Episodes

Monday Feb 03, 2025
Monday Feb 03, 2025
Brad is first joined by Bob Deans, Director of Strategic Engagement at the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC).
The two discuss the effects of Trump pulling out of the Paris Climate Accord, how the U.S. is trying to unravel a hacking plot that targeted climate activists, climate change and the L.A. fires, and more.
Then, Brad is joined by Founder of the 'Cook Political Report.'
The two analyze how unpopular Trump's tariffs on Canada and Mexico have been, whether Trump cares since he won't be on the ballot again, and more.
The NRDC works to safeguard the earth—its people, its plants and animals, and the natural systems on which all life depends.
They combine the power of more than 3 million members and online activists with the expertise of some 700 scientists, lawyers, and other environmental specialists to confront the climate crisis, protect the planet's wildlife and wild places, and to ensure the rights of all people to clean air, clean water, and healthy communities.
The website for the NRDC is www.NRDC.org and their handle on X is @NRDC.
Charlie's handle is on X is @CharlieCookDC.
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 handle on X is @BradBannon.

Tuesday Jan 28, 2025
Low Lights of Trump's First Week, Attacks on DEI Programs
Tuesday Jan 28, 2025
Tuesday Jan 28, 2025
Brad is first joined by Tara Devlin, the host of the podcast, 'TARABUSTER.'
The two review then opening week of the second Trump administration, what can be done to slow or stop him, and whether he's 'flying too close to the sun' with unpopular actions like mass padoning the January 6th rioters, including some who assaulted Capitol Police Officers.
Then, Brad is joined by Policy and Advocacy Strategist Edwith Theogene.
The pair analyzes Trump's damaging executive orders attacking DEI programs in the federal government and the military.
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 X at @REALTaraDevlin and on Instagram at @Taradackty.
Edwith's handle on X is @WhoIsEdwith and her website is www.ed-with.com.
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 handle on X is @BradBannon.

Friday Dec 20, 2024
Friday Dec 20, 2024
The two discuss:
- Why there is no source that Union workers trust more for information about politics than their fellow Union workers
- How, despite the massive headwinds Democrats faced in this year's elections, Union voters turned out for Harris by a margin of 57%-41%, a slight advantage over 2020, after months of person-to-person contact focused heavily on pocketbook issues
- How, the Union vote, almost single handedly, kept the presidential race close across the Blue Wall and other battlegrounds. It also propelled Democratic Senate candidates to victory in closely contested races
- S.T. Redmond's take on the nomination of Lori Chavez-DeRemer for Labor Secretary
- His reaction to the selection of Gwynne Wilcox to succeed Lauren McFerran as the new chair of the NLRB
- His concern and frustration at House Republicans, President-Elect Trump and Elon Musk forcing the federal government to the brink of a shutdown, and how it would leave so many hard working Americans without a paycheck right before the Holidays
In 2022, S.T. Redmond he was unanimously elected to the position as the highest ranking African American officer in the history of America’s labor movement.His path to the federation’s second-highest office began in 1973, when he went to work at Reynolds Metals Company in Chicago and became a member of the United Steelworkers (USW). He was active in his local union almost immediately, serving as shop steward and eventually vice president. He served three terms as local president.
In 2021, Redmond was elected president of the Trade Union Confederation of the Americas, a prestigious international post.
The website for the AFL-CIO is www.AFLCIO.org and their handle on Facebook, Instagram and X is @AFLCIO. Fred's handle on X is @STRedmond.

Tuesday Dec 10, 2024
2024 AAM 'Made in America Holiday Gift Guide'
Tuesday Dec 10, 2024
Tuesday Dec 10, 2024
The two discuss this year's AAM 'Made in American Holiday Gift Guide.'
They cover a mix of some of this year's incredible companies and gifts.
Here's more on it directly from AAM:
"The Alliance for American Manufacturing is thrilled to unveil the 11th edition of the Made in America Holiday Gift Guide, our annual collection of American-made gift ideas from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
We worked especially hard this year to find Made in USA companies that have not been included in the guide before, so we can shine a spotlight on even more great American makers and manufacturers. We also purposely selected an eclectic mix of items at a variety of price points, so there’s something Made in America for everyone on your list! If you still can’t find what you’re looking for, scroll to the bottom of this page for previous editions of the guide, or check out the Made in America Directory. We’ve grouped gift ideas by category on this page, but you can also navigate it by state. Happy shopping!"
Check out the gift guide at http://www.TinyURL.com/2024AAMGiftGuide.
AAM's website is www.AmericanManufacturing.org and their handle on X is @KeepItMadeInUSA. Beth's handle is @ebrotherton.

Friday Nov 22, 2024
The Power of International Solidarity
Friday Nov 22, 2024
Friday Nov 22, 2024
The pair discuss the power of international solidarity in four parts.
Part 1: Global Solidarity and Corporate Greed
Multinational corporations operate globally, oftentimes attempting to pit workers in different countries against each other in a race to the bottom on wages and working conditions.
Unionized workers, however, understand that the only answer to large-scale corporate greed is global solidarity.
- The USW works with global labor federations like IndustriALL and UNI so that they can share information about operations in different countries.
- The USW maintains formal strategic alliances with at least six other unions in Australia, Mexico, Germany, Brazil, and the United Kingdom.
- The USW also maintains relationships with unions in a number of other countries as they work to ensure that workers have a place to succeed in the global economy.
All of these relationships are premised on the simple truth that workers the world over confront many of the same challenges, and their greatest strength is solidarity.
Part 2: Urgency in Liberia and Bridgestone’s Operations
Nowhere has this been more urgent than in Liberia, where workers on Bridgestone’s massive rubber plantation have been struggling for decades to improve their working conditions.
Japanese-owned Bridgestone is one of the world’s largest tire and rubber manufacturers. It employs more than 125,000 workers worldwide, including approximately 4,000 members of the USW. Unions in Japan, South Africa, Europe, and Brazil also represent Bridgestone workers.
In Harbel, Liberia, Bridgestone operates the world’s largest contiguous rubber plantation, covering some 185 square miles. It’s owned by Bridgestone subsidiary, Firestone Liberia, and approximately 7,000 workers reside there with their families.
- These workers both live and work on the plantation, buying food from the company store and sending their children to schools run by the company.
- The work is difficult, slashing bush, tapping trees, draining latex into metal buckets that weigh 65 pounds each when full, and carrying them long distances to weigh stations.
- This latex then goes straight into the North American supply chain, serving as the starting point for American-made tires.
Part 3: Unionization and Challenges at Firestone Liberia
In 1990, Terry Renninger, then president of Bridgestone’s Liberia operations, said, “The best way to think of it is as an old Southern plantation.”
Indeed, in the years leading up to the formation of their union, the Firestone Agricultural Workers Union of Liberia (FAWUL), workers endured what a 2005 human rights lawsuit called “forced labor, the modern equivalent of slavery.”
In 2007, workers successfully organized, and since then they’ve been making incremental progress in improving working conditions on the plantation, though serious problems remain regarding wages, health care, housing, workplace safety, and more.
On top of this, in 2019, Bridgestone fired more than 2,000 workers, forcing them instead to work for contractors, doing the same work but earning significantly lower wages without benefits or other protections provided by FAWUL’s contract.
According to the U.S.-based Solidarity Center:
- One of the big benefits they lost was the education promised to their children, who now must walk long distances through difficult terrain to attend classes in open-air classrooms without desks or other supplies.
- Workers struggle to afford protective glasses, boots, or gloves.
- Living conditions are cramped, and payment for food comes out of workers’ paychecks, which can sometimes leave them with zero or negative balances on their pay slips.
Part 4: Current Efforts and Hope for the Future
Since then, these workers have pushed back, with the support of unions like the USW, as well as the Solidarity Center and others.
- On Aug. 31, 2024, contractors voted overwhelmingly to unionize and are attempting to rejoin FAWUL.
- FAWUL is currently in negotiations with Bridgestone, and one of the key issues is the fate of contractors.
The USW has been proud to provide strategic and bargaining support, but the true strength comes from workers themselves who have shown they’re willing to take action.
The outcome of these negotiations is still not certain, but it’s clear that workers – across the world – are strongest when they’re united.
Kevin Mapp also serves as a trustee on the USW Health and Welfare Fund, is an advisory board member to the Institute for Career Development, and a member of the Board of Directors for the Michigan AFL-CIO Labor Foundation. He is a graduate of the Harvard Trade Union Program and the Cornell National Labor Leadership Initiative.A committed activist, Kevin also serves on the boards of both the metro-Detroit and national A. Philip Randolph Institutes (APRI), where he works to promote social and economic justice, voting rights and community education.
Follow the USW on Facebook, Instagram and X, using the handle @steelworkers, and visit their website at www.USW.org.

Tuesday Sep 17, 2024
Tuesday Sep 17, 2024
The pair discuss two of his most recent pieces for CAP. (both listed below)
1. "Donald Trump Is Lying About Immigrants and Social Security/Medicare" (https://www.americanprogressaction.org/article/donald-trump-is-lying-about-immigrants-and-social-security-medicare/)
2. "Harris’ Plan To Raise the Minimum Wage and Eliminate Tax on Tips Would Benefit Service and Hospitality Workers" (www.americanprogressaction.org/article/harris-plan-to-raise-the-minimum-wage-and-eliminate-tax-on-tips-would-benefit-service-and-hospitality-workers/)
Previously, Brendan was a senior policy adviser at the White House National Economic Council for the Biden-Harris administration, and a member of their presidential transition team. Duke estimated the cost of various provisions of the 'American Rescue Plan' and of the administration’s 'Build Back Better' plan, as well as helped develop its overall budgetary frameworks. He also worked on the administration’s Supply Chain Disruptions Task Force, where he served as the National Economic Council’s point person on supply chain data during the port congestion crisis of 2021, and the infant formula crisis of 2022.
His handle on X is @Brendan_Duke.

Tuesday Sep 17, 2024
Breast Cancer Awareness; Social Media Linked to Eating Disorders in Kids
Tuesday Sep 17, 2024
Tuesday Sep 17, 2024
Dr. Saphier is a board-certified radiologist with advanced fellowship training in breast imaging.
The two ladies discuss Breast Cancer Awareness month, which is right around the corner in October, and what folks can do to protect themselves and their families from the dangerous disease.
Then, the pair comments on a new study linking social media to eating disorders in kids and young teens.
Dr. Saphier is author of FOX News Books' best-seller "Love, Mom," which shines a light on maternal love with powerful first person stories from the FOX News family and beyond.
In addition to her clinical, research and media responsibilities, Dr. Saphier holds leadership and advisory positions at the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, New Jersey Department of Health, and Radiological Society of New Jersey.
Her website is www.NicoleSaphierMD.com and her handle on X is @NBSaphierMD.

Friday Sep 13, 2024
Friday Sep 13, 2024
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 how high interest rates are crushing U.S. manufacturing's potential growth, NAFTA's lingering damage in the rust belt, and how the Biden administration's industrial policies are actually turning the tide on U.S. competitiveness.
For over 17 years, Mr. Paul and AAM have worked to make American manufacturing a top-of-mind issue for voters and our national leaders through effective advocacy, innovative research, and a savvy public relations strategy.
The website for AAM is www.AmericanManufacturing.org and their handle on X is @KeepItMadeInUSA.
Scott's handle is @ScottPaulAAM.

Tuesday Sep 10, 2024
Tuesday Sep 10, 2024
The two discuss his latest piece for 'Washington Monthly' titled, "Kamala Harris Still Has Time for a Big New Idea in Economic Policy."
Dr. Shapiro explains how the fading prospect of upward mobility for Americans without college degrees is a major issue that concerns millions of voters.
He proposes that one way to help people raise their incomes is by offering free retraining for higher-paying jobs.
He also details how the plan would work, and how much it would cost (which may surprise you!).
The full article is available at www.sonecon.com/blog, along with all of Dr. Shapiro's other writing.
Then, Leslie is joined by Brad Bannon, who 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.
The two preview tonight's presidential debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and Donald Trump.
This includes discussions about whether V.P. Harris will deliver the policy message voters say they want to hear, which version of Trump shows up onstage, abortion, the Economy, and more.
Dr. Shapiro brings broad knowledge and experience in economics and politics based on his government service and decades of conducting analysis and providing advice to U.S. presidents, senators, representatives and governors, as well as foreign leaders and senior executives at numerous Fortune 100 companies. His views are respected in the United States and around the world, and he has helped develop numerous policies that affect investment, taxation, regulation, trade and government spending here and abroad.
His website is www.Sonecon.comm and his handle on X is @RobShapiro.
You can hear Brad guest host for Leslie each Monday from 3-4pm ET with his own program, 'Deadline D.C. with Brad Bannon.'
Brad also writes a political column each week for 'The Hill.'
You can read Brad's columns at www.MuckRack.com/Brad-Bannon. His handle on X is @BradBannon and on Facebook is at @DeadlineDCWithBradBannon.

Wednesday Sep 04, 2024
Challenges to SAVE Student Loan Plan, Latest on Student Debt Cancellation
Wednesday Sep 04, 2024
Wednesday Sep 04, 2024
The Student Debt Crisis Center takes over the airwaves of 'the Leslie Marshall Show,' where they detail the latest challenges to the SAVE plan, why millions of folks don't have to make monthly payments right now, and what's going on with the latest student debt cancellation plan.
They also alert folks of upcoming deadlines and who benefits from taking action.
This episode's SDCC hosts are President and Founder, Natalia Abrams, Managing Director, Sabrina Calazans, and Special Projects & 'Free the Degree' Director, Sabrina Ashley Cereceres.
The Student Debt Crisis Center (SDCC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that centers the needs and voices of borrowers, and partners with allies, to impact public policy and end the student debt crisis.
The SDCC website is StudentDebtCrisis.org and their handle on X, Instagram and Facebook is @DebtCrisisOrg.