We sit down with Skye Perryman to talk about what happens when democratic institutions are tested and ordinary citizens are forced to defend them. A lawyer who left corporate practice to help build Democracy Forward, she explains how her organization has challenged government actions in court while uncovering allegations involving DOGE, Social Security data, and election-related activities. We discuss voting rights and why legal victories alone are not enough. She says the future of American democracy will depend on whether people demand change rather than waiting for institutions to save them.

(00:00) Introduction: Who Is Skye Perryman & Democracy Forward

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Dr. Jamal Bryant talks about faith and power in a moment of democratic crisis. We discuss voting rights, affordable housing, health care access, and the economic power behind boycotts. A pastor, organizer, and former NAACP youth leader, Dr. Bryant argues that the Black church must recover its prophetic voice while rebuilding trust with young people. He also explains why the next fight for civil rights will be shaped as much by ownership and organized consumer action as by elections themselves. His challenge is clear: hope has to become strategy, not sentiment.

(00:00) Introduction

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We sit down with Stephanie Miller to talk about comedy as resistance in a politics built to exhaust people. A longtime progressive radio host with roots in Republican politics, she brings a rare perspective on media and the collapse of old rules. The conversation moves through voting rights, the 2026 midterms, progressive media, and why women in politics and entertainment are still treated as if they only get one shot. At stake is whether Democrats can stay disciplined enough to fight back without surrendering their humanity.

(00:00) Introduction: Stephanie Miller — From Republican Royalty to Progressive Icon

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We talk with Scott Colom about what it takes to fight for a place others have written off. A seventh-generation Mississippian and district attorney, he explains how public service, criminal justice reform, and listening to voters shaped his run for the U.S. Senate. The conversation draws a sharp contrast between politics rooted in trust and leadership that disappears from public view. We also talk about tariffs, rural investment, voting rights, and why campaigns are won by listening and delivering for people who feel ignored by both parties.

(00:00) Introducing Scott Colom

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Candidate for DC Delegate, Kinney Zalesne, sits down with us to talk about what it takes to fight for opportunity when power is unevenly distributed. A former White House and Justice Department official who helped build college access work in DC, she connects education, public service, and her campaign for Congress around a single idea: talent is everywhere, but support is not. We discuss DC statehood and federal attacks on the city as well as AI’s impact on work and why the next chapter of leadership has to pair autonomy with economic imagination.

(00:00) Introduction: Why Kinney Zalesny left the White House & DOJ for Nonprofit Work

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We sit down with Xavier Becerra to talk about what it means to be ready to govern in a moment that demands experience over performance. Drawing on decades in public service, from Congress to leading the Department of Health and Human Services during COVID, he argues that leadership is tested in crises, not campaigns. We explore the fight to pass the Affordable Care Act, managing a pandemic, and his warning about politics overtaking science in health care. The throughline is clear: the next phase of politics will reward those who can deliver under pressure, not just promise.

(00:00:00) Introduction: Who Is Xavier Becerra?

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U.S. Representative Sean Casten of Illinois talks with us about why energy policy is really a fight over who pays and who profits. Drawing on his background in the energy business before Congress, Rep. Casten argues that high bills are the result of political choices that protect producers over consumers. We dig into blocked clean energy projects, rising gas and electricity costs, and the case for an energy policy that rewards efficiency while lowering household costs and giving more Americans access to the cheapest power.

(00:00:00) The Real Cost of Energy Policy: Intro

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Rahm Emanuel joins us to talk about what Democrats have lost and what it would take to look strong and future-focused again. Drawing on a career that spans Congress, the Obama White House, City Hall, and diplomacy, he argues that toughness only matters if it delivers, and that the party has drifted from accountability and working people. At the center of the conversation is a harder question about whether Democrats still know how to connect power to purpose. We also dig into whether the party can build a durable majority around what comes next.

(00:00:00) Introduction: Who Is Rahm Emanuel?

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We sit down with Heather Williams to talk about why the fight for Democratic power in 2026 may be won or lost in the states. As president of the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, she brings a ground-level view of how state legislatures shape the rights that affect our everyday lives. We dig into special-election gains, the battle to break Republican supermajorities, and the danger of treating a strong midterm environment as a substitute for real organizing. Her case is simple: if Democrats want durable power, they have to compete everywhere and build it from the ground up.

(00:00:00) Introduction — Meet Heather Williams & the DLCC

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We sit down with Senator Elizabeth Warren to talk about what it will take for Democrats to win back working-class America. She shares how her upbringing on the edge of the middle class shaped her fight against corporate power and economic inequality and why courage—not just good intentions—is the missing ingredient in politics today. We dig into housing, wages, and Trump-era policies, and we explore what real change could look like in 2026 if leaders are willing to stand up and deliver. Along the way, she makes the case that real progress depends on taking on building an economy that works for everyone.

(00:00:00) Introduction & Lighting Round

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