District 34 Podcast

Peter Sterne is an independent journalist that specializes in press freedom issues. He has been a senior reporter at the Freedom of the Press Foundation and helped set up the US Press Freedom Tracker. He also worked at Politco.We discuss the recent arrest of Julian Assange, whistleblowers and the encroachment on press freedom.You can read Peter's piece on The Espionage Act here See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Barrett Brown, whose column received the 2016 National Magazine Award for columns and commentary at The Intercept, is the founder of Project PM, a crowd-sourced investigation into the cyber-industrial complex. His writing has also appeared in The Guardian and Al Jazeera. In 2012, the FBI raided his house, and later that year Brown was indicted on 12 federal charges relating to the 2011 Stratfor hack. The most controversial charge, linking to the hacked data, was dropped, but in 2015 Brown was sentenced to 63 months in prison.We discuss the hacks and all that surrounded them as well as first amendment rights. This is a not to be missed story in light of Julian Assange's arrest this week. Press freedom is under fire. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week I sat down with Savage Joy from Real Progressives to discuss the weeks events. From Lucy Flores speaking her truth on Joe Biden to Andrew Yang leaning into the Alt Right.Yiu can watch Joy's show live on Facebook or Archived on YouTube. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Amar Shergill ia an attorney and activist. He is also an executive board member of the California Democratic Party.He recently made headlines in Sacramento by speaking truth to power on the murder of Stephon Clark.Join us as we discuss the state of affairs in Sacramento. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

On March 20th UC workers staged a 24 hour strike in an effort to fight privitization. As the state has continued to de-finance the system, workers have seen their jobs outsourced to private companies that pay far less and supply no benefits. The rally featured speeches by students, union leaders and presedential hopeful Bernie Sanders. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Bill Corbett is an American writer and performer for television, film and theatre. He was a writer and performer on the cult television show Mystery Science Theater 3000 (MST3K), for which he voiced the robot Crow T. Robot during the show's later seasons on the Sci Fi Channel and played the character Observer and other minor roles. In 2001, Corbett co-wrote the Sci Fi Channel miniseries The Adventures of Edward the Less with several other former MST3K writers. Corbett also co-wrote the 2008 film Meet Dave starring Eddie Murphy.Bill is also a advocate for Medicare for All and for reforming the Democratic Party. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

JM Williams is running for Senate in California. He is a progressive from central state who is working on bringing a new UC campus to the Tulare area.Running on a Progressive Platform, JM will be advocating for the following policies at minimum as the Senator from the Great State of California;1) $22 per hour minimum wage2) Green New Deal3) Federal Jobs Guarantee4) #ADOS Reparations5) Election Reform6) #NoMoreWar7) Full Equality under law for all Americans regardless of any factor.You can learn more about JM's campaign here See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The Humanist Report (THR) is a progressive political podcast that discusses and analyzes current news events and pressing political issues. They are guided by humanism and political progressiveness. The host, Mike Figueredo, has an MA in political science. Join us for a conversation on AIPAC, Venezuela, Yemen and other current affairs.The Humanist Report Website See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Mike Hersh is the Communications Director for Progressive Democrats of America. Mike was born and raised in upstate NY. Mike earned an AB in Government from Cornell University where he was on the Dean’s List and served in the Student and University Governments. He earned a JD from the Washington College of Law. Mike helped progressive candidates win elections at the local, state and federal levels. He works with PDA’s national, state, chapter, and issue teams implementing communications strategies: drafting, editing, and sending email blasts, action alerts, press releases, and letters to legislators as well as designing graphics, leaflets, programs and updating websites.You can learn more about PDA here See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Steve Cox is a photojournalist running for Congress in CD 39. His favorite philosopher is George Carlin and his platform includes Medicare for All, veterans rights and getting money out of politics. Join us for a discussion on these things and more.You can learn more about Steve here: http://www.voteforcox.com/ See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Phoenix is the co-host of the Black Podcast With Wine Cellar Media- a show about social justice news and commentary. Join us in conversation as we discuss racism, class and Hotep conspiracy theory.Her podcast: https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/father-teresas-wine-cellar-blog-talk-radio-feedHer Site: https://winecellarmedia.com/ See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Kit O’Connell is a gonzo journalist from Austin, Texas. He is openly biased toward human rights and equality.Kit is also the Editor-in-Chief of Ministry of Hemp, America’s Leading Hemp Advocate. His past includes being an Editor at Fire Dog Lake. He continues to report on activism and social justice as an independent journalist. His writing has appeared in Hemp Magazine, The Establishment, YES! Magazine, The Texas Observer and Truthout.You can read more on Kit here: https://kitoconnell.com See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The idea of a basic income has been around for decades, and it once drew support from leaders as different as Martin Luther King Jr. and Richard Nixon. Bernie Sanders supports it, as does Richard Branson and Elon Musk. Andrew Yang has made it the centerpiece of his primary presidential platform. But- What exactly is UBI? I discuss all the ins and outs with expert Scott Santens on this weeks episode.You can learn more at Scott's website: http://www.scottsantens.com/ See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Just how influential are foreign lobbyists? Manafort is just the tip of the corrupt ice berg. Think tanks, ghost writing and money all collide in this dark world where propaganda meets politics. Investigative journalist Ken Silverstein (Harpers, Counterpunch, LA Times, Washington Babylon, The Intercept) joins me to discuss this and more! His books, Turkmeniscam: How Washington Lobbyists Fought to Flack for a Stalinist Dictatorship and The Secret World of Oil are a must read.You can follow his blog Washington Babylon here: http://washingtonbabylon.com/ See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Johnny Akzam is running for congress in Minnesota's first district. His platform- forged from a historical DFL party platform- includes Medicare For All, the Jobs Guarantee program, the ERA and Green New Deal.Learn more about Johnny here: https://johnnyakzam.com/ See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Portia Boulger is a teacher and activist from Ohio. She came to the national stage when she was caught on camera ranting about DNC corruption as a delegate. Her passion and righteous anger inspired many. Join us for a candid discussion on the current state of progressive grass roots activism.Additional Reading:California Prison Problem: http://articles.latimes.com/2013/oct/15/local/la-me-pc-california-jerry-brown-prisons-supreme-court-20131015Involuntary Servitude: https://www.aclu.org/blog/prisoners-rights/prisoners-are-getting-paid-145-day-fight-california-wildfiresSanders supporter Wrong Accused of Nazi Salute: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2016/03/12/sanders-supporter-in-ohio-accused-of-staging-nazi-salute-in-illinois-says-its-not-her/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.883e6dfe88b7 See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Peter Douche is a parody of a parody.To those who don't know the backstory, Peter Douche gained notoriety after being permanently suspended from Twitter and sentenced to life in Twitmo for speaking too much truth to power.  To avoid his sentence, he has been sequestered in an Ecuadorian Cafe inside of Embassy Suites. In response to the outrageous ban, the online campaign #FreePeterDouche trended on Twitter. The story of his censorship has been highlighted by The Jimmy Dore Show, Julian Assange, and numerous progressive outlets.  When Peter was unjustly censored, he pledged to use the attention his situation received to expand his voice. "An Inconvenient Douche" is the result. This book is not about Peter Douche's personal story, rather it's an assessment of our current political landscape, as seen through the eyes of a three-time losing political strategist of color.You can buy his Book here: https://www.aninconvenientdouche.com/Associated reading: https://www

If race is a fiction can racism remain a nonfiction?I sit down with Brother Beat and Michael Graham of Actify press to discuss this important yet difficult topic. Michael takes us through his theory on affinity bias and how this relates to the importance of solidarity. Brother Beat brings us some hard truth. Its a conversation not to be missed.You can Donate to Actify Press here: https://www.gofundme.com/actify-press-server-amp-yearly-feesFurther Reading:https://www.jacobinmag.com/2015/06/racecraft-racism-social-origins-reparations/https://www.currentaffairs.org/2018/02/the-politics-of-shame/My MA thesis on scientific racism: http://www.tinadesireeberg.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/thesisFinal-TBERG.pdf See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Ruben Major ran against Alex Padilla for California Secretary of State in 2018 amidst an ACLU lawsuit highlighting the tossing of voter by mail ballots. Ruben has deep knowledge on our election integrity issues and has been fighting to complete the work started by Debra Bowen.Ruben began his career as an EMT nearly 20 years ago, helping those who could not help themselves: seniors, homeless, substance abusers, mentally disabled, and survivors of domestic violence. He has serviced small towns and large communities; busy interstates and Native American reservations; border towns and metropolitan areas. Eventually, Ruben obtained his paramedic certificate and began work for the Gila River Indian Community which helped him to better understand some of what he had missed growing up. He also has a bachelors, masters, and law degree.You can learn more here: http://www.rubenmajor.com/ See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Kenneth Mejia is an activist millennial challenging Jimmy Gomez from the left. He is a 27-year-old first generation Filipino-American Community Organizer, Certified Public Accountant (CPA), and Board Member of the Wilshire Center Koreatown Neighborhood Council.As a Neighborhood Council Board Member, Kenneth fights for working class families and those living in poverty constantly voting “No” on statements of support for real estate developments of market rate apartments being built due to the higher rent increase and displacement it will bring, and that the average working family in Los Angeles cannot afford these apartments. Kenneth has also taken the charge in pushing his Board to endorse the Repeal of Costa Hawkins which would allow cities across California to enact Rent Control. He is authentic and knowledgeable. Join us as we discuss his platform and the issues in our District 34.You can read more about Ken and donate here: https://www.mejia4congress.com/ See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out info