What does disability rights and representation really look like? While the Trump administration continues to decimate access to healthcare and dismantle civil rights, disabled Americans are often among those most affected and most overlooked. More than 70 million adults in the United States live with a disability, navigating barriers that extend far beyond health care. This week, Stacey is joined by Marlene Sallo, Executive Director of the National Disability Rights Network, and disability rights advocate and motivational speaker Spencer West. They discuss the challenges facing the disability community, what many people get wrong about disability rights, and why building a more accessible and inclusive society is a social justice issue that impacts us all.

For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email [email protected] and include the name of the podcast, episode title, and episode date

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Why are state governments more important than ever? While the Trump administration has been busy gutting and remaking the federal government, it’s critical to remember that the power in Washington was given to it by…the states. This week, Stacey is joined by Pennsylvania House Speaker Joanna McClinton and Daniel Squadron, cofounder of The States Project and author of The Fourth Branch. They talk about the biggest lessons from their own time as elected officials, the critical ways that state legislatures impact peoples’ lives, share stories of their biggest victories, and argue that the states can be a powerful tool  in the fight for Democracy.

For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email [email protected] and include the name of the podcast, episode title, and episode date.

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AI development is barreling ahead with no guardrails,  leading Americans to feel anxious about what lies ahead. This week, Stacey tackles the big questions we need to ask ourselves about the technology with Katie Drummond, Global Editorial Director at Wired, and Timnit Gebru, founder and Executive Director at the Distributed AI Research Institute (DAIR). They discuss the economic uncertainty created by AI, , the motivations driving tech leaders,  making sense of the flurry of information and opinions that are influencing the discourse on the issue, and whether we can imagine a more optimistic technologically-forward future.

For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email [email protected] and include the name of the podcast, episode title, and episode date.

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This week, Stacey goes beyond the headlines about the Supreme Court’s recent ruling on the Voting Rights Act and outlines why this step is so dangerous - not just for minority voters around the country - but for our democracy as a whole She’s joined by Lauren Groh-Wargo, CEO of Fair Fight, to discuss what people can still do at the local level and at the ballot box to save our elections and fight back against authoritarianism. Then, Stacey is joined by CNN host Abby Phillip, who talks about the importance of debate in our political culture and what current activists can learn from Jesse Jackson’s legacy of fighting for equality.

For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email [email protected] and include the name of the podcast, episode title, and episode date.

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This week, Stacey opens the show by answering audience questions about the Supreme Court’s recent ruling on the Voting Rights Act, and what it means for our democracy. Then she’s joined by Jane Fonda, who explains why she’s revived the Committee for the First Amendment, a group originally supported by her father in the 1940’s. Stacey and Jane also talk about the Trump administration’s attacks against Jimmy Kimmel, why the Warner Bros. and Paramount merger is so dangerous, and what Jane has learned after decades of activism, including her actions during the Vietnam War.

For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email [email protected] and include the name of the podcast, episode title, and episode date.

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What can international pro-democracy activists teach us about taking on authoritarianism here in the US? Stacey opens the show with reflections from the Salzburg Global Forum Democracy Resilience Conference featuring reformers from Bolivia, to Hungary, to Nepal. Then she’s joined by Representative Yassamin Ansari, a freshman from Arizona and the only Iranian-American in Congress. She tells Stacey about her opposition to Trump’s war with Iran, the horrific conditions she’s seen firsthand when visiting ICE detention centers, and how we demand a practical response to the competing harms coming out of Washington.

For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email [email protected] and include the name of the podcast, episode title, and episode date.

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Do you want the government spying on you, or do you want it to catch bad guys? This week, Stacey opens the show by pointing out the false binary Americans are being presented with as Congress debates renewing Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. Then she speaks to reporter Astead Herndon, host of “America, Actually” at Vox Media. They break down how to talk about and report on America without focusing exclusively on Trump, why both parties should consider non-systems candidates in 2028, and the big realignments among groups like voters of color and faith-based voters.

For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email [email protected] and include the name of the podcast.

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This week Stacey opens the show with a response to Viktor Orban’s stunning loss in the Hungarian elections, and what we can learn from the defeat of an authoritarian in Europe. Then she speaks to Reshma Saujani, founder of Moms First, about childcare (or lack thereof) in the United States. Stacey and Reshma break down why affordability and childcare are intricately linked, the long term impacts on opportunities for women, and react to President Trump saying that the federal government “can’t do daycare” because they need to fund wars. 

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While the war with Iran rages on, President Trump has asked Congress for a $1.5 trillion Pentagon budget, offset in part by further draconian cuts to environmental programs. This week, Stacey is joined by marine biologist Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, to talk about what climate scientists and activists can still do in the face of an administration that pretends the climate crisis doesn’t exist. They talk about the environmental impacts of military conflict, how race plays into climate politics, and how  local action is a powerful frontier when fighting the crisis. With Earth Day and the paperback release of Johnson’s book, “What If We Get It Right?” coming up, they also focus on reframing the conversation around what is possible if we continue to fight for change.

For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email [email protected] and include the name of the podcast.

 

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This week Stacey is joined for a wide-ranging interview with best-selling author and professor, Roxane Gay. They discuss the difference between non-violence and civility in fighting against ICE, the hypocrisy exposed by the Epstein Files, and what sets today’s student activism apart from previous generations. Stick around to learn the importance of attending a local city council meeting, and much more. 

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For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email [email protected] and include the name of the podcast.