Beerocracy!®

Beerocracy! is back! After a month of trying to give the issue of gun violence the time it deserves, I'm happy to finally be able to put out this episode with my wonderful guest from the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence.

I'm joined by Tanya Schardt, Senior Counsel and Director of State and Federal Policy at the Brady Center to unpack one of America's worst qualities: gun violence. With over 40,000 deaths a year contributed to gun violence in America and the surprising fact that mass shootings only account for 2% of gun related deaths, there is a lot to unpack as to how gun violence has become an unfortunate realty of daily life in America. Listen to us talk about how gun violence has become a public health epidemic, the bad actors at play, and what needs to happen to put a stop to this man-made epidemic.

Check out the Brady Center and their great work: https://www.bradyunited.org/

Well, it happened. The Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and Casey v. Planned Parenthood in a 6-3 opinion stemming from Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization. The effects have already settled in as millions of women around the nation are not able to access the life saving and necessary health care that is an abortion.

I am joined once again by Kimberly Mutcherson, Co-Dean and Professor of Law at Rutgers University. She is an expert in reproductive justice, bioethics, and family and health law and joined us for the Beerocracy! episode where the draft opinion had just been leaked.

Don't forget, as you process through this new future, the only way that we will get through this is if we come together and act as a village. Donate your time and resources at any one of these wonderful organizations: https://abortionfunds.org/funds/

It's the closest America has gotten to its own reality TV show. The January 6th investigation is here, the committee has created a compelling narrative, and the nation is watching closely. The 6 broadcasted hearings are exploring exactly what happened on that fateful Wednesday in 2021 where a mob of Donald Trump supporters stormed the U.S. capital falsely believing that the U.S. 2020 Presidential election was "stolen".

I have Shanlon "Shan" Wu with me to dive into what the committee is trying to achieve, the potential legal facings for the bad actors, and what to keep an eye out for as the 6 hearings progress through the month. Shan is a former federal prosecutor and previously served as Counsel to Attorney General Janet Reno as a supervisor in the U. S. Attorney’s Office Misdemeanor Trials Section, head of a Police Corruption Task Force, and as a senior supervisor on an Independent Counsel investigation regarding a Cabinet official.

It's been over 3.5 months since Russia invaded Ukraine and the fight is still ongoing. The casualties are bad, crimes against humanity are occurring everyday and the brutality is abhorrent. This is why, Joe Dresen, senior program associate at the Woodrow Wilson Center's Kennan Institute, decided to join me once again to give an update on what's going on and the importance of ensuring we stay up to date on this issue. Joe was the second ever guest of Beerocracy! and was interviewed a few days before Russia invaded. He's here to tell us the updates and how both countries are handling nearly 3.5 months of war, with unfortunately, no end in sight.

Check out this link for more information on the war: https://www.wilsoncenter.org/hindsightukraine

Join me as I chat with Dean Baker, economist and co-founder of the Center for Economic and Policy Research, all about what is going on with the economy! He gives us the low-down about what is going on in a way that even I can understand and I still call stocks "stonks" based on the internet meme. We dive into inflation, oil prices, the crypto crash, federal interest rates, and so much more. Are we headed towards another recession? Listen to find out!

The conversation on abortion has arrived! Recently, a leaked draft from the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade has made its way through the nation, igniting the conversation around abortion access and its future in America. I had the wonderful Kimberly Mutcherson, a Co-Dean and Professor of Law at Rutgers University, that is an expert in reproductive justice, bioethics, and family and health law. We chat all about the future of access to abortion in this country, how access has already been limited, and where we go from here. Don't Forget! Abortion is Healthcare!

Donate to an abortion fund!

https://www.wmagazine.com/life/donate-abortion-fund-roe-v-wade-how-to-help

Happy Belated Earth Day! Join me as I chat with Noah Diffenbaugh, climate scientist extraordinaire from Stanford University. The IPCC released its Sixth Assessment Report about climate change and the news is well....bad. We talk all about global warming, how to help slow its roll, and give a dose of realism to where we are at in meeting our climate crisis goals. And I ask him the most pressing question of...Well what the fuck do we do now!?

Today we have a very special guest, Jonathan Karmel! He's an experienced labor and employee union lawyer, and also happens to be my mom's fiancé! Pro-labor and pro-marital union in this house!

Unions and labor relations have been a hot topic for years now and we chat about the recent historic win for unions that took place at an Amazon warehouse in Staten Island. We talk through the issues surrounding unionizing at Amazon warehouses and the way the SCOTUS has impacted union power.

I'm joined by judicial ethics expert extraordinaire Charlie Geyh as we discuss the texts recently discovered between Justice Clarence Thomas' wife, Ginni Thomas, and former Trump Chief of Staff Mark Meadows. These texts show the extent of which Ginni Thomas had access to The Trump White House and her unwavering support for the former president. But how do her texts affect her spouse, the SCOTUS Justice Clarence Thomas? A Distinguished Professor and John F. Kimberling Professor of Law from Maurer School of Law at Indiana University Bloomington, Charlie provides insight to how Ginni Thomas' texts play into questions of judicial ethics for Judge Clarence Thomas as the House investigates the January 6th insurrection and Ginni Thomas' favorite, Donald Trump.

This is a very special episode as the guest happens to be one of my best friends! My dear friend, Anna Konradi, recently spent a week at a refugee intake center in the tiny Eastern town of Przemyśl, Poland. I chat with her all about her experience and what it was like being in the middle of the refugee crisis caused by Russia's attack on Ukraine. We unpack how to continue to help Ukrainians and the ethical questions surrounding helping refugees worldwide.

Check out the organization that Anna recommends donating money to in order to help Ukrainians!

World Central Kitchen: https://wck.org/relief/activation-chefs-for-ukraine