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

Synopsis: Uncovering the Hidden Stories of Disaster Recovery Workers: Discover the true stories of immigrant workers rebuilding America after hurricanes, floods, fires, and other disasters, and learn about initiatives like Resilience Force working towards a million-strong, skilled workforce with fair labor practices. Description [Rewind Full Uncut Conversation Originally released February 2023]: “THE GREAT ESCAPE: A True Story of Forced Labor and Immigrant Dreams in America” tells the story of one of the largest human trafficking schemes in modern American history and how the traffickers were finally held to account. Saket Soni was the co-founder of The New Orleans Workers Center for Racial Justice in the post-Katrina years. Today he’s the founder and director of Resilience Force, a project that comes directly out of his experience working with the men in this book. The U.S. is experiencing a labor shortage, and climate catastrophe will increase the need for disaster recovery workers. How can we build the resilient workforce we need, with the rights and equity workers deserve? Join Laura and Saket for this urgent conversation on the future of labor. Guest: Saket Soni: Author, THE GREAT ESCAPE: A True Story of Forced Labor and Immigrant Dreams in America; Founder & Director, Resilience Force 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 episode cut airing on PBS stations across the country at our YouTube channel RESOURCES: The Show is listener and viewer supported. That's thanks to you! Please donate and become a member. Full conversation & show notes are available at Patreon.com/theLFShow *Recommended book: “The Great Escape: A True Story of Forced Labor and Immigrant Dreams in America” by Saket Soni, Get the Book Here (*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 Shows: Watch / Download PodcastWatch / Download PodcastWatch / Download PodcastWatch Related Articles and Resources: • Populations around the world are declining. Migration is the solution, says economist, by Kai McNamee, Matt Ozug & Ari Shaprio for All Things Considered, NPR Listen / Read • Supply Chain Disruptions, Trade Costs, and Labor Markets, by Andrés Rodriquez-Clare, Mauricio Ulate, and Jose P. Vasquez; Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. Read Here • $20million settlement agreement reached in labor trafficking cases coordinated by SPLC on behalf of exploited Indian guest workers, by Southern Poverty Law Center, Read Here • Close to Slavery: Guestowrker Programs in the United State, Report by Southern Poverty Law Center, Read Here 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; PBS World Channel August 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. Full Episode Notes are located HERE. -RESOURCES- Related extended commentary from Laura is available to podcast subscribers Full Uncut Conversation Released to Podcast Subscribers: 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: • Pledge Ukraine, Starenki is a charitable organization devoted to issues of elderly people in Ukraine. • In maps: The war-ravaged Ukrainian territories at the heart of the Trump-Putin summit, by Paul Adams, August 16, 2025, BBC • Ukraine war briefing: Zelenskyy entices Trump with $90bn arms buy in return for security, by Warren Murray with Guardian writers and agencies, August 18, 2025, The Guardian • Trump Won’t Deliver Peace to Ukraine - or Anywhere Else, by Feet Here, August 18, 2025, The Nation • Will Russia-Ukraine War End with Diplomacy or on Battlefield? John Mearsheimer vs. Denys Pilash, August 19, 2025, Democracy Now • Is Peace Possible? Nation Publisher Katrina vandal Hovel on Trump Summits with Putin, Zelenskyy, Democracy Now 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:...

Synopsis: From childhood memories to the frontlines of war, Liev Schreiber's film "Meeting Zelenskyy" presents a nuanced portrait of Ukraine's embattled leader, with Schreiber drawing parallels between Ukrainian resilience and American values of democracy and freedom. Description: Renowned actor, writer and director Liev Schreiber recently released “Meeting Zelenskyy”, a feature documentary in which he sits down with Ukraine’s embattled leader. In an extended conversation, Schreiber speaks actor-to-actor about Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s rise from entertainer to war time leader. In this exclusive interview with Laura Flanders, Schreiber discusses how the documentary came to be, how he personally became involved, and how technology could shape the outcome of the Russia-Ukraine war. The film includes never-before-seen footage from Zelenskyy’s childhood and career. Join us for this historic conversation, plus a commentary from Laura. “I've always felt optimistic about this because [Ukraine is] on the side of truth. That's the kind of thing you can cover briefly, but it always comes out, it always surfaces. It's also the kind of thing that builds morale. It builds courage. It builds principle. They have that on their side, where the Russian military is struggling.” - Liev Schreiber Guest: Liev Schreiber: Award-Winning Actor, Director & Writer; Co-Founder, BlueCheck Ukraine This show is made possible by you! To become a sustaining member go to LauraFlanders.org/donate Full Conversation Release: While our weekly shows are edited to time for broadcast on Public TV and community radio, we offer to our members and podcast subscribers the full uncut conversation. These audio exclusives are made possible thanks to our member supporters. Watch the special report on YouTube; PBS World Channel August 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. Full Episode Notes are located HERE. RESOURCES- Related Laura Flanders Show Episodes: • Winning War, Building Peace: Activists from Ukraine, Russia & The US Debate: Watch / Listen: Episode and/or Full Conversation • Masha Gessen & Jason Stanley: Is it Doomsday for U.S. Democracy?: Watch / Listen: Episode and/or Full Conversation • Ai Weiwei: How Do We Save Our Humanity?: Watch / Listen: Episode and/or Full Conversation Related Articles and Resources: • In maps: The war-ravaged Ukrainian territories at the heart of the Trump-Putin summit, by Paul Adams, August 16, 2025, BBC • Ukraine war briefing: Zelenskyy entices Trump with $90bn arms buy in return for security, by Warren Murray with Guardian writers and agencies, August 18, 2025, The Guardian • Trump Won’t Deliver Peace to Ukraine - or Anywhere Else, by Feet Here, August 18, 2025, The Nation • Will Russia-Ukraine War End with Diplomacy or on Battlefield? John Mearsheimer vs. Denys Pilash, August 19, 2025, Democracy Now • Is Peace Possible? Nation Publisher Katrina vandal Hovel on Trump Summits with Putin, Zelenskyy, August 19, 2025, Democracy Now • Pledge Ukraine, Starenki is a charitable organization devoted to issues of elderly people in Ukraine. Laura Flanders and Friends Crew: Laura Flanders, along with Sabrina Artel, Jeremiah Cothren, Veronica Delgado, Janet Hernandez, Jeannie Hopper, Gina Kim, Sarah Miller, Nat Needham, David Neuman, and Rory O’Conner. FOLLOW Laura Flanders and Friends Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauraflandersandfriends/ Blueky: https://bsky.app/profile/lfandfriends.bsky.social Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LauraFlandersAndFriends/ Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lauraflandersandfriends YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFLRxVeYcB1H7DbuYZQG-lg Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lauraflandersandfriends Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/lauraflandersandfriends ACCESSIBILITY - The...

Synopsis- A Call to Action: Veterans, Citizens, and Leaders Unite: Hear from veterans like Terrance Deuel, Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and UAW President Shawn Fain on why they're fighting for democracy and what you can do to get involved in your local community. Description: Can the Democratic party reinvent itself? In this exclusive one-on-one interview with Bernie Sanders, recorded during the Senator’s “Fighting Oligarchy” tour, he sits down with Laura Flanders in Las Vegas to discuss what he hopes people will take away from his rallies, and how we can all push back against oligarchy. Sanders’ message is especially resonating with Americans in this moment, as record-breaking crowds turn out for his tour — with many first-time activists in the audience. What is driving this phenomenon? Laura Flanders & Friends hit the road to find out, and traveled from Kenosha to Warren and Las Vegas. Along the tour, Flanders spoke with veterans, retirees and many concerned citizens. She also caught speeches from Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain, and sat in on a town hall meeting with Nevada Congresswoman Dina Titus. Will 2025 turn out to be the year that Americans remake democracy? “I did 28 years in the army. I maintained an apolitical front at all times . . . I think we're sliding into tyranny, and I took an oath to support and defend the constitution and I'm going to do that whether in or out of uniform.” - Terrance Deuel “We are at a point where the wealthiest people in the world, like Elon Musk and all the Republicans enabling him, are turning to loot what is left of Medicaid, Medicare, and social security to bankroll even deeper tax cuts and sweetheart contracts for themselves, their fellow billionaires and their corporations. And our political system right now is ill prepared for this abuse of power.” - Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez “I think the message of the moment is to understand that the vast majority of the American people do not think that we give tax breaks to the rich and cut social security or veterans programs. They don't. And our job is to work as hard as we can. Part of what this tour is about is to get them involved in their own local communities.” - Bernie Sanders Guests: • Jacqueline Davania-Williamson: Resident, Las Vegas, Nevada • Terrence Deuel: Veteran, U.S. Army • Thomas Dyer & Pam West: Retirees • Dr. Abdul El-Sayed: Health Director, Wayne County, Michigan • Shawn Fain: President, United Auto Workers (UAW) • Danielle & Jordan Lovik: Residents, Salt Lake City, Utah • Sandra & Raymond Martinez: Applicant & Social Security Recipient • Donavan McKinney: U.S. Representative (MI-11) • Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: U.S. Representative (NY-14) • Bernie Sanders: U.S. Senator (VT); Fighting Oligarchy Tour • Dina Titus: U.S. Representative (NV-1) Watch the broadcast episode cut for time at our YouTube channel and airing on PBS stations across the country Subscribe to episode notes via Patreon Music Credit: “Live For You" by Thee Sacred Souls from their album Got a Story to Tell courtesy of Daptone Records.. "Steppin", "All The Ways" & "Electric Car" by Podington Bear. And original sound production and design by Jeannie Hopper. This show is made possible thanks our members! To become a sustaining member go to https://LauraFlanders.org/donate Thank you for your continued support! RESOURCES: *Recommended book: “It's OK to Be Angry About Capitalism” by Bernie Sanders, *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: • The People v. DOGE: Jamie Raskin’s Strategy to Combat the Musk & Trump Power Grab: Watch / Download the Podcast: Episode and Full Conversation • AOC & Noam Chomsky: The Way Forward: Watch / Download...

**Illinois' cash bail reform**: The state ended cash bail in 2023 with the Pretrial Fairness Act, a move that aims to address the disproportionately negative impact on Black and Brown communities and favoritism towards the wealthy. Explore the history and impact of Illinois' decision to end cash bail statewide in 2023, featuring insights from key advocates and policymakers involved in this monumental change. This show is made possible by you! To become a sustaining member go to https://LauraFlanders.org/donate Thank you for your continued support! Description: What happened when Illinois ended cash bail? As Laura’s guests explain, this deeply discriminatory and unjust system puts “a ransom on people’s heads,” disproportionately impacts Black and Brown people, and favors the wealthy who can buy their freedom while leaving the poor to languish in jail. Bail reform has faced tremendous pushback over the years, but Illinois implemented the first-of-its-kind Pretrial Fairness Act, ending cash bail statewide in 2023. The historic win didn’t happen overnight. In this episode some of those most involved explain what it took and describe the surprising results. Sharone R. Mitchell Jr., the Cook County Chief Public Defender was the lead policy expert for the Coalition to End Money Bond. Mitchell also heads the state’s largest public defender office. State Senator Robert Peters represents Illinois’ 13th District and was one of the main sponsors of the Pretrial Fairness Act. He chairs the Senate Labor Committee. Bryce Covert followed this important and under-covered story for The Nation magazine. What has Illinois to teach the nation? All that plus Laura’s commentary: Illinois has moved out of the Middle Ages. What’s holding the rest of the nation back? Guests: • Bryce Covert: Contributor, The Nation • Sharone R. Mitchell Jr.: Chief Public Defender Cook County, Illinois • Robert Peters: Illinois State Senator, 13th District Watch the episode cut airing on PBS stations across the country at our YouTube channel Subscribe to episode notes via Patreon Related Laura Flanders Show Episodes: • Corporate Prison Reform Will Not Keep Us Safe: A Report from Los Angeles: Watch / Listen: Podcast Episode • Crime & Migration: An Abolitionist Plan for Immigration Justice: Watch / Listen: Podcast Episode • D.A. Larry Krasner Facing Impeachment: Criminal Justice Reform in the Crosshairs: Watch / Listen: Podcast Episode Related Articles and Resources: • The Bail Project Responds to Trump’s Executive Order to End Cashless Bail, by Devon McMahon, August 25, 2025, The Bail Project • Illinois Has Put an End to the Injustice of Cash Bail, by Bryce Covert, December 2, 2024, The Nation • U.S. Commission on Civil Rights Releases Report: The Civil Rights Implications of Cash Bail, by U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, January 20, 2022, USCCR.org • Trump Targets Bail Reform, Wants to Let Rich “Buy Their Way Out of Jail”, August 26, 2025, Democracy Now! • Trump signs executive order to eliminate cashless bail in Washington, by Kira Lerner, August 25, 2025, The Guardian • Cash bail changes - 2023 - SAFE-T Act, July 2023, Illinois Legal Aid 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

On the Road with Laura Flanders: Join Us as We Dive into Sanders' Vision for America's Political Future and Meet the Citizens Sparking Change at Rallies Coast to Coast. Can the Democratic party reinvent itself? In this exclusive one-on-one interview with Bernie Sanders, recorded during the Senator’s “Fighting Oligarchy” tour, he sits down with Laura Flanders in Las Vegas to discuss what he hopes people will take away from his rallies, and how we can all push back against oligarchy. Sanders’ message is especially resonating with Americans in this moment, as record-breaking crowds turn out for his tour — with many first-time activists in the audience. What is driving this phenomenon? Laura Flanders & Friends hit the road to find out, and traveled from Kenosha to Warren and Las Vegas. In the broadcast edition (released on YouTube April 4th 5pm ET; PBS stations April 6th, and community radio & podcast April 9th) hear interviews from the road and speeches from Senator Sanders, Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain, and more. GUEST: Bernie Sanders: U.S. Senator (VT); Fighting Oligarchy Tour 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. Become a supporting member at https://LauraFlanders.org/Donate RESOURCES: Watch the broadcast episode cut for time at our YouTube channel and airing on PBS stations across the country Full Episode Notes are located HERE. *Recommended book: “It's OK to Be Angry About Capitalism” by Bernie Sanders, *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: • The People v. DOGE: Jamie Raskin’s Strategy to Combat the Musk & Trump Power Grab: Watch / Download the Podcast: Episode and Full Conversation • AOC & Noam Chomsky: The Way Forward: Watch / Download the Podcast: Episode and Full Conversation • Barbara Lee & Lateefah Simon: The Trailblazing Congresswomen of CA’s 12th District: Watch / Download the Podcast: Episode and Full Conversation Laura Flanders and Friends Crew: Laura Flanders, along with Sabrina Artel, Jeremiah Cothren, Veronica Delgado, Janet Hernandez, Jeannie Hopper, Gina Kim, Sarah Miller, Nat Needham, David Neuman, and Rory O’Conner. FOLLOW Laura Flanders and Friends Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauraflandersandfriends/ Blueky: https://bsky.app/profile/lfandfriends.bsky.social Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LauraFlandersAndFriends/ Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lauraflandersandfriends YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFLRxVeYcB1H7DbuYZQG-lg Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lauraflandersandfriends Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/lauraflandersandfriends ACCESSIBILITY - The broadcast edition of this episode is available with closed captioned by clicking here for our YouTube Channel

Synopsis: Is Authoritarianism Here?: Gessen and Stanley discuss the shift in America's self-understanding, from democratic ideals to a self-identity based on loving the US for its past greatness, and warn that this is not a democratic project, but rather a fascist one, similar to what Putin is doing in Russia. Stay informed and engaged! Please hit the podcast subscribe button if you've yet to subscribe. Description: What will it take to reject fascism, before it’s too late? Masha Gessen and Jason Stanley are two leading experts on autocracy, and they’re sounding the alarm. They and their families have escaped totalitarian regimes and oppressive governments; today Gessen and Stanley are pulling back the curtain on the attacks against DEI, trans bodies, civil rights, higher education and more. Is authoritarianism here? Masha Gessen is an acclaimed Russian-American journalist, a Polk Award winning opinion writer for the New York Times and the author of "Surviving Autocracy" and “The Future is History: How Totalitarianism Reclaimed Russia.” Forced to leave Russia twice, in 2024, a Moscow court convicted them, in absentia to eight years in prison for their reporting on the war in Ukraine. Jason Stanley is a best-selling author and professor whose books include “Erasing History” and "How Fascism Works". He recently left his teaching position at Yale University to relocate to Canada with his family; noting that he is a child of Jewish refugees who fled Nazi Germany. In this historic conversation — the first interview between Gessen and Stanley — the two explore how to be bold in our movements and envision a multi-ethnic democracy. Plus, a commentary from Laura. “Trump has proposed a revived empire, a return to an imaginary past. The Democrats have proposed the way things are now, which are deeply unsatisfying and horribly anxiety provoking for a very large number of people. So we need a vision of a future that is more appealing than the imaginary past.” - Masha Gessen “What I see now is this regime shifting the self understanding of America, from having these democratic ideals . . . God knows they've been imperfect, to a self identity as loving the United States because we've had these great men in our past, and we've conquered the West, and we can punch you in the nose. And that's not a democratic project. That's like what Putin is doing in Russia.” - Jason Stanley • Masha Gessen: Opinion Columnist, The New York Times; Author, Surviving Autocracy; Distinguished Professor, Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism, CUNY • Jason Stanley: Author, Erasing History & How Fascism Works; Professor, Munk School of Global Affairs, University of Toronto Music Credit: “America” by Sylvan Paul, courtesy of Wolf+Lamb Records. "Steppin" by Podington Bear. And original sound production and design by Jeannie Hopper. RESOURCES: Watch the special report released on YouTube; PBS World Channel August 17th, 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. The full uncut conversation is available as a podcast in this podcast feed. RESOURCES: Watch the broadcast episode cut for time at our YouTube channel and airing on PBS stations across the country Full Episode Notes are located HERE. Related Laura Flanders Show Episodes: •. Special Report- Decades After Bloody Sunday, Is Trump Taking Civil Rights Back to Before Selma in ‘65?: Watch, Audio Podcast: Episode, and Uncut Conversation with Kimberlé Crenshaw, AAPF and Clifford Albright, Black Voters Matter •. Journalists Maria Hinojosa & Chenjerai Kumanyika: Forced Removals, Foreign Detention, the War on Education & Free Speech: Watch, Audio Podcast: Episode, and Uncut Conversation • The People v. DOGE: Jamie Raskin’s Strategy to Combat the Musk & Trump Power Grab: Watch, Audio Podcast: Episode, and Uncut...

Sound the Alarm on Rising Fascism: Masha Gessen and Jason Stanley, leading experts on authoritarianism, warn of attacks on DEI, trans bodies, civil rights, and higher education, and discuss the need for a bold vision of a multi-ethnic democracy. ARE YOU AUDACIOUS? SUPPORT OUR RESISTANCE REPORTING FUND! Help us continue fighting against the rise of authoritarianism in these times. Please support our Resistance Reporting Fund. Our goal is to raise $100K. We're at $35K! Become a sustaining member starting at $5 a month! Or make a one time donation at LauraFlanders.org/Donate Description: What will it take to reject fascism, before it’s too late? Masha Gessen and Jason Stanley are two leading experts on autocracy, and they’re sounding the alarm. They and their families have escaped totalitarian regimes and oppressive governments; today Gessen and Stanley are pulling back the curtain on the attacks against DEI, trans bodies, civil rights, higher education and more. Is authoritarianism here? Masha Gessen is an acclaimed Russian-American journalist, a Polk Award winning opinion writer for the New York Times and the author of "Surviving Autocracy" and “The Future is History: How Totalitarianism Reclaimed Russia.” Forced to leave Russia twice, in 2024, a Moscow court convicted them, in absentia to eight years in prison for their reporting on the war in Ukraine. Jason Stanley is a best-selling author and professor whose books include “Erasing History” and "How Fascism Works". He recently left his teaching position at Yale University to relocate to Canada with his family; noting that he is a child of Jewish refugees who fled Nazi Germany. In this historic conversation — the first interview between Gessen and Stanley — the two explore how to be bold in our movements and envision a multi-ethnic democracy. Plus, a commentary from Laura. “What I see now is this regime shifting the self understanding of America, from having these democratic ideals . . . God knows they've been imperfect, to a self identity as loving the United States because we've had these great men in our past, and we've conquered the West, and we can punch you in the nose. And that's not a democratic project. That's like what Putin is doing in Russia.” - Jason Stanley Guests: • Masha Gessen: Opinion Columnist, The New York Times; Author, Surviving Autocracy; Distinguished Professor, Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism, CUNY • Jason Stanley: Author, Erasing History & How Fascism Works; Professor, Munk School of Global Affairs, University of Toronto Watch the special report released on YouTube; PBS World Channel August 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. 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. RESOURCES: Watch the broadcast episode cut for time at our YouTube channel and airing on PBS stations across the country Full Episode Notes are located HERE. Related Laura Flanders Show Episodes: •. Special Report- Decades After Bloody Sunday, Is Trump Taking Civil Rights Back to Before Selma in ‘65?: Watch, Audio Podcast: Episode, and Uncut Conversation with Kimberlé Crenshaw, AAPF and Clifford Albright, Black Voters Matter •. Journalists Maria Hinojosa & Chenjerai Kumanyika: Forced Removals, Foreign Detention, the War on Education & Free Speech: Watch, Audio Podcast: Episode, and Uncut Conversation • The People v. DOGE: Jamie Raskin’s Strategy to Combat the Musk & Trump Power Grab: Watch, Audio Podcast: Episode, and Uncut Conversation Related Articles and Resources: • This Is What a Digital Coup Looks Like, by Carole Callwalladr, Ted Talk,...

From "Bloody Sunday" to Modern Activism: Civil Rights Leaders Reflect on Legacy This show is made possible thanks our members! To become a sustaining member go to https://LauraFlanders.org/donate Thank you for your continued support! Description: 60 years ago in Selma, Alabama, state troopers beat peaceful protesters bloody on the Edmund Pettus Bridge as they marched for civil rights. The horror of “Bloody Sunday” and the resilience of the Civil Rights Movement ultimately led to the passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act and many of the landmark achievements that are now directly under attack. As civil rights activists look to history to understand — and prepare for — the present, Laura walks the Bridge and talks with, among others, Sheyann Webb Christburg, who marched at the age of eight, Black Voters Matter co-founders LaTosha Brown and Clifford Albright; law professor and author Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw and Maya Wiley, President and CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. What does people power look like today? Plus, a commentary from Laura on name calling then and now. “We're not going to phone bank our way out of this. We're not going to text our way out of this. And in truth, we're not even going to vote our way out of this . . . It's going to take revisiting some of the same strategies that we saw here in Selma, in terms of nonviolent civil disobedience and direct action.” - Clifford Albright “When we see and hear and think about fascism, we think about anti-democratic movements in Europe. We think about the Holocaust . . . But for Black people, as Langston Hughes said, you don't have to explain to us what fascism is. We experienced it. That is what we were fighting, for the 60, 70 years after Reconstruction was overthrown.” - Kimberlé Crenshaw Guests: • Clifford Albright: Co-Founder & Executive Director, Black Voters Matter • Willard and Kiba Armstead: Veteran & Spouse • Trayvon Bossa: Sigma Chapter Member, Miles College Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity • LaTosha Brown: Co-Founder, Black Voters Matter • Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw: Co-Founder & Executive Director, African American Policy Forum; Host of the Intersectionality Matters! Podcast • Noelle Damico: Director of Social Justice, The Workers Circle • Melinda Hicks: Military Family • Jaribu Hill: Executive Director & Founder, Mississippi Workers’ Center for Human Rights • Myla Person: Jack and Jill Club, Columbus, Georgia • Ann Toback: CEO, The Workers Circle • Sheyann Webb-Christburg: Youngest Participant,1965 Bloody Sunday March • Maya Wiley: President & CEO, Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights Watch the broadcast episode cut for time at our YouTube channel and airing on PBS stations across the country Subscribe to episode notes via Patreon Music Credit: "Tremole" "Jagged" "Thrum of Soil" & "Dawn Summit" by Blue Dot Sessions from the album Empty Outpost. "Steppin" by Podington Bear. And original sound production and design by Jeannie Hopper. Podcast Endorsement: Intersectionality Matters! Podcast Related Laura Flanders Show Episodes: • Rep. John Lewis on Making Justice from Selma to the Present, Watch • Kimberlé Crenshaw & Soledad O’Brien Call Out the Media on Critical Race Theory, Watch / Listen / Download Podcast • Reporting on Policing at the Polls & BIPOC Voter Suppression in 2024, Watch / Listen/Download Podcast: Full Uncut Conversation and Episode • Deciding the Fate of Democracy in North Carolina, Watch / Download Podcast • The Georgia Way: Strategies that Work for Winning Elections, Watch / Listen/Download Podcast: Full Uncut Conversation and Episode Related Articles and Resources: • Anniversary of ‘Bloody Sunday’ Marks Continued Fight for Voting Rights, by Temi Adeoye, March 24, 2025, ACLU • U.S. Civil Rights Trail, Learn More • United State of Amnesia, The Real History of Critical Race Theory, Hosted by Kimberlé Crenshaw Podcast Mini Series • Documentary Trailer: “Love, Joy, and Power:...

“When we see and hear and think about fascism, we think about anti-democratic movements in Europe. We think about the Holocaust . . . But for Black people, as Langston Hughes said, you don't have to explain to us what fascism is. We experienced it. That is what we were fighting, for the 60, 70 years after Reconstruction was overthrown.” - Kimberlé Crenshaw This show is made possible by you! To become a sustaining member go to https://LauraFlanders.org/donate Thank you for your continued support! Description [Rewind]: The following podcast features full uncut conversations with Law Professor Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw, an American civil rights advocate and leading scholar of critical race theory. She’s the Co-Founder of African American Policy Forum and the host of the podcast Intersectionality Matters! that includes the series “United States of Amnesia, the real history of critical race theory. Also, you’ll hear the uncut conversation with Clifford Albright, the co-founder of Black Voters Matter, one of the most significant organizations working for voters rights in the U.S.. Clips from both interviews are featured in our special report from Selma, Alabama where Americans marked the 60th anniversary of the Selma to Montgomery marches amidst a hail of executive orders by Trump reversing many of the gains of the Civil Rights movement and banning anti-discrimination measures and even the teaching of Civil Rights history. These audio exclusives are made possible thanks to our member supporters. (originally released spring 2025) Guests: • Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw: Co-Founder & Executive Director, African American Policy Forum; Host of the "Intersectionality Matters!" Podcast. • Clifford Albright: Co-Founder & Executive Director, Black Voters Matter 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. RESOURCES: Watch the broadcast episode cut for time at our YouTube channel and airing on PBS stations across the country Full Episode Notes are located HERE. Related Laura Flanders Show Episodes: • Rep. John Lewis on Making Justice from Selma to the Present, Watch • Kimberlé Crenshaw & Soledad O’Brien Call Out the Media on Critical Race Theory, Watch / Listen / Download Podcast • Reporting on Policing at the Polls & BIPOC Voter Suppression in 2024, Watch / Listen/Download Podcast: Full Uncut Conversation and Episode • Deciding the Fate of Democracy in North Carolina, Watch / Download Podcast • The Georgia Way: Strategies that Work for Winning Elections, Watch / Listen/Download Podcast: Full Uncut Conversation and Episode Related Articles and Resources: • Anniversary of ‘Bloody Sunday’ Marks Continued Fight for Voting Rights, by Temi Adeoye, March 24, 2025, ACLU • U.S. Civil Rights Trail, 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: 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

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.”...