic National Convention and the 3rd Anniversary of Charlottesville. Governor McAuliffe says Senator Harris needs to directly address all of the issues where progressives in the Democratic Party may have concerns about her record. McAuliffe explains how political conventions have been transformed by the Coronavirus pandemic and how they may never again return to what they once were. McAuliffe also discusses Joe Biden’s campaign, systemic racism and the 3rd Anniversary of the Charlottesville Tragedy.

Recorded August 12, 2020

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"The Austin Powers Candidate" with Doug Sosnik

Mon, 10 Aug 2020 08:19:32 -0000

Former White House Political Director Doug Sosnik joins Katie Barlow and Joe Lockhart for an update on the 2020 elections. Sosnik explains how 2016 and 2020 are vastly different for President Trump, who he calls the “Austin Powers” candidate. Sosnik breaks down how the political landscape has been transformed in the midst of the Coronavirus pandemic and how a vast majority of the electorate thinks the country is on the “wrong track”. Sosnik also discusses Joe Biden’s strategy, the impact of early voting on the general election debates, and what impact an “October Surprise” might have on the race between Biden and Trump.

Recorded August 7, 2020

Words Matter will become part of the CAFE Insider membership product in the coming weeks. Become a member: www.cafe.com/words

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An Interview with Rod Rosenstein

Mon, 03 Aug 2020 07:05:46 -0000

Our guest today served as the 37th Deputy Attorney General of the United States from April 2017 until May 2019. Prior to his appointment, he served as a United States Attorney for the District of Maryland. At the time of his confirmation as Deputy Attorney General on April 25, 2017, he was the nation's longest-serving U.S. Attorney. The Senate approved his nomination by a vote of 94-6.

We are so excited to announce that Words Matter Media is partnering with CAFE Studios to bring you a new season of the Words Matter podcast. CAFE strives to inform its listeners about the most critical issues of the day.

Each week, Katie and Joe will do their best to bring facts and context to the often fraught political conversations that dominate our national discourse.

They’ll be speaking with an array of guests, including people who have made a great impact on American politics or who make it their business to understand what’s really happening in Washington.

For now, you can continue to listen to episodes of Words Matter for free. In the coming weeks the show will be available exclusively to members of CAFÉ Insider.

We hope you’ll consider joining the Insider community, whose members enjoy a collection of podcasts created for engaged citizens around the world.

You can head to https://cafe.com/offer/words-matter/ to get 2 free weeks of membership.

You’ll get access to all future episodes of Words Matter and other exclusive content including the Insider podcast co-hosted by Preet Bharara, former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York and Anne Milgram, former Attorney General of New Jersey, along with much more excusive content. https://cafe.com/offer/words-matter/

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Katie and Joe Return

Mon, 27 Jul 2020 07:05:08 -0000

We're back! This week Katie and Joe officially return with a thank you and a message for our listeners.

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Presidential Words Matter: FDR at the 1936 Democratic Convention

Mon, 20 Jul 2020 07:05:13 -0000

Since we currently have a president who doesn't seem to know or even understand the importance of words, especially when they are spoken by the president of the United States, we thought it might be helpful in a time of national crisis to remember that we have had presidents of both parties who did understand this.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt, led our country through difficult times with the power and eloquence of his words.

In 1936 during the Great Depression and as the clouds of war gathered over Europe, he delivered one of the most important political speeches ever given by a sitting president.

The occasion was the Democratic National Convention held that year in Philadelphia four years earlier in 1932. FDR had made history by flying to Chicago and becoming the first presidential candidate to accept his party's nomination in person.

In an earlier episode of Words Matter, we discussed this important speech with Professor Harvey Kaye, who has just published a new book entitled: FDR on Democracy.

In his 1936 acceptance speech, Roosevelt used the language of the founders and decried the economic royalists who were trying to fight back against the progress of the New Deal because it threatened their power.

As you listen to his words, pay particular attention to the part where Roosevelt tells his audience they have a rendezvous with destiny.

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Presidential Words Matter: Ronald Reagan on the Challenger Disaster

Mon, 13 Jul 2020 07:05:16 -0000

The Space shuttle Challenger’s launch had already been delayed twice when it finally took off on January 28th 1986.

This particular launch was widely publicized because for the first time a civilian—a teacher named Christa McAuliffe—was traveling into space. The plan was to have McAuliffe communicate to students from space. According to the New York Times, nearly half of America’s school children aged nine to thirteen watched the event live in their classrooms.

But tragically - After a short seventy-three seconds into flight, the world was stunned when the shuttle burst into flames, killing all seven crew members on board.

President Ronald Reagan cancelled his scheduled State of the Union address that evening and instead addressed the nation’s grief.

A young speechwriter — a friend and hero of mine — Peggy Noonan was tasked with drafting the president’s remarks.

It was a heavy burden - as she later recalled “I kind of figured the entire nation had seen an auto accident,”

Peggy Noonan draft a speech that was aimed - as she put it “at those who were 8-years-old, those who are 18, and those who are 80 without patronizing anybody.”

It was one of the greatest speeches in presidential history and earned Ronald Reagan his now famous title “The Great Communicator”

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America's Mission Statement - Read by John F. Kennedy

Mon, 06 Jul 2020 07:05:22 -0000

It is often forgotten that the Declaration itself was meant to be spoken.

In 2004 the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library released a previously unknown 1957 recording of then-Senator Kennedy reading the Declaration of Independence in New York on July 4th.

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Preview - GURU: The Dark Side of Enlightenment

Wed, 01 Jul 2020 20:31:34 -0000

Wondery has new tru-crime mini series that we think you’ll really enjoy.

In the Mid 2000s James Arthur Ray was a charismatic self-help guru who promised his followers a path to wealth and happiness. But not all who followed him finished their journey.

This is the story told in a new true crime mini-series from Wondery called “GURU: The Dark Side of Enlightenment”.

James Arthur Ray wasn’t really well known until he was in a movie called “The Secret”, and then was a guest on Oprah’s TV show a few times. Soon after that, thousands of people started attending his seminars, and he was pegged to be the next great self-help guru.

But what many didn't know about were his more...extreme methods. Methods that pushed his students to their limits, giving some the transformative life experience they dreamed of ... and killing others.

Be sure to subscribe to Wondery’s new tru crime mini-series “GURU: The dark side of enlightenment”, wondery.fm/wordsmatter_guru on Apple podcasts.

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Presidential Words Matter: Bill Clinton "Time for Healing" - Oklahoma City, 1995

Mon, 29 Jun 2020 07:10:38 -0000

This week on Presidential Words Matter - we highlight Bill Clinton’s remarks in the aftermath of the 1995 Oklahoma City Bombing.

On April 19, 1995 a domestic terrorist used a truck bomb to destroy the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Office Building [2] in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

Perpetrated by American terrorists Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols, the bombing killed at least 168 people, including 19 children,[3] - and injured more than 680 others.

The blast destroyed more than one third of the building, which had to be demolished.[4] In addition, The blast destroyed or damaged 324 other buildings within a 16-block radius,

Until the September 11 attacks in 2001, the Oklahoma City bombing was the deadliest terrorist attack in the history of the United States. It remains the deadliest confirmed act of domestic terrorism in American history.

Four days later, On April 23, 1995 - President Bill Clinton attended a memorial prayer service in Oklahoma City called “A Time for Healing”

With the 1996 presidential election less than 18 months away - President Clinton spoke of unity and healing over the politics of division and hatred.

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Presidential Words Matter: Barack Obama's Eulogy for the Honorable Reverend Clementa Pinckney

Mon, 22 Jun 2020 12:55:31 -0000

Reverend Pinckney and 8 other Black church members had been murdered a week earlier during Bible Study in a racially motivated mass shooting perpetrated by a white supremacist.

The Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church is one of the oldest Black churches in the United States, and it has long been a center for organizing events related to civil rights.

It is the oldest African Methodist Episcopal Church in the South, often referred to as "Mother Emanuel".

The Reverend and his church were targeted because of their history and role in civil rights activism.

He said that included removing the Confederate battle flag from the South Carolina State House grounds.

“By taking down that flag,” he said, “we express God’s grace.” But I don't think God wants us to stop there.“

On July 6, 2015, the South Carolina Senate voted to remove the Confederate flag from display outside the South Carolina State House.

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Presidential Words Matter: LBJ 1965 Howard University Commencement Address

Mon, 15 Jun 2020 07:05:01 -0000

On June 4, 1965, President Johnson delivered the commencement address at Howard University, the nation’s most prominent historically black university.

‪In his address, Johnson explained why “opportunity” was not enough to ensure the civil rights of disadvantaged Americans.

‪The ‘To Fulfill These Rights’ speech as it is widely known was the intellectual framework for affirmative action.

‪President Johnson spoke of racial injustice and economic disparities between black and white Americans.

‪For many in the audience that day, it was one of the first times they felt a president - any president - really acknowledge the treatment of black citizens from slavery to Jim Crow.

‪As one graduate - Lillian Beard -recalled on the 50th Anniversary - “I believe that afternoon in 1965 changed a lot of minds, because we felt that he spoke directly to us.”

‪LBJ’s Howard University address came only a few months after he had gone before a Joint session of Congress to speak in support of the Selma to Montgomery Voting Rights March.

‪It was in that message to Congress that Johnson famously identified himself with the civil rights movement when he declared, “We shall overcome.”

‪The Howard speech, which was principally the work of presidential speech writer Richard Goodwin and then-Assistant Secretary of Labor Daniel Patrick Moynihan was an extension of Johnson’s March voting-rights speech.

‪The goal was to take the civil rights movement from one focused on legal justice to one focused on economic justice.

‪In the Howard speech, Johnson pointed out that the racial barriers to freedom were slowly tumbling down, but instead of resting on that progress and what his administration had done to that point - Johnson went a step further: “Freedom is not enough,” the President told the graduates.

‪It was important for American society to achieve “equality as a fact and equality as a result.”

‪The next day President received a telegram from Martin Luther King Jr., telling him, “Never before has a president articulated the depths and dimensions of the problems of racial injustice more eloquently and profoundly.”

Dr. King was not exaggerating the importance of the Howard speech.

In August Johnson would sign the Voting Rights Act of 1965 into law, and two years later, he would appoint Thurgood Marshall to the Supreme Court, making him the nation’s first black justice.

But unfortunately- the racial transformation Johnson had promised and hoped to bring about when he spoke at Howard did not take place.

55 years later the same underlying conditions exist and the economic disparities LBJ described have not gotten better - far from it. They have gotten exponentially worse.

If we are to fulfill the promise of social and economic justice made By LBJ to Black Americans more than a half century ago - all of us must commit ourselves to radical and immediate change. Anything less would be a monumental failure.

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ENCORE: President John F. Kennedy on Civil Rights

Thu, 11 Jun 2020 13:45:37 -0000

This week we highlight presidential leadership and one of the most important civil rights speeches ever delivered by a sitting American president.

By June of 1963, John F. Kennedy has been president for nearly two and a half years.

While Kennedy had long privately expressed his deep moral objections to the treatment of black people in American society and indicated support for New federal legislation.

His public comments ranged from cautious moderate criticism to a 1950s version of “both sides-ism” but were mostly nonexistent.

In June of 1963, however the man and the moment met.

Alabama Governor George Wallace’s staged photo op definance of federal law by standing in the school house doorway had lasted less than 90 minutes.

Kennedy’s advisors recommended and Fully expected that the president would NOT address the American people that evening.

In a telegram to the White House after watching the President’s remarks in Atlanta with other civil rights leaders, the Reverend Dr Martin Luther King Jr. described the address as ONE OF THE MOST ELOQUENT, PROFOUND, AND UNEQUIVOCAL PLEAS FOR JUSTICE AND FREEDOM OF ALL MEN, EVER MADE BY ANY PRESIDENT.

Dr King knew that Kennedy was moved by his now famous “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” - written just weeks before.

To President Kennedy and many Americans Dr. King’s letter was more than than a spirited defense of civil disobedience. It was an indictment of white indifference.

As you listen to the speech, you will hear Kennedy echoing King’s “Letter”

The President rejects the idea that Black Americans should have to wait for equality. "Who among us," Kennedy asks the American people, "would then be content with counsels of patience and delay?"

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Letter from a Birmingham Jail: Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Mon, 08 Jun 2020 07:05:49 -0000

This week we highlight one of the most significant and consequential calls for racial equality and social justice in American History - “Letter from a Birmingham Jail”

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Presidential Words Matter: George W. Bush at the National Cathedral

Mon, 01 Jun 2020 07:05:14 -0000

This week we focus on leadership and comfort in a time of national tragedy, crisis and mourning.

On September 14th 2001 - President George W. Bush spoke at the National Cathedral in Washington at a National Day of Prayer and Remembrance Service.

Just 72 hours earlier - more than 3,000 Americans had been killed during the most lethal terrorist attack in US history.

The country was still shut down - commercial air travel was grounded. The dead were still being counted. But the president talked of unity. The tragedy whose full toll had yet to be reckoned, could have torn the country apart, but instead it had united the American people and their leadership.

He expressed both empathy for those who lost family, friends and loved ones and a steady resolve that they shall not have died in vain.

In the interest of full disclosure - I joined President Bush’s White House staff less than three months after this speech. I was a Democrat from New York who had worked at both ABC and NBC News. Not the most likely candidate to serve in the West Wing under a Republican President from Texas.

In the weeks, months and years that followed this speech - the President, his advisors and his Administration myself included - make some serious and consequential mistakes.

We will spend the rest of our lives trying to rectify those errors and atone for those failings.

But in the immediate aftermath of that national tragedy- President Bush provided leadership and resolve as well as a few things that the American people desperately needed - comfort, empathy and hope.

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Presidential Words Matter: John F. Kennedy on Civil Rights

Mon, 25 May 2020 07:05:49 -0000

This week we highlight presidential leadership and one of the most important civil rights speeches ever delivered by a sitting American president.

By June of 1963, John F. Kennedy has been president for nearly two and a half years.

While Kennedy had long privately expressed his deep moral objections to the treatment of black people in American society and indicated support for New federal legislation.

His public comments ranged from cautious moderate criticism to a 1950s version of “both sides-ism” but were mostly nonexistent.

In June of 1963, however the man and the moment met.

Alabama Governor George Wallace’s staged photo op definance of federal law by standing in the school house doorway had lasted less than 90 minutes.

Kennedy’s advisors recommended and Fully expected that the president would NOT address the American people that evening.

PROFOUND,

AND UNEQUIVOCAL PLEAS FOR JUSTICE AND FREEDOM OF ALL MEN,

EVER MADE BY ANY PRESIDENT.

Dr King knew that Kennedy was moved by his now famous “Letter from Birmingham Jail” - written just weeks before.

To President Kennedy and many Americans Dr. King’s letter was more than than a spirited defense of civil disobedience. It was an indictment of white indifference.

As you listen to the speech, you will hear Kennedy echoing King’s “Letter”

The President rejects the idea that Black Americans should have to wait for equality. "Who among us," Kennedy asks the American people, "would then be content with counsels of patience and delay?"

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/words-matter.

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Preview: The Daily Smile

Tue, 19 May 2020 00:01:26 -0000

Everyone needs a reminder about just how good people can be. On Wondery’s new series The Daily Smile, host Nikki Boyer brings you stories that will make you feel good each weekday morning. With interviews, inspiring clips, and chats with special guests and passionate friends, The Daily Smile takes you on a journey into goodness, gives you all the feels, and will leave you with a smile on your face.

Listen to the full episode: wondery.fm/dailysmilewords

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Presidential Words Matter: Ronald Reagan's Farewell Address

Mon, 18 May 2020 07:05:25 -0000

In January of 1989 after 8 years in office, President Ronald Reagan delivered his 34th and final Oval Office address.

His tenure was not without controversy - and there is much about Reagan and his policies for historians and commentators to rightly criticize.

But more than anything else Ronald Reagan understood the power and importance of words.

For his final presidential address Reagan wanted to end on a note of what had become his trademark - optimism.

All of his political life The Gipper had talked about America as a Shining City on a Hill. But he never really defined what he’d meant.

As he prepared to leave office - Reagan finally communicated that vision.

Pay attention to his words - in Reagan’s view America was made great by free trade and the contributions of immigrants.

“If that City had to have walls, those walls had doors and those doors were open to all who had the heart and the will to get here.”

It is a very different message than we hear from those who claim his legacy three decades later.

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ENCORE: The 2020 Political Landscape with Doug Sosnik

Mon, 11 May 2020 07:05:01 -0000

Katie and Joe sit down with best-selling author and political analyst Doug Sosnik. He has advised presidents, senators, governors, Fortune 100 corporations and universities for 35 years.

Doug also served as a senior advisor to President Clinton for six years as Senior Advisor for Policy and Strategy, White House Political Director and Deputy Legislative Director.

He is the co-author of New York Times bestseller Applebee’s America: How Successful Political, Business and Religious Leaders Connect with the New American Community.

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SPECIAL: A Tribute to Tim Russert

Thu, 07 May 2020 07:05:32 -0000

Today, on what would have been his 70th birthday, we pay tribute to the late, great Tim Russert - Moderator of Meet the Press and NBC News Washington Bureau Chief.

Unlike many in the public eye - Tim was the same guy off camera as he was on. He was tough, but fair, - always quick with a joke and above all he was forever humbled by his success and the opportunities afforded the son of a sanitation worker from South Buffalo.

“What a country?” Tim would often marvel - he lived by the words of the pious Saint Luke - “To whom much has been given, much will be required.”

Tim believed it was his responsibility as a journalist to hold our leaders accountable - regardless of party. To ask tough, but fair questions in pursuit of the truth.

A lawyer by training, a Meet the Press interview was like a public deposition. He didn’t suffer fools and he wrote his questions so that anything short of a complete and honest answer would be met with a series of increasingly pointed follow ups. When he believed a public official was shading the truth – or worse – Tim would lean across the table and remind them, with purpose: "Senator, Madame Secretary, Mr. President – Words Matter."

That is his legacy - and for those of us who want to honor him, we must try our best to continue that mission.

So today - on what would have been his 70th birthday - we honor Tim Russert by playing his 2002 Commencement Address at the University of Massachusetts Boston.

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Presidential Words Matter: FDR 1936 Democratic Convention

Mon, 04 May 2020 07:05:03 -0000

This week, we begin a new series, Presidential Words Matter. Since we currently have a president who doesn't seem to know or even understand the importance of words, especially when they are spoken by the president of the United States, we thought it might be helpful in a time of national crisis to remember that we have had presidents of both parties who did understand this.

These presidents have led our country through difficult times with the power and eloquence of their words.

So this week, we wanted to highlight President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who in 1936 during the Great Depression and as the clouds of war gathered over Europe, delivered one of the most important political speeches ever given by a sitting president.

In an earlier episode of Words Matter, we discussed this important speech with Professor Harvey Kaye, who has just published a new book entitled: FDR on Democracy.

As you listen to his words, pay particular attention to the part where Roosevelt tells his audience they have a rendezvous with destiny.

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ENCORE: Cindi Leive - Former Editor in Chief, Glamour

Mon, 27 Apr 2020 07:05:19 -0000

Cindi Leive is the former editor-in-chief of both Glamour and Self magazines. She was the driving force behind barrier- breaking initiatives like “Glamour Women of the Year” and “The Girl Project” which supports girls’ education.

Cindi is the author and editor of numerous books including the 2018 New York Times bestseller Together We Rise, about the organizing of the Women's March.

She has interviewed heads of state, Hollywood and fashion’s biggest personalities, and iconic leaders from all walks of life. Her many awards and honors include recognition from the White House, the United Nations, and dozens of media organizations. She is currently a senior fellow at the University of Southern California’s Annenberg Center.

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American Scandal Preview

Wed, 22 Apr 2020 07:05:28 -0000

This week, we want you to join one of our favorite hosts, Lindsey Graham of -- American Scandal and American History Tellers -- as he previews his new six-part series, "The Harry Krishna Murders," as he explores an eastern religion with pure intentions that in the hands of its Western followers became a criminal enterprise of drug running abuse and murder. wondery.fm/wordsmatterAS

Subscribe to American Scandal wondery.fm/wordsmatterAS and other great podcasts from Wondery on Apple podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts

wondery.fm/wordsmatterAS

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ENCORE: House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff

Mon, 20 Apr 2020 07:15:03 -0000

Back in December Katie and Joe sit down with the Chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. Congressman Adam Schiff is in his 10 term representing California’s 28th Congressional District.Before that he was a Member of the California State Senate where he served as Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Congressman Schiff began his career as an Assistant US Attorney in the Central District of California.

Katie and Joe talk to him about the Impeachment of President Trump, what a Senate trial would look like and more.

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ENCORE: The Contenders with Walter Mondale

Mon, 13 Apr 2020 07:05:42 -0000

The Contenders is a special podcast series by Joe Lockhart. Given the importance of the race for the Democratic presidential nomination, we thought it important and informative to hear from those people who've actually run for president. What goes into the decision? How do you possibly get to the place of thinking you can take on the toughest job in the world? What were your biggest mistakes as a candidate? What lessons did you learn and what advice do you have for those running against Donald Trump?

Joe recently traveled to Minnesota to interview his former boss, Vice Presidential Walter Mondale. Nearly a quarter century before Sarah Palin was picked by John McCain, it was Walter Mondale who first put a woman on a national ticket when he picked Congresswoman Geraldine Ferraro in 1984.

The former Vice President reflects on that and much more.

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How To Save Your Soul In America - with R. Eric Thomas

Mon, 06 Apr 2020 07:05:49 -0000

Our guest today is a senior staff writer at ELLE.com where he has written the daily pop culture and politics humor column since 2016.

His opinion columns have also been published by The New York Times, among many others.

As a playwright, R. Eric Thomas won the Barrymore Award and the Dramatists Guild Lanford Wilson Award and was a finalist for the Steinberg/American Theater Critics Association New Play Award.

He is also the long-running host of The Moth Story Slams in Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia.

R. Eric Thomas' first book -- Here for It: Or How To Save Your Soul In America was published last month and is already a national best seller.

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Hill Women - with Cassie Chambers

Mon, 30 Mar 2020 07:05:48 -0000

Cassie received a Skadden Fellowship to return to Kentucky to do legal work with domestic violence survivors in rural communities.

In 2018, Cassie helped pass Jeanette’s Law, which eliminated the requirement that domestic violence survivors pay an incarcerated spouse’s legal fees in order to get a divorce.

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The Contenders: Michael Dukakis

Mon, 23 Mar 2020 07:05:51 -0000

In the latest of Joe's special series - The Contenders -- the sixty fifth governor of Massachusetts from 1975 to 1979. Four years later, Michael Dukakis became the sixty seventh governor from 1983 to 1991 -- making him the longest serving chief executive in Massachusetts history. Before that, he was a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 1963 to 1971. In 1988, he ran for and won the Democratic nomination for president, facing the vice president, George H.W. Bush in the general election.

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The Contenders: Howard Dean

Mon, 16 Mar 2020 07:05:21 -0000

In the latest of Joe's special series - The Contenders -- he interviews author, medical doctor, and from 1991 to 2003 the 79th governor of Vermont. In 2004, Howard Dean ran for the Democratic nomination for president. While he didn’t win the nomination, he started a movement and later served as the Chairman of the Democratic National Committee from 2005 to 2009. His implementation of the fifty-state strategy as head of the DNC is credited with the Democratic victories in the 2006 and 2008 elections -- with Democrats taking control of the House, the Senate and the White House.

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Stacey Abrams

Mon, 09 Mar 2020 07:05:33 -0000

Katie and Joe are honored to be joined this week by New York Times bestselling author, serial entrepreneur, nonprofit CEO and political leader Stacey Abrams. In 2018, after serving for eleven years in the Georgia House of Representatives, seven as Democratic Leader, Stacey Abrams became the Democratic nominee for Governor of Georgia, winning more votes than any other Democrat in the state’s history.

Stacey Abrams is a lifetime member of the Council on Foreign Relations, where she serves on the Subcommittee on Diversity.

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The Presidency & Pandemics

Mon, 02 Mar 2020 08:05:26 -0000

Since World War 2, US presidents have had to deal with pandemics as part of their job – the Eisenhower Administration fast-tracked the polio vaccine. Gerald Ford dealt with Swine Flu, Ronald Reagan’s legacy is marred by his Administration’s inaction on AIDS in the 1980s and of course, President Obama confronted the global threat of Ebola.

And now we have the Coronavirus – this week Katie and Joe, talk about the Presidency and pandemics.

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The 2020 Political Landscape with Doug Sosnik

Mon, 24 Feb 2020 08:05:37 -0000

This week Katie and Joe sit down with best-selling author and political analyst Doug Sosnik. He has advised presidents, senators, governors, Fortune 100 corporations and universities for 35 years.

Doug also served as a senior advisor to President Clinton for six years as Senior Advisor for Policy and Strategy, White House Political Director and Deputy Legislative Director.

He is the co-author of New York Times bestseller Applebee’s America: How Successful Political, Business and Religious Leaders Connect with the New American Community.

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New Hampshire and Trouble at Justice with Dana Milbank

Mon, 17 Feb 2020 08:05:31 -0000

This week Katie and Joe sit down with award winning journalist, best-selling author and nationally syndicated columnist for the Washington Post, Dana Milbank.

Dana is the author three books on politics and has covered politics for the Post since the year 2000. Before that Dana was a senior editor at the New Republic, and before that a reporter for the Wall Street Journal.

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The Primaries Begin with Jen Psaki

Mon, 10 Feb 2020 08:05:56 -0000

Impeachment is over and the Democratic primaries begin. This week Katie and Joe sit down with campaign veteran and former White House Communications Director under President Obama, Jen Psaki. They discuss the primaries with Jen who has worked on presidential, senate and gubernatorial campaigns in among other places – Iowa. She is also a CNN political analyst.

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The Impeachment Non-Trial with Elie Honig

Mon, 03 Feb 2020 08:05:46 -0000

The US Senate refuses to hear witnesses in the Impeachment Trial of Donald J. Trump. Joe and guest Elie Honig breakdown what happened and what may happen next.

Elie Honig is a former state and federal prosecutor with extensive experience leading and managing criminal trials and appeals.

As a state prosecutor in New Jersey and a federal prosecutor in the Southern District of New York, Elie Honig directed major criminal cases against street gangs drug trafficking organizations illegal firearms traffickers corrupt public officials, child predators and white-collar criminals.

Elie also serves as a Rutgers University scholar, is a CNN legal analyst and is featured on Cross Exam.

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Words Matter Library: WeCrashed Preview

Wed, 29 Jan 2020 08:05:44 -0000

The Rise and Fall of WeWork is a stunning story of hope and hubris. WeWork was the poster child for a new economy. Its founders wanted to revolutionize everything about the way people lived their lives. Its charismatic founder Adam Neumann had an intoxicating vision for the company — but did it ever match the reality? Hosted by David Brown of Wondery’s hit podcast Business Wars, WeCrashed is a six-part series about the rise and fall of WeWork. It’s a story of hope and hubris, and pulls back the curtain on the lengths certain people will go to chase “unicorns.” Listen now at www.wondery.fm/wecrashedWM

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Impeachment Trial Continues

Mon, 27 Jan 2020 08:05:47 -0000

For only the 3rd time in American history, the President of the United States stands trial in the United States Senate for "high crimes and misdemeanors. Katie and Joe breakdown what's happened so far and what may happen next in the Impeachment Trial of President Donald Trump.

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Words Matter Library: Daniel Patrick Moynihan, American Visionary

Thu, 23 Jan 2020 08:05:14 -0000

The Almanac of American Politics described Daniel Patrick Moynihan as “The nation’s best thinker among politicians since Lincoln and its best politician among thinkers since Jefferson.” Before his election to the US Senate in 1976, Moynihan served in the administrations of Presidents Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon and Ford. He was ambassador to India, and U.S. representative to the United Nations, and was four times elected to the U.S. Senate from New York.

This week we are honored to add Daniel Patrick Moynihan: A Portrait in Letters of an AmericanVisionary to the Words Matter Audible Library. In this important book, distinguished journalist Steven Weisman compiles a vivid portrait of Moynihan’s life, in the senator’s own words. Moynihan's letters offer an extraordinary window into particular moments in history, from his feelings of loss at JFK’s assassination, to his passionate pleas to Nixon not to make Vietnam a Nixon war, to his frustrations over healthcare and welfare reform during the Clinton era.

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Senate Impeachment Trial Begins with Nina Totenberg

Mon, 20 Jan 2020 08:05:29 -0000

For only the 3rd time in American History, the Impeachment Trial of a President of the United States began last week in the United States Senate.

Legendary NPR Correspondent Nina Totenberg covered the 1999 Senate Impeachment Trial of Bill Clinton. And this week, Nina joins Katie to talk about what will be the same and what will be different in the Senate Impeachment Trial of Donald Trump.

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A World in Disarray with Richard Haass

Mon, 13 Jan 2020 08:05:57 -0000

Richard Haass is President of the Council on Foreign Relations. He is a veteran diplomat and the author or editor of more than a dozen books including the forthcoming “The World: A Brief Introduction”

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Words Matter Library: Era of Ignition by Amber Tamblyn

Thu, 09 Jan 2020 08:05:52 -0000

This week we put Era of Ignition: Coming of Age in a Time of Rage and Revolution by Amber Tamblyn into the Words Matter Library. Amber is an actor, filmmaker, writer, activist and poet. Her acting credits include Joan of Arcadia, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, House and will be seen in Y: The Last Man,. Her written work has been featured in The Cut and the New York Times.

@ambertamblyn

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Welcome to 2020!

Mon, 06 Jan 2020 08:05:42 -0000

Happy New Year - Welcome to 2020.

This year will be one of the most - if THE most consequential in American political history.

For the first time ever, a President of the United States runs for re-election after being impeached by the House of Representatives and facing a trial in the US Senate.

Control of both Houses of Congress, the White House and the future of the Supreme Court all hang in the balance.

And in the next few months, Democrats will choose their nominee to take on President Trump in November. But going into Iowa and New Hampshire - after nearly a year of campaigning and a half dozen debates, no clear front runner has emerged.

And now - in addition to all of that - war hangs over the Middle East after US forces assassinated Iran’s highest ranking military leader less than 48 hours into the new year.

Katie and Joe discuss that and more.

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Best of Words Matter Library: The Ginsburg Files

Thu, 02 Jan 2020 08:05:49 -0000

In this Best of edition of the Words Matter Library, Katie sits down with Lauren Moxley, the host of The Ginsburg Tapes Podcast -- which chronicles Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s oral arguments before the then all-male United States Supreme Court from 1972 to 1978 —before she became #Notorious RBG.

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The Professionals Pilot

Mon, 30 Dec 2019 08:05:56 -0000

This week Katie and Joe preview Joe's new series "The Professionals" where we give you the inside story of what really drives a presidential campaign. We'll break down what makes a campaign successful and why some candidates come up short. Our experts meet two important criteria - they're not actively working on a campaign now (so they can be unbiased) AND they've been involved at a senior level for multiple presidential campaigns.

In the pilot episode Jen Psaki, Paul Begala and Ron Klain take you behind the scenes of presidential debate prep.

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Words Matter Library: Profiles in Courage by John F. Kennedy

Thu, 26 Dec 2019 08:05:12 -0000

As the United States Senate prepares for the Impeachment Trial of President Donald J. Trump, we once again put then-Senator John F. Kennedy's Pulitzer Prize winning book into the Words Matter Library. Profiles in Courage chronicles acts of bravery and integrity by 8 United States Senators. Caroline Kennedy and the late John F. Kennedy Jr. narrate the story of leaders who defied their party and their constituents to do what they felt was right and as a result suffered severe criticism and significant losses.

History will be watching to see if there are any modern examples of political courage left in Washington.

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The Pelosi Gambit

Mon, 23 Dec 2019 08:05:39 -0000

Last week the 45th President of the United States became only the 3rd Chief Executive in American History to be impeached by the House of Representatives.

This week Katie and Joe talk about what it means for President Trump, his legacy AND how long Speaker Pelosi can withhold sending the Articles of Impeachment to the US Senate.

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SPECIAL Rick Wilson

Thu, 19 Dec 2019 08:05:34 -0000

Rick Wilson is a political strategist, media consultant and a best-selling author based in Florida who has produced political commercials for governors, U.S. Senate candidates and super PACs.

Rick has written for the Daily Beast, Politico, the New York Daily News, Medium and he is the author of the New York Times Best Seller Everything Trump Touches Dies.. His next book, Running Against the Devil: A Plot to Save America from Trump—and Democrats from Themselves will be published on January 14, 2020.

His is also one of the Founders of The Lincoln Project, a Super PAC that "will be dedicated to defeating President Trump and Trumpism at the ballot box and to elect those patriots who will hold the line.”

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House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff

Mon, 16 Dec 2019 08:05:03 -0000

This week Katie and Joe sit down with the Chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. Congressman Adam Schiff is in his 10 term representing California’s 28th Congressional District.Before that he was a Member of the California State Senate where he served as Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Congressman Schiff began his career as an Assistant US Attorney in the Central District of California.

Katie and Joe talk to him about the Impeachment of President Trump, what a Senate trial may look like and more.

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Words Matter Library: If you cannot believe the President, who can you believe?

Thu, 12 Dec 2019 08:05:50 -0000

More than 20 years ago - in his closing argument in the Senate Impeachment Trial of President Bill Clinton, Republican House Manager Congressman Henry Hyde held up a letter from 8 year old William Preston Summers, a 3rd grader from Chase Elementary School in Chicago.

It was perhaps only compelling moment in the entire trial.

This week, we put Congressman Henry Hyde reading third grader William Preston Summers' letter into the Words Matter Library.

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Supreme Ambition with Ruth Marcus

Mon, 09 Dec 2019 08:05:00 -0000

Katie and Joe sit down with Ruth Marcus of the Washington Post. Ruth is a journalist, political commentator and author who has written for the Post since her final year at Harvard Law School. Among other beats, She has covered campaign finance, the Justice Department, the Supreme Court and the White House. And for 15 years she has served on the Post’s Editorial Board.

Her new book Supreme Ambition: Brett Kavanaugh and the Conservative Takeover, debuted last week.

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Words Matter Library: Election Ride Home with Chris Higgins

Thu, 05 Dec 2019 08:05:00 -0000

This week we put Election Ride Home hosted by Chris Higgins into the Words Matter Library. Chris is a veteran journalist, a writer and a documentarian

His previous credits include The Atlantic, This American Life and Mental Floss.

Election Ride Home gives listeners a 15-20 minute update on all the day’s 2020 election news.

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Moving Forward with Karine Jean-Pierre

Mon, 02 Dec 2019 08:05:00 -0000

Katie and Joe sit down with political activist, organizer, analyst and author Karine Jean-Pierre. Her experience ranges from presidential campaigns to local politics to grassroots activism.

Karine is the Chief Public Affairs Officer for Moveon.org and a lecturer in international and public affairs at Columbia University. Karine is also a political analyst for NBC News and MSNBC and the author of the new book – Moving Forward: A Story of Hope, Hard Work and the Promise of America.

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Words Matter Library: Today Explained

Wed, 27 Nov 2019 08:05:50 -0000

This week we put Today Explained into the Words Matter Library. Sean Rameswaram is a journalist, a podcaster, a writer, producer and radio host. His previous experience includes time as a correspondent for Radiolab. He has also created and hosted radio shows for the CBC, and WNYC.

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Impeachment Continues with Elie Honig

Mon, 25 Nov 2019 08:05:16 -0000

Last week the House Intelligence Committee wrapped two weeks of public impeachment hearings. We heard from 12 witnesses in more than 40 hours of televised testimony.

Katie and Joe talk to former federal prosecutor Elie Honig about what happened, what it means and what happens next.

Elie is a former state and federal prosecutor with extensive experience leading and managing criminal trials and appeals.

As a state prosecutor in New Jersey and a federal prosecutor in the Southern District of New York, He directed major criminal cases against street gangs drug trafficking organizations illegal firearms traffickers corrupt public officials, child predators and white-collar criminals.

Elie also serves as a Rutgers University scholar, is a CNN legal analyst and is featured on Cross Exam.

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Words Matter Library: China's Vision of Victory with Dr. Jonathan Ward

Thu, 21 Nov 2019 08:05:21 -0000

This week we add China’s Vision of Victory by Dr. Jonathan Ward to the Words Matter Library. Jonathan Ward is an author, a scholar and a strategic consultant. He speaks 5 languages, is founder of the Atlas Organization a strategic consultancy, and holds a Ph.D. from Oxford in China–India relations.

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The History of Impeachment with Professor Douglas Brinkley

Mon, 18 Nov 2019 08:05:36 -0000

Last week, public impeachment hearings of President Trump began in the House Intelligence Committee – and pretty much everyone who does not appear on Fox News or the Rush Limbaugh Radio Show proclaimed the proceedings to be “historic”

This week Katie and Joe discuss the history of impeachment with presidential historian Professor Douglas Brinkley.

Professor Brinkley is is a celebrated historian and the award-winning author, co-author or editor of more than 30 books, most of these works focus on American presidents or people we know because of presidents. He is the Katharine Sarnoff Brown Chair of humanities and professor of history at Rice University. He is a CNN presidential historian and a contributing editor at Vanity Fair.

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Words Matter Library: American History Tellers with Lindsay Graham

Thu, 14 Nov 2019 08:05:42 -0000

This week we add American History Tellers to the Words Matter Library. The Cold War, Prohibition, the Gold Rush, the Space Race. Every part of your life -the words you speak, the ideas you share- can be traced to our history, but how well do you really know the stories that made America? American History Tellers will take you to the events, the times and the people that shaped our nation. And they'll show you how our history affected them, their families and affects you today. Hosted by Lindsay Graham (not the Senator). From Wondery, the network behind Tides Of History, History Unplugged, Fall Of Rome and Dirty John.

And check out Lindsay's latest podcast -- American Elections: Wicked Game

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you got your podcasts. American Elections: Wicked Game http://wondery.fm/AmericanElectionsWM

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Fox News & Impeachment with Gabe Sherman

Mon, 11 Nov 2019 08:05:44 -0000

Gabe Sherman sits down with Katie and Joe to talk about Fox News and the Impeachment of Donald Trump. Gabe is an award-winning journalist, best-selling author and a special correspondent for Vanity Fair. Earlier this year his book The Loudest Voice in the Room: How the Brilliant, Bombastic Roger Ailes Built Fox News – and Divided a Country, was turned into the television series Loudest Voice by ShowTime starring Russell Crowe as Roger Ailes.

Gabe's reporting on Fox News eventually lead to the termination of both Bill O’Reilly and Roger Ailes.

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Words Matter Library: Verify by Joelle Charbonneau

Thu, 07 Nov 2019 08:05:09 -0000

This week we put Verify by bestselling author Joelle Charbonneau into the Words Matter Library. This eerily timely, high-stakes page-turner is destined to start important conversations at this particular moment in our history.

Meri Beckley lives in a world without lies. When she looks at the peaceful Chicago streets, she feels pride in the era of unprecedented hope and prosperity over which the governor presides.

But when Meri’s mother is killed, Meri suddenly has questions that no one else seems to be asking. And when she tries to uncover her mother’s state of mind in her last weeks, she finds herself drawn into a secret world with a history she didn’t know existed.

Suddenly, Meri is faced with a choice between accepting the “truth” or embracing a world the government doesn’t want anyone to see—a world where words have the power to change the course of a country and where the wrong ones can get Meri killed.

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SPECIAL Impeachment 2.0 Update

Tue, 05 Nov 2019 08:05:49 -0000

Last week was a significant one for the House Impeachment Inquiry. On Thursday the House of Representatives voted 232-196 to approve rules and move forward with the impeachment inquiry into President Trump’s conduct.

The vote was mostly along party lines with all the Republicans voting against joined by two Democrats from districts Trump won in 2016.

Katie and Joe breakdown what happened and why it matters in this SPECIAL Impeachment 2.0 Update

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Audience of One: Donald Trump, Television, and the Fracturing of America

Mon, 04 Nov 2019 08:05:49 -0000

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Words Matter Library: Make America Radical Again

Thu, 31 Oct 2019 07:05:34 -0000

This week we add Take Hold of Our History: Make America Radical Again by Professor Harvey J. Kaye to the Words Matter Library.

Harvey J. Kaye is the Ben and Joyce Rosenberg Professor of Democracy and Justice Studies and Director of the Center for History and Social Change at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay.

An award-winning author and writer, he has written 9 books – including:

Thomas Paine and the Promise of America (2005)

The Fight for the Four Freedoms: What Made FDR and the Greatest Generation Truly Great (2015)

“Why Do Ruling Classes Fear History?” and Other Questions (1996)

Follow Professor Kaye on Twitter

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LIVE from Politicon - Governor Bill Weld

Mon, 28 Oct 2019 07:05:31 -0000

A special LIVE edition from Politicon – the annual bipartisan “Unconventional Political Convention” held this year in Nashville, Tennessee.

Katie and Joe welcome former Massachusetts Governor Bill Weld to Words Matter.

Governor Weld began his career as staff member and attorney for the House Judiciary Committee during Watergate.

He was later the US Attorney for the District of Massachusetts and Assistant Attorney General of the United States for the Criminal Division from 1986 to 1988 under President Ronald Reagan.

In 2016 he was the Libertarian Party Candidate for Vice President.

And in April of this year, Governor Weld announced he would challenge President Trump for the 2020 Republican Presidential Nomination.

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SPECIAL: Impeachment Update

Tue, 22 Oct 2019 23:30:07 -0000

It's been one month since Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced the start of the House Impeachment Inquiry. A lot has happened -- but has anything change? Katie and Joe discuss whether President Trump is any close to impeachment today than he was 4 weeks ago on this special Words Matter Impeachment Update.

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The Trump Doctrine with Max Boot

Mon, 21 Oct 2019 07:05:01 -0000

Joe sits down with author, historian and foreign policy analyst Max Boot to talk about Syria, Ukraine and the Trump Doctrine.

Max is the Jeane Kirkpatrick Senior Fellow in National Security Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations a columnist for The Washington Post and a global affairs analyst for CNN. Max is also the author of six books including The Corrosion of Conservatism: Why I Left the Right.

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Words Matter Library: Cokie Roberts Tribute

Thu, 17 Oct 2019 07:05:43 -0000

Last Month, we lost best-selling author, iconic reporter and journalistic pioneer Mary Martha Corinne Morrison Claiborne Roberts, "Cokie" to her family, friends, colleagues and the tens of millions of Americans who read her column or watched and listened to her every week on NPR and ABC News.

Originally from New Orleans, Louisiana, she learned politics at an early age. Both her father and her mother served for decades in the United States Congress. An award winning political reporter and analyst, Cokie Roberts, along with Eleanor Clift, NPR's Linda Wertheimer and Nina Totenberg transformed the male dominated world of Washington political journalism.

An Emmy Award winner, Cokie Roberts also earned other honors, including the Edward R. Murrow Award, the Everett McKinley Dirksen Award for coverage of Congress and the Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Journalism. In 2000, she was inducted into the Broadcasting and Cable Hall of Fame.

With all the impeachment news weren’t able to properly pay tribute to her life and legacy.

And so, this week, to honor groundbreaking journalist Cokie Roberts, we put her 2013 commencement address at LSU into the Words Matter Library.

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Next Big Idea Preview

Tue, 15 Oct 2019 07:15:45 -0000

This week Katie and Joe preview a new podcast by Wondery - The Next Big Idea. Ideas are coming at you every day from all directions. Where do you even start? Hosted by Rufus Griscom, and featuring thought-leaders Malcolm Gladwell, Susan Cain, Adam Grant, and Daniel Pink, THE NEXT BIG IDEA brings you the most groundbreaking ideas that have the power to change the way you live, work, and think. Each episode dives deep into one big idea through immersive storytelling, narration and curator interviews with the most interesting authors at work today.

http://wondery.fm/TNBIWordsMatter

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Impeachment & the Press with Margaret Sullivan

Mon, 14 Oct 2019 07:05:12 -0000

As the House moves forward with the impeachment inquiry of President Trump, how the press covers it could determine the outcome. This week, Katie and Joe sit down with Margaret Sullivan to talk about impeachment and the press.

Margaret Sullivan is the media columnist for The Washington Post and before that Margaret served as the fifth public editor of The New York Times and was the first woman to hold that position. Margaret is a native of Lackawanna, New York and began her career as a summer intern at the Buffalo News becoming the first woman editor there and managing editor in the hundred and thirty nine year history of that storied newspaper.

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Words Matter Library: The Moth -- Impeachment Day

Thu, 10 Oct 2019 07:05:24 -0000

This week we put Joe Lockhart's performance at The Moth into the Words Matter Library

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American Elections: Wicked Game Preview

Tue, 08 Oct 2019 07:30:00 -0000

This week we preview a great new podcast - American Elections: Wicked Game from Wondery.

On Tuesday, November 3rd, 2020, the citizens of the United States will cast ballots to elect their president, and it feels like the country couldn’t be more divided.

America will have to endure another 58 weeks of shouting, outrage, and the worst sort of political rancor. How has it come to this?

It turns out, it’s almost always been this way. And the 58 weeks we have remaining is just enough time to review the entire history of presidential elections, from the unanimous and inevitable election of George Washington in 1789, to Donald Trump’s surprise electoral victory in 2016

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you got your podcasts. American Elections: Wicked Game http://wondery.fm/AmericanElectionsWM

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High Crimes & Misdemeanors with Elie Honig

Mon, 07 Oct 2019 07:05:26 -0000

Elie Honig joins Joe this week to talk about the latest in the House Impeachment Inquiry against President Trump -- he explains what crimes may have been committed in the most recent Trump scandal.

Elie is a former state and federal prosecutor with extensive experience leading and managing criminal trials and appeals.

As a state prosecutor in New Jersey and a federal prosecutor in the Southern District of New York, Elie directed major criminal cases against street gangs drug trafficking organizations illegal firearms traffickers corrupt public officials, child predators and white-collar criminals.

Ellie also serves as a Rutgers University scholar, is a CNN legal analyst and is featured on Cross Exam. #CrossExam

Send us feedback at contact@wordsmattermedia.com

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Words Matter Library: The Whistleblower Complaint

Thu, 03 Oct 2019 06:12:47 -0000

A whistleblower complaint filed by an intelligence officer about President Trump’s interactions with the leader of Ukraine could change the course of presidential history.

This week we put the audio version of this important document into the Words Matter Library.

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The First Steps of Impeachment with Carrie Cordero

Mon, 30 Sep 2019 07:05:23 -0000

The House takes the first steps toward impeachment -- Carrie Cordero joins Katie and Joe to explain how we got here and what may happen next.

Carrie is the Robert M. Gates Senior Fellow and General Counsel at the Center for a New American Security. Carrie is also an adjunct professor of law at Georgetown University Law Center, a CNN legal analyst, and a contributing editor of Lawfare. Carrie has served in numerous senior positions at the Department of Justice and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence: including as Counsel to the Assistant Attorney General for National Security; Senior Associate General Counsel at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence; and Attorney Advisor at the U.S. Department of Justice, where she handled critical counterterrorism and counterintelligence investigations

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SPECIAL - Impeachment Begins

Wed, 25 Sep 2019 23:31:48 -0000

History is unfolding in real time.

The President of the United States is accused of using the power of his office to extort a foreign government into finding dirt or manufacturing dirt on his leading political rival in the 2020 presidential election.

This week, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi took a step she had been reluctant to take for months and announced that the House will begin formal impeachment proceedings into the conduct of the President of the United States.

Katie and Joe will talk about what happened, what it means and what may happen next.

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ICYMI: Barbara Jordan on Impeachment

Tue, 24 Sep 2019 13:37:40 -0000

On July 25th 1974 Congresswoman Barbara Jordan delivered a televised opening statement as the House Judiciary Committee began consideration of articles of impeachment against President Richard Nixon. It is regarded by historians as one of the greatest speeches in all of American history. Congresswoman Jordan offered a passionate and powerful defense of the United States Constitution. A document, she noted, did not include people like her when it was written and completed in 1787.

Congresswoman Jordan also provided thoughtful and well documented explanations of our system of checks and balances which were designed to stop any politician from abusing their power. She stuck to the facts and the law and noted the seriousness and the solemn duty she and her fellow members were about to undertake. As she quoted extensively from the founders Congresswoman Jordan explained that those who had drafted and ratified the Constitution anticipated actions like Nixon's and had created the check of impeachment to guard against such executive overreach and abuse of office.

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Politico's Anna Palmer & Jake Sherman

Mon, 23 Sep 2019 07:05:43 -0000

Our guests this week are senior Washington correspondents for POLITICO and co-authors of POLITICO’s Playbook, the most important indispensable morning newsletter covering Washington and politics.

Anna Palmer and Jake Sherman are also the co-authors of New York Times and national best seller, The Hill to Die On: The Battle for Congress and the Future of Trump's America.

In addition to Playbook, Anna is also editorial director of Women Rule, a POLITICO platform that is dedicated to expanding leadership opportunities for women at all stages of their career.

Since 2009, Jake has chronicled all of the major legislative battles on Capitol Hill, and is also a political contributor to NBC News and MSNBC

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Words Matter Library: Eleanor Roosevelt at the United Nations

Thu, 19 Sep 2019 07:05:53 -0000

This week, the 74th session of the General Assembly of the United Nations began in New York.

To mark the occasion, we wanted to pay tribute to one of the most important and meaningful accomplishments of that body – the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Adopted at the 3rd UN General Assembly held in Paris –this document -- As Ken Burns notes in The Roosevelts --was history’s first attempt at laying out the principles under which all nations should behave towards their own citizens and as well as towards each other.

It was largely the work of one delegate from the United States, former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt.

This week we put Eleanor Roosevelt’s speech on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights into the Words Matter Library.

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The View From Capitol Hill

Mon, 16 Sep 2019 07:05:28 -0000

This week Katie and Joe take a look at what's happening on Capitol Hill with Julie Hirschfeld Davis the new congressional editor for the The New York Times. Julie has covered politics from Washington for two decades, writing on Congress, three presidential campaigns and three presidents.

She is a CNN political analyst and next month Julie and Mike Shear have a new book out, Border Wars: Inside Trump’s Assault On Immigration, the inside story of how Trump and his team seized on immigration as a defining political issue and have redefined how America thinks about immigration and immigrants.

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Words Matter Library: The Vagina Bible

Thu, 12 Sep 2019 07:05:40 -0000

She's is a medical doctor on a mission to create a better medical Internet. Dr. Jen Gunter has been called "Twitter's Resident Gynecologist" and "The Internet's OB/GYN". She's a fierce advocate for women's health, a writer for The New York Times, USA Today, and Self, and the host Jensplaining, Dr. Jen joins us to talk about her Best Selling new book, The Vagina Bible, and for straight talk on women's health.

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Former Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson

Mon, 09 Sep 2019 07:05:15 -0000

This week Joe sits down with former Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson about the Anniversary of 9/11, immigration, 2020 election security and more.

Jeh Johnson was the 4th Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security from December 2013 until January of 2017. Before that he was an Assistant US Attorney in the Southern District of New York. From 1998 until 2001, he was General Counsel of the Air Force and from February 2009 until December 2012 he was General Counsel of the Department of Defense under Secretary Robert Gates.

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Summer Wrap 2019

Thu, 05 Sep 2019 07:05:33 -0000

For those of you who took the summer off from 24/7 news, Katie and Joe will recap the highlights and the lowlights. From Donald Trump to the race for the Democratic nomination, to the battle for the US Senate, we'll catch you up on the latest.

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SPECIAL The Contenders with Walter Mondale

Mon, 02 Sep 2019 07:05:39 -0000

The former Vice President reflects on that and much more.

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Words Matter Library: 56th Anniversary of the March on Washington

Thu, 29 Aug 2019 13:05:12 -0000

It was one of the defining moments of the civil rights movement and one of the most iconic speeches in American history.

56 years ago this week The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, or the March on Washington, was held in the Nation’s Capital on Wednesday, August 28, 1963.

More than 250,000 people turned out to advocate for the civil and economic rights of black Americans. At was here, standing in front of the Lincoln Memorial, that the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his historic "I Have a Dream" speech.

Dr. King considered the words in Declaration of Independence and the Constitution as a “scared obligation” -- he believed that the Founders and their descendants should be held accountable.

For Dr. King and millions of others – America would only become great when this dream was fully realized and this country finally lived up to its founding words.

This week we put Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech into the Words Matter Library

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ICYMI - How Russian Hackers & Trolls Helped Elect a President

Mon, 26 Aug 2019 07:05:00 -0000

In case you missed this important episode -- Katie and Joe sat down with Professor Kathleen Hall Jamison author of Cyberwar: How Russian Hackers and Trolls Helped Elect a President Professor Jamieson is the Elizabeth Ware Packard Professor of Communication at the University of Pennsylvania’s Annenberg School for Communication, the Director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center, and Program Director of the Annenberg Retreat at Sunnylands.

Professor Jamieson details exactly how and why the Russians cyberwar tipped the election in favor of Donald Trump.

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Words Matter Library: Battle for the Marble Palace

Thu, 22 Aug 2019 10:06:50 -0000

Battle for the Marble Palace – Abe Fortas, Earl Warren, Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon and the Forging of the Modern Supreme Court

Author Michael Bobelian is a contributor to Forbes where he writes on the Supreme Court, white collar crime and politics.

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Presidential Historian Douglas Brinkley

Mon, 19 Aug 2019 07:05:40 -0000

Our guest this week is a celebrated historian and the award-winning author, co-author or editor of more than 30 books. Most of these works are focused on American presidents or people we know because of presidents.

Douglas Brinkley is the Katherine Tsanoff Brown Chair in Humanities and Professor of History at Rice University, a CNN Presidential Historian, and a contributing editor at Vanity Fair.

Katie and Joe talk to Professor Brinkley about the power and consequences of a president's words.

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Final Word: Toni Morrison

Thu, 15 Aug 2019 07:05:48 -0000

Last week we lost one of the most influential and celebrated novelists in American literary history Toni Morrison. A novelist, essayist and Princeton Professor, Morrison wrote nine major novels -- all of which earned extensive critical acclaim.

Among dozens of other awards and achievements, she won both a Pulitzer Prize and American Book Award in 1988 for her novel Beloved. And in 1993, Toni Morrison became the first black woman of any nationality to win a Nobel Prize.

The citation for her award in literature declared Morrison to be an author “who in novels characterized by visionary force and poetic import, gives life to an essential aspect of American reality.”

In 2012, Toni Morrison was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama.

In commencement address at Rutgers University in 2011, Toni Morrison encouraged graduates to seek a meaningful life -- something she herself had certainly achieved.

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The Threat of White Nationalist Terrorism

Mon, 12 Aug 2019 15:00:20 -0000

Is the federal government doing enough to fight domestic terrorism? This week we talk to one former senior law enforcement official who says no. For nearly two decades, Daryl Johnson was senior domestic terrorism analyst at the Department of Homeland Security and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. Back in 2009 he wrote a DHS Report on “Rightwing Extremism” that was widely circulated in the law enforcement community and was leaked to the press.

Instead of taking action, Republicans on Capitol Hill attacked his findings.

Johnson explains how and why Donald Trump's election changed the pattern of extreme white nationalists and what can be done about it.

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ICYMI: Shannon Watts "Fight Like a Mother"

Thu, 08 Aug 2019 07:05:20 -0000

Shannon Watts is the author of Fight like a Mother – How a Grassroots Movement took on the Gun Lobby and Why Women will Change the World.

Until December of 2012 Shannon Watts was a stay-at-home mother of five and former communications executive.

The day after the Sandy Hook tragedy, Shannon Watts started a Facebook group with the message that all Americans can and should do more to reduce gun violence.

That online conversation turned into a grassroots movement -- Moms Demand Action which now has a chapter in every state and is part of Everytown for Gun Safety, the largest gun violence prevention organization in the country with nearly 6 million members.

She is also an active board member of Emerge America, one of the leading organizations for recruiting and training women to run for office.

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Can Racism Win in 2020?

Mon, 05 Aug 2019 07:05:02 -0000

Over the last few weeks, Donald Trump has left no doubt that he is a racist. He has also made it clear -- race will be perhaps THE biggest issue in 2020.

The question is: Can racism win?

This week Katie and Joe talk to Keith Boykin. Keith is a CNN political commentator, New York Times best-selling author, and a former White House aide to President Bill Clinton. Keith teaches at the Institute for Research in African-American Studies at Columbia University in New York and previously taught at American University in Washington, D.C. He is a co-founder and first board president of the National Black Justice Coalition.

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Words Matter Library: The Ginsburg Tapes

Thu, 01 Aug 2019 07:05:00 -0000

This week we sit down with Lauren Moxley, the host of The Ginsburg Tapes Podcast -- which chronicles Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s oral arguments before the then all-male United States Supreme Court from 1972 to 1978 —before she became #Notorious RBG.

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The Russia Attack and the FBI with James Baker

Mon, 29 Jul 2019 07:05:59 -0000

Few know more about the origins of the FBI's Russia investigation than our guest this week, former Justice Department and FBI senior official James A. Baker.

From 2014 to 2017 Mr. Baker was general counsel of the FBI and was involved in the initial and some of the most important aspects of the investigation into Russia's attack on the 2016 presidential election.

We talk to Jim Baker about that, Robert Mueller's testimony and if our government is doing enough to ensure that the 2020 election is free from foreign influence.

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Special: ICYMI - Mueller Preview with Jeremy Bash

Tue, 23 Jul 2019 19:39:33 -0000

As Special Counsel Robert Mueller prepares to testify in front of Congress the week, Katie and Joe previewed his testimony with National Security expert Jeremy Bash in last week's episode.

Some things are worth repeating. So in case you missed this important preview, here it is again.

From 2009 to 2011, Jeremy served as Chief of Staff at the CIA under Director Leon Panetta and from 2011-2013 as Chief of Staff at the Department of Defense under then Secretary Panetta.

A graduate of Georgetown and Harvard Law School Jeremy was the policy director for national security issues 2000 Gore-Lieberman Campaign and also served as the Chief Minority Counsel for the House Intelligence Committee under Ranking Member Congresswoman Jane Harman.

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Race and Immigration in Trump's America

Mon, 22 Jul 2019 07:05:24 -0000

Katie and Joe talk to two journalists to go beyond the tweets and find out what's really going on race and immigration in Donald Trump's America.

Eugene Scott covers identity politics for the Washington Post. He joined the Post from CNN Politics, where he covered the 2016 presidential election and was the senior reporter on the website’s breaking news team. He’s a regular on-air contributor, providing analysis on MSNBC, CNN, CBS and NPR. Eugene is a graduate of the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill and Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.

Molly O’Toole is an immigration reporter for the Los Angeles Times based here in Washington. Previously, she was a senior reporter at Foreign Policy covering the 2016 election and Trump administration. Molly has covered immigration and security from Mexico, Central America, West Africa, the Middle East, the Gulf, and South Asia.

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Final Word: Barbara Jordan on Impeachment

Thu, 18 Jul 2019 07:05:00 -0000

Congresswoman Jordan also provided thoughtful and well documented explanations of our system of checks and balances which were designed to stop any politician from abusing their power. She stuck to the facts and the law and noted the seriousness and the solemn duty she and her fellow members were about to undertake. As she quoted extensively from the founders Congresswoman Jordan explained that those who had drafted and ratified the Constitution anticipated actions like Nixon's and had created the check of impeachment to guard against such executive overreach and abuse of office. So this week we give Congresswoman Barbara Jordan the Final Word.

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Mueller Testimony Preview with Jeremy Bash

Mon, 15 Jul 2019 07:05:56 -0000

Special Counsel Robert Mueller is scheduled to testify in front of Congress next week. Katie and Joe preview his testimony with National Security expert Jeremy Bash.

From 2009 to 2011, Jeremy served as Chief of Staff at the CIA under Director Leon Panetta and from 2011-2013 as Chief of Staff at the Department of Defense under then Secretary Panetta.

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Words Matter Library: Four Friends by William D. Cohan

Thu, 11 Jul 2019 07:05:17 -0000

William D. Cohan is a special correspondent for Vanity Fair and is one of the most meticulous and intrepid journalists working today – a truly great reporter covering the intersection between Wall Street and Washington.

Bill has also written for The Financial Times, The New York Times, Bloomberg BusinessWeek, The Atlantic, The Nation, Fortune, and Politico.

In addition, Bill is the author of: The Last Tycoons: The Secret History of Lazard Frères & Co., House of Cards: A Tale of Hubris and Wretched Excess on Wall Street; about the last days of Bear Stearns, Wall Street Money and Power: How Goldman Sachs Came to Rule the World; The Price of Silence: the Duke Lacrosse Scandal; And Why Wall Street Matters.

Bill joins us today to talk his latest book – Four Friends: Promising Lives Cut Short

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The Latest from Trumpistan

Mon, 08 Jul 2019 07:05:49 -0000

This week Katie and Joe review the Trump Family's Excellent Adventure: Part II - Ivanka Trump's prominent role at the G20 and the photo-op diplomacy in North Korea. They also discuss how Donald Trump tried to turn a national celebration into a celebration of himself.

And last week Gold Star parent Khzir Khan welcomed new citizens to this country as he delivered the keynote address in Charlottesville Virginia at Monticello’s annual Independence Day Celebration and Naturalization Ceremony. Khan and his wife Ghazala moved to the United States in 1980 and became citizens six years later, in 2004. Their son U.S. Army Captain Humayun Khan was killed while serving in Iraq. This week we give proud American and Gold Star parent Khzir Khan the Final Word.

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SPECIAL The Declaration of Independence - Read by John F. Kennedy

Thu, 04 Jul 2019 07:05:12 -0000

It is often forgotten that the Declaration itself was meant to be spoken.

In 2004 the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library released a previously unknown 1957 recording of then-Senator Kennedy reading the Declaration of Independence in New York on July 4th.

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SPECIAL Democratic Debate Wrap-up

Tue, 02 Jul 2019 21:56:18 -0000

Last week the Democrats held their first debates in Miami -- 20 candidates over 2 nights. Now that the dust has settled a bit Katie gets Joe's take on what happened and what – if anything has changed in the race for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination as a result.

Katie and Joe go through the candidates and talk about who broke out and which ones aren't going anywhere.

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Cindi Leive - Former Editor in Chief, Glamour

Mon, 01 Jul 2019 07:05:20 -0000

Cindi is the author and editor of numerous books including the 2018 New York Times bestseller Together We Rise, about the organizing of the Women's March.

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SPECIAL: Democratic Debate Preview

Wed, 26 Jun 2019 07:05:10 -0000

Welcome to a Special Edition of Words Matter – Joe previews the first Democratic debates held this week on MSNBC in Miami. 20 candidates, 5 moderators, 4 hours total.

The Moderators will be Lester Holt, Savannah Guthrie, Chuck Todd, Rachel Maddow and José Díaz-Balart.

The first group of 10 appearing on Wednesday:

· Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey

· Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts

· Former Rep. Beto O'Rourke of Texas

· Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota

· Former Rep. John Delaney of Maryland

· Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii

· Former Housing Secretary Julián Castro

· Rep. Tim Ryan of Ohio

· New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio

· Washington Gov. Jay Inslee

The second group of 10 appearing on Thursday:

· Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont

· Sen. Kamala Harris of California

· Former Vice President Joe Biden

· Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Indiana

· Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado

· Author Marianne Williamson

· Rep. Eric Swalwell of California

· Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York

· Entrepreneur Andrew Yang

· Gov. John Hickenlooper of Colorado.

To qualify, candidates had to receive more than 65,000 individual donations — including from 200 unique donors per state in at least 20 states — or at least 1 percent in three polls approved by the Democratic National Committee. More than a dozen candidates crossed both thresholds, with at least 20 hitting at least one of them.

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Peter Baker - New York Times Chief White House Correspondent

Mon, 24 Jun 2019 07:05:57 -0000

This week Katie and Joe sit down with award winning author and the Chief White House Correspondent for the New York Times, Peter Baker.

Peter has covered 4 presidents as a reporter – Presidents Trump and Obama for the New York Times and George W. Bush and Bill Clinton with the Washington Post.

He is also the author of 5 books including Obama: The Call of History, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House and Inside the Impeachment and Trial of William Jefferson Clinton

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SPECIAL: The Legacy of Sarah Sanders

Thu, 20 Jun 2019 07:05:00 -0000

Katie and Joe discuss the legacy of outgoing White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders. Joe explains how damaging Sanders decision to end the White House press briefings has been and what is needed from the next Press Secretary to repair that damage.

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The Changing Media Landscape - Margaret Sullivan

Mon, 17 Jun 2019 07:05:38 -0000

Would Congressional impeachment hearings have the same impact as they did during Watergate? Washington Post media critic Margaret Sullivan talks to Katie and Joe about how the media landscape has changed and how it is far more difficult to have an impact with voters and the American people.

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Words Matter Library: Shannon Watts

Thu, 13 Jun 2019 08:05:50 -0000

Shannon Watts is the author of Fight like a Mother – How a Grassroots Movement took on the Gun Lobby and Why Women will Change the World.

Until December of 2012 Shannon Watts was a stay-at-home mother of five and former communications executive.

The day after the Sandy Hook tragedy, Shannon Watts started a Facebook group with the message that all Americans can and should do more to reduce gun violence.

She is also an active board member of Emerge America, one of the leading organizations for recruiting and training women to run for office.

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Trump Family's Excellent Adventure 2019 World Tour

Mon, 10 Jun 2019 07:05:18 -0000

This week we talk to Joe about the Trump Family's Excellent Adventure 2019 Taxpayer Funded World Tour. It started Memorial Day weekend in Japan. There was a brief stop back home to threaten Mexico. Then off to Europe to offend the British over to Ireland to make a few bucks. And then it was on to France to use one of the U.S. military's most hallowed burial grounds as a prop and a backdrop for a Fox News interview.

Joe will explain what happened and why it matters.

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Special Final Word: 75th Anniversary of D-Day

Wed, 05 Jun 2019 07:05:18 -0000

75 years ago this week -- on June 6, 1944 soldiers, sailors, and airmen of the Allied Expeditionary Force undertook the largest amphibious invasion in military history.

More than 150,000 U.S., British and Canadian troops, landed on the heavily fortified beaches of Normandy to liberate France and the Continent from 4 years of brutal Nazi Occupation.

As the operation began, Armed Forces Radio broadcast a message to the troops from the Supreme Allied Commander and future President, General Dwight D. Eisenhower.

General Eisenhower knew that many under his command would not survive the landing – and more than 4,000 people were lost that day.

But as he sent his troops into battle, General Eisenhower expressed confidence in their courage – and told them that the righteousness of their great and noble cause would eventually lead to victory over the forces of fascism, tyranny and oppression.

So to commemorate the 75th anniversary of D-Day we give Supreme Allied Commander, General Dwight D. Eisenhower the final word.

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Cyberwar - How Russian Hackers & Trolls Helped Elect a President

Mon, 03 Jun 2019 07:05:20 -0000

When Special Counsel Robert Mueller spoke after his nearly two year investigation, he mentioned the Russia attack on our electoral system to start and end his remarks. Katie and Joe sit down with Professor Kathleen Hall Jamison author of Cyberwar: How Russian Hackers and Trolls Helped Elect a President Professor Jamieson is the Elizabeth Ware Packard Professor of Communication at the University of Pennsylvania’s Annenberg School for Communication, the Director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center, and Program Director of the Annenberg Retreat at Sunnylands.

Professor Jamieson details exactly how and why the Russians cyberwar tipped the election in favor of Donald Trump.

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Special Preview: Cyberwar - Russian Hackers & the 2016 Election

Wed, 29 May 2019 21:54:14 -0000

Bob Mueller speaks -- Katie and Joe sit down with Professor Kathleen Hall Jamison author of Cyberwar: How Russian Hackers and Trolls Helped Elect a President Professor Jamieson is the Elizabeth Ware Packard Professor of Communication at the University of Pennsylvania’s Annenberg School for Communication, the Director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center, and Program Director of the Annenberg Retreat at Sunnylands. Professor Jamieson explains how and why the Russians tipped the election in favor of Donald Trump.

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Contempt of Congress (with Anne Milgram)

Mon, 27 May 2019 07:05:11 -0000

Donald Trump is 0-2 in his battle to stonewall Congress. Anne Milgram joins Joe and Katie to explain why it might get a whole lot worse for the Trump Administration. Anne began her career as an assistant district attorney in the legendary Manhattan District Attorney’s office. In 2001, she went to work in the criminal section of the United States Department of Justice's civil rights division, where she rose to become the lead federal prosecutor in the nation for human trafficking crimes.

During her time at DOJ, Anne was awarded the Department of Justice Special Commendation for Outstanding Service and the Director’s Award.

From 2007 to 2010 Anne served as the 57th Attorney General of New Jersey from 2007 to 2010

She currently serves as a law professor and distinguished scholar in residence at New York University School of Law and is the co-host of the CAFE Insider podcast with Preet Bharara.

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Special Final Word: 65th Anniversary of Brown vs. Board of Education

Thu, 23 May 2019 07:05:27 -0000

Last week was the 65th Anniversary of the Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education. This week the final word goes to the woman behind the case. Linda Brown was in the third grade when her father Oliver tried to enroll her in Sumner Elementary School in Topeka Kansas. Oliver and his daughter Linda were denied admission to the school that day. The year was 1950. Sumner was an all-white school. And Linda attended the school for black children across town. Separate but equal ruled the day in America. The moment Linda was turned away, it started a series of events that toppled the idea of separate but equal and led her all the way to the steps of the Supreme Court of the United States. Linda's father was the named plaintiff in the landmark case Brown v. Board of Education.

This week, we give education pioneer and civil rights icon Linda Brown, the final word.

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How Dangerous is Donald Trump? (with Tony Schwartz)

Mon, 20 May 2019 07:05:26 -0000

He is the REAL author of The Art of the Deal -- Tony Schwartz joins Joe for an in-depth interview about how dangerous Tony thinks Donald Trump is as Commander-n-Chief. And Tony tells Joe the one thing he thinks Trump may leave the White House to avoid.

And don't miss Joe's Shadow White House Briefing weekdays on Twitter until @PressSec decides to brief the White House Press Corps.

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Shadow White House Press Briefing

Thu, 16 May 2019 07:05:11 -0000

It has been more than two months since White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders has briefed the White House Press Corps. But journalists and the American have questions and those questions need to be answered. . . .and so former White House Press Secretary Joe Lockhart is stepping up. Joe explain why he will be hosting a daily Shadow White House Press Briefing and how you can ask him questions on Twitter.

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BONUS: Shadow White House Briefing (Preview)

Wed, 15 May 2019 03:34:04 -0000

Full Episode Available tomorrow

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Asymmetrical Constitutional Warfare (with Ron Klain)

Mon, 13 May 2019 07:05:59 -0000

This week, Joe talks to Washington wiseman Ron Klain about the Trump Administration and their Republican allies on Capitol Hill are now waging asymmetrical constitutional warfare.

Ron is a distinguished attorney and policy maker who began his career as a Supreme Court clerk for Justice Bryon White. Ron has served in senior positions at the White House, the Department of Justice and on Capitol Hill. He is a veteran of 7 – yes SEVEN presidential campaigns. And in October 2014, he was appointed by President Obama to serve as the United States Ebola response coordinator.

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SPECIAL: A Nation in (Constitutional) Crisis

Thu, 09 May 2019 19:02:09 -0000

This week, Speaker Nancy Pelosi said what many have thought for weeks, months and even years: the United States government is in a constitutional crisis.

Former federal prosecutor Mimi Rocah explains to Joe exactly why.

Mimi is Pace Law's Distinguished Fellow in Criminal Justice and a Legal Analyst for MSNBC and NBC News. From February 2001 until October 2017, Mimi was an Assistant United States Attorney in the Southern District of New York. As an AUSA, Mimi successfully prosecuted and tried numerous cases including several high-profile Organized Crime cases. During her career in SDNY, Mimi held a number of leadership positions including, Chief of the Organized Crime and Racketeering Unit, as well as Chief of the General Crimes and Narcotics Units for the SDNY.

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Preview: Mimi Rocah-Constitutional Crisis

Thu, 09 May 2019 03:26:24 -0000

Joe interviews Mimi Rocah and they discuss whether or not we have reached the point of a Constitutional Crisis. The full interview drops on Thursday.

Mimi Rocah is Pace Law's Distinguished Fellow in Criminal Justice and a Legal Analyst for MSNBC and NBC News. From February 2001 until October 2017, Mimi was an Assistant United States Attorney in the Southern District of New York. As an AUSA, Mimi successfully prosecuted and tried numerous cases including several high-profile Organized Crime cases. During her career in SDNY, Mimi held a number of leadership positions including, Chief of the Organized Crime and Racketeering Unit, as well as Chief of the General Crimes and Narcotics Units for the SDNY.

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Mark Leibovich

Mon, 06 May 2019 07:05:25 -0000

Katie and Joe talk with award winning journalist and best-selling author, Mark Leibovich about Washington in the Age of Trump, Impeachment and the NFL. Mark is the chief national correspondent for The New York Times Magazine. Among other books, Mark is the author of the blockbuster best seller This Town Two Parties and a Funeral-Plus, Plenty of Valet Parking!-in America's Gilded Capital as well as Big Game: The NFL in Dangerous Times.

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Words Matter Library: Max Boot - Why I Left the Right

Thu, 02 May 2019 07:00:23 -0000

This week we put The Corrosion of Conservatism: Why I Left the Right, by Max Boot into the Words Matter Library. Washington Post Columnist Max Boot details his ideological journey from a “movement” conservative to a man without a party, beginning with his political coming-of-age as a young émigré from the Soviet Union, enthralled with the National Review and the conservative intellectual tradition of Russell Kirk and F. A. Hayek. Against this personal odyssey, Max simultaneously traces the evolution of modern American conservatism, jump-started by Barry Goldwater’s canonical The Conscience of a Conservative, to the rise of Trumpism and its gradual corrosion of what was once the Republican Party.

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The Post Mueller Landscape

Mon, 29 Apr 2019 07:05:05 -0000

Katie and Joe discuss the Biden roll-out, the Great Impeachment Debate, Sarah Sanders and 28 years later we give Anita Hill the final word.

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SPECIAL: The Great Impeachment Debate - Round 1

Fri, 26 Apr 2019 07:01:35 -0000

To impeach or not to impeach -- that is the question. This week our own Joe Lockhart had a op-ed column published in The New York Times under the headline: “There’s a Prize Bigger than Impeachment” -- that followed a Times column back in March by our friend Philippe Reines co-Host of the new podcast Unredacted with Emily Brandwin and Molly Jong Fast, entitled -- “Why Impeaching Trump is ‘Worth It’”. Philippe's argument was the exact opposite of Joe's.

So, they decided to debate the issue face to face on Words Matter. Katie moderates Round 1 of the Great Impeachment Debate.

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Final Word: Columbine 20 Years Later

Thu, 25 Apr 2019 00:13:34 -0000

The shooting at Columbine High School in Colorado happened 20 years ago this week. Katie gives a special Final Word to Laura Hall and Sarah Bush -- sisters who survived the shooting and last week ran the Boston Marathon together.

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The (Redacted) Mueller Report -- Now What?

Mon, 22 Apr 2019 07:00:18 -0000

Katie and Joe sit down with Carrie Cordero and Elie Hoenig. Carrie is the Robert M. Gates Senior Fellow and General Counsel at the Center for a New American Security. She is also an adjunct professor of law at Georgetown University Law Center, a CNN legal analyst, and a contributing editor of Lawfare. Carrie has served in numerous senior positions at the Department of Justice and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. Her research and writing focus on intelligence community oversight, transparency, surveillance, cybersecurity and related national security law and policy issues.

Elie is a former state and federal prosecutor with extensive experience leading and managing criminal trials and appeals. In his work in the state of New Jersey. And as a federal prosecutor in the Southern District of New York. Elie has directed major criminal cases against street gangs drug trafficking organizations illegal firearms traffickers corrupt public officials child predators and white collar criminals. He also serves as executive director of the Rutgers Institute for Secure Communities at Rutgers University. And in his spare time Elie is a CNN legal analyst where he just launched Cross-Exam a new weekly column.

Carrie and Ellie explain what the Mueller Report really says, what it means and what happens next.

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SPECIAL: How to Read the (Redacted) Mueller Report

Tue, 16 Apr 2019 06:00:15 -0000

With the (redacted) Mueller Report set to be released on Thursday morning, Katie and Joe are joined by Matthew Miller for a reader's guide. Matt has worked at the highest levels of government and politics including service as the Director of the Office of Public Affairs for the Department of Justice, leading the Department’s communications team and serving as Attorney General Eric Holder’s spokesman.

Prior to his service at DOJ, Matthew worked in leadership positions in both the U.S. House and Senate, as well as the 2004 presidential campaign for then-Senator John Kerry.

He is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, an MSNBC contributor and has written for the Washington Post, Time Magazine, Politico and others.

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Margaret Sullivan

Mon, 15 Apr 2019 07:00:56 -0000

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Words Matter Library: Zucked by Roger McNamee

Fri, 12 Apr 2019 06:26:02 -0000

The New York Times bestseller about a noted tech venture capitalist, early mentor to Mark Zuckerberg, and Facebook investor, who wakes up to the serious damage Facebook is doing to our society – and sets out to try to stop it.

This week we add ZUCKED by Roger McNamee to the Words Matter Library. It’s a story that begins with a series of rude awakenings. First there is the author’s dawning realization that the platform is being manipulated by some very bad actors. Then there is the even more unsettling realization that Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg are unable or unwilling to share his concerns, polite as they may be to his face.

And then comes the election of Donald Trump, and the emergence of one horrific piece of news after another about the malign ends to which the Facebook platform has been put. To McNamee’s shock, even still Facebook’s leaders duck and dissemble, viewing the matter as a public relations problem. Now thoroughly alienated, McNamee digs into the issue, and fortuitously meets up with some fellow travelers who share his concern, and help him sharpen its focus. Soon he and a dream team of Silicon Valley technologists are charging into the fray, to raise consciousness about the existential threat of Facebook, and the persuasion architecture of the attention economy more broadly — to our public health and to our political order.

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Welcome Joe Lockhart

Mon, 08 Apr 2019 07:24:26 -0000

Katie officially welcomes Joe as the new co-Host of Words Matter. This week Katie and Joe discuss the politics of the Mueller Report, Trump's tax returns and Joe Biden's bad week. And Katie pays tribute to the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on the 51st anniversary of his poignant and iconic "Mountain Top" Speech -- this week Dr. King, has the final word.

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Words Matter Library: 'Madam Speaker - Nancy Pelosi’s Life, Times and Rise to Power'

Thu, 04 Apr 2019 14:44:49 -0000

As Nancy Pelosi retakes the Speaker’s gavel and the leadership of the Democratic opposition to Donald Trump, we add “Madam Speaker - Nancy Pelosi’s Life, Times and Rise to Power” to the Words Matter Audible Library. Everything Nancy Pelosi has ever done, she has done extremely well. Listen to the life story of this historic leader -- the only woman and perhaps most influential and greatest House Speaker in American History.

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Nina Totenberg -- Legendary Supreme Court Journalist

Mon, 01 Apr 2019 06:30:42 -0000

Katie welcomes her friend Nina Totenberg to Words Matter. Nina is NPR's award winning and legendary legal affairs correspondent. Her coverage of the Supreme Court and legal and political affairs has won her widespread recognition. Newsweek calls her "the creme de la creme of NPR" and Vanity Fair calls her "Queen of the Leaks." She's not a lawyer but any lawyer in Washington will tell you she knows more about the law than they do.

From more than 30 years, Nina Totenberg has broken some of the biggest stories in some of the most important and consequential events in the history of Supreme Court nominations. Listen to Nina talk with Katie about the Brett Kavanaugh hearings, the Mueller Report and executive privilege and her special friendship with the Terminator -- former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

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Words Matter Library: Daniel Patrick Moynihan - A Portrait in Letters

Sat, 30 Mar 2019 15:06:00 -0000

This week we are honored to add Daniel Patrick Moynihan: A Portrait in Letters of an American Visionary to the Words Matter Audible Library. In this important book, distinguished journalist Steven Weisman compiles a vivid portrait of Moynihan’s life, in the senator’s own words. Moynihan's letters offer an extraordinary window into particular moments in history, from his feelings of loss at JFK’s assassination, to his passionate pleas to Nixon not to make Vietnam a Nixon war, to his frustrations over healthcare and welfare reform during the Clinton era.

Check out this title on Audible, because Words Matter.

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Final Word - Linda Brown

Thu, 28 Mar 2019 06:30:08 -0000

Linda Brown was in the third grade when her father Oliver tried to enroll her in Sumner Elementary School in Topeka Kansas. Oliver and his daughter Linda were denied admission to the school that day. The year was 1950. Sumner was an all-white school. And Linda attended the school for black children across town. Separate but equal ruled the day in America. The moment Linda was turned away, it started a series of events that toppled the idea of separate but equal and led her all the way to the steps of the Supreme Court of the United States. Linda's father was the named plaintiff in the landmark case Brown v. Board of Education.

This week, we give education pioneer and civil rights icon Linda Brown, the final word.

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What Happens Next?

Mon, 25 Mar 2019 07:00:47 -0000

With the Mueller Investigation over and his report delivered to the Attorney General, the battle moves to Capitol Hill. Katie and guest host Joe Lockhart talk with former state and federal prosecutor Elie Honig. As a federal prosecutor in the Southern District of New York, Elie directed major criminal cases against organized crime, street gangs, drug traffickers, corrupt public officials, child predators and white collar criminals. Elie is the executive director of the Rutgers Institute for Secure Communities at Rutgers University. And in his spare time Elie is a CNN legal analyst where he just launched "Cross-Exam" a new weekly column.

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Words Matter Library: We Say #NeverAgain

Fri, 22 Mar 2019 07:30:10 -0000

This week we put We Say #NeverAgain into the Words Matter Audible Library. This is a moving journalistic account of shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland and the fight for gun control - as told by the student reporters themselves. Read by Melissa Falkowski, Eric Garner, and the Parkland Student Journalists, this important book showcases how the teens told their own story. Listen as students share specific insight into what it has been like being approached by the press and how that has informed the way they interview their own subjects.

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Meet Joe Lockhart

Mon, 18 Mar 2019 06:00:32 -0000

Last week we talked to Former White Press Secretary Joe Lockhart about the news of the day how the Mueller investigation operates differently than the Starr investigation operated and how the White House in crisis battles with a hostile Congress and communicates with the press and the American people.

Our listeners wanted to hear more -- so we invited him back.

Joe served as the 19th White House Press Secretary under President Bill Clinton from 1998-2000. In 1999, Joe became the only White House Press Secretary in American history to serve during the Senate Impeachment Trial of a US President. Later Joe co-founded the Glover Park Group and went on to serve as Senior Vice President of the National Football League. Joe is currently a CNN political analyst and Vice Chairman of Edelman Public Relations.

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Special Final Word - Charlayne Hunter-Gault

Wed, 13 Mar 2019 23:08:41 -0000

The month of March is international women's history month and we recently celebrated International Women's Day. Black history month just ended in February -- and so in honor of both, Katie will be highlighting some outstanding women in this space. This week...Charlayne Hunter-Gault is an Emmy award winning investigative journalist and recipient of 2 Peabody Awards. But before any of that, she was the first black woman to attend the University of Georgia in the segregated South in 1961. Charlayne Hunter-Gault graduated with a degree in journalism in 1963. She went on to work for the New York Times ,The NewsHour With Jim Lehrer and worked as NPR's chief correspondent in Africa for many years. She's also an author. She wrote in my place a memoir about her experiences at the University of Georgia. Charlayne Hunter-Gault is a pioneer and paved the way for many women in journalism and education.

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Former White House Press Secretary Joe Lockhart

Mon, 11 Mar 2019 06:00:57 -0000

Joe Lockhart served as the 19th White House Press Secretary under President Bill Clinton from 1998-2000. In 1999, Joe became the only White House Press Secretary in American history to serve during the Senate Impeachment Trial of a US President. Later Joe co-founded the Glover Park Group and went on to serve as Senior Vice President of the National Football League. Joe is currently a CNN political analyst and Vice Chairman of Edelman Public Relations.

We talk to Joe about his recent CNN appearance with former Independent Counsel Ken Starr and how far he thinks Donald Trump is on the path toward Impeachment.

And Katie has a Final Word on legendary journalist and civil rights pioneer Charlayne Hunter-Gault.

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Words Matter Library: Power Wars by Charlie Savage

Fri, 08 Mar 2019 00:43:00 -0000

This week we put Power Wars, by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and Washington correspondent for The New York Times, Charlie Savage into the Words Matter Audible Library.

First published in 2015, Power Wars is an investigative history of national-security legal policymaking in the Obama administration. Charlie is also the author of Takeover, published in 2007, which chronicles the Bush-Cheney administration’s efforts to expand presidential power.

Charlie has been covering post-9/11 issues — including national security, individual rights and the rule of law — since 2003, when he was a reporter for The Miami Herald. Later that year, he joined the Washington bureau of The Boston Globe; he moved to the Washington bureau of The New York Times in 2008. He has also co-taught a seminar on national security and the Constitution at Georgetown University.

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Charlie Savage of the New York Times

Mon, 04 Mar 2019 06:00:28 -0000

The Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Charlie Savage is a Washington correspondent for The New York Times. He is also the author of “Power Wars,” published in 2015, an investigative history of national-security legal policymaking in the Obama administration, and “Takeover,” published in 2007, which chronicles the Bush-Cheney administration’s efforts to expand presidential power.

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Meet Katie Barlow

Wed, 27 Feb 2019 21:06:03 -0000

Katie Barlow is the Host of Words Matter. She is a lawyer and the Founder and Editor of DC Circuit Breaker which provides news and analysis on the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. As a journalist, Katie has covered Capitol Hill with WTOP, including Justice Elena Kagan’s confirmation hearing, as well as the Supreme Court with NPR’s Nina Totenberg. As a lawyer, her practice includes civil litigation and white-collar defense with a focus on the Anti-Terrorism Act. She received dual degrees in political science and broadcast journalism from the University of Georgia and a J.D. from Georgetown Law. Katie is a longtime lover of Washington, DC. If she is not solo traveling around the globe, you can often find her running down the mall with her 90-pound black standard poodle, Beau.

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Vanity Fair's William D. Cohan

Mon, 25 Feb 2019 06:00:26 -0000

This week, new host Katie Barlow interviews Vanity Fair special correspondent William D. Cohan as her first episode of Words Matter. Bill is former senior Wall Street M&A investment banker for 17 years and is the New York Times bestselling author of three non-fiction narratives about Wall Street. His latest book Why Wall Street Matters is a must read for anyone trying to understand the political and policy issues at stake in the 2020 elections. Bill also writes for The Financial Times, The New York Times, Bloomberg BusinessWeek, The Atlantic, The Nation, Fortune, and Politico.

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Words Matter Library: "Why Wall Street Matters" by William D. Cohan

Fri, 22 Feb 2019 06:30:35 -0000

This week we add Why Wall Street Matters By William D. Cohan to the Words Matter Library Bill is former senior Wall Street M&A investment banker for 17 years and is the New York Times bestselling author of three non-fiction narratives about Wall Street. Bill is also a special correspondent at Vanity Fair. He also writes for The Financial Times, The New York Times, Bloomberg BusinessWeek, The Atlantic, The Nation, Fortune, and Politico.

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The Show Goes On - Max Boot Interview

Mon, 18 Feb 2019 05:05:00 -0000

Washington Post Columnist Max Boot is the Jeane J. Kirkpatrick Senior Fellow in National Security Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations and a Global Affairs Analyst for CNN. In his latest book, The Corrosion of Conservatism: Why I Left the Right, Max details his ideological journey from a “movement” conservative to a man without a party, beginning with his political coming-of-age as a young émigré from the Soviet Union, enthralled with the National Review and the conservative intellectual tradition of Russell Kirk and F. A. Hayek. Against this personal odyssey, Boot simultaneously traces the evolution of modern American conservatism, jump-started by Barry Goldwater’s canonical The Conscience of a Conservative, to the rise of Trumpism and its gradual corrosion of what was once the Republican Party.

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Steve's Final Episode

Sun, 10 Feb 2019 21:55:01 -0000

Steve sits down with Elise and Adam in his first podcast interview since Howard Schultz announced on 60 Minutes that he was "seriously considering" an independent bid for President of the United States. In 2019, a billionaire thinking about running for president is a topic of great consequence. As Steve himself has reminded us again and again over the last two years, these are extraordinarily dangerous times, and the very future of our republic may hang in the balance. We believe that at this pivotal moment in our history, words do have power and they do have consequences. Don't miss Steve's final appearance on the podcast.

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April Ryan - "Under Fire: Reporting from the Front Lines of the Trump White House"

Mon, 04 Feb 2019 07:00:26 -0000

April Ryan is an award winning journalist, veteran White House Correspondent, and best selling author. And by reporting from inside the Trump White House, she’s come under fire -- just for doing her job . We talk to April about what it was like to cover the White House under Presidents Clinton, Bush, Obama - and now how and why she’s come under attack by Donald Trump and his press office.

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Words Matter Library - "Under Fire: Reporting from the Front Lines of the Trump White House" by April Ryan

Fri, 01 Feb 2019 08:00:29 -0000

The Words Audible Matter Library goes to Washington to interview Award winning journalist, best-selling author, and veteran White House Correspondent April Ryan on her new book “Under Fire: Reporting from the Front Lines of the Trump White House.”

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Shutdown Fallout

Mon, 28 Jan 2019 07:00:26 -0000

The 35-day federal government shutdown may be over - for now - but the long terms effects will be felt by hard working Americans for months and perhaps years to come. $200 million in spending per week was lost not only by federal workers, but contractors and the people working in businesses that count on those dollars to survive. Elise and Steve discuss the political fallout from Donald Trump’s PR stunt gone horribly wrong.

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Words Matter Library Special State the Union Edition

Fri, 25 Jan 2019 07:16:14 -0000

On what should be the eve of Donald Trump's second State of the Union address, we add Franklin D. Roosevelt’s 1941 “Four Freedoms” speech and Ronald Reagan’s Challenger Disaster speech to the Words Matter Audible Library. Through Audible you can go back and listen to the full address and absorb and appreciate the history of what real presidential leadership sounds like.

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Trumpistan in Chaos

Mon, 21 Jan 2019 07:00:42 -0000

The longest government shutdown in US history continues as Donald Trump and Senate Republicans continue to hold the paychecks of more than 800,000 Americans hostage in exchange for an unnecessary and ineffective border wall. Elise and Steve discuss the politics of the latest Trump created crisis - as well as how the 2020 Democratic field is shaping up.

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Words Matter Library: 'A Letter from Birmingham Jail' & 'Where do we go from Here?' By Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Fri, 18 Jan 2019 07:45:30 -0000

This week, to honor legacy of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr we proudly put “A Letter from Birmingham Jail” and “Where Do We Go from Here?” into the Words Matter Audible Library. There is perhaps no leader or public figure who symbolizes the power and importance of words better than Dr. King. Both of these Audible titles are historical treasures which are all too relevant today.

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Professor Eddie Glaude, Jr. on Race in America

Mon, 14 Jan 2019 06:30:58 -0000

Professor Eddie Glaude Jr. argues in his groundbreaking book Democracy in Black that we live in a country founded on a “value gap”—with white lives valued more than others—that still distorts our politics today. Whether discussing why all Americans have racial habits that reinforce inequality, why black politics based on the civil-rights era have reached a dead end, or why only remaking democracy from the ground up can bring real change, Professor Glaude crystallizes the untenable position of black America--and offers thoughts on a better way forward. Forceful in ideas and unsettling in its candor, Democracy in Black is a landmark book on race in America.

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Words Matter Library: 'Democracy in Black' by Professor Eddie Glaude, Jr.

Fri, 11 Jan 2019 04:34:18 -0000

We are proud to put "Democracy in Black" by Professor Eddie S. Glaude Jr. into the Words Matter Audible Library. Part manifesto, part history, part memoir, Professor Glaude argues that we live in a country founded on a “value gap”—with white lives valued more than others—that still distorts our politics today. Whether discussing why all Americans have racial habits that reinforce inequality, why black politics based on the civil-rights era have reached a dead end, or why only remaking democracy from the ground up can bring real change, Professor Glaude crystallizes the untenable position of black America--and offers thoughts on a better way forward. Forceful in ideas and unsettling in its candor, "Democracy In Black" is a landmark book on race in America.

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Welcome to 2019!

Tue, 08 Jan 2019 10:00:56 -0000

Welcome to Season 2 of Words Matter. The federal government is still shutdown, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is the only adult in the room and the race for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination is off to a fast start. Steve Schmidt gives his take and explains what it all means.

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Words Matter Library: 'Madam Speaker - Nancy Pelosi’s Life, Times and Rise to Power'

Fri, 04 Jan 2019 20:12:57 -0000

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2018 Words Matter Library Review

Mon, 31 Dec 2018 07:00:54 -0000

As our first season comes to a close, we review the titles put into the Words Matter Audible Library in 2018. From Steve Kornacki’s “The Red and the Blue”, to “Profiles in Courage” to “Columbine” to “Tailspin” by Steven Brill - we go through the books we selected and why they are important to the public discourse in the Age of Trump.

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Words Matter Library: "Profiles in Courage" by John F. Kennedy

Fri, 28 Dec 2018 06:00:18 -0000

In this addition of the Words Matter Library brought to you by Audible we add this Pulitzer Prize winning book by President John F. Kennedy. Profiles in Courage chronicles acts of bravery and integrity by 8 United States Senators. Caroline Kennedy and John F. Kennedy Jr. narrate the story of leaders who defied their party and their constituents to do what they felt was right and as a result suffered severe criticism and significant losses.

Get this title free along with your 30-day free trial of Audible when you go to

audible.com/wordsmatter

Audible - because Words Matte

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Roger Ailes & Trump State TV - an interview with Gabe Sherman

Mon, 24 Dec 2018 06:00:42 -0000

Would Nixon have survived if Fox News was around in 1974? Author of the “Loudest Voice in the Room,” Gabe Sherman explains how the GOP propaganda network was forged in the aftermath of Watergate - and how it’s now prepared to protect Donald Trump against all enemies- real and imagined.

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Words Matter Library: 'The Loudest Voice in the Room' by Gabriel Sherman

Fri, 21 Dec 2018 06:35:14 -0000

This week we add Gabriel Sherman’s “Loudest Voice in the Room” to the Words Matter Audible Library. This astonishing inside story of Fox News, details how Roger Ailes created the most powerful media and political business in the world and divided a country in the process.

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'Swamp Chronicles' - by Adam Davidson of the New Yorker.

Mon, 17 Dec 2018 07:30:00 -0000

In his “Swamp Chronicles” series for the New Yorker, Adam Davidson follows the money of Donald Trump, his family, his Administration, and his business associates. From Azerbaijan to Scotland to Florida - Adam explains how the Trump Organization looks more like a money laundering scam than a legitimate business operation.

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Words Matter Library: 'TrumpNation - The Art of Being Donald Trump' by Tim O’Brien

Fri, 14 Dec 2018 04:43:29 -0000

This week we add “TrumpNation the Art of Being Donald Trump” to the Words Matter Audible Library. Find out why this comprehensive and definitive biography Donald Trump sued author Tim O’Brien for $5 billion. (Spoiler alert: Trump lost.) Get this must listen title from Audible - now!

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Remembering 41

Mon, 10 Dec 2018 06:49:54 -0000

George H. W. Bush was a man of honor, courage, integrity and kindness. The last of the "greatest generation" to serve as Commander-in-Chief, the 41st President of the United States will be remembered for many things -- not the least of which is his humanity. Few "great" people are also "good" people, George H. W. Bush was both -- and he will be missed.

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Words Matter Library: '41 - A Portrait of My Father' By George W. Bush

Fri, 07 Dec 2018 08:53:29 -0000

This week we are proud to add “41 - A Portrait of My Father” by George W. Bush to the Words Matter Audible Library. This important and moving presidential biography by a presidential son is a must read to understand the both the 41st and the 43rd Presidents.

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Mississippi Smoldering

Mon, 03 Dec 2018 16:18:47 -0000

In a knockdown, drag out, exceptionally nasty runoff election for a US Senate seat - Democrats in Mississippi came much closer than anyone expected. Elise talks about the brutal campaign and the changing politics of her home state.

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Words Matter Library – 'Tailspin: The People and Forces Behind America's Fifty-year fall--and Those Fighting to Reverse It' by Steven Brill

Sat, 01 Dec 2018 21:33:52 -0000

This week we add “Tailspin: The People and Forces Behind America's Fifty-year fall--and Those Fighting to Reverse It” to the Audible Words Matter Library. The latest book by award-winning journalist and best-selling author Steven Brill is a brilliant analysis of how and why major American institutions no longer serve us -- causing a deep rift between a vulnerable majority and the protected few. And at the same time, Mr. Brill gives us hope by explaining how some individuals and organizations are laying the foundation for real, lasting change.

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'How to Get Rid of a President' - An Interview with author and former CIA officer David Priess

Mon, 26 Nov 2018 06:00:22 -0000

David Priess is a former CIA officer and presidential briefer, his new book “How to Get Rid of a President” tells the history of the political dark arts in action. In the nation's highest office we see election dramas, impeachments, assassinations, natural death in office, mixed with party intrigue, personal betrayal, and backroom deal making. David explains how presidents can be sidelined without being removed from office. An essential Audible title for any political junkie in the Age of Trump.

Audible -- because Words Matter

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Words Matter Library: ‘How to Get Rid of a President' by David Priess

Fri, 23 Nov 2018 14:46:09 -0000

This week we add "How to Get Rid of a President" by David Priess to the Audible Words Matter Library. A former CIA officer and presidential briefer, Priess tells the history of the political dark arts in action. In the nation's highest office we see election dramas, impeachments, assassinations, natural death in office, mixed with party intrigue, personal betrayal, and backroom deal making. An essential Audible title for any political junkie in the Age of Trump.

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LBJ and Reagan - An interview with Jonathan Darman author of 'Landslide'

Mon, 19 Nov 2018 06:30:12 -0000

This week we added "Landslide" by Jonathan Darman to the Audible Words Matter Library. In this riveting work of narrative nonfiction, Jonathan tells the story of two giants of American politics, Lyndon Johnson and Ronald Reagan, and shows how, from 1963 to 1966, these two men—the same age, and driven by the same heroic ambitions—changed American politics forever. This engaging title is a MUST Listen.

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Words Matter Library: 'Landslide' by Jonathan Darman

Fri, 16 Nov 2018 20:13:34 -0000

This week we add "Landslide" by Jonathan Darman to the Audible Words Matter Library. In this riveting work of narrative nonfiction, Jonathan tells the story of two giants of American politics, Lyndon Johnson and Ronald Reagan, and shows how, from 1963 to 1966, these two men—the same age, and driven by the same heroic ambitions—changed American politics forever. This engaging title is a MUST Listen.

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"It ain't over 'til it's over" - Midterm Election Wrap up

Mon, 12 Nov 2018 07:30:28 -0000

The 2018 Midterms keep going. In what was perhaps the most important Midterm Congressional Election in American history, voters put a check on Donald Trump and gave Democrats a solid majority in the House of Representatives. And almost a week later, some key races still haven't been decided. Steve and Elise talk about what happened, what's happening and what it means for the country going forward.

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The Gathering Storm of Constitutional Crisis

Fri, 09 Nov 2018 02:25:51 -0000

Within hours of Democrats regaining control of the House of Representatives, Donald Trump holds an explosive East Room press conference and fires the Attorney General - replacing him with an unconfirmed political hack. Elise, Steve and Adam discuss the gathering storm of constitutional crisis.

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Midterm Election Preview

Mon, 05 Nov 2018 06:17:35 -0000

It is the most important midterm election in US history. On Tuesday Americans will either repudiate or validate Donald Trump and Trumpism. Elise and Steve look at the closing arguments on both sides and what’s at stake in Tuesday’s monumental election.

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Words Matter Library: "Columbine" by David Cullen

Fri, 02 Nov 2018 21:36:22 -0000

In this episode of the Words Matter Library brought to you by Audible, Elise interviews award winning journalist and author David Cullen about his New York Times best seller, "Columbine." They discuss the evolution of mass shootings and how these tragedies fit into today’s politics.

Audible.com/WordsMatter

Audible - because Words Matter.

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Rob Reiner - Words Matter Interview

Mon, 29 Oct 2018 05:30:25 -0000

As Americans prepare to vote in the most important Midterm election in our 242 year history, we sit down with legendary actor, director, producer, writer and activist Rob Reiner -- someone who knows a thing or two about politics, social unrest, culture wars, and taking on a racist, misogynistic, anti-Semitic bigot from Queens.

And we take a look back at an iconic book and something America needs now more than ever -- "Profiles in Courage" by John F. Kennedy.

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Words Matter Library: "Profiles in Courage" by John F. Kennedy

Fri, 26 Oct 2018 23:14:28 -0000

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audible.com/wordsmatter

Audible - because Words Matter

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Lord Ashcroft - Words Matter Interview

Wed, 24 Oct 2018 23:55:49 -0000

Elise talks with Lord Ashcroft about the new round of Ashcroft in America research leading up to November's midterm elections - and about his new book "White Flag? An Examination of the UK's 'Defence Capability."

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Vanity Fair’s Emily Jane Fox, author of "Born Trump" - Words Matter Interview

Mon, 22 Oct 2018 08:30:17 -0000

Vanity Fair’s Emily Jane Fox talks about her best selling book “Born Trump.” From Ivanka to Don Jr. to Eric, Tiffany and Barron - Emily tells us what really goes on inside America’s First (dysfunctional) Family.

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www.audible.com/WordsMatter

Audible - because Words Matter

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Words Matter Library: "Born Trump" by Vanity Fair's Emily Jane Fox

Sat, 20 Oct 2018 05:42:16 -0000

Like his father, Donald Trump, had 5 children -- hoping that at least one would "turn out like him." Elise and Steve add "Born Trump: Inside America's First Family" by Vanity Fair's Emily Jane Fox to the Words Matter Library brought to you by Audible.

Audible - because Words Matter

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Post-SCOTUS Nomination Wrap Up

Tue, 16 Oct 2018 03:05:52 -0000

It was the most watched, the most bitter and the most partisan US Supreme Court confirmation process in more than 25 years. Elise and Steve explain who won, who lost and what the consequences will be in November. Plus in the Words Matter Library brought to you by Audible -- Churchill and Orwell: The Fight for Freedom by Thomas Ricks

Audible -- because Words Matter

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Words Matter Library: Thomas E. Ricks’ “Churchill and Orwell: The Fight for Freedom”

Sat, 13 Oct 2018 03:01:40 -0000

Elise and Steve put Tom Ricks’ “Churchill and Orwell: The Fight for Freedom” into the Words Matter Library.

Pulitzer Prize winning author Tom Ricks provides a fresh look at Winston Churchill and George Orwell in the Age of Trump. Both Churchill and Orwell demonstrated vision and courage as they embodied the idea that words do matter. Tom Ricks masterfully chronicles their separate, yet contemporaneous, fight against the evils of totalitarianism.

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www.audible.com/wordsmatter

Audible - because Words Matter

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Steve Kornacki, author of “The Red and The Blue" - Words Matter Interview

Mon, 08 Oct 2018 08:00:27 -0000

Description: The 1990s saw the birth of modern political tribalism. Steve Kornacki’s important new book, “The Red and The Blue,” explores the battles between Bill Clinton and Newt Gingrich and how they lead to the partisan warfare we see today.

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www.audible.com/WordsMatter

Audible - because Words Matter

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Words Matter Library: Steve Kornacki’s "The Red and The Blue: The 1990s and the Birth of Political Tribalism."

Fri, 05 Oct 2018 22:46:41 -0000

In a new segment we put Steve Kornacki’s The Red and The Blue in the the Words Matter Library brought to you by Audible.

Today, America is deeply divided - you either live in Red America or Blue America. Steve Kornacki of NBC News takes us back to the 1990s to find the birth of political tribalism in The Red and The Blue.

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www.audible.com/WordsMatter

Audible - because Words Matter

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Preet Bharara: LIVE from the 92nd Street Y - Words Matter Interview

Mon, 01 Oct 2018 05:30:53 -0000

LIVE from the 92nd Street Y. In their first interview in front of an audience - Elise and Steve talk with former US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Preet Bharara about crime, corruption and the rule of law in the Age of Trump.

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US Senate candidate Mike Espy - Words Matter Interview

Mon, 17 Sep 2018 06:00:27 -0000

Elise and fellow native, Professor Eddie Glaude, are back home in Mississippi and interview U.S. Senate candidate Mike Espy. They’ll talk trade, tariffs and what it’s like to run for office in age of Trump. Will Secretary Espy become the first Democrat in 30 years, and the first African American in over 100 years to represent Mississippi in the United States Senate?

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Former Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson - Words Matter Interview

Mon, 10 Sep 2018 05:00:46 -0000

Elise talks with Former Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson about the 17th anniversary of the September 11th attacks. Secretary Johnson reflects on the Russian hacking of the 2016 presidential election and explains why the United States may not be ready to protect against the same kind of interference in the 2018 midterm elections. And Steve has the final word on the New York Times anonymous opinion author - is this the work of an “adult in the room” or a “Trump enabler”?

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The Life and Legacy of Senator John McCain

Tue, 04 Sep 2018 05:30:58 -0000

John McCain was a decorated war hero, a maverick Senator and the 2008 Republican presidential nominee. He lived by a set of values and principles that transcended politics and party. McCain loved his country and served it with valor, courage and integrity for 60 years. Elise and Steve reflect on the life and legacy of this great American leader.

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Tim O’Brien, author of "TrumpNation" - Words Matter Interview

Mon, 20 Aug 2018 05:00:34 -0000

Elise and Steve talk to "TrumpNation" author Tim O’Brien about how he beat Donald Trump in a $5 billion lawsuit. Tim talks about what it's like to watch Trump when he's caught lying under oath. They discuss the Trump bankruptcies, the Russia connections, and what's really behind Donald Trump's deep and dangerous insecurities.

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Omarosa and "All the best people" - Elise's Final Word

Fri, 17 Aug 2018 16:00:02 -0000

Donald Trump promised that he would hire "all the best people" for his Administration. Elise explains how Trump's attacks on Omarosa expose his twisted values and blatant corruption.

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A Political Expat's Journey

Mon, 13 Aug 2018 04:30:16 -0000

Steve Schmidt explains how the party of Abraham Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, and Ronald Reagan has become the single greatest threat to liberty, freedom and human rights under Donald Trump. Then, Elise Jordan remembers Heather Heyer and reflects on the 1st Anniversary of the violent white-supremacist rally in Charlottesville.

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Elise Reflects on the 1st Anniversary of Charlottesville

Fri, 10 Aug 2018 23:56:11 -0000

On the 1st anniversary of Charlottesville, Elise Jordan reflects on one of the darker moments in recent history. Elise pays tribute to Heather Heyer, the peaceful protester who was murdered during a violent White Supremacist rally one year ago this weekend.

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Margaret Hoover, host of "Firing Line" - Words Matter Interview

Mon, 06 Aug 2018 04:10:17 -0000

Welcome to "Words Matter" with Elise Jordan and Steve Schmidt. Our goal here is to promote reality. As a wise man once said, "Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, not their own facts." Words have power and they have consequences. In this episode we will explore the questions: How did we arrive at this political moment? Will the Republican Party and the conservative movement survive President Trump and Trumpism? And if the GOP survives, what does it look like and who leads it? We will explore these questions with "Firing Line" host and conservative author Margaret Hoover.

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Welcome To 'Words Matter'

Tue, 31 Jul 2018 19:50:50 -0000

On this sneak preview of "Words Matter," Elise Jordan gives us a look at what she and co-host Steve Schmidt have in store for their new weekly podcast. "Words Matter" debuts August 6th. New episodes Mondays.

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