The Bakari Sellers Podcast

Bakari and Tara Palmeri, Puck senior political correspondent and host of ‘Somebody’s Gotta Win,’ merge podcasts to discuss why both parties feel like they’re heading toward victory in November (1:43), undecided voters and whether or not they actually exist (20:28), what President Kamala Harris’s cabinet could look like (33:15), and predictions on what to expect after Election Day (36:50). Host: Ba...

Bakari is joined by senior political correspondent for The Wall Street Journal Molly Ball to discuss her take on the state of the presidential race (4:44), housing as a key issue in both campaigns (14:24), and the business world’s response to Kamala Harris’s economic plan (20:45). Host: Bakari Sellers Guest: Molly Ball Producer: Donnie Beacham Jr. Executive Producer: Jarrod Loadholt Learn more abo...

Bakari is joined by former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice to discuss what made her agree to join the Domestic Policy Council (5:15), her thoughts on the 2024 election so far (8:16), and the impact of a chaotic administration (versus one that’s steady) on a foreign policy adviser (16:57). Host: Bakari Sellers Guest: Susan Rice Producer: Donnie Beacham Jr. Executive Producer: Jarro...

Bakari is joined by Angela Alsobrooks, county executive of Prince George’s County and current candidate for the Senate, to discuss her relationship with Vice President Kamala Harris (2:46), why her Senate race appears to be so close (8:59), and the plan to get young Marylanders out to vote (17:12). Host: Bakari Sellers Guest: Angela Alsobrooks Producer: Donnie Beacham Jr. Executive Producer: Jarro...

Bakari is joined by Astead Herndon, national politics reporter for The New York Times, to talk the state of the race heading into the first debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump (:50) and what to look forward to in the weeks leading up to the election (14:18). Host: Bakari Sellers Guest: Astead Herndon Producer: Donnie Beacham Jr. Executive Producer: Jarrod Loadholt Learn more about your a...

Bakari is joined by author and president of Sacramento State University Dr. J. Luke Wood to discuss the Black male academic agenda of a potential Kamala Harris administration (3:53), the balance of college affordability and investing in schools (10:51), and creating a Black honors college at his university (14:59). Host: Bakari Sellers Guest: Dr. J. Luke Wood Producer: Donnie Beacham Jr. Executive...

Bakari is joined by Lisa Blunt Rochester, the U.S. representative for Delaware's at-large congressional district since 2017. Lisa is the first woman and first Black congressperson to represent Delaware. She talks about her upbringing and what motivated her to get into politics in the first place. Lisa also addresses Kamala Harris’s campaign and what she plans on doing for the state of Delaware. Ho...

Thanks so much to our friends at the 'Native Land Pod' for letting us share this amazing episode to our podcast feed. Bakari joins the 'Native Land Pod' alongside hosts Angela Rye, Tiffany Cross, and Andrew Gillum. This episode was recorded on night one of the Democratic National Convention and features incredible conversations with Senator Cory Booker, Representative Jamaal Bowman of New York, Re...

Bakari is back and live from Chicago, joined on day three by Politico's Jonathan Martin and Ellen Rucker Sellers. Bakari and Jonathan recap the most memorable moments from night two, including the speeches from the Obamas and the performance by Lil Jon. They discuss the imperatives for Vice President Harris and the Democratic Party this week, as well as what Trump's counter-programming might look...

Bakari is joined on day two in Chicago by Jasmine Wright, politics reporter at NOTUS. They chat about the importance of Black female journalists covering Vice President Kamala Harris's campaign, the 60th anniversary of Freedom Summer, and the legacies of figures such as Jesse Jackson and Fannie Lou Hamer. They also recap the best speeches from night one, discuss the political future of rising star...

Bakari is live from Chicago for the 2024 Democratic National Convention! He's joined by Alex Thompson of Axios and CNN to recap night one. They talk about how the vibes are different from the RNC last month, the biggest wins for Democrats in terms of messaging and speeches, President Biden's address, and what they're most looking forward to from night two, including speeches from former president...

Nicole talks about her rise in the sports media industry and how she rose from the ranks as an intern at the Boston Globe to the lead college football and college basketball insider at NBC Sports. She also discusses House v. NCAA class-action lawsuit, and the terms of a multi-billion-dollar settlement that stands to reshape college sports, including $2.75 billion in back-pay damages the NCAA will...

Bakari Sellers is joined by the author of the new book ‘Antidemocratic,’ David Daley, to discuss what got him into becoming a voting rights activist, what his new book is about, how it differs from his previous two (11:30), and much more. Host: Bakari Sellers Guest: David Daley Producer: Isaiah Blakely Executive Producer: Jarrod Loadholt Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/a...

Bakari Sellers is joined by reporter and coauthor of the Axios Twin Cities newsletter Torey Van Oot. They start with discussing the growth of the Axios newsletter. Then Torey takes us through Governor Tim Walz’s rise from a teacher and football coach to potential vice president (4:30). They also discuss what to expect from Walz moving forward (18:10). Host: Bakari Sellers Guest: Torey Van Oot Prod...

Bakari is joined by the 73rd governor of Massachussets Maura Healey. Gov Healey discusses her career arc from growing up in a small town in New Hampshire, attending Harvard, and playing pro basketball in Europe. She also discusses the development of Massachusetts as one of the oldest states to becoming a place for the advancement of technology. Healey also served with Vice President Kamala Harris....

Bakari Sellers is joined by Luther Roderick Campbell, a.k.a. Uncle Luke. They talk about his lasting legacy from 2 Live Crew, how Kamala Harris should talk to Black men (12:37), what can be done in Florida, and more. Host: Bakari Sellers Guest: Luther Roderick Campbell Producer: Isaiah Blakely Executive Producer: Jarrod Loadholt Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Bakari is joined by Politico’s Meridith McGraw to discuss her upcoming book, ‘Trump in Exile.’ The book examines Donald Trump post-presidency, the January 6 Capitol attack, and what was to follow after his return to Mar-a-lago. Plus, there's talk of how Trump has regained the Republican Party following political banishment. She later discusses the Republican Party’s strategy now that Kamala Harris...

Bakari is joined by CNN political analyst, two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist, and senior editor at The Atlantic Ron Brownstein. Brownstein examines the many factors that will go into Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign with just about four months to go until election day. Who will be the VP’s running mate? How will Trump and the Republican Party try to counter Harris running instead of Joe Biden?...

Adrianne Shropshire is executive director of BlackPAC and the affiliated nonpartisan Black Progressive Action Coalition. She is a leader in developing model integrated voter engagement programs that build voter power over multiple election cycles. She discusses her career arc from beginning as a community organizer in South Los Angeles during the 1992 riots. Adrianne also dives into what Vice Pres...

Bakari Sellers is joined by New York magazine features writer Zak Cheney-Rice to discuss his most recent piece, “Black People Are Not Going to Save Joe Biden.” They also talk about Mark Robinson's rise in the Republican Party, Cop City in Atlanta, and more (8:46). Host: Bakari Sellers Guest: Zak Cheney-Rice Producer: Isaiah Blakely Executive Producer: Jarrod Loadholt Learn more about your ad choic...

Bakari Sellers is joined by Semafor’s David Weigel, who is in Milwaukee for the Republican National Convention. They start with the reports that Barack Obama is pushing Joe Biden to reconsider his 2024 presidential bid. Then they discuss other story lines from the RNC, including what to expect from Donald Trump, JD Vance, and much more (7:13). Host: Bakari Sellers Guest: David Weigel Producer: Isa...

Bakari is joined by attorney Jarrett Adams, who was once falsely accused of a crime, wrongfully convicted, and served 10 years of a 28-year sentence. Jarrett talks about what happened after a night out with friends led to them ending up in prison. He lays out the steps of how he became a civil rights attorney, and how he plans on fixing mass incarceration for Black people. Host: Bakari Sellers Gue...

Bakari is joined by Franchesca Ramsey and Conscious Lee, the hosts of the 'Black History, for Real' podcast. Franchesca and Conscious discuss their origins and how they ended up starting the podcast. The foundation of their podcast is to have Black history be explained in an accurate and non-sanitized way. They also discuss some of the historical events that they have covered, such as Black Wall S...

Bakari is joined by Shaniqua McClendon, who is the vice president of politics for Crooked Media. She discusses her career arc, from interning at the White House to what she’s doing now with Crooked Media. Shaniqua discusses Vote Save America’s strategy for this upcoming election. She also discusses its strategy for Arab, Black male, and white women voters. Is there any chance that Joe Biden will s...

Bakari Sellers is joined by senior diplomatic correspondent for HuffPost Akbar Shahid Ahmed. They start by discussing his career journey to the point where he is now. Then they discuss the ceasefire proposal between Gaza and Israel (6:08), what impact the protests have played in a push for a ceasefire (12:54), what 2025 looks like if Trump is elected (15:24), what to expect from Muslim and Arab Am...