Make It Plain with Mark Thompson

President Biden surprised Democrats when he announced a commission to explore expanding the Supreme Court. Markos Moulitsas, Founder of DailyKos, Civiqs, and Host of podcast “The Brief,” is back today to explain why Biden might have made that move and what could come of it, in terms of D.C. statehood and reparations. However, aside from the Supreme Court, there’s another issue to overcome: Senator Joe Manchin. Executive Producer: Adell Coleman Producer: Brittany Temple Distributor: DCP Entertainment For additional content: makeitplain.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

What would it look like to engage in nonviolent direct action consistently, through strategic organizing? That’s what Kai Newkirk (Founder of For All www.forallorg.us) and Rev. Stephen Green (Pastor, Scholar, and Activist) explain in today’s episode, as they discuss the piece they co-authored, “Why Kingian democratic socialism is the best path forward for the progressive left.” This is especially relevant in the context of our current society where unarmed Black people continue to be murdered by police. They also dig into why we need statehood in D.C. in order to make winning Georgia actually count and see progress on reparations. Read their article here: https://wagingnonviolence.org/2021/04/why-kingian-democratic-socialism-best-path-forward-for-progressive-left/ Executive Producer: Adell Coleman Producer: Brittany Temple Distributor: DCP Entertainment For additional content: makeitplain.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

If you’ve watched the HBO documentary on QAnon (“Q: Into the Storm”), or if you spend any time on the internet, you know it revealed some key details surrounding the group of conspiracy theorists. But what you don’t know is what the filmmaker, Cullen Hoback, chose to leave out, and that crucial information is what Mother Jones reporter Ali Breland is here today to discuss. Ali and his colleague AJ Vicens were able to connect Jim Watkins (founder of 8chan) to countless web domains that allegedly host child pornography (more details on how they can make these connections without viewing the illegal content are in the episode). Ali gives the background on his and AJ’s story, what Hoback said when Ali reached out about the documentary’s misrepresentations, and how he plans to move forward with what he believes is incriminating information on Jim Watkins. Executive Producer: Adell Coleman Producer: Brittany Temple Distributor: DCP Entertainment For additional content: makeitplain.comAdvertising Inquiries: https:/

Glenn Kirscher, Former Assistant U.S. Attorney, is on today to unravel the latest testimonies in the murder trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who knealed on George Floyd’s next until he was dead. Mark and Glenn examine what was heard from Dr. Tobin, an expert pulmonologist, as well as Dr. Baker, the medical examiner who performed George Floyd’s autopsy, in which Glenn found some unusual details. Executive Producer: Adell Coleman Producer: Brittany Temple Distributor: DCP Entertainment For additional content: makeitplain.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Racism is harming, if not killing, people of color in America, and there’s a small group that actually profits off it. That’s what Jim Freeman, author of “Rich Thanks to Racism: How the Ultra-Wealthy Profit from Racial Injustice,” unravels in today’s episode. There’s a number of billionaires and multi-millionaires (like the Koch brothers and the people behind ALEC, to name a couple) who invest in legislation that keep things in place like the prison-industrial complex, immigrant detention, and school privatization, but that’s not the only way they turn racism into profits. Jim speaks to the layers that begin with criminalizing young people of color in their schools and continue after people have been released from prison. But you can get involved, and Jim also has some advice on that, too. Executive Producer: Adell Coleman Producer: Brittany Temple Distributor: DCP Entertainment For additional content: makeitplain.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.

Ash-Lee Woodard Henderson is the Co-Executive Director of the Highlander Research and Education Center (the first Black woman to hold the position), a catalyst for grassroots organizing and movement building in Appalachia and the South. This renowned civil rights center suffered an arson attack in 2019, complete with a “white power” tag found at the scene. Ash-Lee and Mark discuss not just the fire, but the white supremacy that fueled it, and why events like these are “not surprising” to Ash-Lee, her colleagues, or the communities they look to serve. Ash-Lee and Mark discuss white supremacy through the lens of some of the bigger events of the year, including the death of George Floyd and the insurrection on Capitol Hill, and consider what it takes to gain ground for racial justice, equality, and most importantly, sustainability. Ash-Lee also asks us to rethink popular (and stereotypical) definitions of what it means to be from Appalachia, and what her identity as an Afrolachian means to her. Executive Produc

Cecily Myart-Cruz is the President of United Teachers Los Angeles (and the first woman of color to hold the position) and as both a teacher and a parent, she understands the frustrations of at-home learning and the pressing desire to get kids back into schools. But she says there’s much to be considered first -- like how often students should take standardized tests in the coming year, for example. Los Angeles has become one of the models that districts across the country are looking to as they lay plans to return to the classroom, and Cecily discusses how she’s working with challenges presented specifically to Black and Brown students as schools reopen. Executive Producer: Adell Coleman Producer: Brittany Temple Distributor: DCP Entertainment For additional content: makeitplain.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

It’s that time again for Chad Stone, Chief Economist at the Center on Budget and Policy Priority, returns for his monthly status report on our economy. There is good news out of March’s jobs report, but as always, there’s many layers to understanding what it means. Chad breaks down unemployment rate vs. jobs added (which is reported by employers) and why the rate is not the best indicator on joblessness. He also lets us know what’s happening within each demographic in the report, and answers the question of if we’re finally on a trajectory of recovery after a year of losses. Executive Producer: Adell Coleman Producer: Brittany Temple Distributor: DCP Entertainment For additional content: makeitplain.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Ian Millhiser a Senior Correspondent at Vox, where he focuses on the Supreme Court, the Constitution, and the decline of liberal democracy in the United States, and his expertise on the courts is what fills out his new book, “The Agenda: How a Republican Supreme Court Is Reshaping America.” The agenda he’s speaking of is dangerous to voting rights and beyond, all at the hands of the one branch of government that is not elected by the people -- and it’s more problematic than you might assume. Since Trump appointed more than 200 federal judges, Ian helps us unpack some of the more troubling rulings they’ve come down with, and why their general unpredictability is high-risk for the rest of us. Executive Producer: Adell Coleman Producer: Brittany Temple Distributor: DCP Entertainment For additional content: makeitplain.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Lawmakers say this level of gun violence, with mass shootings occurring almost daily, “should not become the new normal,” but Brian Lemek says we’ve already reached that point. Brian is the Executive Director at Brady PAC, the sister organization/political arm of Brady, the nation’s oldest gun violence prevention advocacy group. In today’s episode, he explains how senators could be passing legislation right now to make it harder to buy a gun, but it’s stalled in the senate. So what (or who) is standing in the way? Brian breaks it down and fills us in on a surprising piece of information that he believes is proof that the NRA is on it’s way out. Executive Producer: Adell Coleman Producer: Brittany Temple Distributor: DCP Entertainment For additional content: makeitplain.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

President Biden unveiled his infrastructure plan, and it’s no surprise the GOP is upset about the corporate tax hike; but Markos Moulitsas, Founder of DailyKos, Civiqs, and Host of “The Brief” podcast, points out what’s interesting about their hypocrisy this time around, and why Republicans are having zero luck treating Biden as an “other.” Markos also digs into the latest with the filibuster, where “centrists” like Senators Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema stand, and what could come from the latest attempts at voter suppression in Georgia. Executive Producer: Adell Coleman Producer: Brittany Temple Distributor: DCP Entertainment For additional content: makeitplain.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Anti-Asian racism is on the rise and Roshni Nedungadi has the numbers to back it up. She’s the Founding Partner, Chief Research Officer, and COO of HIT Strategies, a leading millennial and minority-owned public opinion research firm on Capitol Hill, and one of the few AAPI (Asian American and Pacific Islander) pollsters in America. In today’s episode she shares the startling truth found in a survey done in Michigan last month, where 40-percent of the Asian population either experienced anti-Asian racism personally or knows someone who did. But at the same time, the numbers show Asian people turning out in record numbers in the battleground state. At HIT Strategies, they’re working to better understand communities and their varying priorities when it comes to battling discrimination and gaining political power to make change. Executive Producer: Adell Coleman Producer: Brittany Temple Distributor: DCP Entertainment For additional content: makeitplain.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPriva

One of the most common reasons a person does not leave a domestic violence situation is because they don’t have the cash to do it. At FreeFrom, an organization dedicated to knocking down the barriers that prevent domestic violence survivors from holding economic and community power, Tannia Ventura and the team work to get direct cash payments to survivors so they regain their power. Tannia is the Director of Service Provider Engagement and Education and in today’s episode, we learn the ins and outs of getting those cash payments to survivors, how to heal the implicit mistrust of survivors when they ask for what they need, and what are the hopes and fears for the $5 billion dollars pledged by the Biden administration to supply cash payments directly to survivors. Mark and Tannia also dig into the fact that domestic violence needs to be solved at the community level and should not solely be the task of independent organizations, and what FreeFrom found in their independent research collected from surveying 1,00

Reopening schools is just one of the challenges that lie ahead for teachers, students, and parents. Randi Weingarten is President of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and she explains that it’s not solely about getting caught up with academics; kids need healing from the traumas of the pandemic and should get back on track with human interaction and most importantly, having fun. Randi also shares her recommendations on summer sessions vs. private tutoring. Executive Producer: Adell Coleman Producer: Brittany Temple Distributor: DCP Entertainment For additional content: makeitplain.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Gun violence is centered in the national conversation once again, in light of the mass shootings in Atlanta, Boulder, and Chicago. Igor Volsky is the Co-Founder and the Executive Director of Guns Down America, and yesterday, his organization teamed up with other leaders and organizations in the fight against gun violence to launch a coalition letter to President Biden, calling on him to take immediate action. Mark and Igor are then joined by Pastor Michael McBride of fundpeacenow.com. Pastor Mike is one of the parties signed on to the coalition, and he expands on the myriad of ways gun violence shows up in communities and how creativity is needed when applying pressure on D.C. to work harder on gun legislation reform. Executive Producer: Adell Coleman Producer: Brittany Temple Distributor: DCP Entertainment For additional content: makeitplain.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

As more people gain access to the coronavirus vaccine, we’re bringing you insight from a panel discussion with leaders of both medicine and faith. Moderated by our own Mark Thompson, the panelists explore how the vaccine works, community fears and hesitations, and what outstanding questions remain. Panelists: Dr. James K. Hildreth, President of Meharry Medical College; Rev. A. Oveta Fuller, Associate Professor of Microbiology and Immunology at Michigan Medical School; Dr. Chu Chu Onwauchi-Saunders, Pediatrician and Medical Epidemiologist; Rev. Dr. Gary V. Simpson, Leading Pastor at Concord Baptist Church of Christ Executive Producer: Adell Coleman Producer: Brittany Temple Distributor: DCP Entertainment For additional content: makeitplain.com  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

There’s money to be made in keeping Americans unhealthy, and Dr. Nicholas Freudenberg is pulling back the curtain on the links between our collectively declining health and capitalism. Dr. Freudenberg is a public health practitioner and distinguished professor at CUNY School of Public Health, and his new book is titled “At What Cost: Modern Capitalism and the Future of Health.” In today’s episode, we get a lesson on the specific ways capitalism has both changed over the last 30 years and is harming both human and planetary health. With corporations focused squarely on their returns, and simultaneously having veto power over public policy, Dr. Freudenberg highlights the ways they are putting profits before human lives and what we can do to reverse the deadly effects. Executive Producer: Adell Coleman Producer: Brittany Temple Distributor: DCP Entertainment For additional content: makeitplain.com  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivac

The people of Minneapolis want change, and the activists at Reclaim the Block are going to bring it. D.A. Bullock is a filmmaker and a Communications Team Member with Reclaim the Block in Minneapolis, where they reimagine public safety and lay groundwork for defunding the police. As the trial of police officer Derek Chauvin unfolds and we remember George Floyd's murder, as well as countless others that weren’t caught on film, D.A. and Mark discuss the specific changes that could make a community safer with a reduced police presence. Executive Producer: Adell Coleman Producer: Brittany Temple Distributor: DCP Entertainment For additional content: makeitplain.com  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

The For the People Act (H.R. 1) passed in the House and is now headed to the Senate. What does that mean for you, the voter? Tiffany Muller is the President of End Citizens United (endcitizensunited.org) and she explains that, at a time when our voting rights are under constant threat, it’s a crucial time to pass this bill and she gives specific instructions on how you can play your part. She also gives us the scoop on how this bill addresses voter access, election integrity, election security, political spending, and ethics for the three branches of government. She also shares how this bill is tied to maintaining the House majority in 2022. Executive Producer: Adell Coleman Producer: Brittany Temple Distributor: DCP Entertainment For additional content: makeitplain.com  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Eric Boehlert, Writer and Publisher of Pressrun.media, is not surprised by the mainstream media’s normalization of the GOP’s voter suppression tactics over recent weeks, but that doesn’t mean he’s going to stop calling them out for it. Eric points to the ways Republicans continue to evade accountability (and common decency) while the press plays nice. But not even Fox news is having success in igniting an opposition against President Biden. Executive Producer: Adell Coleman Producer: Brittany Temple Distributor: DCP Entertainment For additional content: makeitplain.com  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy