Laura Flanders and Friends: Positive Independent Journalism for a Just World

Synopsis: Two decades after Hurricane Katrina ravaged Louisiana, the state is now facing a new kind of storm: the rapid expansion of liquified natural gas facilities that are displacing residents and polluting minority communities. This show is made possible by you! To become a sustaining member go to LauraFlanders.org/donate Description: Hurricane Katrina was one of the deadliest hurricanes ever to strike the United States, killing 1,833 people, displacing hundreds of thousands more and causing more than $100 billion in damage. Louisianans wanted change and climate action, but 20 years on, a state ravaged by climate disasters is now ground zero for a whole new kind of storm: liquified natural gas facilities. The Trump administration okayed several new LNG plants on the Gulf this year, but residents are still picking up the pieces after the first LNG plants entered their neighborhood under Democratic administrations. In this episode, Laura speaks to Louisianans whose lives have been turned upside down by the expansion of LNG exports, and an expert who says minority communities benefit little from the jobs in the petrochemical facilities that surround them, yet suffer disproportionate pollution effects. Their message? Climate refugees exist in the U.S., and there will be more: “Wake up, open your eyes!” “[I’m a] climate refugee, more than once . . . I'm no scientist, but I'm more of an expert than the experts. Living it’s a whole different ball game.” - Travis Dardar “[Companies] demand big tax incentives to come here . . . We are last in transportation, last in healthcare, last in education . . . We’re almost last in every measurable area because we give tax breaks to the big oil companies and petrochemical companies.” - General Russel L. Honoré “Donald Trump doesn't live next to an oil refinery and he never will.” - Kimberly Terrell Guests: • Travis Dardar: Commercial Fisherman; Founder, Fishermen Interested In Saving our Heritage (FISH) • General Russel L. Honoré: Decorated 37-Year Army Veteran; Commander, Joint Task Force Katrina; Founder, GreenARMY • Kimberly Terrell: Visiting Scientist, Center for Applied Environmental Science (CAES); Former Research Scientist & Director, Community Engagement, Tulane Environmental Law Clinic Additional Crew: for this special report includes Dan T. Peters of Dan T. Peters Media and Calvin Blue Jr.. Special Thanks: Gina Kim and Anne Rolfes Music credits: Jagged and Thrum of Soil by Blue Dot Sessions and original sound design by Jeannie Hopper Watch the episode released on YouTube August 1st, 5pm ET; PBS World Channel August 3rd, 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 August 6th. Full Episode Notes are located HERE. -Related Podcast: Uncut Conversation with General Russel L. Honoré: Decorated 37-Year Army Veteran; Commander, Joint Task Force Katrina; Founder, GreenARMY RESOURCES: Related Laura Flanders Show Episodes: • Colette Pichon Battle on Climate Justice Reparations- Watch / Listen: Episode, Full Conversation • BIPOC Media Answers the Call: Community Action After Hurricane Helene- Watch / Listen: Episode, Full Conversation • Before the Ground Runs Dry: BIPOC Media on the US Water Crisis: Watch / Listen: Episode Related Articles and Resources: • Fishfolk are on the frontlines of the gas export boom, Venture Global’s Calcasieu Pass 2, or CP2, threatens the way of life on Louisiana’s Gulf Coast, January 25, 2025, Southern Environmental Law Center • The Biden Administration’s Next Big Climate Decision. The liquefied-natural-gas-buildout-and fossil-fuel exports-challenge progress on global warming. September 22, 2023, By Bill McKibben, October 31, 2023, The New Yorker • Pervasive racial and ethnic disparities in the U.S. petrochemical workforce, by Kimberly Terrell, Gianna St. Julien,...

Stay informed and engaged! Please hit the podcast subscribe button if you've yet to subscribe. Description: Explore the top headlines of the month — and stories you won’t find in mainstream media — in this timely episode of Meet the BIPOC Press. From New York City, Documented’s Labor Reporter Amir Khafagy returns to fill us in on mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani’s win in the primary election, and how mainstream media overlooked the immigrant vote. Was this a “political upset” to journalists from those very communities? And reporting from the U.S. South, Capital B Rural Issues Reporter Aallyah Wright discusses new legislation from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) that will have devastating impacts on Black farmers. Also in this episode: employers allegedly threatening immigrant workers with ICE and deportation for speaking up about wage theft, the independent media model and holding journalists accountable. As you’ll hear, these reporters are not just covering their communities — they're helping to build the infrastructure for more inclusive, accurate storytelling about race, place, and power. “In the mainstream media there was this conversation happening around, maybe the gentrifier class and the hipsters were the ones coming out and voting for [Zohran Mamdani]. And that may have been true to some extent, but immigrant communities, especially Asian immigrant communities, were really excited for him . . . Some of the districts in Queens that even went Trump voted for Zohran. - Amir Khafagy “I've been seeing a lot of news coverage about the USDA, when we talk about office closures or folks being laid off, or these grants that are being cut . . . But they're not always focused on the realities of what that looks like for Black farmers, given the history of the fraught relationship between Black farmers and the USDA and the historic discrimination.” - Aallyah Wright Guests: • Amir Khafagy: Senior Labor Reporter, Documented NY • Aallyah Wright: Rural Issues Reporter, Capital B Watch the episode released on YouTube July 25th 5pm ET; PBS World Channel July 27th, 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 July 30th. Full Episode Notes are located HERE. This show is made possible by you! To become a sustaining member go to LauraFlanders.org/donate RESOURCES: *Recommended book: “Unbuild Walls: Why Immigrant Justice Needs Abolition” by Silky Shah, 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.) Related Laura Flanders Show Episodes: • BIPOC Media Answers the Call: Community Action After Hurricane Helene: Watch / Listen: Episode and Full Conversation • Los Angeles Wildfires: BIPOC Media Are Telling Stories Other Media Aren’t: Watch / Listen: Episode and Full Conversation • Crime & Migration: An Abolitionist Plan for Immigration Justice: Watch / Listen: Episode Related Articles and Resources: •. In the Mississippi Delta, Black Farmers Are Rebuilding the Legacy of Land Ownership, by Aallyah Wright, July 9, 2025, Capital B • Black Farmers Brace for Trump’s Tariffs While Navigating USDA Office Closures, by Aallyah Wright, April 4, 2025, Capital B • Advocates Say Leaked Farm Bureau Memo Promotes Racist Science, by Amir Khafagy, July 9, 2025, Documented • On Election Day, Immigrant Communities Split on Mamdani and Cuomo, by Clarissa Leon, Meghnad Bose, Amir Khafagy, April XU, Rommel H. Owed, and Paz Radovic, June 24, 2025, Documented • The Marines Did Not Sigh U to Police LA: A veteran and military law expert on “Being used against your neighbor” as a soldier. By Peter Berger, June 24, 2025, Mother Jones • Farmworkers Call for...

Synopsis: In an unflinching interview from the upcoming “Louisiana Survived Katrina. Will it Survive the Petrochemical Industry?” podcast special, veteran Lt. Gen. Russel Honoré confronts corporate corruption and calls out systemic failures threatening public health in his home state. 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. Description: While our weekly Laura Flanders & Friends 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. The following is an extended interview from our upcoming podcast special “Louisiana Survived Katrina. Will it Survive the Petrochemical Industry? — that takes a deeper dive into the stories of the frontline communities fighting back. We speak with General Russel Honoré, the retired Lieutenant General who led the federal response to Katrina and now heads the GreenArmy, a grassroots environmental alliance. Since the Trump administration returned to office in 2025, a surge of federally approved LNG export plants has swept across Louisiana’s coast. Honoré warns these developments are accelerating land loss, worsening hurricane impacts, and deepening the crisis for communities already facing climate displacement. Many have been forced to move multiple times as storms intensify, floodwaters rise, and petrochemical pollution endangers public health—especially in Black, Indigenous, and working-class areas. In this urgent and unfiltered interview, General Honoré speaks out about government capture, corporate corruption, and the growing disconnect between environmental policy and public survival. For him, real resilience means challenging the industries and institutions that continue to put profit ahead of people. GUEST: General Russel L. Honoré: Decorated 37-Year Army Veteran; Commander, Joint Task Force Katrina; Founder, GreenARMY Watch the episode released on YouTube August 1st, 5pm ET; PBS World Channel August 3rd, 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 August 6th. Full Episode Notes are located HERE. RESOURCES: Related Laura Flanders Show Episodes: • Colette Pichon Battle on Climate Justice Reparations- Watch / Listen: Episode, Full Conversation • BIPOC Media Answers the Call: Community Action After Hurricane Helene- Watch / Listen: Episode, Full Conversation • Before the Ground Runs Dry: BIPOC Media on the US Water Crisis: Watch / Listen: Episode Related Articles and Resources: • Fishfolk are on the frontlines of the gas export boom, Venture Global’s Calcasieu Pass 2, or CP2, threatens the way of life on Louisiana’s Gulf Coast, January 25, 2025, Southern Environmental Law Center • The Biden Administration’s Next Big Climate Decision. The liquefied-natural-gas-buildout-and fossil-fuel exports-challenge progress on global warming. September 22, 2023, By Bill McKibben, October 31, 2023, The New Yorker • Pervasive racial and ethnic disparities in the U.S. petrochemical workforce, by Kimberly Terrell, Gianna St. Julien, Michael Ash, September 2025 Science Direct 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:...

Synopsis, Laura's Commentary: As billionaires buy up our newsrooms and Congress defunds public media, the stakes for democracy couldn’t be higher. If we don’t reinvent and reinvest in independent media now, it may soon be too late. For the transcript of this commentary and more articles by Laura subscribe to Substack. Watch Laura's interview with Documented NY's Labor Reporter Amir Khafagy and Capital B's Rural Issues Reporter Aallyah Wright on Laura Flanders & Friends on YouTube, or PBS stations and hear their take on commercial coverage of the NYC Mayor's race and anti-Black rule changes at USDA, or listen to past commentaries and full uncut interviews through subscribing to this free podcast. That episode is available on YouTube July 25th 5pm ET; PBS World Channel July 27th, and on over 300 public stations across the country (check your listings, or search here via zipcode). Listen: Episode airs on community radio stations across the country (check here to see if your station airs the show) & available as a podcast July 30th. Full Episode Notes are located HERE. 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: 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

Snyopsis: A pair of investigative reporters shine light on underreported stories affecting marginalized groups, including employer intimidation tactics against undocumented workers speaking out about labor exploitation and biased media coverage distorting community narratives. 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. Description: Explore the top headlines of the month — and stories you won’t find in mainstream media — in this timely episode of Meet the BIPOC Press. From New York City, Documented’s Labor Reporter Amir Khafagy returns to fill us in on mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani’s win in the primary election, and how mainstream media overlooked the immigrant vote. Was this a “political upset” to journalists from those very communities? And reporting from the U.S. South, Capital B Rural Issues Reporter Aallyah Wright discusses new legislation from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) that will have devastating impacts on Black farmers. Also in this episode: employers allegedly threatening immigrant workers with ICE and deportation for speaking up about wage theft, the independent media model and holding journalists accountable. As you’ll hear, these reporters are not just covering their communities — they're helping to build the infrastructure for more inclusive, accurate storytelling about race, place, and power. “In the mainstream media there was this conversation happening around, maybe the gentrifier class and the hipsters were the ones coming out and voting for [Zohran Mamdani]. And that may have been true to some extent, but immigrant communities, especially Asian immigrant communities, were really excited for him . . . Some of the districts in Queens that even went Trump voted for Zohran. - Amir Khafagy “I've been seeing a lot of news coverage about the USDA, when we talk about office closures or folks being laid off, or these grants that are being cut . . . But they're not always focused on the realities of what that looks like for Black farmers, given the history of the fraught relationship between Black farmers and the USDA and the historic discrimination.” - Aallyah Wright Guests: • Amir Khafagy: Senior Labor Reporter, Documented NY • Aallyah Wright: Rural Issues Reporter, Capital B Watch the episode released on YouTube July 25th 5pm ET; PBS World Channel July 27th, 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 July 30th. Full Episode Notes are located HERE. RESOURCES: *Recommended book: “Unbuild Walls: Why Immigrant Justice Needs Abolition” by Silky Shah, 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.) Related Laura Flanders Show Episodes: • BIPOC Media Answers the Call: Community Action After Hurricane Helene: Watch / Listen: Episode and Full Conversation • Los Angeles Wildfires: BIPOC Media Are Telling Stories Other Media Aren’t: Watch / Listen: Episode and Full Conversation • Crime & Migration: An Abolitionist Plan for Immigration Justice: Watch / Listen: Episode Related Articles and Resources: •. In the Mississippi Delta, Black Farmers Are Rebuilding the Legacy of Land Ownership, by Aallyah Wright, July 9, 2025, Capital B • Black Farmers Brace for Trump’s Tariffs While Navigating USDA Office Closures, by Aallyah Wright, April 4, 2025, Capital B • Advocates Say Leaked Farm Bureau Memo...

Synopsis: In a call to action, Sara Nelson, President of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, AFL-CIO, urges workers to move beyond defense and set the agenda for change, declaring "our world is burning" but asserting that collective power can be used to create a better future. 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: Sara Nelson knows how to leverage worker power — and so do the 55,000 flight attendants she represents. A union member since 1996, she’s been the International President of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, AFL-CIO since 2014. You may remember her integral role in threatening a strike, which helped pressure the Trump administration to end the 2019 government shutdown. But under the second Trump term, the administration plans to gut many government agencies and has canceled one million contracts for federal workers so far. “We have to understand that if one group is under attack, we're next,” she tells Laura Flanders in this exclusive interview. “So we have to rush to each other's sides.” In this episode, Nelson and Flanders explore labor movement tactics and strategies, wins and losses, and why general strikes and cross-industry worker solidarity are critical in this moment. What is her message and her mission for 2025? All that, plus a commentary from Laura on floods and profits. “We have to understand that if one group is under attack, we're next. So we have to rush to each other's sides. But we can also turn this around and not just be on defense. . . We are in a crisis. Yeah. Our world is burning. We can actually set the agenda and make things better.” Guest: Sara Nelson: International President of the Association of Flight Attendants- (AFA-CWA) (representing 55,000 Flight Attendants at 20 airlines) Watch the episode released on YouTube July 18th 5pm ET; PBS World Channel July 20th, 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 July 23rd. Full Episode Notes are located HERE. This show is made possible by you! To become a sustaining member go to LauraFlanders.org/donate RESOURCES: *Recommended book: “The Work of Living: Working People Talk about Their Lives and the Year the World Broke” by Maximillian Alvarez, 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.) Related Laura Flanders Show Episodes: • Labor Safety, Project 2025, & the Far Right’s Plot Against Workers: What You Need to Know: Watch / Listen: Episode • Labor Movement v. Fascism: Worker Organizers & Labor Educators Are Under Attack: Watch / Listen: Episode • UAW President Shawn Fain: "Workers are still up against the same billionaires": Watch • Special Report- Bernie Sanders & AOC: “Fighting Oligarchy” with People Power Watch / Listen: Special Report, Uncut Interview- Bernie Sanders • Watch: Episode, Bernie Sanders’ Speech at the Fight Oligarchy rally, Kenosha, WI • Special Report- Labor Movement v. Fascism: Worker Organizers & Labor Educators Are Under Attack. Watch / Listen Related Articles and Resources: • Is America Pissed Off Enough at Trump and Musk for a General Strike? By Susan Miligan, April 24, 2025, The New Republic • In Chicago, a Coalition of Unions, Community Organizers, and Riders Have Forced Uber to Come to the Table, by Will Tanzman and Lori Simmons, July 16, 2025, The Nation • US aviation agency reinstating fired employees after court order, union says, by David Shepardson, March 17, 2025, Reuters • Unions sue to stop Trump...

Synopsis: US Labour Leader Sounds Alarm on Government Attacks. Sara Nelson's urgent call to action for cross-industry worker solidarity and general strikes as a powerful countermeasure against the Trump administration's plans to gut government agencies ending federal contracts is both timely and crucial. The uncut conversation includes the entire rich and inspiring discussion ringing in at 50minutes. 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. Description: Sara Nelson knows how to leverage worker power — and so do the 55,000 flight attendants she represents. A union member since 1996, she’s been the International President of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, AFL-CIO since 2014. You may remember her integral role in threatening a strike, which helped pressure the Trump administration to end the 2019 government shutdown. But under the second Trump term, the administration plans to gut many government agencies and has canceled one million contracts for federal workers so far. “We have to understand that if one group is under attack, we're next,” she tells Laura Flanders in this exclusive interview. “So we have to rush to each other's sides.” In this episode, Nelson and Flanders explore labor movement tactics and strategies, wins and losses, and why general strikes and cross-industry worker solidarity are critical in this moment. What is her message and her mission for 2025? All that, plus a commentary from Laura on floods and profits. “We have to understand that if one group is under attack, we're next. So we have to rush to each other's sides. But we can also turn this around and not just be on defense. . . We are in a crisis. Yeah. Our world is burning. We can actually set the agenda and make things better.” Guest: Sara Nelson: International President of the Association of Flight Attendants- (AFA-CWA) (representing 55,000 Flight Attendants at 20 airlines) Watch the episode released on YouTube July 18th 5pm ET; PBS World Channel July 20th, 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 July 23rd. Full Episode Notes are located HERE. CHAPTERS: 2:44 thoughts on today, forward on your mind: 911, lay-offs, bankruptcy & crisis capitalism, fighting back, immigration issues facing colleagues 5:29 How safe is flying today? Safety: air traffic controllers, pilots, flight attendants. Attacks on the industry. Dismantling of departments that help aviation including national weather service, USAID intersecting with rising pandemics. 8:27 What is coming in this moment and the cuts to agencies and a move to privatize the national weather service or air traffic controllers. An opportunity for the labor movement in this moment. 11:22 Sara’s origin story and the importance of unions and putting a check on unchecked capitalism. 14:00 Union fights for flight attendants including no smoking, weight restrictions, sexism, high heels. Fighting for ‘rest rules (10 hours of rest)’, health care, pay and pensions. Cross-Union solidarity. Win for the labor movement, FAA Reauthorization bill. 19:06 When we fight we win. Power mapping then and now in the industry. Labor movement strategy. 21:40. The plight of Air Traffic Controllers in the Reagan years then informing the labor movement now. 23:14 The New Deal and union power to the decline of unions. Imbalance of power. The power of organizing on many levels. Call to action, ‘what you can do’. Building labor solidarity. 29:40 Union’s in the Trump era. Now is the moment to lean in, organize and...

Synopsis: Fifty years ago, factory floor workers at Lucas Aerospace challenged their company's focus on war machines with an innovative plan for socially useful production - and it could be just as relevant today. 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. Description: Military budgets are skyrocketing across the globe, while funding for social needs—housing, healthcare, education—is being slashed. Politicians often justify this skewed spending by claiming it creates jobs. But what if the people doing those jobs had a say in how public money was used? Fifty years ago, workers at Lucas Aerospace, a U.K. military contractor, designed a visionary proposal known as the Lucas Plan: a worker-led alternative focused on socially useful production rather than weapons of war. In our special report, The Lucas Plan at 50: A Radical Investment in Society, Not the War Machine, Laura spoke with Hilary Wainwright, Co-Author of The Lucas Plan: A New Trade Unionism in the Making? And Co-Editor of Red Pepper magazine. Hilary is one of the voices behind that groundbreaking effort. What follows is the full, uncut conversation with Hilary—rich with lessons for today’s movements for climate justice, peace, and economic democracy. Guest: Hilary Wainwright: Co-Author, The Lucas Plan: A New Trade Unionism in the Making?; Co-Editor Red Pepper magazine SPECIAL THANKS: Karen Bell, Joe Guinan, Steve Schofield ADDITIONAL CREW: Stanley Arlidge - Episode Producer, Clementine Malpas, Tiger Nest Films This show is made possible by you! To become a sustaining member go to LauraFlanders.org/donate RESOURCES: - Watch the episode released on YouTube July 11th 5pm ET; PBS World Channel July 13th, and on over 300 public stations across the country (check your listings, or search here via zipcode) and airing on community radio (check here to see if your station airs the show) & available as a podcast July 16th. - Additional Uncut Conversation featuring Brian Salisbury: Former Lucas Aerospace Shop Steward from Season 6, Episode 215 - The Lucas Plan at 50: A Radical Investment in Society, Not the War Machine Full Episode Notes are located HERE. Recommended book: • “The Lucas Plan: A New Trade Unionism in the Making?” by Hilary Wainwright and Dave Elliott, Learn More Related Laura Flanders Show Episodes: Democracy & Capitalism: A Failed Experiment?: Watch / Listen: Uncut Conversation - Episode Community Wealth Building: An Economic Reset: Watch / Listen: Uncut Conversation - Episode Dollars and Democracy: Participatory Budgeting: Watch / Listen: Episode From Cleveland, OH to Preston, UK. Community Wealth Building, Watch / Listen: Episode Related Articles and Resources: • A Lucas Plan For the Twenty First Century From Asset Manager Arsenal to Green Industrial Strategy, by Khern Rogsly, October 2024 - Common Welath • The Lucas Plan the Way to an Alternative Security Strategy, by Khem Royally, December 11, 2024, Rethinking Security • UK to cut green levies on businesses in bid to reduce energy costs and boost manufacturing, by Jessica Elgot and Rob Davies, June 22, 2025, The Guardian •. Decarbonising and diversifying defense in the US and the UK: A workers’ enquiry for a Just Transition, Decarbonising-Defence.co.uk • Wortley Hall, the Worker’s Stately home, a member of the co-operative union •. US Defense Secretary Called Europe ‘Pathetic.” Two BU Experts on Whether the Alliance Is Damaged, by Rich Barlow, March 27, 2025, Boston University Today • ‘I will not protect you’: Trump Threatens to Abandon Nato Allies, Kaitlan Collins, October 11, 2024, CNN Laura Flanders and Friends Crew: Laura Flanders, along with Sabrina Artel, Jeremiah Cothren, Veronica Delgado, Janet Hernandez, Jeannie Hopper, Gina Kim,...

Synopsis: As military spending soars, how does the Lucas Plan present an alternative model? This show is made possible by you! To become a sustaining member go to LauraFlanders.org/donate Description: With the passage of the Republicans’ “Big Beautiful Bill” and NATO allies pledging to more than double their spending on defense as a portion of all economic output, military spending around the world is soaring, while spending on meeting social needs and the climate crisis is on the chopping block. Governments often justify spending public money this way by saying it will create good jobs, but what if the workers themselves had a say? Fifty years ago, employees at Lucas Aerospace, a huge military contractor in the United Kingdom came up with an alternative plan. Their approach, known as the Lucas Plan, used the workers’ same expertise, but directed production away from bombs, towards goods that actually help society. In this special episode, Laura heads to the UK to interview some of the original workers involved in the Lucas Plan and investigates what one senior government minister at the time called "one of the most remarkable exercises in all of British industrial history.” As she says, it’s as relevant now as the day it was conceived. “What we're talking about is a poor economic choice that's being made to posture . . . and look like a big military power in a world that's growing increasingly unstable.” - Khem Rogaly “One of the things that the Lucas Plan has done is actually made it fairly clear to people that there are choices. You're given the impression that you have to make weapons. No, you don't. You're given the choice . . . The issue here is who controls technology and who should control technology, and should it be used to free people or should it be used to enslave people?” - Philip Asquith Guests: • Brian Salisbury: Former Lucas Aerospace Shop Steward • Philip Asquith: Former Lucas Aerospace Shop Steward • Hilary Wainwright: Co-Author, The Lucas Plan: A New Trade Unionism in the Making?; Co-Editor Red Pepper magazine • Khem Rogaly: Senior Research Fellow, Commonwealth; Author, A Lucas Plan for the Twenty First Century: From Asset Manager Arsenal to Green Industrial Strategy ADDITIONAL CREW: Stanley Arlidge - Episode Producer, Clementine Malpas, Tiger Nest Films SPECIAL THANKS: Karen Bell, Joe Guinan, Steve Schofield MUSIC CREDITS: Thrum of Soil by Blue Dot Sessions and original sound design by Jeannie Hopper RESOURCES: - Watch the episode released on YouTube July 11th 5pm ET; PBS World Channel July 13th, and on over 300 public stations across the country (check your listings, or search here via zipcode) and airing on community radio (check here to see if your station airs the show) & available as a podcast July 16th. Full Episode Notes are located HERE. Recommended book: • “The Lucas Plan: A New Trade Unionism in the Making?” by Hilary Wainwright and Dave Elliott, Learn More Related Laura Flanders Show Episodes: Democracy & Capitalism: A Failed Experiment?: Watch / Listen: Uncut Conversation - Episode Community Wealth Building: An Economic Reset: Watch / Listen: Uncut Conversation - Episode Dollars and Democracy: Participatory Budgeting: Watch / Listen: Episode • From Cleveland, OH to Preston, UK. Community Wealth Building, Watch / Listen: Episode Related Articles and Resources: • A Lucas Plan For the Twenty First Century From Asset Manager Arsenal to Green Industrial Strategy, by Khern Rogsly, October 2024 - Common Welath • The Lucas Plan the Way to an Alternative Security Strategy, by Khem Royally, December 11, 2024, Rethinking Security • UK to cut green levies on businesses in bid to reduce energy costs and boost manufacturing, by Jessica Elgot and Rob Davies, June 22, 2025, The Guardian •. Decarbonising and diversifying defense in the US and the UK: A workers’ enquiry for a Just Transition, Decarbonising-Defence.co.uk • Wortley Hall, the Worker’s Stately home, a member of the...

Synopsis: Fifty years ago, factory floor workers at Lucas Aerospace challenged their company's focus on war machines with an innovative plan for socially useful production - and it could be just as relevant today. 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. Description: Military budgets are skyrocketing across the globe, while funding for social needs—housing, healthcare, education—is being slashed. Politicians often justify this skewed spending by claiming it creates jobs. But what if the people doing those jobs had a say in how public money was used? Fifty years ago, workers at Lucas Aerospace, a U.K. military contractor, designed a visionary proposal known as the Lucas Plan: a worker-led alternative focused on socially useful production rather than weapons of war. In our special report, The Lucas Plan at 50: A Radical Investment in Society, Not the War Machine, Laura spoke with Brian Salisbury, a former Lucas Aerospace shop steward and one of the voices behind that groundbreaking effort. He comes from a proud family of Lucas workers: his father worked there for over 40 years. He himself worked for the company for 22 years at the Birmingham plant. At 90 years old today He says: “At a time when there’s a lack of a political alternative narrative to neoliberalism the opportunity to put forward a response from the “bottom up” is essential given the direction of travel by those in power on either side of the Atlantic.” What follows is the full, uncut conversation with Brian—rich with lessons for today’s movements for climate justice, peace, and economic democracy. Guest: Brian Salisbury: Former Lucas Aerospace Shop Steward SAVE THE DATE July 16th 7pm EDT - Virtual Member Event via Zoom: Join Laura Flanders in conversation with FAIR Program Director and CounterSpin Host Janine Jackson about the future of public media, Bill Moyers' legacy and more. Plus, you'll get the chance to ask questions and learn more about upcoming episodes of Laura Flanders & Friends! Check your email inbox for your invite, or make a contribution at lauraflanders.org/donate or make it monthly at Patreon.com/LauraFlandersandFriends to receive a registration link. RESOURCES: - Watch the episode released on YouTube July 11th 5pm ET; PBS World Channel June 13th, and on over 300 public stations across the country (check your listings, or search here via zipcode) and airing on community radio (check here to see if your station airs the show) & available as a podcast July 16th. Full Episode Notes are located HERE. Recommended book: • “The Lucas Plan: A New Trade Unionism in the Making?” by Hilary Wainwright and Dave Elliott, Learn More Related Laura Flanders Show Episodes: Democracy & Capitalism: A Failed Experiment?: Watch / Listen: Uncut Conversation - Episode Community Wealth Building: An Economic Reset: Watch / Listen: Uncut Conversation - Episode Dollars and Democracy: Participatory Budgeting: Watch / Listen: Episode • From Cleveland, OH to Preston, UK. Community Wealth Building, Watch / Listen: Episode Related Articles and Resources: • A Lucas Plan For the Twenty First Century From Asset Manager Arsenal to Green Industrial Strategy, by Khern Rogsly, October 2024 - Common Welath • The Lucas Plan the Way to an Alternative Security Strategy, by Khem Royally, December 11, 2024, Rethinking Security • UK to cut green levies on businesses in bid to reduce energy costs and boost manufacturing, by Jessica Elgot and Rob Davies, June 22, 2025, The Guardian •. Decarbonising and diversifying defense in the US and the UK: A workers’ enquiry for a Just Transition, Decarbonising-Defence.co.uk • Wortley Hall, the Worker’s Stately home, a member of the co-operative union •. US Defense Secretary Called Europe ‘Pathetic.”...

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. - Watch the episode released on YouTube July 4th 5pm ET; PBS World Channel June 6th, and on over 300 public stations across the country (check your listings, or search here via zipcode) and airing on community radio (check here to see if your station airs the show) & available as a podcast July 9th. Description: The United States is moving towards authoritarianism, but there is still a window of opportunity to reverse course. What could improve the chances of re-balancing power in the nation, and advancing towards that multiracial democracy that many still dream of? The answer is worker organizing, say Alex Han and Tarso Luís Ramos. "When we look at the history of U-turns from democratic backsliding to democratic revival, the success rate is about 50 percent," says Ramos. "Where there's active, vibrant union participation, the odds go up to about 80 percent." So what's holding Labor back? In early May of 2025, Laura sat down with Ramos and Han at a conference on “Labor in the Age of Authoritarian Politics”, held at the CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies (SLU) in New York. 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. Han has spent most of his adult life in the labor movement, as an organizer and elected president of a large Chicago local. In 2023, he became Executive Director of In These Times, the long-running Chicago-based progressive magazine. In the wake of mass layoffs and the abduction of Kilmar Abrego García, a union member wrongly exported to El Salvador and now held in Tennessee, can enough workers and their allies band together to make a difference? “I think of all of these times where I've shown up at a protest and I know every single person there. When that happens, I know we're not winning today.” - Alex Han “I think the coup that we did not prepare for was the force accelerator that most people experience as DOGE. It's the Musk and Peter Thiel and Marc Andreessen set of actors . . . They're interested in ringing the profits out of the public sector, and they're interested in accelerating the demise of civilian governance altogether.” - Tarso Luís Ramos Guests: Alex Han: Executive Director, In These Times Tarso Luís Ramos: Senior Adviser, Political Research Associates; Senior Fellow, Future Currents SAVE THE DATE July 16th 7pm EDT - Virtual Member Event via Zoom: Join Laura Flanders in conversation with FAIR Program Director and CounterSpin Host Janine Jackson about the future of public media, Bill Moyers' legacy and more. Plus, you'll get the chance to ask questions and learn more about upcoming episodes of Laura Flanders & Friends! Check your email inbox for your invite, or make a contribution at lauraflanders.org/donate or make it monthly at Patreon.com/LauraFlandersandFriends to receive a registration link. RESOURCES: Full Episode Notes are located HERE. Related Laura Flanders Show Episodes: •. Labor Movement v. Fascism: Worker Organizers & Labor Educators Are Under Attack [Special Report] Watch / Listen: Episode • 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 Related Articles and Resources: In These Times magazine Political...

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. 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. DESCRIPTION: The United States is moving towards authoritarianism, but there is still a window of opportunity to reverse course. What could improve the chances of re-balancing power in the nation, and advancing towards that multiracial democracy that many still dream of? The answer is worker organizing, say Alex Han and Tarso Luís Ramos. "When we look at the history of U-turns from democratic backsliding to democratic revival, the success rate is about 50 percent," says Ramos. "Where there's active, vibrant union participation, the odds go up to about 80 percent." So what's holding Labor back? In early May of 2025, Laura sat down with Ramos and Han at a conference on “Labor in the Age of Authoritarian Politics”, held at the CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies (SLU) in New York. 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. Han has spent most of his adult life in the labor movement, as an organizer and elected president of a large Chicago local. In 2023, he became Executive Director of In These Times, the long-running Chicago-based progressive magazine. In the wake of mass layoffs and the abduction of Kilmar Abrego García, a union member wrongly exported to El Salvador and now held in Tennessee, can enough workers and their allies band together to make a difference? “I think of all of these times where I've shown up at a protest and I know every single person there. When that happens, I know we're not winning today.” - Alex Han “I think the coup that we did not prepare for was the force accelerator that most people experience as DOGE. It's the Musk and Peter Thiel and Marc Andreessen set of actors . . . They're interested in ringing the profits out of the public sector, and they're interested in accelerating the demise of civilian governance altogether.” - Tarso Luís Ramos Guests: Alex Han: Executive Director, In These Times Tarso Luís Ramos: Senior Adviser, Political Research Associates; Senior Fellow, Future Currents SAVE THE DATE July 16th 7pm EDT - Virtual Member Event via Zoom: Join Laura Flanders in conversation with FAIR Program Director and CounterSpin Host Janine Jackson about the future of public media, Bill Moyers' legacy and more. Plus, you'll get the chance to ask questions and learn more about upcoming episodes of Laura Flanders & Friends! Check your email inbox for your invite, or make a contribution at lauraflanders.org/donate or make it monthly at Patreon.com/LauraFlandersandFriends to receive a registration link. RESOURCES: - Watch this episode released on our YouTube channel July 4th 5pm ET; PBS World Channel June 6th, and on over 300 public stations across the country (check your listings) and airing on community radio & available as a podcast July 9th. Full Episode Notes are located HERE. Related Laura Flanders Show Episodes: •. Labor Movement v. Fascism: Worker Organizers & Labor Educators Are Under Attack [Special Report] Watch / Listen: Episode • 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 &...

Reframing Media Narratives for Queer and Trans Liberation with Marsha P Johnson's Story. How Artists and Activists Are Reframing Media Narratives for Queer Liberation. 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! Episode Description: Activist and artist Marsha P. Johnson was one of the key founders of the gay liberation movement after the 1969 Stonewall Uprising, but it’s taken years for her to receive recognition. On this special Pride Month edition of “Meet the BIPOC Press”, we’re celebrating Marsha’s life and legacy with two activists carrying her story forward. A new biography from Penguin House, “Marsha: The Joy and Defiance of Marsha P. Johnson” by our guest, Tourmaline traces Marsha’s working-class beginnings to her work with sex workers and street activists, to her death in 1992. Qween Jean is a self-described “spiritual daughter” of Marsha and the founder of Black Trans Liberation. Explore how mainstream media coverage once excluded Marsha, and what’s changed since then. We also unpack the media’s coverage of transphobia and the recent ruling from Tennessee that restricts gender-affirming care for minors. In the face of extreme backlash and repression, how are artists and activists reframing media narratives for queer and trans liberation? “A lot of trans and queer people, especially here in New York City, that are asylum seekers that have had to leave other countries from persecution now find themselves in a place of purgatory . . . They can't even go to get a hormone shot because they're afraid. What if ICE is literally outside waiting for us?” - Qween Jean “Marsha knew that these conditions didn't get to determine how she felt about herself. No court, no Supreme Court, no police officer, no governor, no president . . . She was creating the conditions to remind herself and each other that we too get to feel beautiful and know our value firmly.” - Tourmaline Guests: • Qween Jean: Founder, Black Trans Liberation; Human Rights Activist & Costume Designer • Tourmaline: Artist; Author, MARSHA: The Joy and Defiance of Marsha P. Johnson Watch the episode released on YouTube June 27th 5pm ET; PBS World Channel June 29th, 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 July 2nd. Full Episode Notes are located HERE. RESOURCES: *Recommended books: • “Marsha: The Joy and Defiance of Marsha P. Johnson” by Tourmaline: Get the Book* • “Revolution is Love: A Year of Black Trans Liberation”: 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.) Related Laura Flanders Show Episodes: • Full Uncut Conversation: Marsha P. Johnson’s Queer Legacy Lives On: Tourmaline & Qween Jean on Trans Liberation LISTEN • Special Report- Power Grids Under Attack: The Threat is Domestic Terrorism – Not Drag Artists. Watch / Listen-Download • Imara Jones: Countering The Anti-Trans Hate Machine: Watch / Listen: Episode • Holly Hughes & Esther Newton: How Queer Kinship Ties Help Us Survive: Watch / Listen: Episode • Beyond Disability Rights; Disability Justice: Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha Watch 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:...

As an unapologetic advocate for trans and queer empowerment, Qween Jean carries forward Marsha P. Johnson’s spirit by confronting systemic barriers that continue to threaten vulnerable communities today. 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. 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: Activist and artist Marsha P. Johnson was one of the key founders of the gay liberation movement after the 1969 Stonewall Uprising, but it’s taken years for her to receive recognition. On this special Pride Month edition of “Meet the BIPOC Press”, we’re celebrating Marsha’s life and legacy with two activists carrying her story forward. A new biography from Penguin House, “Marsha: The Joy and Defiance of Marsha P. Johnson” by our guest, Tourmaline traces Marsha’s working-class beginnings to her work with sex workers and street activists, to her death in 1992. Qween Jean is a self-described “spiritual daughter” of Marsha and the founder of Black Trans Liberation. Explore how mainstream media coverage once excluded Marsha, and what’s changed since then. We also unpack the media’s coverage of transphobia and the recent ruling from Tennessee that restricts gender-affirming care for minors. In the face of extreme backlash and repression, how are artists and activists reframing media narratives for queer and trans liberation? “A lot of trans and queer people, especially here in New York City, that are asylum seekers that have had to leave other countries from persecution now find themselves in a place of purgatory . . . They can't even go to get a hormone shot because they're afraid. What if ICE is literally outside waiting for us?” - Qween Jean “Marsha knew that these conditions didn't get to determine how she felt about herself. No court, no Supreme Court, no police officer, no governor, no president . . . She was creating the conditions to remind herself and each other that we too get to feel beautiful and know our value firmly.” - Tourmaline Guests: • Qween Jean: Founder, Black Trans Liberation; Human Rights Activist & Costume Designer • Tourmaline: Artist; Author, MARSHA: The Joy and Defiance of Marsha P. Johnson Watch the episode released on YouTube June 27th 5pm ET; PBS World Channel June 29th, 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 July 2nd. Full Episode Notes are located HERE. RESOURCES: *Recommended books: • “Marsha: The Joy and Defiance of Marsha P. Johnson” by Tourmaline: Get the Book* • “Revolution is Love: A Year of Black Trans Liberation”: 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.) Related Laura Flanders Show Episodes: • Special Report- Power Grids Under Attack: The Threat is Domestic Terrorism – Not Drag Artists. Watch / Listen-Download • Imara Jones: Countering The Anti-Trans Hate Machine: Watch / Listen: Episode • Holly Hughes & Esther Newton: How Queer Kinship Ties Help Us Survive: Watch / Listen: Episode • Beyond Disability Rights; Disability Justice: Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha Watch Related Articles and Resources: • Trans power is my sword and my shield: Qween Jean at trans rights conference in Chennai, by Video...

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:...