Skullduggery

How can we save our democracy from partisan gerrymandering, the influence of big money in politics, voter suppression, and the spread of disinformation? Congressman John Sarbanes says it is through the pro-democracy reforms of the bill he authored: the For the People Act, which is H.R. 1 and S. 1 in the current Congress — and he says a majority of the American people, regardless of their party affiliation, agree with him. He sits down with Michael Isikoff, Dan Klaidman, and new Skullduggery host Victoria Bassetti, legal expert and former Senate Judiciary Committee staffer, to talk about the sweeping implications of these proposals, and whether there will be enough political will to overcome the Senate filibuster and GOP opposition.

GUEST:

• Rep. John Sarbanes (@RepSarbanes), U.S. Congressman (D, MD-3), author of H.R. 1

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Jonathan Allen, the co-author of the new campaign book Lucky: How Joe Biden Barely Won the Presidency, joins Michael Isikoff and Dan Klaidman to share inside details into the Biden campaign that became, in unlikely fashion, the 46th presidential administration. Allen talks about the fateful swings on the campaign trail, Joe Biden's decisive victory in the South Carolina primary, and how Covid shaped the calculus of Biden's messaging strategy. He also talks about the relationship between how Biden ran his campaign and how he has governed early in his presidency, sharing some insightful predictions about what we might see from President Biden as his term goes on.

GUEST:

• Jonathan Allen (@jonallendc), Senior National Political Reporter, NBC News Digital

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For many Americans, March 11th, 2020 was the day that the pandemic shifted from being a news story about frightening events taking place somewhere else, and started becoming a world- and life-altering event happening in our country, our communities, and in our homes. Yahoo News reporters Andrew Romano and Dylan Stableford have been chronicling all that happened on that auspicious day, and what it was like for various public figures and on-the-ground Americans, for their remarkable project: “‘The most unusual day’: How March 11, 2020 marked the start of the COVID era”. 

They join Michael Isikoff and Dan Klaidman on this episode to talk about the project, and to hear firsthand audio from some people who emblemize the transformations our society has undergone in the past year, such as NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, Dr. Anthony Fauci, fmr. Pence aide Olivia Troye, and a “viral” Arizona anti-masker.

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The Covid-19 pandemic has made the long-looming presence of China on the global stage a personal matter for all Americans. This is one of many claims that columnist Josh Rogin makes in his new book on U.S.-China relations, Chaos Under Heaven: Trump, Xi, and the Battle for the 21st Century. He joins Michael Isikoff and Dan Klaidman to discuss the long reach of China into American life, and to outline the unique challenges that the Biden administration will face in the wake of the often covert Chinese manipulation of Trump's White House.

GUEST:

• Josh Rogin (@joshrogin), Author and Opinion Columnist, Washington Post

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Fred Hampton was only 21 years old when he, the charismatic and captivating chairman of the Illinois Black Panther Party, was murdered by officers of the Illinois State's Attorney's office and the Chicago P.D. on December 4, 1969. But, long before then, he was the target of a secret FBI surveillance program, designed to sow discord, paranoia, and destruction into the ranks of New Left and Black organizations, and whose orders came from the very top of the Bureau — J. Edgar Hoover. In this second installment of "Buried Treasure: COINTELPRO", Michael Isikoff and Dan Klaidman sit down with Shaka King, director of the critically acclaimed film Judas and the Black Messiah, to talk about Hampton's legacy, and the long reach of the FBI that continues today. Then, Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN) joins the show to talk about his proposed bill to strip J. Edgar Hoover's name from the FBI Headquarters in Washington.

Be sure you caught Part 1 of this series, featuring an interview with Keith Forsyth, one of the burglars who, in 1971, broke into an FBI office in Media, PA to expose COINTELPRO, and Betty Medsger, the investigative journalist who publicized the findings from those documents in The Washington Post.

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On March 8, 1971, a group calling themselves the Citizens' Commission to Investigate the FBI successfully broke in to an FBI field office in Media, Pennsylvania. The documents that they stole revealed a massive illegal surveillance program being run by the Bureau, designed to intimidate, persecute, and destroy primarily Black individuals and organizations. In this episode, the first of our two-part "Buried Treasure" series commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of this historic break-in, Michael Isikoff and Dan Klaidman talk with Keith Forsyth, a member of the team that committed the burglary, and Betty Medsger, the journalist whose investigative reporting first made public the shocking findings from the trove of stolen documents.

Stay tuned for Part 2 of this series, featuring an interview with Shaka King, director of the new film Judas and the Black Messiah.

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In the wake of an historic pro-labor message from President Biden, Michael Isikoff and Dan Klaidman go inside the unionization fight at an Amazon warehouse in Bessemer, Alabama. First, they're joined by Stuart Appelbaum, national president of the Retail, Wholesale, and Department Store Union (RWDSU), who explains the significance of the Bessemer union drive, and details some of the tactics Amazon has been using to oppose workers' rights. Then Rep. Andy Levin (D, Michigan) joins, ahead of his trip to Bessemer, to talk about about the power of collective action, the Pro Act, and the future of labor rights in America.

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Congressman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) joins Michael Isikoff and Dan Klaidman to discuss the CIA-declassified report on the 2018 killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, and to offer his thoughts on the future of U.S.-Saudi relations. Then, Mike and Dan talk with Peter Beinart, contributing columnist for the New York Times and professor of journalism and political science, about Middle East foreign policy, and why his proposal for Israel-Palestine is inspired by America's racial past.

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Mike Isikoff and Dan Klaidman are joined by legal analysts Victoria Bassetti and Michael Zeldin to break down Day 1 of the confirmation hearings for Merrick Garland as U.S. Attorney General. They discuss some of Garland's deft responses in dialogue with Senators, and some missteps, as well.

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• Merrick Garland Confirmation Hearing coverage (Day 1), C-SPAN

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Mike Isikoff and Dan Klaidman report on the scandal out of New York, featuring an interview with the lawmaker at the center of Gov. Cuomo's alleged cover-up and threats: NY state assemblyman Ron Kim (D, Queens). He describes in detail the alleged obstruction and lies around the state's Covid-19 reporting. And then we're joined by medical malpractice attorney John Dalli, who is a member of several state task forces on Covid-19 and elder care, to learn more about the latest charges of corruption in Albany.

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