Shows
Bloc PartyLabor, the Left, and the Specter of a Strike at UPSThis week we’re talking about the labor movement and the political left. How can they support one another? Is the impending UPS workers strike a redux of their successful win in 1997? What are the political implications of a massive workers strike? This episode is a companion to our recent Bloc Doc video release, “UPS Strike: Lessons from ‘97”. Our old friend Jeremy Flood comes back to interview Jacobin staff writer Alex Press about the UPS workers organizing this year. Jeremy is a Brooklyn based filmmaker who now works as a video producer for the United Auto Workers...
2023-06-291h 00Bloc PartyDebate Me, Bro!In this episode, six JD staffers get in touch with their inner high school debate team identity and battle it out. Are progressives too online? Should the left run for president in 2024? Is it more impactful to organize around federal or local politics? Do you eat your rice with a fork or a spoon? We’re engaging with the hard hitting topics of today’s discourse. We promised a lighter, fun episode and here it is! Do you have a debate you want us to engage with in a future episode? Email us at bloc...
2023-06-1557 minBloc PartyAn Inch in U.S. Politics Moves Miles On the Ground in Israel-PalestineHow does the Israeli government maintain the invisibility of Palestinian dehumanization? For progress to take place, will Israelis have to stand up to their own government, or will that pressure have to come from the outside?In Part 2 of our series about our staffers’ recent trip to Israel-Palestine, Alex and Amira share with Waleed some of the more personal moments of witnessing occupation from their time spent with the IMEU (Institute for Middle East Understanding).We also hear more specifically about how Americans can help end the occupation. For more from the IMEU: https://im...
2023-06-021h 13Bloc PartyDon't Let Them Take Away Your Joy (w/ Diana Buttu)Why do Americans see the Palestinian struggle as “complex?” What does it mean to live under occupation? How does the U.S. “see something, say nothing” policy affect military occupation and continued settlement expansions? In Part 1 of this two episode series, Amira & Alexandra speak with Diana Buttu about their recent trip to Israel-Palestine with the IMEU. Diana helps contextualize the ongoing protests in Israel, the role the U.S. has played in Israeli-Palestinian politics as well as everyday life, and shares the ways she practices Palestinian resistance by fighting for and celebrating moments of joy in the midst of ongoi...
2023-05-181h 12Bloc Party‘To the End’ & Finding the Floor of What Progressives Can Accomplish (w/ Rachel Lears)How do progressives navigate holding new found power? How much power should be wielded and when? Should we interpret the IRA as a victory or a loss?Acclaimed documentary director, producer, & cinematographer Rachel Lears (Knock Down the House, 2019) (The Hand that Feeds, 2014) joins Alex on the Bloc this week with some behind the scenes intel on the making of her latest feature documentary, To the End. To the End captures the emergence of a new generation of leaders and the movement behind the most sweeping climate change legislation in U.S. history. The film features our...
2023-05-0458 minBloc PartyFighting Back Against Anti-Trans Legislation (w/ Erin Reed)When anti-trans legislation floods state legislation across the country, it affects all of us. To quote Amira, “This will sink your boat too, bitch!” Journalist Erin Reed joins Becca to break down some of the FOUR HUNDRED AND SEVENTY TWO (and counting) egregious bills targeting trans people and their families, review this latest tactic in the right’s assault on trans rights and bodily autonomy, and discuss what progressives can and should be doing to fight back. Erin is an independent journalist and activist. She diligently tracks anti-LGBTQ+ legislation around the world, and both her substack and ri...
2023-04-201h 00Bloc PartyThe Revolution Will Be Televised (Whether We Watch It Or Not)Can cable TV be useful for progressives? What about broadcast media makes it difficult to communicate as a progressive… or are progressives going about our approach to being on TV the wrong way? Meet your instructor, Waleed Shahid! In this episode, Waleed walks Becca, Usamah, and Pod Producer Sophie through a media literacy training. You’ll hear from some voices you may recognize from your regular cable TV programming, and then the staff discusses how progressives should relate to broadcast media. Follow us in your feeds for new episodes every other Thursday, and keep tabs on our...
2023-04-061h 11Bloc Party5-4 x Debt Collective (Or How I Learned To Start Worrying and Hate SCOTUS)It’s a double-crossover special with Michael from the illustrious 5-4 Podcast (a very beloved show to those of us here at JD) and Group Chat veteran Eleni Schirmer from the Debt Collective. They join Waleed to review how oral arguments went down in last month’s Supreme Court cases that could make or break Biden’s student loan cancellation initiative. First, Michael & Waleed chat about how SCOTUS & minority rule keep getting in the way of us building a real multiracial democracy. Then Eleni joins to remind us how these cases got to the Supreme Court in the first...
2023-03-231h 06Bloc PartyIt's like I have ESG or something...You’ve heard of the anti-CRT movement… but have you caught wind of ESG, the latest acronym that Republicans have weaponized in their anti-woke crusade? ESG investments have entered the chat in a big way - but it’s not the easiest topic to comprehend. So we brought an expert in to help us break down who the players are, clarify the mess of jargon that’s being tossed around, and why any of this should matter to us on the left. Journalist & author Kate Aronoff makes a trip back to the Bloc & joins Amira to discuss her article...
2023-03-0949 minBloc PartyMovement School is on the BlocMovement School has acted as one of the core building bloc(k)s for Justice Democrats since day 1…so it’s high time we chatted with Movement School Director Ilona Duverge about its origin story, how she and her team navigate the pressures of the dusty, crusty consultant class, and why providing the tools, networks, tips & tricks for budding multiracial working-class campaign staffers across the country not only helps candidates win; it helps communities build their own power. THEN, in part 2 of this episode you’ll hear from a star Movement School grad, Adrastos Da Silva...
2023-02-2350 minBloc PartyFed Up: Inflation and the Myth of AusterityNew year, new hosts, AND new guests on the Bloc! Amira is joined by our newest host and Gen Z rep from the JD staff, Becca Rose. Becca read too many Bloomberg articles about inflation and has some questions like, “Why do economists think that the pathway to a healthy economy is to lay off millions of working people?” and “Why is Bloomberg telling me the economy is great when we literally can’t afford to eat three meals a day?” and “What does the Fed mean by a ‘soft landing’ and why does it feel like it’s still really gonna hurt...
2023-02-091h 04Bloc PartyWe Need to Talk About KevinWelcome back to the Bloc! Your newly minted hosts of Bloc Party, Amira Hassan & Waleed Shahid are ready to rumble for Season 3. We’re bringing on more staff this season from Justice Democrats & Organize for Justice… aka some of the best of the best when it comes to folks fighting for the soul of the Democratic Party. This week, we’re talking about Kevin, the never-Kevins, the I-guess-it’s-fine-we’ll-take-him-Kevins, and what we should take away from the right buckling down for 15 rounds before electing Kevin McCarthy their Speaker. Is there something for the left to learn in this tacti...
2023-01-261h 02Bloc PartyAIPAC, U up?JD Staffers review the triumphs of 2022 midterms in our Bloc Party: Season 2 finale. Justice Democrats Summer Lee & Greg Casar are going to Congress! Summer Lee beat out AIPAC for a second time in her general election, overcoming $10 million in attack ads. What should we take away from the surprising lack of a red wave? In our last episode our staffers discussed what they thought was driving the electorate to the polls. Did we get it wrong? What were the midterms actually about? And now with more governing power than we anticipated having, how can Democrats wield this advantage...
2022-11-1753 minBloc Party2022 Midterms: Please Place Your BetsWhat are the 2022 midterms actually about? A referendum on Biden? Whatever pundits say the top issues are? Or is it something else?In a two part episode, Justice Democrats staffers (ft. a guest from Left Rising) take some bets on the wins/losses the Democratic party is about to experience in November before sitting down to investigate what ads Dems are running and what ads are being run against them. What do the polls/propaganda pieces tell us about Democratic messaging? And more importantly: are these messages working?
2022-10-281h 30Bloc PartyA Four Decade Long Debt ReceiptAmericans aged 62 and older are the fastest-growing demographic of student borrowers.In July, Journalist Eleni Schirmer’s New Yorker article “The Aging Student Debtors of America,” featured the story of Betty Anne, a 91 year old woman with $330,000 in student loans – and Justice Democrats’ Lead Video Producer Jeremy Flood’s grandmother. In this episode, Jeremy and Eleni unpack the impact of Eleni’s reporting and what it’s meant to Betty Anne’s family to hold this debt throughout her life. We also get an exciting update on her loans. Then, we invite the Debt Collective co-foun...
2022-09-291h 05Bloc Party2022 Primaries: The Empire Strikes BackIt’s Sunday June 26th, 2022 – two days after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade – and President Joe Biden knows what he needs to do.Biden needed to announce his endorsement to Rep. Danny Davis, the 25-year incumbent in Chicago’s bluest Congressional district, IL-07. Two days before polls opened in a primary contest between a quarter-century incumbent and Kina Collins, a grassroots organizer against gun violence in Rep. Davis’ district, Joe Biden needed Democrats to know: the party’s old guard deserves to stay in power. On election day, Kina Collins lost by a 7-point margin.
2022-07-2059 minBloc PartyStarted At The School Board, Now It's Congresswoman LeeShe can relax a little now. The PA-12 results are certified. The victory is locked in. So current State House Rep. Lee, the expected Congresswoman-elect from Pennsylvania’s 12th district, sat down with Amira Hassan to tell us the WHOLE story.How did Summer Lee get so deep in the progressive political revolution brewing in Pittsburgh? What does it actually look like to build grassroots power by organizing at the local level, and electoralize that power up to the state house and ultimately Congress? What is it like to grind out a victory after your opponents dr...
2022-05-3153 minBloc PartyCampaign Breakdown: How Summer Lee Beat the AdsIn the final weeks before Pennsylvania’s May 17th primaries, SuperPACs affiliated with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee spent millions of dollars in the 12th district, nearly all on TV ads attacking Summer Lee and boosting corporate lawyer Steve Irwin.Summer Lee narrowly won. How? And what might other progressive candidates, campaign managers, communications strategists, and organizers learn from the resilience of the Summer Lee for Congress campaign? Also, what to make of the increasing sums of outside money spent against Justice Democrats in these competitive primaries?To get the inside scoop on the tactics an...
2022-05-2423 minBloc PartyBuild Back Never: What the Hell Happened to Biden's Agenda?Group Chat is back with Guido, Amira, and returning guest Mary Small (National Legislative Director of Indivisible) to process what f*** happened with President Biden’s Build Back Better bill.When did Build Back Better die? It died when the House of Representatives passed the bipartisan infrastructure package – but wasn’t it doomed before then? Could the negotiations over Biden’s domestic agenda in 2021 have gone any differently? Did progressives fail? What lessons can we learn from how the progressive bloc strategy played out? In what moments could Biden, Schumer, or Pelosi have approached their own legislative strategy differen...
2022-05-1854 min
Lights OutThe Traveling Circus: How F1 MovesLions, tigers and bears oh my! The Lights Out crew take a deep dive into the logistics of F1’s traveling circus. Have you ever wondered how Formula 1 races in Miami one weekend and in Barcelona the next? We uncover the background on how everyone from the drivers to the merchandise get to each race on the calendar. Step right up for to learn more about the greatest show! 🎩 🎪 🏎
2022-05-171h 13
Lights OutIn Conversation With: Lydia Harper (Parc Fermé)The Lights Out ladies welcome Lydia Harper from Parc Fermé to the podcast! Lydia lets us know what it's been like to build a new business focusing on motorsport, photographing everything from F1 to Indycar and more. Her lightning round is one for the books.
2022-05-0353 min
Lights OutThe Nigerian Prince ScandalThis week the Lights Out ladies bring you a deep dive into an older scandal from Formula 1 history. This story has some of our favorite things about the sport in it - interpersonal drama, money drama, and branding deal drama. But we’re not just here to gossip. Though this story is a little older, that doesn’t mean it can’t help illuminate some of the trends in how Formula 1 operates today... and that it might be in danger of falling into some of the same traps.
2022-04-0726 min
Lights OutIn Conversation With: Toni Cowan-BrownLights Out is honored to have Toni Cowan-Brown as our first guest. The ladies get into what it’s like being a fan of the sport online vs in person, how Formula 1 can welcome the multifaceted fan more openly, and the money F1 is missing out on when it comes to female fans! An important conversation that we were thrilled to have Toni on the mic for.
2022-03-221h 20Bloc PartyThe Last Takes of an Ex-Campaign DirectorA bonus group chat with two seasoned professionals of the political left.Two operatives who went up against the Cuellar machine in TX-28 share stories from the frontlines and pitch some provocative theories.In the DMs: Ava Benezra, the organizer who’s been driving the JD campaign machine since before The Plague began. We recorded just after she'd worked her last day as the (former) JD campaigns director. Alongside Ava, a Bloc Party debut for the leftist comms professional who’s tracking the press coverage of Democratic party politics and contested primaries every day of t...
2022-03-2019 minBloc PartyTexas Post-Game Analysis feat. Coach GeoffThe first big Democratic primaries of the 2022 cycle are done. The voters of Texas’s 35th and 28th Congressional districts have cast their ballots.Topline results: A big win, and an excruciating close-tie. What does it all mean?Justice Democrats campaign all-stars sifted through the results, read the post-election hot takes, and now we’re bringing Group Chat back together to make sense of it all. Do these Texas primaries tell us anything important about the left in American elections, what works and what doesn't? What did we do well, where did we disappoint ourselves.. ?
2022-03-1539 min
Lights OutScrying the 2022 SeasonSettle in for awkward Zoom call small talk, chaotic 2022 predictions and wholesome best wishes for the 2022 season from the Lights Out gals.
2022-03-0850 min
Lights OutLO Season 2: Allow Us to Reintroduce OurselvesWelcome Formula 1 fans, Drive to Survive lovers, #F1tok, and Kennedy's grandma! We're taking our cue from the 2022 season changes, and switching things up here too, so for new and old fans alike: sit back, relax, and allow us (the ladies of Lights Out) to reintroduce ourselves.
2022-03-0124 minBloc PartyWhat's The Matter With South Texas?It’s time. The rematch for Texas' 28th Congressional district: Cisneros vs. Cuellar.Human rights attorney Jessica Cisneros, who fell 2,700 votes short of unseating incumbent Rep. Henry Cuellar in March 2020, joins us to talk about how she recovered from a tough, narrow loss and why this race may still come down to The Wire.But first, Waleed Shahid takes on a new role as a private investigator, reporting on shady deals and probable crimes committed by the ruling Congressman of Texas’ 28th District.In the second half, Professor Ian Haney-López sits down with Walee...
2022-02-141h 13
Bloc PartyBloc Party 2: Feel Bad BetterBuild Back Better is dead. The Group Chat is resurrected.Welcome to Bloc Party Season 2.New episodes dropping twice a month, starting this week. Text your friends, call your representative, subscribe & share wherever you get your podcasts:⏯https://podlink.to/blocparty 🟪
2022-02-0702 min
Lights OutFor Your Oscar Consideration: Formula 1’s 2021 Season FinaleThe Lights Out gals gather round for one final race recap of the season. Catching you up on the outcome of the 2021 World Championship and revisiting their pre-season predictions. Cate, Kennedy and producer Soph reflect on their favorite on track moments from the last 9 months and award their Social Media Star of the season.
2021-12-1455 min
Resolve - Stories from a Stop Start NationS1 E6: Out of OfficeToday, you can’t open LinkedIn without being polled on the topic of working from home. Up there with LOL, WFH has become one of the most recognisable acronyms and sayings over the last two years with COVID-19 fundamentally changing our relationship with the office and with very few of us wanting to return to the pre pandemic status quo. It’s an experience we thought was temporary, only intended to last the length of our lockdowns. However, as the months went on many have realised that they prefer this approach and want to continue regardless of being...
2021-12-1332 min
Lights OutEverything Went Wrong That Could in Jeddah (2021)Well…the LO crew finally got their SAFE safety car and then some! Listen to the gals give you a high-level overview of what happened at the Saudi Arabia GP, the latest on 2021 drivers championship battle and Kennedy’s new love interest. Thanks for listening. Insta: @lightsoutf1thepodcastTikTok: @lightsoutf1podgals
2021-12-0837 min
Lights OutFast Circuits, Falcons, & French Onion Soup: The Qatar GP (2021)Watched the race sober and recorded the Qatar GP episode with a little bit of alcohol in our systems! Speed round recording session from the Lights Out ladies for a perfectly pleasant race in the Middle East. We chat about the newest track in Formula 1, a nostalgic face on the podium, and the craziest Instagram post of the season. A shorter episode for you all but a really fun one that includes the ambience of french onion soup brewing in the background. Insta: @lightsoutf1thepodcastTik Tok: @lightsoutf1podgals
2021-11-2434 min
Lights OutLewis Got a Brazilian (Trophy) in São Paulo (2021)Producer Soph is on the mic this week! Cate and Soph dig into the latest developments in the Max/Lewis battle, ponder what Max's withdrawal from Drive to Survive Season 4 could mean for him, and debate the finer points of a White Claw mixed pack. With only 3 more races left this season, title fights are still close as can be and Brazil gave us plenty to discuss on the way to the end of the 2021 season.Thanks for listening!Insta: @lightsoutf1thepodcastTik Tok: @lightsoutf1podgals Episode Note: Producer Soph got a lil n...
2021-11-161h 00
Lights OutWe Watched the Race for Checo's Dad: The Mexico GP (2021)Episode 23 comin’ in hot! The Lights Out gals offer you a quick overview of what went down at the Mexican GP including, but not limited to, their love for Checo’s family, their love for Valtteri Bottas and their distaste for 1-stop racing strategy. Tune in for additional highlights such as ‘how to get more Instagram followers on a night out’ and ‘I didn’t expect to see THAT on the pit lane channel!’ Thanks for listening! Insta: @lightsoutf1thepodcastTik Tok: @lightsoutf1podgals
2021-11-0946 min
Lights OutOh and There Was a Race Too: Race Recap - The US GP (2021)Part two of our US GP experience! Back to our usual race recap content, with a little extra spice since we were live and in person. We share some strong opinions on the TX-themed headgear the drivers were rocking, some highlights from the stellar drives by some of our favorite racers, and at last a solid check in from the Lights Out Ladies about the W Series - our hopes and dreams for it and (as always) some constructive critique around its presentation at Austin. Thanks for listening! Insta: @lightsoutf1thepodcastTik Tok: @lig...
2021-11-031h 01
Lights OutDear Diary, We Went to the US GP (2021)The wait is over - here is our diary entry/review of our live and in-person US GP experience in Austin, TX! This is a little love letter to Austin, the wonderful people we met there, some whacky COTA stories, and some constructive critiques the ladies had for COTA. So far our manifestation powers have been tantamount to foolproof, so we're hoping these thoughts help make the next time F1 races in Austin an even better experience.Keep an eye out for part 2... Our regular recap-style episode of the US GP will be posted soon! H...
2021-11-0159 min
Lights OutRace Recap: The Turkey GP (2021)Our twentieth episode! 20.5 if you count the episode 1.5 :) The Turkey GP sparked some great conversation about media interpretation of what happens on track, the state of female commentators in F1, and Cate and Kennedy's thoughts on the Redbull special livery and racing suits (pls let us know if you agree).Thanks for listening!
2021-10-141h 07
Lights OutThe Russian GP Caught Us Slippin (2021)EPISODE NINETEEN: THE RUSSIAN GP CAUGHT US SLIPPIN' Well this is the best Sochi GP we've ever seen - what a nice surprise for a circuit that isn't widely known for having some wild energy on track like it did last weekend. Cate and Kennedy cover the interesting qualifying day that gave us some best of the rest vibes on the starting grid, bring you up to speed on their current opinions of the F1 TV production content, and admire the still anonymous recipient of the constructor's trophy from (surprise...) Mercedes (please help us listeners - w...
2021-09-2956 min
Lights OutThe Fast and the Furious: The Italian GP (2021)EPISODE EIGHTEEN: THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS - THE ITALIAN GPThis week’s episode, we close out our triple header with the Monza GP. Between the Hamilton/Verstappen battle reaching its boiling point, Valtteri’s dark horse redemption and the return of everyone’s favorite Aussie on the top step of the podium, this race certainly did not disappoint! Tune in to hear Cate and Kennedy fill you on the tears, the triumphs and Vin Diesel’s race cameo (FAMILY).
2021-09-151h 16Lights OutSilly Season in Swing: The Dutch GP (2021)The Dutch GP opened the doors to some great conversations - the ladies bring it with their insights on the Mercedes v Red Bull strategies this season, catch you up on the "silly season" developments (and WOW were there 1000 of them this week) for the 2022 grid, we find out what track marbles are, and Cate casts a spell for a certain wish the ladies of Lights Out have for the 2022 grid. Thank you for listening as always! Subscribe!Tik tok: @lightsoutf1podgalsInsta: @lightsoutf1thepodcast
2021-09-081h 11
Lights OutThe Longest Shortest Race Ever: The Belgian GP (2021)EPISODE SIXTEEN: THE LONGEST SHORTEST RACE EVER - THE BELGIAN GP The longest shortest F1 race in history!! The girls watched every second of the 4 hour broadcast so that you don’t have to. We said we love our red flag b-roll and wow did we get it this weekend. Tune in to find out why this race only counted for 1/2 points in the drivers championship, some b-roll highlights (shout out to our fave: Heineken green bucket hat girl), and catch up on all the summer break news aka - did Mercedes FINALLY announce their 2022 grid spots or…...
2021-08-3148 minBloc PartyBloc Party 201: Advanced TacticsPutting the bloc back in Bloc Party.Freedom Caucus. Progressive Caucus. Blue Dogs. Why do we care?Justice Dems spokesperson and co-host Waleed Shahid sits down with Ruth Bloch Rubin, author of Building the Bloc: Intraparty Organization in the US Congress. Ruth tells Waleed that size matters when it comes to congressional voting blocs, but bigger isn’t always better. What can we learn from Congressional ideological factions of the 20th and 21st centuries? Why and how did they succeed and fail in their own goals? Why is collective action exceptionally difficult in the U.S Congress?
2021-08-181h 01
Lights OutRoad to F1: Part 2 - Money, Money, MoneyWe're back with Part 2 of our Road to F1 series where the girls from Lights Out help break down some behind-the-scenes intel in the sport. In this episode, Kennedy gives Cate the low down on the money, money, moneyyyyy. Ever wonder where the money comes from to keep this sport afloat? Want some tea on past sponsorship dramas in F1? We ponder the past, present, and future of $$'s role in Formula 1 and have a ball doing it.
2021-08-1654 minLights OutBeing Mocked by Fate: The Hungarian GP (2021)THE HUNGARIAN GP Dare we say best race of the season thus far??!! This episode is an absolute blast - a race weekend packed with our faves: RAIN, red flag b-roll, and unexpected podiums. The ladies DELIVER when it comes to race analysis, fan-girling Carlos' luscious locks, and hyping up Williams' double points!!!!!!! (Claire we hope you're listening - tears were shed on your behalf.) If you didn't catch the Hungarian GP live — or even if you did — we have some THOUGHTS we want to share before we head into the summer break.
2021-08-041h 11
Lights OutJK Lewis Won Again: The British GP (2021)EPISODE THIRTEEN: JK LEWIS WON AGAIN - THE BRITISH GP Hoooo boy Sunday's race in Silverstone was SPICY, that's for sure. The Lights Out gals get together to bring you their take on that big ol Verstappen/Hamilton crash, some additional F1 Live TV reviews, a sizable spoonful of news updates since we missed last week, and as always our SMSOTW (Social Media Star of the Week) hot goss. Silverstone was PACKED with lots of what we love about F1. Let us know how you like this week's episode! xx uncledanny
2021-07-211h 02
Lights OutThe End of the Mercedes Era: The Styrian GP (2021)EPISODE TWELVE: THE END OF THE MERCEDES ERA - THE STYRIAN GP Things are a little different this week on the pod! Producer Soph steps in for Cate while she's on vacay - and what a GREAT race we had this week in Austria with the Styrian GP. Kennedy and Soph applaude F1 TV for apparantly taking our note from last week and focusing big time on our mid-field faves. The gals cover some small tragedies for some of the drivers closest to our hearts, Kennedy brings you (as always) some this week in racing updates, and S...
2021-06-2950 min
Lights OutChristian Horner's Best Father's Day: The French GP (2021)EPISODE ELEVEN: CHRISTIAN HORNER'S BEST FATHER'S DAY - THE FRENCH GP We back!! The ladies talk F1 TV production team, F1 TV production team, anatomically correct horse sculptures, general despair over the lack of mid-field coverage we've been getting (@ F1 TV production team), and cover who their weird personal life sponsors should be (@burtsbees @heating pads this is for you). Its the 2021 French GP everyone! (Happy Father's Day to Christian Horner)
2021-06-2339 min
Lights OutBaku to the Good Old Days: The Baku GP (2021)EPISODE TEN: BAKU TO THE GOOD OLD DAYS - THE BAKU GPWe Baku in Baku, Baku to the good old days of 2019 F1 on track dramaaaa! What a FUN race we had today - this is why we love this sport. The ups and downs, the quick changes and the adrenaline rushes are just a joy. Thanks for tuning in!
2021-06-0748 minBloc PartyWhy is the AFL-CIO falling in love with DSA's PRO Act campaign?Is the AFL-CIO falling in love with the Democratic Socialists of America? Why is DSA’s PRO Act campaign drawing praise from unlikely allies in mainstream unions, the Democratic establishment, and beyond? What have these young socialists figured out about organizing towards working-class power? And why did this campaign come from [checks notes] DSA’s Green New Deal campaign committee?Guido joins Daniel Denvir, host of The Dig Radio from Jacobin magazine, to investigate DSA’s groundbreaking organizing effort to pass the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO Act) Act.FIRST, The Dig interviews Gustavo Gordillo and Sydney...
2021-05-311h 40Bloc PartyHas President Biden really ended “the Reagan era?”“Trickle-down economics has never worked.”In his Joint Address to Congress President Joe Biden discarded the prevailing economic consensus of post-Reagan Revolution America. What does that tell us about American politics in 2021? Is the Reagan era really over? Is neoliberalism really dead?Guido, Amira, and Waleed jumped into a Group Chat to capture their reflections and vent their fears as the Biden administration marches on past the first 100 days. After the break, Amira puts on the tinfoil hat and investigates a conspiracy among Democrats; Waleed brings a policy proposal from Radical Reconstruction.Are We Entering a New...
2021-05-2954 min
Lights OutWatching Everything But the Racing: The Monaco GP (2021)EPISODE NINE: WATCHING EVERYTHING BUT THE RACING IN MONACO - THE MONACO GPThe granddaddy race of them all!!! A considerable amount of track drama with some unexpected outcomes this week - the ladies give you the deets, some background on Monaco, obviously their Social Media Star of the Week, and a couple quick updates from the week in racing.
2021-05-2654 min
Lights OutThe Road to F1: Part 1 - Climbing the LadderHave you ever thought about being an F1 driver? Wiki How can tell you! But also - the gals at Lights Out have done a little more research... Here is the first part in a three part series we're doing on the road to becoming an F1 driver. In this episode, Cate breaks down the karting to F1 journey for Kennedy, which is full of money, learning to drive a stick, money, determination, and a little bit of....genius.
2021-05-191h 09
Lights OutBegging Lewis to Drop the Album: The Spanish GP (2021)EPISODE SEVEN: BEGGING LEWIS TO DROP THE ALBUM - THE SPANISH GP The 2021 Spanish GP in Barcelona left us with.... about 20 minutes of race recap since that's all there was to say about it, and about 20 minutes of manifesting the release of Lewis Hamilton's song of the summer/album.
2021-05-1041 minBloc PartyOdessa Kelly: “The South Got Something To Say”Folks… Odessa’s running.Justice Democrats’ Executive Director Alexandra Rojas makes her debut on the Bloc alongside a very special guest. Odessa Kelly, the first Justice Democrat of the 2022 cycle is running for Congress in Tennessee’s Fifth Congressional district, challenging Representative Jim Cooper and the Cooper dynasty. Odessa teaches Guido and Alexandra how to pronounce the name “Prentice” in the South, before telling us what led her to decide to run for Congress as a Justice Democrat.After the break, Alexandra unveils the secret sauce of Justice Democrats’ candidate recruitment process and shares her biggest lessons learned from previous...
2021-05-0443 min
Lights OutSleeping Through: The Portuguese GP (2021)EPISODE SIX: SLEEPING THROUGH THE PORTUGUESE GPIt's the third race in the 2021 F1 championship and this race was.... well, let's just say Cate and Kennedy made a fun time out of very little substance from today's race in Portimão. If you stay with us until the end you'll get a surprise reading from Kennedy - taking bets in the comments now as to what the reading content actually is. We promise it's F1...adjacent.
2021-05-0342 min
Lights OutSlippin & Sliding: The Imola GP (2021)EPISODE FIVE: SLIPPING & SLIDING AT THE IMOLA GP Ooooh baby we got a wet race this week! Many dramas occurred on and off track - let the ladies dish you the hot gossip with some more F1 basics thrown in along the way. The SMSOTW won by a landslide.... you get one hint for who the winner was this week: BUCKET HAT!
2021-04-2459 min
Lights OutRace Recap: The Bahrain GP (2021)EPISODE FOUR: THE BAHRAIN GP Yes! The first race of the 2021 season was this last weekend and Cate and Kennedy are here to give you the download on everything that happened last week leading up to the race including a quick processing moment with Drive to Survive Season 3 (the reason we're all here in the first place...), how free practice Friday went before qualifying on Saturday, and then they get into the nitty grits of race day in Bahrain. Oh and we can't forget about social media star of the week... can you guess who the girls h...
2021-03-3150 minBloc PartyMake ‘em pay. Put ‘em in debt. They’ll quiet down.45 million Americans hold a total of $1.7 trillion in education debt. How did we get here?Guido sits down with writer and filmmaker Astra Taylor to discuss the seeds of the current crisis. How did government-backed, private loans and an anti-civil rights, anti-peace movement backlash led by Ronald Reagan and neoliberal economists produce the historic debt crisis in higher education? Also, there’s a small bit of good news for student debtors in the American Rescue Plan, and AOC says: the time is ripe to mobilize and win. But how? In the second half, Guido talks to Umme Hoque, the...
2021-03-211h 03
Lights OutCatching Up on Winter Break & 2021 PredictionsThe girls are back to give you their social media stars of winter break - who has the best hair on the grid right now, the update on who else is wearing a cream sweater (we see a trend here)....and also a few things about Formula 1. Ok there's still a lot of talk about Formula 1, especially now that we've come fresh off of winter testing and are gearing up for the FIRST race of the season next weekend!!! Get stoked - Cate and Kennedy are here to get you pumped and give you their predictions for what's going...
2021-03-2149 minBloc PartyThe era of small government is over...?This is not Bill Clinton’s Democratic Party. But it’s not the Squad’s party either.Today, a very special Group Chat to discuss a very large stimulus bill. Amira and Guido are joined by Mary Small, National Legislative Director for Indivisible, to react to the passage of President Biden’s American Rescue Plan. What does the massive investment in stimulus checks, expanded unemployment insurance, and the child tax credit tell us about the state of the Democratic Party halfway through Biden’s first 100 days?After a break, Mary and Amira break down progressives’ strategy during the Congressiona...
2021-03-1355 min
Lights OutSo What the Hell Happened in 2020?This week, Cate and Kennedy give you their highlights and lowlights of the 2020 season to help get you up to speed for the 2021 season which starts at the end of March! Which drivers had a good year? Which drivers lost their spot on the grid? They're here to bring you the hot goss version of last season while breaking down a few more sport fundamentals for new fans. Welcome to Lights Out!
2021-03-131h 04
Lights OutMeet the 2021 Teams & Drivers (Subjectively)Welcome back to Lights Out! In this companion episode, Cate and Kennedy give you a rundown of the ten Formula 1 teams, driver line-ups and team principals for the 2020 and 2021 seasons. Be sure to check out our Instagram @Lightsoutf1thepodcast for the eye candy version of the 2021 grid. It’s lights out...and away we go!
2021-03-0639 min2021-03-0604 min
Lights OutWhat the **** is Formula 1 Anyways?Welcome to the debut episode of Lights Out! Join Cate and Kennedy as they introduce you to the exciting, heart pounding and unique world of Formula 1 racing. This episode will cover how the ladies discovered their passion for the sport, why they think you should become a fan too and offer you an overview of Formula 1 in a 101 session. Get ready to laugh, learn and fall in love with all the sport has to offer. It’s lights out...and away we go!
2021-03-0653 minBloc PartyBuild Back Green New Deal?Did the Sunrise Movement… negotiate a win?Guido sits down with Varshini Prakash, co-founder of the Sunrise Movement, to check in on her well-being after four marathon years of campaigning for a Green New Deal. More than two years after the sit-in with AOC, Guido and Varshini look at Biden’s recent climate announcements and ask themselves: are we reading this wrong or did the Green New Deal.. win the debate over Democratic climate policy? And if the answer is “yes, we did notch some wins but not enough,” how did the climate movement achieve that and what’s next — for...
2021-02-2348 minBloc Party“You’re in power. Where’s our bill?”In 2010, the DREAM Act failed in a Senate vote when five Democrats refused to vote for the bill. Will the Biden administration learn from that defeat? Greisa Martinez Rosas was in the Senate gallery in 2010 when the DREAM Act died. Since then, she’s organized relentlessly to prevent the next Democratic trifecta from failing to protect immigrants.This week, Amira Hassan, Justice Democrats’ Political Director, takes the mic to speak with Greisa, executive director of United We Dream. Together they unpack the immigrant rights movement’s wins and losses from the past two decades, what has changed since those b...
2021-02-1347 minBloc PartyGoing Nuclear for Majority RuleWhen the slavocracy needed to quash the rising tides of emancipation and free labor, they used the filibuster. When Jim Crow segregationists needed to stymie anti-lynching laws and preserve their poll taxes, they used the filibuster. Today, when the Republican Party must cling to power by strangling the American government and suppressing the American majority, they use the filibuster.But the filibuster is an accident of parliamentary history; an unintended consequence of minor changes to Senate rules. Now the weaponization of the filibuster against majoritarian democracy has essentially broken Congress.This week at the Bloc Party, Waleed Shahid...
2021-02-0554 minBloc PartyUnity with who? Congressional majorities for what?Group Chat returns after Senate Democrats win back the majority, the Republican Party incites a deadly coup attempt, and Joe Biden is officially sworn in as the 46th President.President Biden delivered his inaugural address, but what does “unity” mean after Republicans abetted violence against Democratic members of Congress? What does it mean to evoke Lincoln, who was assassinated by a Confederate sympathizer, as a figure of unity? Why would Senators like Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley ever stop aiding would-be fascists if there are no consequences for their actions? We look back at inaugural speeches from FDR and Reag...
2021-01-231h 00Bloc PartyGood Strategy, Bad StrategyPresident-elect Joe Biden ran against Medicare-for-All in the Democratic Presidential primary, and he won. Despite millions of Americans losing their medical insurance after being laid off in the midst of deadly pandemic, the crises of 2020 have not brought universal healthcare back onto the national agenda.So what do advocates for Medicare-for-All do now? And how should we think about using the leverage the Squad will wield inside a Democratic caucus that has only a slim, 222-seat majority in the House of Representatives?Group chat regulars Guido, Amira, and Waleed make sense of a recent strategic debate swirling around...
2020-12-1857 minBloc PartyWhat Planet Is Joe Biden On?Because this is not the Earth of Joe Biden’s childhood.This week, we take a break from the inside-the-beltway negotiations, zoom out, and ask the important questions: Is the stable foundation of human civilization unraveling? Does anyone or anything have the power to hold the apocalypse at bay? Journalist David Wallace-Wells synthesizes climate science to deduce whether we are still living on planet Earth, and what it means for the future if we’re not. Then journalist Kate Aronoff takes us on a tour through inadequate solutions and false hopes for planetary salvation, before explaining why the U.S...
2020-12-101h 15Bloc PartyThe Bloc vs. The Blob?Guido and Amira unpack interviews with two foreign policy experts, Matt Duss, Bernie Sanders’ foreign policy advisor, and Yasmine Taeb, human rights attorney and progressive foreign policy activist, circling one central question: What happened to the reigning foreign policy consensus in D.C - also known as the Blob - when Congressman-elect Jamaal Bowman unseated the hawkish Chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Eliot Engel this summer? Guido interviews Matt about his experience pushing the constraints of the Blob, how a progressive vision for foreign policy was shaping up before the defeat of Eliot Engel and then how Jamaal Bo...
2020-12-031h 07Bloc PartyDéjà Vu, Obama Era Regrets, & Biden Era FightsWill Team Biden repeat the mistakes of the Obama 2008 transition?Reed Hundt, author of A Crisis Wasted: Barack Obama's Defining Decisions, sits down with Guido to figure out how and why the Obama administration made critical, Presidency-defining mistakes during the 2008 Presidential transition. Obama staffers on Team Biden are experiencing déjà vu as they navigate the current Presidential transition amidst another economic crisis; Guido asks Reed whether he's optimistic about Biden’s team avoiding the mistakes of the 2008 transition. Then, in the group chat, Waleed Shahid and Amira Hassan, Justice Democrats Political Director and Spokesperson, return to discuss the left...
2020-11-2648 minBloc PartyStay Mad AbbyJoe Biden defeated Donald Trump by millions of votes but Democrats in the House and Senate underperformed their polling. The Democratic majority in the House of the Representatives got smaller. People are mad, and they’re getting into fights.But what is this fight roiling the Democratic Party about? Is it really an ideological clash between progressive and conservative Democrats, or is it a fight about campaign strategy? When conservative Democrats claim “socialism” and “Defund The Police” cost them seats, who are they talking to? And if winning majorities of votes again and again only rarely translates into the power to g...
2020-11-1952 minBloc PartyWelcome to the Bloc PartyA new show from Justice Dems about the fight for the soul of the Democratic Party, hosted by Waleed Shahid and Guido Girgenti.
2020-11-1602 min