Progressive Voices

Background Briefing 03-15-2018 by Progressive Voices

The BradCast 03-15-2018 by Progressive Voices

Leslie is joined by Michael Blake, Vice Chair of the DNC and New York State Assembly Member. Blake was born in The Bronx, NY to Jamaican Immigrants. He is in his second term, representing the 79th District.

They analyze Conor Lamb's upset victory in PA-18, a congressional district that Trump won by 20 points in 2016, and what the national implications of this victory could mean for November's midterm elections.

They also discuss IWillVote - an unprecedented new campaign from the DNC with four initiatives: Commit to Vote; Voter Registration; Voter Education and Protection; and Get-Out-The-Vote. Under the IWillVote program, the DNC, in partnership with state parties and organizations, aims to reach 50 million voters from now until November to engage, educate, and mobilize them to vote for Democrats up and down the ticket.

Finally, Michael and Leslie discuss National Walkout Day, which included nearly one million students walking out of school to memorialize the 17 teenagers who lost their lives in the Parkland, Florida school shooting one month ago, as well as protesting the lack of action by Congress to prevent future gun violence.

Michael Blake's mother, Hilary, overcame homelessness and Breast Cancer to work 40 years at a manufacturing plant. His father, Headly, cleaned hospital rooms and was a proud member of 1199SEIU. Blake attended New York City public schools before graduating from Northwestern University.

After a career in Journalism, Blake began his political career in the 2006 "Yes We Can" training program. He then managed three winning state legislative races in Michigan, became President Obama's 2008 Iowa Caucus Constituency vote director, and served in eight additional states, including Michigan, where his team won all seven races as part of their Coordinated campaign. Blake later served as White House Associate Director of Public Engagement and Deputy Associate Director of the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs. In, 2012 Blake was National Deputy Operation Vote Director for President Obama.

Michael Blake sits on the board of the My Brother's Keeper Alliance, is an Honorary National Co-Chair of the New Leaders Council and in 2016 became the first sitting elected official to serve as a fellow at the Harvard University Institute of Politics.

His twitter handle is @MrMikeBlake.

That was the headline on a New York Times editorial recently, endorsing a state bill to do away with the sub minimum wage for tipped workers. The editorial followed a long feature, for which the paper interviewed more than 60 servers, whose stories revealed just how vulnerable their reliance on tips makes them to harassment and sexual violence​.​

Nicole Sandler What's News 03-15-2018 by Progressive Voices

The U.S. may soon have its first-ever climate science denying Secretary of State; World leaders sound the alarm over global water scarcity crisis; Black lung disease surges back in Coal Country; Toymaker LEGO goes greener with plant-based plastics; PLUS: Seven years after the meltdown, Japan struggles to contain Fukushima's radioactive wastewater... All that and more in today's Green News Report!

Background Briefing 03-14-2018 by Progressive Voices

Randi Rhodes PV Promo 3-13-18 by Progressive Voices

The BradCast 03-13-2018 by Progressive Voices

Michelle Meow Show - 03-13-2018 by Progressive Voices