On Democracy with FPWellman

As the Trump Administration and its lackeys in the Senate like Tommy Tuberville continue to show how little they care about life and morality Alabama is heading into a pivotal election and a hurricane too. Energy across the state is growing with anticipation for a chance to show Republicans that voters are sick of the games and failure. Former U.S. Senator, and Democratic nominee for Alabama Gover...

The latest jobs numbers came out today and it's a train wreck. The economy is reeling and all the Trump Administration and Republicans can do is lie about it. Out here in the real world we know what's happening and the Black community knows it better than anyone. Now that the 2026 midterms are approaching in just four weeks the NAACP is undertaking one of the largest voter-mobilization efforts in...

Furries in planes. That's literally what Senator Tommy Tuberville is talking about with 39 days until the midterm election. Really. He gave a whole speech about it and the danger of furry pilots, air traffic controllers (ATC), and flight attendants...on the floor of the United States Senate while running for governor of Alabama. You can't get a clearer picture of how broken the Republican Party is...

We are living in an information environment designed to keep us watching, clicking, reacting, and returning. But what happens when the things that capture our attention aren't necessarily the things that are true—or even important? We are now in a media ecosystem where algorithms and AI are driving the conversation to keep you online and, often, angry. Renowned independent media leader David Pakma...

Today is the 25th anniversary of the fateful events of September 11th, 2001. Many of us look back at how much our lives changed that day as we were shocked to lose thousands of our fellow citizens at the hands of ruthless terrorists. We were at war within weeks to root them out. A war that would grow to Iraq, Syria, and globally fighting Al Qaeda affiliates in Africa, Asia, and across the world. N...

Gerrymandering is one of the most powerful—and least understood—ways politicians can manipulate American democracy. Redistricting wars have broken out across the United States with the latest skirmish happening right in Missouri this week. Ohio has become one of the clearest examples of how redistricting can go wrong, even after voters overwhelmingly demanded a fairer and more transparent process....

Pennsylvania could once again be at the center of American politics in 2026. With several competitive House races that could help determine control of Congress, and a political landscape that remains deeply divided, the Keystone State may offer Democrats one of their clearest paths to rebuilding power in Washington. Fred is joined by Conor Lamb, former U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania's 17th...

Working Americans know the truth: the economy is in freefall and getting worse. Costs for gas, food, healthcare, and energy keep climbing while our wages stay flat and jobs dry up. All of this is only made worse because the Trump Administration and the Republican Congress only worsen this situation by lying to our faces daily about the causes, deflecting blame onto anyone but themselves. They...

Christian nationalism has moved from the political margins into the center of American political power. As religious movements increasingly influence government, public policy, and the Republican Party, a growing debate is emerging over what that means for the future of American democracy and the constitutional separation of church and state. Fred is joined by Congressman Jared Huffman, author of...

Young voters could once again play a decisive role in the 2026 midterms, but campaigns can't simply assume young people will show up at the polls, nor can they assume we will keep them engaged if campaigns don't deliver quickly. Following Abdul El-Sayed's victory in Michigan's Democratic Senate primary, questions are growing about what motivates younger voters, how campaigns can actually reach the...

The United States once again finds itself confronting a never ending conflict in the Middle East following President Trump's continued military escalation in Iran with no end in sight and no good options to end the war. As lawmakers debate the President's authority, America's role in the region, and the potential costs of another prolonged conflict, many are asking whether history is repeating its...

Millions of Americans are losing health insurance. Rural and community hospitals are closing. Families are paying more while politicians in Washington continue to debate cutting programs that millions depend on and the billionaires and corporations get richer. Is healthcare simply another policy fight—or is it becoming one of the defining democracy issues of our time? Fred is joined by Brad Woodho...

Trump held another unhinged speech last night on the 2020 election but this time China was the nefarious actor meddling. Amidst the usual lies and smokescreens the path is emerging for how Trump will try to undermine the upcoming midterm elections and stay in power. We must take his threats seriously and groups like Fair Fight are stepping up to do just that. Fred is joined by Amir Badat, Sou...

One thing that Republicans have learned long ago is that when they have power to wield it ruthlessly to push through their agenda. They don’t care what anyone says or thinks to achieve their goals. The Democrats haven’t been so resolute. Norms and traditions are respected and taking the high road is the goal. That era must end. When the Trump disaster finally comes to its inevitable conclusion we...

Fear has crept into every corner of American life - but so has resistance. Investigative journalist Julia Angwin and former White House policy advisor Ami Fields-Meyer spent the first year of the Trump administration interviewing more than 100 dissidents across five continents to answer a question millions of Americans are now asking themselves: what can I actually do? Their new book, On Courage:...

With the 2026 midterms fast approaching, the threat to free and fair elections has never felt more urgent. Trump and his cronies have spent years laying the groundwork for exactly the kind of election interference that voting rights attorney David F. Walbert has spent five decades fighting. David F. Walbert is a graduate of Stanford University and the University of Michigan, where he received his...

Juneteenth reminds us of a simple truth: freedom delayed is freedom denied. More than 160 years after enslaved Americans in Texas finally learned they were free, the struggle for equal citizenship and political power continues. As attacks on voting rights, civil rights protections, diversity initiatives, and democratic institutions intensify, many Americans are asking whether the nation is living...

We are deep into the primary season and Democrats are showing up in record setting numbers across the country. A whole new crop of newcomers are running for seats in the House and Senate with many truly being outsiders like never before. Graham Platner has confounded the traditional political punditry and party structure along with many more who defy the supposed rules of the game. Fred sits down...

We know that the Department of Homeland Security has a very loose relationship with the truth and it’s only getting worse under new Secretary, and former plumber, Markwayne Mullin. Words have no meaning at all when oversight becomes politicization and protest becomes assault. A federal case in Washington state is a perfect example of how this is unfolding, as a jury convicted three ICE protesters...

With Ken Paxton’s win in the Texas Senate runoff the MAGA talkingheads have unleashed a bizarre flood of hate, misogyny, and smears todefend a man who was charged with felonies and impeached by his ownparty. For many women watching it all unfold they are nodding alongknowing that women have faced these attacks for centuries. Every womanwho steps into the spotlight faces backlash and attacks far be...

The Trump revenge tour is in full swing against not just his enemies in the Democratic Party but his own Republican members of Congress! In the last week he sent his Secretary of Defense to help successfully defeat Thomas Massie, endorsed Ken Paxton over John Cornyn, and helped oust Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy who promptly flipped his vote on the War Powers resolution. Trump still has to govern...

Trump and his Administration haven’t bothered hiding their racism this time. Every day we are reminded of his disdain for black Americans from the so called Anti-DEI attacks by DOGE to Pete Hegseth’s gutting of the military leadership of women and POC. But, Trump has special disdain for black women and shows it each time a journalist asks him a question. He bristles and calls them stupid or dumb....

The California redistricting passed and now there is change happening fast in the state and Republicans are scared. Republican Darrell Issa has been in Congress since 2003 and has decided not to run for reelection in his newly drawn 48th District and is openly talking about moving to Texas to run for Congress in friendlier ground. You can’t make up a more perfect example of how much the GOP favors...

Today marks 60 days since the war with Iran began. By law the War Powers Act is now expired and President Trump must seek Congressional authorization to continue military operations. He has not bothered and has now suggested that it actually isn't 60 days because there is a "ceasefire." Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth went before Congress this week for the first time and it went exactly as you w...

Yesterday Kash Patel triumphantly announced the arrest of a Special Forces Master Sergeant who had bet on the fall of Maduro and made upwards of $400,000. But, oddly, no investigations have been announced into the series of oil futures trades and others just minutes before major announcements by Trump on Iran. Someone with the ability to spend $760 million is acting on insider information but the...