Background Briefing: July 16, 2023
What is Behind the Hatred Spewing Forth From House MAGA Republicans?
We begin with the hatred spewing from House MAGA Republicans like Eli Crane’s atavistic, racist complaints about “colored people” and Congressman Perry viciously attacking Biden’s Climate Envoy John Kerry and explore the origins of this hatred, how it has entered the mainstream and what can be done to restore civility and decency. Joining us is Wendy Via, the President and Co-Founder of the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism where her work focuses on the effects of extremism on our society, systemic racism, economic inequality, immigration, criminal justice reform, and LGBTQ rights. Previously she was the Chief Communications and Development Officer at the Southern Poverty Law Center.
The Hate-Filled Amendments to the NDAA Which McCarthy Hailed as Stopping “Wokeness” in the Military
Then we examine the hate-filled amendments to the National Defense Authorization Act inserted into the must-pass NDAA by the House MAGA Republicans and passed in the bill that Speaker McCarthy hailed as stopping “wokism” in the military even though it is dead on arrival in the senate. Joining us is Lawrence Korb, who is a Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress and a Senior Adviser to the Center for Defense Information. He served as Assistant Secretary of Defense where he dealt with manpower and readiness and is the author of A New National Security Strategy in an Age of Terrorists, Tyrants, and Weapons of Mass Destruction.
The Impact on the Broader Labor Movement of SAG-AFTRA Joining the WGA Already on Strike
Then finally we look into the largest dual-union strike in the entertainment industry since 1960 with SAG-AFTRA joining with the Writers Guild who are already on strike and assess the impact this strike will have on the broader labor movement with ongoing labor struggles with Amazon, Starbucks, UPS and Trader Joe’s etc. Joining us is Lane Windham, Associate Director of Georgetown University’s Kalmanovitz Initiative for Labor and the Working Poor and co-director of WILL Empower (that’s Women Innovating Labor Leadership). She is the author of Knocking on Labor’s Door: Union Organizing in the 1970s and the Roots of a New Economic Divide.