Make It Plain MIP with Rev. Mark Thompson

Michael Tomasky is Editor at The New Republic and in his latest, “Andrew Cuomo and the Line No Democrat Can Cross,” Michael explains why as recently as five years ago, Cuomo might have gotten away with the allegations against him. But these days, the Democratic party is holding their own to the appropriate standards when it comes to sexual harassment and assault. As for Republicans? Not so much. M...

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has finally resigned--but the National Organization for Women has been calling for that since the reports of his alleged sexual harassment first emerged. NOW President Christian Nunes joins today to discuss the governor’s response to the allegations and his general handling of the situation, and how his failure to appropriately take responsibility reverberates out in...

From voter registration all the way through to how ballots are counted--that’s how thorough Texas Republicans’ latest voter suppression tactics are. Gary Bledsoe is President of the Texas NAACP and he explains their new national push to warn Americans that Texas could become a blueprint for other parts of the country if we let these restrictions get signed into law. Some Texas Democrats are doing...

It’s time for our monthly check-in with Chad Stone, Chief Economist at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, who’s got the information we need to know from the July jobs report. We are still on the rebound and showing signs of a stimulated economy, but Chad lets us know what industries are still struggling, where we can expect seasonal adjustments, and where we stand in getting back to the j...

Earlier this week, President Biden signed an executive order that outlines a new goal to electrify America’s vehicles, with a goal of increasing the number of electric vehicles to half of all vehicles by 2030. Department of Commerce Deputy Secretary Don Graves joins the show to explain how the Biden administration plans to tackle that goal. Deputy Secretary Graves also digs into the infrastructure...

Throwback episode! As we battle COVID-19 variants, we’re looking back on this conversation with Dr. Michael LeNoir, one of the nation’s top Black physicians, AAWP Founder and past president of the National Medical Association. Last winter, he released a PSA campaign that addressed the disproportionate effects COVID-19 has had, and will continue to have, on the Black community. Dr. LeNoir also spea...

Texas Republicans are attempting to pass some of the most egregious voter suppression laws in the country, so Democrats left the state in order to prevent the laws from passing. The Poor People’s Campaign stands in solidarity with those legislators fighting for voting rights, and their leadership, including the Rev. Dr. William Barber and Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis, gathered with thousands of constitu...

It began as a lucky break that landed Noah Hurowitz on El Chapo’s beat, writing about his trial for drug trafficking and money laundering. Now, he put all his investigative work into his book “El Chapo: The Untold Story of the World’s Most Infamous Drug Lord,” which explores the Mexican kingpin’s rise to power. Noah also digs into the role of the U.S. government and how they use the war on drugs a...

Fox News has mentioned Critical Race Theory more than 1,900 times in the past 3 ½ months, with 901 mentions in June alone. That’s according to Media Matters for America, as we hear from Sergio Muñoz, Policy Director, who explains Fox News’ devotion to demonizing anything that can and should be used to promote true racial equity. And Fox is not only using the academic theory to sow division, but al...

Mark reconnects with Tim Black, Host of Tim Black TV (link below), to continue their discussion on H.R. 40, where they have different points of view on how reparations should be carried out in America. We also get Tim’s take on voting rights, the situation with the filibuster, and the frustration that sits at the core of his criticism of how Democrats are handling business on Capitol Hill. Tim als...

Last week, Black male leadership gathered on Capitol Hill to protest the largest attack on voting rights since the civil war and reconstruction. An epic lineup delivers inspiration and hard truths about what’s at stake as we look to the next midterm and presidential elections. We close out the event with words from our very own Mark Thompson. After the speakers concluded, Mark and the other demons...

Last week, Black male leadership gathered on Capitol Hill to protest the largest attack on voting rights since the civil war and reconstruction. An epic lineup delivers inspiration and hard truths about what’s at stake as we look to the next midterm and presidential elections. Speakers: Francys Johnson; Hollis Lewis, Co-Chair of West Virginia Black Caucus; Rep. Troy Carter, LA-02; Rashad Robinson,...

Last week, Black male leadership gathered on Capitol Hill to protest the largest attack on voting rights since the civil war and reconstruction. An epic lineup delivers inspiration and hard truths about what’s at stake as we look to the next midterm and presidential elections. Speakers: Cliff Albright, Co-Founder of Black Voters Matter; Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, MO-5; Wes Bellamy, National Co-Chair of...

Grant Stern is the Executive Editor of Occupy Democrats as well as host of the Only In Miami Show on Jolt Radio. He breaks down what’s happening in Cuba where the economic crisis, combined with the COVID-19 pandemic, resulted in massive electricity outages and food and medicine shortages--and now, people are protesting the communist regime. Grant also gives us the inside scoop on Floridian politic...

This is a summer rerun episode! Mark returns next week, and until then, we're taking a look back at some of the year's best episodes. What would it look like to engage in nonviolent direct action consistently, through strategic organizing? That’s what Kai Newkirk (Founder of For All www.forallorg.us) and Rev. Stephen Green (Pastor, Scholar, and Activist) explain in today’s episode, as they...

This is a summer rerun episode! Mark returns next week, and until then, we're taking a look back at some of the year's best episodes. In today's throwback, Rev. Dr. Willian J. Barber II of the Poor People’s Campaign joined Mark in Selma to draw the startling connection between poverty and voting rights. Rev. Barber reminds us of the racist Southern Strategy from the 1960s and how it pl...

This is a summer rerun episode! Mark returns next week, and until then, we're taking a look back at some of last year's best episodes. We start with a tribute to the inimitable John Lewis, who passed one year ago on July 17th. Majority Whip Clyburn met Congressman John Lewis back when they were just John and Jim, marking the beginning of 60 years of friendship and activism that eventually...

This is the third and final part of The Poor People Campaign's “Season of Nonviolent Direct Action,” which calls on congress to end the filibuster, pass all provisions of the For the People Act, restore and expand the 1965 Voting Rights Act, and raise the federal minimum wage to $15 dollars an hour. In this series finale, Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis, Co-Chair of the Poor Peopls’ Campaign, moderates...

This is part two of The Poor People Campaign's “Season of Nonviolent Direct Action,” which calls on congress to end the filibuster, pass all provisions of the For the People Act, restore and expand the 1965 Voting Rights Act, and raise the federal minimum wage to $15 dollars an hour.   Head back to Friday, July 16th for part one of this inspiring event. Speakers: Rev. Leonina Arismendi, Iglesi...

Earlier this week, Bishop William Barber and The Poor People’s Campaign held an event in Washington D.C. to launch a season of nonviolent direct action, supported by a coordinated effort of clergy and moral leaders and organizations, including SEIU, the Sunrise Movement and the Rainbow PUSH Coalition. In today’s episode, we listen in on the first portion of that event, with inspiring words and har...

Dr. Amara Enyia is a strategist, social Innovation and social Impact professional, and public policy expert on city and state policy as well as international affairs/foreign policy with expertise in Central Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Middle East. But today, she comes to us as a representative for the Movement for Black Lives, and helps us understand the difference between the BREATHE Act...

You know Brittany Temple as the Producer behind the scenes of Make It Plain, but she’s also a writer and publisher of a bi-weekly newsletter, Write All Along. Her most recent issue was inspired by Bill Cosby’s release from jail--she wasn’t surprised it happened, and felt frustrated with the continued fixation on big headline stories, when sexual assault is happening in our communities every day. S...

Eric Boehlert, Publisher of Pressrun.media, is back for our monthly dissection of political press coverage, and as usual, things are a sexist mess. Politico is on a mission to push VP Harris’ office as chaotic and inaccessible; whether or not that’s true, Eric can’t find any evidence of male politician’s offices being examined in the same way--and certainly not Pence or any VP before her. Eric als...

It’s time for our monthly analysis of the most recent job report with Chad Stone, Chief Economist at the Center on Budget and Policy and Priorities. Chad helps us understand the numbers in the report, as well as what makes the unemployment rate misleading. Chad explains why we are in desperate need of unemployment insurance reform, as Republican Governors across the country prematurely end the ful...

Depending on where you live in America, it might be hard for you to imagine that some people in this country are without access to high-speed or broadband internet (or in some cases, they can’t afford to buy access). That’s why HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge thinks these guarantees are necessary components of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework, which invests $65 billion dollars in expanding broad...