Make It Plain MIP with Rev. Mark Thompson

Republicans used the filibuster to squash a bill that would have created a commission to investigate the deadly insurrection on January 6th. Now, Speaker Pelosi is floating the idea of an independent investigation--so what could happen next? Markos Moulitsas, Founder of DailyKos and Civiqs and host of podcast “The Brief,” explains that, while there are benefits, the outside commission would be wit...

America is the wealthiest country in the world and yet our federal paid leave, or rather, lack thereof, comes up way short in comparison to other countries. Carol Joyner is the Director of Labor Project for Working Families and in today’s episode, she explains that we’re at a pivotal moment in our country’s history where we have the potential to pass the first federal paid leave mandate--but how l...

Racial injustices in the criminal justice system are front of mind for many people today, but one element of that system is not discussed nearly enough, says author Jonathan Rapping, and that’s public defenders. Jonathan is a criminal defense attorney and author of “Gideon’s Promise: A Public Defender Movement to Transform Criminal Justice,” where he explores this gap in our public discourse and u...

Throwback episode! While you enjoy your Memorial Day, we’re bringing you this panel discussion from March 2021. As more people gain access to the coronavirus vaccine, this panel discussion provides insight from leaders of both medicine and faith. Moderated by our own Mark Thompson, the panelists explore how the vaccine works, community fears and hesitations, and what outstanding questions remain. ...

Angelo Carusone, President of Media Matters for America, is back to MIP for an update on what the conspiracy factory known as Fox News is up to -- especially since the latest campaign to get companies to divest from the media conglomerate. Also on today’s agenda is CNN finally sending Rick Santorum packing for his inaccurate and racist comments on Native Americans and the history of the United Sta...

What’s Senator Joe Manchin getting in the way of this week? Markos Moulitsas is back for #ThursdayKos and he gives us the update on Manchin gumming up the works on the filibuster, infrastructure, and more. Mark and Markos also take a look at another senator, admittedly with more fondness, as they discuss Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s moves to hold big corporations accountable. And we also get the latest...

It was announced last week that the Supreme Court would be taking up a case on abortion, Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, and major collective concerns were raised. Here to address those is Morgan Hopkins, Director of Political Strategies at All* Above All, an organization dedicated to their 4-part BOLD Action Plan in the continued fight for abortion justice and reproductive healthcar...

We remember George Floyd on the day of his murder and measure the progress made in keeping Black people safe in their communities. Executive Producer: Adell Coleman Producer: Brittany Temple Distributor: DCP Entertainment For additional content: makeitplain.com Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Scott Dworkin is the Co-Founder of the Democratic Coalition and Host of podcast “Dworkin Report.” He also founded the Impeachment Task Force, which makes him the perfect person to talk to on the latest Trump news, this time courtesy of New York Attorney General Tish James, who announced her office’s criminal investigation into the Trump Organization last week. Also on the topic of Trump, and the i...

Ari Berman is the Voting Rights Reporter for MotherJones, and he received an exclusive scoop via leaked video that shows the leader of a top conservative group bragging about being the architects behind the new voter suppression law in Georgia--and they’re doing the same thing with similar bills across the country (story/video link below). These were the words of Jessica Anderson, the executive di...

Markos Moulitsas, Founder of DailyKos and Civiqs, is here for his weekly installment of #ThursdayKos and as usual, there’s a boatload to cover. First up is how North Carolina police are gaslighting us over the video footage of Andrew Brown’s murder. Markos also gives his thoughts on Republicans changing their tune on the insurrection of January 6th for fear of Trump backlash, and can Liz Cheney ac...

We’ve pulled this never-before-aired interview with Nafessa Williams from the vault (recorded in 2020 prior to her filming season 4) to hear from Thunder herself as the incredible series Black Lightning comes to a close next week, and Nafessa finishes her reign as the first Black lesbian superhero. Mark and Nafessa talk about the days before she was a member of the DC universe, when she was pursui...

John Judis an Editor-at-Large at Talking Points Memo, as well as a journalist and author of his latest book (out now), “The Politics of Our Time: Populism, Nationalism, Socialism.” In today’s episode, he joins Mark to discuss the intersections and differences between the three and which of them he believes have plateaued as a movement (for the time being, anyway). He considers this in the context...

President Biden has the highest rating in the history of polling a president's popularity--but you're not seeing that in the media anywhere. Eric Boehlert, Founder of Pressrun,media, is calling the hypocrisy to our attention (especially because of all the in-depth media coverage that Trump supporters got, as some sort of misunderstood majority). He's also curious as to why the press is...

Dr. Ayesha Chaudhry was born in Toronto to parents who practiced a puritanical form of Islam, which they believed would shield them from racism. In her latest book, “The Colour of God,” Dr. Chaudhry weaves her life’s experiences into a universal narrative about how we belong in the world and also our families, the meaning of life, what happens after death, and who we are outside of the systems tha...

It’s #ThursdayKos with Markos Moulitsas, Founder of DailyKos, Civiqs, and host of podcast “The Brief,” and he and Mark are talking 2022 midterms. Markos notes they’re always a referendum on the incumbent, but this time, it’s actually set to be based on the idea of Trump versus Biden--he explains what that means and more specifically what it means for Democrats. What we should focus on, what to pay...

Dr. Cameron Webb is on President Biden’s COVID-19 Response Team and he joins the show for an update from inside the White House on the state of equity with both the virus and the distribution of the vaccine. He’s also working on behalf of the White House to spread the word on the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine, hoping to quiet any fears or hesitations that might prevent you from getting i...

Anoa Changa is a journalist, retired attorney, and host of the podcast "The Way with Anoa.” She joins MIP today to discuss some of her latest reporting, which includes the revisionist history that Rep. Justin Lafferty recently pushed while discussing the three-fifths compromise, and how this rhetoric speaks to a larger problem with what's being taught in classrooms about American history....

The April Jobs Report is out and Chad Stone, Chief Economist at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, is back to give us his breakdown and put the numbers into perspective. President Biden said the new unemployment number was “disappointing,” but Chad explains why there’s still reason to be optimistic. However, it’s still women of color who are disproportionately affected, and women across t...

Donna Haskins grew up in poverty in one of the most racially segregated cities in America with seemingly all the odds stacked against her. She was sexually assaulted at 13, and when she had an abortion, she thought she could never fulfill her dream of becoming a nun. Later in life, in a crisis about her identity as a Black woman and on the brink of suicide, she hears a sermon that shook her to her...

Markos Moulitsas, Founder of DailyKo & Civiqs, and Host of podcast “The Brief,” is back and there’s a mixed bag of issues covered in today’s episode. We get an update on the latest thing that Senator Joe Manchin is standing in the way of, some context on Facebook keeping Trump off their platform, and the political aspirations of Sen. Tim Scott, Herschel Walker, and Nikki Haley. Executive Produ...

Plessy vs. Ferguson upheld the constitutionality of racial segregation under the concept of “separate but equal.” The case is more than 125 years old now, but Dr. Susan T. Gooden and co-contributors have a new report that shows how the landmark case’s ripple effect is still present in today’s society, from criminal justice, to education, and even COVID-19 vaccine distribution. Dr. Gooden is Dean a...

In the final half of this two-part panel, hosted by the Institute of the Black World 21st Century and moderated by Mark and Nkechi Taifa, panelists dig deeper into the topics President Biden covered in his first formal address to Congress. LaTosha Brown opens with remarks on voter suppression and then participants provide additional analysis and reflection on topics including unemployment, interna...

In this annual panel (and two-part MIP series), hosted by the Institute of the Black World 21st Century and moderated by Mark and Nkechi Taifa, these Black leaders reflect on President Biden’s first 100 days in office and assess what, if anything, has been accomplished that will advance the goals of the Black community-at-large. These leaders also consider what Black voters can and should do to ho...

We’re in the middle of a pandemic, so you’d probably think Florida’s legislative goals include healthcare, education, and employment, for starters. That would be a wrong assumption--instead, they’re pushing through H.B. 1, which focuses on bringing us back to the Jim Crow era by making peaceful protests nearly impossible to participate in without getting arrested. Micah Kubic is the Executive Dire...