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27: New from The Nation: More Than Enough Jan 15, 2020

New for Next Left listeners, the latest podcast from The Nation, featuring conversations about guaranteed income, deservedness, and the country American can and should be, hosted by writer and activist Mia Birdsong.
We hope you’ll subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes will premiere each Wednesday.
Launching today, January 15.
Mia Birdsong first heard about the concept of Guaranteed Income in the mid-90s through the 1967 writings of Martin Luther King Jr. King. He asserted that “the time has come for us to civilize ourselves by the total, direct and immediate abolition of poverty” by providing a basic level of material well-being to allow all Americans to truly flourish. Birdsong thought it sounded "absurd.” As Birdsong notes, "Free money went against everything I'd learned about being a respectable citizen. But people change and our ideas evolve. I no longer think guaranteed income is absurd.”
After years of political education and activism, Birdsong came to reject some ideas that most of us believe: that having a job makes you a whole person, and that you have to earn the things we all deserve to live a good life.
From The Nation, More Than Enough is a four-episode podcast hosted by Birdsong that explores the concept of guaranteed income, or "universal basic income," through conversations with the experts, people who experience poverty in America.
We invite you to listen to these under-explored conversations with Americans about Universal Basic Income: what it is, what it means, and what it says about a culture that so closely correlates deservedness with work. Join Birdsong as she explores the idea of the meaning of work, of inequality, and most importantly, of what America is and what it can be. More Than Enough launches January 15.
Sign up for updates at thenation.com/morethanenough.
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More Than Enough was developed by Next River Productions. Created and hosted by Mia Birdsong. Audio engineering and music by Nino Moschella. Script development and production by Allison Cook. The content of this podcast was informed by the stories of hundreds of people across the country, only some of whom you heard from. Thank you to everyone who took the time to speak with me and share their story.
Support for the production of More Than Enough was provided by a few generous folks and the Economic Security Project, an organization advancing cash-based interventions in the United States and reigning in corporate monopolies.
More Than Enough is a project of The Nation Magazine.
Mia Birdsong photo by Nye' Lyn Tho.

26: How Bernie Sanders Is Making the Next Left Possible Nov 19, 2019

The roots of the Next Left podcast go back almost exactly a year—energized by the wave of progressive activism sweeping the country, we wanted to take a deep dive into the new politics of this moment. The idea was to talk politics with the people who were upending primaries and general elections across the country... by challenging incumbents, taking on party establishments and, above all, bringing fresh ideas to the campaign trail and to governance. Over the past six months, we’ve gone to Capitol Hill, where we met with members of "the squad," like Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib, and with people who are changing debates about foreign policy, like Congressional Progressive Caucus stalwarts Pramila Jayapal, Mark Pocan and Ro Khanna. We went to the basement of the state Capitol in Wisconsin, where newly-elected state Treasurer Sarah Godlewski explained how she's putting economics on the side of the people. We spoke with judges and district attorneys and city council members and mayors. We turned up the volume on messages from Texas and Mississippi and Puerto Rico and North Dakota. We talked mostly to political newcomers who had won elections against the odds, like Anna Eskamani in Florida, but also to activist officials who are building movements, such as Helen Gym in Philadelphia. We talked to new leaders who had won landslide victories, like Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba, and to new leaders who suffered narrow defeats but are not going anywhere, such as Tiffany Caban in Queens. We followed candidates who were up for election in 2019 and won epic victories, like Lee Carter in Virginia, Kshama Sawant in Seattle and Chesa Boudin in San Francisco. In every case, our conversations were about the personal and the political. Candidates talked about their ancestors and their children, about their communities, about the music they listen to-Ilhan Omar's a country fan-and about their role models and heroes.
We decided to finish the season by interviewing a pair of political veterans who were frequently mentioned by the young candidates and officials we interviewed. California Congresswoman Barbara Lee joined us last week. This week, for the final episode of the podcast, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders is our guest for a compelling conversation about his own early campaigns, about the importance of Jesse Jackson's "Rainbow Coalition," about how he makes endorsements, about the way in which media treats insurgent candidates-and about the inspiration he has taken from the Next Left.
SHOW NOTES: When Bernie Sanders Endorsed Jesse Jackson for President The Nation Steve Cobble Bernie Sanders Is Back The Nation John Nichols Bernie Sanders: The ‘Nation’ Interview The Nation Katrina vanden Heuvel and John Nichols
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25: Barbara Lee Is Proud to be the Progressive OG Nov 12, 2019

Next Left has this year highlighted political newcomers, rising stars, and challengers to the status quo. But as we spoke with first-time candidates and members of city councils, legislatures, and the Congress, something stood out. All of these new political leaders had political inspirations—groundbreaking candidates and elected officials who came before them.
At or near the top of the list of inspiring figures, especially for new members of Congress, was California Democrat Barbara Lee. So we decided to talk with her.
A veteran of Shirley Chisholm’s historic 1972 presidential campaign, a former state representative and senator, Lee was elected to the US House in 1998 to replace her longtime ally Ron Dellums. Lee has chaired the Congressional Black Caucus and co-chaired the Congressional Progressive Caucus. She has led platform-writing processes for the Democratic Party and served as a United States representative to the United Nations. But, above all, she has been the House’s steadiest advocate for peace—since even before she cast the only vote against the 2001 authorization of the use of military force (AUMF), which remains the excuse for unwarranted presidential warmaking. She is, to this day, working to overturn the AUMF, as one of her many projects as one of the most active—and activist—members of Congress.
This week, on Next Left, we’re excited to talk with Barbara Lee about her remarkable journey from her own youthful activism with Black Panther food programs to mentoring the next generation of progressive leaders. "These young women who have come to Congress, they're smart, they're brilliant, they're passionate, they've come with a mission, they know what they're doing," Lee told us. "I love them and I encourage them. I'm very proud to be their OG. It makes me very happy."
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SHOW NOTES: Barbara Lee Wins a House Vote to Stop the Black Checks for Endless War The Nation John Nichols Ron Dellums Maintained a ‘Relentless Faith in Our Ability to Make a Better World’ The Nation John Nichols No More Blank Checks for War The Nation Rep. Barbara Lee Barbara Lee’s Lone Vote on Sept. 14, 2001, Was as Prescient as It Was Brave and Heroic The Intercept Glen Greenwald The Chisholm Legacy BlackPressUSA Yolanda Caraway, Leah Daughtry, and Minyon Moore

24: No More Blue Dog Democrats! Nov 05, 2019

Jessica Cisneros is having a moment. She's 26-year-old lawyer from Laredo, Texas, is making her first bid for office in a district that stretches along the Mexican border and up toward San Antonio. That's a long way from Washington. But everyone is talking about this political newcomer. Elizabeth Warren calls her "a Democrat that will be on the side of working people; not the side of big money and obstructionist Republicans." Emily's List is backing her, as is the Justice Democrats movement. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez says Cisneros "is going to fight for real people, not big corporate donors like the Koch Brothers, GEO Group, and Exxon. When Jessica is elected, not only will I no longer be the youngest person in Congress - I'll have a strong new ally in the fight for Medicare for All, getting corporate money out of politics, and fixing our broken immigration system." What's striking is that Cisneros is not running for an open seat, or taking on a Republican incumbent in the sprawling 28th district of Texas. She's running against a Democratic incumbent, Henry Cuellar, who ran his first campaign for public office almost a decade before Cisneros was born. Cuellar's a so-called "Blue Dog" Democrat who takes money from the private prison industry, votes with the NRA and often breaks with fellow Democrats to side with President Trump. Yet, he's backed by House Democratic leaders such as Speaker Nancy Pelosi. The Texas-28 race will not be the only contest that tests establishment versus insurgent sentiments in 2020. But it's shaping up as one of the biggest ones. Cisneros is forcing Democrats to take sides as she mounts a classic challenge to the compromises that the party so frequently makes. We spoke to her in Laredo and she is our guest this week on Next Left.
SHOW NOTES:
Labor, Ever So Gingerly, Tiptoes into the Insurgency The Intercept Rachel M. Cohen Jessica Cisneros on Challenging an Incumbent Democrat: ‘There’s a Lot He Has Never Had to Justify’ The New York Times Jennifer Medina Meet Jessica Cisneros, the 26-Year-Old Left Challenger Taking on ‘Trump’s Favorite Democrat’ In These Times Malaika Jabali This 26-Year-Old Running For Congress Wants to be the AOC of Texas VICE News Tracy Jarrett and Alicia Menendez

23: The Politician Amazon Is Dead Set on Defeating Oct 29, 2019

When Kshama Sawant was elected to the Seattle City Council in 2013, her local victory made international news. An immigrant from India and an academic who taught economics, hers was an interesting story—especially because she campaigned in favor of bold proposals such as a $15-an-hour minimum wage. But what everyone was taking about was the fact that she was a socialist. At that point, before Bernie Sanders had entered the 2016 presidential race and long before the election of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to Congress in 2018, Sawant stood out on the American political scene.
Now, as she seeks reelection six years later, there are a lot more socialists seeking and holding elected office in the United States. But Sawant still stands out. In part, this is because of the policies she has championed in Seattle: the $15 wage, taxes on millionaires, and rent control. But also, in part, because of the enemies she has made. Just as Franklin Roosevelt famously welcomed the hatred of the bankers and speculators who opposed his New Deal initiatives, Sawant relishes fights with economic and political elites.
This year, she faces the biggest fight of all: Amazon's Jeff Bezos and others among the city's billionaire class are trying to defeat progressive council candidates. And they are focused, in particular, on beating Sawant. That's a daunting political reality because Bezos, who in 2018 was named the richest man in the world (though he faces competition on any given day from Microsoft's Bill Gates), has a limitless bankroll. But Kshama Sawant is undaunted. She’s our guest this week on Next Left.
SHOW NOTES:
Amazon Is Spending Big to Oust Seattle's Socialist Council Member The Nation Hallie Golden
Kshama Sawant Says Socialism Isn't 'Only in Seattle' The Nation E. Tammy Kim
Kshama Sawant Shows That Ordinary People Aren't Afraid of Unapologetic Leftist Politics In These Times Jonathan Rosenblum
Seven Lessons From the Sawant Campaign Jacobin Luke Elliott-Negri
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22: Chesa Boudin Wants to Bring Restorative Justice to San Francisco Oct 22, 2019

Chesa Boudin is part of something: a national movement to change the way that district attorneys operate within the criminal justice system. He wants to make the change in San Francisco, as that city's new DA. Boudin is running in a competitive election on November 5, and he has attracted the support of change agents from across the country: Chicago District Attorney Kim Foxx, Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner, and Queens DA candidate Tiffany Caban, to name a few.
Having worked for a number of years as a San Francisco public defender, Boudin knows the system. He has big plans to eliminate cash bail, to end racial disparities, to end mass incarceration, and to expand mental health treatment so that San Francisco can "stop using our jail as an ineffective and inhumane mental health facility."
But there is more to Boudin's run. He has distinguished himself in this moment of debate about the criminal justice system by speaking openly, and insightfully, about his own experience as the son of parents who were jailed throughout his childhood. His parents, Weather Underground radicals Kathy Boudin and David Gilbert, were incarcerated when he was just fourteen months old for driving the getaway vehicle in a robbery that left three men dead. Raised in Chicago by Bill Ayers and Bernardine Dohrn, who were also members of the Weather Underground, Boudin recalls visiting his parents behind bars, and struggling with what that meant for his life. He discusses all this in powerful terms, and he connects that discussion to criminal justice debates, with a reminder that, "More than half of Americans have a family member behind bars."
Speaking as a public defender, a Rhodes Scholar, a Yale Law School graduate, and an author and activist, Boudin says, "I know our system is broken. I'm running for district attorney because I know how to fix it." He joins us this week on Next Left for a remarkable discussion about a movement that is transforming how we can and should think about law enforcement, mass incarceration, and criminal justice reform.
SHOW NOTES: This Son of the Left Could Become San Francisco’s Next District Attorney The Nation Jimmy Tobias How Far Will California Take Criminal Justice Reform? The New Yorker Dana Goodyear Chesa Boudin Wants to Transform San Francisco’s Criminal Justice System Jacobin Megan Day DA Gascón Suddenly Resigns, Mayor Breed Shivs His Successor And Installs Suzy Loftus SFist Joe Kukura Mayor Breed’s DA appointment disrespected electoral process San Francisco Examiner Mark Leno and Danny Glover ‘Last Black Man in San Francisco’ Review; Race, Gentrification and an Instant Classic Rolling Stone David Fear
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21: Fear Is Changing Sides in Puerto Rico Oct 15, 2019

Manuel Natal Albelo is, at age 33, one of the most dynamic and popular political figures in Puerto Rico. He is breaking the old boundaries of politics on the island, sitting as an independent in the Puerto Rican House of Representatives and forging a movement that seeks to end corruption, overturn austerity and move beyond historic stalemates. A lawyer who is in his sixth year as a legislator, Natal has deep roots in the politics of Puerto Rico. Yet, he refuses to be bound by the past. He welcomes a robust debate over the status of Puerto Rico as a U.S. Territory. He decries the economic constraints placed on the Puerto Rico people by politicians in Washington. And he speaks of a future where Puerto Ricans will shape their destiny with an eye toward economic and social justice, protecting the environment and guarding against abuses by multinational corporations. Natal has a vision for a new politics. It has been rewarded by the voters, and by the crowds that have cheered his speeches at mass rallies against corruption and austerity. We speak to him about that vision, and much more, for this week's Next Left.
SHOW NOTES
Movimiento Victoria Ciudadana Feminist and LGBTQ Activists Are Leading the Insurrection in Puerto Rico The Nation Ed Morales Puerto Ricans Are Fighting for the Democracy That They’ve Been Denied The Nation John Nichols Puerto Ricans Stand Up Code Switch Hijos del Cañaveral - Residente
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20: How a Black, Socialist City Councilman Won His Seat in the Heart of the South Oct 08, 2019

South Fulton, Georgia Councilman khalid kamau prefers to be introduced simply as "Councilman khalid." He wants to dispense with the formalities, and with all the barriers that are erected between elected officials and the people they serve. The veteran activist, who is in his second year as a young councilman, thinks a lot about how to change our politics and our governance. He examines and reexamines issues and social relations at every level, starting with his lower-case name, which comes from the Yoruba tradition where the community is emphasized over the individual. Born and raised in what is now the municipality of South Fulton, he jumped at the chance to seek a council seat when the new city of almost 100,000 people held its first elections in 2017. He won a 67-33 landslide victory. But that election was not the beginning of his political journey. Councilman khalid started organizing when he was barely a teenager and he has never stopped. He's a leader of the Metro Atlanta Democratic Socialists of America, a co-founder of the Atlanta chapter of Black Lives Matter, has been labor organizer with the Amalgamated Transit Union, and is an ardent advocate of environmental justice and LGBTQ rights. Councilman khalid believes that to make the changes that are necessary, there has to be a deep understanding of why things operate the way they do. For him, that require an examination of economic social and racial relations at every level of our politics. It also requires that big challenges be met with a big vision.
SHOW NOTES:
How the Left Can Win in the South The Nation Paul Blest
A Progressive Electoral Wave Is Sweeping the Country The Nation John Nichols
Georgia City Councilman Pens Eye-Opening Post About Needing Food Stamps Blavity Ashleigh Lakieva Atwell
Interviews for Resistance: A Democratic Socialist on Running to Transform the Democratic Party In These Times Sarah Jaffe

19: Katherine Clark Has Been Calling for Impeachment for Months Oct 01, 2019

Most members of Congress don't begin as members of Congress. They start in their hometowns, with campaigns for the city council or a county post or the school board. House Democratic Caucus vice chair Katherine Clark came up that way, beginning with a bid for the Melrose, Massachusetts, School Committee in 2001. Her service on the committee continues to guide her activism on behalf of education, just as her service as a state legislator in Massachusetts informs her fierce commitment to maintaining a system of checks and balances in Washington-a commitment that led her to become the first member of the House Democratic leadership to call for an impeachment inquiry. But what has distinguished Clark throughout her career has been something else: a determination to speak up for the interests of women in workplaces, in communities, on the Internet and in Congress. An outspoken feminist, she has said for years that framing campaigns around the interests and needs of women is smart politics-and smart policy. She has had to argue with a few political consultants along the way. But as a new generation of young women enter the Congress and make their mark, Clark is enthusiastic about amplifying their voices-and about recruiting women to run in 2020.
SHOW NOTES
Rep. Katherine Clark Talks Washington Politics WBUR Tiziana Dearing and Jamie Bologna Katherine Clark Is Highest Ranking House Democrat to Call For Impeachment Inquiry Huffpost Sanjana Karanth Rep. Katherine Clark On Impeachment Inquiry: Trump ‘Has Brought Us To This Moment of Truth’ WGBH Joe Mathieu Representative Katherine Clark takes on Betsy DeVos over ‘racist’ policy change Boston Globe Adrian Walker

18: Chokwe Antar Lumumba: Being a Radical Means Getting to the Root Causes of Injustice Sep 24, 2019

Jackson, Mississippi Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba has a vision that distinguishes him from most elected officials in the United States, even from most progressive elected officials. He is not afraid of the world radical, in fact he relishes discussions about what it means to go to the root of challenging issues, to identify the sources of injustice, and to address them. Mayor Lumumba comes from an activist family, his father, Chokwe Lumumba, was a legendary figure in Jackson and nationally, a brilliant lawyer, and organizer with the Republic of New Afrika and other groups on behalf of communities that have been let down by both major parties. The senior Lumumba warned against imagining that answers would come from distant political figures. He believed in building from the grassroots up. Eventually, he was elected mayor of Jackson in 2013, a victory that drew national attention because of what it said about the opening up of American politics, especially in the south. He was described as America’s most revolutionary mayor. When he died less than a year after taking office, his son ran to replace him, and lost. That defeat did not dissuade Chokwe Antar Lumumba, he kept speaking up, organizing, and campaigning. In 2017, running on a people’s platform and an agenda of social justice, economic democracy, he won the mayoralty by a landslide, taking 94% of the general election vote. He promised to make Jackson the most radical city on the planet. As mayor, he has stood up to Donald Trump, and he has taken on national issues, but his primary focus has been on the grassroots work of delivering services, people-powered budgeting, and community empowerment. Chokwe Antar Lumumba, the mayor of Jackson, Mississippi, is our guest this week on Next Left.
SHOW NOTES:
Mayor-elect Lumumba: Jackson ‘to be the most radical city on the planet’ Clarion Ledger Anna Wolfe Mass ICE Raids in Mississippi After Workers Fought for Better Conditions Leave Kids Without Parents Democracy Now! Is This the Most Radical Mayor in America? The Nation D.D. Guttenplan Why Fixing Potholes Is Key to This Mayor’s Radical Political Agenda The Nation Greg Kaufmann After Immigration Raids In Mississippi, Mayor of Jackson Calls On Churches To Become Safe Havens WBUR Misty Blue - Dorothy Moore

17: Ruth Buffalo is changing politics in North Dakota Sep 17, 2019

The records of the State Historical Society of North Dakota contain a bland notation of an infrastructure project from almost seventy years ago. They tell us that the Garrison Dam was built by the US government to control flooding, and for continuity of downstream barge traffic. They also mention that strong opposition to this dam came from those who lived on the banks of the Missouri River, primarily American Indians, who were forced to abandon their homes and livelihoods when the waters rose to create Lake Sakakawea. Ruth Buffalo was not alive in 1953, when the decisions of a federal government upended the lives of the Three Affiliated Tribes, also known as the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation, on North Dakota’s Fort Berthold Indian Reservation, but what happened has shaped her activism and now a political career that has seen her elected to the North Dakota State Legislature. In this interview with Next Left she recalls the impact of federal decisions that transformed the lives of her family and her community, with the flooding of 94% of the agricultural land the tribes had worked for generations, and the dislocation of Native people from their historical homesteads. Ruth Buffalo’s personal story offers a reminder that the struggles of Native Americans with an indifferent and often destructive federal government are not issues of the past, but of the present. So too does the story of another struggle she’s been involved with, that of the people of Standing Rock against the Dakota Access Pipeline. Ruth Buffalo’s election in 2018 to the state legislature came at a time when the nation’s attention was focused on efforts to suppress the vote of Native Americans in North Dakota. She actually beat the legislator who made it harder to vote, and now she is working to open up the process. She ran for the legislature to put a host of of issues on the agenda: healthcare, education, and human rights. And now she’s having a lot of success in doing so, because as her campaign proudly reminds us, Ruth is in the House.
SHOW NOTES
MMIWG an epidemic in U.S. as well as Canada, says North Dakota legislator CBC Laura Sciarpelletti Native Students should not have to worry whether they will be allowed to wear eagle feathers and plumes during school-sanctioned events Indian Country Today Ruth Buffalo Three challenges for Ruth Buffalo: She’s a woman. She’s Native. And she’s a Democrat. Indian Country Today Jourdan Bennett-Begaye The 2018 Midterms Have Exposed a Democracy in Crisis The Nation John Nichols Finding Aid: The Garrison Dam and Lake Sakakawea The North Dakota State Historical Society Now & Then - Mandaree Singers

16: Meet the Only Member of Congress Who Has Been a FARC Captive Sep 10, 2019

The US Congress has historically been defined by a seniority system that has too frequently rewarded members for the length of their tenures rather than the strength of their ideas. But that’s changing, as young progressives are getting elected to the House and demanding to be heard. The change is occurring at least in part because progressives like Mark Pocan and Pramila Jayapal have joined new members in forcing it. They have made the Congressional Progressive Caucus a force for opening up the process and getting newly-elected members on key committees and in the thick of essential debates.Congressman Pocan, a Wisconsin Democrat elected to the House in 2012, co-chairs the caucus and he is our guest this week on Next Left. A gay man who traveled to Canada to get married before the laws changed in the US, a trade unionist with deep skills as an organizer and activist, and an ardent advocate for altering US foreign policies to place an emphasis on diplomacy rather than war making, he has with CPC co-chair Jayapal (a Washington Democrat elected in 2016), made the caucus a place where the next wave of progressives are being welcomed and given leadership roles from the start. New members such as Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib and Deb Haaland and Katie Porter all hold key positions associated with the caucus. Pocan works with them, as he does with veteran progressives such as Barbara Lee, to advance an economic and social and racial justice agenda that demands an end to needless wars and a Green New Deal to save the planet. He’s an advocate for abolishing ICE, a champion of Middle East peace—and a magician.
SHOW NOTES
The DCCC’s Plan to Punish Democrats for Backing Primary Challengers Is Sparking Major Backlack The Nation John Nichols Behind the Scenes of the House Democrats’ Twitter War The Nation Joan Walsh Congressional Progressive Caucus Co-CHairs Call for an Impeachment Inquiry The Nation John Nichols Mark Pocan is waging a lonely fight for deeper thinking on Israel and Palestine The Cap Times John Nichols Magic Monday with Mark Pocan

15: Tiffany Cabán Has Only Begun to Fight Sep 03, 2019

Tiffany Cabán started 2019 as a 31-year-old public defender in her native New York City. She knew that the criminal justice system wasn’t working for her clients or for the city. Something had to change, and she decided that she would be the change agent.
With encouragement from a small circle of friends and fellow reformers, she entered the race for District Attorney in Queens. There were other candidates running in the Democratic primary, better known candidates with more money and more political connections. But Cabán embraced a movement politics that took its cues from grassroots activists and policy specialists. She declared, "I am a public defender. I have spent my career working for people who did not have resources to defend themselves against the brutal system of mass incarceration. I am running to transform the Queens District Attorney's office after years of witnessing its abuses on the front lines.”
Tens of thousands joined in. This movement campaign electrified activists not just in Queens and New York City but across the country. On the primary election night in June, Cabán finished narrowly ahead. An extended recount cost her the nomination. But she has not stopped building the movement to transform a criminal justice system that fails to deliver justice.
SHOW NOTES
Tiffany Cabán Was the Next Progressive Hope. Now What? New York Times Jan Ransom and Jeffery C Mays How Tiffany Cabán Lost the Vote But Won the Fight in Queens Jacobin Amir Khafagy Public Defender Cabán Enters Crowded DA Race Queens Daily Eagle David Brand Tiffany Cabán’s Rebel Campaign in Queens New Yorker Jennifer Gonnerman Tiffany Cabán Wants to Transform What It Means to Be a DA The Nation Isabel Cristo What Tiffany Cabán’s Concession Means for Queens The Nation Ross Barkan
Good As Hell - Lizzo

14: A Blue Texas Is Not Enough. We Need a Progressive Texas. Aug 27, 2019

The smarter politics that is emerging in America recognizes that every elected position has the potential to serve as a platform for transformational change, and that is especially true of city council posts. City councillors govern from the intersection of grassroots engagement and policy. If they do it right, they can remake local, state, and national debates. Few city councilmembers know this better than Austin’s Greg Casar. Casar came to Austin as an activist, he recognized quickly the potential of the city council, and got elected at the age of twenty-five, the youngest city councillor in Austin history. Since then, he has pursued groundbreaking struggles for worker rights, immigrant rights, and economic justice, and there have been amazing victories. This week, Greg Casar is our guest on Next Left.
SHOW NOTES
Internal Emails Show ICE Agents Struggling to Substantiate Trump’s Lies About Immigrants The Intercept Alice Speri Greg Casar FIghts to Change Austin Austin Monthly Elizabeth Pagano Austin Just Brought Paid Sick Leave to the South The Nation Jimmy Tobias Immigrants (We Get the Job Done) - K’naan, Snow Tha Product, Riz MC, Residente Hamilton Mixtape

Rashida Tlaib Speaks Truth to Power, and Donald Trump Hates That (Rebroadcast) Aug 20, 2019

Donald Trump has gone to extraordinary lengths to diminish, disempower and smear Rashida Tlaib. The President has been ranting and raving about the Democratic congresswoman from Michigan since she took office earlier this year. He has lied about her. He has misconstrued and mischaracterized her statements and actions. And, now, the president has intervened to prevent Tlaib--along with Minnesota Congresswoman Ilhan Omar-- from making an official visit to Israel and the West Bank. Under pressure from Trump, the Israeli government announced last week that it was barring the two congresswomen.
Tlaib has pushed back mightily, declaring, as the first the daughter of Palestinian immigrants and one of the first two Muslim women ever to serve in the U.S. House that, "When I won, it gave the Palestinian people hope that someone will finally speak the truth about the inhumane conditions." And so she has.
Amidst all the wrangling with Trump, Americans have learned a little bit abou Rashida Tlaib--about her family ties to the West Bank, about her Palestinian grandmother. But there is so much more to this lawyer, legislator, civil rights and civil liberties activist, mother and daughter.
This special edition of Next Left repeats our interview with Rashida Tlaib because we thought people should have an opportunity to get to know her better.
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SHOW NOTES
This is A New Low The Nation John Nichols
What Is Israel Trying to Hide? Reps. Omar and Tlaib Blocked from Taking Official Trip to West Bank Democracy Now!

Johnson & Johnson Hit With $300 Million in Punitive Damages in Talc Case The Wall Street Journal Peter Loftus No, Rashida Tlaib Is Definitely Not Antisemitic Jacobin Megan Day Now is the time to begin impeachment proceedings against President Trump Detroit Free Press John Bonifaz and Rashida Tlaib The Constitution Demands It by John Bonifaz, Ben Clements, and Ron Fein Smooth Criminal by Michael Jackson
Follow John Nichols on Twitter at @NicholsUprising
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13: Want to Change Your City? Start In Your Community Aug 13, 2019

You may have seen Philadelphia City Council Member Helen Gym rallying recently with Senator Bernie Sanders to save Philadelphia’s Hahnemann Hospital from closure. That fight earned national headlines. But it was typical of how Gym serves.
Gym is always rallying and marching, picketing and petitioning. She’s an activist and an organizer who sees her service as part of a movement politics that is rooted in her community but that forges networks that are global in scope and character. Gym understands cities as laboratories of democracy that spin out ideas that other cities, states, and nations can adopt. And she’s got a lot of ideas, as you’ll hear on this week’s Next Left podcast.
Gym got her start in journalism, but soon turned to teaching and organizing. She’s been involved with a remarkable group of activists and organizers in Philadelphia, Asian Americans United. With them, Gym has fought to defend public education, empower workers, and prevent the displacement of working class families by developers. Her candidacy four years ago for an At-Large City Council seat extended from that activism. She won, and she’s been so effective that this spring she was the top vote-getter among more than two dozen candidates in the citywide Democratic primaries. Helen Gym is proving that activism and political success go together, which is part of what makes her such a fascinating—and important—guest on Next Left.
SHOW NOTES
Activists in Philadelphia Have Reclaimed Control of the City’s Schools The Nation Jimmy Tobias How Medicare for All Would Stop Hospitals Like Hahnemann from Closing The Nation Adam Gaffney Bernie Sanders and Helen Gym: Philly’s fight for Hahnemann represents the need for health care for all Philadelphia Inquirer Philadelphia Just Passed the Strongest Fair Scheduling Law in the Nation In These Times Bryce Covert What does Helen Gym’s resounding vote total mean for Council and Education? The Notebook Greg Windle (Something Inside) So Strong - Labi Siffre

12: No Native American Women Had Ever Been Elected to Congress—Until Last Year Aug 06, 2019

Congresswoman Deb Haaland has some ideas about what it means when President Trump tells newly-elected congresswomen to go back where they came from.
Haaland is, herself, a newly-elected member of Congress from New Mexico, where her long history of activism includes stints as chair of the New Mexico Democratic Party and a bid for statewide office. A lawyer with great organizing skills, she has hit the ground running in the House, as a key member of the Armed Services and Natural Resources committees. She's the co-chair of the Congressional Native American Caucus, and on March 7, 2019, during a debate on voting rights, she became the first Native American woman to preside over the United States House of Representatives.
That's right. It took 230 years before a pair of Native American women - Haaland and Sharice Davids of Kansas - were elected to the people's house. For Haaland's part, she's an enrolled member of the Laguna Pueblo people. Archeologists tell us that the Laguna Pueblo people have lived in western New Mexico since around 6500 BC. So when right-wingers talk about sending congresswomen who disagree with the president back, Haaland reminds them that her roots run a lot deeper than their's do.
SHOW NOTES
Meet Deb Haaland, Democrat for Congress The Nation Joshua Holland ‘They’re Gonna Rock It’: The First Day Native Woman Served on Capitol Hill The Nation Julian Brave NoiseCat Go back where? Trump’s racist tweets hits panel that included Deb Haaland Indian Country Today How to Indigenize the Green New Deal and environmental justice High Country News Dina Gilio-Whitaker Trump Wants Immigrants to ‘Go Back.’ Native Americans Don’t. New York Times Deb Haaland It’s Been 70 years since court ruled Native Americans could vote in New Mexico Santa Fe New Mexican Andrew Oxford

11: When It Comes to Tech, Politicians Are Doing a Terrible Job Jul 30, 2019

A new episode

10: State Treasurer Is the Most Exciting Political Office You Never Pay Attention To Jul 23, 2019

A new episode

9: Pramila Jayapal Is Not Backing Down Jul 16, 2019

When Women Disobey activists sat in at the Senate Hart Office Building in the summer of 2018, Pramila Japayal was asked to address the protest against the Trump administration's brutal approach to border and immigration issues. Instead of delivering her remarks and exiting, the Democratic congresswoman from Seattle said, "I decided that I, too, would sit down with them and submit to arrest." So Jayapal settled in. "We chanted and sang and talked about the need to reunite these families and to end the president's zero-tolerance policy," she recalled. Then she was taken into custody, along with more than 575 others. When the news broke, the congresswoman announced that she was "proud to have been arrested" for challenging "inhumane and cruel" policies.
No one in Seattle was surprised that Jayapal was willing not just to talk the talk but to walk the walk. She has for decades been one of the most outspoken and engaged advocates for women, people of color, and immigrants in Washington state and nationwide. After the September 11, 2001, attacks, she formed the organization Hate Free Zone to push back against the targeting of immigrants. The group sued the Bush administration to prevent the deportation of over 4,000 Somali immigrants. It launched education and voter registration campaigns and, eventually, under the name OneAmerica, was recognized as a model for the type of advocacy organization that was needed to take up the range of economic and social justice issues that needed to be a part of the broader struggle for immigrant rights.
Jayapal turned to electoral politics only recently, winning a seat in the Washington state Senate in 2014 and then winning an open US House seat in 2016. And she has maintained her ties to her own immigrant roots—as an Indian-born student who arrived in the United States on her own at age 16—and her activist organizing. She's already the co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and a chief sponsor of Medicare for All legislation. We talked about her work in Congress for this week's Next Left, but we focused much of our attention on the remarkable personal story that underpins Pramila Jayapal's congressional service.
Show notes
Congressional Progressive Caucus Co-Chairs Call for an Impeachment Inquiry The Nation John Nichols
How Pramila Jayapal’s Inside-Outside Strategy Is Changing the Future of Progressive Politics The Nation Joan Walsh
Pramila Jayapal Wants Democrats to Know That Resistance Is Not Enough The Nation Joan Walsh
Rep. Pramila Jayapal arrested at D.C. protest of Trump’s ‘zero tolerance border policy The Seattle Times Jim Brunner
Reps. Jerrold Nadler, Pramila Jayapal Join Airport Protests to Free People Detained Under Muslim Ban Democracy Now!

Melanie Charles How Glad I Am

Mima La Princesa

8: The 29-Year-Old Politician Taking on the NRA in Florida Jul 09, 2019

Show Notes
UCF twins become ‘future of Florida’ at 26, Orlando Sentinel, Kate Santich
The Blue Wave is Just Getting Started, The Nation, Amanda Litman
Somber memorials on anniversary of Florida nightclub rampage, AP News, Mike Schneider
Rep. Anna Eskamani calls for probe of NRA lobbyist Marion Hammer, Orlando Sentinel, Steven Lemongello
Anna Eskamani bringing Persian celebration to Capitol, Florida Politics, Scott Powers
"Dige Nemibine Mano," Tik Taak

7: Franklin Bynum Is a Texas Judge Who Wants to Abolish Prisons Jul 02, 2019

Franklin Bynum is a judge. Sometimes, he even wears the black robes associated with the job. But the title and the robes don't begin to tell his story. What distinguishes Bynum, a 37-year-old democratic socialist from Houston, Texas, who was elected last fall to serve on the Harris County Criminal Court bench, is his determination to unravel and replace the "oppressive punishment bureaucracies" that define our criminal justice system.
An able lawyer, who has served as a public defender and a defense attorney, he knows his way around the courts and the jails of Texas. And Bynum has reached the logical conclusion, as his Twitter profile announces, that "people need care not cages."
Bynum ran for a court post last year, mounting a campaign that proposed radical reforms. He framed his advocacy with facts, figures and humanity. It was so impressive that the conservative Houston Chronicle newspaper endorsed Bynum, along with the local chapter of Democratic Socialists of America, and he won along with a group of progressive jurists who promised to make real the promise of justice.
Bynum's now on the bench and he has already taken the lead in proposing dramatic changes that would end the cash-bail system and other abuses. He's our guest this week for a exciting conversation on Next Left.
SHOW NOTES
A Socialist in Every District Jacobin Nathan J. Robinson
Democratic Socialist Franklin Bynum is ready to get to work on the Harris County bench Houston Chronicle Erica Greider
For County Criminal Court No. 8: Franklin Bynum Houston Chronicle Editorial Board
At Least 17 Democratic Socialists Seek Office in Texas Texas Observer Gus Bova
What is Prison Abolition? The Nation John Washington
The End of PolicingAlex S. Vitale
Group Therapy Above & Beyond
You’re Gonna Miss Me 13th Floor Elevators

6: It Took Losing an Election to Really Crystalize Ro Khanna’s Vision Jun 25, 2019

California Congressman Ro Khanna took on a Democratic incumbent in a 2016 primary because he said Democrats needed to fight harder for economic and social and racial justice, for peace and a new approach to foreign policy, for bold responses to the climate crisis and for a new economy that harnessed technological progress for human needs. It was a bold agenda, and voters embraced it, sending Khanna to Congress with a mandate to shake things up.
He has done so with a passion. Aligning with veteran members such as California Congresswoman Barbara Lee, he brought fresh energy to the fight to thwart militarism and advance diplomatic solutions to global conflicts. With Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, he led a successful move to get the Congress to signal its opposition to US support for Saudi Arabia’s assault on Yemen. Khanna also joined Sanders in high-profile efforts to get Amazon, Walmart and other corporations to pay living wages.
Khanna has challenged monopolies, urged tech corporations to invest in rural America and authored a groundbreaking Internet Bill of Rights. He frequently takes on President Trump, but vice chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus also objects when Democrats compromise on principles.
We spoke to him on Next Left about many of these fights, and about the influence that his Indian grandfather’s anti-colonial activism had on his politics.
SHOW NOTES
Progressives Are Starting to Define a New Realism for Our National-Security Strategy, The Nation, Katrina vanden Heuvel
Ro Khanna’s family narrative rivals that of Mike Honda, Mercury News, Scott Herhold
From Council Rock to Congress: Philly-born Ro Khanna is saving U.S. foreign policy from itself, Philadelphia Inquirer, Will Bunch
Ryan’s Republicans Are Abdicating Their Moral and Constitutional Duty on Yemen: Republicans just blocked Ro Khanna’s proposal to end all US military aid to the Saudi-led coalition that is attacking Yemen, The Nation, John Nichols
In Search of a Green New Foreign Policy, The Nation, Robert L. Borosage
Churchill’s policies contributed to 1943 Bengal famine – study, The Guardian, Michael Safi
Second Inaugural Address of Abraham Lincoln

“Masters of War,” Bob Dylan
This episode of Next Left was produced and edited by Sophia Steinert-Evoy. Our executive producers are Frank Reynolds, Erin O’Mara, and Katrina vanden Heuvel. Our theme song is “Deli Run,” by Ava Luna.

5: Sara Innamorato: "Creating an Economy Where Everyone can Live a Life of Dignity" Jun 18, 2019

This week on Next Left, the Pennsylvania state legislator “fighting the right fights” for working class people.
What draws people into politics? What makes them willing to take on the entrenched status quo? What leads them to open up about their own stories of struggle and hardship? How does this openness break down barriers and get voters talking about fundamental issues? We’re speaking with Sara Innamorato because she’s got a lot of the answers. Sara’s a newly elected member of the Pennsylvania state legislature, as a representative from the 21st state house district. Last year she took on a senior legislator who was a member of one of the most powerful political dynasties in Pennsylvania. When this 32-year-old Democratic Socialist won, she provided a powerful indication of the dramatic changes that are taking place in the politics of Pennsylvania and the whole of the United States.
SHOW NOTES
These women were elected as democratic socialists. Now they’re trying to figure out what that means. - Washington Post Robert Samuels
The socialists vs. the Costas: Upstart hard-left candidates challenge iconic old-school Pittsburgh political family - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Chris Potter
Two Socialists in Pennsylvania Just Won Victories the Democrats Can’t Ignore - Mother Jones Clint Hendler
What the Media Got Wrong About Ocasio-Cortez’s Triumph - The Nation
A Change is Gonna Come - Sam Cooke
Run the World (Girls) - Beyoncé

4: Rashida Tlaib: There’s a "Real Human Impact of Doing Nothing" Jun 11, 2019

This week on Next Left, the outspoken representative who is holding Trump accountable.
Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib is a veteran defender of civil rights and civil liberties with big ideas about how to serve her constituents in the Detroit area, usher in a new era of economic and social and racial justice in the United States and promote peace and cooperation on the global stage. Unfortunately, since she arrived in Washington, she’s been targeted by Republican members of Congress, right-wing media and even the president; they’ve crudely and dishonestly attacked Tlaib, seeking to marginalize the first Palestinian-American Muslim women ever to serve in the U.S. House.
We talk with Rashida Tlaib about her political roots, her ideas and her determination to hold the president of the United States to account — using the impeachment powers accorded the House in the United States Constitution.
Show Notes
Rashida Tlaib Calls for Taking Immediate Steps Toward Impeachment on Her First Day in Congress The Nation John Nichols
Johnson & Johnson Hit With $300 Million in Punitive Damages in Talc Case The Wall Street Journal Peter Loftus
No, Rashida Tlaib Is Definitely Not Antisemitic Jacobin Megan Day
Now is the time to begin impeachment proceedings against President Trump Detroit Free Press John Bonifaz and Rashida Tlaib
The Constitution Demands It by John Bonifaz, Ben Clements, and Ron Fein
Sign O' The Times - Prince

3: Lee Carter: "Your Elected Representative Is Part of the Problem" Jun 04, 2019

This week’s podcast takes us to Virginia, where we talk to Lee Carter, Marine Corps veteran, Democratic Socialist, Lyft driver, and member of the Virginia House of Delegates. When Carter was elected in 2017, as part of a Democratic wave that transformed the legislature and Virginia politics, he celebrated by leading his supporters in a rousing rendition of the labor anthem “Solidarity Forever.” That was just one of many signals that Carter planned to shake things up in Richmond. And so he has!
We talk with this rabble-rousing legislator about tangling with the Democratic establishment and reactionary Republicans, about his fight to upend Virginia’s anti-union “Right-to-Work” law and power up organized labor in the south, about how he has made himself one of the most transparent political figures in the country, and about the genius of Billy Bragg’s version of "The Internationale." “So comrades, come rally... for this is the time and place!”
SHOW NOTES
Since Trump’s Victory, Democratic Socialists of America Has Become a Budding Political Force, The Nation, Anna Heyward
The 7,282-Seat Strategy, The Nation, Joan Walsh
Lee Carter’s Campaign for Labor Rights in Virginia Is Important for All Working Americans, The Nation, John Nichols
The Racist Roots of Right to Work, AFSCME Now
A Virginia politician’s novel approach to personal scandal: Tell all before opponents do, Washington Post, Paul Schwartzman
GOP delegate Miller’s mailer compares Democratic opponent to Stalin, communists, Richmond Times-Dispatch, Patrick Wilson
Carter Singing Solidarity Forever on His Election Night, from YouTube
The Internationale, Billy Bragg
This episode of Next Left was produced and edited by Sophia Steinert-Evoy. Our executive producers are Frank Reynolds, Erin O’Mara, and Katrina vanden Heuvel. Big thank you this week to Nation engagement editor Annie Shields. Recording help this week from Angelo Bautista and Tom Bernath. Our theme song is “Deli Run” by Ava Luna.

2: Rossana Rodriguez Sanchez: "I Was Scared, But I Did It Anyways" May 28, 2019

This week we're in Chicago, city of big dreams and big politics. Historically, Chicago was a machine town. Democratic bosses prevented reformers and radicals from getting anywhere near power, but that's changing fast. This year, Chicago elected a city council that is ready to push the boundaries of status quo politics, how far? 10% of the new council members are Democratic Socialists. We'll talk today with one of them, Rossana Rodriguez Sanchez, who just beat an incumbent city council member whose family has held the same seat for the better part of 50 years. We talked to her just 45 minutes after the incumbent conceded.
SHOW NOTES:
How a Group of Unapologetic Progressives Won Big in Chicago’s Election The Nation, Will Tanzman, April 5, 2019
Chicago’s Political Revolution In These Times Miles Kampf-Lassin, February 12, 2019
The Battle for Paradise: Puerto Rico Takes on Disaster Capitalists by Naomi Klein, 2018
Rossana's favorite political songs: We the People by A Tribe Called Quest Police State by Dead Prez
This episode of Next Left was produced and edited by Sophia Steinert-Evoy. Our executive producers are Frank Reynolds, Erin O’Mara, and Katrina vanden Heuvel. Recording help this week from Phoebe Petrovic and Jackson Roach. Our theme song is "Deli Run" by Ava Luna.

1: Ilhan Omar: “There’s a Reason That I Got Elected to Be in Congress and it has Nothing to do with the Fact that I’m a Refugee” May 21, 2019

From the grass roots to the ballot box, we are witnessing an explosion of progressive political energy. New candidates are running for offices high and low—and they’re winning. In Next Left, a new podcast from The Nation hosted by National Affairs correspondent John Nichols, these insurgent politicians let us into their lives, tell us their stories, and explain how they plan to change our country for the better. We want to understand how the people who are forging the next left got turned on to politics, and what they plan to do now that they have been entrusted by voters to upend the status quo. Our first guest is Minnesota Congresswoman Ilhan Omar. We spoke in her Capitol Hill office, where visitors are greeted by an image of Shirley Chisholm, who 50 years ago was the first African-American woman elected to Congress. Omar is, herself, a woman of many firsts—the first Somali-American and the first naturalized citizen to serve in Congress, and one of the first two Muslim women to serve in the House. She is also the first member of Congress to wear a hijab. We are delighted that she is the first guest on Next Left. SHOW NOTES [Reps. Omar and Schakowsky: We must confront threat of white nationalism—together](https://www.cnn.com/2019/05/14/opinions/stop-white-nationalism-together-omar-schakowsky/index.html): CNN Opinion, May 14, 2019 [Black History Month Playlist: Ilhan Omar talks Prince, music that inspires her](https://blog.thecurrent.org/2019/01/black-history-month-spotlight-ilhan-omar-talks-prince-and-the-music-that-inspires-her/): Marla Khan-Schwartz, The Current, January 31, 2019 [](https://www.thenation.com/article/liz-cheney-rashida-tlaib-ilhan-omar/) [Why Liz Cheney Is So Determined to Marginalize Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar: John Nichols, The Nation, May 14, 2019](https://www.thenation.com/article/liz-cheney-rashida-tlaib-ilhan-omar/) [Time for Ilhan](https://www.timeforilhanfilm.com/) 2018 Documentary by Norah Shapiro This week’s sponsor: [A Crisis Wasted, by Reed Hunt](https://acrisiswasted.com/) Theme song: “Deli Run,” by [Ava Luna](https://avalunagroup.com/) This episode of Next Left was produced and edited by Sophia Steinert-Evoy. Our executive producers are Frank Reynolds, Erin O’Mara, and Katrina vanden Heuvel.

1: Next Left, Coming May 21 May 14, 2019

From the grass roots to the ballot box, we are witnessing an explosion of progressive political energy. New candidates are running for offices high and low—and they’re winning. "Next Left" is your front-row seat to this political upheaval: On this new podcast from The Nation magazine, National Affairs Correspondent John Nichols introduces us to the rising stars of the progressive constellation. These insurgent politicians let us into their lives, tell us their stories, and explain how they plan to change our country for the better. These are the people reshaping our politics by bringing bold, progressive policies to their cities, counties and states, and to DC—let's get to know them. If you believe politics are personal, this podcast is for you. Next Left will be launching Tuesday, May 21—subscribe now for new episodes every Tuesday.

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