America's Democrats

The powerful influence of Lady Bird Johnson. Confronting the myths about poverty in America. Plus, Bill Press with a behind the scenes account of Joe Biden’s election campaign.

Julia Sweig on her newest book Lady Bird Johnson: Hiding in Plain Sight. Mark Rank on his newest book Poorly Understood: What America Gets Wrong About Poverty. Plus Bill Press with journalists Johnthan Allen and Amie Parnes on how Joe Biden barely won the presidency.

In her new biography of Lady Bird Johnson, Julia Sweig reveals the unappreciated impact of a remarkable first lady during a historic turning point in American  politics.

In his newest book, Mark Rank explores what we don’t understand about who gets poor and why, and how long-standing myths have damaged our ability to respond to the deepening crisis of inequality in America

And now, Bill Press with journalists Jonathan Allen and Amie Parnes on Joe Biden’s nail-biting campaign to take the White House, and how luck won out in the end. If you'd like to hear the entire episode, visit BillPressPods.com. 

Monopoly Is What’s For Dinner

No longer just a parlor game, monopoly is what’s for dinner. Practically every commodity and every step in producing our families’ most essential consumer purchase is in the tight grip of four or fewer global conglomerates:

Four chemical giants control more than two-thirds of the world market for commercial

Standing up in Congress for working people. Standing up in court to fight voter suppression. Plus, Bill Press with Congressman Julian Castro

Representative Tom Suozzi on the newly formed Labor Caucus and its promise to prioritize working families and unions. Caleb Jackson on the legal case against voter suppression. Plus Bill Press with Julian Castro on what’s really going on at the border.

Congressman Tom Suozzi says the idea of getting behind working people should be something that unites every Democrat, and now is the time to get past our differences to do that.

The battle to protect voting rights is playing out in courtrooms and legislative halls across the country right now.  Attorney Caleb Jackson says that even when the courts don’t side with voters, the fight is far from over.

Bill Press with Julian Castro on our nation’s border crisis, what should be done now, and what should be done in the future. 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.

How Joe Biden barely won the Presidency. The battle on Capitol Hill to win back our democracy.  Plus, Bill Press with Congressman Jamie Raskin.

Jonathan Allen with a behind-the-scenes look at Joe Biden's 2020 campaign. Fred Wertheimer on why now is the time for a historic overhaul of how we do elections. Plus Bill Press with Congressman Jaime Raskin on the state of play in Congress and why it’s time to get rid of the filibuster 

Jonathan Allen’s newest book, co-authored with Amy Parnes, takes a deep dive into Joe Biden’s narrow victory that put him in the White House. It’s a story in part about how progressives Democrats, faced with the possibility of another four years of Trump, were able to coalesce behind a centrist candidate.

As Congress prepares for a showdown over a massive voting rights bill, democracy advocate Fred Wertheimer says passing the For the People Act is  essential to make sure America does not return to the days of Jim Crow politics.

Bill Press with Congressman Jamie Raskin on the fight to enact progressive reforms in Congress, and why he supports a full abolition of the filibuster. If you'd like to hear the entire episode, visit BillPressPods.com.

Hey Washington: Follow The People

“Those in the know” say that We the People should forget any progressive fantasy that – at long last – Washington might finally produce the kind of bold FDR-style agenda that America needs. They smugly lecture us that recalcitrant Republicans in Congress, not to mention a swarm of corporate lobbyists, are opposed to progressive change, so who could get it passed?

Here’s an idea: Try the people themselves.

The way we work isn’t working. How employers exploit our good will and how to fight back. Division and gridlock in American politics and how to fix it. Plus, Bill Press with John Yang on stopping anti Asian American hate.

Sarah Jaffe on how devotion to our jobs keeps us exploited, exhausted, and alone. Katherine Gehl on America’s broken political system and why ranked choice voting is an answer. Plus Bill Press with John Yang on discrimination against Asian Americans and what can be done about it

Sarah Jaffe’s newest book explores how "doing what you love" has become a recipe for exploitation. She says the time has come for an expanded labor movement that embraces all workers.

Katherine Gehl is a businesswoman, author and political innovation activist. She says gridlock and partisan dysfunction is built into American politics, and that’s why ranked choice voting is a necessary reform.

Bill Press with John Yang on the current climate of hate against Asian Americans and why it is too often invisible. If you'd like to hear the entire episode, visit BillPressPods.com.

Can GOP Autocracy Outlaw American Democracy?

Ralph Waldo Emerson told of a dinner guest who went on and on about the virtue of honesty, offering his own life as a model of perfect rectitude. “The louder he talked of his honor,” said Emerson, “the faster we counted our spoons.”

That’s my reaction to the cacophony of phony piety arising from Republican governors and legislators who are trying to enact more than 250 new state laws to stop Black, Latino, Asian-American, Indigenous, and other non-Caucasian voters from casting ballots.

Joe Biden as a Catholic president and what that means for a divided nation. How democratic renewal at home can redefine America’s role in the world. Plus, Bill Press with Norm Ornstein on fixing the filibuster.

Massimo Faggioli on the intersection of faith and politics for America’s second Catholic President. James Traub on how restoring democratic principles in domestic policy can restore America’s legitimacy as a world leader. Plus Bill Press with Norm Ornstein how to break through GOP obstructionism and advance on Biden’s agenda. 

In his recent and timely book, historian and theologian Massimo Faggioli provides an insightful overview of Catholicism in US politics, and its place in the career of President Biden.  He says Biden’s public embrace of his faith offers a much needed opening to heal the division of the last four years. 

As President Biden shapes his foreign policy,  journalist James Traub says

the threats to American democracy today come more from within than outside the nation, and that restoring democracy at home will go a long way to rebuild trust in American democracy abroad.

Bill Press with Norm Ornstein, a long-time observer and scholar of Congress and politics, on why Biden’s agenda is in peril and why reforming  the filibuster is a necessary fix. If you'd like to hear the entire episode, visit BillPressPods.com. 

Now, Robots are Coming for White-Collar Jobs

In CorporateSpeak, there are no “job cuts.” Instead, firings are blandly referred to as “employment adjustments.”

Now, though, corporate wordsmiths will need a whole new thesaurus of euphemisms, for masses of job cuts are coming for employees in the higher echelons of the corporate structure. Don’t look now, but an unanticipated result of the ongoing pandemic is that it has given cover for CEOs to speed up the adoption of highly advanced RPAs (Robotic Process Automation) to replace employees once assumed to be immune from displacement.

Inside the NAACP lawsuit against Trump for inciting the Capitol riot. How government segregated America and at what cost to Black Americans. Plus, Bill Press with Ari Berman on why voting rights are under attack.

NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson on why the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871 is being used today in a lawsuit against Trump. Richard Rothstein of the Economic Policy Institute on the endurance of housing segregation in America and the disastrous consequences. Plus Bill Press with Mother Jones Senior Reporter Ari Berman on a new wave of voter suppression across the country driven by the GOP

The fight to hold Donald Trump liable for his role in January 6 insurrection is far from over. Derrick Johnson explains why a law enacted in 1871 to counter white supremacists is central to that effort.

Racial segregation in housing in Ameica underlies many of our most serious social problems.  In turning that around, Richard Rothstein says we have to acknowledge the role of government in making it happen.

Bill Press with reporter Ari Berman on why the GOP is working so hard to restrict the right to vote  and why democracy is in danger. If you'd like to hear the entire episode, visit BillPressPods.com.

A Question of Nature

When corporate executives are absurdly hypocritical, yet so obtuse that they don’t even realize it, is it still hypocrisy… or are they just dimwitted?

Consider the histrionics emanating from corporate bunkers over rising public approval for the idea that nature be given legal rights that are enforceable in courts. The Rights of Nature movement argues that if, say, a mining conglomerate decapitates a mountain, that injured citizen of our natural world ought to have its day in court.

A new era.  Overcoming political division during the pandemic. Bringing back government ethics and integrity after Trump.  Plus, Bill Press  with Dr. Sanjay Gupta on the new normal after the pandemic.

Greg Sargent on how Biden’s COVID policy can restore a sense of national purpose.  Daniel Farber on how President Biden can make government accountable again.  Plus a pandemic update and look ahead with Bill Press and Dr. Sanjay Gupta. 

President Biden’s Covid policy includes a significant focus on rural America. Greg Sargent says it’s an excellent example of how Biden’s policy agenda can unify a divided America. 

Donald Trump was nothing less than a disaster for ethics and integrity in government. Daniel Farber says President Biden now faces an enormous challenge to undo the damage. 

Bill Press with Dr. Sanjay Gupta on how the pandemic is slowing down, and how it has changed life as we know it. If you'd like to hear the entire episode, visit BillPressPods.com. 

What Makes Ted Cruz So Despicable?

In February, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz ran off to a luxury resort in sunny Cancún, Mexico, during the deep freeze that devastated millions of his constituents. But I wasn’t mad that Ted fled; what upset me was that the government let him back into our country.

Cruz is, after all, the two-legged, self-aggrandizing ego that arrogantly and illegally tried to cancel the ballots of millions of voters in last year’s presidential election.

A progressive response to the COVID crisis.  A labor movement game plan for the Biden administration.  Plus, Bill Press on the GOP’s bleak future as the party of Trump.

Richard Eskow on what he sees missing in the progressive response to the coronavirus pandemic and how to change that. Jeff Schuhrke on what the Biden administration needs to do to deliver for the working class. Plus Bill Press with Charlie Sykes on Donald Trump’s grip on the GOP. 

The coronavirus pandemic is revealing long-term systemic failures in American politics and culture.  Richard Eskow calls on progressives to recognize the enormity of the challenge and respond with uncompromising vision. 

On the campaign trail, Joe Biden promised to be the “best friend labor has ever had in the White House.” Now that he’s there, Jeff Schuhrke says labor leaders aren’t taking anything for granted in their  fight to hold the new administration accountable to the needs of working Americans 

Bill Press with Charlie Sykes, one of the original “Never Trumpers,” on the GOP’s continued and dangerous embrace of Donald Trump. If you'd like to hear the entire episode, visit BillPressPods.com. 

What the Texas Deep Freeze Revealed

The new climate war and how to fight it. What we are learning about race, gender, and political representation. Plus, Bill Press with the latest on the GOP plan to thwart democracy.

Michael Mann says it’s a new day in the climate battle that can only be fought by believing we can still make a difference. Kerry L. Haynie on the record number of women of color in elected office and why it matters. Plus Bill Press with the Brennan Center’s  Eliza Sweren-Becker, on the surge in GOP-led efforts to suppress voting.

Climate scientist Michael Mann has achieved fame for his work in proving climate change is happening. He says that even as we move past climate denialism, the battle over how to take action against global warming is as urgent as ever.

In his newest book, political scientist Kerry L. Haynie,  along with his co-authors, explores the intersection of race and gender in today’s political arena.  He says with more women of color in Congress than ever before, expect them to make a difference in important ways. 

And now, Bill Press with Eliza Sweren-Becker, counsel for the Democracy Program at the Brennan Center for Justice on what’s next in the GOP’s unprecedented campaign to restrict voting rights. If you'd like to hear the entire episode, visit BillPressPods.com. 

A wealth of riches, a poverty of morals.

Progressive priorities for the Biden administration. Making the case for immigration reform and raising the minimum wage. Plus Bill Press with Representative Tim Ryan.

David Cooper on what a $15 minimum wage would really mean for America’s workers. Philip E. Wolgin on building an immigration system that lives up to American values. Plus Bill Press with Congressman Tim Ryan on why Biden needs to go big with a stimulus relief package.

Progressive Democrats have made raising the minimum wage a priority for the new administration. And for good reason.  David Cooper says a $15 minimum wage would lift pay for tens of millions of workers and help reverse decades of growing pay inequality.

One of the first actions of the Biden administration was to put a pause on deportation for some undocumented immigrants. Philip E. Wolgin says it’s only the first step toward a fair, humane, and workable immigration policy that must move forward.

Bill Press with Representative Tim Ryan on why President Biden needs to hold the line on his $1.9 trillion Covid relief package, and what needs to happen after that. If you'd like to hear the entire episode, visit BillPressPods.com.

The People’s Department.