The Tent

Daniella and Jesse return to “The Tent” this week with an episode focused on America’s tumultuous August, which saw the Biden administration bring the U.S. combat mission in Afghanistan to a close, worsening wildfires in the West, and catastrophic storms and floods in the East. Dan Berschinski, a retired Army combat veteran, joins for a guest interview and shares his thoughts on the 20th anniversary of 9/11, the withdrawal from Afghanistan, and American foreign policy over the past two decades.

​​CAP Action’s Akua Amaning joins Daniella and Jesse for a discussion about the inconsistent marijuana-related policies across the various levels of government and proposed federal legislation to combat this. In light of Sha’Carri Richardson’s suspension from the Olympics for cannabis use, Amaning explains how organizational policies have or have not changed following decriminalization and how this could create issues for Americans. Plus, Daniella and Jesse prepare for the Summer Olympics and recap the latest in the battles for DACA and voting rights.

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Follow us on Twitter @TheTentPod & @CAPAction.

You can also follow Akua Amaning on Twitter and stay up to date on her work with CAP & CAP Action here.

Here are some helpful links for this week’s episode:

“The Facts on Marijuana Equity and Decriminalization” via Center for American Progress

“A federal judge declared DACA unlawful. Here’s what that means.” via Vox

"Democrats Take Stalled Voting Rights Push to Georgia” via The New York Times

On “The Tent” this week, Daniella and Jesse debrief on the dire state of American democracy and the President’s speech on voting rights in Philadelphia. They also dive deeper into the sprawling January 6 investigations with Ryan Reilly, senior justice reporter at HuffPost, whose reporting this year has focused on the growing number of charges that have been filed against participants in the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol and the unique nature of the investigations.

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Follow us on Twitter @TheTentPod & @CAPAction.

You can also follow Ryan Reilly on Twitter and stay up to date on his work with HuffPost here.

Here are some helpful links for this week’s episode:

“January 6 Clearinghouse: Congressional Hearings, Government Documents, Court Cases, Academic Research” via Just Security

“‘Sedition Hunters’: Meet The Online Sleuths Aiding The FBI’s Capitol Manhunt” via HuffPost

“This Is What a Real Filibuster Looks Like” via Mother Jones

Tuesday July 6th marked six months since the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. was attacked by a violent mob seeking to stop Congress from certifying Joe Biden as the winner of the 2020 general election. Ryan Goodman, co-editor in chief of the online forum Just Security, joins Daniella and Jesse to update us on where the many investigations into the attack have led Congress and law enforcement agencies. Plus, our hosts discuss plans by Republicans in Congress to obstruct the president’s agenda.

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Follow us on Twitter @TheTentPod & @CAPAction.

You can also follow Ryan Goodman on Twitter and stay up to date on his work with Just Security here.

Here are some helpful links for this week’s episode:

“January 6 Clearinghouse: Congressional Hearings, Government Documents, Court Cases, Academic Research” via Just Security

“Biden Insists He Can Do More With Less on the Economy” via The New York Times

“EXPLAINER: How could the indictment hurt Trump's company?” via The Associated Press 

“How Mitch McConnell has unified Republicans as a red wall against Biden’s agenda” via The Guardian

This week’s episode of The Tent features a special recording of a live event with Daniella and Jesse in conversation with CAP alumnus and the founder of Scott’s Cheap Flights, Scott Keyes. Since 2013, Scott has been using his platform to connect travelers with the best deals they can find to reach new and exciting destinations. His new book, Take More Vacations: How to Search Better, Book Cheaper, and Travel the World, comes at the world tires to reopen and reconnect after a year of isolation.

On “The Tent” this week, Daniella is joined by U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) for a conversation on Pride Month and how political life for LGBTQ Americans has changed since the Biden administration assumed office and her own groundbreaking career in public service. They also discuss voting rights, the recent vote on the For the People Act, and ongoing negotiations over how Congress can make climate-minded investments in infrastructure.

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Follow us on Twitter @TheTentPod & @CAPAction.

You can also follow Senator Tammy Baldwin on Twitter @SenatorBaldwin.

Here are some helpful links for this week’s episode:

“Danica Roem's message to LGBTQ youth: 'You have to care' about politics” via CNN

“States across the country are dropping barriers to voting, widening a stark geographic divide in ballot access” via The Washington Post

“Democrats think now is their last, best chance to pass a big climate bill” via Vox

This week on “The Tent,” Texas state Reps. Trey Martinez Fischer (D) and Gina Hinojosa (D) join the pod to talk about the struggle for voting rights in Texas, their trip to Washington, D.C., to meet with Democrats in the U.S. Senate and Vice President Kamala Harris, and how they hope to see democracy protected in America. Plus, Jesse and Daniella reflect on President Joe Biden’s trip to Europe and the ongoing infrastructure negotiations.

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Follow us on Twitter @TheTentPod & @CAPAction.

You can also follow Rep. Martinez Fisher and Rep. Hinojosa on Twitter.

Here are some helpful links for this week’s episode:

“Vice President Kamala Harris says Texas is key example of why a new federal elections law is needed” via The Texas Tribune

“'Hoping to light a fire,' Texas Democrats seek to build momentum from walkout” via the Austin American-Statesman

“Texas Democrats Are Pressing Their Congressional Counterparts To Expand Voting Rights” via KUT 90.5

“4 takeaways from the Biden-Putin summit” via The Washington Post

On “The Tent” this week, Daniella and Jesse connect with Slate legal writer Mark Joseph Stern for a conversation on the underdiscussed but still very important federal judiciary, focusing in the influence of the new 6-3 conservative majority on the Supreme Court. They also dig into the Biden administration’s judicial strategy. Plus, Daniella reflects on the collapse of bipartisan infrastructure talks between the White House and Senate Republicans and where the legislation goes from here.

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Follow us on Twitter @TheTentPod & @CAPAction.

You can also follow Mark Joseph Stern on Twitter and stay up to date on his work with Slate here.

Here are some helpful links for this week’s episode:

“Sotomayor Calls Out Kavanaugh for Breaking His Promise to Death Row Inmates” via Slate

“Senate Confirms First Biden Judges, Beginning Push to Rebalance Courts” via The New York Times

"Opinion: Advancing democracy abroad requires defending it at home" via The Washington Post

This week on “The Tent”, Daniella and Jesse connect with Senator Tammy Duckworth of Illinois for an insightful conversation on how the new Democratic majority in the Senate has worked to pass ambitious legislation to bolster the economy and help pull Americans out of the pandemic. She also discusses where bipartisanship has worked – like with the passage of the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act – and where working across the aisle still poses a challenge, i.e. with the American Jobs Plan. 

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Follow us on Twitter @TheTentPod & @CAPAction.

You can also follow Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) on Twitter @SenDuckworth and stay up to date on her work here.

Here are some helpful links for this week’s episode:

“Senate Committee Unanimously Passes Duckworth’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill To Rebuild Our Nation’s Water Systems”

“Biden’s infrastructure plan would create many jobs, but labor shortages may mean few workers will take them” via USA Today

“With voting rights role, Harris takes on weightiest challenge yet as vice president” via The Washington Post

In the year since the murder of George Floyd, Americans have sought to rethink their relationship with policing and the justice system. Thea Sebastian, Director of Policy at the Civil Rights Corps in Washington, D.C., joins Daniella and Jesse on “The Tent” this week to discuss how some of these reform efforts have been actualized in states and cities and what role federal legislation like the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act can do to restore the public’s confidence in the justice system.

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Follow us on Twitter @TheTentPod & @CAPAction.

You can also follow Thea Sebastian and Civil Rights Corps on Twitter. Learn more about Civil Rights Corps and their work here.

Here are some helpful links for this week’s episode:

“The major police reforms enacted since George Floyd's death” via Axios

“The Supreme Court created qualified immunity. Why is it so tough for Congress to get rid of it?” via Los Angeles Times

“L.A. cut millions from the LAPD after George Floyd. Here’s where that money is going” via Los Angeles Times

“Reforms are emptying Louisiana’s prisons. This group makes sure no one goes back.” via The Washington Post