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17. President Biden’s First 100 days May 05, 2021

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This week Markos and Kerry discuss President Joe Biden’s first 100 days in office. While most of us would not have not predicted it, Joe Biden’s presidency so far is considerably more progressive than former President Barack Obama. Kerry and Markos talk about what Biden has been able to do so far and more importantly the options he has to enact even more progressive change in the coming weeks and months. Markos and Kerry discuss the many reasons for this and also dig into the strange incoherence of the Republican Party and what that might mean in the upcoming midterm elections.

16. Derek Chauvin is guilty. What happens next? Apr 28, 2021

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This week on Daily Kos’ The Brief we talk with Daily Kos staff writer Lauren Floyd. Lauren covered every day and hour of the Derek Chauvin trial, and talks about that experience as well as what happens now in regards to police reform and federal legislation. Organizer Maurice Mitchell, the National Director of the Working Families Party, joins to talk about the Black Lives Matter movement, and the need for organizers to continue to build broader and broader coalitions. Mitchell also gives his thoughts on the Democratic Party and what needs to to happen in for the Biden administration to avoid the midterm losses suffered during Obama’s presidency.

15. Has the GOP surrendered trying to win a majority of the vote? Apr 21, 2021

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Remember all those lawsuits pre-2020 election making it easier to vote, whether by vote by mail, or increased early vote, or myriad other such measures? Remember after the election, the case after case after case that Republicans lost, leading to tweets like “Republicans are now 1-50 in election challenges”? The man behind those legal efforts was this week's guest, Mark Elias.

14. What the Future of Turning Texas Teal Looks Like Apr 14, 2021

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Today, we’re talking to two great Texas organizers from the Texas Organizing Project. Not only have they done amazing work helping flip formerly red counties around Austin, Dallas, and Houston to the Democrats, but their advocacy work has ensured that those Democratic victories have led to critically important local reforms. We’ll talk about those victories, and what needs to be done to flip Texas Democratic at the statewide level.

13. Hope for reforming gun laws, and corporate America is in the hot seat? Apr 07, 2021

Show notes

Do you feel helpless about the politics of gun control? Not only are the politics of the issue clearly trending in Democrats’ direction, a new generation of activists are reimagining how advocates and Democrats alike should approach the issue to create change. We’ll also dig into what the heck is going on with the sudden GOP war on Corporate America, and the corporations that ever so briefly took a stand against GOP seditionists before greenlighting donations once again in support of congressional Republicans.

12. Fixing America's Immigration System in 2021 Mar 31, 2021

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A brief summary of this episode

11. The Model Minority Myth and Finally Taking Down The Filibuster Mar 24, 2021

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Joining us today is California Rep. Ted Lieu discussing the model minority myth and where the Asian community goes from here. We also discuss his work on the American Rescue Plan, as well as his efforts to reform America’s broken bail system. Also joining is Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon, who will talk about a topic near and dear to us: filibuster reform. We are dead in the water without eliminating the ability of Republicans to block most pieces of legislation over the next two years. Can we fix it?

10. Everything you want to know about reforming the courts and DC Statehood Mar 17, 2021

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We talk about court reform. What is the path forward for adding seats from the lower courts all the way up to the Supreme Court? Does the Supreme Court have any ethics? Literally! We also talk about DC Statehood, why we need it now for our democracy, and the chances that this can happen under the Biden administration. Markos Moulitsas and Carolyn Fiddler speak with Brian Fallon and Bo Shuff. Brian Fallon is the former Director of Public Affairs for the U.S. Department of Justice under President Barack Obama, top aide to Sen. Chuck Schumer, and National Press Secretary for Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign He is the co-founder and executive director of Demand Justice a progressive organization working on court reform. Bo Shuff is the Executive Director of DC Vote, an organization dedicated to fighting for DC statehood.

9. The student debt crisis is real. Biden has a chance to deal with it in 2021 Mar 10, 2021

Show notes

Besides the predatory nature of modern student loans and the extraordinary financial burden they have put on Americans over the past couple of decades, many economists believe that wiping away the almost $2 trillion debt would have profound benefits for the U.S. economy. On this week’s episode of The Brief, co-hosts Cara Zelaya and Kerry Eleveld talk about America’s student debt crisis with activist Melissa Byrne and Mike Pierce, the policy director and managing counsel at the Student Borrower Protection Center (SBPC).

8. Mississippi, believe it or not, should be a purple state and the future of the Trump Party Mar 03, 2021

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Mississippi. Yes, Mississippi. Today, on The Brief, we talk to Mike Espy, the Democratic candidate for Senate in the Magnolia State the last two cycles, about what it will take to bring his state into the Democratic fold. We also talk to Sarah Longwell a never-Trump Republican and publisher of The Bulwark, at thebulwark.com. She discusses what the possible futures are for the Republican Party, whether or not a third party is on the horizon, and what she hears from those voters who have left Trump but not the GOP.

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