Start Me Up with Kimberley A. Johnson

Greg Olear returns! First, we had some fun (Greg wanted to know why I'm posting old photos on Twitter), and then we launched into the political part of the show. Topics: COVID mandates are going away but is COVID? Putin is backing himself into a corner with Ukraine; why and how Putin is using Hitler's playbook; Kamala Harris is kicking ass and there is hope for the November midterms. Adver...

USA Today opinion columnist and former Justice Department prosecutor Michael J. Stern is back! We talked about aging and what it's like to lose youth; Michael had COVID and described his experience; a tease about Garland (you have to listen); Trump's accountants abandoned him and then basically kicked him, and we talked about what might happen if Trump is found guilty of criminal charges....

Khary is back! He's a gun violence survivor, a DNC member, and a Biden Elector. He shared his frightening experience of being a Biden Elector and how it caused him to take a step back from the spotlight. We discussed the latest ruling that Remmington will pay Sandy Hook families $73 million in a settlement...and how that ruling could prevent future massacres; the toll of white supremacy; why v...

Jennifer Taub is a Law Professor at Western New England University and the author of Big Dirty Money. Her focus is on corporate governance, financial market regulation, and white-collar crime. Topics: Pence and McConnell reading the room--and why they are pivoting away from Donald; Maggie Haberman's next book revealed Trump flushed White House documents; what the public 1/6 hearings will mean...

Marl Trump is back and we talked about her new kitten, her new writing project, her new podcast, and of course, the latest headlines. Topics: Mary gave her opinion on whether Pence's recent condemnation of Donald means a split in the party; What are Garland and DoJ doing -- Donald continues to give them a reason to indict, Mary took her podcast off Spotify and the news media is failing democra...

Joe Dempsey is an average American who can take complicated news stories and break them down into easy-to-understand sound bites. We talked about the growing threat of fascism and white supremacy and how we must fight against it. Joe also went over one of his epic Twitter threads about the 1/6 committee and what's happening there. A really good conversation. Advertising Inquiries: https://redc...

Jo from Jersey joined me today. She's the co-host of the Shut Up Tabbouleh podcast with publicist and all-around nice man, Danny Derany! Jo is a lot of fun and she's a political junkie. Topics: Jo describe what it was like to have COVID; white supremacy is on the rise; Trump is inciting violence, Garland/DOJ have to do or say something about it; conservatives say rape babies are gifts from...

Writer Sarah Wood joins me again! Topics: GOP may be sabotaging itself with the restrictive and authoritarian stances they're taking on social issues like abortion, book banning, and CRT; Trump's walls are closing in and he will not escape legal accountability; Biden will nominate a black woman to the Supreme Court which will be a victory for Democrats. Maybe, just maybe the wind is behind...

Freekbass is a funk musician from Ohio. He's a delightful human with an intelligent perspective on life and politics. We talked about his career, how it's been affected by COVID and then we discuss current political headlines of the day: another effing sub-variant popped up; Trump's legal woes; midterm anxiety, and maybe some there is some hope! Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle...

Allison Gill is the host of Mueller, She Wrote, and The Daily Beans podcasts. She's a veteran, Ph. D., and a former federal government executive, she’s a comedian, author, and staunch advocate for the resistance. Topics: The 1/6 committee wants to talk to Ivanka; NYAG is AFTER the Trumps; Fulton County Georgia is requesting a special grand jury to aid in her investigation in Trump's effort...

You've seen Amanda Wyss in just about everything. Some of her notable films include Fast Times at Ridgemont High, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Silverado, and countless television shows. We had such a fun time talking about her life as an actress, her experiences as a woman in the entertainment industry, ageism, body image and we also talked a little (just a little) about our current political cl...

DNC Chair Jaime Harrison joins me to discuss the importance of voting, the power of messaging, and how Democrats can win next November. Chair Harrison offered some great advice on how voters can get involved and make a positive impact this November. We talked about how Democratic voters need to feel hope but they also need to feel the fear and anger of what happens if the GOP takes control. Chair...

Chris Hahn is a progressive pundit and the host of the Aggressive Progressive. He also hosts a syndicated radio show and works as a political consultant and attorney based in New York. He has made numerous national television appearances on a variety of political, pop culture and public policy topics. Topics: Merrick Garland's 1/6 speech; voting rights and the talking filibuster and Omicron is...

Ben Cohen of The Banter substack is here again and after we hear about his brand new baby and a bit of drama that followed the birth, we jump into politics for the last Start Me Up of the year! Topics: Liz Cheney brings fire and is hot after the family Trump; Ben weighs in on the likelihood of Donald behind bars; why the public push for the voting rights bill has to rapidly increase now and much m...

Comedian Noel Casler is back! he worked on Celebrity Apprentice with the trump family for six seasons and his first appearance on this podcast was explosive! He's not only smart and funny, he's got a unique perspective of Donald and his orbit.  Today's topics: The next coup is already in progress; DoJ/Trump/civil war; more and more chatter about passing the voting rights act; Dems/mess...

Writer Sarah Wood is back! We talked about the most current political events: Omicron; Dem strengths & weaknesses; we're up against fascists, and white supremacy, and what America will look like if Republicans take power; guns, fear, and cruelty are all the right-wingers have. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-...

Laura Packard is an award-winning progressive digital/new media and communications strategist and a health care advocate who is also a cancer ((stage 4 Hodgkin’s Lymphoma) survivor, and she credits the Affordable Care Act for saving her life. Topics: The importance of the Affordable Care Act and how the Build Back Better bill enhances protection and services; how voters can make their voices heard...

We love Jody Hamilton! Topics: Trump tested positive for COVID three days before his 2020 debate with Biden; Roe on the chopping block; Omicron is in the US and much more! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Comedian Steve Hofstetter joins me to talk about politics and comedy. After learning about Steve and his life in comedy, we talked politics: the rise of white supremacy and where we're headed, Lauren Boebert is easy to mock, 2022 is not looking great for Democrats, and so much more. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-no...

David Pepper returns! He's an author and the former chairman of the Ohio Democratic Party. We discussed his latest book, Laboratories of Autocracy: A Wake-Up Call from Behind the Lines. David outlines what's wrong, what's trouble and most importantly, what voters can do to stop the fascist autocrats from winning. So much is happening in the State Houses but hardly anyone is paying atte...

Veteran Josh Remillard is a Democrat running against Republican Madison Cawthorn in North Carolina. Josh has described Cawthorn as "uniquely dangerous." He noted Cawthorn has called for a civil and holy war. We had a great conversation about his candidacy--why he's running and why he thinks he has what it takes to win. He, like many other Democratic candidates, is moved to run for offi...

Greg Olear is back again for another rousing political conversation. We spent a lot of time talking about Merrick Garland, Steve Bannon; possible federal investigations into the 1/6 insurrection and why Garland has to go after the big fish. We also discussed why Biden is a great POTUS and more! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/priva...

Allison Gill is the host of Mueller, She Wrote, and The Daily Beans podcasts. She's a veteran, Ph. D., and a former federal government executive, she’s a comedian, author, and staunch advocate for the resistance. Topics: Allison fills us in on what she knows about Pence and his staff being locked out of their offices in the Capitol during the insurrection; A 1/6 insurrectionist was sentenced m...

You all know Buzz Burbank from the Bob Cesca podcast. Today, he's all mine!!  Topics: The VA & NJ elections last week; Buzz runs down the long list of Biden administration accomplishments so far; kids are getting vaccinated and there are now effective anti-viral pills to treat COVID; Garland, Bannon and DOJ; news media's poor handling of "wokeness" and much more! See Privacy Po...

Marcus Flowers is the Democrat running to defeat Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene in Georgia’s 14th District. Flowers has spent his entire career defending the United States. First – he served as an active duty member of the US Army, followed by more than 20 years as a contractor or official for the State Department and Department of Defense. Read more about him HERE. Topics: Why he's running; Marj...