On this edition of Your Call, we're discussing the PACT Act, a law that will expand healthcare and disability benefits to nearly 3.5 million veterans who were exposed to toxic chemicals from burn pits on military bases in Iraq and Afghanistan. It took former Daily Show host Jon Stewart to give this issue high profile attention and shame Republicans into voting for the bill.

We'll also discuss how burn pits, bombings, and military occupation have impacted the health of Iraqi and Afghan civilians. While burn pits are no longer active, they continue to have long term effects.

Guests:

Megan Stack, contributing opinion writer at the New York Times, fellow at the George Washington University School of Media and Public Affairs, and author of two books, including Women's Work: A Personal Reckoning with Labor, Motherhood, and Privilege

Dr. Kali Rubaii, assistant professor of anthropology at Purdue University who recently returned from Fallujah, Iraq

On this edition of Your Call, we’re discussing President Biden’s announcement to forgive up to $10,000 dollars in federal student loans for those making less than $125,000 per year, and another $10,000 for Pell Grant recipients.

The typical undergraduate finishes school with nearly $30,000 in debt, but that number is higher for women of color. While some advocates are celebrating, others say the plan doesn’t go far enough. We’ll trace the origins of the student debt crisis, which began in the 1980s when Ronald Reagan slashed funding for higher education.

Guests:

Natalia Abrams, president and co-founder of the Student Debt Crisis Center

Charlie Eaton, economic sociologist, associate professor of sociology, and co-founder of the Higher Education, Race, and the Economy Lab at the University of California, Merced

On this edition of Your Call, we're discussing California Governor Gavin Newsom's announcement last Friday that he will veto AB2183, a bill that would give farmworkers the right to vote for union elections in secret, whenever and wherever they feel safe. The announcement came as farmworkers and their supporters made it to Sacramento after marching for 24 days in 100+ degree heat.

A revised version of the bill is headed back to the Governor's desk, according to the Sacramento Bee.

Yesterday, farmworkers and their supporters began a 24-hour Vigil for the Governor’s signature in Sacramento, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Fresno.

Guest:

Teresa Romero, president of United Farm Workers

On this edition of Your Call’s One Planet Series, we're discussing what needs to be done to transition from fossil fuels to 100 percent renewable energy.

We are living with the widespread effects of climate change, including melting glaciers, rising sea levels, longer and more intense heat waves, deadly fires, and air pollution. Scientists say the science is clear. In order to avoid the worst impacts of climate change, greenhouse gas emissions must be reduced by almost half by 2030 and we must reach net-zero by 2050. What will it take for the world to transition to 100 percent clean energy with wind, water and solar?

Guests:

Christian Breyer, professor of Solar Economy at LUT University in Finland

Mark Jacobson, professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Director of Atmosphere/Energy Program at Stanford University, and author of 100% Clean, Renewable Energy and Storage for Everything

On the next Your Call’s Media Roundtable, we discuss the 2014 disappearance of 43 students in Mexico. The government’s truth commission has concluded that the tragic incident was a state-sponsored crime involving authorities at the highest levels of government.

On this edition of Your Call’s Media Roundtable, we’ll discuss the 2014 disappearance of 43 students in Mexico. The students were on buses heading to Mexico City when they were ambushed by police. The parents of the missing students have been searching for their sons and for answers for years.

The government’s truth commission has concluded that the tragic incident was a state-sponsored crime involving authorities at the highest levels of government.

Guest:

Anayansi Diaz-Cortes, award-winning reporter and producer for Reveal from The Center for Investigative Reporting

On this edition of Your Call's Media Roundtable, we're discussing the influence of dark money on American politics. A recent investigation by The Lever and ProPublica reveals how Barre Seid, a conservative billionaire, donated $1.6 billion to a new group run by Federalist Society co-chair Leonard Leo, who guided Donald Trump’s Supreme Court picks and helped end federal abortion rights.

The structure of the donation allowed Seid to avoid as much as $400 million in taxes. Thus, he maximized the amount of money at Leo’s disposal, according to the report. The Center for Media and Democracy notes that Seid is "closely allied with the Koch network and funnels dark money through the same groups used by the Kochs, including Donors Trust and Donors Capital Fund."

Guest:

Andy Kroll, investigative reporter for ProPublica, and author of the forthcoming book, A Death on W Street: The Murder of Seth Rich and the Age of Conspiracy

On this edition of Your Call, we're discussing union busting as workers across the country continue to demand basic rights. In the first half of this year, unions prevailed in 639 elections, according to Bloomberg Law's analysis. That amounts to 43,092 workers. That’s the highest win for labor in nearly 20 years. How are corporations responding?

Trader Joe's workers say the company's decision to shut down its only wine shop in New York City is blatant union busting. The union representing Starbucks said the coffee chain closed its Kansas City and Seattle stores in retaliation for organizing. Last month, Amy's Kitchen shut down its San Jose factory, where workers have also been organizing. Chipotle Mexican Grill recently closed a Maine restaurant whose staff were planning to form an independent union called Chipotle United. It would have been the chain’s first unionized restaurant.

Guests:

John Logan, professor of US labor history at San Francisco State University

Maeg Yosef, Trader Joe's crew member and organizer with Trader Joe's United

Sarah Beth Ryther, Trader Joe's crew member and organizer with Trader Joe's United

James Kreiss, supervisor at Starbucks in San Francisco’s Castro District

On this edition of Your Call, we're discussing the California farmworker 335-mile, 24-day march from Delano to Sacramento, California, which began on August 3.

The March for the Governor's Signature is a rally to urge California Governor Gavin Newsom to sign AB 2183, which would give more choices to farmworkers so they can vote for a union free from intimidation. Farmworkers say they would be able to vote in secret whenever and wherever they feel safe. There are 800,000 farmworkers in California. Less than one percent belong to a union, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Farmworkers are expecting more than 5,000 people to join them when they reach the State Capitol on Friday, August 26, which is Farmworker Appreciation Day. By then, they will have marched through 24 valley cities and towns.

Guests:

Teresa Romero, president of United Farm Workers

Dr. Ann Lopez, executive director of the Center for Farmworker Families

On this edition of Your Call, longtime political journalist Mark Leibovich joins us to discuss his new book, Thank You For Your Servitude: Donald Trump’s Washington and the Price of Submission.

He writes about "the careerists who capitulated to Trumpism to preserve their livelihoods," and exposes how Republicans like Lindsay Graham, Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz, and Kevin McCarthy transformed from Trump critics to Trump enablers and chasers of the grift. Many of Trump's lapdogs admit that they were "in on the joke."

These guys know they’re playing with fire, but they are still standing by their man. Under Trump, they got more than they got under George W. Bush, including unprecedented tax cuts for corporations and the ultra wealthy and the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade. Now that we are seeing unprecedented levels of violence, how far are they willing to go?

Guest:

Mark Leibovich, staff writer at The Atlantic, former chief national correspondent at The New York Times Magazine, and author of Thank You For Your Servitude: Donald Trump’s Washington and the Price of Submission