The Tent

Muriel Bowser (D), mayor of Washington, D.C., joins Daniella and Jesse on “The Tent” this week to discuss the effort to make the nation’s capital the 51st state in the union, reflect on the coronavirus pandemic and the challenging year for residents in the District, and her optimism for how the American Rescue Plan can help make a difference in getting Washington, D.C., over the final hump. Plus, our hosts discuss the busy week Congress has had as we approach the one-year mark of the pandemic.

The effort to restore democracy in the United States took another step this week as the House of Representatives voted on the For the People Act, a bill with new protections for voting rights and restrictions on big money donors and other corruptive forces in American politics. LaShawn Warren, the executive vice president for government affairs at the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, joins Daniella and Jesse this week to talk through why this bill is critical for this moment.

After lingering in legislative limbo during the last Congress, the Democratic majority of the 117th Congress has reintroduced the Equality Act, a bill that will codify anti-discrimination protections for the LGBTQ community in the U.S. CAP Action’s Sharita Gruberg joins Daniella and Jesse on the pod this week to discuss the impact the bill could have if passed by the House of Representatives and Senate and how politics for LGBTQ Americans has changed with the arrival of the Biden administration.

On “The Tent” this week, Daniella and Jesse are in conversation with investigative journalist Jean Guerrero about her latest book Hatemonger: Stephen Miller, Donald Trump and the White Nationalist Agenda, diving into the outsized role Miller played in shaping the White House’s immigration policies under Trump. Plus, our hosts debrief on the conclusion of Donald Trump’s second impeachment trial and the extreme winter weather impacting Texas.

The Biden-Harris Administration is only three weeks in and ambitiously seeking to vaccinate millions of Americans and put an end to the coronavirus pandemic. This week, Jesse and Daniella connect with Dr. Bechara Choucair, the National Vaccinations Coordinator for the White House’s COVID-19 Response Team, to talk about how the administration is working to overcome this herculean challenge. Plus our hosts talk about Donald Trump’s second impeachment trial and what’s to come on Capitol Hill.

On the pod this week, Daniella and Jesse dissect the evolving appetite for unity and bipartisanship in Washington as the Biden administration negotiates the size and scope of a new Covid relief package with Democrats and Republicans in Congress. Plus they connect with CAP Action senior fellow Jocelyn Frye to discuss how the recovery effort will need to account for the impacts the pandemic economy has had on women in the workforce.

All eyes have been focused on the Biden administration in its first week as the President seeks to revive the nation with a suite of executive orders addressing climate change, racial justice, the economy, and of course the coronavirus pandemic. This week, Jesse connects with Dr. Reed Tuckson, a founding member of the Black Coalition Against Covid-19 to talk about the racial disparities the public health response has produced to date and how Biden’s efforts can help reverse some of these trends.

A historic month continues its breakneck pace in the nation’s capital, as Joseph R. Biden, Jr. was inaugurated as the 46th President of the United States in Washington this week. Daniella and Jesse recap the highlights of the unusual and historic ceremony which also saw Kamala D. Harris sworn in as the nation’s first woman vice president. Our hosts also connect with HuffPost reporter Kate Sheppard to talk about what the new Democratic trifecta in the federal government means for progressives.

Facts about the horrific attack at the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. last week continue to reveal the full scope of violence that occurred during the insurrection last week. Intelligence and foreign policy analyst Malcolm Nance joins Daniella and Jesse on the podcast to put the insurrection into the clearer context of extremist movements. Our hosts also discuss Congress’s response and effort to impeach President Donald Trump for a second time for incitement of insurrection.

The United States enters the new year still dealing with the challenges of 2020, including the pandemic and threats to the nation’s democratic institutions. Daniella and Jesse return to The Tent this week to assess the state of American democracy with a guest interview with author David Daley. Our hosts also discuss the Georgia runoff races for U.S. Senate, which saw Democrats Jon Ossoff and the Reverend Raphael Warnock sweep their Republican opponents and flip the majority in the U.S. Senate.