This week, Farai Chideya and her guests discuss the Covid-19 vaccine, a Golden Globe-nominated film, and the future of the Republican Party. Businesswoman Bertica Cabrera Morris and Professor Geraldo Cadava share the diversity of the conservative Hispanic experience. Dr. Celine Gounder, an infectious diseases specialist and epidemiologist, explains why the lack of public health infrastructure, especially technology, impacts the distribution of the Covid-19 vaccine. Business of entertainment contributor Casey Mendoza discusses two major Black films making waves in the upcoming awards season. Plus, political journalist Errin Haines of The 19th and Professor Tiffany Jeffers of Georgetown Law dive into the repercussions of the January 6th insurrection for the Republican Party, members of Congress, and voting rights across the country.

EPISODE RUNDOWN

1:24 Businesswoman Bertica Cabrera Morris talks about her relationship with the Republican Party as a Hispanic conservative.

6:15 Cabrera Morris says she doesn’t agree with the behavior exhibited at the Capitol on January 6th, and that it harmed organizers in the Republican party like herself.

11:47 A listener shares their response on the SPEAK platform, to the question, “How have your priorities changed since the beginning of the pandemic?” 

14:41 Professor Geraldo Cadava explains that the Republican Party has fed divisions between Latinos  and African Americans for political gain. 

16:51 Cadava explains that Hispanic Republicans will often point to the ways the Democratic Party has let down or alienated Latino voters, giving the Republican Party room to grow their base.

17:58 Dr. Celine Gounder explains how the variants of Covid-19 present new and different challenges to controlling the pandemic.

19:54 The vaccination process is hampered by the lack of health infrastructure, including basic technology for scheduling patients, says Dr Gounder.

21:38 Dr. Gounder dives into what is needed for a more equitable distribution of vaccines. 

25:54 Casey Mendoza gives an overview of Golden Globe-nominated film, One Night in Miami. 

27:28 Mendoza talks about the ways award shows have adapted to include movies that are streaming during the pandemic.

29:22 The documentary film MLK/FBI looks at how strategically the FBI worked to discredit the Civil Rights Movement.

30:40 Errin Haines and Tiffany Jeffers break down the recent events in Congress in the weekly political roundtable “Sippin’ the Political Tea.”

31:13 Farai Chideya talks about being impacted by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez’s Instagram Live video recounting her experience of the January 6th insurrection.

33:13 Jeffers looks back to the Civil War and Reconstruction to draw comparisons to the divisions in politics today.

35:31 Haines and Chideya discuss the Republican Party’s response to Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green.

37:14 Voters who changed their party registration after the election may be key to understanding the future of the Republican party, Chideya explains. 

42:02 Jeffers makes the case that granting D.C statehood could give Capitol Hill staff and D.C. residents more security. 

46:35 The burden that people of color endure when taking the time to vote needs to be addressed to ensure a more fair democracy, Chideya says.