The Tent

The recent killing of George Floyd by officers in the Minneapolis Police Department triggered hundreds of protests against police brutality and systemic racism this week—protests that occasionally became violent when militarized police indiscriminately targeted journalists and peaceful protesters. Colorado Rep. Joe Neguse (D) joined “The Tent” this week to share his perspective on the protests, needed policing reforms, and the work to be done to combat the devastating effects of the coronavirus.

This week on “The Tent” Daniella and Ed discuss Christian Cooper, a black man in New York City who recorded his encounter with a white woman who falsely told the police that he was threatening her in Central Park.  They also discuss George Floyd, a man who was killed by police in Minneapolis, and whose death was recorded on video. Later, Daniella speaks with D.C. Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie about how the District is preparing to enter phase one of its reopening plan.

While the country continues to reel from the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic, last week President Trump announced his intent to fire U.S. State Department Inspector General Steve Linick, the fourth I.G. to be fired since Trump’s impeachment last winter. To understand more about Trump’s aversion to oversight, Daniella and Ed chat this week with Noah Bookbinder, the Executive Director of the government watchdog group C.R.E.W. (Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington).

On the pod this week, Daniella and Ed discuss the Justice Department’s effort to drop all charges against Michael Flynn, as well as the tragic and infuriating cases of Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor. Then, Dr. Keisha Callins, an OBGYN in Georgia, joins the show to discuss what she's witnessing on the ground in a state that rushed to reopen its economy against the advice of the country's top health experts, as well as how the pandemic has exposed fault lines in the country’s health care system.

Life for many frontline health care workers has changed dramatically this spring as the coronavirus pandemic continues to sweep through the United States. Houston area paramedic and Dreamer Jesus Contreras joins the podcast this week to chat with Daniella and Ed about how Covid-19 has altered his work and impacted his community. They also discuss the Supreme Court’s pending decision on DACA and why the country should support Dreamers. 

New York City is one of several hot spots in the United States facing high infection and death rates from COVID-19. In the Bronx, the City’s most diverse borough, Black and Latino New Yorkers have taken the brunt of the pandemic’s health and economic effects. New York State Assemblyman Michael Blake joins the podcast this week to talk about the challenges residents in his district are up against and how the state and federal governments can better support communities like his during this crisis.

Testing. Testing. Testing. Despite the plateauing of the nation’s capacity to test the public for new Covid-19 cases, some governors have attempted to begin reopening their economies, a decision that could prove costly in the long run. Dr. Angela Rasmussen, a virologist with Columbia University, joins Daniella and Ed on the podcast this week to share her experience studying infectious diseases and how testing for new ones works. She also dispels some of the myths spreading around Covid-19.

Experts predicted communities in the United States would see a peak in first wave Covid-19 infections by mid-April. Governors around the country have implemented public safety measures that have altered much of civic life. David Cole, the national legal director for the ACLU, joins the pod this week to discuss how exposed our civil liberties have become during this pandemic, and what steps we can take to protect them as the country moves to slow and track the spread of the novel coronavirus.

While pundits have pegged the coronavirus pandemic as an “equalizer”, experts have begun to take note just how differently Americans are feeling its impacts. In the news this week, our hosts are joined by CAP Action’s Danyelle Solomon to talk about how Black Americans have borne the brunt of this health and economic crisis. Later, they speak with journalist David Daley about the Wisconsin primary, gerrymandering, and his new book Unrigged: How Americans Are Battling Back to Save Democracy.

The U.S. begins April 2020 with soaring unemployment during the global coronavirus pandemic. On the podcast this week, Daniella and Ed speak with Michigan bartender Sarah May Whitelake about the challenges she and her family are facing during the biggest stress test the American economy has seen in a decade. In the news, our hosts also talk with CAP Action senior economist Gbenga Ajilore about how Congress can continue to provide economic relief for the country following the enactment of the CARES Act.