Arizona! What’s up, Copper State? You’ve been a red trifecta since 2009, which isn’t great, but you have a chance to flip one or both of your state legislative chambers in November. You also have an opportunity to elect Mark Kelly, a literal ASTRONAUT, to the senate so please don’t let us down.

Anyone want some good news? Sometimes the government actually works! This week the hosts talk about how the tragic May 2019 shooting at Virginia Beach inspired activists all over to flip the Virginia state legislature blue last November. In the brief few months since the commonwealth has been a blue trifecta they’ve passed gun control laws, lifted restrictions on abortion access, adopted andi-discrimination laws for LGBTQ people, decriminilized marijuana, and became the 38th state to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment.

Michigan! You’re shaped like a mitten and we think that’s fun. You also have a badass governor, Gretchen Whitmer, doing her best to work with the stubborn republican state legislature to improve water quality and road conditions for you guys. Michigan has been trending blue the past few years, and we have a great opportunity to hold on to Gary Peters’ US senate seat, flip the Michigan House blue, AND deliver the state’s 16 electoral college votes to the dem nominee after going to Trump in 2016 by ~10,000 votes. Let’s get to work!

Just in case you haven’t heard, Joe Biden has been credibly accused of sexual assault. He has yet to address the allegations in public (how?!), so this week the hosts break it down for you. It sucks to live in a post #metoo world where we still have to choose between two old white men who have been credibly accused of sexual assault for president, but this is what white capitalist patriarchy does. Let’s talk about it. 

Today’s episode is the first in a series highlighting individual swing states! Up first, Georgia. I’m gonna be honest. You guys have gotten pretty screwed lately. First, Brian Kemp stole the 2018 gubernatorial election from Stacey Abrams herself, then he gets to appoint a senator and he chooses… Kelly Loeffler? Whose first move once in congress was to participate in insider trading? All these clowns have to go. The good news is, in November you have a chance to elect some very smart people working hard to fix what’s wrong in Georgia.

This week the hosts dive into the Green New Deal and explain why it will be an essential framework to work with when rebuilding the economy after Covid-19. Asshole of the Week goes to former Environmental Protection Agency administrator Scott Pruitt (literal climate change denier appointed by Trump - cool!). 

Look out for our Swing States episodes starting with Georgia later this week!

We really need to talk about believing women. Who better to illustrate the importance of taking sexual assault survivors seriously than our Asshole of the Week, Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh? Morgan and Katie discuss where he belongs on the Hitler to Chris Evans continuum (better or worse than Jared Kushner?) and how Americans need to shift the way they think about sexual assault. Plus, what actions we're taking this week to make America a more equitable place to live, and what's keeping us sane along the way. **Trigger warning: discussion of sexual assault**

Actions:

- Join Katie on Zoom at 7:00pm CST every Monday to write letters to swing voters via Vote Forward! Message @fymipod on Instagram for the link

- Sign up for the Crooked Media newsletter, What A Day

-Donate some of your stimulus check to the American Civil Liberties Union

-Donate blood

Our resident emergency preparedness expert is back with some new hot takes! Katie and Morgan also introduce a new segment, Asshole of the Week, which is an award Jared Kushner was destined to win. Also, on a scale from Hitler to Chris Evans, where does your worst ex fit? Better or worse than Luke P from the Bachelor? Unfortunately, ours are worse :/

If anyone wants to start a book club, let us know! We’re both reading “Hiding in Plain Sight” by Sarah Kendzior which came out last week. 

Our actions for the week:

1. Donate to the ACLU

2. Sign up to volunteer with FairFight.com

3. Write letters to swing states with votefwd.org

4. Read “Hiding in Plain Sight” or any other books on the gaslitnationpod.com reading guide

Morgan and Katie go over what Medicare for All really means, and explain why it’s not a crazy concept or a pipe dream. Want to know what life would look like if we already had a single-payer healthcare system in place? You’d have more money and you’d never have to worry about whether your OBGYN is in network ever again. That’s the dream! Also, ideas for civic engagement (take the census, donate to MoveOn.org, or write letters with VoteFwd.org!), and some actual self care to get us through the rest of the week.

Katie chats with her friend Andrea about how life as a nurse has changed as a result of Coronavirus. Andrea explains what us non-essentials can do to help out healthcare workers during these weird times, and answers other listener questions.