It Matters

Shermichael Singleton is a political consultant, writer, commentator, and former Contributing Host of Vox Media’s Consider It, a current affairs digital show that aired weekly on Facebook Watch. He is also a 2019 Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree for Law and Policy for his contributions to politics and media.

As a political operative, he has worked on the presidential campaigns of former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich where he focused on youth outreach and engagement. From there he went on to work on former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign in campaign operations and coalitions where he traveled the country during the 2012 election. During the 2015 and 2016 cycle, he worked on the presidential campaign of renowned Neurosurgeon, Dr. Ben Carson where he was the faith coalitions advisor tasked with targeting and building coalitions within the faith community, which would become Dr. Carson’s strongest base of support. As a result, Dr. Carson became the only candidate to surpass President Trump in polls for several straight weeks during the 2016 campaign cycle.

Welcome to the Starr Report. I’m your host Michael Starr Hopkins. I wanted to take a second to address where we are in this moment in history. This podcast has launched in the midst of the Coronavirus pandemic. Most major cities have sheltered in a place and we’re all locked in our houses wondering when things will get back to normal. I want each and every one of you to know that things will get back to normal, but when they do,  we have an obligation to remember this. Remember the heroics of ordinary people like the people who stock your grocery stores or deliver the food to your homes, remember the doctors and the nurses who put their lives in danger, and even gave their lives, to protect each and every one of us. They are the heroes in this moment. We owe it to them to not forget the courage and humanity that they’ve. 

We also owe it to them to remember the people who said that some people’s lives were less important than the stock market and to remember the people who said we could afford to bail out companies but couldn’t afford Universal healthcare. We far too often let the chaos and noise of our politics overwhelm us and numb us to the very things we see with our own eyes. Let’s be very clear, this was preventable. Donald Trump didn’t create this virus but his failure to adequately respond created this unnecessary disaster.

I created “the Starr Report” so that we can figure out how to ensure that when we come out of this tragedy, we come out stronger, and more prepared to create the type of society that we can all be proud of.  Since I can’t get into the studio with our guests, we’ll have to resort to phone calls and Skype, so be patient with me as I learn the ropes. We’ll grow together. This is a moment in history that will literally be a chapter in the history books. Join me as I talk to some of America’s most influential voices about their failures, their successes, and how we can learn from each other. This is “The Starr Report”.

William Joseph Walsh is a former congressman and Republican presidential candidate. He served one term in the United States House of Representatives for Illinois' IL-8. 

“The Starr Report” offers intimate interviews with some of America’s biggest influencers. From politicians, to journalists, to titans of industry, Michael Starr Hopkins strips away the facade and allows his guests to open up and talk about the journey that led them to the limelight. 

If you’re looking for an honest conversation about the career paths of some of America's biggest up and comers, “The Starr Report” is the podcast for you. 

Sean Shaw is someone who every single listener should be very familiar with. Sean Shaw is an attorney and a former member of the Florida House of Representatives. In 2018, Sean Shaw made history as the Florida Democratic Party’s first African-American nominee for Attorney General. Over 3,000,000 Floridians voted for his bold agenda, more than any other candidate for attorney general in state history. Welcome to the show Sean.

Thanks so much for tuning in to the “The Starr Report”. I’m your host, Michael Starr Hopkins, founding partner of Northern Starr Strategies and Lenny Kravitz doppelganger. Thank you for taking the time out of your busy day to join us for a unique and hopefully interesting conversation with our Countries most influential voices. On today’s episode, we’ve got Kurt Bardella.

Kurt Bardella is a columnist for HuffPost and an NBC NEWS THINK contributor as well as a member of USA Today’s Board of Contributors. He is also the creator and publisher of the country music platform the Morning Hangover.

Kurt is the former spokesperson for Rep. Brian Bilbray (R-CA), Senator Olympia Snowe (R-Maine), Rep. Darrell Issa (R- CA) and the House Committee on Oversight & Government Reform. He was also the media consultant for Breitbart News. In 2017, Kurt left the Republican Party to join the Democratic Party.