American Fever Dream

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Afternoon Tea With Maya Wiley Mar 05, 2021

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On this week’s Afternoon Tea, Sami is joined by civil rights activist, MSNBC legal analyst, and New York City mayoral candidate Maya Wiley. They start with a chat about what inspired Maya to run for mayor and the exceptional challenges we face in a pandemic. Maya tells us what her top priorities would be in office, which leads to a conversation about rising housing prices and the need for programs to help marginalized communities recover. They discuss the prospect of being the city’s first female mayor, and why it’s so important to address job loss among women in the last year. They talk about the impact of women of color in civil rights activism (including how Maya’s parents inspired her success) with some stories about how to achieve genuine progress with policing. They also explain why ranked choice voting (which will be used in this year’s mayoral election) is a better way to select our leaders and preserve democracy. Finally, it’s time for the Four Questions, which leads to a conversation about a warm, sunny vacation in Saint Lucia with Beyonce and James Baldwin.

Learn more about Maya at: mayawileyformayor.com

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#443 Voter Suppression Is Having A Great 2021 Mar 04, 2021

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Alise, Sami, and Amanda are back to talk all about voting rights and recent attempts to suppress them. They break down the onerous voter restrictions passed in Georgia, and how they are retribution for a strong Democratic showing thanks to Black voters. They describe how H.R. 1, the sweeping voting rights and election reform bill, could pass without eliminating the filibuster entirely, and react to Republicans admitting in the Supreme Court that without voter suppression, they can’t win. Finally, they give Democrats a report card for their first two months in power.

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#442 Has Twitter Broken Politics? Mar 03, 2021

Show notes

Kaitlin and Amanda are back to discuss some Democrats having a very bad week, most of their own making. They break down the good and bad reasons Neera Tanden won’t be confirmed to a Cabinet position and explain why Senators were less likely to overlook a woman of color’s flaws. Then, they discuss even more allegations against New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. Are the quiet calls for his resignation a sign of hypocrisy among Democrats who have demanded accountability for GOP men with similar allegations?

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#441 Dr. Seuss Stole Our Episode Mar 02, 2021

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Amanda is back to break down the day’s headlines after a mishap stole our recording. Tune in for a quick rundown of the racist depictions that resulted in six Dr. Seuss books coming out of circulation and for why Donald and Melania Trump should have been vaccinated in public.

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#440 Will Andrew Cuomo Resign? Mar 01, 2021

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Sami, Bryan, and Amanda are back to break down the ongoing sexual harassment allegations against Governor Andrew Cuomo. What does it say about men and power, and is there any chance the three-term governor will resign? Then, they discuss the media’s misleading framing of COVID relief as a partisan push for Democrats. Why are we letting Republicans hold hostage a bill that 70% of Americans support? Finally, they explain how the Voting Rights Act can give Democrats the leverage they need to govern.

Today’s Black History clip features Renee Montgomery, who just became the first former WNBA player to both be an executive and owner of a team after she bought out Kelly Loeffler’s share of the Atlanta Dream. She retired from play last year to focus on social justice, and explains that decision in a clip for this TED Talk.

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Afternoon Tea With Molly Jong-Fast Feb 26, 2021

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For this week’s Afternoon Tea, Sami Sage is joined by Molly Jong-Fast, author, podcaster, and editor-at-large for The Daily Beast. They start with a post-mortem on the Senate impeachment trial and how the Republican party has responded to (read: turned a blind eye to) the Capital riots. They talk about the political future of Mitch McConnell and what it’s like for a party to operate without a de facto leader. They discuss whether or not Trump could face a criminal (or civil) trial in the coming months and whether or not he could even get a competent lawyer to represent him. They also talk about Molly’s participation in a COVID vaccine trial, and what’s next for vaccine rollout in America. Finally, it’s time for the Four Questions, which leads to a conversation about creative ways to address child poverty (and why it shouldn’t be so hard to fix).

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#439 This FBI Memo Should Have Been A Meeting Feb 25, 2021

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Sami, Amanda, and Bryan are back to discuss your responses to vaccine reluctance in your networks. Then, they break down shocking revelations from this week’s congressional hearing on the Capitol attack. They describe the breakdown in communication that led the FBI’s warning of violence to languish unread. How does a credible threat of an armed insurrection fall through the cracks? That the perpetrators were white probably had something to do with it. Finally, they check back on the state of the Equality Act and its no. 1 enemy Marjorie Taylor Greene.

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#438 How Immigration Reform Will Save Women’s Lives Feb 24, 2021

Show notes

Amanda is joined by Pooja Asnani, director of the Immigration Project at Sanctuary for Families. Pooja details the immigration stories that have gone unreported for years. She explains just how dramatically the previous administration altered immigration processes -- specifically in ways that made it harder for undocumented domestic violence survivors to ensure safety in the US. She outlines how the Violence Against Women Act has provided vital protections, and how sweeping immigration reform and a path to citizenship would change -- and likely save -- the lives of undocumented domestic violence survivors.

Today’s Black History clip is Amara La Negra on “The Real” answering, once again, what it means to be Afro-Latina

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#437 We Need Diane Feinstein Reform Feb 23, 2021

Show notes

Milly, Alise, and Amanda react to Joe Manchin’s refusal to confirm Joe Biden’s cabinet appointees, many of whom happen to be women of color. They detail Manchin’s previous votes for controversial picks and unpack why women, specifically women of color, are held to a higher standard. Then they unload on the moderates in Congress who need some reform themselves. Then, they summarize the immigration reform bill coming to Congress. What are the politics, and could this be the issue Dems use to blow up the filibuster?

Today’s Black History Month clip is the late Rep. John Lewis speaking at the March on Washington at age 23.

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#436 The LGBTQ Equality Fight Coming To Congress Feb 22, 2021

Show notes

Bryan and Amanda reflect on reaching the grim milestone of 500,000 COVID deaths, and what about American society let us even hit such an unthinkable number. They discuss anti-vaccination sentiments they’ve encountered in their own life, and share ways to promote vaccine confidence among friends and family. Then, they break down the Equality Act re-introduced in Congress last week. They explain how this legislation would change lives for LGBTQ people and how it differs from existing protections. Finally, the ask: Will Senate Democrats eliminate the filibuster to pass LGBTQ rights?

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