Category: Full Interviews With Our Guests

Travis Waldron

July 17, 2013 - Full Interviews With Our Guests, Journalists, Most Recent, Our Podcast

Aaron Hernandez in jail

Former New England Patriots Tight End Aaron Hernandez was arrested last month and charged with the first-degree murder of his friend Odin Lloyd. He is being held inside Massachusetts’ Bristol County House of Correction without bail in a seven foot by ten foot cell, he’s six foot one, alone for twenty one hours a day with nobody to talk to, no television, no air conditioning, no coffee, no gym. Hernandez is permitted to walk thirty yards in his cellblock during the three hours each day he is taken out of solitary confinement. For three hours a day he is allowed to make collect calls, take a shower and stretch his legs. The only people he gets to talk to are on the phone when he makes his collect calls. He has zero interaction with any of the other prisoners. This is not solitary confinement, but it’s damn close. Our guest is Travis Waldron who covers sports for Think Progress. Travis raises the disturbing question If this is how America treats a celebrity like Aaron Hernandez, how do we treat the other Hernandezes behind bars who aren’t famous? Solitary confinement, it’s torture, and we discuss it with Sports Columnist Travis Waldron from Think Progress.

Today’s show features Paul Dooley, Janie Haddad Tomkins, Laura Kightlinger. Eddie Pepitone, Hal Lublin, and Frank Conniff. We are written by Dylan Brody, Hal Lublin, Will Dixon, and Steve Rosenfield and David Feldman.

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Aviva Shen

July 17, 2013 - Full Interviews With Our Guests, Journalists, Most Recent, Our Podcast

 

walmart wages

Washington DC’s city council passes the Large Retailer Accountability Act of 2013 forcing big box stores like Wal-Mart and Target, with annual sales exceeding one billion a year, to pay workers a livable wage. Wal-Mart lobbyists are now urging the mayor of Washington DC to veto the bill. What does that means for retail employees across the nation?  Plus June’s Jobs numbers are up. The numbers are good, but the jobs aren’t. America’s working poor seems to be growing at the same rate as jobs are. We’ll look at these new job numbers, and Wal-Mart’s troubles in Washington DC with Aviva Shen who writes for Think Progress.  Aviva’s writings have also appeared in Salon, New York Magazine, and Smithsonian Magazine. In the 2008 Obama campaign she served as a social media consultant.

Also David weighs in on the George Zimmerman verdict.

And so do Will Ryan and the Cactus County Cowboys.

Portions of today’s program feature Kevin Rooney, Mark Thompson, Chris Pina, Eddie Pepitone and Eddie Crasnick, and were written by Ben Zelevasnky, Karen Simmons, Eddie Crasnick, Eddie Pepitone and David Feldman.

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Zack Ford

July 11, 2013 - Full Interviews With Our Guests, Journalists, Most Recent, Our Podcast

ENDA

Last month our Supreme Court ruled the Defense of Marriage Act as well as California’s Prop 8 was unconstitutional thereby paving the way for gay marriage. Problem solved, right? Wrong. Turns out Gay Marriage is a lot like abortion. The Supreme Court says it’s legal, but it’s up to the individual states to determine just how much gay sex and abortion you can have. We go to Washington DC to talk with Zack Ford who covers LGBT issues for Think Progress and also hosts a podcast on gay issues called “Queer And Queerer.” On today’s show we learn about ENDA, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act and why it must be passed now. Did you know in most states somebody can be fired just because he or she is gay? Hard to believe, but it’s true. Which is why we need to pass ENDA right now. Zack fills us in on ENDA, Same Sex Marriage, and why right wing Christians are finally admitting homosexuality can’t be cured. Plus Will Ryan and The Cactus County Cowboys. Hal Lublin, Paul Dooley, Rick Overton, Janie Haddad Tompkins and Mark Thompson. Portions of today’s program are written by Hal Lublin, Will Dixon, Ben Zelevansky, Steve Rosenfield, and David Feldman. Republican Senator Rob Portman’s phone number is 202-224-3353. Call him right now and tell him to support ENDA. That’s what this number is for.

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Robert Duchaine

July 9, 2013 - Comedians, Full Interviews With Our Guests, Most Recent, Our Podcast

Robert Duchaine

Comedian Robert Duchaine is a surly misanthrope. His sarcastic social commentary pokes fun at a myriad of topics including race, religion, and relationships. He’s been kicked out of every organization he was ever forced to join, from the Cub Scouts to the U.S. Army, and fired from every job he ever finagled. Robert finally found a refuge where he can make his own rules – the stand-up comedy stage. Now an established national touring headliner, Robert performs regularly in Las Vegas show rooms, colleges, comedy clubs and concert venues. Duchaine is also involved in avant-garde theater and independent film. Robert’s unique perspective fuels an act that pushes the envelope. Duchaine is candid, entertaining, and always hilarious! Plus Will Ryan And The Cactus County Cowboys.

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Mychal Denzel Smith

July 9, 2013 - Full Interviews With Our Guests, Journalists, Most Recent, Our Podcast

zimmermansubway

Mychal Denzel Smith is covering the George Zimmerman trial for The Nation magazine. We all know Zimmerman killed Trayvon Martin, now it’s up to a jury of six women to determine whether or not he’ll get off. Mychal Denzel Smith’s work on race, politics, social justice, pop culture, hip hop, mental health, feminism and black male identity has appeared in various publications, including The Guardian, Ebony, theGrio, the Root, Huffington Post and GOOD. Today’s show features Mike MacRae, Mark Thompson, Janie Haddad Tompkins, Jeremy S. Kramer and Chris Pina. Portions of our show were written by Mike MacRae, Dylan Brody and David Feldman.

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Ian Millhiser

July 8, 2013 - Full Interviews With Our Guests, Journalists, Most Recent, Our Podcast

ANTHONYKENNEDY

On today’s show we talk about Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy, the swing vote, the guy everybody has to please with constitutional scholar and author Ian Millhiser. Plus Robin Williams, Martin Short And Will Ryan and The Cactus County Cowboys.

In case you’re unfamiliar with Justice Kennedy, remember back in October of 2012 when Romney and Obama were courting the undecideds? Remember how annoying the undecideds were? Everyone had already made up their minds months earlier, but roughly three percent of the country claimed they just didn’t know, when in fact they wanted the attention. Well, that’s who Justice Anthony Kennedy is. He just doesn’t know. We talk with Ian Milhiser who just wrote a great piece for Think Progress entitled “Ten Reasons No One Should Lionize Justice Kennedy.” Ian Millhiser is a Senior Constitutional Policy Analyst at the Center for American Progress Action Fund. And through the prism of Anthony Kennedy we’ll get to see how liberal, or just how conservative the John Roberts court is turning out to be.

Also on the show remember Rick Perry, the governor of Texas? Remember he ran for president last year and it turns out he was actually dumber than Michele Bachmann? Well, today, he’s going to announce whether or not he’s running for reelection as governor of Texas, and he also might announce whether or not he’s running for president again, even though his last campaign by all measures was a complete disaster. So, we’re running a sketch we did last year with Robin Williams playing Governor Perry, it still holds up.

And how about this? Marty Short and Will Ryan together on the same stage, how great is that?

Ray James, Will Ryan and David Feldman wrote portions of today’s show. Alicia Cordova produces us.

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