Alyssa Milano: Sorry Not Sorry

Well, the news changes quickly. President Biden has dropped out of the race. This episode was recorded prior to that withdrawal, and considers the complexities surrounding that then potential decision and what might come next. In this episode, we talk about what it means, what’s on the line, and how we as Democrats, patriots, and pro-democracy Americans from all political stripes might want to think about the situation.

The Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 is a Trump-aligned nightmare that the extreme right wants to enact if Trump is re-elected. It is a wide-ranging reshaping of our society in a mold that leaves us wondering if “Under his eye” will be the new “see you later” should it come to pass. This week, we’re looking back at just a few of our former guests to show some of what’s at stake. We hear from Amanda Zurawski, Kate Brookes, Tim Alberta, and Sadvhi Siddhali and Sadvhi Annabhuti.

It’s hard to believe that when President Obama was elected, we barely had social media. In less than two decades, giant tech companies have completely changed how we interact with one another–and in doing so have fundamentally changed our perceptions of reality. In his new book “The Death of Truth” bestselling author Steven Brill, cofounder and co-CEO of NewsGuard, examines how this happened and how to recover from it.

It's the time of year we celebrate Independence Day in the United States. This week, we’re featuring patriotism–the real patriotism, the people we’ve featured on the show who love this country so much that they won’t stop fighting to make it better. Featuring Heidi Przybyla, Barbara F. Walter, Christian Piccolini, and PEN America.

Healthcare is one of the greatest challenges facing not only our nation, but the people who inhabit it. One political party seems to want to make it more affordable and accessible, and the other seems to want to make it more profitable for large corporations and more deadly for women. Laura Packard is the founder of Health Care Voter, a healthcare activist, and a cancer survivor. She’s here to help us make sense of it all.

Boy, the world sure feels toxic these days, doesn’t it? It’s not new–but it seems to be accelerating at a breakneck pace. Frankly, it’s understandable that so many of us feel like throwing up our hands and giving up on the fight, wondering if our culture is even worth saving. John Pavlovitz argues that it is, and gives us a path forward in his new book “Worth Fighting For.”

Would you be shocked to learn that much of the United States, including California, has no minimum age for marriage? Unfortunately, it's true. To get into the roots of this issue and the harm it does, we’ve invited Fraidy Reiss on the show. Fraidy herself endured a forced marriage, and is now the executive director of Unchained at Last, an organization dedicated to fighting forced and underage marriage.

Disinformation is one of the most dangerous threats facing our nation. And yet, some in public office seem to revel in its spread, working to thwart any effort to combat it. Our guest this week is working to change that. Nina Jankowicz is a disinformation expert, the former Executive Director of the Disinformation Governance Board and is currently the founder and CEO of the American Sunlight Project, an organization working to fight disinformation and protect those who research it.

Jordan Bryon is a trans man. He is also a journalist who was embedded with a Taliban Unit as the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan while transitioning. The new film Transition follows Jordan during this fraught time, and he and director/producer Monica Villamizar join us to discuss.

The division in this nation is everywhere. It’s not just between Democrats and Republicans. Divisions are deep inside formerly unified fronts, and these divisions seem to eat at the fabric of our society. Our guests this week are trying to change that. Joe Walsh is a former Republican Congressman. Fred Guttenberg’s daughter Jaime was killed in the Parkland shooting. They have very different views on specific issues, but through their work as Two Dads Defending Democracy, they are working to protect us all.