America's Democrats

Give voters a bigger voice. Building the movement for automatic voter registration. Making the case for ranked choice voting. Plus Bill Press with ex Fox news reporter Carl Cameron.

How a new organization is taking on the fight for election integrity. Ranked Choice voting in Maine explained. Plus, why one Fox news reporter left the network and what he’s doing now.

Sean McAlwee has spent half a decade bringing cutting edge data analysis to progressive advocacy. His work has been cited by politicians at the national, state and local level. And now, he’s part of a new coalition to secure American elections without every infringing on an eligible voter’s right to vote. 

Maine has been at the forefront of the movement to implement ranked choice voting. And Kyle Bailey has been a leader in that movement. He says it’s a way to make democracy work better for all of us.

Bill Press talks with journalist Carl Cameron about life after Fox News and why he launched a new progressive website called Front Page Live.

What kind of country punishes Good Samaritans?

Sounding the alarm. Military spending nears historic highs, and climate change as a public health emergency.

This week, why 74 medical and health groups are calling climate change the   “greatest public health challenge of the 21st century.” How cutting the Pentagon budget will make the country stronger.  And Bill Press goes deep on religious freedom with Rachel Laser, CEO of Americans United for Separation of Church and State.

President Trump and the Republican led Senate is pushing a bill that would increase military spending to over 750 billion dollars. Lindsay Koshgarian says the Pentagon’s budget is already near an historic high,  and cutting it down is the best path to real American security

Dozens of the United States’ most prominent health organizations have come together to sound the alarm over climate change as one of the greatest threats to public health our nation has ever faced. Barbara Gottlieb says the time is running out to take action.

Bill Press talks with Rachel Laser, CEO of Americans United for Separation of Church and State about white evangelical support for Donald Trump and why Democrats need to talk more about religion.

America’s healthcare border raiders.

Building an economy that works for everyone, and how to pay for it. Plus, the decline of diplomacy under Donald Trump.

A moral budget to end poverty in America.  The massive failure of the GOP tax plan. And a conversation with Wendy Sherman, lead negotiator on the Iran nuclear deal.

In June, the Poor People’s Campaign, along with the Institute for Policy Studies released a “Moral Budget” to end poverty in America. Shailly Gupta Barnes is one of its authors and she says it’s a necessary response to the needs of all Americans.

President Trump’s tax cut plan is proving to be a huge give away for corporations and the wealthy.  Frank Clemente offers a progressive plan for tax reform that can bring fairness to the American economy.

Bill Press talks with Ambassador Wendy Sherman on the possibility of war with Iran and the narrowing space for diplomacy under Donald Trump.

How to get Congress to reform our broken healthcare system.

America on Edge. The growing threat of an unnecessary war. Plus, undermining democracy tweet by tweet. And Bill Press’ take on the Democrats’ debate.

A failing foreign policy and the path to military confrontation. Plus, the President on Twitter and the damage it does. And a Bill Press review of the second night of the Democratic debates.

Joseph Ciricione is nuclear expert and a respected voice on American foreign policy. He says a President inept at foreign policy and a national security team focused on domination could lead to disaster

Brian Ott is a communications scholar whose most recent book is a deep dive into Donald Trump’s  tweets. He says what the President says on twitter and the way he does it is an assault on democracy and decency. 

A Bill Press review of the second night of the Democratic debates.

Why a 70% tax rate on the super rich would be good for America

Expanding the reach of progressive populism.  How Democrats can win again in small towns and rural communities with a populist message. Reclaiming democratic populism as the American project. Plus, new answers to the deepening crisis of economic inequality in America.

The progressive populist issues that resonate with rural voters. The potential of populism to rebuild democracy.  And Bill Press takes a deep dive into income inequality with Jared Bernstein, Senior Fellow with the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

Matt Hildreth is an organizer working in small town and rural America. He says it’s time for progressive Democrats to reshape their message to rural Americans with a populist agenda, and begin by letting go of stereotypes.

Harry C. Boyte is an activist and scholar who focuses on the power of citizen engagement to connect to the common good. He says that democratic populism has the potential to reignite civic agency in America with a history that includes his own work with Martin Luther King Junior.

Bill Press talks with economist Jared Bernstein of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities about the nation’s growing wealth gap and how progressive democrats should respond.  If you want to hear more of this interview, visit the Bill Press podcast at billpressshow.com

The unnatural disasters pushing farmers off the land

The front lines battles over America’s future.  The right wing’s online assault on American values. The conservative takeover of state politics. And the Republican attack on the right to vote.

A deep dive into digital warfare and the  threat to American democracy. Plus how conservative donors, activists, and businesses are reshaping politics at the state level.  And Bill Press talks with the head of The Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law about how to fight back against voter suppression.

Peter Daou is a veteran blogger, digital strategist and political operative.  His new book takes us inside the online world of right wing extremism. He argues it’s a battle for the soul of America and all of us need to engage.

Author and scholar Alexander Hertell Fernandez says that progressive democrats need to rethink their fight to gain and keep control in state politics. His new book examines how conservative donors, activists, and businesses are using their power to transform state policy and politics – and how progressives can fight back.

Bill Press talks with civil rights advocate Kristen Clarke about how to protect the most fundamental tool of American democracy  - the right to vote. To hear more of this interview, visit http://billpressshow.com/.

Trump to working class: Adios Chumps

People Powering Change.  Teachers at the front line of progressive politics. Mothers leading the fight against gun violence. Plus Bill Press with Representative Jamie Raskin.

Mothers take on the gun lobby.  Plus, how a wave of teachers strikes in red state America is changing the political landscape. And on his new podcast,  Bill Press talks impeachment with Representative Jamie Raskin .

In the wake of the massacre at Sandy Hook, Shannon Watts started a movement. Built on the fundamentals of grassroots organizing and the unstoppable power of mothers,  “Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America” now has 6 million supporters nationwide, with chapters in all 50 states. In a new book, she tells the story of its success.

In 2018, in some of the reddest states in our nation, teachers led  a series of walkouts demanding not only better pay for themselves, but better schools for the children they teach.  Writer Eric Blanc embedded himself in this unlikely and powerful rebellion for an inside view of a movement that has the potential to rebuild working class politics in America.

Bill Press launches a new podcast with Congressman Jamie Raskin as his first guest. To hear more of this interview, visit http://billpressshow.com/.

Did you get an $800,000 pay raise last year?

Looking ahead to 2020. Winning over the white working class.  What will it take? Plus, making the case for a national popular vote.  And, Bill Press with an early look at the upcoming Democratic primary debate.

What progressive Democrats need to do now to regain the white working class vote.   Plus, inside the movement for a national popular vote and the difference it could make. And Bill Press talks The Guardian’s Lauren Gambino on what to expect at the first Democratic primary debate.

Justin Guest has written extensively about our nation’s white working class voters.  In this encore interview, he says that Democrats still have a long way to go, to regain the ground they’ve lost to Donald Trump.

As it stands now,  the 2018 midterms popular vote went overwhelmingly in favor of Democrats in the House with a margin not seen since 1974. And once again, that did not necessarily translate into electoral wins.  In an encore interview, our next guest says it’s time to value all votes equally … and why a national popular vote for President is the way to do it.

The Guardian’s Laura Gambino joins Bill Press for a democratic primary debate preview.

Should our natural resources have legal rights?

Rediscovering the Declaration of Independence. Turning the corner on the death penalty. Plus Bill Press with Mark Pocan, Co-Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.

Democracy theorist Danielle Allen on why a call to equality is at the core of the American idea and its founding document. Author and attorney Bill Blum on the significance of California’s moratorium on the death penalty. And Wisconsin Representative Mark Pocan tells Bill Press why he is calling for an impeachment inquiry

As the nation celebrates Memorial Day, Princeton Professor Danielle Allen examines the power of words in the Declaration of Independence to bring us liberty AND equality.

Back in March, California Democrat Governor Gavin Newsom issued a moratorium on death penalties in that state. Bill Blum is  an award-winning writer and legal journalist, and at one time was one of California's best-known death-penalty litigators. He says  Governor Newsom’s decision could have tremendous national impact.

Coming up,  Representative Mark Pocan joins Bill Press to talk about the fall out from “Infrastructure Week”in Washington,  and the road to impeachment.

How ridiculous is Trump’s border stand?

The Bigger Story.  Moving past stereotypes of Appalachia. Correcting the history of FDR’s New Deal. And Rep. Al Green joins Bill Press for a rundown of the Presidents impeachable offences.

What Hillbilly Elegy got wrong about Appalachia. Plus, the myths and realities about the New Deal,  and its lessons for the Green New Deal. And Congressman Al Green joins Bill Press to talk about his call for Donald Trump’s impeachment.

The conservative story about the New Deal is that it was tax-and-spend liberalism at its worst.  Louis Hyman reminds us that isn’t how it worked and the real story has valuable lessons for the Green New Deal.

The book Hillbilly Elegy became a literary phenomenon that many relied on to understand the white working class voters who helped elect Donald Trump. Anthony Harkins says Hillbilly Elegy reinforces simplistic stereotypes that can be used for political gain, and his newest book is a powerful response.

Representative Al Green tells Bill Press about why he believes there is a moral imperative to impeach Donald Trump.

Where’s the beef in Trump’s new trade deal?