We've Got Issues
135 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 1 year ago - ★★★★★ - 22 ratingsFocusing on issues, not tweets, Joshua Holland talks politics and culture with newsmakers, journalists and academics.
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Episodes
Ithaca Mayor Svante Myrick: 'Nobody did more to defund the police than Donald Trump'
May 21, 2021 04:00 - 59 minutes - 54.2 MBThere's spin, there's shading the truth and then there are brazen lies that aren't even remotely grounded in reality. Joshua Holland kicks off this week's show with a look at our post-truth Republican Party. Then we're joined by Svante Myrick, the mayor of Ithaca, New York, who is leading one of the most ambitious efforts in the country--one that might prove to be a model for other communities. And then Wall Street Journal reporter Drew Hinshaw brings us a bizarre but surprisingly commo...
Judd Legum: Republicans are using 'mob-style tactics' to advance voter suppression laws
May 14, 2021 04:00 - 53 minutes - 48.8 MBThis week, Joshua Holland kicks off the show with a look at some consequential falsehoods being peddled about the state of the economy. Then we're joined by Judd Legum, who writes Popular Information, to talk about how corporate America is trying to move past the January 6 insurrection under intense pressure from the GOP. And then Alex Kane, a contributor to 972 Mag and and Jewish Currents, talks to us about why the outburst of violence currently engulfing Israel and Palestine is unlike ...
Everything you thought you knew about Trump and white working-class voters is wrong
May 07, 2021 04:00 - 48 minutes - 44.2 MBJoshua Holland kicks off this week's show by throwing some shade on the idea that there is a "civil war" raging within the GOP. Then we're joined by journalist and author Natasha Lennard to talk about the right's latest phony threat, critical race theory, and the very real danger of white backlash politics. And then Vanderbilt University political scientist Noam Lupu shatters some very widespread myths about Donald Trump's performance among white working-class voters. Playlist Southe...
Conservative media's latest big lie is a sinister myth of American cities burning
April 23, 2021 04:42 - 53 minutes - 49.1 MBJoshua Holland kicks off this week's show with a look at the bizarre alternative universe right-wing politicians and their alternative media has created where peaceful demonstrations are always reported as violent riots. This kind of propaganda has a far-reaching impact given that most cops believe it. Then we're joined by economist Dean Baker from the Center for Economic Policy and Research to talk about the newly robust economy that is set to really flourish when we get enough people vac...
Civil rights attorney: Daunte Wright's killing is the 'inevitable consequence' of bad policing
April 16, 2021 04:00 - 1 hour - 60 MBThis week, Joshua Holland kicks off the show with a look at how Biden continues to enjoy bipartisan support as long as you count Republican voters and not elected officials. Then we're joined by civil rights attorney Tahir Duckett to help us process the Derek Chauvin murder trial and the purportedly "accidental" killing of Daunte Wright just miles away. And finally, we speak with journalist Katelyn Burns about what's behind a spate of nasty, gratuitous anti-trans bills being pushed throu...
Glenn Kirschner: Convicting Trump of negligent homicide is 'entirely doable'
April 09, 2021 04:00 - 55 minutes - 50.7 MBThis week, Joshua Holland kicks off the show with a look at how the right has completely dropped the mask and is openly saying that we would be better off if fewer people voted. Then we're joined by Glenn Kirschner, a former federal prosecutor and legal analyst for NBC, to talk about how corporate America is pushing back on Republican efforts to make it harder to vote--and how Trump may well be held accountable for his ham-fisted but nonetheless dangerous attempts to overturn the results o...
The tawdry, bizarre Matt Gaetz scandal has unleashed so much schadenfreude
April 02, 2021 04:00 - 1 hour - 56.7 MBThis week, Joshua Holland kicks off the show with a look at how conservative dark money groups are running scared at the thought of Democratic electoral reforms. Then we're joined by The Washington Post's Paul Waldman to talk about Joe Biden's big infrastructure and jobs bill, and the rapidly changing politics in Congress. Finally, we welcome Kaili Joy Gray, executive editor of The American Independent, to run through the bizarre scandal that has engulfed performative wingnut Congressman...
Media malpractice and a border crisis that wasn't
March 26, 2021 04:00 - 1 hour - 55 MBThis week, we're joined by Alex Shephard, a staff writer at The New Republic, to talk about why the legacy media fell so hard for a demonstrably false conservative narrative about the Biden administration's policies creating a "crisis" at our southern border. Are they just trying to demonstrate to Trump's supporters that they're going to be tough on Biden, or is something else going on? And will crying "border crisis" work for conservatives this time? Then we welcome Stephanie Langel, a re...
Are Trump's own Deep State loyalists fabricating a crisis at the Mexican border?
March 19, 2021 04:00 - 52 minutes - 48.4 MBThis week, Joshua Holland warns that Democrats had better get to the bottom of a disturbing report that suggests Customs and Border Protection officials are intentionally creating a border "crisis" to hurt Joe Biden's presidency. Then we check in with Eric Boehlert, who writes PressRun, for his insights about the legacy media's early coverage of the Biden administration after four years of struggling to properly report on the Trump regime. And finally, Joan McCarter from Daily Kos joins ...
Study finds Democrats and Republicans actually do live in different worlds
March 12, 2021 05:00 - 1 hour - 57.6 MBJoshua Holland kicks off this week's show lamenting the fact that the same people who insist on opening everything up and rail against wearing masks are now threatening to keep America from achieving herd immunity by refusing to get vaccinated against Covid-19. Then we are joined by Ryan Enos, a professor of government at Harvard University, to talk about his granular study on partisan "sorting"--with Democrats and Republicans increasingly living in the same areas. Enos and his colleague c...
Republicans are flooding the zone with phony outrages
March 05, 2021 00:00 - 57 minutes - 52.4 MBThis week, right-wingers were outraged over an inaccurate report that Hasbro was making Mr Potato Head gender-neutral, furious that Dr. Suess's estate decided to stop publishing a handful of his books and offended by Joe Biden claiming that Republican governors who rejected public health officials warnings and lifted their states' mask mandates were engaged in "Neanderthal thinking." Joshua Holland finds their never-ending supply of nontroversies exhausting. Then we're joined by Tess Owen...
Ari Berman on the new Jim Crow | GOP desperate to move on from Jan 6
February 26, 2021 00:00 - 59 minutes - 54.5 MBAri Berman, a reporter at Mother Jones and author of Give Us the Ballot: The Modern Struggle for Voting Rights in America, joins us to talk about how Republicans are capitalizing on Donald Trump's lies about the 2020 election being stolen to redouble their efforts to make it more difficult to vote-- and why those efforts might just fail. Then we welcome Salon columnist (and OG blogger) Heather "Digby" Parton to the show to talk about, among other things, Republican efforts to deflect from ...
Will a handful of Democratic Senators keep Mitch McConnell in the driver's seat?
February 19, 2021 00:00 - 1 hour - 56.1 MBWe kick off this week's show with a look at the immigration reform bill Democrats unveiled this week, which will likely be a key test of Joe Biden's belief that he can get legislation passed through the Senate with bipartisan support. Then we're joined by Leah Greenberg, co-founder of Indivisible, to talk about the vitally important fight for democratic reforms. Greenberg was one of a handful of former Congressional staffers whose analysis of the Tea Party movement's success under Obama pro...
Senate expert explains why the Democrats must kill the filibuster this year
February 12, 2021 00:00 - 1 hour - 64.1 MBWe kick off this week's show with a look at what should be another blockbuster story of corruption during the Trump regime, when senior political appointees at William Barr's Department of Justice allegedly obstructed justice to protect Rudy Giuliani even as he sought to overturn Trump's loss. Then we're joined by Adam Jentleson, a former staffer for then-Democratic Senate Leader Harry Reid and the author of Kill Switch: The Rise of the Modern Senate and the Crippling of American Democrac...
Imani Gandy on impeachment | Study finds that insecure men are drawn to right-wing politics
February 05, 2021 00:00 - 59 minutes - 54.7 MBThis week, we kick things off with Republicans in disarray, as the vestigial traditionalists struggle to prevent Marjorie Taylor Greene from becoming the leader of their party. Then we're joined by Rewire News Group's Imani Gandy to talk about the second impeachment of Donald Trump and the unusual feeling that Democrats have learned from recent years that they can't let Republicans bog down their agenda. And finally, we welcome Eric Knowles, a social psychologist at NYU, to talk about a ...
Rep. John Sarbanes: Our fight to restore American democracy begins now
January 29, 2021 00:00 - 58 minutes - 53.2 MBThis week, we're joined by David Neiwert, the author of Red Pill, Blue Pill: How to Counteract the Conspiracy Theories That Are Killing Us, to talk about the heartbreak of losing a loved one to the QAnon cult--or down similar rabbit holes--and why it's so difficult to bring them back to the real world. This is something that social psychologists really need to figure out, because these conspiracy theories are ripping our society apart. And then we welcome Rep. John Sarbanes (D-MD) to te...
What can Biden do with a 50-50 Senate? | Why failed coups are often followed by success
January 22, 2021 00:00 - 1 hour - 57.3 MBThis week, Joshua Holland kicks off our first show after the curtain fell on Donald Trump's failed presidency with a rant about the right's maddening weaponization of Joe Biden's promise to promote healing and unity. Then we're joined by Slate's Jordan Weissmann to talk about what the new administration can and probably can't achieve with an evenly divided Senate if they don't eliminate the filibuster. And finally, we speak Ruth Ben-Ghiat, a historian at NYU and the author of Strong...
Will America face an 'ongoing insurgency' by MAGA cultists?
January 15, 2021 00:00 - 56 minutes - 52 MBThere's one one story that matters this week. First, we're joined by Crooks and Liars Managing Editor Karoli Kuns to talk about the second impeachment of Donald Trump, and where the MAGA insurgency might go from here. Then we speak with Nicholas Grossman, a professor of international relations at the University of Illinois and senior editor at Ars Technica, about how the far right got the attention of the real deep state--America's sprawling national security bureaucracy--with last...
An insurgency of dunces: Adele Stan on the deadly Capitol Hill MAGA riot
January 08, 2021 00:00 - 39 minutes - 36 MBJoshua Holland kicks off this week's show marveling at the emotional rollercoaster of winning two Senate runoffs in Georgia just before Trump incited a violent insurgency that shook the country. Then we are joined by Adele Stan, director of Rightwing Watch, to talk about what went down in DC, and some of the likely ramifications of what Senator Chuck Schumer called another "day of infamy" in America's history.
Mike Rothschild: Where does QAnon go after Joe Biden is sworn in?
December 24, 2020 00:00 - 44 minutes - 40.7 MBLiz Preza and Joshua Holland kick off our final show of 2020 with a look at what may be the single most outrageous thing Donald Trump has done as president. Then we're joined by Mike Rothschild, a writer and researcher tracking the increasingly mainstream far-right conspiracy complex, to talk about how the QAnon movement became so widely distributed and where it will go once Donald Trump's ludicrous coup attempt is foiled.
How Joe Biden could box out Mitch McConnell and advance a progressive agenda
December 18, 2020 00:00 - 32 minutes - 29.3 MBThis week, we're joined by David Dayen, executive editor at The American Prospect, to talk about how the Biden administration could interpret existing laws to get around GOP obstruction in the Senate and deliver real progress on healthcare, wages, the environment and a host of other problems facing the American people.
Trump is sabotaging the Biden administration on his way out the door
December 11, 2020 00:00 - 25 minutes - 23.5 MBThis week, we're joined by ProPublica reporter Lydia DePillis to discuss Donald Trump's efforts to "burrow" loyalists into the federal civil service and pass or finalize a slew of federal rule changes that threaten to bog down a new administration even as he refuses to acknowledge his defeat.
Jeff Hauser: Joe Biden's putting together the most progressive team in the modern era
December 04, 2020 00:00 - 49 minutes - 44.9 MBWe kick off the show with a look at what was truly a banner week in right-wing tantrums, with Trump lambasting Attorney General Bill Barr for not backing his election fraud conspiracy theories, a civil war breaking out in conservative media over the upcoming Senate runoff races in Georgia and recently pardoned former General Michal Flynn joining calls for Trump to suspend the Constitution and declare martial law. Then we're joined by Jeff Hauser, director of The Revolving Door Project a...
Sarah Ovaska on witnessing voter suppression by cops: 'I've never seen the type of aggression I saw'
November 26, 2020 00:00 - 46 minutes - 42.7 MBThis week, Cliff Schecter is our guest host while Joshua Holland and Elizabeth Preza have the week off. Cliff speaks with Kim Lawson, senior editor at Courier, to talk about President-elect Joe Biden's win in Georgia and the state's upcoming Senate run-off elections. Then, Cardinal & Pine reporter Sarah Ovaska gives a firsthand account after witnessing voter suppression by law enforcement in North Carolina. Cliff Schecter was an ad maker--through his firm Blue Amp Strategies--for Presiden...
Kevin Kruse: America is in uncharted waters with Trump's crackpot coup attempt
November 20, 2020 09:30 - 39 minutes - 36.4 MBLiz Preza and Joshua Holland kick off this week's show lamenting how utterly exhausting it is that the Donald Trump show just keeps dragging on and on like a horror movie monster that just won't die. They also look at a wild presser by the few remaining lawyers still working for the regime, who are not the best and brightest. Then we're joined by Princeton historian Kevin Kruse to put this crucial moment in America's often turbulent history into some perspective.
Heather 'Digby' Parton: Top Republicans enabled Trump's presidency and can never be forgiven
November 05, 2020 23:00 - 53 minutes - 49 MBThis week, we talk about election, the election and then discuss some details about the 2020 election. There's no other news anyway. Liz Preza and Joshua Holland kick things off recounting the emotional roller-coaster rides they took on Tuesday night. And then Salon columnist Heather "Digby" Parton joins us to talk about Trump's ham-fisted attempt to steal it, how Dems countered, the new Tea Party movement demanding that ballots be counted or not counted, depending on the state, an...
Did a Deep State dog eat Tucker Carlson's homework?
October 29, 2020 23:00 - 48 minutes - 44.6 MBThis week, Liz Preza and Joshua Holland talk about two murders — one imaginary and the other metaphorical — and the mysterious disappearance and miraculous discovery of some top secret Hunter Biden papers that Fox News host Tucker Carlson is certain will swing the election to Trump. Then we're joined by John Stoehr of The Editorial Board to talk about the most stressful election of our lifetimes.
Oliver Willis: If Trump Loses, the GOP will pretend they never heard of him
October 22, 2020 23:00 - 48 minutes - 44 MBLiz Preza and Joshua Holland kick off this week's show by recoiling in horror at the thought of sexy-time with Rudy Giuliani -- and by wondering if Borat will end up saving the republic. Then we're joined by Oliver Willis, a senior writer at The American Independent, for a wide-ranging discussion of what a post-Trump GOP might look like, and what Democrats should and definitely not learn from Trump if they manage to regain power in January. (And Joshua continues his tireless campaign lo...
Jill Filipovic watched the Amy Coney Barrett hearings so we wouldn't have to
October 15, 2020 23:00 - 51 minutes - 47.5 MBThis week, Liz Preza and Joshua Holland talk about Rudy Giuliani's clumsy attempt to make an October Surprise out of Hunter Biden's emails and the predictable outrage from the right when the legacy media didn't run with it like they did Uranium One four years ago. Then we're joined by attorney and CNN columnist Jill Filipovic to discuss Amy Coney Barrett's confirmation hearings and what a 6-3 Court with Neil Gorsuch serving as the median vote might actually look like.
Greg Sargent: Is Mitch McConnell manipulating Trump to kill Covid relief and stick Biden with a devastated economy?
October 08, 2020 23:00 - 58 minutes - 53.7 MBThis week, Liz Preza and Joshua Holland survey the damage from Wednesday's unpleasant vice presidential debate, and talk about Trump bailing on the second presidential wrangle. Then we're joined by Greg Sargent from The Washington Post to talk about how Trump contracting Covid has devastated his campaign, why seniors are fleeing the GOP and how Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell may have concluded that Trump is going to lose and is setting up a new Tea Party movement for a Biden pre...
David Cay Johnston: Trump is going to be convicted of financial crimes
October 01, 2020 23:00 - 51 minutes - 46.7 MBThis week, Liz Preza and Joshua Holland kick off the show with a sad, very disappointed look at the nightmarish first -- and in a perfect world, last -- debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump. Then we're joined by Pulitzer Prize-winning author David Cay Johnston to talk about what we learned from -- and may yet discover in the future -- the New York Times' getting its hands on years of Donald Trump's taxes.
Jessica Pieklo: 'I'm now fully radicalized' for court packing after Trump's SCOTUS power grab
September 24, 2020 23:00 - 46 minutes - 42.6 MBThis week, Joshua Holland kicks off the show arguing that Trump's relentless attempts to delegitimize the election--and recent refusal to commit to a peaceful transfer of power if he loses--are not only part of a strategy to sow chaos and doubt but also an effort to demoralize Democratic voters and suppress their turnout. Then we're joined by Jessica Mason Pieklo, senior vice president and executive editor at the Rewire News Group, to talk about the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the GOP...
Eric Feigl-Ding: 'Almost our entire epidemic could have been prevented'
September 17, 2020 23:00 - 52 minutes - 48.4 MBWe kick off this week's show with a look at Attorney General Bill Barr's push to prosecute Democratic elected officials and charge protesters with sedition, and his preemptive defense of meddling in criminal cases for corrupt purposes. This is all getting really bad and scary, but there is a path out. Then we're joined by epidemiologist Eric Feigl-Ding, a senior fellow at the Federation of American Scientists, to talk about where we are in the Covid-19 pandemic, where we could have been,...
The most important things people are overlooking in the most important election of our lives
September 10, 2020 23:00 - 52 minutes - 48.1 MBThis week, Joshua Holland kicks off the show with a discussion of the ripple effects that resulted from Trump lying to the American people about the dangers of Covid-19, and a look at how Bill Barr's DOJ isn't the only federal agency being corrupted to aid Trump's re-election campaign. Then we're joined by Daniel Nichanian, founding editor of The Appeal: Political Report, to run down the state and local races, judicial contests and referenda that will shape America's political landscape...
Dean Baker on why Wall Street is blazing amid a brutal recession for Main Street
August 27, 2020 23:00 - 45 minutes - 42 MBLiz Preza and Joshua Holland aren't easily shocked, but the conservatives' vile defenses of police shooting Jacob Blake seven times in the back as his children watched in horror, and then of a 17-year old "militia" member murdering two protesters, did the trick. Then we're joined by Dean Baker, co-director of the Center for Economic Policy and Research, to talk about the unusually wide divide between the stock market and the real economy, why Americans will get fleeced for a vaccine lik...