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**Jen Rubin’s Green Room**

This is Jen Rubin, columnist for The Washington Post, contributor to MSNBC, author of How Women Saved America from Donald Trump. I’m delighted to tell you all about my new podcast, Jen Rubin’s Green Room.

We’re gonna have weeks of fun with friends of Jen. Some of us will talk about the ins and outs of Washington gossip, the fun stories that we don’t talk about on air, and sometimes we’ll talk about deadly serious subjects and religion.

Keep up with the show every Wednesday when you follow Jen Rubin’s Green Room on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen. I can’t wait for you to join us.

Latest Episodes:

36: The Rise of Hate with Jonathan Greenblatt Jan 17, 2024

Show notes

Jen dives into the Iowa caucus results driven by an unenthusiastic electorate dominated by Trump’s radical minority and welcomes ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt. They analyze the explosion of anti-semitism after the 10/7 attack and what constitutes it, the rise of hate on college campuses, and the dangers posed by the social media algorithms driving popular opinion. Then, they emphasize the importance of informed DEI education backed by college leadership, the true meaning of free speech, and personally speaking out against hate in all its forms.
Get More From This Week’s Guest:
Jonathan Greenblatt:
Twitter | Anti-Defamation League | Author of “It Can Happen Here”
Please Support This Week’s Sponsor:
Magic Spoon:
Save $5 off a delicious variety pack of protein filled Magic Spoon Cereal when you go to magicspoon.com/greenroom and use the promo code: GREENROOM
Get More From Jennifer Rubin:
Twitter | Threads | WaPo | Author of “Resistance: How Women Saved Democracy From Donald Trump”

35: Upholding the Law with Michael Waldman Jan 10, 2024

Show notes

Jen contrasts the strong pro-democracy speeches of President Biden with Trump’s immunity claims, and welcomes the Brennan Center’s Michael Waldman. They lay out the scope of corruption delegitimizing the SCOTUS, and look at term limits, court expansion, an ethics code, and regular presidential appointments as possible remedies. Then, they discuss the progression of the DOJ’s prosecutions of Trump, with a focus on his attempt to claim presidential immunity, Colorado and Maine’s 14th Amendment based ballot removals, and whether J6 legally qualifies as an insurrection.
Get More From This Week’s Guest:
Michael Waldman:
Twitter | Brennan Center | Author of “The Supermajority” & Other Books
Get More From Jennifer Rubin:
Twitter | Threads | WaPo | Author of “Resistance: How Women Saved Democracy From Donald Trump”

34: Ask Jen Anything Jan 03, 2024

Show notes

In this special New Year’s episode, Jen discusses the recent victory for judicial independence in Israel and the resignation of Harvard President Claudine Gay, before taking your questions covering everything from the personal to the political. Politically, she covers the impact of A.I., how we can reform the Supreme Court, the popularity of Senator Fetterman, how to persuade Trump’s voters, and her predictions for his cases. On the personal side, she shares the shows, books, and news that make up her media diet, when she first voted democratic, and her love of dogs, along with much more!
Get More From Jennifer Rubin:
Twitter | Threads | WaPo | Author of “Resistance: How Women Saved Democracy From Donald Trump”

33: US-Israeli Relationship with Halie Soifer Dec 27, 2023

Show notes

Jen breaks down the latest developments in the Israel-Hamas war and welcomes CEO of the Jewish Democratic Council of America, Halie Soifer. They discuss what it means to be Jewish amid the explosion of anti-semitism in the United States, and examine the interplay between Jewish values and intersectionality. As part of their analysis, they weigh the strength of the pro-Israel response by President Biden and the Democrats, contrasting it with the attempts by Republicans to sow political division by conflating post-October 7th assistance with border policy.
Send In Your Questions For Jen’s Upcoming AMA Episode:
Threads: @JenRubin9
Get More From This Week’s Guest:
Halie Soifer:
Twitter | JewishDems.org | @USJewishDems
Get More From Jennifer Rubin:
Twitter | Threads | WaPo | Author of “Resistance: How Women Saved Democracy From Donald Trump

32: States United with Joanna Lydgate Dec 20, 2023

Show notes

Jen welcomes States United Democracy Center CEO Joanna Lydgate to sound the alarm over the war on democracy being waged by Trump and the election deniers he inspires. They discuss the dangers their rhetoric poses to election workers, their motives for undermining our voting systems, and why we need to take them at face value. Critically, they emphasize how protecting democracy should be the single issue we vote on in 2024 and lay out how we can counter the threats to it. To do so, they share how to persuade others by breaking them out of their information silos and the actions we can take individually to save our system.
Please Support This Week’s Sponsor:
HelloFresh:
Enjoy a free breakfast item per box delivered right to your door for as long as you’re subscribed when you go to hellofresh.com/greenroomfree and use promo code: GREENROOMFREE
Get More From This Week’s Guest:
Joanna Lydgate
Twitter | States United Democracy Center | Author
Mentioned On The Show:
Electiondeniers.org on the scope of election denial
Get More From Jennifer Rubin:
Twitter | WaPo | Author of “Resistance: How Women Saved Democracy From Donald Trump”

31: The Hamas War on Women with Ruth Halperin-Kaddari Dec 13, 2023

Show notes

Jen welcomes legal scholar Ruth Halperin-Kaddari to raise the alarm about the violence against women perpetrated by Hamas on 10/7. They discuss the scope of the crimes and fight back against the propaganda attempting to cover them up by laying out the evidence from video footage, first responder reports, and testimony from the hostages. Then, they share the importance of speaking out for Israel's women in the name of global womens’ rights, the need for action by the UN and International Criminal Court, and the legal strategies that can bring the perpetrators to justice.
Please Support This Week’s Sponsor:
HelloFresh:
Enjoy a free breakfast item per box delivered right to your door for as long as you’re subscribed when you go to hellofresh.com/greenroomfree and use promo code: GREENROOMFREE
Get More From This Week’s Guest:
Ruth Halperin-Kaddari
Bar Ilan University | Global Governance Forum | Rackman Center
Mentioned On The Show:
The Sunday Times on the violence against women perpetrated by Hamas
The Times of Israel reporting on the Hamas attack
Slate on why the world needs to show up for the women of Israel
Get More From Jennifer Rubin:
Twitter | WaPo | Author of “Resistance: How Women Saved Democracy From Donald Trump”

30: The Electronic Front Lines with Yael Eisenstat Dec 06, 2023

Show notes

Jen welcomes ADL vice president Yael Eisenstat to discuss her experience fighting against the growing extremism on social platforms. Drawing on Yael’s time at Facebook, they explore the complicity of companies willing to harness bigotry and partisanship for views, the danger of political lies and vote manipulation on the social platforms, and how companies are hiding behind claims that they can’t moderate speech and that the viewers are getting what they’re looking for. However; they go on to expose the manipulative and partisan nature of bad algorithms and the risks of reproducing this effect in A.I., before looking at possible solutions across the corporate, government, and individual levels.
Get More From This Week’s Guest:
Yael Eisenstat:
Twitter | Website | ADL | TED | Statement on A.I. to the Senate
Get More From Jennifer Rubin:
Twitter | WaPo | Author of “Resistance: How Women Saved Democracy From Donald Trump”

29: Awakening Democracy with Heather Cox Richardson Nov 29, 2023

Show notes

Jen welcomes historian and author Heather Cox Richardson to explore the historical continuum of the Right’s war on freedom and equality from before the Civil War through the rise of MAGA. They discuss how the Southern oligarchy of the Bleeding Kansas era used race to push the average citizen to vote against their interests, and lay out how that authoritarian legacy continues to drive limitations on voting rights, sustain racism and misogyny, and undergird our politics with violence. Will we be able to overcome the forces still conspiring against our rights to continue perfecting our democracy?
Please Support This Week’s Sponsor:
HelloFresh:
Enjoy 50% off plus free shipping with delicious HelloFresh meals delivered right to your door when you go to hellofresh.com/50greenroom and use promo code: 50GREENROOM
Get More From This Week’s Guest:
Heather Cox Richardson:
Twitter | Boston College | Substack | Facebook | Author of “Democracy Awakening” & Many Other Books
Get More From Jennifer Rubin:
Twitter | WaPo | Author of “Resistance: How Women Saved Democracy From Donald Trump”

28: Governing In Spite of MAGA with Rep. Eric Swalwell Nov 22, 2023

Show notes

Jen welcomes Rep. Eric Swalwell to examine the MAGA takeover of the Republican Party and its effect on our politics. They lay out how their party believes in ruling rather than governance and is undermining our democracy with attacks on our voting rights, using gerrymandering and lobbying to maintain power. They also break down how the Right has abandoned our allies and weakened our national security by cozying up to Russia, its capitulation to Trump, and their pursuit of farcical impeachments against the Biden Administration. Critically, they pivot to the role young people play in restoring our values and ensuring good governance.
Get More From This Week’s Guest:
Rep. Eric Swalwell:
Twitter | Website | House.gov | Author of “End Game”
Get More From Jennifer Rubin:
Twitter | WaPo | Author of “Resistance: How Women Saved Democracy From Donald Trump”

27: Overcoming Authoritarianism with Thomas Zimmer Nov 15, 2023

Show notes

Jen welcomes historian and democracy activist Thomas Zimmer to investigate the Right’s descent into ethno-religious authoritarianism and how to defeat it. They break down how media bubbles have allowed the lies driving radicalism to flourish, and the ways the white christian nationalist minority is trying to gain control by using raw power to subvert our institutions. Critically, they pivot to the steps that the Biden administration has taken to build a broad and diverse coalition around the defense of democracy, the need to resist fractures on other issues, and what can energize voters to create a vibrant pluralist majority capable of moving us forward.
Get More From This Week’s Guest:
Thomas Zimmer:
Twitter | The Guardian | Substack | Georgetown | Is This Democracy Podcast
Get More From Jennifer Rubin:
Twitter | WaPo | Author of “Resistance: How Women Saved Democracy From Donald Trump”

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