Ohioans Against Extremism Podcast

We have to admit, we kind of just wanted to spend our 4th of July weekend eating hot dogs and trying not to sweat to death. But we also know that this is a significant moment in US History, one that’s worthy of some reflection. So we are trying to have our cake and eat it too. Enjoy the brief on-the-go reflections of our co-founder & executive director Maria Bruno as she tends to plants and pets....

In our 7th episode of Season 2 of the OAE Podcast and 4th “WTF is going on at the Ohio Statehouse?!” presentation of the 136th General Assembly, Maria & Ainslee are again joined by experts on the front lines of Statehouse advocacy. In today’s discussion, we go over the controversies that are front and center at the Statehouse and share some predictions about what we expect the rest of the year. Sp...

In this episode, Ainslee is joined by our producer and host of her own podcast, Columbus Can’t Wait , Tareya Palmer. Columbus Can’t Wait focuses on local politics in Columbus and holding those in power accountable to the community. Tareya and Ainslee get candid about why it feels so hard to keep trying to make positive change in Ohio politics, especially when we keep losing. They discuss the creat...

In 2023, Laura Mullen was just another fed up mom. Fast forward to 2026, and she is an elected school board member and the Ohio programs director for Red Wine & Blue , an organization dedicated to mobilizing the now infamous “ organized gangs of wine moms ” pushing back against authoritarianism in Ohio and across the country. FIRE SALE: Black "Against Extremism" tote bags - order by May 21! If you...

ICYMI: WTF is Going on @ The Ohio Statehouse Webinar 2/24/26 In this special episode, we replay our Tuesday webinar discussing legislation under consideration at the Ohio Statehouse. Learn about bills being considered, then take action! Warning: It’s a lot. Remember, you don’t have to fight every battle. Pick a couple bills to focus on, then get to work! Presenters: Maria Bruno , Ohioans Against E...

There has been a coordinated effort to paint immigrants and poor people as fraudsters and freeloaders taking advantage of taxpayers. But who gains the most when we focus on the little guys? The big guys. The truth is, if we are going to care about fraud — real fraud — we need to look at the folks that are profiting off of a broken system: the ultra-wealthy and big corporations. Inspired by a recen...

Editor’s note: We will just say sorry now — Ainslee has some microphone tech issues throughout the episode. We did our best to adjust, apologies for any hearing difficulties!! S2 Ep 3 - This Year in Ohio Politics: Which Way Will We Go From Here? In this episode, Ainslee and Maria give you a break from national political madness to discuss… Ohio political madness. Ainslee & Maria debrief about the...

The Ohio Legislature has finally gone home. Hopefully for the year. There is a possibility that they return for more shenanigans mid-December, but we are crossing our fingers that they find literally anything better to do with their holiday season. While they’re on break, we’re going to focus our weekly updates on different policy issue areas to help readers better understand the chatter around so...

Today we have a conversation with John Patterson, a former state representative and State Director of the USDA Farm Service Agency who has spent his career fighting for his community. He’s also the last rural Democrat to be elected to the Ohio Statehouse, and is likely to continue to hold that title for the foreseeable future. We discuss Patterson’s journey from educator to elected official, his e...

This Monday, we cohosted our quarterly(ish) WTF is Going on the Ohio Statehouse?! presentation with our friends at Red Wine & Blue , and have repurposed the presentation as a special episode of the Ohioans Against Extremism Podcast. We are joined by a handful of our favorite topic experts to debrief the 2025 election results and discuss pending pieces of legislation at the Ohio Statehouse. Here ar...

We’re baaaaaaccckkkkk. The Ohioans Against Extremism Podcast is back with Season 2. In our first episode of the new season, Maria and Ainslee discuss redistricting shenanigans, the No Kings protests, and dissect the bad faith attempt by the current administration to label political dissent — and by extent, half of the country — as extreme. Plus, don’t forget to join us Monday at noon for a webinar...

Last week, our co-founder Ainslee Johnson-Brown received the J. Maynard Dickerson Community Service & Activism Award for the Class of 2025 Buckeyes Under 40, presented by The Ohio State University Black Alumni Society. We couldn’t be more proud. This distinguished recognition highlights young alumni who are making a powerful impact through service, leadership, and community engagement. It’s no won...

September 11th is an incredibly tragic day in American history. In 2001, a terrorist attack resulted in three thousand people losing their lives, and many more suffering lifelong trauma and health issues. We can never lose sight of the tragedy that took place on that day. Terrorism is a threat to democracy and freedom. It’s meant to scare you. It’s meant to build resentment towards each other. And...

We’re on location at Ohioans Against Extremism’s inaugural training session in Columbus. We start the conversation by hearing from Rachel Coyle about our new speaker training program. Then, Ainslee and Maria debrief the State budget process, discuss what we can expect to see in Ohio politics the second half of the year, and break down Ohioans Against Extremism’s role in all of it. Check out our bi...

This past weekend, our founder & executive director Maria Bruno was chosen as Columbus Community Festival’s 2025 Honored Community Activist. This award is given to an individual that embodies the Festival’s principles by working towards “collective action in common purpose to improve our community and change our country in ways that make it more closely resemble the ideals it professes to the rest...

Don’t just be a backseat driver when it comes to political advocacy — it’s time for you to get in the driver’s seat. In this episode of the Ohioans Against Extremism Podcast, Maria is joined by our producer, friend, and fellow podcaster, Tareya Palmer , co-founder and host of Columbus Can’t Wait . Columbus Can’t Wait is a podcast launched in 2020 that focuses on supporting the learning journey on...

TLDR: To testify in-person on the state budget next week, submit your testimony by THIS Friday (5/23) at 5PM CORRECTION: THE VIDEO AND ORIGINAL POST INCORRECTLY STATED MAY 27 WAS A MONDAY — OOPS! May 27, the first day of testimony, is TUESDAY. Our bad. That’s on us. We’re tired. The Ohio Senate Finance Committee will hold four straight days of budget hearings next week: Tuesday, May 27 at 9:00PM W...

This episode of the Ohioans Against Extremism podcast is the recording of Monday’s briefing about what’s going on at the Ohio Statehouse, with a foreword from our executive director. Warning: this episode will not be uplifting. But this is crucial information for Ohioans that care about our state’s future, and we can’t let these bad bills become law without at least putting up a fight. After you l...

Can we do it? Can we discuss white dudes without pissing everyone off? Can we provide tangible ways to pull people back from the brink? Can we acknowledge other people’s perspectives while holding them accountable? Challenge accepted. We’ve been wanting to have this conversation for a long time, but weren’t quite sure how to have it. How do we help men avoid extremist rabbit holes? How do we help...

You know us, we never sugarcoat it. Things are feeling pretty grim over at the Ohio Statehouse these days. We’re here to give you the highlights of the first three months of Ohio’s 136th General Assembly, so buckle up for (mostly) bad news. In this episode of the Ohioans Against Extremism Podcast, Maria and Ainslee quickly break down three months of busy legislative activity, explain OAE’s handy d...

Yesterday, the House passed one of the fastest-moving bills in Ohio’s Statehouse, SB 1. SB1 becoming law would wreak havoc on Ohio’s public higher education. This bill has been covered pretty extensively, so we won’t rehash here. (Some reading here , here , here , here , here , and here . We also did a video a few weeks ago explaining the main reasons SB1 is bad.) But reading about it and seeing i...

Essay by Maria Bruno, Executive Director of Ohioans Against Extremism Feeling overwhelmed by political bullsh*t? Us too. That’s why we are selling Gold-Plated, limited edition, Tru– ok just kidding. We have no magic solutions or bibles or knives or limited-edition coins or rare earth metals to sell you. There isn’t a quick fix to this political chaos. We just have to start building the world we wa...

Ohio was highlighted in USA Today earlier this week for being on the forefront of building a “ New Blueprint to Fight Extremism that Hits Close to Home ”. Our organization, Ohioans Against Extremism , is playing a critical role in designing that blueprint, alongside dozens of community organizations. Our secret sauce? No more of that weak, half-ass solidarity. United we stand, period. In this snip...

Time to make some phone calls! At 2pm today, February 11, the Ohio Senate Higher Education Committee will consider SB1, a terrible bill that would destroy the independence of Ohio’s public universities. You can listen in at the Ohio Channel ( Ohiochannel.org ) SB 1 could pass the Senate as soon as TOMORROW, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 12! We’ve got no time to waste. Start making some phone calls. Learn ho...

Woof. Rough few weeks, huh? In Ohioans Against Extremism Podcast’s first episode of the year, Ainslee and Maria discuss the dumpster fire that has been the first month of 2025. The discussion covers a lot of ground. From the new Ohio Statehouse Rules to a certain billionaire Nazi salute, to immigration laws, to bad State Senate bills we’re watching, to strategies for breaking out of our social med...