Laura Flanders and Friends: Solutions-Focused Progressive Perspectives on Politics, News, and Culture

In her new film, The Edge of Democracy , director Petra Costa tells the story of how Brazil went from a rising star among free nations to a democracy on the verge of collapse. With unprecedented access, Costa documents the rise and fall of Brazil’s Workers Party and its charismatic leader Lula da Silva, the impeachment of Brazil’s first female president, Dilma Rousseff, and the rise of President J...

This year at the Progressive Strategy Summit members of Congress and progressive change makers came together to build a movement that won’t only win back the White House in 2020 but also create long term systemic change. Laura interviewed activists and congresswomen to understand how they see this critical moment when business-as-usual politics simply won’t cut it. Will a movement led by women of...

The people of Newark, New Jersey—the majority of whom are black and brown—are grappling with a lead contamination crisis that has drawn comparisons with Flint, Michigan. There, the state took control of the city’s water after municipal officials and a private management company failed to provide clean water. In Newark, local residents want to keep their water in public hands. Why? This week, Laura...

How do you revitalize a city without gentrifying it? In this episode of the Laura Flanders Show, Laura goes to Buffalo, New York, where years of post-industrial stagnation have recently yielded to new economic growth. She interviews grassroots activists working to make sure that this local renaissance leaves their city more inclusive and equitable—not less. She explores how progressive, intersecti...

The U.S. economy, weak or strong, is the question at the heart of the election. But it doesn't get to the reality which is that, whatever else it may be, the U.S. economy is not democratic or good for the planet. But it could be. Marjorie Kelly and Ted Howard of the Democracy Collaborative say how in their new book The Making of a Democratic Economy . Music in the middle: “The Offering” by Mark de...

"In a system that's unequal, corruption is not just the way we swim, it’s the water we swim in..." The F-Word, Laura Flanders' bi-monthly commentary. Help us thrive and not just survive, by becoming a member you'll unlock additional audio extras and more.  https://Patreon.com/theLFShow   Laura Flanders and Friends Crew:  Laura Flanders-Executive Producer, Writer;  Sabrina Artel-Supe...

New York, NY...its a city with close to 100 billion dollar budget every year and 1 deputy mayor with some pretty creative plans for how to spend it.  What can one city do? And what's it gonna take to create a non-racist democracy? An in-depth interview with J. Phillip Thompson, NYC Deputy Mayor for Strategic Policy Initiatives, on his priority initiatives, with particular emphasis on his role in e...

Guests featured from the Economic Harship Reporting Project include David Wallis, Managing Director; Yoruba Richen, Board Member and filmmaker; and Joseph Rodriguez, Contributing Editor and photojournalist. Music feature: "Be Love" by the Alexis P. Suter Band, courtesy of HipBone Records. For more on the Economic Hardship Reporting Project and my guests goto Patreon.com/theLFShow where you’ll also...

"Almost fifty thousand workers went on strike at General Motors Sept 16th, 2019, after management and United Auto Workers Union negotiators failed to agree on a new contract. GM has bounced back from recession thanks to a taxpayer bailout, government tax breaks and contracts and a brutal restructuring of the workforce. Now even though the company’s made $35 billion in the last few years - they wan...

Gender-based violence – why are states so bad at making it stop? This week, in her first appearance since fleeing Brazil, women’s rights advocate Debora Diniz joins fellow activists and philanthropists to discuss what works and what doesn’t in stopping violence against women and girls. Music featured: “Cause I’m a Woman” by Muted Soul Featuring Jess King courtesy of Muted Records. GUESTS: Debora D...

No matter how we tackle climate change, cities are key. They emit massive amounts of carbon and they’re ground zero for the climate crisis. But could they also prove to be the sites of our best climate solutions? That’s this week on The Laura Flanders Show. “It takes a lot of energy to keep buildings cool. In New York City, buildings contribute about 70% of the city’s carbon emissions. So in addit...

"I don’t know about you but I take a teeny weeny bit of offense when a guy in a glass house lobs a great big stone and expects me not to notice the sound of shattering." Help us thrive and not just survive, by becoming a member you'll unlock additional audio extras and more.   Laura Flanders and Friends Crew:  Laura Flanders-Executive Producer, Writer;  Sabrina Artel-Super...

Our city's economy – what is it for? New York's has been very good at piling up profits and building tall buildings. But all that private profit has come at a cost to public services and public trust. Could it be different? On this week's show, we talk about the new conversations that are happening between labor unions and community members. Between residents, workers, and employers about how ever...

This week, dance as world-changing movement with two artists who expand our ideas about beauty, risk, mobility, and inclusion. Wheelchair dancer and esteemed choreographer Alice Sheppard, and MacArthur Genius Award-winning action architect Elizabeth Streb. What difference does art make? Should art-making be a human right? What will it take to disable the limits society puts around “normal”? These...

This week we talk about the way central banks steer world development and for whom. Former Goldman Sachs manager Nomi Prins, author of Collusion: How Central Bankers Rigged the World and public ownership researcher Thomas Hanna of The Democracy Collaborative believe that banking, and development, could be very different. We're Storming the Federal Reserve this week on the LF Show. Music Featured:...

"One-two-three-four/ What are we waiting for? Fifty years on, after a night spent largely on that big wet, now commercialized field in Bethel, New York, I'm pondering what’s happened since. What’s taken so long?" Take a listen to this week's podcast re-share of a popular interview with music producer Danny Goldberg about the Hippie Revolution – and a performance of Climbing Poetree.  Hel...

Can music make a movement? This week, legendary music producer Danny Goldberg will reflect on 50 years since Woodstock and go in “Search of the Lost Chord”, his book about the hippie summer of 1967. Then, from today's movement music scene, Alixa Garcia and Naima Penniman of Climbing PoeTree talk about their album, “Intrinsic”, and perform for us in-studio. Music Featured: “Mantra” by Ram Dass and...

Prisons, police and punishment through incarceration. Are they with us forever in the land of the free? Sustained campaigns for change are beginning to pay off. At the community level, it turns out that a whole lot of people and places already make peace without cops. Today, we imagine a world without prisons. It may be closer than we think. Music Featured: “If Everyone Were Blind” by Victor Simon...

Enjoy a panel discussion moderated by Laura Flanders and a key note address by Oskar Eustis, director of the famed Public Theater in New York, featuring artists as agents of change celebrating the work of Ben Barber, founder of the "Interdependence Movement". The artists, activists and scholars featured were chosen to represent the new and inspiring ways in which the arts, culture, and c...

There’s something sick about US Military spending. It’s certainly not keeping anyone safe. This week, why we the public spend billions on bad technology and what happens to service people who speak up about it. Then, Jodie Evans of CODEPINK, on a peace economy – what might it look like? Music feature: "Cultural Verses" by Peace Bureau. Guests: Phyllis Bennis, Fellow, Institute for Policy...

The great American housing crunch and what organizing can do about it. This week we discuss some of the challenges and victories in the campaign for green, affordable public housing. Guests: -Cea Weaver, Campaign Coordinator, Upstate Downstate Housing Alliance -Daniel Aldana Cohen, Assistant Professor of Sociology, University of Pennsylvania -Anita Long, Volunteer, CASA - Community Action for Safe...

Can technology advance society if it doesn't include all of society? This week, we talk with three disability justice activists who have ideas about how tech can ensure design, technology, and art are accessible and equitable. Not just ideas, they're doing it, and they are sparking a movement. Music Featured: “Feel It” by Bosq featured on the ‘Love and Resistance’ album courtesy of Ubiquity Record...

This week's commentary comes by way of Jerome Roos, an LSE Fellow in international political economy at the London School of Economics and founding editor of ROAR Magazine. He paints a grim picture of a global finance system that's taken a gamble having sought to solve the problem of too much debt with even more debt. And this precarious pile-up of gambling chips might also point to another, less...

Red, blue, rich, poor, country, city, left or right. Chances are you probably fall into one of those categories. And you may be quite happy where you are. The people of Better Angels believe there's still value in talking, and they've come up with a way of doing it that actually seems to bring people together.  Music featured:  “The Positive And The Negative” by Minoru Muraoka, from ’Bamboo’, cour...

We go in-depth with two feminist authors and a feminist bookstore. First to Barnard College for a talk with Chicana activist and author Cherríe Moraga about her 1st book release in eight years. Then, a unique kind of activism from adrienne maree brown, whose latest bestselling book is an examination of activist pleasure. Lastly, a landmark feminist bookstore turns 20 years old. Music featured:  “U...