KPFK - BradCast w/ Brad Friedman

American Democracy v. Violent Strongman Authoritarianism is on the ballot in every state this year. Law groups seek accountability for election subversion schemes of Texas Republicans Sen. Ted Cruz and AG Ken Paxton. Disturbingly high number of Republicans are embracing racist rhetoric of the so-called 'Great Replacement' conspiracy theory. OK GOP legislature bans nearly all abortions. Polls suggest young voters are eager to vote in November. Plus Desi Doyen has our latest 'Green News Report.'

Guest: Marilyn Marks, Coalition for Good Governance

Primary results in NC, KY, OR, ID, and PA offered good news for progressive candidates and democracy, mixed results for far-right candidates endorsed by Donald Trump. Election security expert Marilyn Marks of non-profit Coalition for Good Governance explains the shocking, under-reported story of Republican election insiders in critical swing-states who, after the 2020 election, conspired with a cabal of election-denying Team Trumpers to breach secure election facilities to make copies of sensitive voting system software, what it means for election security in states across the country that use the same systems, and much more.

Multiple failures in Pennsylvania's computerized voting systems made Primary Election Day a nightmare for voters in big counties. Justice Dept. requests interview transcripts from House Jan. 6 Committee to aid criminal investigation of the Capitol Insurrection. President Biden eulogized the 10 Black people who were murdered by an 18-year-old white supremacist in Buffalo, NY, calling for the nation to 'reject the lie' of the racist 'replacement theory' and those who spread the lie for 'political gain and profit.' Plus Desi Doyen has our latest 'Green News Report.'

Guest: Rev. Dr. William Barber, Repairers of the Breach; Kenia Alcocer, CA Poor People's Campaign

Bishop WILLIAM J. BARBER, II of Repairers of the Breach and KENIA ALCOCER of the California Poor People's Campaign bring a dose of hope and action to restore the nation's moral center in advance of next month's 'Mass Poor People's & Low-Wage Workers' Assembly and Moral March on Washington and to the Polls' on June 18th, and why protests, organizing and voting are crucial to achieve long-lasting, systemic change. New developments roil midterm primary elections in PA, OR, ID, KY. Mass shooting in Buffalo, NY exposes the real-world consequences of hateful rhetoric spewed by Fox 'News' and Republican politicians promoting the racist 'great replacement' conspiracy theory for personal gain.

Guest: Heather 'Digby' Parton, Salon and Digby's Hulaballoo

*Encore: Original air-date 5/6/2022. New monthly jobs report breaks all-time record and wages are rising, with Pres. Biden's jobs-creation record far surpassing Trump's first three years. Salon columnist Heather 'Digby' Parton discusses the fallout from the stunning leak of a SCOTUS majority draft opinion that would overturn the landmark law 'Roe v. Wade' in its entirety, how the GOP's unprecedented removal of privacy rights will impact all Americans, how Democrats can respond aggressively to protect long-established freedoms, and more. New bonkers revelations from former Trump Defense Sec. Mark Esper, include Trump suggesting the US should bomb Mexico and lie about it. Plus Desi Doyen has our latest 'Green News Report.'

Pres. Biden marks milestone of 1 million dead from COVID in the US, the highest death toll in the world. Florida judge strikes down GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis' wildly unfair redistricting maps as an unconstitutional racial gerrymander. House Jan. 6 Committee subpoenas House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and 4 others. New emails show Trump's MAGA attorney John Eastman advising PA GOP lawmakers on how to steal the 2020 election for Trump. New investigation reveals monopoly meatpacking companies lied about impending meat shortages and conspired with top Trump officials to force employees to stay on the job during COVID, killing 269, while the companies exported their product to China. Plus Desi Doyen has our latest 'Green News Report.'

Guest: Omar Ocampo, Institute for Policy Studies

Please donate to KPFK! New encouraging data suggests inflation has eased, but Fox News reported it as bad news. Corporate media reported imported primary results in NE and WV almost exclusively through the lens of what it means for Donald Trump rather than voters. Economic inequality researcher OMAR OCAMPO explains new report showing that while working Americans were struggling during the pandemic to stay employed, housed and fed, the net worth of the nation's 727 billionaires grew by $1.7 trillion. Ocampo explains explains how it happened, and what actions can and must be taken to reverse this obscene trend. Senate Democrats unable to overcome GOP filibuster and Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) to pass abortion rights law. Appeals court strikes down CA age restrictions on semi-automatic firearm sales.

Guest: John Bonifaz, Free Speech For People

New polls confirm that a large majority of Americans do NOT want Roe v. Wade overturned in the wake of a draft SCOTUS rightwing majority opinion doing so, and that voters prefer pro-choice candidates on a generic ballot. Former Trump Defense Sec. Esper says Trump is 'a threat to democracy.' Constitutional law expert John Bonifaz explains the latest twists and turns in voter efforts challenging the eligibility of elected Republicans who 'engaged in insurrection' in violation of the Constitution's 'Insurrectionist Disqualification Clause' (14th Amendment, Section 3). Plus Desi Doyen has our latest 'Green News Report.'

Today we debunk the new pretend documentary from convicted rightwing election fraudster and rightwing activist Dinesh D'Souza, "2000 Mules," which, among a host of fabricated claims for which it presents no evidence, also absurdly asserts that publicly-available cell phone geo-location data somehow proves people used secure ballot drop boxes to 'steal' the 2020 election from Trump. White Republican in AZ receives slap on the wrist for intentionally committing voter fraud, highlighting deep racial disparities in sentencing of black and brown voters who mistakenly, unknowingly tried to vote while ineligible.

Guest: Heather 'Digby' Parton, Salon and Digby's Hullabaloo

New monthly jobs report breaks all-time record and wages are rising, with Pres. Biden's jobs-creation record far surpassing Trump's first three years. Salon columnist Heather 'Digby' Parton discusses the fallout from the stunning leak of a SCOTUS majority draft opinion that would overturn the landmark law 'Roe v. Wade' in its entirety, how the GOP's unprecedented removal of privacy rights will impact all Americans, how Democrats can respond aggressively to protect long-established freedoms, and more. New bonkers revelations from former Trump Defense Sec. Mark Esper, include Trump suggesting the US should bomb Mexico and lie about it. Plus Desi Doyen has our latest 'Green News Report.'