Journalist Andy Kroll explains why Jeff Roe, Ted Cruz's campaign manager is this generations Karl Rove. Jeff Roe's brutal political history. Destroying candidates who didn't need to be destroyed. The bizarre behavior of Jeff Roe. Why Cruz and Roe picked each other and why Roe believes in base elections. Also why the Cruz campaign will only get more negative. (10:30)

Matt Katz author of the new book Chris Christie’s Bridge to Redemption explains where the Bridgegate investigation stands. The clouds hanging over Chris Christie. David Wildstein and Christie's odd High School experience. How Christie's political career was build on fundraising for George W Bush. How Christie's questionable conduct as District Attorney. Who is David Samson and why he might still threaten Christie's legal future. The relationship between Andrew Cuomo and Christie and are there other skeletons in Christie's closet? (29:15)

On The Fun Half: would there be a massive backlash against reparations? Scotty B might run with Donald Trump?! Fox & Friend's has a disgusting segment on the Flint water crisis and your calls and IMs.

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Eddie S. Glaude Jr. a the Chair of the Department of African American Studies at Princeton University and author of the new book Democracy in Black: How Race Still Enslaves the American Soul (buy the book on Jet or Amazon!) explains the reality of the "Black Depression" in America.

-The “Value Gap” and the flawed economic recovery, especially in black communities. How the belief that white people are more important is ingrained systematically. Environmental racism, from poor waste disposal to Flint, Michigan’s water crisis. Real estate redlining in 2015. “Things haven’t changed;” what has changed and what hasn’t. (11:30)

-Privatizing black misery by ignoring structural economic racism. How the “face of welfare” used to be associated with poor white people. Obama’s “Brother’s Keeper” notion as a “reverse dog whistle” meant to allay concerns of white people. The invisible power of white social networks and the naturalization of privilege. The role of fear in hiding the truth. (22:10)

-The experience of masking racial truths in the workplace. Self-policing of personal style and opinion by black men to navigate the stresses caused by how blackness is perceived. The rarity of truly integrated spaces. Racism as a congenital disease. The misremembering of Martin Luther King, Jr. Believing one thing about racial equality and and naturally acting contrary to those beliefs. (32:10)

-The hereditary nature of privilege and illiberal values. How panic over the loss over white privilege explains the current political tumult. The difference between white outrage at the loss of privilege compares to black outrage at systematic oppression. How the economic system has now made white workers vulnerable. Glaude’s view on the disagreement between Ta-Nahesi Coates and the Bernie Sanders campaign on reparations. (47:09)

On The Fun Half: Random Rush. Sarah Palin's endorsement of Donald Trump is just as crazy and deranged as you would hope. Donald Trump destroys Jeb Bush again. Oregon militia guys blow a Shofar and your calls and IMs.

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1/19/16

On today's show, political strategist and writer Bridget Todd (@BridgetMarie) joins us to review the Democratic debate. (9:00) The chasm in substance between the DNC and GOP debates, and how the DNC is missing an opportunity to draw the distinction with multiple debates. Hillary vs Bernie on healthcare. Bernie on partisanship being more a media a myth than cause of dysfunction, which he says is really down to congress being bought by moneyed interests. Hillary tries to paint Bernie as an Obama-basher to cover for Wall St. donations. The logic behind this strategy and how it will play out over time. Advice to the Bernie and Hillary campaigns.

On the Fun Half - Rubio isn't up-to-date with the Flint, Michigan lead-poisoned water, more debate recap, and listener calls and IMs!

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Happy Martin Luther King, Jr. Day! Today’s show is a compilation of clips including:

Dr. King's first tv interview in 1957 on The Open Mind, episode "The New Negro," hosted by Professor Richard D Hefner. (8:40)

April 4, 1967, King delivers his first public antiwar speech, “Beyond Vietnam,” at New York’s Riverside Church. (36:45)

April 4, 1968, CBS Evening News, Walter Cronkite reports on King's assassination. (1:32:45)

Nina Simone performing “Why?” live three days after the death of Martin Luther King, Jr. (1:35:50)

Sam and Michael review the Republican debate and cover all the delusion and fear mongering. Ben Carson's Goldeneye fantasy(20:00). Donald Trump goes birther Ted Cruz. Jeb Bush wants us "back in the game!" Jeb Bush's secret strategy and Jeb donors now only giving him money out of loyalty.

And Andy Kindler joins us. Why Andy's website never changes. Why Andy does not like Ted Koppel and the time that Nelson Mandela owned Ted Koppel. The problem with Ricky Gervais. Why the Golden Globes are so absurd. Andy Kindler does not like doing Oscar picks. What's going on with Maron and Bob's Burgers. The Republicans are awful but Chris Cillizza is worse and where you can see Andy performed in Seattle and Portland. (36:00)

On The Fun Half: why Bernie will over perform in Iowa and Trump will underperform. Trump locks up the Republican acceptance. Carly Fiorina makes a bizarre attack on Hillary Clinton.

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1/14/16

Mehrsa Baradaran a Professor at the University of Georgia Law School and author of the new book How the Other Half Banks: Exclusion, Exploitation, and the Threat to Democracy explains the history of the banking sector in America and the split between Hamilton and Jefferson. (11:50) 

-The change in banking beginning in the early 1980’s. Community banks and the shifting realities of banking for the poor. Why Hamilton and Jefferson were both right about banking. The New Deal’s strict banking codes and the lack of financial crises for decades following their implementation. Banking deregulation under the Reagan and Thatcher conservative movements. Obama’s “standing between the banks and the pitchforks” and the lack of a push for fundamental change following 2008. The continuity of financial policy under Bush and Obama. (22:20)

-The fundamental inequality between the “banked” and “unbanked.” The huge subsidy that banks receive from the federal insurance. The logic of Post Office banking. How the credit works and how it works for postal banking. Why being in debt isn’t a moral failing. How the poor are left to pure market credit like payday loans and the big banks are federally insured, despite bank failings being far more disastrous. Small credit for the poor meaning the difference between solvency and insolvency. (27:40)

-How postal banking would work in practice. The advantages of postal banking v. payday loans. Where the concept of postal banking has been raised politically. Why Postal Banking is far from radical. (37:50)

On The Fun Half: The military is socialist. The origin story of Jimmy Sullivan. Will Bernie Sanders win Iowa and New Hampshire. Al Jazeera shuts down and Peyton Manning makes a lame joke. The Duck Dynasty guy endorses Ted Cruz. Why the Chelsea Clinton attack on Single Payer healthcare helps Bernie Sanders, how Bernie can campaign better and your calls and IMs.

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Blogger Digby (Heather Parton) explains why she was underwhelmed by President Obama's final SOTU(12:30). When the Obama Administration finally understood how rabid the Republicans are. How President Obama spoke past Republicans and still offered an olive branch. Can Obama ever shake the bipartisan myth? The palpable conservative disappointment after the Iran/Navy situation was resolved(23:50). Thank God President Obama wasn't successful in "bringing people together" to cut Social Security. How outside conservative money is drowning the GOP establishment(35:20). No Republican moderates exist. The Koch brothers are more important than the Republican Party establishment. How Obama talks about the military and American power. The Republican Party's teenage angst and Debbie Wasserman Schultz needs to go!(55:20)

On The Fun Half: Ted Cruz says "embodies New York Values". Oregon militia men welcome a ISIS supporting  Hitler lover as their new IT guy. Also Oregon militia guys do not want dildos in the mail and your calls and IMs.

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1/12/16

Ian Millhiser a Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress Action Fund and the Editor of ThinkProgress Justice, explains the Abood v. Detroit Board of Education case and how it allowed for Public Unions to exist and grow. The free rider problem and public unions. The Harris case and the Supreme Court conservatives cruel attack on home care workers. How the Roberts Court manipulates overturning precedents. How conservatives manipulate the judicial process. The Friedrich Case and the final overturning of the Abood case. The differences between unions and political parties. Are retirement funds unconstitutional if Abood is overturned. The historical context of the war against unions and how reign on the radical right on the Court.

On The Fun Half: Carly Fiorina still failing and still lying. Debating a conservative. Break in at the Flint City Hall and Michigan Governor Rick Snyder is disgusting in defense of his response to the Flint crisis. What will Barack Obama's final State of the Union sound like. A letter from a Oregon militiamen to his wife. White supremacists call voters for Donald Trump in Iowa. Also your calls and IMs.

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Chris Savage, the Publisher  of Eclectablog, explains the decisions that led to the poisoning of Flint, Michigan's water supply with lead. How state officials ignored warnings that Flint's water was sunder threat. How lead damages children for the rest of their lives. What the State is doing to reverse the crisis. The City Manager system and the Lead poisoning of Flint and will anyone be held criminally accountable for what has happened in Flint? (9:42)

Sam on Flint and the massive environmental crisis in Porter Ranch California. (28:35)

On The Fun Half: why is Marco Rubio running ads against Chris Christie? What establishment candidate will stay in the race? Bernie Sanders is picking up momentum in Iowa. We talk with a recovering Libertarian. How do we move the country to the left. Maine's Governor, Paul LePage is a insane racist and Chris Christie loves him and your calls and IMs.

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1/8/16

Casual Friday! We have  Cliff Schecter (@cliffschecter) and Film Guy Matthew Weiss (@langdonboom).

Cliff Schecter joins on Obama's executive orders on guns and the evolving debate on gun control. Closing gun sale loopholes. Government initiatives funding mental health and "smart gun" technology. The cultural momentum against guns. Maine Governor LePage's contention heroin dealers with names like "D-Money" are impregnating white girls. (7:04)

FilmGuy Matthew talking sports and why sports movies don't work. The new "Deadwood" movie and filmmaker Shirley Clarke and recommends a TV series by Caveh Zahedi called "The Show About the Show." (39:30)

And Sam returns from his foray into jury duty qualification. He wasn't selected. (56:20)

On the fun half (1:17:50): the outrageous framing during the CNN's "Guns in America" town hall, jury duty talk, Joseph Lieberman, and your calls and IMs!

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