MOMocrats

Join us as we hear from one of the plaintiffs (Dr. Wayne Au) who, along with good governance groups like the League of Women Voters and others, is suing the state of Washington for clarification as to whether charter schools formed under the newly-passed charter school initiative are indeed public schools. The Washington state constitution describes the mandate to fund "common schools"  -- so why are charter schools public, and if they're not, why not? Are they eligible to receive locally levied monies? Hear about the first layer of judicial review and how the courts might rule as the December 2013 decision is appealed in the Washington State Supreme Court. You can see more of Dr. Au's writings on public education at http://RethinkingSchools.org, which he co-edits.

The networks and studios are in LA for their semi-annual presentations to the Television Critics Association - and the Agents of Zeitgeist are in attendance! They share all the news they've gathered so far. Also: Academy Award nominations and Golden Globe winners. Hosted by TV bloggers Anne Louise Bannon and Elise Crane Derby, and Donna Schwartz Mills.

Chris Christie's "Bridgegate" woes have expanded to include other alleged retaliations against Democratic mayors in New Jersey and a probe into how Hurricane Sandy funds were used. Too bad Christie's problems have sucked up so much of the news oxygen this week: There was a toxic chemical spill in West Virginia that left hundreds of thousands of residents without tap water for several days and is now threatening the water supply in neighboring states... a ruling yesterday that guts the FCC's "net neutrality" rules... and another school shooting, this time in Roswell, New Mexico. MOMocrats Cynematic, Karoli, Erin Kotecki Vest and Donna Schwartz Mills weigh in.

Now that the polar vortex is back in Northern Canada where it belongs, it's time for politics as usual. Or unusual, as is the case with that bridge traffic incident in Fort Lee, New Jersey which threatens Governor Chris Christie's standing as most likely to be the GOP's nominee in 2016. MOMocrats Cynematic, Karoli and Donna Schwartz Mills discuss politics from a progressive POV.

It was a good year for television and a bad year for television networks and cable companies, as new means of delivery continue to disrupt their business model. Agents of Zeitgeist Anne Louise Bannon, Elise Crane Derby and Donna Schwartz Mills talk about all the highs and lows of  2013 and their favorite developments in our last live podcast of the year.

From the War on Women and the Working Poor to the Obamacare rollout - Karoli, Cynematic, Donna and Astacia look back at the top political stories of the year. Weekly political discussion from the progressive POV, hosted by the MOMocrats. Produced by Engender Media Group.

The Awards season begins with nominations for the Golden Globe Awards. Entertainment writers Anne Louise Bannon and Elise Crane Derby talk about who got the nominations and what it all means, plus what's coming up this week.

If you've been worried about another government shutdown, you might be able to relax. Paul Ryan and Democratic Senator Patty Murray have hammered out a budget deal which tackles some of the harm done by the sequester. Ryan may have learned a lesson from the GOP's October debacle - but can we can't count out his Tea Party colleagues. Karoli, Astacia Carter and Donna Schwartz Mills participate in this week's political discussion from the progressive POV, hosted by the MOMocrats. Produced by Engender Media Group.

Thanksgiving weekend marked the end of November sweeps and some network shows have already gone into holiday hiatus mode, with no new episodes until January or later. Can the void be filled with Christmas specials? Elise Crane Derby, Anne Louise Bannon and Donna Schwartz Mills talk about TV news  on this week's Agents of Zeitgeist podcast, produced by Engender Media Group.

A million people visited the Obamacare website yesterday. Now that the site is working, all the advertising and publicity campaigns that were put on hold for two months are back in gear -- including the ones planned by Republicans to dissuade folks from signing up for the program. Karoli, Donna Schwartz Mills are joined by Erin Kotecki Vest in this week's political discussion from the progressive POV, hosted by the MOMocrats. Produced by Engender Media Group.