Make It Plain with Mark Thompson

The vaccine is rolling out across the country and Dr. Keren Landman is back to discuss the common myths, conspiracies, and legitimate fears and concerns you may have about its quality, testing and approval process, and more. 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

Basketball coaching giant John Thompson’s posthumously published autobiography is out today and Mark is joined by co-author Jesse Washington and star point guard for Thompson’s championship Hoya’s Michael Jackson. Jesse shares his first meeting with Coach, how he landed the position of co-author on the book, and how he challenged him as a writer throughout the experience. Michael also shares his experience playing on Coach’s team and how he was ever the teacher, giving his most important lessons off the court. 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

Hunger is a solvable problem, but charity is not the only answer. Alison Cohen, Sr. Director of Programs at WhyHunger and Rob Robinson, Co-Founder of of the Leadership Committee to Take Back the Land Movement, are on today to discuss this year’s Hungerthon, which is squarely focused on the fact that COVID-19 has worsened the state of access to food and the right to housing in the United States. 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

Should Tom Vilsack return to his position as the Secretary of Agriculture, despite already spending 8 years in the position? Lloyd Wright says no. He worked with the United States Department of Agriculture for 37 years, serving as the Director of the Office of Civil Rights, among other positions, and has firsthand knowledge of what Vilsack’s tenure was like. He penned a letter to the Biden administration opposing the nomination, making the case that Vilsack did not act in the best interest of African-Americans. He gives us his detailed explanation in today’s 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

Markos Moulitsas, Founder of DailyKos and Civiqs, is back to discuss the latest rejection Trump has received, this one courtesy of the Supreme Court of the United States when they shut down the Pennsylvania lawsuit asking them to overturn Biden's win. Markos also gets into Biden asking congressional Democrats to waive one of the requirements for defense secretary nominee in order to get Lloyd Austin in the position, as well as his nomination of Tom Vilsack for Agricultural Secretary, and of course, a Georgia runoff election update. 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 November jobs report is out and job creation has slowed yet again. On top of that, programs from the CARES Act are due to expire at the end of December, and there will be fewer seasonal jobs available this holiday season. Chad Stone, Chief Economist at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, is back to break it all down. 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

Jesse Barba is The Young Invincibles’ Senior Director of External Affairs and today he introduces us to “The Path Forward,” which includes 40 policy proposals for political and institutional leaders that were created by young people, for young people. Jesse walks us through two crucial components of the plan, which the organization hopes will be embraced by the Biden administration: student debt forgiveness across all borrowers and universal healthcare. 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

Racial justice should be the center of every discussion, and the NAACP is making sure that’s happening as Biden builds out his administration. The organization’s President and CEO Derrick Johnson tells us today why securing a meeting was of the utmost importance before inauguration day and what’s on the critical agenda. 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 National Bar Association (NBA) is leading the charge in Georgia in representing Black Voters Matter Fund, Transformative Justice Coalition and the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, in the lawsuit against the illegal purging of almost 200,000 voters by the Georgia Secretary of State. NBA President CK Hoffler is on today to explain what's happening ahead of the historic runoff election. 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

Daily Kos founder Markos Moultisas talks about the constituencies of color that flipped GA in November and whether they can do it again in January. Also, Markos and Mark discuss what impact Trump and his base of voters might have on the GA runoffs, as well as pay for pardons, and the need for the new administration to engage with more diverse groups and to make more diverse appointments to senior positions. 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

Rachel Bitecofer is a Senior Advisor for The Lincoln Project, Editor of The Cycle, and host of her weekly YouTube show “The Election Whisperer.” She blew everyone’s minds when she predicted the 2018 midterms with alarming accuracy -- how did her predictions fare in 2020? She also covers important strategies to consider as we move toward the January runoff in Georgia as well as the 2022 midterms, which include plans of shaking Mitch McConnell to his core. 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 FBI is out with a new report that shows hate crimes have risen to an all-time high in 2019. Lecia Brooks is the Chief of Staff at the Southern Poverty Law Center and she’s here to explain the report’s details, including what groups saw an increase in targeting, who saw an increase for the fourth straight year, and why the SPLC thinks the FBI’s final numbers are much lower than reality, as hate crimes continue to be severely underreported. Do you need resources for recognizing radicalization? Head to the SPLC website: splcenter.org 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

How did Senator Susan Collins defy the odds and win a race she was projected to lose? Sam Smith has been a progressive journalist for over 56 years and a longtime resident of Maine, and he takes us along her path to victory, paved my rural voters. Sam also gets into what he thinks the Biden administration priorities should be once they’re in the White House. 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

Markos gives us a reality check that the release of a vaccine will be great, but it will bring new problems and opposition, just as masks did. In the meantime, the media divides on the topic, with conspiracy outlets like Breitbart buying into Trump’s noise. Markos also discusses the potential for winning those key Georgia senate seats in January. 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

Yonasda Lonewolf is an activist, writer, speaker, and community organizer who has been fighting for Black and Brown people since she was a child and her mother was leading the way. Her mother also used to gather people on Thankstaking and teach them about the real history of Indigenous people in America. Yonasda continues that work and today she honors her mother’s memory by discussing the ways in which Indigenous people continue to be marginalized on their own land. 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 Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law has sued HUD, Secretary Ben Carson, and the Hartford Housing Authority and the city of Hartford, Connecticut to challenge a set of policy decisions that set up low-income Black and Latinx families to fail as they were improperly moved from their unlivable unsubsidized housing. Thomas Silverstein is Lead Attorney on the case and he explains the way the government agency cheated people out of a place to live and left them without options. 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 New Consensus is a recently-formed think tank that wants to adjust the way we’re responding to some of the biggest problems facing humanity. Dr. Robert Hockett is a fellow at New Consensus and the Edward Cornell Professor of Law & Finance at Cornell University and former Counsel at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and the International Monetary Fund, and he joins to today to discuss a memo The New Consensus sent to the incoming Biden administration including their proposed strategy for resurrecting an economy ravaged by coronavirus. 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, Publisher of Pressrun.media, is back for our first post-election conversation, and he’s got a suggestion for the incoming administration: ban all media outlets that circulate conspiracy theories, including Fox News. Eric also gives a sobering critique of an interview done by the New York Times of House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, where he normalizes Trump’s cries about the election results. 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 proof is in the data: voters want gun law reform. Igor Volsky, Executive Director of Guns Down America, is back to talk about what the incoming administration needs to do to give the people what they want. Igor also gets into this year’s increase in gun violence, which includes the unsettling truth that more Black men are committing suicide. 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

Now that the presidential election is out of the way (still gotta win those senate seats in Georgia), we should be strategizing for 2022 and 2024. And for the latter, it’s not Trump who Markos fears, though he wouldn’t rule out his running. Markos fears a smarter version of Trump, someone better at disguising their nefariousness. Markos also gets into the upsetting realization that wearing a mask is what broke America, as COVID cases soar in red states who oppose them. 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