Natasha Explains It All

Last episode we talked about how to have hope, and this episode is a great example of a reason for hope. In a pair of recent cases called Ely v. Saul and Thorton v. Commissioner of Social Security , the non-profit legal organization Lambda Legal has secured some really important wins: queer people who were previously denied Social Security Survivors' Benefits because they and their partners were n...

Things seem heavy and dark. There is a never-ending doom-and-gloom news cycle. And yet. There is reason to be hopeful. Some thoughts on how and why to stay hopeful. Here is a song I love to listen to when things get heavy and need some help to keep going: The Keep Going Song by The Bengsons I also mention the news outlet Rewire News and the podcast Boom Lawyered in this episode.

Former Brazilian president Bolsonaro recently spoke at CPAC - the Conservative Political Action Conference . CPAC is held annually in the US as a platform for conservative leaders. Bolsonaro's presence is an example of how Brazil continues to be a relevant testing ground for US-origined, far-right messaging and policy priorities. Let's explore. ***Correction to make: in this episode, I said that N...

Welcome to Season Two of Natasha Explains It All! (Yes, each season will consist of 13 episodes, or a Baker's dozen). In this episode, we continue to explore pretrial supervision and then talk about how prosecutors use pretrial detention to coerce pleas. To learn more about how prosecutors upcharge, read The Trial Penalty .

Tyre Nichols' murder has prompted conversations about internalized racism because the main police officers who killed Tyre are also Black. Let's unpack. For data on how often police kill, see Mapping Police Violence .

Action Alert: CBP/DHS has resumed family separation at the border. Lawyers for Good Government is organizing a public awareness campaign around it and urging people to call CBP/DHS and object to this change in policy. Here is what to do: Call the public comment lines for CBP (Customs & Border Partrol) at 877-CBP-5511 and DHS (Dep't of Homeland Security) at 202-282-8495 and share that you oppos...

As we continue to explore how criminal courts work, I use this episode to talk about what happens if you're able to post bail: most people will be put on some sort of pretrial supervision, with tons of conditions (like drug testing and electronic monitoring) that they'll likely have to pay for. Can't pay? You're likely to go back to jail. 

This is the first of "action alert" episodes, where I will share a time-sensitive action for all of us to participate in that yes, can make a difference. Today's is to stop the execution of Leonard "Raheem" Taylor, who is scheduled to be executed by the state of Missouri on Feb. 7th, despite his innocence. Please call Governor Parson at 573-400-0357 or 573-751-3222 today and say the following (scr...

Hertz filed (at least) hundreds of false police reports against customers falsely accusing them of stealing Hertz's vehicles. This resulted in life-altering changes to innocent people's lives: arrests, jailing, criminal records, losing employment, suffering health problems, etc. Even after getting sued, Hertz has tried to escape responsibility by trying to keep documents sealed that detail their a...

In part two, we talk more about money bail and how it's an example of the financial incentives baked into the criminal court system. We also talk about diversion programs. For more reading on why money bail needs to go: After Cash Bail: A Framework for Reimagining Pretrial Justice by The Bail Project Money Bail Might Be the Most Racist, Immoral Part of America’s Criminal Injustice System by Michae...

How do criminal courts work? This episode is part one of a series where I dive into how the system actually works (sorry, tv and news stories are generally not that accurate or representative). In this episode, I mention the importance of bail funds to help those who cannot afford bail, so that fewer people are in jail simply because they can't afford bail. Here is a list of some bail funds: The B...

More mass shootings in the US. Through the ties between the Trump and & Bolsonaro camps, Brazil is adopting US gun culture. The newly-elected Brazilian president Lula is undoing a lot of the gun expansions enacted under former president Bolsonaro. I sincerely hope that Brazil does not become home to the type of mass shootings so commonplace in the US. For additional reading, some suggestions:...

Newly-elected Republican member of Congress George Santos has lied about a lot of stuff, yet somehow the lies have only surfaced after he was elected. Some have argued that his story illustrates the importance of local journalism and that makes sense to me. I explore. In this episode, I highlight one local news outlet I support called San Jose Spotlight .

Since today is MLK Day and we've been discussing voting and democracy in prior episodes, here is one way that you can promote voting and voter engagement: volunteering with Postcards to Voters . I'm a volunteer, so in this episode I'll share what my experience has been. 

Last time we talked about voter suppression in the US. We talked about tactics like reducing polling locations, reducing early voting, not allowing vote by mail, etc. Let's look at a couple of additional ways that suppression plays out: prison gerrymandering and felony disenfranchisement.  In the episode, I talked about the Prison Gerrymandering Project by the Prison Policy Institute. I also...

Some follow up thoughts from the last episode. Let's dive in deeper to the history of democracy in the US and Brazil.

An insurrection in Brazil on Jan. 8th closely parallels an insurrection in the US from Jan 6, 2021. Why? I explore.