Jasmine and Amanda are at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, so on this episode, Rachel is co-hosting with Jess Piper. And it's great timing because as of last week, abortion will be on the ballot in her home state of Missouri - something that she and other advocates have been working hard to achieve. They gathered 380,000 signatures, a full 200k more than they needed!

It's important to remember that even in "red" states like Missouri, extremists are the minority. But when gerrymandering and misinformation run rampant, the far right can implement damaging policies like abortion bans and book bans. Jess even calls her state a "pilot program" for Project 2025, devastating healthcare and public education. No matter what state we live in, we have to stand up against extremism because it affects all of us.

And speaking of Project 2025, this week we're also joined by Nancy MacLean, author of Democracy in Chains: The Deep History of the Radical Right's Stealth Plan for America. Nancy walks us through the history of the Heritage Foundation and P2025, as well as where she sees the far right going in the future. Her knowledge and her joy are captivating, even if the topics she studies are anything but joyful. She’s proof that we can take this work seriously while still having fun.

Finally, Jess and Rachel raise a glass to daughters and to Tim Walz in this week's Toast to Joy.

Red Wine and Blue is going to be in D.C. Labor Day weekend – want to join us? Moms for Liberty will be holding their annual summit where they double down on hate and extremism. We cannot and will not let Moms for Liberty speak for us. Let’s turn out in big numbers to show that we are the majority! You can find more details here.

For a transcript of this episode, please email theswppod@redwine.blue.

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