Make It Plain with Mark Thompson

Cecily Myart-Cruz is the President of United Teachers Los Angeles (and the first woman of color to hold the position) and as both a teacher and a parent, she understands the frustrations of at-home learning and the pressing desire to get kids back into schools. But she says there’s much to be considered first -- like how often students should take standardized tests in the coming year, for example. Los Angeles has become one of the models that districts across the country are looking to as they lay plans to return to the classroom, and Cecily discusses how she’s working with challenges presented specifically to Black and Brown students as schools reopen. Executive Producer: Adell Coleman Producer: Brittany Temple Distributor: DCP Entertainment For additional content: makeitplain.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

It’s that time again for Chad Stone, Chief Economist at the Center on Budget and Policy Priority, returns for his monthly status report on our economy. There is good news out of March’s jobs report, but as always, there’s many layers to understanding what it means. Chad breaks down unemployment rate vs. jobs added (which is reported by employers) and why the rate is not the best indicator on joblessness. He also lets us know what’s happening within each demographic in the report, and answers the question of if we’re finally on a trajectory of recovery after a year of losses. Executive Producer: Adell Coleman Producer: Brittany Temple Distributor: DCP Entertainment For additional content: makeitplain.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Ian Millhiser a Senior Correspondent at Vox, where he focuses on the Supreme Court, the Constitution, and the decline of liberal democracy in the United States, and his expertise on the courts is what fills out his new book, “The Agenda: How a Republican Supreme Court Is Reshaping America.” The agenda he’s speaking of is dangerous to voting rights and beyond, all at the hands of the one branch of government that is not elected by the people -- and it’s more problematic than you might assume. Since Trump appointed more than 200 federal judges, Ian helps us unpack some of the more troubling rulings they’ve come down with, and why their general unpredictability is high-risk for the rest of us. Executive Producer: Adell Coleman Producer: Brittany Temple Distributor: DCP Entertainment For additional content: makeitplain.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Lawmakers say this level of gun violence, with mass shootings occurring almost daily, “should not become the new normal,” but Brian Lemek says we’ve already reached that point. Brian is the Executive Director at Brady PAC, the sister organization/political arm of Brady, the nation’s oldest gun violence prevention advocacy group. In today’s episode, he explains how senators could be passing legislation right now to make it harder to buy a gun, but it’s stalled in the senate. So what (or who) is standing in the way? Brian breaks it down and fills us in on a surprising piece of information that he believes is proof that the NRA is on it’s way out. Executive Producer: Adell Coleman Producer: Brittany Temple Distributor: DCP Entertainment For additional content: makeitplain.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

President Biden unveiled his infrastructure plan, and it’s no surprise the GOP is upset about the corporate tax hike; but Markos Moulitsas, Founder of DailyKos, Civiqs, and Host of “The Brief” podcast, points out what’s interesting about their hypocrisy this time around, and why Republicans are having zero luck treating Biden as an “other.” Markos also digs into the latest with the filibuster, where “centrists” like Senators Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema stand, and what could come from the latest attempts at voter suppression in Georgia. Executive Producer: Adell Coleman Producer: Brittany Temple Distributor: DCP Entertainment For additional content: makeitplain.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Anti-Asian racism is on the rise and Roshni Nedungadi has the numbers to back it up. She’s the Founding Partner, Chief Research Officer, and COO of HIT Strategies, a leading millennial and minority-owned public opinion research firm on Capitol Hill, and one of the few AAPI (Asian American and Pacific Islander) pollsters in America. In today’s episode she shares the startling truth found in a survey done in Michigan last month, where 40-percent of the Asian population either experienced anti-Asian racism personally or knows someone who did. But at the same time, the numbers show Asian people turning out in record numbers in the battleground state. At HIT Strategies, they’re working to better understand communities and their varying priorities when it comes to battling discrimination and gaining political power to make change. Executive Producer: Adell Coleman Producer: Brittany Temple Distributor: DCP Entertainment For additional content: makeitplain.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPriva

One of the most common reasons a person does not leave a domestic violence situation is because they don’t have the cash to do it. At FreeFrom, an organization dedicated to knocking down the barriers that prevent domestic violence survivors from holding economic and community power, Tannia Ventura and the team work to get direct cash payments to survivors so they regain their power. Tannia is the Director of Service Provider Engagement and Education and in today’s episode, we learn the ins and outs of getting those cash payments to survivors, how to heal the implicit mistrust of survivors when they ask for what they need, and what are the hopes and fears for the $5 billion dollars pledged by the Biden administration to supply cash payments directly to survivors. Mark and Tannia also dig into the fact that domestic violence needs to be solved at the community level and should not solely be the task of independent organizations, and what FreeFrom found in their independent research collected from surveying 1,00

Reopening schools is just one of the challenges that lie ahead for teachers, students, and parents. Randi Weingarten is President of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and she explains that it’s not solely about getting caught up with academics; kids need healing from the traumas of the pandemic and should get back on track with human interaction and most importantly, having fun. Randi also shares her recommendations on summer sessions vs. private tutoring. Executive Producer: Adell Coleman Producer: Brittany Temple Distributor: DCP Entertainment For additional content: makeitplain.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Gun violence is centered in the national conversation once again, in light of the mass shootings in Atlanta, Boulder, and Chicago. Igor Volsky is the Co-Founder and the Executive Director of Guns Down America, and yesterday, his organization teamed up with other leaders and organizations in the fight against gun violence to launch a coalition letter to President Biden, calling on him to take immediate action. Mark and Igor are then joined by Pastor Michael McBride of fundpeacenow.com. Pastor Mike is one of the parties signed on to the coalition, and he expands on the myriad of ways gun violence shows up in communities and how creativity is needed when applying pressure on D.C. to work harder on gun legislation reform. Executive Producer: Adell Coleman Producer: Brittany Temple Distributor: DCP Entertainment For additional content: makeitplain.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

As more people gain access to the coronavirus vaccine, we’re bringing you insight from a panel discussion with leaders of both medicine and faith. Moderated by our own Mark Thompson, the panelists explore how the vaccine works, community fears and hesitations, and what outstanding questions remain. Panelists: Dr. James K. Hildreth, President of Meharry Medical College; Rev. A. Oveta Fuller, Associate Professor of Microbiology and Immunology at Michigan Medical School; Dr. Chu Chu Onwauchi-Saunders, Pediatrician and Medical Epidemiologist; Rev. Dr. Gary V. Simpson, Leading Pastor at Concord Baptist Church of Christ Executive Producer: Adell Coleman Producer: Brittany Temple Distributor: DCP Entertainment For additional content: makeitplain.com  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

There’s money to be made in keeping Americans unhealthy, and Dr. Nicholas Freudenberg is pulling back the curtain on the links between our collectively declining health and capitalism. Dr. Freudenberg is a public health practitioner and distinguished professor at CUNY School of Public Health, and his new book is titled “At What Cost: Modern Capitalism and the Future of Health.” In today’s episode, we get a lesson on the specific ways capitalism has both changed over the last 30 years and is harming both human and planetary health. With corporations focused squarely on their returns, and simultaneously having veto power over public policy, Dr. Freudenberg highlights the ways they are putting profits before human lives and what we can do to reverse the deadly effects. Executive Producer: Adell Coleman Producer: Brittany Temple Distributor: DCP Entertainment For additional content: makeitplain.com  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivac

The people of Minneapolis want change, and the activists at Reclaim the Block are going to bring it. D.A. Bullock is a filmmaker and a Communications Team Member with Reclaim the Block in Minneapolis, where they reimagine public safety and lay groundwork for defunding the police. As the trial of police officer Derek Chauvin unfolds and we remember George Floyd's murder, as well as countless others that weren’t caught on film, D.A. and Mark discuss the specific changes that could make a community safer with a reduced police presence. Executive Producer: Adell Coleman Producer: Brittany Temple Distributor: DCP Entertainment For additional content: makeitplain.com  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

The For the People Act (H.R. 1) passed in the House and is now headed to the Senate. What does that mean for you, the voter? Tiffany Muller is the President of End Citizens United (endcitizensunited.org) and she explains that, at a time when our voting rights are under constant threat, it’s a crucial time to pass this bill and she gives specific instructions on how you can play your part. She also gives us the scoop on how this bill addresses voter access, election integrity, election security, political spending, and ethics for the three branches of government. She also shares how this bill is tied to maintaining the House majority in 2022. Executive Producer: Adell Coleman Producer: Brittany Temple Distributor: DCP Entertainment For additional content: makeitplain.com  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Eric Boehlert, Writer and Publisher of Pressrun.media, is not surprised by the mainstream media’s normalization of the GOP’s voter suppression tactics over recent weeks, but that doesn’t mean he’s going to stop calling them out for it. Eric points to the ways Republicans continue to evade accountability (and common decency) while the press plays nice. But not even Fox news is having success in igniting an opposition against President Biden. Executive Producer: Adell Coleman Producer: Brittany Temple Distributor: DCP Entertainment For additional content: makeitplain.com  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Following the horrific and racist attack on Asian women in Atlanta, Markos Moulitsas of DailyKos, Civiqs, and podcast “The Brief,” is back to explain how not only are hate crimes against Asians at an all-time high, but law enforcement contributes to the problem by downplaying the motive of the shooter (or in the case of the Capitol riots, taking selfies with insurrectionists). He also lets us know what Mitch McConnell is up to, why he had a temper tantrum on the senate floor this week, and where we stand on the filibuster & D.C. statehood. Executive Producer: Adell Coleman Producer: Brittany Temple Distributor: DCP Entertainment For additional content: makeitplain.com  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

What’s the likelihood of an American experiencing poverty? Turns out, it’s the majority. That’s what Mark Rank covers in his new book (co-authored by Lawrence Eppard and Heather Bullock) out now, “Poorly Understood: What Americans Get Wrong About Poverty.” There’s a common misconception that poverty is an issue of “them” when it’s really about “us” -- not an individual failing, but a structural one. How does that play out in our society and economy? Mark explains that, and what can be done to make systemic changes, in this eye-opening episode. Executive Producer: Adell Coleman Producer: Brittany Temple Distributor: DCP Entertainment For additional content: makeitplain.com  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Closing out our coverage of the 56th Bridge Crossing Jubilee in Selma, Mark speaks with Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr., who details the significance of Selma to both himself and the country-at-large. Mark is then joined by Ilyasah Shabaaz, daughter of Malcolm X and Betty Shabazz, as well as author, community organizer, and activist. Executive Producer: Adell Coleman Producer: Brittany Temple Distributor: DCP Entertainment For additional content: makeitplain.com  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Rev. Dr. Willian J. Barber II of the Poor People’s Campaign joined the discussion in Selma last weekend to draw the startling connection between poverty and voting rights. In this episode, Rev. Barber reminds us of the racist Southern Strategy from the 1960s and how it played out with not just Trump’s win, but continues to appear in the GOP’s ongoing efforts to suppress the vote of poor people and people of color. Executive Producer: Adell Coleman Producer: Brittany Temple Distributor: DCP Entertainment For additional content: makeitplain.com  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Continuing our discussion and commemoration of the historic Bloody Sunday, Mark spoke with Martin Luther King III while in Selma about his father’s legacy playing out in 2020. He shares his thoughts on his father’s teachings applied today and how he might feel about all that has unfolded in the last year in the fight for racial justice. Executive Producer: Adell Coleman Producer: Brittany Temple Distributor: DCP Entertainment For additional content: makeitplain.com  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

While in Selma last weekend commemorating 56 years since the historic Bloody Sunday, Mark moderated a panel discussion on voting rights and H.R. 40 with LaTosha Brown of Black Voters Matter, Pastor Michael McBride of the Black Church PAC, and Rev. Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr. of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (BlackPressUSA.com). This conversation pulls no punches in detailing what we are up against, but these strategy-experts know what it takes to combat voter suppression and they’re here to fire you up and ready you for the fight. Executive Producer: Adell Coleman Producer: Brittany Temple Distributor: DCP Entertainment For additional content: makeitplain.com  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy