The Leslie Marshall Show

Leslie is joined by Scott Paul, President of the Alliance for American Manufacturing (AAM), a partnership established by some of America’s leading manufacturers and the United Steelworkers union. The pair first discusses a new piece that Scott wrote for 'Industry Week' that finally puts to rest one of U.S. manufacturing naysayers’ favorite lines: “Who wants to work in a factory anyway?” Next, they explore what progress has the Trump administration made on all of their attempted trade deals after the White House extended its reciprocal tariff pause to August 1st, with the hope of securing more deals. Third, Scott and Leslie explain why Americans should be pleased about a new 10-year end to 'the de minimis exemption,' a Customs loophole that Chinese e-commerce behemoths like Temu and DHGate had been exploiting. Fourth, Leslie asks Scott about an FTC letter sent on the same day Amazon launched its Prime Day sale this week, which called on the e-commerce giant (and Walmart) to put a stop to false “Made in USA” claims on its website. This comes after Amazon’s marketplace has increasingly become a Wild West of products from third-party vendors as it seeks to emulate SHEIN and Temu. Finally, both Leslie and Scott applauded Senator Elissa Slotkin for a recent speech she gave outlining her “Economic War Plan." They also found this particular line from the speech very timely: "As a CIA officer and Pentagon official by training, I believe that the single, greatest security threat to the United States is *not* coming from abroad. It’s the shrinking middle class here at home." Here is where you can find more of Scott and the AAM's work: WEBSITE: AmericanManufacturing.org YouTube Channel: youtube.com/@AmericanMfg (where you can watch episode's of AAM's podcast, "The Manufacturing Report") X: 1. AAM - @KeepItMadeInUSA 2. Scott Paul - @ScottPaulAAM BlueSky: @keepitmadeinusa.bsky.social

The Student Debt Crisis Center takes over the airwaves of 'the Leslie Marshall Show,' where they explain how President Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill" will affect anyone who has or plans to take out a student loan in the future. They also discuss what these changes could mean for the economy as a whole, and what folks can do right now if they have defaulted student loans. This episode's SDCC hosts are President and Founder, Natalia Abrams, Executive Director, Sabrina Calazans, Special Projects & 'Free the Degree' Director, Sabrina Ashley Cereceres, and Communications Associate Ángel Rentería. The Student Debt Crisis Center (SDCC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that centers the needs and voices of borrowers, and partners with allies, to impact public policy and end the student debt crisis. The SDCC website is www.StudentDebtCrisis.org and their handle on X, Instagram and Facebook is @DebtCrisisOrg. Their handle on BlueSky is @debtcrisisorg.bsky.social‬.

Leslie is joined by Bruce Lesley, President of First Focus on Children, a bipartisan advocacy organization working to make children the priority in federal policy and budget decisions. Bruce explains how the newly passed 'Big Beautiful Bill' "chooses billionaires over babies, and puts the nation’s children in unprecedented peril." Here are just a few ways that the new law will hurt the nation’s children: Cuts $1 trillion from Medicaid and CHIP: Medicaid and CHIP provide health insurance to over 37 million children in the United States and Medicaid covers nearly 40% of births. H.R.1 includes the largest funding cuts to these programs in their history and creates administrative burdens, such as lock-out periods and work requirements. Defunds the largest child anti-hunger program: One-in-five children experience food insecurity. This bill cuts food assistance by cutting more than $200 billion from SNAP and places a larger cost share burden on states. This cost shift could cause states to end their programs or limit enrollment. Advocates argue that losing SNAP benefits could also impact free school meals, further risking a rise in child hunger. Leaves children behind in tax policy: This legislation offers an inadequate Child Tax Credit. While some will see an increased credit amount, the increase still fails to keep pace with inflation. Even worse, the new structure keeps more than 20 million children from receiving the full credit and blocks 2.6 million kids from receiving any credit at all. Undermines public schools: H.R.1 creates a new tax benefit for wealthy donors that jeopardizes the future of our public schools. This education voucher tax credit will offer 2-3x the benefit of other non-profit donations, incentivizing donations over other organizations. It is important to note research shows vouchers do not improve academic outcomes and disproportionately benefit families who already send their children to private schools. Threatens the child care workforce: There is already a child care shortage in the country. H.R.1 will make it harder to recruit and train new child care professionals by prohibiting the use of federal student loans for sectors that do not earn over the median high school graduate salary. We must further invest in this profession and work to increase pay for providers, not create additional barriers to building a strong child care workforce. Increases funding for family separation: H.R. 1 dramatically raises funding for immigration enforcement. This funding will lead to increased family separation and detention. These immigration practices disrupt entire communities and are known to create childhood trauma, adversely affecting child health and development. Cancels efforts to address the climate crisis: H.R. 1 eliminates investments in solar and renewable energy leaving our children to deal with greater effects of climate change in the future. This measure comes as kids are experiencing adverse environmental health effects and natural disasters. Forces kids to shoulder our ballooned national debt: H.R. 1 drives up the national debt by $3 trillion in order to give tax breaks to billionaires and industries like gun manufacturers. This bill expects our children to shoulder the cost of these tax breaks when they become adults while stripping them of essential services today. The website for First Focus on Children is FirstFocus.org and their handle on BlueSky is @FirstFocus.bsky.social. Bruce's handle there is @BruceLesley.bsky.social.

Leslie is joined by Victor Mineros, Proud Secretary-Treasurer of Teamsters Local 396, Western Region International Vice President, and Director of the Teamsters Solid Waste and Recycling Division, which represents tens of thousands of sanitation workers across the country. The two discuss what’s happening in the U.S. sanitation industry, the ongoing strikes at Republic Services, and why this moment matters for working families across the country. Visit Teamster.org for more information. Follow them on X and Instagram, where their handle is @Teamsters, and “like” them on Facebook at Facebook.com/Teamsters.

The guest host for today's show is Brad Bannon. Brad runs Bannon Communications Research, a polling, message development and media firm which helps labor unions, progressive issue groups and Democratic candidates win public affairs and political campaigns. His show, 'Deadline D.C. with Brad Bannon,' airs every Monday from 3-4pm ET. Brad is first joined by Mabinty Quarshie, White House Reporter for 'the Washington Examiner.' The pair examines what's in the Republicans' newly passed 'Big, Beautiful Bill,' how Trump managed to convince wayward GOP congressional members to support such an unpopular bill, the implications the bill has on next year's congressional midterms, Virginia's statewide elections this year, and an update on Trump's tariffs. Then, Bob Deans, Senior Advisor for the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), talks about Trump and DOGE's cuts to the U.S. National Weather Service, and whether they contributed to the poor forecast and deaths in the Texas floods. Then, they discuss how the cuts to clean energy manufacturing incentives will hurt the planet, as well as the United States' economy and manufacturing base. Finally, they talk about Trump's executive orders, which have been devastating for our environment. You can follow Mabinty Quarshie on X at @MabintyQ. The website for NRDC is www.NRDC.org and their handle on BlueSky is @NRDC.org. Brad writes a political column every Sunday for 'The Hill.' He's on the National Journal's panel of political insiders and is a national political analyst for WGN TV and Radio in Chicago and KNX Radio in Los Angeles. You can read Brad's columns at www.MuckRack.com/Brad-Bannon. His handle on BlueSky is @bradbannon.bsky.social.

The guest host for today's show is Brad Bannon. Brad runs Bannon Communications Research, a polling, message development and media firm which helps labor unions, progressive issue groups and Democratic candidates win public affairs and political campaigns. His show, 'Deadline D.C. with Brad Bannon,' airs every Monday from 3-4pm ET. Brad is first joined by CNN Military Analyst Cedric Leighton. Col. Leighton (USAF-Ret.) gives the latest updates on Iran's nuclear program following missile strikes on their nuclear enrichment facilities by the Trump administration. He and Brad also discuss the U.N. nuclear agency disagreeing with the administration that the strikes have fully disabled Iran from enriching uranium for a nuclear weapon in the near future. Then, Alex Lawson, Executive Director of Social Security Works, joins Brad to break down Congressional Republicans' 'Big, Beautiful Bill,' and why it's so intensely unpopular with Americans. Col. Cedric Leighton is the Founder and President of Cedric Leighton Associates, a strategic risk and leadership consultancy serving global companies and organizations. He founded the company in 2010, after serving in the US Air Force for 27 years as an Intelligence Officer and attaining the rank of Colonel. His website is www.CedricLeighton.com and his handle on BlueSky is @CedricLeighton. bsky.social. The 'Social Security Works' website is www.socialsecurityworks.org and their handle on BlueSky is @socialsecurityworks.org. Alex's handle there is @alaw202.bsky.social. Brad writes a political column every Sunday for 'The Hill.' He's on the National Journal's panel of political insiders and is a national political analyst for WGN TV and Radio in Chicago and KNX Radio in Los Angeles. You can read Brad's columns at www.MuckRack.com/Brad-Bannon. His handle on BlueSky is @bradbannon.bsky.social.

Leslie is joined by Scott Paul, President of the Alliance for American Manufacturing (AAM), a partnership established by some of America’s leading manufacturers and the United Steelworkers union. The two discuss: 1. The Wall Street Journal recently documented the stark disparity between China and America’s military-industrial strength in a series of graphs. The results are downright alarming, especially as geopolitical tensions flare. The data illustrate the urgent need for the United States to take action to revitalize our domestic shipbuilding industry. 2. With tariffs coming into force, Made in the USA marketing is surging. U.S. consumers are rejiggering their purchasing habits, as evidenced by a boom in “Made in USA” searches on e-commerce sites, and companies are more than happy to tout their “Made in USA” commitments. (From Modern Retail: “Amazon searches for the phrase shot up to 126,000 from 26,000 in the past 30 days — nearly five times the previous period.”) 3. The state of our infrastructure and energy grid is dire. It’s a crisis that creates another obstacle to U.S. manufacturing’s renaissance and America’s competitiveness. 4. This time, the China Shock is global in nature. Beijing is flooding the world’s markets with its industrial overcapacity across all categories, and job losses and bankruptcies are trailing the imports. WEBSITE: AmericanManufacturing.org YouTube Channel: youtube.com/@AmericanMfg (where you can watch episode's of AAM's podcast, "The Manufacturing Report") (If you want to listen to episodes of "The Manufacturing Report," visit AmericanManufacturing.org/Podcast) X: 1. AAM - @KeepItMadeInUSA 2. Scott Paul - @ScottPaulAAM BlueSky: @keepitmadeinusa.bsky.social

The guest host for today's show is Brad Bannon. Brad runs Bannon Communications Research, a polling, message development and media firm which helps labor unions, progressive issue groups and Democratic candidates win public affairs and political campaigns. His show, 'Deadline D.C. with Brad Bannon,' airs every Monday from 3-4pm ET. Brad is first joined by Charlie Cook, Founder of 'the Cook Political Report,' to talk about ten years of Trump in politics. This includes how he completely changed the Republican party's identity, and what might happen to the GOP once Trump is no longer President. Then, Kim Scott, Publisher of 'Dem List,' previews the NYC Mayoral primary election. She also details the upcoming Governors' races in Virginia and New Jersey, which tend to be a bellwether for the following year's midterm elections in Congress. Kim Scott's 'Demlist' is a free national daily political column, calendar and resource site for Democrats and allies - a unique, central source that connects people to the who, what and where of Democratic events, issues and activism. You can find out more about them at DemList.com and follow them on BlueSky at the handle @demlist.bsky.social‬. Brad writes a political column every Sunday for 'The Hill.' He's on the National Journal's panel of political insiders and is a national political analyst for WGN TV and Radio in Chicago and KNX Radio in Los Angeles. You can read Brad's columns at www.MuckRack.com/Brad-Bannon. His handle on BlueSky is @bradbannon.bsky.social.

The guest host for today's show is Brad Bannon. Brad runs Bannon Communications Research, a polling, message development and media firm which helps labor unions, progressive issue groups and Democratic candidates win public affairs and political campaigns. His show, 'Deadline D.C. with Brad Bannon,' airs every Monday from 3-4pm ET. Brad is first joined by CNN Military Analyst Cedric Leighton. Col. Leighton (USAF-Ret.) gives the latest updates on the wars in Gaza and Ukraine. He also discusses President Trump having tanks roll into Washington D.C. for the 250th Birthday of the U.S. Army (but also for his own birthday, which is the same day as the parade). Finally, the two discuss the Trump administration siccing 2,000 National Guard troops on protesters who were demonstrating against the administration's deportation tactics. Then, Brad is joined by Tara Devlin, the host of the podcast, 'TARABUSTER.' The two discuss the meltdown between President Trump and Elon Musk, as well as how the mainstream media now seems to cover Billionaires like the third branch of Government. They also discuss the Trump administration siccing 2,000 National Guard troops on protesters who were demonstrating against the administration's deportation tactics. Col. Cedric Leighton is the Founder and President of Cedric Leighton Associates, a strategic risk and leadership consultancy serving global companies and organizations. He founded the company in 2010, after serving in the US Air Force for 27 years as an Intelligence Officer and attaining the rank of Colonel. His website is www.CedricLeighton.com and his handle on BlueSky is @CedricLeighton. bsky.social. Tara Devlin is a New York City based comedian, writer, and host of the unapologetically-liberal podcast "TARABUSTER.” Tarabuster is 5-star viewer-reviewed and 100% viewer-supported. Help keep the REAL liberal media going – and growing – by becoming a Patron of Tarabuster at Patreon.com/TaraDevlin. You can follow Tara on BlueSky at @tarabuster.bsky.social and on Instagram at @Taradackty. Brad writes a political column every Sunday for 'The Hill.' He's on the National Journal's panel of political insiders and is a national political analyst for WGN TV and Radio in Chicago and KNX Radio in Los Angeles. You can read Brad's columns at www.MuckRack.com/Brad-Bannon. His handle on BlueSky is @bradbannon.bsky.social.

The guest host for today's show is Brad Bannon. Brad runs Bannon Communications Research, a polling, message development and media firm which helps labor unions, progressive issue groups and Democratic candidates win public affairs and political campaigns. His show, 'Deadline D.C. with Brad Bannon,' airs every Monday from 3-4pm ET. Brad is first joined by Kate Ackley, a Senior Reporter for Bloomberg Government. Kate shares a a general status update of the lobby industry under President Trump. Then, she and Brad talk about the lobby efforts on the House reconciliation budget bill, and the higher education executive orders. Then, Brad is joined by Sarah Jones, the Editor-in-Chief of Politicus USA. The two discuss President Trump's broken promises on inflation and Ukraine, he and the House Republicans' big bad budget bill, Musk getting out of DOGE, and RFK Jr. on vaccines (or lack thereof). Brad writes a political column every Sunday for 'The Hill.' He's on the National Journal's panel of political insiders and is a national political analyst for WGN TV and Radio in Chicago and KNX Radio in Los Angeles. You can read Brad's columns at www.MuckRack.com/Brad-Bannon. His handle on BlueSky is @bradbannon.bsky.social.

Leslie is joined by Liz Shuler, President of the 63 unions and over 15 million members of the AFL-CIO, and the first woman leader of America’s labor movement. The pair discusses the Supreme Court ruling upholding Trump's firings of the National Labor Relations Board and Merit Systems Protection Board members, the draconian House budget bill, and the field hearings the Union conducted through the 'Department of People Who Work for a Living,' which they released a report on last week. The website for the AFL-CIO is www.AFLCIO.org and their BlueSky handle is @aflcio.org. Liz's handle is @lizshuler.bsky.social‬.

Leslie is joined by Lily Roberts, Managing Director for Inclusive Growth at the Center for American Progress. The two first react to Senator Joni Ernst, after an audience member yells, “People will die,” during her discussion on Medicaid cuts at a town hall this morning, replying, “Well, we all are going to die.” Leslie and Lily then discuss the disastrous approach to food stamps (SNAP) in the House Republican passed 'Big Beautiful Bill.' The House-passed version: A. Would cut off some or all food assistance for 11 million people (4 million of those are kids) due to subjecting new groups of people (parents of young kids, older people, people who live in parts of the country where jobs are scarce) to additional paperwork requirements. B. Eliminates the national guarantee that whether you live in New York or Mississippi, you won’t go hungry. This has been the bottom line of food support and anti-poverty in the US for 60 years. Now, states will be required to foot part of the bill for SNAP, which many of them can’t afford. C. Guts SNAP as one of our best anti-recession tools – it keeps recessions from becoming depressions. SNAP immediately gets small dollars to the people who need money most, and it’s spent nearly instantly in local communities. Funding changes and cuts will doubly punish states during recessions. That’s important now, as we deal with economic uncertainty and a food safety net (food pantries, free school lunch, farmer grant programs) that have already been gutted by DOGE so can’t step in to help. The website for the Center for American Progress is www.AmericanProgress.org and their handle on BlueSky is @americanprogress.bsky.social‬. Lily's BlueSky handle is @lilyroberts.bsky.social.

Leslie is joined by Scott Paul, President of the Alliance for American Manufacturing (AAM), a partnership established by some of America’s leading manufacturers and the United Steelworkers union. The two discuss: 1. Scott's op-ed in 'The Detroit News' explaining why he believes that U.S. trade negotiators must toe a tough line with China. 2. America's favorite vehicle as a tariff case study 3. #ChineseManufacturing going viral on TikTok 4. Momentum for U.S. shipbuilding revitalization continuing to grow WEBSITE: AmericanManufacturing.org YouTube Channel: youtube.com/@AmericanMfg (where you can watch episode's of AAM's podcast, "The Manufacturing Report") (If you want to listen to episodes of "The Manufacturing Report," visit AmericanManufacturing.org/Podcast) X: 1. AAM - @KeepItMadeInUSA 2. Scott Paul - @ScottPaulAAM BlueSky: @keepitmadeinusa.bsky.social

Leslie is joined by Megan Salrin and Jimmy O'Donnell of the United Steelworkers (USW). The trio analyzes why workers need a Pro-Labor National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). In one of his early acts as president, Donald Trump not only fired National Labor Relations Board General Counsel Jennifer Abruzzo but also removed NLRB member Gwynne Wilcox. Firing Wilcox upended nearly 90 years of Supreme Court caselaw and left the NLRB unable to perform its vital mission of upholding workers’ rights. So what is the NLRB, and why do workers depend on it to ensure they have a voice on the job? The NLRB is an independent federal agency tasked with safeguarding workers rights in a number of ways. - It oversees union elections – and ensures that employers abide by the law when workers seek to organize. - It also prevents and remedies unfair labor practices, again ensuring that workers are free to engage in concerted activity and access their rights under the National Labor Relations Act. The NLRB is headquartered in Washington, D.C., and has 26 different Regional Offices. - There are five seats on the Board, which are filled through presidential nomination and then Senate confirmation. - The members serve five-year terms, and the terms are staggered so that one seat is supposed to be open each year – though delays can cause vacancies to occur. The NLRB shapes labor law in several ways including by issuing decisions on cases, which sets national precedent, and by issuing rule making. - Because the president nominates members to the board, they have the ability to influence how it operates based on their priorities. - Pro-worker presidents traditionally appoint members who take the job to enforce workers rights’ seriously while pro-corporate leadership effectively limits workers’ ability to form unions and collectively bargain. - Under the previous administration, for example, the NLRB made key advances when it came to leveling the playing field for workers, such as banning the captive audience meetings employers too often used to try to thwart union elections. Currently, the board is down to just two members, which means it does not have a quorum and cannot make decisions or enforce labor laws. That means: - Workers facing unfair treatment—like illegal firings, intimidation, or bad-faith bargaining—could be left waiting months or even years for justice. - Striking and organizing workers will have fewer protections. - Employers who break the law may get away with it if cases can’t be heard. - Furthermore, this upheaval has emboldened greedy corporations looking to block workers from exercising their rights. - For example, Whole Foods (which is owned by Amazon) is arguing that they will not recognize a union formed in January because of the lack of quorum at the Board. An NLRB member can only be fired for serious misconduct—like neglecting their job or breaking the rules. No President has ever fired a Board member like this before, and there does not appear to be any valid reason to remove Wilcox. - Wilcox filed a lawsuit in response to her firing. While a DC District Court judge ruled in her favor and reinstated her, her case has gone through a number of appeals and is now headed to the Supreme Court, which recently once again removed her from her position until it can rule on the merits of the lawsuit. - Oral arguments are due to begin on May 16, which means between now and then the board is again hobbled. As more and more workers signal that they want the protections of a union contract it’s essential that we have a labor board that takes its job seriously. - This means allowing members like Wilcox to finish their terms. - And pushing our elected leaders to nominate and confirm qualified members who will take the job of protecting workers seriously. Megan Salrin is the National Coordinator for the United Steelworkers’ Rapid Response program, the union’s nonpartisan initiative for education, communication, and action on legislative and policy...

The guest host for today's show is Brad Bannon. Brad runs Bannon Communications Research, a polling, message development and media firm which helps labor unions, progressive issue groups and Democratic candidates win public affairs and political campaigns. His show, 'Deadline D.C. with Brad Bannon,' airs every Monday from 3-4pm ET. Brad is joined by Amie Parnes, Senior Correspondent at 'The Hill,' and Jonathan Allen, Senior National Politics Reporter for NBC News. They discuss their newest #1 New York Times best-seller, "Fight: Inside the Wildest Battle for the White House." "The authors of the #1 New York Times bestseller 'Shattered' provide a revelatory, inside look at the Biden, Harris, and Trump camps during the 2024 battle for the White House, arguably the most consequential contest in American history." Brad also speaks with Jon and Amie about their evaluation of Trump's first 100 days of his second term. They also discuss the future presidential prospects of Kamala Harris, and who else might be a viable Democratic candidate for President in 2028. Amie and Jon's book is available for purchase here: https://bookshop.org/p/books/fight-Inside-the-wildest-battle-for-the-white-house-jonathan-allen/22252142?ean=9780063438644&next=t Brad writes a political column every Sunday for 'The Hill.' He's on the National Journal's panel of political insiders and is a national political analyst for WGN TV and Radio in Chicago and KNX Radio in Los Angeles. You can read Brad's columns at www.MuckRack.com/Brad-Bannon. His handle on BlueSky is @bradbannon.bsky.social.

Leslie is joined by Jesse Case, Director for the Food Processing Division for the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. The two examine why so many cannabis workers are joining the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. To add some perspective, the Teamsters represent over 1,000 cannabis workers in six different states. They've also bargained the strongest contracts in the industry for workers at a number of multi-state operators, which are the largest players in the US cannabis industry. Tens of thousands of Teamsters across the continent are members of the union’s growing Food Processing Division. The division represents many classifications of worker, including production line workers, mechanics, forklift drivers, machine operators and more. They help prepare, process and move just about every kind of food you find at the grocery store, including meats, dairy vegetables, fruits and grains. Visit www.Teamster.org for more information. Follow them on X and Instagram, where their handle is @Teamsters, and “like” them on Facebook at Facebook.com/Teamsters. Find the Teamsters Cannabis workers online by visiting linktr.ee/teamsters_420.

Leslie is joined by Fred Redmond, Secretary-Treasurer of the 60 unions and 12.5 million members of the AFL-CIO. In 2022, he was unanimously elected to the position as the highest ranking African American officer in the history of America’s labor movement. The two discuss President Trump's union busting executive order from last week. It strips the fundamental right to unionize and collectively bargain from workers across the federal government at more than 30 agencies. The workers who make sure our food is safe to eat, care for our veterans, protect us from public health emergencies and much more will no longer have a voice on the job or the ability to organize with their coworkers for better conditions at work so they can efficiently provide the services the public relies upon. It’s clear that this order is punishment for unions who are leading the fight against the administration’s illegal actions in court—and a blatant attempt to silence them. But if the Trump administration gets away with robbing federal workers of their right to collective bargaining with the stroke of a pen, it won’t stop there. This illegal executive order is a threat to every union, every contract, and the freedom for every single person to organize on the job and speak up for themselves and their co-workers. Thankfully, representatives in Congress have introduced the bipartisan Protect America’s Workforce Act, which would overturn Trump’s executive order. We are asking every single American who cares about the fundamental freedom of all workers to join a union to call their member of Congress right now. Call them at 844-896-5059. Additionally, workers are joining with our allies and community members across the country tomorrow, April 5th, to tell President Trump and Elon Musk: Hands Off Our Unions! America’s unions will be coming together with allies of labor at hundreds of events all across the country to send a message: Hands off our Social Security. Hands off our public schools. Hands off our Medicare. Hands off our jobs. And hands off our unions and our contracts! Visit www.Mobilize.us/HandsOff to find an event near you! The website for the AFL-CIO is www.AFLCIO.org and their handle on Blue Sky is @AFLCIO.org. Their handle on Facebook, Instagram and X is @AFLCIO. Fred's handle on X is @STRedmond.

Leslie is joined by Connie Livingston, Senior Lead Counselor at Empowerly, which empowers students to become the most successful version of themselves with personalized college and career guidance. Their tailored guidance helps students triumph over the college admissions process and spark the future of their dreams. Connie has worked in the field of college counseling since 2008. She began her career as an Assistant Director of Admissions at Brown University and has since moved on to Empowerly, where she has worked for the past three years. The pair examines the increasingly difficult college application process in the United States. More and more students are applying to college. More and more applications means a lower percentage of acceptance. So the bar has been raised. 4.0's are now 5.0's, competition is international, there are no more DEI policies or 'boxes' for affirmative action/diversity. So kids are taking SAT prep classes, doing a lot of outside work/volunteerism, etc. and additionally, parents are hiring college counselors. Here are the questions answered during the interview: 1. What does an outside college counselor do? 2. Is there a range of fees? (Some people think it's unattainable for them because of the price) 3. Do they help the students write their essays? (editing them, etc) 4. Is there any assistance with SAT's? 5. Does it increase a student's chances of admission if they utilize a college counselor that is separate from their high school's college counselor? 6. Why is Empowerly better than a student trying to solely use AI, like ChatGPT, to help them with the admissions process? The website for Empowerly is Empowerly.org. Their handle on Instagram is @empowerlyinc and you can find them on Facebook.com/empowerly as well.

Leslie is joined by Bruce Lesley, President of First Focus on Children, a bipartisan advocacy organization working to make children the priority in federal policy and budget decisions. With policy experts in the many areas that affect our nation’s more than 70 million children, First Focus on Children offers thorough, bipartisan, achievable solutions to ensure the well-being of children in the U.S. and around the world. The two discuss how the budget resolution recently passed by House Republicans would force hundreds of billions of dollars in funding cuts to Medicaid and CHIP (Children’s Health Insurance Program), which would decimate their ability to deliver health care to the more than 37 million children they currently serve. Medicaid and CHIP currently cover: - 80% of children living in poverty - 42% of all children under 6 - Over 40% of births in the U.S. - Nearly half of the 13 million U.S. children with special health care needs - 99% of children in foster care - More than 40% of children in rural and underserved communities - One-third of all school-age children (5-18 years old) Taking support away from children’s health through Medicaid/CHIP cuts is a prescription for disaster that will: - Force states to cut services, eligibility, or provider payments that directly affect children - Create significant financial pressure on children’s hospitals and pediatric specialty providers that depend heavily on Medicaid/CHIP - Threaten school-based health services that rely on support from Medicaid/CHIP - Jeopardize mental health and developmental services for children - Hit hardest in rural and underserved areas, exacerbating existing health disparities You can read more about why the cuts would be so disastrous here: https://firstfocus.org/update/prescription-for-disaster-the-impact-of-proposed-medicaid-and-chip-cuts-on-childrens-health/ The website for First Focus on Children is FirstFocus.org and their handle on BlueSky is @FirstFocus.bsky.social. Bruce's handle there is @BruceLesley.bsky.social.

The guest host for today's show is Brad Bannon. Brad runs Bannon Communications Research, a polling, message development and media firm which helps labor unions, progressive issue groups and Democratic candidates win public affairs and political campaigns. His show, 'Deadline D.C. with Brad Bannon,' airs every Monday from 3-4pm ET. The guest host for today's show is Brad Bannon. Brad runs Bannon Communications Research, a polling, message development and media firm which helps labor unions, progressive issue groups and Democratic candidates win public affairs and political campaigns. His show, 'Deadline D.C. with Brad Bannon,' airs every Monday from 3-4pm ET. Brad is first joined by John Bennett, Editor at Large at Congressional Quarterly and Roll Call. The pair discusses 'Tariff Tuesday,' scheduled for tomorrow by the Trump administration. In response to the tariffs, the cost of goods and services for Americans are expected to rise, while the stock market (and people's retirement accounts) are expected to decline. Then, Brad is joined by Alex Lawson, Executive Director of Social Security Works, which fights to address the retirement income crisis by protecting and expanding America's Social Security system. Social Security Works is the convening organization of the Strengthen Social Security Coalition— a coalition made up of over 340 national and state organizations representing over 50 million Americans. Brad and Alex talk about the chaotic economic policies of the Trump administration, April 5th's planned protests, and the battles to save Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security. Stripping Medicaid funding could literally put Seniors in nursing homes on the streets, and deprive children with disabilities of funding for their education. On the Social Security front, Alex explains that the Trump administration is firing staff at Social Security offices to try to cause enough chaos so that they can create an excuse to demand emergency powers to take control of Social Security. The website for CQ Roll Call is www.RollCall.com and John's handle on X is @BennettJohnT. The 'Social Security Works' website is www.socialsecurityworks.org and their handle on BlueSky is @socialsecurityworks.org. Alex's handle there is @alaw202.bsky.social. Brad writes a political column every Sunday for 'The Hill.' He's on the National Journal's panel of political insiders and is a national political analyst for WGN TV and Radio in Chicago and KNX Radio in Los Angeles. You can read Brad's columns at www.MuckRack.com/Brad-Bannon. His handle on BlueSky is @bradbannon.bsky.social.