The Leslie Marshall Show

Evaluating Trump's Handling of COVID-19 Pandemic, Possible Biden Running Mates

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 Charlie Cook, Editor and Published of the 'Cook Political Report.'  His Twitter handle is @CharlieCookDC.

The two discuss President Trump's handling the COVID-19 pandemic, what Americans think of the President's response to the virus, how Joe Biden has done in running his Presidential campaign during the pandemic, and how important his choice of a running mate could be.

During the second half of the show, Brad leads a political round-table with Moe Vela and Mark Grimaldi.  The roundtable adds to the discussion of the topics covered in the first segment, and also talks about the economic struggles that lower and middle income Americans are beginning to face during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Moe Vela served in President Obama’s administration as the Director of Administration and Senior Advisor in the Office of Vice President Joe Biden.  The stint was the second White House appointment for Mr. Vela, who served as Chief Financial Officer and Senior Advisor on Hispanic Affairs for Vice President Al Gore. Mr. Vea holds the distinction of being the first Hispanic American and gay American to serve twice in a senior executive role in the White House. His Twitter handle is @MoeVela.

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), and Secretary Hillary Clinton (2016).  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 column every Sunday on the 2020 Presidential race 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/1OwGWQoQWoDxQ

Trump Admin Makes COVID-19 Situation Worse for Migrant Children and Naval Officers

During the first half of the show, Leslie is joined by Hope Frye, an internationally recognized immigration lawyer focused on disadvantaged populations, especially women and children. She is the Co-founder and executive director of 'Project Lifeline,' a nonprofit focused on children who are or were in immigration detention in CBP jails, ORR shelters or ICE family detention facilities. Their mission spans the child’s experience with the goal of providing continuity of care. They are the only nonprofit with a medical and legal programs.

Leslie and Hope discuss two new court rulings, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, that could force Trump to release migrant children and parents. His administration is facing a spate of lawsuits across the country calling on them to close immigration courts and release migrants from often overcrowded, unsanitary detention facilities that medical experts have said are “tinderboxes” for the virus. A Federal Judge reviewing the situation called the detention facilities “hotbeds for contagion” that pose “unprecedented threats” of “irreparable harm” amid the pandemic.

The website for 'Project Lifeline' is www.ProjectLifeline.us and their Twitter handle is @ProjLifeline.

During the second half of the show, Leslie is joined by Colonel Cedric Leighton, Founder and President of Cedric Leighton Associates, a strategic risk and leadership consultancy serving global companies and organizations. He founded the company in 2010, after serving in the US Air Force for 26 years as an Intelligence Officer and attaining the rank of Colonel.

They discuss Navy Captain Brett Crozier, who was fired just four days after he pleaded for help as the coronavirus ravaged his crew on the USS Theodore Roosevelt. Crozier had sent an urgent letter to the U.S. Navy on Sunday, seeking to evacuate and isolate the crew as cases of coronavirus infection increased on the aircraft carrier. Some 113 members of the crew had tested positive as of yesterday, which is by far the U.S. military’s largest coronavirus outbreak to date in the pandemic.Videos posted on social media showed a huge send-off for Captain Crozier, with hundreds of service members on the hanger deck of the vessel, which is currently docked in Guam, chanting "Captain Crozier! Captain Crozier!" and clapping.

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

The Impact of COVID-19 on Incarcerated People

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

 

Medical and health care professionals, sanitation workers, grocery store employees, delivery workers, and many other folks are doing essential work to keep us all safe. They are all putting themselves at an elevated risk of contracting COVID-19 while doing this work.

There is another population of people who don’t have the option of protecting themselves from this pandemic—people who are currently incarcerated. To talk more about how this pandemic threatens the lives and safety of incarcerated people in the United States, and what counties, states, and the country can do to better protect them, the show is joined by DeAnna Hoskins, the president and CEO of JustLeadershipUSA, and Anthony Robles and Jared O’Brien, organizers with the Youth Justice Coalition in Los Angeles.

 

Here are the Twitter handles for today's guests and their respective organizations:  DeAnna Hoskins - @MzDeHoskins, JustLeadershipUSA - @JustLeadersUSA, Youth Justice Coalition - @YouthJusticeLA

The website for "Generation Progress" is www.GenProgress.org and their Twitter Handle is @GenProgress.  Brent J. Cohen's Twitter handle is @BrentJCohen and Edwith Theogene's handle is @WhoIsEdwith.

Why America Does Not Have Enough Masks and PPE During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Leslie is rejoined 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.For over a decade, 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 two dig deep into the reasons why America has failed to supply an adequate number of masks and other PPE (personal protective equipment) for our doctors and nurses on the COVID-19 front line.

Leslie and Scott also discuss solutions to the problem in both the short and long term.
For those interested in learning more on the subject, below are some of the sources that Leslie and Scott share from during today's interview.

1.  WIRED: "How Decades of Offshoring Led to a Mask Shortage in a Pandemic" - https://www.wired.com/story/decades-offshoring-led-mask-shortage-pandemic/

2. The New York Times - "China Pushes to Churn Out Coronavirus Gear, Yet Struggles to Police It" - https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/27/business/china-coronavirus-masks-tests.html

3. The New York Times - "Trump Said He Was the President of Manufacturing. Then Disaster Struck" - https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/29/us/politics/coronavirus-trump-ventilators-manufacturing-gm.html?referringSource=articleShare

4. The New York Times - "How the World’s Richest Country Ran Out of a 75-Cent Face Mask" -  https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/25/opinion/coronavirus-face-mask.html?referringSource=articleShare

The website for AAM is AmericanManufacturing.org and their Twitter handle is @KeepItMadeInUSA. Scott's Twitter handle is @ScottPaulAAM.  You can also find AAM on Instagram with the handle @AmericanManufacturing and visit their Facebook page at Facebook.com/AmericanManufacturing.

Saving the Economy During the COVID-19 Pandemic

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 Chairman of Sonecon, an economic advisory firm, and a Senior Fellow of the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University. He 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 Twitter handle is @RobShapiro.

Dr. Shapiro explains "how the future shape of the economic crisis driven by the federal government’s inadequate response to the coronavirus pandemic is coming into focus." He outlined this point, as well as some possible solutions, in his most recent Sonecon blog, titled "A Long-Term Plan to Save the Economy From Coronavirus" (link here: https://www.sonecon.com/the-shape-of-the-economic-crisis-and-what-can-really-be-done-about-it/) The piece also appeared in the March 26th edition of 'Washington Monthly.'

During the second half of the show, Brad leads a political round-table with Anisha Singh and Mark Grimaldi. The roundtable discuss the following questions:

1. How would you rate the handling of the Coronavirus crisis by President Trump and Senate Republicans?

2. What does this moment mean for our elections, and how do we protect democracy?

3. How well have Governors like Andrew Cuomo, Gavin Newsom, Jay Inslee and Gretchen Whitmer filled the leadership void left open by Trump during the crisis?

Anisha is the Director of Judiciary and Democracy Affairs at the Planned Parenthood Action Fund. Her Twitter handle is @Anisha_S113.

Mark Grimaldi, or 'Marky Mark' as Leslie Marshall calls him, is the Executive Producer of this show. In addition to being the Executive Producer for the Leslie Marshall show for 14 years, for the past 12 years Mark has been a progressive political activist and campaign volunteer of President Obama's (2008 and 2012), Senator Bernie Sanders' (2016), and Secretary Hillary Clinton's (2016). 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 column every Sunday on the 2020 Presidential race 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.

Safeguarding Elections and Our Right to Vote During COVID-19 Pandemic

Leslie kicks off the show with her 'Ripped from the Headlines' news segment.

She is then joined by Karen Hobert Flynn, the President of Common Cause, a nonpartisan grassroots organization with 1.2 million members and supporters dedicated to building a strong democracy and holding power accountable. Karen is a democracy reform activist and leader for more than three decades, including 25-plus years on staff and in state and national leadership positions with Common Cause.

The two discuss the $400 million in election funding that Common Cause, and their allies, were successful in persuading Congress to include in the 2 Trillion dollar COVID-19 response bill. They also analyze why, despite this funding being a step in the right direction, given the recent health crisis, states and localities immediately need significantly more resources. These resources are needed to make critical investments to ensure that all voters can participate in free, fair, orderly, and safe elections this year, or else millions of voters could be disenfranchised.

The website for Common Cause is CommonCause.org and their Twitter handle is @CommonCause. Karen Hobert Flynn's handle is @KHobertFlynn.

The Economic Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic

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

 

They discuss the economic challenges that people—particularly young people—will face as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, and what state and federal governments can do to help individuals and families get through it.  They also analyze the early details being released about the stimulus/economic recovery package being finalized by Congress.

 

They are also joined by an expert guest on the topic, Tamara Fucile, Director for Government Affairs and Senior Advisor at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

Tamara's Twitter handle is @TamaraFucile and the handle for her organization is @CenterOnBudget. 

 

The website for 'Generation Progress' is www.GenProgress.org and their Twitter Handle is @GenProgress.  Brent Cohen's Twitter handle is @BrentJCohen and Charlotte Hancock's handle is @CharlatAnne.

Senators Burr and Loeffler Insider Trading Requires "Resignation and Prosecution"

Leslie is joined by Morris Pearl, Chair of the Patriotic Millionaires, a group of hundreds of high-net-worth Americans who are committed to making all Americans better off by building a more prosperous, stable, and inclusive nation. The group focuses on promoting public policy solutions that encourage political equality, guarantee a sustaining wage for working Americans, and ensure that millionaires, billionaires, and corporations pay their fair share of taxes.

Leslie and Morris discuss reports that Senators Richard Burr and Kelly Loeffler sold off significant amounts of stock in the immediate aftermath of being briefed on the spread of COVID-19, all while publicly stating that there was no reason for alarm.

 

The Patriotic Millionaires, led by Mr. Pearl, are calling for "resignation and prosecution" in response to the insider trading reports.

 

"Senators Burr and Loeffler have clearly placed their own personal financial interests ahead of the safety and wellbeing of their constituents, and they have no business continuing to act as public servants. They must resign, and their misconduct must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law under the 2012 STOCK Act.

The Department of Justice should prioritize investigating and prosecuting these Senators. Our entire government depends on the American people trusting that their elected officials are working with their best interests at heart. By using their official positions to benefit themselves at the expense of the American people, these Senators have betrayed the trust of their communities and constituents, and cracked the very foundations of our democracy at a time when trust in our government has never been more important.

Congress should pass laws that would make this kind of misbehavior impossible in the future. It is absurd that members of Congress are allowed to trade stocks at all. No one should personally profit from having the privilege of serving their nation as a legislator."

 

Leslie and Morris also discuss what safeguards are needed in any stimulus/bailout packages to protect working people and fight corporate greed.

 

The website for the Patriotic Millionaires is www.PatrioticMillionaires.org, their Instagram handle is @PatrioticMillionaires, and their Twitter handle is @PatrioticMills. Morris Pearl's Twitter handle is @Morris_Pearl.

Trump's Handling of the COVID-19 Pandemic

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 leads a political round-table with Kim Scott and Mark Grimaldi.  The roundtable discusses President Trump's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, how Vice President Biden is doing at communicating with the country during the crisis, and what Senator Bernie Sanders next political move may be.

The two round table guests are Kimberly Scott and Mark Grimaldi. Kimberly is the Founder and Publisher of DemList, LLC, 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.

Mark Grimaldi is progressive political activist, with 12 years of experience in the field. He has worked as a campaign volunteer of President Obama's (2008 and 2012), Senator Bernie Sanders' (2016), and Secretary Hillary Clinton's (2016).  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 column every Sunday on the 2020 Presidential race 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.

Women of Steel and Women’s Activism Around the Globe

March is women’s history month and March 8th was International Women’s Day. This is also a big year for commemorating women’s activism, with 2020 marking the centennial of women’s right to vote. To discuss some highlights of women's activism around the globe during the past year, Leslie is joined by Anna Fendley of the United Steelworkers Union (USW). Anna also shares some incredible insights on the USW's 'Women of Steel' program during the interview.

Anna has been with the USW for over a decade and has worked doing legislative advocacy and in the union’s Health, Safety and Environment Department. Anna serves as the vice president for North America for the IndustriALL Global Union, which represents industrial workers all over the world. She also represents the AFL-CIO as the chairperson of the International Trade Union Confederation’s Global Youth Committee, where she led the effort to create a global economic platform for young workers.

Here are some of the details that Leslie and Anna covered during today's conversation.

- Women of Steel:

· The USW’s 'Women of Steel' is its program for empowering women leaders and activists. It began as a grassroots effort in Canada in the 1980s as an effort to combat sex discrimination. · Now it’s union-wide. Women of Steel work on a variety of issues that are important to women in the workplace: some of it iscommunity-based and some national.

- Health care worker safety:

· The union has long fought for protections for health care workers. The USW represents approximately 50,000 health care workers, many of whom are women.
· This includes work on the Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act (H.R. 1309), which passed the House late last year.
· Many of the issues that the USW fights for, not just in 'Women of Steel,' but across the board, are now taking on a new resonance with the outbreak of COVID-19.
· The USW and other unions have pushed to get OSHA to issue anemergency standard to protect front line workers in the wake of the virus.

- Paid Leave

· The issue of paid leave is also as urgent as it’s ever been. Even before the current crisis, the USW supported legislation that would expand leave, including the FAMILY Act.
· Now, there is greater need. Lawmakers are proposing the 'Paid Sick Days for Public Health Emergencies and Personal Family Care Act.'
· This issue does not just affect women, but because many women are caregivers in their families, access to benefits like paid leave help with gender equality.

- Women’s Activism Internationally:

· It’s not just domestically that the USW has been fighting for women’s rights. As a part of a global alliance of unions called IndustriALL, the union has been taking a wider view of women’s participation in the workforce. In November, they met in Geneva and set ambitious goals. These included increasing diversity in workplaces, finding ways to get more women into leadership positions, and combating gender based violence. Anna was part of the USW’s delegation. · The ILO has also set reducing gender based violence as one of its goals. It also announced that this year’s World Day for Safety and Health at Work, celebrated on April 28 dually as Workers Memorial Day, will focus on calling for the prohibition and prevention of violence and harassment in the workplace. As part of the campaign, the ILO will produce a global report highlighting how a comprehensive OSH (Occupational Safety and Health) framework at both national and workplace levels could address the epidemic of violence and harassment.
· Women in Mexico have also started a grassroots movement against the violence they experience. o On International Women’s Day, 80,000 protestors took to the streets of Mexico City. This “Day Without Women” was intended to draw attention to femicide and government inaction. It’s estimated that ten women are killed in Mexico every day.

The website for the United Steelworkers is USW.org and their Twitter and Instagram handle is @steelworkers. The Twitter handle for USW President Tom Conway is @USWblogger.