Stress Test, from Mother Jones

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Mr. President, Have You Ever Worked for Russia? Jan 16, 2019

Show notes

This is how far things have come. Try to imagine this scene taking place in normal times: The president of the United States speaking to reporters gathered on the South Lawn of the White House and, just to clarify things, saying, “I’ve never worked for Russia." But here we are. News about special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation has been coming at us thick and fast these days. First, there was the New York Times blockbuster report that the FBI, concerned about Trump's possible work with the Russians, began a counterintelligence investigation into the president. Then, a stunning revelation from the Washington Post about the president confiscating his own interpreter’s notes after a private meeting with Vladimir Putin. And finally, Trump’s new pick for Attorney General being grilled by lawmakers about whether or not he’ll protect the Mueller investigation, and reassuring them it will not become another victim of Washington’s partisan warfare—as Trump so ardently desires. On today’s episode of the Mother Jones podcast, host Jamilah King is joined by our DC bureau chief David Corn, and Terrell Jermaine Starr, senior reporter at The Root, to help you find your way through the confusing, potentially terrifying news about the President and his loyalties.

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Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s Biggest Fight Jan 09, 2019

Show notes

WTF is the Green New Deal? Washington D.C. is awash with talk of a polarizing plan to fight climate change, as freshman Democrats like U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez turn up the pressure on party leaders to take urgent action. Today, we take a historical look at the Green New Deal, beginning with Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s depression-era economic jumpstart, and trace how ideas of environmental justice and the green economy have evolved across subsequent presidencies. To help us assess the challenges ahead, we’re joined by Vien Truong, CEO of Green for All, an advocacy group that’s championed the Green New Deal for more than a decade, and Mother Jones climate reporter Rebecca Leber, who’s been following the deal’s newfound momentum.

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He Was Dying. Then Doctors Tried Some Forgotten Viruses. Jan 02, 2019

Show notes

Happy New Year! This week, as the podcast team gears up for a brand new 2019 season, we’re revisiting two of our most talked-about segments from 2018. First up is the rage-inducing inside story of America’s student debt machine: How the nation’s flagship loan forgiveness program is failing the very people it’s meant to help. Next: Viruses that could save us all. Tom Patterson, a psychologist, was dying from a seemingly unstoppable superbug infection when his wife, Steffanie Strathdee, an epidemiologist, began considering an unconventional treatment: phage therapy. We retrace Tom's incredible journey to the brink of death and back, and this fascinating field of medical science we're only just beginning to understand.

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Be a Better You: How to Break Political Tribalism Dec 26, 2018

Show notes

It’s our final episode for 2018. As we take stock of this seemingly never-ending year, big questions abound: How can we rise above the worst impulses of our political tribalism to find common cause? At a time when our very identities are under attack, how do we resist the temptation to retreat to clusters of likemindedness, and instead open up to the greater good? These concerns about the nature of our democracy and the definitions of belonging in an atomized world form the basis of this illuminating conversation between moral philosopher and author, Kwame Anthony Appiah, and Mother Jones Editor-in-Chief, Clara Jeffery, recorded in October before a live audience at the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco. This episode contains edited highlights from that event.

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DeRay Mckesson on How to Turn Outrage into Hope Dec 19, 2018

Show notes

DeRay Mckesson is a leading voice in the Black Lives Matter movement. He’s been an educator, a mayoral candidate, and now, he’s also an author. As 2018 ends and progressive communities continue to resist the Trump administration, McKesson tells engaging stories from the frontlines of activism—experiences that have led him to look beyond headlines to identify the power structures that foster inequality. He wants us to do the same.

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"Broad City" Star Ilana Glazer Takes Over the Podcast Dec 12, 2018

Show notes

On this week's show, host Jamilah King hands over interviewing duties to a surprise guest: Co-creator and star of the Comedy Central hit Broad City, Ilana Glazer. This podcast was recorded live in Brooklyn in October by Generator Collective, a group Glazer co-founded that, among other civic engagement gigs, gets interesting people in front of crowds to talk about policy and politics. Just a few days after this recording, Glazer closed down another event in the series when the venue, a synagogue in Brooklyn, was vandalized with anti-Semitic slurs in the wake of Pittsburg's Tree of Life massacre. In this episode, Glazer interviews our very own voting rights reporter, Ari Berman, about the dark history and current absurdities of voter suppression in America—and President Lyndon B. Johnson's toilet habits.

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David Byrne Rode His Bike to Our Office and Talked About Everything Dec 05, 2018

Show notes

On this week's show, host Jamilah King interviews the prolific artist, David Byrne about police shootings, Janelle Monáe, stage fright, “True Stories,” and fake news. Since the late-1970s, when Byrne formed Talking Heads, his career has been an endless stream of fascinating side projects, starting with his super-weird, super-cool Brian Eno collab, "My Life in the Bush of Ghosts." He founded his own World Music label, and his obsession with the National Color Guard Championships led to a documentary, "Contemporary Color." In November, as his American Utopia tour wrapped up, Byrne re-released his 1986 film, True Stories, which explores the inner lives and outer quirks of residents of a fictional Texas town. “It’s like 60 Minutes on acid,” Byrne once said. The timing was brilliant—but coincidental, he admits: “I hadn’t looked at it in a while. And a lot of it does seem prescient and newly relevant. There’s a lot of stuff that seems oddly like, ‘Oh. I recognize this! It seemed like fiction in the movie, and now it’s fact.’” Our interview with Byrne kicks off a month-long special holiday series, featuring some of our very most interesting studio interviews.

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Trump Put a Target on Our Backs: Trans Americans Fight Back Nov 28, 2018

Show notes

This week, trans listeners share candid stories about life under Trump. Sarah McBride, national press secretary for Human Rights Campaign, reveals the whiplash of working for Barack Obama, the most trans-inclusive president in history, only to be targeted aggressively by Trump in the years since. Ashley Scott, a transgender veteran of the Iraq War, tells us what's at stake as the administration escalates efforts to ban transgender people from the military. And while it's been a trying time, transgender listeners also share stories about solidarity, hope, and what it takes to win at this critical time in the history of LGBTQ rights.

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How the Trump-Addicted Media Blew Another Election Nov 21, 2018

Show notes

Two of the biggest, brightest minds in the media business join us in the studio this week: Washington Post media columnist Margaret Sullivan and Vox media critic Carlos Maza. Host Jamilah King leads a lively discussion about Facebook's scandals, its ongoing battle against disinformation, and what the media learned—if anything—from the 2016 presidential campaign.

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Lie, Block, Betray: Trump After the Blue Wave Nov 14, 2018

Show notes

The midterms aren't over: votes are being counted and recounted in key battleground states. This week, we take you directly to Broward County, Florida, where reporter Pema Levy is staking out the local elections offices, awaiting results from a dramatic statewide recount, as streets heat up with protesters. We also go to Atlanta, where senior editor Kiera Butler brings you the latest from the nail-biting Georgia Governor's race, between Democrat Stacey Abrams and Republican Brian Kemp. Whatever happens, Kiera says the changing face of the state's electorate will get harder and harder for Republicans to ignore. And throughout the show, you'll hear from our voting rights reporter Ari Berman, who's always on-hand to help us make sense of the voting shenanigans afoot.

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