Channel Title: Laura Flanders & Friends Channel Description: The award-winning weekly half hour news and public-affairs program with a focus on the future. Formerly known as The Laura Flanders Show. We've returned with a brand new season that is putting public back into public affairs. Join us every Sunday at 11:30am ET for a brand new premiere and subscribe to our newsletter at https://lauraflanders.org/ to stay current with the solutions of tomorrow, today. ACCESSIBILITY All of our shows are closed captioned. For new episodes, you'll find links to transcripts and audio versions in the description of every video. For transcripts and audio versions of older episodes, please visit our website, https://www.lauraflanders.org, to visit the page of the episode you're looking for. Accessibility issues? Email info@lauraflanders.org <video> This is our moment: Donate to Laura Flanders & Friends today! Description: I'm Laura Flanders, and I'm asking for your solidarity in this critical moment. Republicans are looking to defund nonprofit journalism like ours. They're setting the stage to shut down vital voices and to deprive everyday people of their rights. At Laura Flanders and Friends, we've always been committed to amplifying the voices of change makers and bringing bold ideas to broad audiences. We're here for you. We need you to be here for us. Donate today and help fortify forward thinking people and fierce independent journalism. Together, this is our moment. Visit lauraflanders.org/donate and make a contribution. And TODAY on Giving Tuesday, all donations $25 and up will receive a free subscription to The Nation! </video> <video> What to do instead of doomscrolling #shorts Description: 2025 feels like the year of doom scrolling, but it doesn’t have to be this way. How do we work through the overload of bad news and feel less numb? “I think we're the first set of people on earth who've primarily taken in bad news alone,” says lifelong activist Dean Spade. “. . . It's overwhelming to imagine joining others, but actually it's also deeply soothing and nurturing to have others with us when we are scared.” Spade is just out with "Love in a F*cked Up World: How to Build Relationships, Hook Up, and Raise Hell Together,” a self-help book with tips on how to nurture our interpersonal relationships in order to create social change. Catch Dean Spade on Laura Flanders & Friends this week. Tune in on public television and community radio stations nationwide, or find us on YouTube and podcast platforms: https://youtu.be/bM7xUwQT3wA #DeanSpade #DoomScrolling #CommunityBuilding </video> <video> The Legacy of African American Women in Politics: CA Congresswomen Barbara Lee & Lateefah Simon Description: 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. SUBSCRIBE HERE https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFLRxVeYcB1H7DbuYZQG-lg?sub_confirmation=1 If anyone can inspire the public about the role of the minority in Congress, the women of California’s 12th district can. In this charming conversation, newly-elected Democrat, Lateefah Simon, joins the indomitable veteran Barbara Lee, whose congressional seat Simon will be taking when the new Congress convenes. Republicans will control the House and Senate, the White House, and dominate the Supreme Court, but Simon says she’s fired up to “fight for what we’ve fought for” in the areas of reproductive rights, low and middle-income housing, public safety, immigration and more. And that’s no wonder. Simon’s following Lee — whose historic 26-year career in the legislature included often being in the minority, and once standing alone against granting the president unlimited war powers after 9/11. Like Lee, Simon began her activism as a single mother at Mills College, and that’s not all they have in common. Lee says Simon’s already made her proud. This episode will delight everyone interested in the role of African American women in politics, or how legacies are built and power is passed on. All that, plus a commentary from Laura on how not to stay tired. “Being a Black woman in America really gives us the experience and the lens to not be daunted with being a minority. We've been a minority in this country forever . . . I don't buy this fear. I don't buy into the fact that a lot of people talk about they're exhausted Black women. We always keep going and Lateefah keeps going. “ - Barbara Lee “We know what racism looks like. We know what the threats of deportation looks like. We have been here before, but I am so honored to be able to take on again, the ongoing journey that was led by Shirley Chisholm, Kamala D. Harris, and my mentor, professor and friend Barbara Lee. We are weary, clearly, but we're not weak.” - Lateefah Simon GUESTS: Barbara Lee: Congresswoman, California 12th District Lateefah Simon: Congresswoman-Elect, California 12th District 🎧 PODCAST: Listen to this week's episode on major podcast platforms: https://lauraflanders.simplecast.com/episodes/barbara-lee-lateefah-simon-the-trailblazing-congresswomen-of-cas-12th-district. Subscribe today and receive the full, uncut conversation from this week's show: https://lauraflanders.simplecast.com/episodes/full-conversation-barbara-lee-lateefah-simon-the-trailblazing-congresswomen-of-cas-12th-district ✏️SHOW NOTES: Visit our Patreon for Show Notes and learn more about this week's episode: https://www.patreon.com/posts/117923136 📚Check out our Book of the Week on BOOKSHOP*: “Shirley Chisholm: The Last Interview: And Other Conversations” with an Introduction by Barbara Lee: https://bookshop.org/a/22992/9781612198972 (*Bookshop is an online bookstore with a mission to financially support local, independent bookstores. LF&F is an affiliate of bookshop.org and will receive a small commission if you click through and make a purchase.) Laura Flanders & Friends is non-commercial independent media that relies on the contributions of viewers and listeners. Follow the show and Laura Flanders on Bluesky! https://bsky.app/profile/lfandfriends.bsky.social https://bsky.app/profile/gritlaura.bsky.social DONATE TODAY at https://lauraflanders.org/donate/ or consider becoming a PATREON partner at https://www.patreon.com/lauraflandersandfriends 🔔Subscribe to get weekly episodes that prompt you to think critically about the world around you. If you enjoyed this episode, don't forget to hit the 'Like' button and share it with your network. 📩Newsletter: For more in-depth analysis, including uncut interviews and commentaries, subscribe to our free newsletter at lauraflanders.org. CREDITS: Executive Producer: Laura Flanders Supervising Producer: Sabrina Artel Senior Producer: Jeremiah Cothren Senior Consulting Producer: Rory O’Connor Senior Video Editor: David Neumann Video Editor: Veronica Delgado Audio Director: Jeannie Hopper Development Director: Sarah Miller Communications Director: Janet Hernandez Technical Creative: Nat Needham Thumbnail photo courtesy of Lateefah Simon. </video> <video> “Love In A F*cked-Up World”: Dean Spade’s Self-Help Book for Movements Description: 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. SUBSCRIBE HERE https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFLRxVeYcB1H7DbuYZQG-lg?sub_confirmation=1 In a time of climate catastrophe, genocide, mass incarceration and political turmoil, people need to work together – better! That’s why lifelong activist Dean Spade has written “Love in a F*cked-Up World: How to Build Relationships, Hook Up, and Raise Hell, Together”. Which tools can help people and social justice movements face conflict and emerge stronger (rather than weaker)? Which stories do we tell ourselves that aren’t helping us think — or act — in our best interest? In this timely conversation, Spade shares tips on how we might get our interpersonal houses in order so that we’re better equipped to show up for others and the causes we care about. Spade is a lawyer, educator, and author of “Mutual Aid: Building Solidarity During This Crisis (and the Next)”, and “Normal Life: Administrative Violence, Critical Trans Politics and the Limits of the Law”. He’s the director of “Pinkwashing Exposed: Seattle Fights Back!”, and in 2002 he founded the Sylvia Rivera Law Project in New York City, a law collective that provides free legal services to trans and gender non-conforming people who are low income and/or people of color. He has useful things to say about romance too, which are worth bearing in mind, as the Valentine’s marketing crush hits, as Laura reflects in her commentary. “. . . Most of us are taking in all the bad news by ourselves through a screen . . . One of the best things we can do to support our own wellbeing through the overwhelm is be with others, joining any kind of project in our communities, a creative project, a mutual aid project . . .” - Dean Spade “The typical self-help genre is very focused on the individual. It doesn't contextualize the kinds of suffering that everyone's going through in a broader feminist analysis, anti-capitalist analysis, anti-racist analysis . . . If we understand that our individual suffering is a bunch of bigger scripts, . . . it can be a little bit freeing.” - Dean Spade GUEST: Dean Spade: Author, Love In A F*cked-Up World: How To Build Relationships, Hook Up, And Raise Hell Together & Mutual Aid: Building Solidarity During This Crisis (and the Next) 🎧 PODCAST: Listen to this week's episode on major podcast platforms (Available 1/22): https://lauraflanders.simplecast.com. Subscribe today and receive the full, uncut conversation from this week's show: https://lauraflanders.simplecast.com/episodes/full-conversation-love-in-a-fcked-up-world-dean-spades-self-help-book-for-movements ✏️SHOW NOTES: Visit our Patreon for Show Notes and learn more about this week's episode: https://www.patreon.com/posts/120218715 📚Check out our Book of the Week on BOOKSHOP*: “Love In A F*cked-Up World: How To Build Relationships, Hook Up, And Raise Hell Together” by Dean Spade: https://bookshop.org/a/22992/9781643756462 (*Bookshop is an online bookstore with a mission to financially support local, independent bookstores. LF&F is an affiliate of bookshop.org and will receive a small commission if you click through and make a purchase.) Laura Flanders & Friends is non-commercial independent media that relies on the contributions of viewers and listeners. Follow the show and Laura Flanders on Bluesky! https://bsky.app/profile/lauraflanders.org https://bsky.app/profile/gritlaura.bsky.social DONATE TODAY at https://lauraflanders.org/donate/ or consider becoming a PATREON partner at https://www.patreon.com/lauraflandersandfriends 🔔Subscribe to get weekly episodes that prompt you to think critically about the world around you. If you enjoyed this episode, don't forget to hit the 'Like' button and share it with your network. 📩Newsletter: For more in-depth analysis, including uncut interviews and commentaries, subscribe to our free newsletter at lauraflanders.org. CREDITS: Executive Producer: Laura Flanders Supervising Producer: Sabrina Artel Senior Producer: Jeremiah Cothren Senior Consulting Producer: Rory O’Connor Senior Video Editor: David Neumann Video Editor: Veronica Delgado Audio Director: Jeannie Hopper Development Director: Sarah Miller Communications Director: Janet Hernandez Technical Creative: Nat Needham </video> <video> Illinois Successfully Ends Cash Bail: Why Is No One Talking About It? Description: 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. SUBSCRIBE HERE https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFLRxVeYcB1H7DbuYZQG-lg?sub_confirmation=1 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 "Illinois Has Put an End to the Injustice of Cash Bail" by Bryce Covert is out now in The Nation: https://www.thenation.com/article/society/cash-bail-reform-illinois/ 🎧 PODCAST: Listen to this week's episode on major podcast platforms (Available 1/8): https://lauraflanders.simplecast.com. Subscribe today and receive the full, uncut conversation from this week's show (Available 1/3): https://lauraflanders.simplecast.com/episodes/illinois-successfully-ends-cash-bail-why-is-no-one-talking-about-it ✏️SHOW NOTES: Visit our Patreon for Show Notes and learn more about this week's episode: https://www.patreon.com/posts/episode-notes-is-118241053 Laura Flanders & Friends is non-commercial independent media that relies on the contributions of viewers and listeners. Follow the show and Laura Flanders on Bluesky! https://bsky.app/profile/lauraflanders.org https://bsky.app/profile/gritlaura.bsky.social DONATE TODAY at https://lauraflanders.org/donate/ or consider becoming a PATREON partner at https://www.patreon.com/lauraflandersandfriends 🔔Subscribe to get weekly episodes that prompt you to think critically about the world around you. If you enjoyed this episode, don't forget to hit the 'Like' button and share it with your network. 📩Newsletter: For more in-depth analysis, including uncut interviews and commentaries, subscribe to our free newsletter at lauraflanders.org. CREDITS: Executive Producer: Laura Flanders Supervising Producer: Sabrina Artel Senior Producer: Jeremiah Cothren Senior Consulting Producer: Rory O’Connor Senior Video Editor: David Neumann Video Editor: Veronica Delgado Audio Director: Jeannie Hopper Development Director: Sarah Miller Communications Director: Janet Hernandez Technical Creative: Nat Needham </video> <video> How Illinois Ended Cash Bail #shorts Description: In 2023, Illinois became the first state to end cash bail, but how did it happen? Cook County, IL Chief Public Defender, Sharone R. Mitchell Jr., describes how community members, activists, legal experts and more came together to pass the historic Pretrial Fairness Act: http://bit.ly/49Q7zlt Catch this week's episode of Laura Flanders & Friends on public television and radio, YouTube and podcast platforms. Podcast subscribers also receive the full, uncut conversation from the show. </video> <video> Why Amanda Seales Is "Divesting From Celebrity" [TRAILER] Description: This segment is featured in our July 2024 episode "Amanda Seales Takes the Heat: Speaking Out About Gaza & Hollywood". Watch the full report here: https://youtu.be/4DSWggP-MKA SUBSCRIBE HERE for more bonus content: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFLRxVeYcB1H7DbuYZQG-lg?sub_confirmation=1 What does it take to be politically outspoken in Hollywood? You may know Amanda Seales from her role on HBO’s “Insecure”, her stand-up comedy, her podcast and radio show or her viral videos on social media. She’s lost agents, her publicist, and had speaking gigs retracted for her commitment to social justice. From Black women to Palestinians in Gaza, Seales uses her platform to speak honestly about harm done to others. She talks powerfully about her experiences with the dangers of fame and celebrity in Hollywood, neurodivergence, white supremacy and a whole lot more. In this conversation, Laura Flanders asks Amanda Seales about our progress as a country, what it means to be an “artistic intellectual” and about the educators who’ve helped her along the way. Hear why Seales is “divesting from celebrity” and taking backlash from her support for Palestinians as “a badge of honor”. Plus, go behind the scenes with Seales with the full, uncut conversation from this week’s show. Laura will tell you more. “. . . You are definitely expected to just take whatever gossip is said about you. You have to take it all on the chin because you've made this somehow unspoken exchange that having monetary gain and visibility means that you have to allow harm. And what I've decided is I am divesting from celebrity.” - Amanda Seales “I lost my agents, I lost my publicist, and I have definitely had speaking engagements and different gigs retracted because of my support of Palestine and my outward support of the ending of apartheid in Palestine. I got to tell you, I take it as a badge of honor. I do. It's good trouble, rest in peace to John Lewis. I am so honored for all those people.” - Amanda Seales Guest: Amanda Seales: Artistic Intellectual 🎧LOOKING FOR UNCUT INTERVIEWS? Patreon subscribers help us make our full, uncut conversations and audio extras free and available to everyone! Join our growing family today! patreon.com/lauraflandersandfriends Subscribe to the LF&F podcast for the full, uncut conversation with Amanda Seales: https://lauraflanders.simplecast.com/episodes/full-conversation-amanda-seales-takes-the-heat-speaking-out-about-gaza-hollywood ✏️SHOW NOTES: Visit our Patreon for Show Notes and learn more about this episode: https://www.patreon.com/posts/107338397 Laura Flanders & Friends is non-commercial independent media that relies on the contributions of viewers and listeners. DONATE TODAY at https://lauraflanders.org/donate/ or consider becoming a PATREON partner at https://www.patreon.com/lauraflandersandfriends 🔔Subscribe to get weekly episodes that prompt you to think critically about the world around you. If you enjoyed this episode, don't forget to hit the 'Like' button and share it with your network. 📩Newsletter: For more in-depth analysis, including uncut interviews and commentaries, subscribe to our free newsletter at lauraflanders.org. </video> <video> Donald Trump vs. Jimmy Carter? Why Carter’s Achievements Are Under Attack In 2025 Description: 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. SUBSCRIBE HERE https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFLRxVeYcB1H7DbuYZQG-lg?sub_confirmation=1 What is being left out of the conversation when it comes to Jimmy Carter, and why are many of his significant achievements under attack today? He created a national energy policy that married conservation with developing alternatives and getting off oil, passed the Superfund Act, created the Federal Department of Education and negotiated the Panama Canal treaty — a deal that Trump slammed earlier this week as he threatened to regain control of Panama. In this episode, Laura is on the ground in Georgia for Carter’s funeral events, and speaks with people who came from all around the country to pay their respects. How are Americans remembering the 39th president? Many obituaries have excluded the October Surprise by which the release of US hostages held in Iran was delayed until Ronald Reagan’s election day, and Carter’s critiques of Israeli violations of international law and his warning that cutting off non-violent options for Palestinians under Israel’s occupation would inevitably explode, making both Israel and the Palestinians less secure. What should we make of the notion that he “failed” during his presidency? Join us as we explore why Carter’s legacy is so relevant today. Interviewees include Richard Li, Vice President of the Chinese American Business Association of Atlanta; Karin Ryan, the Senior Policy Advisor on Human Rights and Special Representative on Women and Girls at The Carter Center; and Greg Waddle, President of IATSE Local 479. All that, plus a commentary from Laura. “Carter had established the US-China relationship and this year is the 45th anniversary of US-China relationship normalization. Over the past 40 years, he had the great policy to help the Chinese people, help China to develop, and that changed millions of people's life.” - Richard Li “[Jimmy Carter] was accused of being antisemitic. Imagine the president who removed Israel's largest enemy from the battlefield, Egypt, could be considered antisemitic is so beyond the pale. He was so committed to Israel's security, which he knew could only happen when the Palestinian people would have their state.” - Karin Ryan “There's different philosophies on how private sector and public sector labor unions are viewed, and each one of them is unique in how they work for their contracts. But overall, collective bargaining is an important thing. And I think the general consensus of everybody historically is that President Carter supported collective bargaining, and collective bargaining is what this country was founded on.” - Greg Waddle GUESTS: Richard Li: Vice President, Chinese American Business Association of Atlanta Karin Ryan: Senior Policy Advisor on Human Rights & Special Representative on Women & Girls, The Carter Center Greg E. Waddle: Pres, IATSE Local 479 & Motion Picture Studio Mechanics Local 479; I.A.T.S.E - AFL-CIO 🎧 PODCAST: Listen to this week's episode on major podcast platforms (Available 1/15): https://lauraflanders.simplecast.com. ✏️SHOW NOTES: Visit our Patreon for Show Notes and learn more about this week's episode: https://www.patreon.com/posts/episode-notes-s5-119728748 Laura Flanders & Friends is non-commercial independent media that relies on the contributions of viewers and listeners. Follow the show and Laura Flanders on Bluesky! https://bsky.app/profile/lauraflanders.org https://bsky.app/profile/gritlaura.bsky.social DONATE TODAY at https://lauraflanders.org/donate/ or consider becoming a PATREON partner at https://www.patreon.com/lauraflandersandfriends 🔔Subscribe to get weekly episodes that prompt you to think critically about the world around you. If you enjoyed this episode, don't forget to hit the 'Like' button and share it with your network. 📩Newsletter: For more in-depth analysis, including uncut interviews and commentaries, subscribe to our free newsletter at lauraflanders.org. CREDITS: Executive Producer: Laura Flanders Supervising Producer: Sabrina Artel Senior Producer: Jeremiah Cothren Senior Consulting Producer: Rory O’Connor Senior Video Editor: David Neumann Video Editor: Veronica Delgado Audio Director: Jeannie Hopper Development Director: Sarah Miller Communications Director: Janet Hernandez Technical Creative: Nat Needham </video> <video> [EXCERPT] Genesis Be & Rev. Dr. Jacqui Lewis: Building Collective Freedom with a Poet & Preacher Description: This segment is featured in our June 2024 episode "Genesis Be & Rev. Dr. Jacqui Lewis: Building Collective Freedom with a Poet & Preacher". Watch the full report here: https://youtu.be/pTdi1O_9uU8 SUBSCRIBE HERE for more bonus content: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFLRxVeYcB1H7DbuYZQG-lg?sub_confirmation=1 In a time of division, how do we create a sense of collective freedom? It’s a question that peace activist, artist and poet Genesis Be grapples with in all her work. Genesis Be has a new book out, People Not Things: Love Poems & Paintings for Humanity, and recently curated the Freedom Rising art show in Brooklyn, New York featuring work by incarcerated artists currently held by the Georgia Department of Corrections. She is the subject of the upcoming film “Mississippi Turning” about the successful years-long effort to remove the Confederate symbol from the state’s flag. In this episode taped at the CUNY studios in NYC, we turn to a poet and a preacher. Genesis Be joins Laura Flanders and co-host Rev. Dr. Jacqui Lewis, the Senior Minister for Public Theology and Transformation at Middle Church, to discuss how to reject stigmas and advance liberation. Genesis Be painted in the studio — for her and us it was a first. “I hung a noose around my neck and draped myself in a Confederate flag . . . It was a very scary time for me because I got thrown into the fight to change the Mississippi State flag. There were a lot of death threats, but a lot of support during that time.” - Genesis Be “The word freedom is hijacked often by folks: freedom from having to change, freedom from having to admit the humanity of others, freedom from having to widen the tent, freedom from having to let go of their sense of exceptionalism . . . This [conference] was a gathering of like-minded folks sharing a dream of all of us belonging and all of us saving this democracy, interfaith, intergenerational.” - Rev. Dr. Jacqui Lewis Guests: Genesis Be: Poet, Peace Activist, Artist; Author, People Not Things: Love Poems & Paintings for Humanity Rev. Dr. Jacqui Lewis (Co-host): Senior Minister of Public Theology & Transformation, Middle Church, NYC 🎧LOOKING FOR UNCUT INTERVIEWS? Patreon subscribers help us make our full, uncut conversations and audio extras free and available to everyone! Join our growing family today! patreon.com/lauraflandersandfriends ✏️SHOW NOTES: Visit our Patreon for Show Notes and learn more about this episode: https://www.patreon.com/posts/episode-notes-s5-105321662 Laura Flanders & Friends is non-commercial independent media that relies on the contributions of viewers and listeners. DONATE TODAY at https://lauraflanders.org/donate/ or consider becoming a PATREON partner at https://www.patreon.com/lauraflandersandfriends 🔔Subscribe to get weekly episodes that prompt you to think critically about the world around you. If you enjoyed this episode, don't forget to hit the 'Like' button and share it with your network. 📩Newsletter: For more in-depth analysis, including uncut interviews and commentaries, subscribe to our free newsletter at lauraflanders.org. </video> <video> Jimmy Carter Warned Us . . . #shorts Description: In the course of monitoring elections, Jimmy Carter traveled throughout the occupied territories of the West Bank and Gaza and saw apartheid with his own eyes. His 2006 book "Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid" garnered lots of backlash — and Carter was even accused of being antisemitic, says Karin Ryan, the Senior Policy Advisor on Human Rights & Special Representative on Women & Girls at The Carter Center. Find our full report "Jimmy Carter’s Vision for Peace, Palestine & the Planet: A Legacy Under Attack?" on public television and radio, YouTube and podcast platforms: https://youtu.be/KZU5FMp2K1U </video> <video> How to "fight for what we fought for" | Congresswoman Lateefah Simon #shorts Description: Democrats are looking to spend the next two years at least in the minority in the legislature. How will progressives get things done — especially under a partisan executive branch and a conservative Supreme Court? California Congresswoman-elect Lateefah Simon says she will “fight for what we’ve fought for”, and lean on her predecessor Barbara Lee for knowledge and support. Catch this conversation between Simon and Lee on public television and radio, YouTube and podcast platforms: http://bit.ly/3ZUuE3b </video> <video> The New Disabled Population in Gaza: Comedian & Disability Advocate Maysoon Zayid Description: 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. SUBSCRIBE HERE https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFLRxVeYcB1H7DbuYZQG-lg?sub_confirmation=1 Israel’s US-backed war on Gaza has been a mass disabling event. Today’s guest says we must create a “viable, accessible future” for the disabled Palestinians we have failed. Maysoon Zayid is a comedian, Princeton Fellow, and unapologetic voice for both disability rights and Palestinian identity. A fierce advocate with cerebral palsy, Zayid proves that the most powerful messages often come from unexpected places and are filled with laughter. She’s lost tens of thousands of dollars of contracts for her views, she says, but that hasn’t stopped her “making funny during a genocide” on social media all year. And she’s shown her followers her home village in Palestine — the best place on earth, she says, despite the onslaught of oppression and violence that her people have endured. Maysoon co-founded the New York Arab American Comedy Festival and the Muslim Funny Fest. Her viral Ted Talk, “I Got 99 Problems...Palsy is Just One,” has been translated into 42 languages, and was one of the most popular talks of 2014. She’s the author of “Shiny Misfits”, the new graphic novel that tells the story of Bay Ann, a disabled girl and her cat friend that rock star Dave Matthews narrates for the audiobook. In this conversation filled with heart and humor, hear how comedy shines a light on injustice and serves as a voice of resistance. All that, plus a commentary from Laura on human shields. “As a disabled kid, I liked Palestine a lot more than Jersey . . . I was the only visibly disabled kid in my school growing up. But in Palestine there were other disabled kids and disability wasn't shunned. It wasn't mocked, it wasn't bullied. I grew up in a society that very much believed that disability was a natural part of life . . .” - Maysoon Zayid “I've always used comedy to humanize and educate on disability. And this is the moment because the future of Palestine is disabled and between life and death, there's disability. I don't think it's better to be dead than to be disabled. I want us to create a viable, accessible future for this cohort of human beings that we have failed in the present.” - Maysoon Zayid GUEST: Maysoon Zayid: Comedian & Disability Advocate; Author, Shiny Misfits 🎧 PODCAST: Listen to this week's episode on major podcast platforms (available 12/11): https://lauraflanders.simplecast.com. Subscribe today and receive the full, uncut conversation from this week's show: https://lauraflanders.simplecast.com/episodes/full-conversation-maysoon-zayid-comedy-of-resistance-disability-difference-palestine ✏️SHOW NOTES: Visit our Patreon for Show Notes and learn more about this week's episode: https://www.patreon.com/posts/117460110 📚Check out our Book of the Week on BOOKSHOP*: “Shiny Misfits” by Maysoon Zayid and Shadia Amin: https://bookshop.org/a/22992/9781338752502 (*Bookshop is an online bookstore with a mission to financially support local, independent bookstores. LF&F is an affiliate of bookshop.org and will receive a small commission if you click through and make a purchase.) Laura Flanders & Friends is non-commercial independent media that relies on the contributions of viewers and listeners. Follow the show and Laura Flanders on Bluesky! https://bsky.app/profile/lfandfriends.bsky.social https://bsky.app/profile/gritlaura.bsky.social DONATE TODAY at https://lauraflanders.org/donate/ or consider becoming a PATREON partner at https://www.patreon.com/lauraflandersandfriends 🔔Subscribe to get weekly episodes that prompt you to think critically about the world around you. If you enjoyed this episode, don't forget to hit the 'Like' button and share it with your network. 📩Newsletter: For more in-depth analysis, including uncut interviews and commentaries, subscribe to our free newsletter at lauraflanders.org. CREDITS: Executive Producer: Laura Flanders Supervising Producer: Sabrina Artel Senior Producer: Jeremiah Cothren Senior Consulting Producer: Rory O’Connor Senior Video Editor: David Neumann Video Editor: Veronica Delgado Audio Director: Jeannie Hopper Development Director: Sarah Miller Communications Director: Janet Hernandez Technical Creative: Nat Needham Thumbnail photo of Maysoon Zayid by Michelle Kinney. Background photo courtesy of Maysoon Zayid. </video> <video> Palestine & "Existence is Resistance" #shorts Description: Comedian and disability advocate Maysoon Zayid says her goal is no longer to humanize Palestinians, but to document their lives. Zayid was born and raised in New Jersey, but spent all her summers in Palestine. It's still her happy place, "even with every single oppressive, violent thing that's happening." Over the years, she has shared videos of her life in Palestine with her followers on social media. Zayid and her comedy partner Dean Obeidallah are also co-founders of the New York Arab American Comedy Festival. Catch this week's episode on public television and radio, watch on YouTube or subscribe to our free podcast for the full, uncut conversation: https://youtu.be/RJSBFv8mV9s </video> <video> "We're No Better Off": America's Economy 13 Years After the Occupy Movement [EXCERPT] Description: This segment is featured in our September 2024 episode "Solving Economic Inequality: An Occupy Movement for this Moment?". Watch the full report here: https://youtu.be/lkahLH_4MBA SUBSCRIBE HERE for more bonus content: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFLRxVeYcB1H7DbuYZQG-lg?sub_confirmation=1 Were you one of the hundreds of thousands of people on the streets during the Occupy movement? For many the movement was a political awakening, as people rallied to end economic inequality and support democracy in response to the 2008 global financial crisis. On this 13th anniversary, how does the spirit of Occupy live on? And what progress — if any — has been made when it comes to the wealth gap? Joining us for that conversation is Marisa Holmes, author of the recently released book “Organizing Occupy Wall Street: This Is Just Practice” and director of “All Day All Week: An Occupy Wall Street Story” which looks at the takeover of Zuccotti Park in New York City in September 2011. Also joining us is Taifa Smith Butler, President of Dēmos, a public policy organization working to build a multiracial democracy and economy. Previously she was a leader at the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute. Award-winning journalist Amir Khafagy returns to co-host this episode. Our guests explore the links between economic inequality and authoritarianism and ask how far we've come as a nation to create structural, policy and practice-based changes on the economic front. How can we create a people-led economy that will lead to collective power? All that, plus a commentary from Laura. “Dēmos has always talked about the inextricable links of economic power and political power. As I think about where we are historically with the retraction of resources, with the threat of authoritarianism and fascism and this demographic shift that is happening in our nation and the inequality that continues to proliferate, if we do nothing, we'll be looking at apartheid in America.” - Taifa Smith Butler “During Occupy, we really rejected representative politics because it seemed not responsive to people's needs . . . So we just thought, ‘We're going to do this ourselves’. We have to build alternatives ourselves from the bottom up through mutual aid networks . . . That's what I think is going to transform the economy . . .” - Marisa Holmes “Occupy was one of the most important things that ever happened to my life. I was maybe 21, 22 years old . . . I was just a kid from Queens, and that was the beginning of my political awakening.” - Amir Khafagy Guests: Taifa Smith Butler: President, Dēmos Marisa Holmes: Author, Organizing Occupy Wall Street Amir Khafagy (Co-host): Journalist, Report for America Member, Documented 🎧LOOKING FOR UNCUT INTERVIEWS? Patreon subscribers help us make our full, uncut conversations and audio extras free and available to everyone! Join our growing family today! patreon.com/lauraflandersandfriends ✏️SHOW NOTES: Visit our Patreon for Show Notes and learn more about this episode: https://www.patreon.com/posts/episode-notes-s5-111568364 Laura Flanders & Friends is non-commercial independent media that relies on the contributions of viewers and listeners. DONATE TODAY at https://lauraflanders.org/donate/ or consider becoming a PATREON partner at https://www.patreon.com/lauraflandersandfriends 🔔Subscribe to get weekly episodes that prompt you to think critically about the world around you. If you enjoyed this episode, don't forget to hit the 'Like' button and share it with your network. 📩Newsletter: For more in-depth analysis, including uncut interviews and commentaries, subscribe to our free newsletter at lauraflanders.org. Thumbnail photo: “All Day All Week: An Occupy Wall Street Story” </video> <video> The Authorization for Use of Military Force, Explained #shorts Description: Many Americans are unaware of the Authorization for Use of Military Force, or AUMF, but its a dangerous authorization that CA Congresswoman @barbaraleeforca is fighting to repeal. The AUMF allows the president to use military force in perpetuity, and back in 2001, Lee was the only member of Congress to vote against it. Tune in to this week's episode to find out more about the AUMF and Lee's decades-long effort: https://youtu.be/9HAE2BtGMUA </video>

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The award-winning weekly half hour news and public-affairs program with a focus on the future. Formerly known as The Laura Flanders Show. We've returned with a brand new season that is putting public back into public affairs. Join us every Sunday at 11:30am ET for a brand new premiere and subscribe to our newsletter at https://lauraflanders.org/ to stay current with the solutions of tomorrow, today.

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