The Leslie Marshall Show

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

Biden Calls for Summit With Russia As Their Conflict With Ukraine Escalates

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

1. AXIOS: "FDA expects J&J vaccine pause to last "a matter of days"
2. AXIOS: "Fallout over Daunte Wright shooting continues"
3. AXIOS: "Obama: Daunte Wright shooting shows "just how badly we need to reimagine policing""
4. AXIOS: "Virginia AG launches civil rights probe into pepper-spraying of Army officer" 

During the second half of the show, Leslie is joined by Col. Cedric Leighton, Founder and President of Cedric Leighton Associates, a strategic risk and leadership consultancy serving global companies and organizations.

They discuss President Biden proposing a joint summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, as well as Biden's warnings to Putin during a phone call with him today about Ukraine, cyber intrusions, and election interference.  Leslie and Colonel Leighton also analyze Russia moving 40,000 troops to their border with Ukraine, and moving 40,000 more troops to Crimea, the region that Putin unilaterally annexed away from Ukraine and declared Russian in 2014. 

Colonel Leighton's Twitter handle is @CedricLeighton, and his website is CedricLeighton.com.

Evaluating Press Coverage of President Biden, His Budget Proposal, and Governing Strategy

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 Sarah Jones, Editor-in-Chief of PoliticusUSA. The two discuss the press coverage of President Biden compared to the coverage of former President Trump, Biden's first budget proposal, and his Supreme Court reform commission.

Sarah is a 2 time Telly Award winner, and now hosts Politicus News and co-hosts Politicus Radio. The website for PoliticusUSA is www.PoliticusUSA.com and their Twitter handle is @PoliticusUSA. Sarah's handle is @PoliticusSarah.

During the second half of the show, Brad leads a political round-table with Morgan Stahr and Mark Grimaldi.  The roundtable discusses whether the American people would elect additional Senate Democrats during the 2022 midterms if President Biden is able to stop the COVID-19 pandemic and jumpstart the economy by then.  They also talk about how President Biden can govern despite an inflexible Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) when it comes to filibuster reform and many other initiatives that the President would like to enact.

Morgan Stahr serves as a Co-Founder and Co-Executive Director of Blue Future, the largest youth-led political action committee in America. 
At Blue Future, Morgan focuses on leadership development, managing the Progress and Change programs, and supporting organizers in professional development. 
Her Twitter handle is @_MorganStahr.

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-Elect 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 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/1YpKkzLWyOXxj

Second Chance Month and the Impact Of Collateral Consequences on Young Americans

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

We are now almost a week into the month of April, which Generation Progress—and many in the criminal justice reform space—recognize each year as Second Chance Month. Second Chance Month is an opportunity to examine the impacts of collateral consequences for justice-involved people and work towards solutions that would allow these individuals to move forward with their lives and realize their full potential.

To talk with Brent and Charlotte more about collateral consequences, how they impact young people, and what can be done to mitigate their impact, they’re joined by two expert guests.  They are Hakim Crampton, a movement and capacity building specialist with JustLeadershipUSA, and Duy Pham, a policy analyst at the 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 Charlotte Hancock's handle is @CharlatAnne.  Hakim Crampton's Twitter handle is @SpokenFlowPoet and the handle for JustLeadersUSAis @JustLeadersUSA.  Duy Pham's handle is @DPhamK and the handle for CLASP is @CLASP_DC.

Biden Infrastructure and the U.S. Economy; Georgia's Voter Suppression Law

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 new show, 'Deadline D.C. with Brad Bannon,' airs every Monday from 3-4pm ET.

Brad is first joined by Dr. Robert Shapiro is the Chairman of Sonecon, an economic advisory firm and a Senior Fellow of the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University.
The two discuss President Biden's infrastructure plan and the state of the U.S. economy.

Dr. Shapiro is an internationally-known economist who has advised, among others, President Bill Clinton, Vice President Al Gore, Jr., British Prime Ministers Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, and then U.S. Senators Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.  He was Under Secretary of Commerce for Economic Affairs in the Clinton Administration.
His website is Sonecon.com and his Twitter handle is @RobShapiro.

During the second half of the show, Brad leads a political round-table with Edwith Theogene and Mark Grimaldi. The roundtable discusses Georgia's new voter suppression law (SB202).  The law "gives state-level officials the authority to usurp the powers of county election boards — allowing the Republican-dominated state government to potentially disqualify voters in Democratic-leaning areas. It criminalizes the provision of food and water to voters waiting in line, in a state where lines are notoriously long in heavily nonwhite precincts. It requires ID for absentee ballots and limits the placement of ballot drop boxes." - per Vox.com

Edwith Theogene is the director of advocacy for Generation Progress, the youth engagement arm of American Progress. In this role, Theogene works to develop and lead efforts that translate the experiences of young adults into concrete actions that advance progressive policies and increase voter turnout.Edwith's Twitter handle is @WhoIsEdwith.

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 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.

You can also watch this episode here on Periscope: https://www.pscp.tv/w/1OwxWVWgZPVJQ

Or here on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DeadlineDCWithBradBannon/videos/183397130264055

Lawsuit Challenges Georgia's New SB202 Voter Suppression Law

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

Here are the stories that she gave her take on:

1. AUDIO: 911 call played today at Derek Chauvin trial of witness who called 911 on the officers at the scene because he believed he "witnessed a murder" 

2. AXIOS: "Report: 67% of students who planned school shootings had "potential access" to guns"

3. AXIOS: "Biden announces new actions to combat anti-Asian violence"

4. AXIOS: "Biden's spending plans could remake the economy, says Nobel Prize winner Stiglitz"

5. AXIOS: "Biden's big, global climate power play"

6. AXIOS: "Biden to nominate groundbreaking first slate of federal judges"

Leslie is then joined by Damon Hewitt, Acting President and Executive Director of the National Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law (Lawyers’ Committee), who leads one of the country’s most important and long-tenured national civil rights organizations in the pursuit of equal justice for all.

They discuss a federal lawsuit filed by the Lawyers' Committee and other pro-democracy groups, which says that Georgia’s new SB202 law is a culmination of concerted efforts to suppress the participation of black voters and other voters of color.  The groups allege that SB202 threatens the right to vote of all Georgians, but that its most negative impacts will be felt by communities that were specifically targeted by the Georgia State Legislature.

The website for the Lawyers’ Committee is lawyerscommittee.org and their Twitter handle is @LawyersComm.  Damon's handle is @DamonTHewitt.
Additionally,  the Lawyers’ Committee powers '866-OUR-VOTE,' which is working 365 days a year to advance and defend your right to vote.
You can call 866-OUR-VOTE with your voting questions and issues. Their website is 866OURVOTE.org.

Reaction to Secretary Buttigieg's 1st Congressional Hearing; AR-15 Used In Another Mass Shooting

Leslie is joined by two great guests on two timely topics.

First, she's joined by Greg Regan, President of the Transportation Trades Department of the AFL-CIO, a labor organization consisting of 33 unions that together represent workers in all areas of transportation.

Greg gives an analysis of Pete Buttigieg's first congressional hearing as Secretary of Transportation.  This includes a discussion of infrastructure, unmet congressional mandates, and more.
The website for the Transportation Trades Department of the AFL-CIO is ttd.org and their Twitter handle is @TTDAFLCIO.

Leslie's other guest during this episode is Mansoor Shams, a Muslim American U.S. Marine Veteran, Public Speaker, and a Term Member on the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR). He is also the founder of MuslimMarine.org, where he uses his platform to bridge gaps, create cross cultural understanding and counter hate, bigotry, and Islamophobia through education, conversation and dialogue.

They analyze the fact that an AR-15 style weapon has been used in yet another mass shooting (this time in Boulder, Colorado) and Mansoor highlights how similar the AR-15 is to the M-16 he used while in the Marine Corps.  They also examine how the weapon used in the Boulder, Colorado shooting was banned in the area, but then just days before the shooting, the assault weapons ban covering that weapon was lifted.Lastly, as a practicing Muslim, Mansoor explains how it was painful to see Islamophobia rear its ugly head after it was discovered that the shooter in Boulder, Colorado had a Arab sounding name, resulting in some condemning the entire religion of Islam.

Mansoor's Twitter handle is @MansoorTShams.  The tagline for MuslimMarine.org is “unifying people through conversation."

What the Equality Act Would Mean for LGBTQ+ Americans

Today's guest hosts are Edwith Theogene and Charlotte Hancock, Organizing Director and Communications Director for Generation Progress.

During today's show they discuss the Equality Act, a key piece of civil rights legislation currently being considered by the Senate that would implement uniform legal protections for people regardless of gender and/or sexual orientation. These protections are critical for LGBTQ+ people in this country, whose protected status varies greatly from state to state and city to city.

The Equality Act has already been passed twice by the House of Representatives. The first time it was passed, in 2019, then-Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell refused to take it up for a vote in the Senate—but now, with a different party in control, the Equality Act is moving forward. Last week, it received its first Senate hearing. But the bill is still facing significant backlash that jeopardizes its chances of ultimately becoming law.

To talk with Edwith and Charlotte more about the Equality Act and what it would mean for LGBTQ+ Americans, they’re joined by Sharita Gruberg, the vice president of the LGBTQ+ project at the Center for American Progress, and Nadine Smith, the executive director of Equality Florida.

Generation Progress' website is GenProgress.org and their Twitter handle is @GenProgress.  Edwith Theogene's Twitter handle is @WhoIsEdwith and Charlotte Hancock's handle is @CharlatAnne.  Sharita Gruberg's Twitter handle is @SharitaGruberg and the handle for the LGBTQ Research and Communications Project at theCenter for American Progress is @LGBTQProgress.Nadine Smith's Twitter handle is @1NadineSmith and the handle for Equality Florida is @equalityfl.