Burn the Boats

Stacey Abrams talks about her new book, Rogue Justice, and the systems that influence American life from the shadows. Stacey Abrams is a politician, author, and voting rights activist. She served in the Georgia House of Representatives for 10 years, she fought two closely contested gubernatorial races, and has been at the forefront of expanding voting rights in Georgia and beyond, with her organiz...

Mary Trump is a clinical psychologist and host of the podcast The Mary Trump Show. She is also a bestselling author, and her most recent book, The Reckoning, talks about national trauma and finding ways to heal. Her first book, Too Much and Never Enough, analyzes how the toxic Trump household created the Donald Trump we know today. Here’s the mashed potatoes story that Mary and Ken reference durin...

Mila Atmos is the host of Future Hindsight, a podcast about civic engagement that gives listeners action items so that they can better participate in our democracy. In this episode, Mila discusses voter engagement and persuasion.  Go to magicspoon.com/BOATS to grab a variety pack and try it today! And be sure to use our promo code BOATS at checkout to save five dollars off your order! Go to FastGr...

Angela Denker is a Lutheran pastor and journalist. Her book Red State Christians takes a hard look at White Christian Nationalism and the evangelicals who voted for Trump.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sarah Longwell discusses the 2024 presidential race and its potential candidates. Sarah is a longtime Republican political strategist who has broken with her party to defend democracy. She is the publisher of The Bulwark, and has been monitoring the opinions of voters for years by hosting weekly focus groups. She discusses these groups on her podcast, The Focus Group. This episode is sponsored by...

Fred Wellman is a Senior Advisor to Voters of Tomorrow, an organization dedicated to building political power for Gen-Z. He’s also an Army combat veteran, a West Point and Harvard graduate, a former republican, the former Executive Director of the Lincoln Project, and the host of the podcast On Democracy.  Fred was on the show back in 2021, and you can find that interview here. Learn more about yo...

Mike Breen is the President and CEO of Human Rights First. He’s been on the ground in Ukraine documenting Russian war crimes, and he joins us from Kyiv.  Human Rights First is an organization that defends human rights and democracy around the globe. They’ve been active in Ukraine since the annexation of Crimea in 2014, and now after Russia’s invasion, have provided technical and logistical support...

Former Ohio Congressman Tim Ryan talks about the quality of American life, divisions within both parties, and how American culture has made a turn for the worse over the last few decades. Tim spent 20 years in the House of Representatives, rising to a prominent leadership position. He ran for president in 2020, and recently lost a tough Senate race during the 2022 Midterms. Head to https://rhone.c...

Brett Jones served as a Navy SEAL during ‘Don’t Ask Don’t Tell’. He was forcefully outed, and was subjected to an interrogation and investigation about his sexuality. He fought back, and was given the opportunity to continue to serve as a SEAL, but he left in fear of further discrimination.  Brett continued to serve in the CIA, but was the victim of vicious harassment. He’s spent the last three ye...

Former leading Republican Bill Kristol discusses media echo chambers and anti-democratic enablers within the Republican Party Bill served in two presidential administrations and founded The Weekly Standard, an influential conservative magazine. After leaving the Republican Party, he helped launch Defending Democracy Together, an organization created by Republicans with the goal of preserving democ...

Will Sommer is a political reporter for The Daily Beast and host of the podcast Fever Dreams. His new book, Trust the Plan, details QAnon’s journey into the mainstream, the threat it poses to democracy, and how we can reach out to those who have embraced the conspiracy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Former Navy SEAL and founder of Veterans for Responsible Leadership Dr. Dan Barkhuff discusses the relationship between toxic masculinity and gun culture. Dan is a former Navy SEAL with multiple combat deployments. After returning home, he attended Harvard Medical School and became an Emergency Medicine doctor at the University of Vermont. Dan is a conservative, but was appalled by Trump’s comment...

Lucas Kunce talks about his run against Josh Hawley for the 2024 Missouri Senate Seat.  Lucas is a Marine Corps veteran who served tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, and eventually went on to become an international negotiations officer at the Pentagon. He ran for Missouri’s open Senate seat in 2022, but lost the primary to multi-millionaire Trudy Busch Valentine after her last-minute entrance into th...

Joe Walsh represented Illinois’ 8th district in the house from 2011 to 2013, and ran against Trump in the 2020 presidential race. He hosts the podcast White Flag with Joe Walsh and has been increasingly critical of the extremism within his former party, as well as the part he played in stoking that extremism.  You can find Joe on Twitter at @WalshFreedom. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit me...

Dr. Rachel Kleinfeld discusses political violence, the possibility of a Civil War, and extremism.  Rachel is an expert on democracy, security, and international relations. She’s currently a senior fellow in Carnegie’s Democracy, Conflict, and Governance Program, where she regularly briefs the governments of the United States and allied democracies on issues of conflict, the rule of law, and polici...

Historian Ruth Ben-Ghiat describes the similarities between current authoritarian movements and those of the past. Ruth is a historian who specializes in authoritarianism and propaganda. She’s a professor of History and Italian Studies, as well as an MSNBC Opinion Columnist and frequent guest commentator on CNN, MSNBC, and other media channels. Her most recent book, Strongmen: From Mussolini to th...

Andrew Hartzler, nephew of fmr. Representative Vicky Hartzler, talks about his viral video and how he has faced discrimination as a gay man.   In early January, Andrew Hartzler went viral on TikTok for calling out his aunt, fmr. Representative Vicky Hartzler, for her homophobic comments on the house floor. As a result of that video, Andrew received national attention, and was invited to the White...

Ken Mayer is a political science professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and an expert on elections and campaign finance. His current research focuses on evaluating recent state-level campaign finance reforms. In this episode, he discusses the chances of Republicans in 2024, and current campaign finance reform efforts: “Well, the explanation for that is that the Republican Party is in a l...

Senator from Illinois Tammy Duckworth reflects on her first term in office, the current issues facing the Senate, and what she hopes to accomplish in her second term. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Russian politics expert Olga Lautman discusses Russia’s failure to defeat Ukraine, the instability of the Russian political system, and more. Olga is a researcher and analyst who has been monitoring Russian and Ukrainian internal politics for years. She’s a Senior Fellow at the Center for European Policy Analysis, and the co-host of the Kremlin File, a podcast that details the rise of Putin and th...

Ravi Gupta held several positions during the first term of the Obama administration, including Special Assistant and Speechwriter to Susan Rice, the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. After serving in the Obama Administration, Ravi wanted to take a break from partisan politics and do real work on the ground. He Founded RePublic Schools, a network of charter schools in the South that provide qu...

Stuart Stevens dedicated his life to getting Republicans elected. He worked for dozens of candidates, including both Bush and Romney during their presidential campaigns, and was extremely successful. Now however, Stuart regrets the part he played in the rise of Trumpism. In 2020, he wrote It Was All a Lie, about his time in the Republican party, and how Trumpism is “the natural outcome of five dec...

Hey everyone, it’s Ken Harbaugh. I just wanted to let you know that the team and I are taking some time off during the holidays. We’ll return to our normal release schedule on January 10th. Thank you all for an amazing year, and for your support for this show. Happy holidays, and have a great new year! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tyler Merritt is an Activist, Author, Actor, and public speaker. His video monologue, “Before You Call the Cops,” garnered national attention after the murder of George Floyd in 2020, and has been viewed tens of millions of times.  Tyler’s new children's book, A Door Made for Me, is based on his own experience being rejected by neighbors because of his race. The book helps kids understand the inju...

Miles Taylor, who co-founded the Forward Party, discusses the significance of the midterm election results, the future of Trumpism, and the ongoing threats to American democracy.  – Back in 2018, Miles Taylor anonymously authored a New York Times op-ed titled “I Am Part of the Resistance Inside the Trump Administration.” At the time, Miles worked in a senior role in the Department of Homeland secu...