America's Democrats

How Biden’s plan for economic recovery could lead to more affordable health care for all Americans. Why humor matters in politics. Plus, Bill Press on what happens when science mixes with politics.

Health care advocate Laura Packard on why it's time to build American health care back better.  Former secretary of agriculture Dan Glickman on his new book Laughing at Myself.  Plus, Bill Press with Philip Bump, National Correspondent for the Washington Post, on pandemic politics.

President Biden’s Build Back Better agenda includes critical provisions that would expand and improve health care. If the bill passes, health care activist Laura Packard says it will be a game-changer.

In his new autobiography, Dan Glickman describes a long and successful career in public service that took him from the heartland of America to the halls of power in Washington, DC. He says that critical to his success has been a willingness to laugh at himself, work across the aisle, and compromise.

Bill Press talks with Philip Bump, on how Donald Trump stoked the pandemic response into a  Republican partisan issue. If you'd like to hear the entire episode, visit BillPressPods.com.

Where’s the “Dignity of Work” When Work Kills Workers?

Corporate acolytes and right-wing moralists constantly preach to laboring stiffs about the uplifting dignity of work.

Of course, that’s “dignity” as defined and controlled by corporate elites, not by workers, and the reward for it frequently includes on-the-job injuries… and death. Not that CEOs and well-heeled investors intend to sicken, maim, and kill thousands of laborers every year – but they certainly do put them in positions that assure such unhappy results.

A powerful history of workers’ strikes in America. How unions will shape the future of democracy. Plus Bill Press on the staying power of Trump with the GOP.  

Historian Erik Loomis on his book A History of America in Ten Strikes. Author and organizer Jane McAlevey on her book, A Collective Bargain:Unions, Organizing, and the Fight for Democracy. Plus, Bill Press with never Trump conservative Bill Kristol.  

Historian Eric Loomis says if we truly want to understand the history of labor movements in the United States, look to the moments when workers went on strike. In this encore interview from 2018, Loomis reminds us of the powerful change that can happen when workers are willing to fight.

In her most recent book, Jane McAlevey makes the case that unions are a key institution capable of taking effective action to reset power and politics in America, and clear a path to progressive change. 

Bill Press with journalist and author Bill Kristol on what it will take for Republicans to break free from Donald Trump. If you'd like to hear the entire interview, visit BillPressPods.com.

Making Work Work for Workers

As a writer, I get stuck every so often straining for the right words to tell my story. Over the years, though, I’ve learned when to quit tying myself into mental knots over sentence construction, instead stepping back and rethinking where my story is going.

This process is essentially what millions of American working families are going through this year as record numbers of them are shocking bosses, politicians, and economists by stepping back and declaring: “We quit!”

How the rich rig the tax code and the millionaires who want it to stop. How the battle for marriage equality was won. Plus Bill Press on how to confront a "code red" for our planet.

Erica Payne on her new book Tax the Rich!: How Lies, Loopholes, and Lobbyists Make the Rich Even Richer. Sasha Issenberg on his new book The Engagement: America's Quarter-Century Struggle Over Same-Sex Marriage. Plus Bill Press with Jaime Williams, President of the Wilderness Society on what has to happen to avert climate catastrophe.

In 2010, Erica Payne organized some of the richest Americans to demand higher taxes on millionaires like themselves.  Her new book offers an insider’s view of how the wealthy have rigged the tax code in their favor and offers a blueprint to unrig it.

In his newest book, Sasha Issenberg chronicles the 25 years that led up to marriage equality. It tells the story of how same-sex marriage went from fringe to mainstream and explores what can be learned for ongoing civil rights movements.

Bill Press with Jaime Williams, President of the Wilderness Society on key takeaways from the latest UN Report on climate change and why it is an urgent call to action. If you'd like to hear the entire episode, visit BillPressPods.com.

Working From Home – While Your Boss Watches You on Video

If you’re a corporate employee, you know that something unpleasant is afoot when top executives are suddenly issuing statements about how committed they are to their employees, making sure that all of them are treated with dignity and respect.

For example, the PR chief of a global outfit named Teleperformance, one of the world’s largest call centers, was recently going on and on about how “We value our people and their well-being, safety, and happiness.” Why did the corporation feel such a desperate need to proclaim its virtue?

The looming threat of Republican gerrymandering. Why America needs a Tech New Deal. Plus Bill Press with a harrowing look at Trump's final year.

David Daley on why time is running out to stop Republican gerrymandering. Nicol Turner Lee on what it will take to deliver digital equity in a post-pandemic world. Plus Bill Press with Carol Leonnig and Phil Rucker on their new book  I Alone Can Fix It: Donald J. Trump's Catastrophic Final Year. 

The once-a-decade process of redistricting has begun, and the stakes could hardly be higher. David Daley is one of the nation's leading authorities on partisan gerrymandering. And he says if Democrats don’t do more to stop it, Republicans will have the power to shape elections for years to come. 

The pandemic didn’t create the digital divide, but it certainly has revealed the depth and severity of its impact. Nicol Turner Lee has studied the digital divide for more than two decades. She says any plan to “build back better” must ensure digital equity for all. 

And now, Bill Press with Washington Post reporters Carol Leonnig and Phil Rucker on their behind-the-scenes story of former president Trump’s last year in office. If you'd like to hear the entire episode, visit BillPressPods.com. 

Working From Home – While Your Boss Watches You on Video

If you’re a corporate employee, you know that something unpleasant is afoot when top executives are suddenly issuing statements about how committed they are to their employees, making sure that all of them are treated with dignity and respect.

For example, the PR chief of a global outfit named Teleperformance, one of the world’s largest call centers, was recently going on and on about how “We value our people and their well-being, safety, and happiness.” Why did the corporation feel such a desperate need to proclaim its virtue?

The state of Black America in 2021. A new chapter in progressive politics and how we got here. Plus Bill Press with Dana Milbank, op-ed columnist for The Washington Post.

Marc Morial, president of the National Urban League with a call to action to create a more equitable and inclusive nation. Mark Schmitt on the rebuilding of the left in American politics. Plus Bill Press with Dana Milbank on the GOP attempt to rewrite the history of January 6.

Marc Morial

An annual report released by the National Urban League concludes that we are living in a historic moment that demands that historic injustices are recognized and repaired. For National Urban League President and CEO Marc H. Morial, that means that as America seeks to move beyond COVID 19, it cannot return to what passed for normal before the pandemic struck.

Mark Schmitt

Mark Schmitt is an expert on progressive political reform. In this moment of new possibility, he calls on progressive democrats to recognize the years of successful organizing that got us here.

Dana Milbank
Bill Press with Dana Milbank on what should come next for the 

Capitol Hill insurrectionists and the January 6 select committee. If you'd like to hear the entire episode, visit BillPressPods.com.

Jim Hightower

Shortage, Start With the Wage Shortage

At a recent congressional hearing on America’s so-called “labor shortage,” megabanker Jamie Dimon of JPMorgan Chase, offered this insight: “People actually have a lot of money, and they don’t particularly feel like going back to work.”

Uh… Jamie… most people are living paycheck to paycheck, and since COVID-19 hit, millions have lost their jobs, savings, and even homes. So, they’re not exactly lollygagging around the house, counting their cash.

A democracy test in Texas and the future of voting rights in America. Why it’s time for government to “go big” again. Plus Bill Press with Joe Trippi on what it will take to defeat Trumpism.

Texas State Representative Richard Peña Raymond on why he had to leave the state to protect democracy. An extended conversation with Jim Hightower on protecting the vote, building a wall, going big on infrastructure, and the folly of rich people taking joy rides into space. Plus Bill Press with Democratic strategist Joe Trippi on why he is teaming up with Republicans to stop an authoritarian movement fueled by Donald Trump.

The dramatic exodus of Democratic Texas lawmakers to Washington this month denies Texas Republicans the two-thirds quorum they need to pass new voting restrictions. Among the lawmakers who left is State Representative Richard Peña Raymond.  He says this battle to protect democracy is much bigger than Texas.

Jim Hightower's website states that he “has spent four decades battling the Powers That Be on behalf of the Powers That Ought To Be”. In this extended conversation, he explains why the battle over the future of Texas is about more than stopping Republicans from suppressing voters. It’s about reaching out to all Texans with a progressive populist message.

Bill Press with Democratic strategist Joe Trippi on how close we are to losing our democracy and why he is  working across party lines to save it. If you'd like to hear the entire episode, visit BillPresPods.com.

There’s Rich, Ugly Rich, and Jeff Bezos

I cheered recently when the richest man on Earth had himself rocketed into space. But then he came back down.

There’s nothing irredeemably wrong about being rich – indeed, one good role model for handling wealth, rather than letting it handle you, is music superstar Dolly Parton. She donated a cool million bucks to the Vanderbilt University Medical Center in 2020 to help finance its development of the “Moderna” vaccine that’s now preventing millions of people from dying with COVID-19.

What’s next for Amazon workers? What we can learn from a century of U.S. public health emergencies? Plus Bill Press looks ahead to 2022 with Larry Sabato, the founder of Sabato’s Crystal Ball.

Nelson Lichtenstein on the link between antitrust advocacy and the movement to unionize workers. Martin Halliwell on how America responds to health crises and what needs to change. Plus Bill Press with Larry Sabato on how Republicans are positioned for success in 2022, and what Democrats can do about it. 

In the wake of the recent failure to unionize workers at the Amazon warehouse in Bessemer, Alabama, labor historian Nelson Lichtenstein explains how the current antitrust revival has the potential to prevent similar failures and advance unionization at Amazon and other giant corporations.

Martin Halliwell’s most recent book covers a century of public health governance and where it has fallen short reacting to crises such as COVID 19. He calls for a new kind of public health culture that can be more resilient in the face of future crises.

Bill Press with Larry Sabato on the enduring hold of Donald Trump over today’s GOP, and the party’s plan to retake the House in 2022. If you'd like to hear the entire episode, visit BillPressPods.com.

A Phoenix is Rising

Our local newspapers are being merged, purged, shrunk, shut down, and looted by Wall Street profiteers – yet there’s good news. In the towns those media vultures are torching, a phoenix is rising!

Hundreds of determined locals, often led by people of color, are finding new ways to pay for and revive top-quality, local journalism.

Can America be united again? Making the case for Medicaid expansion. Plus Bill Press on Biden’s most difficult foreign policy challenges. 

George Packer on his new book Last Best Hope: America in Crisis and Renewal. Eliot Fishman on how Medicaid expansion has made a difference during the pandemic. Plus Bill Press with Joe Cirincione on restoring American leadership in the world. 

George Packer’s newest book describes America as a nation dangerously fractured into four warring tribes. He argues that central to any reconciliation is a recommitment to equality.

The Covid-19 pandemic has brought into sharp focus the need for universal access to affordable healthcare. Eliot Fishman says that is why now is the time for every state to adopt Medicaid expansion.

Bill Press with Joe Cirincione on reimaging national security after four years of a Trump presidency. If you'd like to hear the entire episode, visit BillPressPods.com.

Is America big enough to Go Big again?

It’s time for America to go back to the future – a future of true greatness created by a people united to build a strong nation for the Common Good.

From the start of our United States, Americans have backed leaders who dared to do big public projects – Jefferson, Lincoln, TR, FDR, Truman, Ike, JFK, and LBJ all dared to achieve bold goals.

The price we pay if we don’t trust elections. Why we all should care about health disparities. Plus Bill Press on the defining theme of the Trump era. 

David Becker on the myth of voter fraud and its damage to democracy. Dr. Lisa Cooper on why health disparities are everyone's problem. Plus Bill Press with Adam Serwer, author of the new book, The Cruelty Is the Point: The Past, Present, and Future of Trump's America. 

David Becker works to build voter trust and participation.  As baseless claims of voter fraud persist, he warns that we could become unable to govern ourselves in between elections.

Dr. Lisa Cooper has dedicated her career to eliminating disparities in healthcare. In her newest book she makes the compelling argument that these inequities are harming all of us.

Bill Press with journalist and author Adam Serwer on the ideological history that gave rise to Trump. If you'd like to hear the entire episode, visit BillPressPods.com.

Why Corporations Pay Millions for Executive Mediocrity

Most people believe the American economy is being rigged by and for bankers, CEOs, and other superrich elites, because… well, because it is!

With their hired armies of lawmakers, lobbyists, lawyers, and the like, they fix the economic rules so even more of society’s money and power flows uphill to them.

What the data says about how Democrats can win in 2022. The progressive case for canceling student debt. Plus Bill Press on why one journalist chose to walk from DC to New York City. 

Data scientist David Shor and on why Democrats need to connect with a changing electorate. Researcher Charlie Eaton on why student loan forgiveness would benefit those with the least wealth. Plus Bill Press with journalist Neil King on his nearly 300 mile walk through American history.

David Shor is a political data scientist and Democratic strategist. Looking ahead to 2022, he says shifts in the traditional Democratic electorate will require progressives to find the messaging that can reach across ideological divides.

A college degree has long held the promise of being the great equalizer.  But student debt is only serving to widen inequality. That’s why researcher Charlie Eaton says ending student debt is a powerful and progressive way to advance economic equity.

Bill Press with journalist Neil King on what you can learn by walking through America. If you'd like to hear the entire episode, visit BillPressPods.com.

Is Your Governor Part Of The GOP’s Border Stunt?

Herd immunity is important in stopping deadly viruses, but in politics, the herd instinct can send a whole species over a cliff.

Witness the frenzied herd of Republican governors now stampeding behind the scaremongering scheme of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to use the personal suffering of Latin-American migrants and asylum seekers as political pawns. Rather than helping find a humane solution to the very real plight of these desperate Latin people, various governors are following Abbott in confronting the migrating families with “Keep-Out” military-style force.