The Leslie Marshall Show

Can the U.S. Meet President Biden's Latest Vaccination Goal?

With Mother's Day being this Sunday, Leslie begins the show with a brief monologue on what it's been like to be a Mother during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Next, Leslie gives her take on today's news in her 'Ripped from the Headlines' segment.
Here are the stories that she covered:

1. AXIOS: "U.S. adds just 266,000 jobs in April, far below expectations"
2. AXIOS: "Coronavirus cases hit a seven-month low"
3. POLITICO: "Hunger rates plummet after two rounds of stimulus"
4. ASSOCIATED PRESS: "Republicans promote pandemic relief they voted against"

Then, Leslie is joined by Dr. Bob Bollinger, the Raj and Kamla Gupta Professor of Infectious Diseases at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.  Dr. Bollinger holds joint appointments in International Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and in Community Public Health at the JH School of Nursing.

They discuss and analyze President Biden's new goal of having 70% of American adults receive at least their first COVID-19 vaccine dose by July 4th.  
Dr. Bollinger also shares his expertise on the safety and efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccines, how long he believes masks will be necessary, and other COVID-19 info. 

Dr. Bollinger is Founding Director of the Center for Clinical Global Health Education (CCGHE). Their website is main.ccghe.net and their Facebook page is Facebook.com/CCGHE. 

Connection Between Abortion and Economic Justice

Today's guest hosts are Brent J. Cohen and Charlotte Hancock, Executive Director and Communications Director for Generation Progress.

They discuss the intersection between two core issues impacting women and people who can become pregnant—abortion bans and economic injustice. At Generation Progress, they apply a reproductive justice framework (a term coined by a group of Black women in 1994) to all of the issues that they work on, understanding that the freedom to decide if, when, and how to have children is inextricably linked to issues like climate change, criminal justice reform, and immigration. Recently, their team has been working on a campaign to illustrate the connections between the need for access to abortion to the need to end the student debt crisis, both of which disproportionately impact women.

Over the past year in the U.S., as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, Americans have experienced an economic recession that has hit women and people of color the hardest. Adding that on top of the student debt crisis, which also disproportionately impacts women and people of color, and an uptick in attempts to restrict or deny access to abortion—it’s clear that reproductive and economic freedom are in jeopardy for women and people who can become pregnant.

To talk with Brent and Charlotte about the intersection between reproductive freedom and economic stability further, they’re joined by two expert guests. They are Ravina Daphtary, the abortion coverage campaign co-director at All* Above All, and Robin Bleiweis, a research associate focused on women’s economic security at the Center for American Progress.

Generation Progress' website is GenProgress.org and their Twitter handle is @GenProgress.  Brent's Twitter handle is @BrentJCohen and Charlotte Hancock's handle is @CharlatAnne.  The Twitter handle for All* Above All is @AllAboveAll and the handle for the Center for American Progress Women’s Initiative is @CAPWomen.

America's Changing Attitude On Government Helping People

Leslie begins today's show with her 'Ripped from the Headlines' news segment.

Here are the stories that she covered:

 

1. AXIOS: "Some experts now say U.S. unlikely to reach herd immunity"

2. AXIOS: "White House to redirect unordered vaccines to states where demand is higher"

3. AXIOS: "Biden to raise refugee cap to 62,500"

4. NEW YORK TIMES: "Business Coalitions to Speak Out Against Voting Restrictions in Texas"

5. AXIOS: "Garland asks Congress for $85 million in extra funding to fight domestic terrorism"

6. AXIOS: "Top general no longer opposes change in sexual assault policy"

7. THE DAILY BEAST: "Kevin McCarthy Seems to Suggest Liz Cheney Is Toast: She’s Not ‘Carrying Out the Message’"

During the second half of the show, Leslie is joined by Olivier Knox, new Anchor of 'The Daily 202' at The Washington Post, a midday newsletter about politics and policy.

They discuss how, as Olivier notes in 'The Daily 202,' "the pandemic has accelerated a trend toward Americans as a whole worrying less about soaring deficits and the swelling national debt and more about how much government can help its citizens."

They also touch on Olivier's recent piece titled, "Biden tries to preempt ‘class warfare’ attacks on tax plans."

Olivier's Twitter handle is @OKnox, and the website for 'The Daily 202' is TinyURL.com/TheDaily202.

Getting Into 'Good Trouble' for the John Lewis Voting Rights Act

The guest host for today's show is Brad Bannon. Brad runs Bannon Communications Research, a polling, message development and media firm which helps labor unions, progressive issue groups and Democratic candidates win public affairs and political campaigns. His show, 'Deadline D.C. with Brad Bannon,' airs every Monday from 3-4pm ET.

Brad is first joined by Jonah Minkoff-Zern, co-director of Public Citizen’s Democracy Is For People campaign, where he works to build a national movement for our democracy by building grassroots support nationwide to get money out of politics and ensure all voters have access to the ballot.

 

The two discuss how the Late Congressman John Lewis shed his blood crossing the Edmund Pettus Bridge to Fight for Black voters and Voters of Color to participate in America’s electoral Process and the enactment of the 1965 Voting Rights Act.
They also highlight how today voting rights are under attack nationally by state legislators introducing and passing laws to put up barriers to our participation in elections.  In response, Americans are coming together to fight back. Meanwhile, special interests and Billionaires are spending unlimited amounts of money to buy our elections.

In a call to action on this subject, on May 8th Votercades (Motorcades) around the country will demand the passage of the For the People Act, the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and D.C. Statehood, and to address one of the greatest obstacles to the passage of civil and voting rights – and one of the last vestiges of slavery – the filibuster!   

 

The website to see if there is a 'Votercade' in your area is johnlewisdayofaction.org.

During the second half of the show, Brad leads a political round-table with Tara Devlin and Mark Grimaldi. The roundtable analyzes the surprising bold progressivism displayed by President Biden during his first 100 days in the oval office.  They also discuss how we are ever going to unify this nation when the Republican Party is now just, as Tara puts it, "an anti-democratic cult that is undeterred in spreading its Big LIE, and doing all they can to ensure that there is no accountability for the lying insurrectionist traitor, Donald Trump, and his lying enablers like Ted Cruz, Josh Hawley, etc."

Tara Devlin is a New York City based comedian, writer, and host of the unapologetically-liberal podcast "TARABUSTER.”
Tarabuster is 5-star viewer-reviewed and 100% viewer-supported.
Help keep the REAL liberal media going – and growing – by becoming a Patron of Tarabuster at Patreon.com/TaraDevlin.
You can follow Tara on Twitter at @REALTaraDevlin and on Instagram at @Taradackty.

Mark Grimaldi has been a progressive political activist for the past 12 years. He volunteered for the campaigns of President Obama (2008 and 2012), Senator Bernie Sanders (2016), Secretary Hillary Clinton (2016), and President Joe Biden (2020). Mark is also involved in campaign finance reform efforts around the country, and philanthropic efforts for Cancer research. His Twitter handle is @MarkJGrimaldi.

Brad is on the National Journal's panel of political insiders and is a national political analyst for WGN TV and Radio in Chicago and KNX Radio in Los Angeles.
You can read Brad's columns at www.MuckRack.com/Brad-Bannon and watch his previous 'Deadline D.C.' broadcasts at www.Periscope.TV/BradBannon. His Twitter handle is @BradBannon.

Watch a video broadcast of this episode here on Twitter/Periscope: https://www.pscp.tv/w/1LyGBdAMrpyxN

Or here on Facebook Live: tinyurl.com/BradFacebook5321

Jobs, Jobs, Jobs

Leslie is joined by Scott Paul, President of the Alliance for American Manufacturing (AAM), a partnership established by some of America’s leading manufacturers and the United Steelworkers union.

The two discuss President Biden's joint address to Congress, the 'American Jobs Plan,' infrastructure, manufacturing, 'Buy American' requirements, green jobs and more.

The AAM website is AmericanManufacturing.org and their Twitter handle is @KeepItMadeInUSA. Scott's handle is @ScottPaulAAM. 

Breaking Down President Biden's Tax Proposals

Leslie begins today's show with her 'Ripped from the Headlines' news segment.
Here are the stories that she covered:

1. NBC NEWS: "Florida Senate advances bill that includes limits on voting by mail, drop boxes"
2. AXIOS: "CDC: Fully vaccinated people don't need to wear masks outside"
3. AXIOS: "Pfizer CEO: Oral drug to prevent COVID-19 could be ready next year"
4. AXIOS: "Biden to sign $15 minimum wage executive order for federal contractors"
5. CNBC: "Biden’s 100-day stock market performance is the hottest going back to the 1950s"
6. FORBES: "Amy Coney Barrett Rebuffs Demands To Recuse From Dark Money Case Involving Group That Supported Her Confirmation"

During the second half of the show, Leslie is joined by Erica Payne, President and Founder of the Agenda Project and the Patriotic Millionaires, a group of hundreds of high-net-worth Americans committed to making all Americans better off by building a more prosperous, stable, and inclusive nation, and ensuring that millionaires, billionaires, and corporations pay their fair share of taxes. Erica is also co-author of the new book, "Tax the Rich! How Lies, Loopholes, and Lobbyists Make the Rich Even Richer."

Leslie and Erica analyze President Biden's plan to hike corporate taxes over the next 15 years to raise about $2 trillion for his sweeping jobs and infrastructure proposal.  They also discuss Erica's new book, "Tax the Rich! How Lies, Loopholes, and Lobbyists Make the Rich Even Richer."

The website for the Patriotic Millionaires is PatrioticMillionaires.org, their Twitter handle is @PatrioticMills their Instagram handle is @PatrioticMillionaires.

Biden's First 100 Days, Diversity In His Administration

The guest host for today's show is Brad Bannon. Brad runs Bannon Communications Research, a polling, message development and media firm which helps labor unions, progressive issue groups and Democratic candidates win public affairs and political campaigns. His show, 'Deadline D.C. with Brad Bannon,' airs every Monday from 3-4pm ET.

Brad is first joined by Charlie Cook, Editor and Publisher of the 'Cook Political Report.' His Twitter handle is @CharlieCookDC.

The two discuss President Biden's accomplishments during his first 100 days in the oval office, what he can do to help heal a deeply divided America, whether the GOP has been effective as an opposition party, and what the Democratic and Republican prospects look like heading into the 2022 Midterm elections.

During the second half of the show, Brad chats with Kim Scott, the Founder and Publisher of DemList, LLC.  They talk about diversity in the Biden administration, whether the Derek Chauvin murder conviction will help to heal a divided America, the politics of last night's Oscar Awards, and the legacy of former Vice President Walter Mondale, who passed away last week.

Demlist is a free national daily political column, calendar and resource site for Democrats and allies - a unique, central source that connects people to the who, what and where of Democratic events, issues and activism.  You can find out more about them at DemList.com and follow them on Twitter @TheDemList.

Brad writes a political column every Sunday for 'The Hill.' He's on the National Journal's panel of political insiders and is a national political analyst for WGN TV and Radio in Chicago and KNX Radio in Los Angeles.
You can read Brad's columns at www.MuckRack.com/Brad-Bannon. His Twitter handle is @BradBannon.

Watch a video broadcast of the show here: https://www.periscope.tv/w/1BdGYYOXZLlGX

Earth Day and the Fight For Environmental Justice

Today's guest hosts are Brent J. Cohen and Edwith Theogene, Executive Director and Organizing Director for Generation Progress.

Tomorrow is Earth Day, which means activists, policymakers, and organizations throughout the country are using this week to draw attention to the fight against climate change and for environmental justice. 

Young people have long been leaders in this fight, and their desire for action on the climate crisis was a strong motivator for their high voter turnout in the election last November. Acting on this clear directive from voters, the Biden administration has taken several steps over the last few months to reinstate key environmental protections and work towards environmental justice.

To talk more about environmental justice and what it would mean for different communities, Brent and Edwith are joined by two expert guests, Osub Ahmed, Senior Policy Analyst, Center for American Progress Women’s Initiative, and Connor Kalāhiki, Changemaker, New Deal for Youth Initiative at Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP).

Generation Progress' website is GenProgress.org and their Twitter handle is @GenProgress.  Brent's Twitter handle is @BrentJCohen and Edwith Theogene's handle is @WhoIsEdwith.  Osub Ahmed's Twitter handle is @osubahmed and the handle for the Center for American Progress Women’s Initiative is @ CAPWomen.  The handle for the New Deal for Youth Initiative at Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) is @NewDeal4Youth.

Honoring Workers Lost to COVID-19 and Other Job Hazards Ahead of Workers Memorial Day

Leslie is joined by Steve Sallman, Director of the United Steelworkers (USW) Health, Safety and Environment Department.
Ahead of next week's Worker's Memorial Day, Leslie and Steve discuss and honor workers lost to COVID-19, and other occupational hazards.

Workers’ Memorial Day is marked every year on April 28th to honor and remember the workers killed, injured, disabled and made ill from exposures to hazards at work.
Due to the ongoing pandemic, this year’s Workers Memorial Day is like no other experienced in the United States, Canada and globally. There are unknown numbers of workers who have died from COVID-19. Some were essential workers, and many have contracted it at work during these unprecedented times.

We mourn and fight for them, and the loss of all victims of this cruel disease. We may never know the real statistics as it relates to occupational exposure, but the public statistics as of today are bleak:

•           142,237,637 Global Confirmed cases
•           3,033,084 Global Deaths 
•           31,739,932 U.S. Confirmed cases
•           567,736 U.S. Deaths

During the COVID-19 pandemic, millions of workers have and continue to risk their lives and thousands have died.

The Guardian recently reported that more than 3,600 American health care workers have died of COVID-19 in the line of work since mid-March of last year.

    - Most who died were under the age of 60 (despite the median age of death from Covid-19 in the general population being 78)
    - The majority of health care workers who died from COVID-19 were people of color
    - A large number of those who died were worried about not having enough personal protective equipment (PPE)

Workers in other essential industries have also suffered disproportionately from COVID-19, facing a 20% greater chance of dying during the pandemic than before it.Last summer, food processing facilities became COVID hotspots as workers performed job duties in close proximity for prolonged amounts of time.
On top of this, there seemed to be a callous disregard for the danger workers put themselves in each day including an independent investigation finding that managers at a Tyson plant were placing bets on how many workers would get infected. 

We know this public crisis is also an occupational crisis. Since the beginning of this pandemic, the USW and other unions have strived to make workplaces and workers safer.
Ever since the pandemic started, unions pushed OSHA to issue an Emergency Temporary Standard that would require employers to provide infectious disease preparedness and response plans for employees.
The USW also worked with employers across their industries making a series of common sense recommendations and some employers have been taking steps to keep workers safe with the assistance of the USW with Recommended Controls to Reduce Worker Exposures to COVID-19 and fought to make sure workers have access to PPE.

The Biden administration is doing important work keeping workers safe and crucially, OSHA is no longer missing in action.
OSHA has a new targeted program, but they will also prioritize opening inspections to complaints from high hazard worksites including health care, meat and more.
President Biden’s American Rescue Plan included much needed funding for expanded testing, contact tracing and research as well as for PPE.
It provided for vaccine supplies and distribution. All of this helps keep workers and their families safer.

COVID-19 has certainly dominated the discussion and we must remember, we still have many other hazards that are killing, injuring and making workers ill.

This year OSHA, which was established by the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, turns 50, first opening its doors on April 28, 1971.
During its initial decade, OSHA issued the first standards for asbestos, lead, carcinogens, and cotton dust.
The OSHA Training Institute, safety and health training grants, the On-Site Consultation Program, State Plans, and whistleblower protections for workplace safety are also established.

As we reflect on 50 years of history, there remains much to do, including a critical need to undo what the Trump administration did to the Chemical Safety Board, which plays a critical role in worker safety. 

“Former President Trump spent four years undermining the Chemical Safety Board and left office with only one member remaining on this five-person board,” U.S. Sen. Tom Carper (D., Del.), chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, which oversees the CSB, said in a statement. “Without a quorum, the board is currently hampered in its ability to effectively do its job.”
Carper, an ally of President Joe Biden’s, said he looks forward to working with the administration to fill the CSB vacancies soon “so that the board can get back to its mission of keeping communities and workers safe.”
But the wheels of Congress move slowly, and even if the administration nominates board members quickly, it typically takes many months to vet and approve appointments.

Workers’ Memorial Day the USW is a time not only to honor not only those who lost their lives either because of a workplace incident or COVID exposure, but also to recommit ourselves to renew the promise of safe jobs for all workers.

The website for the United Steelworkers is USW.org and their handle on both Twitter and Instagram is @steelworkers.

Violence In A Divided America; Previewing Biden's Earth Day Climate Summit

The guest host for today's show is Brad Bannon. Brad runs Bannon Communications Research, a polling, message development and media firm which helps labor unions, progressive issue groups and Democratic candidates win public affairs and political campaigns. His show, 'Deadline D.C. with Brad Bannon,' airs every Monday from 3-4pm ET.

Brad is first joined by Atiba Madyun, President/CEO of The Madyun Group, a government relations firm based in Washington, DC, as well as Party Politics US, a data collection firm that not only gathers data from American voters but also engages with young people to educate them on public policy.

Brad and Atiba discuss police violence toward African-Americans, as well as how President Biden has done addressing racial inequality in America during his time in office thus far.

Atiba Madyun is the former Division Director of the National Black Caucus of State Legislators, as well as the author of the novel 'Saving Grace,' which is available for purchase on Amazon in paperback and Kindle.  His website is AtibaMadyun.com and his Twitter handle is @AtibaMadyun.

During the second half of the show, Brad is joined by Bob Deans, Director of Strategic Engagement for the Natural Resources Defense Council, which combines the power of more than three million members and online activists with the expertise of some 700 scientists, lawyers, and policy advocates across the globe to ensure the rights of all people to the air, the water, and the wild.

The two preview President Biden's Earth Day Climate Summit, analyze the dangers that climate change poses to our planet and our country, and describe what a great opportunity this is to create the good-paying green jobs of the future right now.

Brad writes a political column every Sunday for 'The Hill.' He's on the National Journal's panel of political insiders and is a national political analyst for WGN TV and Radio in Chicago and KNX Radio in Los Angeles.
You can read Brad's columns at www.MuckRack.com/Brad-Bannon. His Twitter handle is @BradBannon.

Watch a video broadcast of the show here: https://www.pscp.tv/w/1vOxwEVjpXWGB