Laura Flanders and Friends: Intersectional Solution Centered Journalism on Democracy, Movements, Society and Culture

REWIND EPISODE FROM THE LF&F ARCHIVES (Synopsis)- From sabotaged performances in rural North Carolina to besieged Drag Story Hour events in diverse urban neighborhoods, the ongoing struggle for LGBTQ+ rights is being fought on multiple fronts, with activists, artists, and journalists joining forces to resist a surge in anti-queer hostility and promote a culture of acceptance and inclusivity. Stay informed and engaged! Don't miss out on our captivating weekly episodes that dive deep into the heart of our economy, culture, and politics from the past to the present. Please hit the podcast subscribe button if you've yet to subscribe. [The following episode was released June 2023 - [Full Episode Notes on Patreon] Description: As Pride Month continues, we explore the activism of drag queens and trans individuals who bore the brunt of the violence during the Stonewall Riots of 1969 and are still targets of violence and vitriol today. State legislators, so far this year, have proposed and in some cases passed, hundreds of bills that seek to restrict drag culture and queer self-expression. Proud Boys have harassed and threatened Drag Story Hour events across the country, even in the diverse borough of Queens, NY. In this episode of The Laura Flanders Show's monthly feature, Meet the BIPOC Press, Laura and co-host Mitra Kalita (co-founder of URL Media) are joined from North Carolina by Naomi Dix, an influential drag artist whose show in rural Moore County was disrupted by a sabotage attack on an energy substation — an attack that left 45,000 households and businesses in the dark for five days in December 2022. We're also joined by reporter Sam Zachar, the producer of a two-part podcast series for Epicenter-NYC on NYC's Drag Story Hours — what they are, and what they're up against. “We never thought in a million years, especially drag artists of my generation, that we would have to be facing the same things and issues that our parents were telling us that they were having to face in the 50s and the 60s and the 70s and the 80s.” - Naomi Dix “What we're seeing is an overlapping of the identities that our communities represent, and the approach to how we combat these forces. It's really powerful when we can say the counter protestors outnumber those who don't want us here.” - Mitra Kalita “I think that Drag Story Hour as a whole gives us a great look and a microcosm of drag trans and queer worlds, because it represents how they're being attacked in terms of losing rights to exist safely, and the Proud Boys, specifically digging their heels into inflammatory, destructive and untruthful accusations against these communities.” - Sam Zachar Guests: • Naomi Dix, Drag Artist, Activist & Member of Durham NC BIPOC Operated House of Coxx; Co-Chair, Pride: Durham, NC www.naomidix.com • Sam Zachar, Reporter, Podcast Producer, Epicenter-NYC • S. Mitra Kalita Co-Founder, URL Media; Co-Founder, Epicenter-NYC Special Report- Power Grids Under Attack: The Threat is Domestic Terrorism – Not Drag Artists. Watch / Listen-Download - December 2022, an attack on two electrical substations in Moore County, North Carolina left 45,000 households and businesses without power for up to five days. It was the biggest domestic terrorist attack on the electricity grid in the U.S. Did the sabotage attack have anything to do with LGBTQ harassment or the drag performance scheduled that night? SAVE THE DATE July 16th 7pm EDT: Laura hosts an online conversation just for our donors. It’s a chance to connect, ask questions, and hear what’s coming up behind the scenes. Make a one off donation or become a sustaining member by making it monthly go to LauraFlanders.org/donate. This show is made possible by you! RESOURCES: *Recommended book: “Mother Camp: Female Impersonators in America” by Esther Newton, About the Book (*Bookshop is an online bookstore with a mission to financially support local, independent bookstores. The LF Show is an affiliate of...

In a powerful interview, author Sarah Schulman reflects on decades of activism, from fighting AIDS to advocating for Palestinian liberation, revealing key lessons learned along the way. SAVE THE DATE July 16th 7pm EDT: Laura hosts an online conversation just for our donors. It’s a chance to connect, ask questions, and hear what’s coming up behind the scenes. Make a one off donation or become a sustaining member by making it monthly go to LauraFlanders.org/donate. This show is made possible by you! Description: What is “solidarity” and what does it require? Giving up on perfection, for one thing, says Sarah Schulman, author of “Conflict is Not Abuse,” and so much more. Award-winning writer, teacher, playwright and activist, Schulman’s latest book is “The Fantasy and Necessity of Solidarity”, in which she reflects on years of experiments and learning, from the 1980s to today. In this episode, find out what role GRITtv, an earlier iteration of Flanders’ show, played in the movement for Palestinian liberation, and hear a discussion of the Harlem artist Alice Neel. Schulman sits on the advisory board of Jewish Voice for Peace. Her non-fiction books include “Conflict is Not Abuse: Overstating Harm, Community Responsibility, and the Duty of Repair” and “Let the Record Show: A Political History of ACT UP New York, 1987-1993”. Also in this episode, a commentary from Laura on the assassination of Minnesota lawmaker Melissa Hortman, a strategic progressive who practiced solidarity. “When I confronted the Israeli occupation of Palestine, something resonated for me emotionally between that and the AIDS experience. What I felt was similar was that people who were endangered were being falsely depicted as dangerous.” - Sarah Schulman “Right now we're in the middle of a cataclysm of fascism and there's no quick fix. And we have to understand that the idea that you can go in and just fix it is a supremacy concept.” - Sarah Schulman Guests: Sarah Schulman, Writer & AIDS Historian; Author, The Fantasy and Necessity of Solidarity This show is made possible by you! To become a sustaining member go to LauraFlanders.org/donate Watch the special report released on YouTube June 20th 5pm ET; PBS World Channel June 22nd, and on over 300 public stations across the country (check your listings, or search here via zipcode). Listen: Episode airing on community radio (check here to see if your station airs the show) & available as a podcast June 25th. Full Uncut Conversation Release: While our weekly shows are edited to time for broadcast on Public TV and community radio, we offer to our members and podcast subscribers the full uncut conversation. Full Episode Notes are located HERE. RESOURCES- Related Laura Flanders Show Episodes: • Organizing for Ceasefire Through Policy & Protest: Meet the People of JVP & NY Assemblymember Mamdani: Watch, Listen: Full Conversation, Episode • Jacqueline Woodson & Catherine Gund: Breathing Through Chaos & the “Meanwhile”: Watch, Listen: Full Conversation, Episode • GRITtv: Sarah Schulman: Emerging Palestinian Queer Movement: Watch Related Articles and Resources: • ‘They’re Coming After All of Us.’ You Might as Well Tell the Truth. The longtime activist and writer Sarah Schulman on why now is the time to stand up to people you oppose. By Lydia Polgreen, Produced by Vishakha Darbha, April 10, 2025, The Opinion - New York Times • The Vault: ACT UP protesters tue up traffic in lower Manhattan in 1988, NY Eyewitness News ABC 7 • Jewish peace activists hold sit-in protest at Grand Central to demand ceasefire in Israel-Hamas conflict, October 27, 2023, PIX11 News-NY • Alice Neel Documentary on the life and work of Alice Need (1900—1984), American portrait painter. November 18, 2009, Official Trailer • Jim Hubbard and Sarah Schulman Present, United In Anger, A History of ACT-UP, a film by Jim Hubbard. Learn More Laura Flanders and Friends Crew: Laura Flanders, along with Sabrina Artel, Jeremiah...

As fascist threats escalate globally, activist and playwright Sarah Schulman argues that achieving real change requires embracing imperfection and rejecting "supremacy concepts" – listen as she explains what this means for social justice movements today. Description: What is “solidarity” and what does it require? Giving up on perfection, for one thing, says Sarah Schulman, author of “Conflict is Not Abuse,” and so much more. Award-winning writer, teacher, playwright and activist, Schulman’s latest book is “The Fantasy and Necessity of Solidarity”, in which she reflects on years of experiments and learning, from the 1980s to today. In this episode, find out what role GRITtv, an earlier iteration of Flanders’ show, played in the movement for Palestinian liberation, and hear a discussion of the Harlem artist Alice Neel. Schulman sits on the advisory board of Jewish Voice for Peace. Her non-fiction books include “Conflict is Not Abuse: Overstating Harm, Community Responsibility, and the Duty of Repair” and “Let the Record Show: A Political History of ACT UP New York, 1987-1993”. Also in this episode, a commentary from Laura on the assassination of Minnesota lawmaker Melissa Hortman, a strategic progressive who practiced solidarity. “When I confronted the Israeli occupation of Palestine, something resonated for me emotionally between that and the AIDS experience. What I felt was similar was that people who were endangered were being falsely depicted as dangerous.” - Sarah Schulman “Right now we're in the middle of a cataclysm of fascism and there's no quick fix. And we have to understand that the idea that you can go in and just fix it is a supremacy concept.” - Sarah Schulman Guests: Sarah Schulman, Writer & AIDS Historian; Author, The Fantasy and Necessity of Solidarity This show is made possible by you! To become a sustaining member go to LauraFlanders.org/donate Full Conversation Release: While our weekly shows are edited to time for broadcast on Public TV and community radio, we offer to our members and podcast subscribers the full uncut conversation. These audio exclusives are made possible thanks to our member supporters. Watch the special report released on YouTube June 20th 5pm ET; PBS World Channel June 22nd, and on over 300 public stations across the country (check your listings, or search here via zipcode). Listen: Episode airing on community radio (check here to see if your station airs the show) & available as a podcast June 25th. Full Episode Notes are located HERE. RESOURCES- Related Laura Flanders Show Episodes: • Organizing for Ceasefire Through Policy & Protest: Meet the People of JVP & NY Assemblymember Mamdani: Watch, Listen: Full Conversation, Episode • Jacqueline Woodson & Catherine Gund: Breathing Through Chaos & the “Meanwhile”: Watch, Listen: Full Conversation, Episode • GRITtv: Sarah Schulman: Emerging Palestinian Queer Movement: Watch Related Articles and Resources: • ‘They’re Coming After All of Us.’ You Might as Well Tell the Truth. The longtime activist and writer Sarah Schulman on why now is the time to stand up to people you oppose. By Lydia Polgreen, Produced by Vishakha Darbha, April 10, 2025, The Opinion - New York Times • The Vault: ACT UP protesters tue up traffic in lower Manhattan in 1988, NY Eyewitness News ABC 7 • Jewish peace activists hold sit-in protest at Grand Central to demand ceasefire in Israel-Hamas conflict, October 27, 2023, PIX11 News-NY • Alice Neel Documentary on the life and work of Alice Need (1900—1984), American portrait painter. November 18, 2009, Official Trailer • Jim Hubbard and Sarah Schulman Present, United In Anger, A History of ACT-UP, a film by Jim Hubbard. Learn More Laura Flanders and Friends Crew: Laura Flanders, along with Sabrina Artel, Jeremiah Cothren, Veronica Delgado, Janet Hernandez, Jeannie Hopper, Gina Kim, Sarah Miller, Nat Needham, David Neuman, and Rory O’Conner. FOLLOW Laura Flanders and Friends Instagram:...

AUDIO EXCLUSIVE [this interview took place June 13, 2025] Back in 2024, the Los Angeles City Council passed a “sanctuary city” ordinance and said the city would not collaborate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE. “They are lying,” says Hamid Khan, an expert on the surveillance state and organizer with the Stop LAPD Spying Coalition. In this timely interview, Khan unpacks “fusion centers” where agencies like DHS, the FBI and local law enforcement work together to gather and share data on citizens — regardless of their criminal record. Long before Trump’s crackdown on immigration rights and the protests in Los Angeles, LAPD would have ICE in their headquarters, he shares. Join Khan and Flanders as they discuss shocking truths about police spying and surveillance, and why we must become aware and take action. Guest: Hamid Khan: Organizer, Stop LAPD Spying Coalition, Board of Directors, Los Angeles Community Action Network (LA CAN) RESOURCES: Related Episodes: • Hamid Khan: The Surveillance-Industrial Complex WATCH • What’s A Sanctuary with Jails? - Hamid Khan and Jennicet Gutiérrez (Community Organizer Familia Trans Queer Liberation Movement) WATCH Related Articles: • ‘This isn’t an isolated incident’: Trump’s show of military force in LA was years in the making, by Rachel Leingang and Lauren Gambino, June 11, 2025, The Guardian • Troops and marines deeply troubled by LA deployment: ‘Morale is not great’ by Andrew Gumbel, June 12, 2025, The Guardian • Trump can keep California National Guard deployed for now, appeals court says, by Caroline O’Donovan, Karin Brulliard, Mark German and Kelsey Ables, June 14, 2025, The Washington Post • Appeals court questions judges’ ability to review Trump’s Los Angeles group deployment, by Dietrich Knauth and Daniel Wiessner, June 17, 2025, Reuters • Immigration raids in Los Angeles hit small business owners: ‘It’s worse than COVID’, by Tim Reid and Kristina Cooke, June 17, 2025, Reuters Laura Flanders and Friends Crew: Laura Flanders, along with Sabrina Artel, Jeremiah Cothren, Veronica Delgado, Janet Hernandez, Jeannie Hopper, Gina Kim, Sarah Miller, Nat Needham, David Neuman, and Rory O’Conner. FOLLOW Laura Flanders and Friends Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauraflandersandfriends/ Blueky: https://bsky.app/profile/lfandfriends.bsky.social Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LauraFlandersAndFriends/ Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lauraflandersandfriends YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFLRxVeYcB1H7DbuYZQG-lg Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lauraflandersandfriends Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/lauraflandersandfriends ACCESSIBILITY - The broadcast edition of this episode is available with closed captioned by clicking here for our YouTube Channel

Laura's Extended Commentary aka The F-Word: Melissa Hortman’s murder was more than a tragedy—it was a political assassination aimed at a movement. This commentary honors her legacy as a coalition-builder behind Minnesota’s progressive gains and calls for courage, organizing, and solidarity in her wake. - The related episode featuring Sarah Schulman premieres on our YouTube channel June 20th 5pm ET where you are invited to join us to Watch the episode live and chat with Laura in real time. It premieres on PBS World Channel June 22nd, and on over 300 public stations across the country (check your listings, or search here via zipcode), and airing on community radio & available in the podcast feed June 25th. The full uncut conversation is available June 20th 5pm in the podcast feed... please hit the subscribe button wherever you get your podcasts. For more articles by Laura subscribe to Substack Laura Flanders and Friends Crew: Laura Flanders, along with Sabrina Artel, Jeremiah Cothren, Veronica Delgado, Janet Hernandez, Jeannie Hopper, Gina Kim, Sarah Miller, Nat Needham, David Neuman, and Rory O’Conner. FOLLOW Laura Flanders and Friends Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauraflandersandfriends/ Blueky: https://bsky.app/profile/lfandfriends.bsky.social Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LauraFlandersAndFriends/ Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lauraflandersandfriends YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFLRxVeYcB1H7DbuYZQG-lg Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lauraflandersandfriends Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/lauraflandersandfriends ACCESSIBILITY - The broadcast edition of this episode is available with closed captioned by clicking here for our YouTube Channel

Renowned actor, writer and director Liev Schreiber recently released “Meeting Zelenskyy”, a feature documentary in which he sits down with Ukraine’s embattled leader. In an extended conversation, Schreiber speaks actor-to-actor about Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s rise from entertainer to war time leader. In this exclusive interview with Laura Flanders, Schreiber discusses how the documentary came to be, how he personally became involved, and how technology could shape the outcome of the Russia-Ukraine war. The film includes never-before-seen footage from Zelenskyy’s childhood and career. Join us for this historic conversation, plus a commentary from Laura. “I've always felt optimistic about this because [Ukraine is] on the side of truth. That's the kind of thing you can cover briefly, but it always comes out, it always surfaces. It's also the kind of thing that builds morale. It builds courage. It builds principle. They have that on their side, where the Russian military is struggling.” - Liev Schreiber “This was never about Ukraine for me. This was always about American values and democracy and what it is, where it comes from and what it means. I don't think those values and those principles are on display anywhere more clearly than in Ukraine.” - Liev Schreiber“I've always felt optimistic about this because [Ukraine is] on the side of truth. That's the kind of thing you can cover briefly, but it always comes out, it always surfaces. It's also the kind of thing that builds morale. It builds courage. It builds principle. They have that on their side, where the Russian military is struggling.” - Liev Schreiber Guest: Liev Schreiber: Award-Winning Actor, Director & Writer; Co-Founder, BlueCheck Ukraine This show is made possible by you! To become a sustaining member go to LauraFlanders.org/donate Watch the special report released on YouTube June 13th 5pm ET; PBS World Channel June 15th, and on over 300 public stations across the country (check your listings, or search here via zipcode). Listen: Episode airing on community radio (check here to see if your station airs the show) & available as a podcast June 18th. Full Episode Notes are located HERE. -RESOURCES- Related extended commentary from Laura is available to podcast subscribers [June 13, 2025] Full Uncut Conversation Released to Podcast Subscribers [June 13, 2025]: While our weekly shows are edited to time for broadcast on Public TV and community radio, we offer to our members and podcast subscribers the full uncut conversation. These audio exclusives are made possible thanks to our member supporters. Related Laura Flanders Show Episodes: • Winning War, Building Peace: Activists from Ukraine, Russia & The US Debate: Watch / Listen: Episode and/or Full Conversation • Masha Gessen & Jason Stanley: Is it Doomsday for U.S. Democracy?: Watch / Listen: Episode and/or Full Conversation • Ai Weiwei: How Do We Save Our Humanity?: Watch / Listen: Episode and/or Full Conversation Related Articles and Resources: •. ‘Kind of a Trojan hors’: Ex-NATO commander reacts to drone attack deep inside Russia, June 2 2025, CNN report and Zelinskyy speaks in Vilnius • Ukraine war briefing: Zelenskyy says troops contesting Russian advance in Sumy, by Warren Murray and agencies, June 12, 2025, The Guardian • Pledge Ukraine, Starenki is a charitable organization devoted to issues of elderly people in Ukraine. Laura Flanders and Friends Crew: Laura Flanders, along with Sabrina Artel, Jeremiah Cothren, Veronica Delgado, Janet Hernandez, Jeannie Hopper, Gina Kim, Sarah Miller, Nat Needham, David Neuman, and Rory O’Conner. FOLLOW Laura Flanders and Friends Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauraflandersandfriends/ Blueky: https://bsky.app/profile/lfandfriends.bsky.social Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LauraFlandersAndFriends/ Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lauraflandersandfriends YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFLRxVeYcB1H7DbuYZQG-lg Linkedin:...

“This was never about Ukraine for me. This was always about American values and democracy and what it is, where it comes from and what it means. I don't think those values and those principles are on display anywhere more clearly than in Ukraine.” - Liev Schreiber Description: Renowned actor, writer and director Liev Schreiber recently released “Meeting Zelenskyy”, a feature documentary in which he sits down with Ukraine’s embattled leader. In an extended conversation, Schreiber speaks actor-to-actor about Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s rise from entertainer to war time leader. In this exclusive interview with Laura Flanders, Schreiber discusses how the documentary came to be, how he personally became involved, and how technology could shape the outcome of the Russia-Ukraine war. The film includes never-before-seen footage from Zelenskyy’s childhood and career. Join us for this historic conversation, plus a commentary from Laura. “I've always felt optimistic about this because [Ukraine is] on the side of truth. That's the kind of thing you can cover briefly, but it always comes out, it always surfaces. It's also the kind of thing that builds morale. It builds courage. It builds principle. They have that on their side, where the Russian military is struggling.” - Liev Schreiber Guest: Liev Schreiber: Award-Winning Actor, Director & Writer; Co-Founder, BlueCheck Ukraine This show is made possible by you! To become a sustaining member go to LauraFlanders.org/donate Full Conversation Release: While our weekly shows are edited to time for broadcast on Public TV and community radio, we offer to our members and podcast subscribers the full uncut conversation. These audio exclusives are made possible thanks to our member supporters. Watch the special report released on YouTube June 13th 5pm ET; PBS World Channel June 15th, and on over 300 public stations across the country (check your listings, or search here via zipcode). Listen: Episode airing on community radio (check here to see if your station airs the show) & available as a podcast June 18th. Full Episode Notes are located HERE. RESOURCES- Related Laura Flanders Show Episodes: • Winning War, Building Peace: Activists from Ukraine, Russia & The US Debate: Watch / Listen: Episode and/or Full Conversation • Masha Gessen & Jason Stanley: Is it Doomsday for U.S. Democracy?: Watch / Listen: Episode and/or Full Conversation • Ai Weiwei: How Do We Save Our Humanity?: Watch / Listen: Episode and/or Full Conversation Related Articles and Resources: •. ‘Kind of a Trojan hors’: Ex-NATO commander reacts to drone attack deep inside Russia, June 2 2025, CNN report and Zelinskyy speaks in Vilnius • Ukraine war briefing: Zelenskyy says troops contesting Russian advance in Sumy, by Warren Murray and agencies, June 12, 2025, The Guardian • Pledge Ukraine, Starenki is a charitable organization devoted to issues of elderly people in Ukraine. Laura Flanders and Friends Crew: Laura Flanders, along with Sabrina Artel, Jeremiah Cothren, Veronica Delgado, Janet Hernandez, Jeannie Hopper, Gina Kim, Sarah Miller, Nat Needham, David Neuman, and Rory O’Conner. FOLLOW Laura Flanders and Friends Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauraflandersandfriends/ Blueky: https://bsky.app/profile/lfandfriends.bsky.social Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LauraFlandersAndFriends/ Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lauraflandersandfriends YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFLRxVeYcB1H7DbuYZQG-lg Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lauraflandersandfriends Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/lauraflandersandfriends ACCESSIBILITY - The broadcast edition of this episode is available with closed captioned by clicking here for our YouTube Channel

Laura's Extended Commentary: With seventeen veterans taking their lives daily in the US, a haunting question arises: can America redefine its values and reclaim its democratic principles before it's too late, or will it continue down a path of militarized politics and shattered ideals? Watch the episode released on YouTube June 13th 5pm ET; PBS World Channel June 15th, and on over 300 public stations across the country (check your listings, or search here via zipcode). Listen: Episode airing on community radio (check here to see if your station airs the show) & available as a podcast June 18th. And listen to the bonus full uncut conversation available June 13th in this podcast feed... hit subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. For more articles by Laura subscribe to Substack: substack.com/home/post/p-165868460 Laura Flanders and Friends Crew: Laura Flanders, along with Sabrina Artel, Jeremiah Cothren, Veronica Delgado, Janet Hernandez, Jeannie Hopper, Gina Kim, Sarah Miller, Nat Needham, David Neuman, and Rory O’Conner. FOLLOW Laura Flanders and Friends Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauraflandersandfriends/ Blueky: https://bsky.app/profile/lfandfriends.bsky.social Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LauraFlandersAndFriends/ Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lauraflandersandfriends YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFLRxVeYcB1H7DbuYZQG-lg Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lauraflandersandfriends Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/lauraflandersandfriends ACCESSIBILITY - The broadcast edition of this episode is available with closed captioned by clicking here for our YouTube Channel

“We have advertised to the rest of the world that we've discovered the best thing since sliced bread. That we should be the envy of the entire world because we have this democracy, and our constitution defends that . . . To renege on that promise makes us a different place than what we taught our kids.” - Ras Baraka, Mayor of Newark, NJ and NJ Gubernatorial Candidate Description: “They targeted me because I'm the mayor of the city,” says Newark, New Jersey mayor and gubernatorial candidate Ras Baraka. In this tell-all interview with Laura Flanders, the mayor of the state’s largest city discusses his arrest at Delaney Hall, a new private immigration detention facility in Newark, and why he is a staunch opponent of the Republican immigration agenda and Trump’s assertion of federal power. In his tenure as mayor, Baraka has championed progressive programs like guaranteed income, reduced crime and boosted affordable housing. But new challenges lie ahead, as politicians like himself and cities like Newark face retaliation from the Trump administration. Baraka’s charges have been dropped, but the legal battles are far from over. He recently announced a lawsuit against the acting New Jersey District Attorney Alina Habba and DHS Agent Ricky Patel, alleging false arrest, malicious prosecution and defamation. If elected, he would be the first Black governor in New Jersey and only the fourth Black governor elected in the States. If he's not elected, he is still a politician to watch as he insists on advancing forward thinking policy, especially in these tough times. Join us for that conversation, plus a commentary from Laura. Guest: Ras Baraka, Mayor of Newark, NJ; NJ Gubernatorial Candidate Watch the special report released on YouTube June 6th 5pm ET; PBS World Channel June 8th, and on over 300 public stations across the country (check your listings, or search here via zipcode). Listen: Episode airing on community radio (check here to see if your station airs the show) & available as a podcast June 11th. This show is made possible by you! To become a sustaining member go to LauraFlanders.org/donate RESOURCES: Watch the broadcast episode cut for time at our YouTube channel and airing on PBS stations across the country Full Episode Notes are located HERE. Related Laura Flanders Show Episodes: • Full Conversation Release From This Episode: While our weekly shows are edited to time for broadcast on Public TV and community radio, we offer to our members and podcast subscribers the full uncut conversation in this podcast feed. These audio exclusives are made possible thanks to our member supporters. • Stimulus Checks Every Month?: Watch / Listen: Episode • Public Safety in Public Hands: Watch / Listen: Episode • D.A. Larry Krasner Facing Impeachment: Criminal Justice Reform in the Crosshairs: Watch / Listen: Episode Related Articles and Resources: • Ras Baraka performing a poem celebrating Sonia Sanchez’s 90th Birthday at the Schomburg Center, September 9, 2024: Watch • $12K For Free: Newark’s Guaranteed Income Experiment Wrapping Up, by Eric Kiefer, October 17, 2023, Patch.com •. Newark mayor signs sweeping sanctuary city executive order, June 19, 2017, by Avalon Zoppo, NJ.com • “Completely Unwarranted”: Newark Mayor Ras Baraka Sues Trump Officials over His Arrest at ICE Jail, June 6, 2025 Democracy Now • Newark Names One of Nation’s Digital Inclusion Trailblazers, January 28, 2025, City of Newark This show is made possible by you! To become a sustaining member go to LauraFlanders.org/donate Laura Flanders and Friends Crew: Laura Flanders, along with Sabrina Artel, Jeremiah Cothren, Veronica Delgado, Janet Hernandez, Jeannie Hopper, Gina Kim, Sarah Miller, Nat Needham, David Neuman, and Rory O’Conner. FOLLOW Laura Flanders and Friends Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauraflandersandfriends/ Blueky: https://bsky.app/profile/lfandfriends.bsky.social Facebook:...

REWIND EPISODE FROM THE LF&F ARCHIVES (Synopsis)- Under the view of the iconic Hollywood Sign, a struggle is being waged over the future of policing and incarceration. Los Angeles is ground zero for fights over the job of District Attorney, Police Chief, and the size of prisons and jails. Corporations that have profited from prison communications are now profiting on electronic monitoring. Can today's Los Angeles change the script? Stay informed and engaged! Don't miss out on our captivating weekly episodes that dive deep into the heart of our economy, culture, and politics from the past to the present. Please hit the podcast subscribe button if you've yet to subscribe. [The following Special Report from Los Angeles was originally released July 2024] Description: Over the past weekend, Los Angeles was rocked by reports of intensified ICE raids across Southern California, heightening fear and anxiety in immigrant communities. Families were detained in early morning operations, and community advocates quickly mobilized to provide legal support and rapid response. These raids are a stark reminder that, in California—a so-called sanctuary state—immigration enforcement continues to be deeply entangled with local policing and incarceration systems. This episode of Laura Flanders & Friends takes on renewed relevance as it explores LA’s central role in shaping and challenging carceral policy. Under the shadow of the Hollywood Sign, Laura speaks with activists and officials confronting the legacy and present reality of policing in a state where SWAT teams were born, Reagan and Nixon launched punitive platforms, and the prison construction boom took root. At a moment when ICE raids reveal the persistent overlap between federal enforcement and local law, and corporate interests profit from alternatives like electronic monitoring, the episode asks: Can Los Angeles write a new story—one rooted in decarceration and community power? With criminal justice reform at the heart of election-year debates (2024), this conversation spotlights the people resisting criminalization from inside and outside the system. “When we talk about closing Men's Central Jail, yes, we're trying to close that particular building, but what it requires is every jail in our county to reduce its population . . . We're trying to decarcerate globally across the jail system, that will then allow us to close this monument of essentially torture in our communities.” - Mark-Anthony Clayton-Johnson “What if something went off and said that I wasn't where I was supposed to be, and all these cops showed up? . . . At [the age of] 15 thinking the cops are going to show up . . . that is one thing that I will always say that shamed me in my life. I felt unworthy. I felt like I was a bad person.” - Sheila Natt “. . . 94% of the people that are terminated from the electronic monitoring program pre-trial are terminated on technical violations . . . If the point is to use this electronic monitoring to help people stay out of jail and come to court, why are the technical violations leading you right back into jail?” - Anthony Robles Guests: •. Melina Abdullah: Co-Founder, Black Lives Matter, Los Angeles • Mark-Anthony Clayton-Johnson: Co-Executive Director, Dignity & Power Now •. Eunisses Hernandez: Los Angeles City Councilmember, District 1 •. Sheila Natt: Former Teen Ankle Monitor User •. Anthony Robles: Youth & Community Organizer, Dignity & Power Now This show is made possible by you! To become a sustaining member go to LauraFlanders.org/donate Music Credits: Music spotlight, “Ain’t Nothing” by Brooklyn Funk Essentials from their album Stay Good. "Alone" by Emmet Fenn, "San Takao" by Isaac Joel, Soundstripe Production, and original sound design by Jeannie Hopper. RESOURCES: *Recommended book: “We Do This 'Til We Free Us: Abolitionist Organizing and Transforming Justice” by Mariame Kaba: *Learn More (*Bookshop is an online bookstore with a mission to...

“The Department of Justice is suing Newark, Jersey City, Hoboken and Patterson because of their sanctuary city status, erroneously suggesting that we are standing in a way of the ability to do their job, which is completely false . . . We understand the importance of immigrants in our communities, and we want to uphold that.” - Ras Baraka Description: “They targeted me because I'm the mayor of the city,” says Newark, New Jersey mayor and gubernatorial candidate Ras Baraka. In this tell-all interview with Laura Flanders, the mayor of the state’s largest city discusses his arrest at Delaney Hall, a new private immigration detention facility in Newark, and why he is a staunch opponent of the Republican immigration agenda and Trump’s assertion of federal power. In his tenure as mayor, Baraka has championed progressive programs like guaranteed income, reduced crime and boosted affordable housing. But new challenges lie ahead, as politicians like himself and cities like Newark face retaliation from the Trump administration. Baraka’s charges have been dropped, but the legal battles are far from over. He recently announced a lawsuit against the acting New Jersey District Attorney Alina Habba and DHS Agent Ricky Patel, alleging false arrest, malicious prosecution and defamation. If elected, he would be the first Black governor in New Jersey and only the fourth Black governor elected in the States. If he's not elected, he is still a politician to watch as he insists on advancing forward thinking policy, especially in these tough times. Join us for that conversation, plus a commentary from Laura. “We have advertised to the rest of the world that we've discovered the best thing since sliced bread. That we should be the envy of the entire world because we have this democracy, and our constitution defends that . . . To renege on that promise makes us a different place than what we taught our kids.” - Ras Baraka Guest: Ras Baraka, Mayor of Newark, NJ; NJ Gubernatorial Candidate This show is made possible by you! To become a sustaining member go to LauraFlanders.org/donate Full Conversation Release: While our weekly shows are edited to time for broadcast on Public TV and community radio, we offer to our members and podcast subscribers the full uncut conversation. These audio exclusives are made possible thanks to our member supporters. Watch the special report released on YouTube June 6th 5pm ET; PBS World Channel June 8th, and on over 300 public stations across the country (check your listings, or search here via zipcode). Listen: Episode airing on community radio (check here to see if your station airs the show) & available as a podcast June 11th. RESOURCES: Watch the broadcast episode cut for time at our YouTube channel and airing on PBS stations across the country Full Episode Notes are located HERE. Related Laura Flanders Show Episodes: • Stimulus Checks Every Month?: Watch / Listen: Episode • Public Safety in Public Hands: Watch / Listen: Episode • D.A. Larry Krasner Facing Impeachment: Criminal Justice Reform in the Crosshairs: Watch / Listen: Episode Related Articles and Resources: • Ras Baraka performing a poem celebrating Sonia Sanchez’s 90th Birthday at the Schomburg Center, September 9, 2024: Watch • $12K For Free: Newark’s Guaranteed Income Experiment Wrapping Up, by Eric Kiefer, October 17, 2023, Patch.com •. Newark mayor signs sweeping sanctuary city executive order, June 19, 2017, by Avalon Zoppo, NJ.com • “Completely Unwarranted”: Newark Mayor Ras Baraka Sues Trump Officials over His Arrest at ICE Jail, June 6, 2025 Democracy Now • Newark Names One of Nation’s Digital Inclusion Trailblazers, January 28, 2025, City of Newark Laura Flanders and Friends Crew: Laura Flanders, along with Sabrina Artel, Jeremiah Cothren, Veronica Delgado, Janet Hernandez, Jeannie Hopper, Gina Kim, Sarah Miller, Nat Needham, David Neuman, and Rory O’Conner. FOLLOW Laura Flanders and Friends Instagram:...

Authoritarianism on the rise: Educators and unionists share strategies for resistance and victory, citing historical examples of successful labor movements, at a conference hosted by CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies and Cornell Worker Institute in New York City this past May. This show is made possible by you! To become a sustaining member go to LauraFlanders.org/donate Description: Labor organizing is critical to any anti-fascist movement, but labor unions and worker education are feeling the impact of brutal Republican attacks and cuts. How are workers and educators responding? In this special report, from a conference held at the CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies (SLU) in New York City, Laura spoke with Rebecca “Becky” Pringle, president of the National Education Association, the largest union in the country, about labor solidarity in the deep-red state of Utah; history professor Robert Cassannello, a plaintiff in a successful suit against Florida Gov. DeSantis’s Stop Woke Act; and Rev. Ryan Brown, an Amazon worker/organizer from North Carolina, about how workers and educators are fighting back, and even winning in these times, although the obstacles are immense. The conference, “Labor and the Crisis of Democracy; Working Class Politics in a Time of Authoritarianism” was convened by the CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies with the Cornell Worker Institute. “It's not the first time that our species have lived in perilous times, with pharaohs who are giving people work without any brick, without any straw. They have always figured out a way to organize, to mobilize and to agitate . . . Harriet Tubman, Fannie Lou Hamer, they were just regular, everyday human beings. No education. But they knew that fundamentally something was wrong about the world.” - Rev. Ryan Brown “You can study any authoritarian reign, any oligarch throughout history. The people who have the most success in fighting against them are educators and they are unionists . . . We understand these are multi-pronged attacks on every front. So we have to actually have a multi-pronged approach for educators.” - Becky Pringle GUESTS: • Reverend Ryan Brown: President, Carolina Amazonians United for Solidarity & Empowerment (CAUSE) • Robert Cassannello: History Professor, University of Central Florida; Incoming President, United Faculty of Florida (UFF) • Bhairavi Desai: Executive Director, NY Taxi Worker Alliance • Annabelle Heckler: Artist; Social Practice Fellow, CUNY • Sherman Henry: Director, Labor Institute for Advancing Black Strategies, Clark Atlanta University • Dr. Mudiwa Pettus: Assistant Professor, English Department, Medgar Evers College; Social Practice Fellow, CUNY • Rebecca “Becky” Pringle: President, National Education Association Check out the Bonus Interview in this podcast feed: In a candid discussion with Laura, veteran union organizer Alex Han and U.S. Right Wing expert Tarso Ramos explore how workers are uniting against rising authoritarianism. Music Credit: “Jagged” by Blue Dot Sessions. And original sound production and design by Jeannie Hopper. Watch the special report released on YouTube May 30th 5pm ET; PBS World Channel June 1st, and on over 300 public stations across the country (check your listings, or search here via zipcode). Listen: Episode airing on community radio (check here to see if your station airs the show) & available as a podcast June 4th. RESOURCES: Watch the broadcast episode cut for time at our YouTube channel and airing on PBS stations across the country Related Laura Flanders Show Episodes: • Africana & Puerto Rican Studies: A Student-Led Victory for Multicultural Education: Watch / Listen-Podcast • Journalists Maria Hinojosa & Chenjerai Kumanyika: Forced Removals, Foreign Detention, the War on Education & Free Speech: Watch / Listen-Podcast: Episode and/or Full Conversation • Labor Safety, Project 2025, & the Far Right’s Plot Against Workers: What You Need to Know: Watch /...

In a candid discussion with Laura, veteran union organizer Alex Han and U.S. Right Wing expert Tarso Ramos explore whether workers can unite against rising authoritarianism. Description: America is moving towards authoritarianism faster than ever before, signaling a “turning point” in our history. But what will it actually take to reverse course? What could improve the chances of a winning multiracial democracy? The answer is worker organizers, and joining Laura to discuss grassroots resistance are Tarso Ramos and Alex Han. Han is a legacy union organizer and the Executive Director of In These Times, the long-running Chicago-based magazine dedicated to social movements and economic justice. Ramos is a leading expert on the U.S. Right Wing and former Executive Director of Political Research Associates. He now serves as Senior Advisor to Future Currents, a strategic planning group of social and economic justice leaders. In this exclusive interview, recorded at a conference held at the CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies (SLU) in New York City, the trio discuss the challenges before us, and the potential opportunities to mobilize working people. In the wake of Trump’s mass layoffs and the abduction of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a union member who was wrongfully exported to El Savador, can enough workers and their allies band together for bold, coordinated action? Watch our full report on the conference, convened by the CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies with the Cornell Worker Institute. Check this podcast feed for the special report to be released June 4th, 2025. GUESTS: • Alex Han is the Executive Director of In These Times, the long-running Chicago-based magazine dedicated to social movements and economic justice. A legacy union organizer and former union officer, Alex has spent decades at the forefront of the labor movement, advocating for workers' rights and building power from the ground up. • Tarso Ramos is a leading expert on the U.S. Right Wing, with nearly 30 years of experience researching and confronting its impact on democracy. As the former Executive Director of Political Research Associates (PRA), he spearheaded major initiatives addressing antisemitism, misogyny, authoritarianism, white nationalism, and other anti-democratic forces. Tarso now serves as Senior Advisor to Future Currents, a strategic planning group of social and economic justice leaders. This show is made possible by you! To become a sustaining member go to LauraFlanders.org/donate RELATED LINKS: In These Times magazine Political Research Associates Future Currents RELATED EPISODES: • Masha Gessen and Jason Stanley: Is It Doomsday for U.S. Democracy? - Watch / LISTEN: episode &/or full conversation • Naomi Klein & Astra Taylor: Are Ee Entering "End Times Fascism?" - Watch / LISTEN: episode &/or full conversation • Bernie Sanders & AOC: "Fighting Oligarchy" with People Power [Special Report] - Watch / LISTEN: episode • Bernie Sanders "Fighting Oligarchy" LISTEN: Full Uncut Conversation • 'God & Country': Rob Reiner & Dan Partland on the Rise of Christian Nationalism in U.S. Politics - Watch / LISTEN: episode &/or full conversation Laura Flanders and Friends Crew: Laura Flanders, along with Sabrina Artel, Jeremiah Cothren, Veronica Delgado, Janet Hernandez, Jeannie Hopper, Gina Kim, Sarah Miller, Nat Needham, David Neuman, and Rory O’Conner. FOLLOW Laura Flanders and Friends Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauraflandersandfriends/ Blueky: https://bsky.app/profile/lfandfriends.bsky.social Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LauraFlandersAndFriends/ Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lauraflandersandfriends YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFLRxVeYcB1H7DbuYZQG-lg Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lauraflandersandfriends Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/lauraflandersandfriends ACCESSIBILITY - The broadcast edition of this episode is available with closed captioned by clicking here for our...

In The Age of Insecurity, Astra Taylor traces the historical roots of capitalism’s reliance on fear and debt, arguing that insecurity is not a flaw but a feature of the system. Drawing on history, myth, and activism, she reveals how confronting our vulnerabilities can become a collective source of power. Stay informed and engaged! Don't miss out on our captivating weekly episodes that dive deep into the heart of our economy, culture, and politics from the past to the present. Please hit the podcast subscribe button if you've yet to subscribe. [Original Release Date: December 18, 2023] Description: Can we turn our insecurity into power? Consumer debt stands at $17.29 trillion and many Americans are drowning in debt, with the average household owning over $100 thousand. The climate crisis, threats to democracy, and global wars add more worry to our already stressful lives. In her new book out from House of Anansi Press, “The Age of Insecurity: Coming Together as Things Fall Apart”, writer, filmmaker, organizer, and the 2023 Canadian Broadcasting Corporation Massey Lecturer, Astra Taylor uses mythology. psychology and the history of capitalism to break down the different kinds of insecurities we face, and explore how our insecurities help capitalism flourish. Without it, the system would cease to function, she says. In her years of work as Co-Founder of the Debt Collective, which emerged from Occupy Wall Street, Taylor has used debt as a tool for bringing people together and organizing. She is the author of The Age of Insecurity: Coming Together as Things Fall Apart, Democracy May Not Exist But We'll Miss It When It is Gone, and The People's Platform (winner of the American Book Award), and the director of What Is Democracy?, among other books and films. In this wide-ranging discussion, Astra Taylor and Laura Flanders discuss the history of capitalism, the rights of debtors, and what we can do to lessen insecurity and expand security both as individuals and as a society. All that, plus a commentary from Laura about language and disruption.. “There is a debate here about motivation and what motivates us, and we are constantly being told that if people are too secure, that society's going to collapse and that we can't afford to invest in other folks. And I really want to challenge that idea.” - Astra Taylor “. . . When you start talking about [debt] with others, you realize you're actually in the same boat and you start coming together to demand change, to demand debt cancellation, to demand the provision of these public goods. Debt actually can become a source of power.” - Astra Taylor Guest: Astra Taylor, Co-Founder of the Debt Collective & Author, The Age of Insecurity* (*Bookshop is an online bookstore with a mission to financially support local, independent bookstores. The LF Show is an affiliate of bookshop.org and will receive a small commission if you click through and make a purchase.) This show is made possible by you! To become a sustaining member go to LauraFlanders.org/donate RESOURCES: Related Laura Flanders Show Episodes: • Watch this episode •. Listen to the full uncut conversation or search in this podcast feed 'Astra Taylor, Age of Insecurity' • Naomi Klein & Astra Taylor: Are We Entering “End Times Fascism”? Episode and/or Full Uncut • Peter Linebaugh on International Workers' "May Day" Origins. Plus, Commentary: 19th Century Anarchist Lucy Parsons, REWIND •. Catastrophic Capitalism: Marjorie Kelly & Edgar Villanueva on “Wealth Supremacy” Watch / Download Podcast Download Full Conversation • Stimulus Checks Every Month? Watch / Download Podcast Research Articles: • “Your Debt is Someone Else’s Asset” with Astra Taylor illustrated by Molly Crabapple, The Intercept, Watch Here • “Freedom Dreams: black Women and the Student Debt Crisis by The Intercept with support by the, Economic Hardship Reporting Project, Watch Here Full Episode Notes are available HERE. Laura Flanders and...

snyopsis- Challenging the narrative on Palestine in this edition of our monthly Meet the BIPOC Press series : "The Encampments" documentary, and its creators aim to push back against the dominant narrative on Palestine, highlighting the difference between the corporate media coverage and those who have no allegiance to money or corporations, and sparking a wider conversation about the world's first live streamed genocide. “The Encampments” co-produced by Macklemore, brings viewers into the anti-Gaza war protests at Columbia University and gets up close and personal with leaders including Mahmoud Khalil, the student negotiator currently detained by ICE in violation of a court’s order. In this special episode in our series Meet the BIPOC Press, Laura sits down with Sueda Polat and Grant Miner, two of Khalil’s colleagues in the encampments, who were suspended and expelled, respectively, as well as the film’s co-director, journalist Kei Pritsker of BreakThrough News to discuss how the film came to be, and where the situation stands today as well as what’s missing and who is misrepresented in commercial news. All that, plus a commentary from Laura on Columbia University’s move to suspend four college journalists “being too close to the action.” “I don't really participate as a Jewish person, I participate as an activist and a person of conscience that is Jewish . . . There's a very insidious narrative that was basically, ‘If you're not Jewish and you're not Palestinian, then talking about this is strange. Having an opinion on this conflict is strange and you should just stop talking about it because you're probably only motivated by antisemitism.’ I want to push back and say that anybody can have an opinion on this. It's the world's first livestreamed genocide.” - Grant Miner Guests: • Grant Miner: Columbia University Student Activist, The Encampments; President, SWC-UAW 2710 • Sueda Polat: Columbia University Student Activist, The Encampments; Graduate Student Human Rights • Kei Pritsker: Co-Director, The Encampments, Journalist, BreakThrough News Watch the special report released on YouTube May 23rd 5pm ET; PBS World Channel May 25th, and on over 300 public stations across the country (check your listings, or search here via zipcode). Listen: Episode airing on community radio (check here to see if your station airs the show) & available as a podcast May 28th. ARE YOU AUDACIOUS? SUPPORT OUR RESISTANCE REPORTING FUND! Help us continue fighting against the rise of authoritarianism in these times. Please support our Resistance Reporting Fund. Our goal is to raise $100K. We're at $35K! Become a sustaining member starting at $5 a month! Or make a one time donation at LauraFlanders.org/Donate RESOURCES: Watch the broadcast episode cut for time at our YouTube channel and airing on PBS stations across the country Related Laura Flanders Show Episodes: • Organizing for Ceasefire Through Policy & Protest: Meet the People of JVP & NY Assemblymember Mamdani: Watch / Audio Podcast: Episode and Full Conversation • BIPOC Press for the People: Bursting the Corporate Media Bubble: Watch / Audio Podcast: Episode • Israel, Hamas & Universal Human Rights: Former UN Official Craig Mokhiber Describes Path Forward: Watch / Audio Podcast: Episode and Full Conversation Related Articles and Resources: • ‘The Encampments’ Documentary, Watch the Trailer • Columbia Just Suspended Four Student Journalists: The university continues to violate its students’ freedom of speech. By Edith Olmsted, May 9, 2025, The New Republic • Columbia University suspends more than 65 students over library occupation, by Kanishka Singh, May 9, 2025, Reuters • Deaths from Israel’s attacks on Gaza close to 62,000 as missing added, February 3, 2025, Aljazeera *Recommended book: Bookshop: “A Land with a People: Palestinians and Jews Confront Zionism” edited by Rosalind Pollack Petchesky, Esther Farmer and Sarah Sills, Get the Book* (*Bookshop is an...

snyopsis- Challenging the narrative on Palestine in this edition of our monthly Meet the BIPOC Press series : "The Encampments" documentary, and its creators aim to push back against the dominant narrative on Palestine, highlighting the difference between the corporate media coverage and those who have no allegiance to money or corporations, and sparking a wider conversation about the world's first live streamed genocide. Description: “The Encampments” co-produced by Macklemore, brings viewers into the anti-Gaza war protests at Columbia University and gets up close and personal with leaders including Mahmoud Khalil, the student negotiator currently detained by ICE in violation of a court’s order. In this special episode in our series Meet the BIPOC Press, Laura sits down with Sueda Polat and Grant Miner, two of Khalil’s colleagues in the encampments, who were suspended and expelled, respectively, as well as the film’s co-director, journalist Kei Pritsker of BreakThrough News to discuss how the film came to be, and where the situation stands today as well as what’s missing and who is misrepresented in commercial news. All that, plus a commentary from Laura on Columbia University’s move to suspend four college journalists “being too close to the action.” Guests: • Grant Miner: Columbia University Student Activist, The Encampments; President, SWC-UAW 2710 • Sueda Polat: Columbia University Student Activist, The Encampments; Graduate Student Human Rights • Kei Pritsker: Co-Director, The Encampments, Journalist, BreakThrough News Full Conversation Release: While our weekly shows are edited to time for broadcast on Public TV and community radio, we offer to our members and podcast subscribers the full uncut conversation. These audio exclusives are made possible thanks to our member supporters. Watch the special report released on YouTube May 23rd 5pm ET; PBS World Channel May 25th, and on over 300 public stations across the country (check your listings, or search here via zipcode). Listen: Episode airing on community radio (check here to see if your station airs the show) & available as a podcast May 28th. ARE YOU AUDACIOUS? SUPPORT OUR RESISTANCE REPORTING FUND! Help us continue fighting against the rise of authoritarianism in these times. Please support our Resistance Reporting Fund. Our goal is to raise $100K. We're at $35K! Become a sustaining member starting at $5 a month! Or make a one time donation at LauraFlanders.org/Donate RESOURCES: Watch the broadcast episode cut for time at our YouTube channel and airing on PBS stations across the country Full Episode Notes are located HERE. Related Laura Flanders Show Episodes: • Organizing for Ceasefire Through Policy & Protest: Meet the People of JVP & NY Assemblymember Mamdani: Watch / Audio Podcast: Episode and Full Conversation • BIPOC Press for the People: Bursting the Corporate Media Bubble: Watch / Audio Podcast: Episode • Israel, Hamas & Universal Human Rights: Former UN Official Craig Mokhiber Describes Path Forward: Watch / Audio Podcast: Episode and Full Conversation Related Articles and Resources: • ‘The Encampments’ Documentary, Watch the Trailer • Columbia Just Suspended Four Student Journalists: The university continues to violate its students’ freedom of speech. By Edith Olmsted, May 9, 2025, The New Republic • Columbia University suspends more than 65 students over library occupation, by Kanishka Singh, May 9, 2025, Reuters • Deaths from Israel’s attacks on Gaza close to 62,000 as missing added, February 3, 2025, Aljazeera Laura Flanders and Friends Crew: Laura Flanders, along with Sabrina Artel, Jeremiah Cothren, Veronica Delgado, Janet Hernandez, Jeannie Hopper, Gina Kim, Sarah Miller, Nat Needham, David Neuman, and Rory O’Conner. FOLLOW Laura Flanders and Friends Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauraflandersandfriends/ Blueky: https://bsky.app/profile/lfandfriends.bsky.social Facebook:...

The fight for multicultural education and antiracist curricula is not new, as evidenced by the courageous actions of Brooklyn College students and faculty in the 1960s and 1970s, who paved the way for today's struggles against book banning and right-wing pushback. This show is made possible by you! To become a sustaining member go to LauraFlanders.org/donate Stay informed and engaged! Don't miss out on our captivating weekly episodes that dive deep into the heart of our economy, culture, and politics from the past to the present. Please hit the podcast subscribe button if you've yet to subscribe. Description [Rewind origin date: September 10, 2023] :: Join us for this discussion on multicultural education as a fundamental human right. In these times it is crucial to reflect on the state of education. From right-wing attacks on higher education, pushback against critical thinking and comprehensive history to challenges in class size, teacher compensation, book bannings and the very foundation of quality public education — our conversation aims to shed light on the progress we've made toward multicultural education and the paths we've taken to get here including student demonstrations that led to incarceration of students and teachers exercising their first amendment rights back then in the late 1960’s to 1970’s. 📚 The Birth of Puerto Rican and Black Studies Programs: In this episode, you’ll learn about the efforts to establish Africana Studies and Puerto Rican Studies Departments at The City University of New York, or CUNY's Brooklyn College. Black, Latino, and working-class white students united to reshape a campus, an educational system, and college curricula — setting the stage for today’s multicultural education and overall educational landscape. 🎥 Featured Documentary: Making the Impossible Possible Directed by Tami Kashia Gold and Pam Sporn, and distributed by @ThirdWorldNewsreel, this documentary tells the story of this transformative movement for multicultural education. Streaming on TWN On Demand: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/mtipfilm Educational Screenings: twn.org/film.aspx?rec=1531 🌟Meet the Guests: - Askia Davis: A former Black Panther and one of the "BC 19," Askia was arrested in 1969 for demanding Open Admissions and the establishment of Africana and Puerto Rican Studies at Brooklyn College. He served as Superintendent and Deputy Superintendent of Schools in Harlem and the Bronx. - Antonio Nieves: Also a member of the "BC 19," Antonio was a founder of the Puerto Rican Institute & the Afro American Institute, Brooklyn College and has been a pharmacist for 30 years. He currently serves as the Director of Pharmacy for Caribbean Health Outreach. - Sonia Nieto: A former Brooklyn College faculty and one of the "BC 44," Sonia was arrested in 1974 during a student takeover. She is the Professor Emerita of Language, Literacy & Culture at the College of Education at UMass, Amherst. Her 1992 book, "Affirming Diversity," is considered a defining work in 20th-century education. Full Episode Notes are located HERE WATCH the EPISODE HERE AND MORE Music In the Middle: “Rumba Tobacco y Ron” by Nickodemus featuring Haydee Soul & The Candela Allstars, from his album Soul and Science released on Wonderwheel Recordings.. And original sound design by Jeannie Hopper. Clips featured in the podcast from the documentary "Making the Impossible Possible" include the trailer and an additional clip featuring former student activists Dr. Orlando Pile, Askia Davis, and Antonio Nieves recounting the reactions by the police LF&F on Public TV, Community Radio and Online: Laura Flanders and Friends airs weekly on public TV, YouTube, community radio, and available as an audio podcast. In addition to the episode podcast, subscribers receive uncut conversations and other bonus content. Is your favorite community radio station airing the program? Search our radio listings for your local station, and see what day and time the show...

In 'Meanwhile', Jacqueline Woodson and Catherine Gund weave together the words of literary legends to explore the intersection of art, grief, and social justice. Description: James Baldwin, Toni Morrison, Muhammad Ali and Nina Simone are some of the artists featured in the moving new film “Meanwhile”, from National Book Award-winner Jacqueline Woodson and Emmy-nominated producer & director Catherine Gund. Their meditations on grief, art, breath and more are beautifully woven together as the film poses the question, how do you keep breathing amidst the chaos? Catalyzed by the Covid-19 pandemic and the police killing of George Floyd, Gund and Woodson tap into our shared existence. The artists featured in the docu-poem, with a haunting soundtrack by Meshell Ndegeocello, work through questions of race, political violence, resistance and identity — so much of what shapes our lives and relationships. “This is not a love letter to this country but to us inside this country,” says Woodson in the film. “We see us. We love us. We make eye contact and nod to us”. In this conversation with Laura Flanders, the trio of longtime friends discuss the film from Aubin Pictures, the losses they experienced in the 80s, and how the arts and poetry can compel us to enact change. Can we reclaim the “meanwhile”? All that, plus a commentary from Laura on hers. Guests: • Catherine Gund: Producer & Director, Meanwhile; Filmmaker & Founder, Aubin Pictures • Jacqueline Woodson: Writer & Performer, Meanwhile; Author, Brown Girl Dreaming; Founder, Baldwin for the Arts; The Elders Project, Columbia Watch the special report released on YouTube May 16th 5pm ET; PBS World Channel May 18th, and on over 300 public stations across the country (check your listings, or search here via zipcode). Listen: Episode airing on community radio (check here to see if your station airs the show) & available as a podcast May 21st. Full Conversation Release May 16th, 2025: While our weekly shows are edited to time for broadcast on Public TV and community radio, we offer to our members and podcast subscribers the full uncut conversation. ARE YOU AUDACIOUS? SUPPORT OUR RESISTANCE REPORTING FUND! Help us continue fighting against the rise of authoritarianism in these times. Please support our Resistance Reporting Fund. Our goal is to raise $100K. We're at $35K! Become a sustaining member starting at $5 a month! Or make a one time donation at LauraFlanders.org/Donate RESOURCES: Watch the broadcast episode cut for time at our YouTube channel and airing on PBS stations across the country Related Laura Flanders Show Episodes: • Ask Angola Prison: What Difference Can a Play Make? Watch / Listen: Episode and Full Conversation • Survival Guide for Humans Learned from Marine Mammals with Alexis Pauline Gumbs: Watch / Listen: Episode and Full Conversation • V (formerly Eve Ensler): Reckoning with Our Past, Transforming the Future: Watch / Listen Related Articles and Resources: • Jacqueline Woodson: Kennedy Center Education Artist-in-Residence (2022-2024) • Catherine Gund’s Meanwhile: A gorgeous, quietly energetic, and moving meditation on Black resilience and world-making in the face of interminable violence. by Brittany Turner, March 2025, The Brooklyn Rail • Ivy Young, D.C. journalist, poet, and activist dies at 75: A life of service dedicated to community building. By Staff reports, June 6, 2023, Washington Blade • Gai Gherardi, legendary co-founder of L.A. Eyeworks, Garrett Leight *Recommended book: “Brown Girl Dreaming” by Jacqueline Woodson. Get the Book* (*Bookshop is an online bookstore with a mission to financially support local, independent bookstores. The LF Show is an affiliate of bookshop.org and will receive a small commission if you click through and make a purchase.) Full Episode Notes are located HERE. Laura Flanders and Friends Crew: Laura Flanders, along with Sabrina Artel, Jeremiah Cothren, Veronica Delgado, Janet Hernandez,...

In 'Meanwhile', Jacqueline Woodson and Catherine Gund weave together the words of literary legends to explore the intersection of art, grief, and social justice. Description: James Baldwin, Toni Morrison, Muhammad Ali and Nina Simone are some of the artists featured in the moving new film “Meanwhile”, from National Book Award-winner Jacqueline Woodson and Emmy-nominated producer & director Catherine Gund. Their meditations on grief, art, breath and more are beautifully woven together as the film poses the question, how do you keep breathing amidst the chaos? Catalyzed by the Covid-19 pandemic and the police killing of George Floyd, Gund and Woodson tap into our shared existence. The artists featured in the docu-poem, with a haunting soundtrack by Meshell Ndegeocello, work through questions of race, political violence, resistance and identity — so much of what shapes our lives and relationships. “This is not a love letter to this country but to us inside this country,” says Woodson in the film. “We see us. We love us. We make eye contact and nod to us”. In this conversation with Laura Flanders, the trio of longtime friends discuss the film from Aubin Pictures, the losses they experienced in the 80s, and how the arts and poetry can compel us to enact change. Can we reclaim the “meanwhile”? All that, plus a commentary from Laura on hers. “. . . Having lost people so early and in such quick succession and under such an awful oppressive situation [of AIDS in the 80s], . . . each one of those hit so hard. We wrote and we made movies, and we had these elaborate memorials, and we did things to process and grieve. I am really holding on to that approach to death and dying as we get older, because I don't wanna ever not care.” - Catherine Gund Guests: • Catherine Gund: Producer & Director, Meanwhile; Filmmaker & Founder, Aubin Pictures • Jacqueline Woodson: Writer & Performer, Meanwhile; Author, Brown Girl Dreaming; Founder, Baldwin for the Arts; The Elders Project, Columbia Full Conversation Release: While our weekly shows are edited to time for broadcast on Public TV and community radio, we offer to our members and podcast subscribers the full uncut conversation. These audio exclusives are made possible thanks to our member supporters. Watch the special report released on YouTube May 16th 5pm ET; PBS World Channel May 18th, and on over 300 public stations across the country (check your listings, or search here via zipcode). Listen: Episode airing on community radio (check here to see if your station airs the show) & available as a podcast May 21st. ARE YOU AUDACIOUS? SUPPORT OUR RESISTANCE REPORTING FUND! Help us continue fighting against the rise of authoritarianism in these times. Please support our Resistance Reporting Fund. Our goal is to raise $100K. We're at $35K! Become a sustaining member starting at $5 a month! Or make a one time donation at LauraFlanders.org/Donate RESOURCES: Watch the broadcast episode cut for time at our YouTube channel and airing on PBS stations across the country Full Episode Notes are located HERE. Related Laura Flanders Show Episodes: • Ask Angola Prison: What Difference Can a Play Make? Watch / Listen: Episode and Full Conversation • Survival Guide for Humans Learned from Marine Mammals with Alexis Pauline Gumbs: Watch / Listen: Episode and Full Conversation • V (formerly Eve Ensler): Reckoning with Our Past, Transforming the Future: Watch / Listen Related Articles and Resources: • Jacqueline Woodson: Kennedy Center Education Artist-in-Residence (2022-2024) • Catherine Gund’s Meanwhile: A gorgeous, quietly energetic, and moving meditation on Black resilience and world-making in the face of interminable violence. by Brittany Turner, March 2025, The Brooklyn Rail • Ivy Young, D.C. journalist, poet, and activist dies at 75: A life of service dedicated to community building. By Staff reports, June 6, 2023, Washington Blade • Gai Gherardi, legendary co-founder of L.A....

In a chilling conversation with Naomi Klein and Astra Taylor, the co-authors unpack their Guardian essay on "End Times Fascism," exposing how today’s billionaires and right-wing leaders aren’t just profiting from global crises—they’re actively accelerating them. As they delve into the apocalyptic ambitions behind Trump 2.0’s economic agenda, the discussion asks: can we counter this death-drive with a bold, life-affirming vision for the future? ARE YOU AUDACIOUS? SUPPORT OUR RESISTANCE REPORTING FUND! Help us continue fighting against the rise of authoritarianism in these times. Please support our Resistance Reporting Fund. Our goal is to raise $100K. We're at $35K! Become a sustaining member starting at $5 a month! Or make a one time donation at LauraFlanders.org/Donate FULL DESCRIPTION: Today's billionaires know our planet can't sustain their business models or lifestyles, but they don't care. Find out why, in this chilling conversation with Naomi Klein and Astra Taylor, co-authors of a revelatory essay on "End Times Fascism" in the Guardian. “Today’s rightwing leaders and their rich allies are not just taking advantage of catastrophes, shock-doctrine and disaster-capitalism style,” write Klein and Taylor, “but simultaneously provoking, planning and seeking to profit off apocalypse.” These are deeply dangerous times, Taylor and Klein argue: “Trump 2.0's economic project is a Frankenstein's monster of the industries driving all of these threats—fossil fuels, weapons, and resource-ravenous cryptocurrency and AI.” As the Right prepares for the end of life as we know it, can we build a movement to counter their apocalyptic, fascist ideology? What about a vision of love and compassion for people and the planet? All that, plus a commentary from Laura on Elon Musk's recently privately-incorporated Tesla town in Brownsville, TX. “These people are preparing for the end of the world. They are abandoning this place. They are traitors. And so we respond to them in part by committing to where we are and by being committed to other people. And it sounds very simple, but I think there's something really fundamental and profound about that when you realize the scale to which these folks have decided to embrace this politics of contempt and abandonment.” - Astra Taylor “Under colonialism, the creation of nation states is pretty arbitrary. Guy with book decides to form country. That's what they see in Israel . . . The idea that you can have a kind of an apartheid state, wealthy, high-tech fortress as a way to weather the storms that you yourself are unleashing. Israel's become a kind of a beacon for both the tech bros and the Theo Bros.” - Naomi Klein Guests: • Naomi Klein: Columnist, The Guardian; UBC Professor of Climate Justice; Co-Author, The Rise of End Times Fascism; Journalist & Best-Selling Author, Doppelganger, The Shock Doctrine, No Logo, This Changes Everything & On Fire • Astra Taylor: Author & Organizer; Co-Author, The Rise of End Times Fascism; Co-Founder, Debt Collective & Author, The Age of Insecurity, Co-author, Solidarity: The Past, Present, and Future of a World-Changing Idea Watch the special report released on YouTube May 9th 5pm ET; PBS World Channel May 11th, and on over 300 public stations across the country (check your listings, or search here via zipcode). Listen: Episode airing on community radio (check here to see if your station airs the show) & available as a podcast May 14th. - While our weekly episodes are edited to time for broadcast on Public TV and community radio, and here as a podcast, we offer to our members and podcast subscribers the Full Uncut Conversation also available in this podcast feed. RESOURCES: Watch the broadcast episode cut for time at our YouTube channel and airing on PBS stations across the country Full Episode Notes are located HERE. Related Laura Flanders Show Episodes: •. Naomi Klein: Naomi Klein: Tackling the “Doppelganger”, Disinformation & Lies: Watch,...