After forcing out Jeff Sessions last November, President Trump nominated William Barr to fill Sessions’ role as head the Justice Department. Barr’s confirmation hearings were held this week, and were scrutinized by politicians and progressive activists alike. In the January 18 episode of “The Progressive Happy Hour,” cohosts Cici Battle and Drew Courtney talk to PFAW Senior Legislative Counsel Paul Gordon about Barr’s troubling record and the damage he could cause if confirmed.

It’s been 20 days since Trump shut down the federal government, and the effects of this shutdown continue to pile up. In the January 11 episode of “The Progressive Happy Hour,” cohost Drew Courtney and guest host Diallo Brooks talk to People For the American Way Senior Fellow Peter Montgomery to discuss the immediate and long-term impacts of the shutdown and why Trump and Republicans are to equally blame for the damage it’s caused.

House Democrats, emboldened by their new majority in the 116th Congress, are ready to fight for reforms that strengthen our democracy with H.R. 1, their first bill of the new session. In the January 4 episode of “The Progressive Happy Hour,” cohost Drew Courtney and guest host Diallo Brooks talk to People For the American Way Executive Vice President Marge Baker about corporate money in politics and how H.R. 1 proposes to address the serious problems that unbridled campaign spending has created.

There are just a few days left before 2019, and New Year’s resolutions are on many people’s minds. In the December 28 New Year’s Eve mini-episode of “The Progressive Happy Hour,” cohosts Drew Courtney and Cici Battle share their resolutions, both for themselves and for the country.

From this year’s midterms blue wave to the fight for the Supreme Court to ongoing chaos in the Trump administration, a lot happened in 2018. Progressive activists continued to fight tooth and nail against bigotry and extremism – and along the way, we celebrated our hard-won victories. In the December 21 episode of “The Progressive Happy Hour,” co-hosts Drew Courtney and Cici Battle talk to Kristine Kippins, a lawyer and progressive activist, to look back on the highlights and lowlights of 2018.

Many African American pastors and ministers still lift up the ideals that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. fought for as a minister and leader of the civil rights movement, but connecting those values with specific actions that advance progressive ideals isn’t as common. In the December 14 episode of “The Progressive Happy Hour,” Drew Courtney and Diallo Brooks talk to Rev. Leslie Watson Malachi, PFAW’s director of African American Religious Affairs, to talk about how the programs she leads fill that gap

As Americans digest the latest news about the Mueller investigation, it’s important to place these developments in the broader context of the threat to our democracy. In the December 7 episode of “The Progressive Happy Hour,” cohost Christin “Cici” Battle and guest host Diallo Brooks sit down with PFAW’s Government by the People Campaign Manager Rio Tazewell to contextualize the Russia investigation in these terms and discuss what activists can do to protect it.

Education reform is a political hot topic on both sides of the aisle. And while many progressives understand the inequities that plague public schools, understanding how to enact real change can be daunting. In the November 28 episode of “The Progressive Happy Hour,” cohost Drew Courtney and guest host Diallo Brooks sit down with Bertis Downs, education activist and PFAW board member, about the challenges American public schools face and what a progressive solution to educational inequity might look lik

This year has been a tumultuous and painful one for so many progressive activists. That’s one reason it’s important to cultivate and recognize gratitude for the good things in our lives. In the November 21 Thanksgiving mini-episode of “The Progressive Happy Hour,” cohosts Cici Battle and Drew Courtney reflect on what they are thankful for, both for the country and for themselves.

Over the coming months, Congress will welcome dozens of Gen Xers and millennials to its ranks. Their visions for change helped them win their elections, but being in office requires a wider skill set. In the November 16 episode of “The Progressive Happy Hour,” Drew Courtney and Diallo Brooks chat with People For the American Way Foundation’s Young Elected Officials Network Program Manager Raquel Jones about the importance of young leaders and the ways that the YEO Network supports them.