The Tax Break Industrial Complex
Ralph talks about how ending corporate tax giveaways and enacting a stock transfer tax can help the country recover from the recession caused by the Covid-19 pandemic with first Greg LeRoy of Good Jobs First and then New York State Assemblyman, Phil Steck. Plus, we pay tribute to a number of progressive activists and thinkers we’ve lost recently, including one of our favorite and frequent guests, the Green Cowboy, David Freeman.
Trump Death Clock/Saving the Post Office
Award-winning filmmaker, Eugene Jarecki, joins Ralph to talk about the electronic billboard he put up in New York’s Times Square, the “Trump Death Clock.” And Mark Dimondstein, head of the American Postal Workers Union, reminds how the health and safety of postal workers as well as the preservation of the post office is essential for delivering medicines and other vital goods as well as protecting democracy. Plus, listener questions!
Crooked Prosecutors/AWOL Congress
Former Governor of Alabama, Don Siegelman, who was convicted on dubious corruption charges and spent five years in prison joins us to talk about his chronicle of those events in his book “Stealing Democracy: How the Political Assassination of a Governor Threatens Our Nation.” And old friend and constitutional scholar, Bruce Fein, makes the case that Congress has once again abdicated its responsibility during the Covid-19 crisis.
Dr. Michael Osterholm on Covid-19
Infectious disease expert, Dr. Michael Osterholm, comes back to update us on the latest in the battle against Covid-19. And Naila Bolus, president and CEO of “Jumpstart,” joins us to talk about how the money spent on early education gives society a tremendous return on investment.
Earth Day Turns Fifty!
On the fiftieth anniversary of Earth Day, Ralph welcomes environmental historian, Adam Rome, author of “The Genius of Earth Day: How a 1970 Teach- In Unexpectedly Made the First Green Generation.” And the Green Cowboy, S. David Freeman returns to talk about the state of the environment today. Plus, we debut a special song in honor of Earth Day.
Nurses on the Front Lines/Captain Bligh
Jean Ross, president of the largest nurses’ union in the country, National Nurses United, joins Ralph to talk about how healthcare workers are not being protected from Covid-19. And Yale psychiatrist, Dr. Bandy Lee, comes back to update us on the Donald Trump’s mental pathology.
August 19, 2017
Ralph talks to author and conservationist, Terry Tempest Williams about her lyrical paean to our national parks, The Hour of Land. And intrepid investigative journalist, Allan Nairn, tells us about Donald Trump’s connections to ISIS in Indonesia.
August 12, 2017
Ralph talks to Democratic Congressman and constitutional law scholar Jamie Raskin about how progressives can break the Republican stranglehold on the federal government. And union organizer Jeffrey Farmer describes the pitched battle between the Teamsters and XPO Logistics, one of the largest transportation companies in the world.
August 5, 2017
Ralph has a fascinating conversation about the billions of dollars spent on political philanthropy and what all that money is working for with David Callahan, author of The Givers: Wealth, Power, and Philanthropy in a New Gilded Age. Also, Ralph answers more listener questions!
July 29, 2017
Ralph talks to insurance expert Robert Hunter about another way toward a single-payer healthcare system: buy out the insurance industry. Attorney, Joanna Darcus, tells you how to fight for your rights against predatory student loan debt collectors. And we get Ralph’s take on the Democratic Party’s “Better Deal.”
July 22, 2017
Distinguished economist, Robert Pollin, joins us to share his ideas on a progressive more egalitarian economic agenda. And Dr. Steffie Woolhandler tells us why doctors and other health professionals want a single-payer, Medicare for All healthcare system.
July 15, 2017
Nick Brana joins us to discuss his efforts to “Draft Bernie for a People’s Party;” and economist Ben Zipperer explains how, contrary to conventional wisdom, raising the minimum wage will not result in significant job loss.
July 8, 2017
Ralph talks to Edgar Cahn about the Legal Services Corporation, which makes thousands of lawyers available to low income Americans; and Leda Huta executive director of the Endangered Species Coalition joins us to tell us why we should care about endangered species. Plus, Ralph answers your questions!
July 1, 2017
Ralph talks to renowned economist, Dean Baker, about the state of “free trade” in the era of Trump; and original Nader’s Raider, Robert Fellmeth, joins us to advocate for a group of people who have virtually no say in the political process, children.