A critical discussion about the upcoming 2026 midterm elections and the pressing need for grassroots mobilization in the face of staggering opposition funding. Gary Lucks, author of *We Are the Power to Win the Future*, joins host Kay Brown, to lay out a strategic game plan for progressives aiming to reclaim democracy. Gary emphasizes the importance of organizing, fundraising, and engaging with the community to ensure every voice is heard and every vote counts. Tune in to discover how you can be part of the solution and help turn the tide in our favor.

Takeaways:

• We need to mobilize our grassroots efforts and raise funds early to counteract the significant financial advantage held by opponents post-Citizens United.
• Joining local organizations is crucial for individuals feeling isolated, as collective action empowers us to effect real change in our political landscape.
• The upcoming elections require us to win by a substantial margin; complacency will not suffice, as history shows us that narrow victories can lead to disastrous outcomes.
• Engaging with the 90 million Americans who didn’t vote in the last elections is essential, as their participation can significantly shift the political balance.
• Effective grassroots activities, like knocking on doors and phone banking, can increase voter turnout and prove vital in tight races where every vote counts.
• Utilizing virtual fundraising events could amplify our efforts to gather resources efficiently, allowing us to support democratic initiatives and candidates on the ground.

Mentioned in this episode:

Andrea Garcia for Judge

The Riverside County Democratic Party proudly endorses Andrea Garcia for Superior Court Judge, Seat 10

Special Episode of Democracy on Fire

Special Episode of Democracy on Fire with Kay Brown: Kay's 23 Reasons We Need Regime Change Now

Host Kay Brown speaks with Alan Spears of the National Parks Conservation Association about litigation challenging the removal of historical and scientific interpretation from park sites, why inclusive storytelling matters, and how national parks shape public understanding of the American experience. The discussion also explores National Heritage Areas and Julius Rosenwald’s philanthropic legacy, arguing that preserving history requires continual public engagement rather than nostalgia.

Eight Actionable Takeaways

1. Understand how public history shapes civic awareness.
2. Follow developments in the federal lawsuit discussed.
3. Visit a National Park with historical interpretation.
4. Explore a nearby National Heritage Area.
5. Learn about Julius Rosenwald Schools.
6. Support organizations preserving historical resources.
7. Evaluate historical claims using primary sources.
8. Engage in civic discussions using evidence rather than slogans.

Verified Resources

National Parks Conservation Association

Democracy Forward

National Heritage Areas

Great American Outdoors Act

Mentioned in this episode:

Leigh McGowan UAN Promo Stinger - Short -[2026]

Andrea Garcia for Judge

The Riverside County Democratic Party proudly endorses Andrea Garcia for Superior Court Judge, Seat 10

In this episode of "Democracy on Fire," Kay Brown speaks with veteran reporter Tom Belden, whose decades covering transportation and tourism provide a vantage point for examining the collapse of traditional newspapers, the rise of digital publishing, and the growth of nonprofit news organizations. Together they consider how smartphones, social media, and fragmented audiences have altered public understanding, often replacing shared facts with personalized information streams.

They conclude that media literacy is one urgent solution, arguing that citizens must actively evaluate sources rather than passively consume headlines. Belden highlights several nonprofit outlets he believes contribute meaningful reporting while reflecting on the economic pressures that reshaped the profession. Brown closes by emphasizing the press as an informal check on power and expressing concern about journalism’s responsibility in American democracy.

Key Takeaways:

• Media literacy education should begin early to help audiences distinguish reliable reporting from misinformation.
• Readers should consult multiple credible sources rather than rely exclusively on algorithm-driven feeds.
• Nonprofit journalism organizations are increasingly filling reporting gaps left by shrinking local newspapers.
• Economic incentives have significantly influenced the availability and quality of local news coverage.
• Audience fragmentation can contribute to political polarization and competing understandings of reality.
• Investigative reporting remains essential for accountability even as media institutions evolve.
• Consumers should actively evaluate sourcing, evidence, and editorial standards before accepting information as factual.

Links referenced in this episode:

• propublica.com
• thetrace.org
• insideclimatenews.org

Mentioned in this episode:

Andrea Garcia for Judge

The Riverside County Democratic Party proudly endorses Andrea Garcia for Superior Court Judge, Seat 10

Leigh McGowan UAN Promo Stinger - Short -[2026]

In this episode of Democracy on Fire, Kay Brown speaks with Bill Ballas, a former marketing and healthcare executive and author of the forthcoming book The Architect.

Ballas challenges the widespread assumption that voters are rational actors who weigh policies and facts. Drawing on political psychology, neuroscience, evolutionary biology, and real-world observation, he explains how genetics, epigenetics, tribal instincts, cognitive biases, and motivated reasoning shape political behavior far more than conscious deliberation. The conversation digs into why so many Americans simply check out of voting, the psychological tricks demagogues use to breed cynicism and distrust, and what other countries — especially Finland — have done differently. From early media literacy taught in pre-kindergarten through the rest of schooling, Finland offers a striking contrast. Ballas walks through some of the practical approaches these democracies have used to resist authoritarian drift and rebuild trust in institutions. He also talks about neuroplasticity, and why creating real spaces for dialogue across divides matters. The conversation offers both diagnosis and measured hope for revitalizing democratic participation.

Mentioned in this episode:

Andrea Garcia for Judge

The Riverside County Democratic Party proudly endorses Andrea Garcia for Superior Court Judge, Seat 10

Leigh McGowan UAN Promo Stinger - Short -[2026]

In this episode of Democracy on Fire, Kay Brown talks with Eleanor Andrews about voting rights, her civil rights history and the shrinking space for American democracy. Andrews, an Alaska civic and business leader, traces her political awakening to early encounters with Martin Luther King Jr., Jesse Jackson and the blunt reality of Jim Crow segregation. When she talks about attacks on minority representation, it is not theoretical--It is lived.

The conversation moves through the Supreme Court’s weakening of the Voting Rights Act, the shadow docket, court reform and the harder work of civic persuasion. But the strongest current is Andrews’ refusal to treat despair as strategy. She says we must talk to people, engage young voters, organize in public and use the vote while it still remains in hand.

Brown names the institutional danger. Andrews answers with her conviction that democracy is not repaired by waiting for power; power is repaired by people who refuse to wait.

Key Takeaways

• Andrews' civil rights memory begins with a childhood church appeal by Martin Luther King Jr. for Southern voter-registration work, which made voting rights personal early.
• Her trip through the segregated South exposed the practical cruelty of Jim Crow through public accommodations, ferries, theaters, and signage.
• High turnout can blunt the intended partisan effects of redistricting, especially in the 2026 midterms.
• Andrews warns that fractured media and social platforms make civic persuasion harder because people are not working from shared facts.
• Court reform must become a public conversation before Democrats hold power, so solutions are ready when political conditions change.
• The episode's practical strategy is simple: talk to people, engage youth, organize in person, and convert outrage into votes.

Research Links and Notes

• 2018 U.S. House midterm results
• The Andrews Group - Anchorage Museum collection note
• Eleanor Louise Andrews - The HistoryMakers
• Eleanor Andrews: Civic Entrepreneur | The Anchorage Museum
• Allen v. Milligan / Alabama congressional map
• Louisiana v. Callais
• Voting Rights Act - Section 2:

Mentioned in this episode:

Leigh McGowan UAN Promo Stinger - Short -[2026]

Andrea Garcia for Judge

The Riverside County Democratic Party proudly endorses Andrea Garcia for Superior Court Judge, Seat 10

In this urgent conversation, Kay Brown, host of Democracy on Fire, talks with Abraham Bonowitz, a veteran death penalty abolition advocate, who offers a sweeping look at America’s capital punishment system and the political forces shaping its future. Speaking from his car in Texas during a series of executions, Bonowitz recounts his evolution from supporter to opponent, arguing that the system is neither fair nor reliable. He examines intellectual disability claims, wrongful convictions, racial disparities, and the emotional toll executions take on families, prison staff, and communities. The discussion also explores federal efforts to accelerate executions and expand execution methods, raising broader questions about government power and accountability. Throughout the interview, Bonowitz returns to a central theme: democracy depends on citizens who engage, organize, and make their voices heard. The result is a sobering examination of justice, punishment, public policy, and civic responsibility in modern America today and beyond. Listeners encounter competing moral arguments while considering fairness, transparency, and consequences for society today.

8 Key Takeaways

• Bonowitz changed his views after researching how death penalty systems actually operate.

• Death penalty eligibility can vary dramatically by state and county.

• More than 200 death-row prisoners have reportedly been exonerated.

• Intellectual disability protections remain a major legal battleground.

• Executions can create lasting trauma for prison staff and witnesses.

• Racial disparities remain deeply embedded in capital punishment outcomes.

• Death penalty prosecutions often cost more than life imprisonment.

• Grassroots organizing has helped achieve bipartisan abolition victories.

Mentioned in this episode:

Leigh McGowan UAN Promo Stinger - Short -[2026]

Andrea Garcia for Judge

The Riverside County Democratic Party proudly endorses Andrea Garcia for Superior Court Judge, Seat 10

When the courts restrict abortion access, women find another way. In this episode of Democracy on Fire with Kay Brown, public health expert and Plan C co-founder Elisa Wells breaks down how medication abortion has quietly transformed reproductive care in the United States. More than two-thirds of abortions are now pill-based, and nearly 30% happen via telehealth — numbers that reflect not just medical shifts but a grassroots movement years in the making. Wells explains how shield laws protect providers prescribing across state lines, how peer-to-peer community networks are filling gaps that clinics no longer can, and why a Louisiana lawsuit targeting mifepristone has national implications. From online pharmacies to mutual aid networks rooted in a decades-old movement that began in Brazil, she makes the case that access to abortion pills has grown beyond what any court can fully contain. The genie, she says, is out of the bottle.

Key Takeaways:

More than two-thirds of abortions in the U.S. are now medication-based, a shift driven largely by post-Dobbs clinic closures and the rise of telehealth.

Nearly 30% of abortions now happen via telehealth, with pills arriving by mail in as few as three to five days — even in states with strict abortion bans.

Shield laws in eight states protect providers who prescribe across state lines by legally relocating where the medical service is considered to have taken place.

Louisiana's lawsuit against the FDA targets mifepristone's mail-distribution approval and, if successful, would have nationwide implications — not just for that state.

Plan C researches and publicly lists vetted online vendors of abortion pills, actively shaping that market by requiring data privacy protections and adequate misoprostol quantities.

Community networks provide peer-to-peer accompaniment — someone available by text or phone throughout the abortion process — modeled after mutual aid movements that originated in Latin America.

The roots of self-managed medication abortion trace back to women in Brazil in the 1980s who discovered misoprostol's uses, shared information with each other, and dramatically reduced abortion-related sepsis deaths.

Wells is confident abortion access will persist regardless of court rulings — not because of legal protections, but because the knowledge, networks, and supply chains are already firmly established.

Mentioned in this episode:

Andrea Garcia for Judge

The Riverside County Democratic Party proudly endorses Andrea Garcia for Superior Court Judge, Seat 10

Leigh McGowan UAN Promo Stinger - Short -[2026]

In a world where we’re bombarded with climate news, it’s easy to miss the ocean of emissions coming from maritime shipping. On this episode of Democracy on Fire, we’re taking a closer look at one of the biggest culprits: black carbon. Our guest from the International Council on Clean Transportation, lays down the facts about how the shipping industry is a major player in global greenhouse gas emissions, ranking sixth if it were a nation! Who knew those massive ships were such heavy hitters? The discussion takes a sharp turn when we dive into the implications of black carbon, a short-lived pollutant that packs a punch while it’s around. When it lands on snow and ice, it turns them into heat-absorbing sponges, accelerating the melting of our precious Arctic. He shares some jaw-dropping insights about the fuels ships are burning – primarily heavy fuel oil, which is the bottom of the barrel when it comes to cleanliness. Switching to cleaner alternatives could drastically reduce emissions, but here’s the kicker: the regulatory process is as slow as molasses. We talk about the International Maritime Organization’s role in this mess and why we need to rally together to push for cleaner, safer shipping practices. With the Arctic being ground zero for climate change, the stakes couldn’t be higher. Listen in as we explore actionable steps we can take, how individual voices can make waves in policy discussions, and why every bit of advocacy counts. The planet might be in a tough spot, but together, we can steer it toward clearer skies.

Takeaways:

• Every day, over 100,000 ships cross our oceans, transporting 90% of global trade, but few know the environmental cost.
• Maritime shipping is a significant contributor to climate pollution, with emissions comparable to those of international aviation.
• Black carbon, a pollutant emitted by ships, accelerates the melting of Arctic ice by absorbing heat when it settles on snow.
• Switching from heavy fuel oil to cleaner marine fuels could reduce black carbon emissions by about 80% on individual ships.

Links referenced in this episode:

• icct

Companies mentioned in this episode:

• International Council on Clean Transportation
• ICCT
• State University New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry
• Rochester Institute of Technology
• International Maritime Organization
• European Union
• Clean Arctic Alliance
• Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

Mentioned in this episode:

Leigh McGowan UAN Promo Stinger - Short -[2026]

Andrea Garcia for Judge

The Riverside County Democratic Party proudly endorses Andrea Garcia for Superior Court Judge, Seat 10

California's primary election is here, and it's shaping up to be a wild ride. With ballots hitting the mail, we're diving deep into the crucial races that could change the state's political landscape. Today, we’re chatting with Michelle Singleton, a local expert who knows the ins and outs of the Riverside County scene. We’ll break down the stakes, especially with the governor's race looking like a game of musical chairs—61 candidates and only two can advance! So, whether you're a seasoned voter or just dipping your toes into the electoral waters, we've got the lowdown on when and how to cast your vote, plus why your participation is absolutely vital. Buckle up, because we're about to explore how you can make your voice heard and help steer California in the right direction!

Takeaways:

• California's upcoming primary election is crucial, with ballots arriving soon, so gear up!
• Voter turnout is key, especially with Democrats outnumbering Republicans nearly 2 to 1 in California.
• The jungle primary system means the top two candidates advance regardless of party, so strategize wisely!
• It's vital to familiarize yourself with the candidates and their stances to make an informed choice.
• Utilizing resources like the California Voter Index can help you track polling and candidate viability effectively.
• Increased Democratic turnout can significantly impact the primary, so encourage your friends to vote!

Companies mentioned in this episode:

• California Democratic Party
• Riverside County Democratic Party
• California Voter Index
• Wikipedia
• Ballotpedia

Mentioned in this episode:

Andrea Garcia for Judge

The Riverside County Democratic Party proudly endorses Andrea Garcia for Superior Court Judge, Seat 10

Leigh McGowan UAN Promo Stinger - Short -[2026]

With our political landscape increasingly hostile to transgender rights, this episode featuring Kay Brown and Mia Hutchinson provides a poignant exploration of the ongoing struggles faced by transgender individuals. Kay sets the stage by noting the alarming rise in anti-trans rhetoric and policies under the Trump administration, framing the discussion around the systematic discrimination that has permeated various aspects of society, from healthcare to education. Mia, who serves as the Community Engagement Manager at the Transgender Health and Wellness Center, shares her personal transition story, highlighting the challenges and triumphs she encountered along the way. Her insights offer a window into the lived experiences of many in the transgender community, underscoring the importance of empathy and understanding. Mia speaks passionately about the mission of her organization, which is dedicated to providing gender-affirming care and support for transgender individuals. The center’s services are crucial not only for the TGI community but for anyone in need of assistance with mental health and social services. As the conversation progresses, Mia addresses the legislative landscape affecting transgender rights, especially focusing on Executive Order 14168, which she explains has legally stripped transgender identities of their recognition, leading to a cascade of negative consequences, including cuts to vital funding for housing and healthcare. The discussion also touches upon the ramifications of restrictive laws passed in states like Kansas, which have not only undermined the rights of transgender individuals but have also set a dangerous precedent for other states to follow. The episode concludes with a strong call to action for allies, encouraging them to amplify transgender voices and advocate for equality. Mia emphasizes that the fight for trans rights is intertwined with the broader struggle for human rights, inviting listeners to recognize their role in supporting marginalized communities. This episode is not just a reflection on the current state of transgender rights; it’s an urgent plea for solidarity and action in the face of adversity.

Takeaways:

• The Trump administration's policies have significantly undermined transgender rights, impacting various aspects of life.
• Mia Hutchinson emphasizes the importance of gender-affirming care for mental health and well-being in transgender youth.
• Kansas' recent restrictive laws threaten trans individuals, forcing changes to identification and imposing severe penalties.
• Allies can play a crucial role in advocating for trans rights by using their platforms to amplify marginalized voices.
• Transgender individuals make up about 1% of the population, yet they face disproportionate discrimination and challenges.
• The ongoing legal battles surrounding parental rights and student privacy in schools could set dangerous precedents for trans youth safety.

Companies mentioned in this episode:

• Transgender Health and Wellness Center

Mentioned in this episode:

Andrea Garcia for Judge

The Riverside County Democratic Party proudly endorses Andrea Garcia for Superior Court Judge, Seat 10

Leigh McGowan UAN Promo Stinger - Short -[2026]