The Leslie Marshall Show

Trump Threatens to Invoke Insurrection Act; U.S. Senate Candidate for Georgia Talks George Floyd and Systematic Change

Leslie is first joined by Professor Joshua Geltzer, who serves as the founding Executive Director of the Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection, as well as Visiting Professor of Law, at Georgetown University Law Center.
He is also an International Security Program Fellow at New America and an Executive Editor at Just Security.
Geltzer served from 2015 to 2017 as Senior Director for Counterterrorism at the National Security Council staff. He also served as a law clerk to Justice Stephen Breyer of the U.S. Supreme Court.

Leslie and Professor Geltzer analyze President Trump's threat to invoke the Insurrection Act, a centuries-old law that gives the president the authority to send the U.S. military into America cities and towns to quash domestic unrest. This came on the same day that Trump had berated Governors for being "weak" and demanded that they fully utilize the National Guard to "dominate" the streets amid civilian unrest.

You can follow Professor Geltzer on Twitter where his handle is @jgeltzer.

Leslie is then joined by Sarah Riggs Amico, a labor-backed progressive businesswoman and Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in Georgia, running for the seat currently held by David Perdue. A Harvard MBA and 17-year business leader, she served most recently as Executive Chair of her family’s trucking company. Sarah is the only candidate in the race to have the backing of labor, with endorsements from five labor unions. In 2018, she was the Democratic nominee for Lt Governor, running with Stacey Abrams in one of the most closely-watched elections in the country.

Sarah tells Leslie and the audience why she is calling for "deep systemic change" in regard to law enforcement's policing of minorities, as well as justice for George Floyd. Sarah and Leslie also discuss her condemnation of President Trump's federally-directed assault on peaceful protesters outside of the White House so that the president could take a staged photo at St. John’s Episcopal Church. Sarah released a statement on Trump's decision, saying, "there is nothing holy about tear-gassing peaceful protestors so the president can do a Bible-waving photo op at a house of worship.

Sarah and her husband live with their two young daughters in Marietta, GA. Her website is SarahForGeorgia.com and her Twitter handle is @SarahRiggsAmico. The Democratic primary election in Georgia takes place on Tuesday, June 9th.

Protests Against George Floyd's Murder, Racial Injustice, and Police Brutality

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 Jeneé Osterheldt, a culture columnist who covers identity and social justice through the lens of culture and the arts. Sometimes this means writing about being Black at Art Basel. In 2020 it means exploring both the pandemic of coronavirus and America's original pandemic: racism.

She joined the Globe as a culture writer in 2018. A graduate of Norfolk State University, Osterheldt was a 2017 Nieman Fellow at Harvard, where her studies focused on the intersection of art and justice. She previously worked as a Kansas City Star culture columnist.

Jeneé 's Twitter handle is @SincerelyJenee.

Brad and Jeneé discuss her latest piece for the Boston Globe, titled "It’s bigger than buildings. America is burning." (Link here: https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/05/29/nation/its-bigger-than-buildings-american-is-burning/)

During the second half of the show, Brad leads a political round-table with Tim Zenk and Mark Grimaldi.  The roundtable discusses the impact of racial conflict on Joe Biden choosing his running mate, as well as Biden's increased public visibility during the COVID-19 pandemic and the protests in response to the police killing of George Floyd.

Tim is a Principle at 'Molecule,' a business and public affairs company, a former Democratic staffer, and a well known renewable energy expert. His Twitter handle is @greencrude.

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.periscope.tv/w/1YqJDEZZkDvxV

Manufacturing, Infrastructure and American Security

Leslie is joined by United Steelworkers President Tom Conway to discuss manufacturing, infrastructure, and American security during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Much of the information they covered can be found in this week's USW blog, titled "America's Infrastructure Crisis." (link here: https://usw.org/blog/2020/americas-infrastructure-crisis)

The website for the USW is www.USW.org and their Twitter and Instagram handle is @steelworkers.

Police Brutality, Gun Violence Prevention, and COVID-19

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

During today's episode, they discuss how as COVID-19 continues to reshape many elements of our lives, we’ve been reminded that one thing that has continued in spite of the pandemic, is the threat of gun violence and the harm that the criminal legal system in the United States inflicts on Black bodies.

While heavily armed white protesters have marched on state capitals to protest stay-at-home orders without any police intervention, we have seen several horrific instances in just the past few weeks of racism and racist violence that police have inflicted on Black Americans. Though these events have taken place in different parts of the country and have ended in different ways, they are all part of a broader system that poses a daily threat to people of color and is in desperate need of dramatic change.

To talk with Brent and Edwith more about these tragedies, and the broader gun violence prevention space, they're joined by Greg Jackson, the National Advocacy Director of the Community Justice Action Fund, and Tia Bell, Founder of the T.R.I.G.G.E.R. Project.

Here are the Twitter handles for today's guests and their respective organizations: Greg Jackson - @gregoryjackson, Community Justice Action Fund - @CJACTIONFUND, T.R.I.G.G.E.R. Project - @TheTRIGGERProj.

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.

COVID-19 and Homelessness

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

They discuss one group of people in particular who are extremely vulnerable during the COVID-19 pandemic—people who are experiencing homelessness or who have insecure housing situations. These populations are more at risk both as a result of the infectious nature of the disease and because of the economic crisis that the pandemic has caused.

To talk with them more about how this population is affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, and what lawmakers should do to better protect people who are unhoused, they’re joined by two expert guests.  They are Valencia Gunder, the CEO and founder of The Smile Trust, and Jaboa Lake, a senior policy analyst for the Center for American Progress’s Poverty to Prosperity Program.

Here are the Twitter handles for today's guests and their respective organizations: Valencia Gunder - @ValenciaGunder, The Smile Trust- @SmileTrustInc, Jaboa Lake - @jaboalake, the Center for American Progress - @amprog

The website for "Generation Progress" is www.GenProgress.org and their Twitter Handle is @GenProgress.  Charlotte Hancock's Twitter handle is @CharlatAnne and Edwith Theogene's handle is @WhoIsEdwith.

Fired Inspector General was Investigating Pompeo and Arms Sales to Saudi Arabia

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

Here are the stories she covers during the segment:

1. AUDIO: Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) asks Treasury Secretay Steven Mnuchin, “How many workers should give their lives to increase our GDP by a half percent?”

2. WASHINGTON POST: "As White House pushes firms to reopen, new report says much of bailout stimulus money remains unspent"

3. TIME: "The Real Estate Industry Pushed for $160 Billion in Tax Breaks in the CARES Act, Disclosure Filings Show"

4. AXIOS: "Trump threatens to end WHO funding and withdraw U.S. membership"

5. POLITICO: "Biden White House would yank Keystone XL permit"

6. USA TODAY: "New poll shows Sen. Martha McSally losing ground to Mark Kelly and that's not even the bad news"

During the second half of the show, Leslie is joined by Bob Ney, an Independent Political analyst for radio stations across America, covering the White House, Congress, and specializes in Mideast issues.
He graduated from 'The' Ohio State University and taught English in Shiraz, Iran to Persians in 1978. Leaving Iran due to the beginning of the revolution, Bob was then the American manager of a private sector company in Saudi Arabia, where he lived for a year. He then returned to the United States and was elected to the Ohio House of Representatives (1980), Ohio Senate (1984) and the U.S. House in 1994 as a Republican in an overwhelming Democratic seat.
Bob became Chairman of the House Administration Committee, Chair of the Housing Sub Committee, Deputy Whip leadership position and member of the House Transportation Committee.
His legacy bill was the passage of the Help America vote act. Co-authored by now Democratic leader Steny Hoyer. HAVA in a bipartisan effort, modernized the American voting systems after the Bush/Gore election aftermath.
In 2006 Bob resigned from Congress due to the Jack Abramoff scandal and wrote a book about his time in politics and his incarceration in the federal corrections system. “ Sideswiped” (lessons learned courtesy of the hit men of Capitol Hill) was released in 2013, and is definitely worth a purchase and a read! (buy here: tinyurl.com/buysideswiped)

The two discuss news that the State Department Inspector General who was fired by President Trump late Friday night, Steve Linick, was investigating the president’s effort to sell weapons to Saudi Arabia without congressional approval.

Bob Ney also volunteers helping people with recovery from alcohol and drug abuse, and is involved in other entrepreneurial ventures. He makes his home in Ohio, Father of two grown children and five grandchildren. Bob also co-hosts a weekly podcast, with co-host Jim Owen, where they speak the truth about a fundamentally unfair economic system, and learn what can be done to correct it. It's called 'Door to Door' and can be found at www.BobNeyDoorToDoor.com.

You can watch this episode here: www.pscp.tv/w/1RDGlQagbAqJL

New Biden-Trump Poll, Potential Biden Running Mates, COVID-19 'Heroes 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 new show, 'Deadline D.C. with Brad Bannon,' airs every Monday from 3-4pm ET.

Brad is first joined by Shawn Zeller, Deputy Editor of CQ Magazine, and host of the 'CQ on Congress' podcast. Shawn's Twitter handle is @ShawnZeller.

Brad and Shawn discuss a new Joe Biden vs. Donald Trump CNN poll, potential Biden running mates, and the 'Heroes Act' legislation that passed in the House this past Friday.

During the second half of the show, Brad leads a political round-table with Tara Devlin and Mark Grimaldi. The roundtable continues to discuss the new CNN Biden-Trump poll, as well as the general election as a whole.

Tara Devlin is a New York City-based comedian, writer, and founder of RepublicanDirtyTricks.com, also known as 'RDTdaily.' Tara's Twitter handle is @REALTaraDevlin and her Instagram handle is @Taradacktyl. Tara's unapologetically liberal weekly podcast, "TARABUSTER" is recorded LIVE every Saturday evening at 6PM eastern on the RDTdaily Facebook and Youtube channels and replayed starting Sunday at 6PM eastern on Progressive Voices, or any time on the Progressive Voices app. You can become a 'patron' of Tarabuster and RDTdaily at www.Patreon.com/TaraDevlin.

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 this episode here: https://www.pscp.tv/w/1RDxlQadMdDKL

Protecting the Postal Service, Expanding Vote-By-Mail During COVID-19 Pandemic

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

Here are the stories she covers during the segment:

1. NBC NEWS: "Fact check: Coronavirus vaccine could come this year, Trump says. Experts say he needs a 'miracle' to be right."

2. NBC NEWS: "House to vote on Democrats' $3T coronavirus 'HEROES' aid: Stimulus checks, money for states, rent assistance"

3. AXIOS: "Ousted vaccine chief: I was told my pandemic warnings were "causing a commotion""

4. AXIOS: "UN issues dire economic report as WHO warns coronavirus "may never go away""

5. AXIOS: "Another 3 million Americans filed for unemployment last week"

During the second half of the show, Leslie is joined by Kristen Clarke, President and Executive Director of the National Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law (Lawyers’ Committee), which is one of the country’s most important and long-tenured national civil rights organizations in the pursuit of equal justice for all. The Lawyers’ Committee seeks to promote fair housing and community development, economic justice, voting rights, equal educational opportunity, criminal justice, judicial diversity and more.

The two discuss protecting the U.S. Postal Service, and expanding vote-by-mail for Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic. Clarke released the following statement about the recent murky departure of Deputy Postmaster General Ronald Stroman:

“We are sounding an alarm regarding the departure of Ronald Stroman from the Postal Service. The Postal Service lies at the heart of our democracy and is critical to the success of an unprecedented vote-by-mail system that is needed for a fair and effective 2020 election season. The Postal Service is also a lifeline for vulnerable people who are counting on mail delivery for medication, stimulus payments, and more. Stroman’s untimely departure signals deepening chaos and disruption inside the Postal Service at a critical moment during the 2020 election season.

“We call on Congress to convene oversight hearings to determine whether the recent wave of leadership shifts at the Postal Service stands to harm the public by jeopardizing implementation of the Census and vote-by-mail amid the pandemic.”

The website for the Lawyers’ Committee is lawyerscommittee.org and their Twitter handle is @LawyersComm. Kristen's handle is @KristenClarkeJD.

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! (Remember this number between now and Election day!) Their website is 866OURVOTE.org.

You can watch this episode here: https://www.pscp.tv/w/1mrGmQakykkGy

The U.S. Criminal Justice System Harms Women and Families

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

During today's episode, they discuss the ways in which our criminal justice system harms women and families, and particularly women and families of color. Especially during this pandemic, which is shedding on just how vulnerable incarcerated people are during emergencies and crises, finding ways to change this system—which is firmly rooted in white supremacy—has never been more important.

To delve further into this issue, and discuss why it is critical to approach criminal justice reform with a reproductive justice lens—Brett and Edwith are joined by two guests with substantial expertise in this area.  They are Arissa Hall, the Project Director at National Bail Out, and Yveka Pierre, litigation counsel at If/When/How.

Here are the Twitter handles for today's guests and their respective organizations: Arissa Hall - @riss_understood, National Bail Out - @nationalbailout, If/When/How - @ifwhenhow.

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.

Identity Theft During COVID-19; Trump Economic Advisors Push "Work Til' You Die Plan" to Gut Social Security

Leslie is joined by two different guests on two different topics.

Leslie is first joined by Eva Casey Velasquez, President and CEO at the Identity Theft Resource Center. The ITRC is a non-profit organization established to empower and guide consumers, victims, business and government to minimize risk and mitigate the impact of identity compromise and crime. Ms. Velasquez previously served as the Vice President of Operations for the San Diego Better Business Bureau and spent 21 years at the San Diego District Attorney’s Office.

They discuss financial identity theft during the COVID-19 pandemic, including what people can do if it's happened to them.  Eva also highlights how and why unemployment benefits are being targeted by identity thieves during the pandemic.

The website for the ITRC is idtheftcenter.org.  Their Twitter and Instagram handle is @IDTheftCenter.  Eva's Twitter handle is @ITRCCEO.

During the second half of the show, Leslie is joined by Alex Lawson, Executive Director of Social Security Works, which fights to address the retirement income crisis by protecting and expanding America's Social Security system.  Social Security Works is the convening organization of the Strengthen Social Security Coalition— a coalition made up of over 340 national and state organizations representing over 50 million Americans.

Leslie and Alex discuss how President Trump's economic advisors are pushing a new "Work Til' You Die Plan," as Social Security Works has accurately dubbed it, with the goal of gutting America's Social Security program.

The 'Social Security Works' website is socialsecurityworks.org and their Twitter handle is @ssworks.  Alex's Twitter handle is @alaw202.