Executive Director of the Ballot Initiative Strategy Center, Chris Melody Fields Figueredo joins to discuss the critical work our movements are undertaking this year to move ballot initiatives state-by-state, and how direct democracy can be a specific antidote to legislative gridlock.

Then our print editor, Marcy Rein, recently interviewed Florida Rising’s Campaign Director Ivanna Gonzalez, who is helping lead the campaign for Amendment 4 in Florida to restore abortion rights and healthcare access in the state, to show us what state ballot initiative strategy looks like in action.

On the show today, Cayden is joined by the Director of Civic Engagement and Leadership Development at the Murphy Institute at the CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies, Dr. Alethia Jones. Next week, Dr. Jones and her colleagues are hosting a free, one-day conference focused on the task of block & build in the current period. Convergence Magazine Board Chair Max Elbaum is a featured guest at the event. Dr. Jones provides a preview of the upcoming gathering, as well the story of her life and work as a scholar, teacher, and writer in the labor movement.

Learn more about the September 6th event: Ensuring Democracy's Future

As expected, this week's Democratic National Convention saw a variety of protests on the streets outside, mostly from groups demanding an end to the genocide in Gaza. Inside the convention, delegates in the Uncommitted Movement pressed their demand that a Palestinian be allowed to deliver a vetted speech from the main stage. The Democrats turned them down--so they sat in overnight on the sidewalk in front of the convention hall. They may not have been on the program, but the movement's voice was heard, and will continue to be.

Mother Jones ran the speech that Georgia State Rep. Ruwa Romman, who is Palestinian American, intended to deliver. You can read it here.

This week Cayden is joined by the Executive Director of Court Accountability, Alex Aronson (@alexaronson), to dive deeper into the right-wing capture of the courts and what we can do about it. Before that, Jacobin staff writer and journalist Branko Marcetic (@BMarchetich) joins to discuss his research for In These Times into how AIPAC spends its money.

This week, Kamala Harris surprised many by choosing the most progressive pick on her "veep-stakes" short list, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. Excitement and momentum on the left didn't last long as many are critiquing Harris' response to protestors in the crowd at a Michigan rally in which she equated their protests to stop the genocide in Gaza as a vote for Donald Trump. Joining the show to discuss the Uncommitted National Movement, which organized earlier this year to earn 30 uncommitted delegates at the Democratic National Convention later this month demanding ceasefire in Gaza, are Layla Elabed and Elianne Farhat.

Before that, Cayden is joined by Executive Director of Seed the Vote, Emily Lee, to discuss the importance of continuing the work of progressive electoral ground game and deep canvassing around the country through the remaining months of this election season. And we take a ride along the campaign trail with a feature of one of Seed the Vote's ground game canvassers in St. Louis, who spent the past few months working to re-elect Cori Bush.

In another historic news week, President Joe Biden forfeited his upcoming nomination as the Democratic Party's candidate for President, and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris. An immediate cascade of endorsements by other major Democratic Party figures followed, and Harris gathered enough delegate pledges to make her the party's presumptive nominee. Organizing energy surged; we saw a blizzard of social media memes from supporters and trolls alike. Cayden provides some analysis on how left organizers and movements might approach this moment and how we should think about the presidential nominee and election.

Then Hegemonicon podcast host William Lawrence joins to discuss and preview the show's upcoming season, which will focus on left internationalism.

Subscribe to Hegemonicon now to hear the first episode of Season 2 when it premieres on Tuesday, July 30th.

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After the mass-shooting, assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump last Saturday, the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee continued as scheduled. Truthout.org news writer Chris Walker (@chriswalker) was on the ground in Milwaukee this week. He shares some of his reporting on the event—especially the heavy imprint of the Heritage Foundation—and on the protests around downtown Milwaukee that most media simply ignored. 

Then 22nd Century Initiative Deputy Director Sue Hyde joins us to discuss the launch of the Anti-Authoritarian Podcast, a new project produced by Convergence and co-hosted by her and Scot Nakagawa.

You can subscribe to the Anti-Authoritarian Podcast and listen to the trailer now on our website, or wherever you get your podcasts.

As finger pointing and arguing about President Joe Biden's fitness to remain the Democratic Party's presidential nominee continued all week here in the US, Great Britain and France made strides toward beating back autocratic and fascist rule in their own national elections.

In this episode, Cayden is joined by Clément Petitjean (@clement_petitj), lecturer in English and Anglo-Saxon languages & literatures at Pantheon Sorbonne, University of Paris. Clément wrote for us in advance of last week’s snap elections in France about the emergence of the New Popular Front, and we're excited to have him join to debrief that election – and talk a little about what lessons we can glean from it as observers across the pond.

Clément's book Occupation: Organizer is available now from Haymarket Books.

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At the top of this episode, we address what may have been a historic moment last night, when President Joe Biden struggled to perform in his debate against Donald Trump. Many in mainstream media are asking today if Biden still has what it takes to be the Democratic nominee and block the return of Trump and the MAGA movement to the White House. In These Times Executive Director Alex Han joins us to discuss what the debate may mean for movement efforts to stop Trump and the ways it might shift our political landscape.

Then Cayden is joined by Vivian Topping, Director of Advocacy and Civic Engagement at the Equality Federation, to discuss the right-wing, anti-trans hate machine and how we fight back. They explore how today's Supreme Court repeal of the Chevron Doctrine might impact laws banning discrimination against trans people, how we organize against the Right's cultural messaging via deep canvassing in our communities, and much more.

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Cayden is joined by Maurice Mitchell, National Director of the Working Families Party, live from the floor of this week's Rising Majority Congress, a week long gathering of over 700 organizers and activists on the left, working in diverse coalition to strategize a plan for the next 10 years while envisioning goals for 2050.

In this episode, Maurice speaks to Working Families Party's role in strategy as they engage in political endorsement and organizing across the country at the local and national levels. They explore the type of party vehicle we need to build and drive to reach the long-term goals of a multi-racial, working class led political future and how we co-operate amidst our diverse range of needs and issues.

To connect with Maurice and WFP:

Text WFP to #30403 and find them on all social platforms as @workingfamilies

Text MOE to #30403 and find him on all social platforms at @mauricewfp

Support this show and others like it by becoming a subscriber of Convergence: https://convergencemag.com/donate/