Laura Flanders & Friends

The U.S. military is sworn to serve the Constitution, but that’s getting complicated under the current administration. Now the President is threatening to invoke the Insurrection Act. What difference would that make? Laura’s guests are U.S. House Representative Pramila Jayapal and Marine veteran Janessa Goldbeck, who say it’s time to reject authoritarianism and uphold the Constitution.

Need courage? Watch "The People, United" — a gripping short film about everyday Americans standing up to ICE and winning through nonviolent resistance. Created by Ellen Gavin and presented in collaboration with the Dolores Huerta Foundation and People for the American Way, the video is a powerful example of storytelling as an organizing tool. Hear how narratives shatter fear and build movements.

About 750,000 people are on unpaid leave as the U.S. government shutdown continues — but some of the most caring parts of the government's work have been shut down for months. Civil rights attorneys Palmer Heenan and Paul Osadebe recently signed a shocking complaint letter describing chaos within the Department of Housing and Urban Development, which is responsible for protecting fair housing.

Mahmoud Khalil discusses his terrifying detainment, the “Palestinian Exception” and the case brought against him by the Trump administration. Despite risks of deportation, Khalil continues to courageously speak out, and he and his legal team have filed a civil rights lawsuit with the U.S. District Court of New Jersey against the Trump administration to challenge his arrest and detention by ICE.

When Hurricane Helene hit western North Carolina in September 2024, it came as a shock. But it’s the mutual aid networks that responded with creative, effective strategies to distribute water, medicine and help communities rebuild. Laura Flanders heads to some of the hardest-hit areas in western North Carolina and speaks with community activists to hear the lessons to be learned for the future.

The problems with our legal system are more conspicuous than ever, but thought leaders like Kimberlé Crenshaw have been sounding the alarm for decades. Executive Director of the African American Policy Forum, Crenshaw is celebrating the organization's 30th anniversary and joining Laura Flanders in this episode to discuss the challenges ahead.

Former Labor Secretary and longtime professor Robert Reich joins Laura Flanders to discuss two bullies against U.S. democracy: concentrated wealth and corporate power. As Reich shares, growing income inequality yields corruption in our politics and economy. No one election will change everything, but that’s not a reason not to act to defeat the Trump administration — in Congress, and at the polls.

With each glimmering piece he creates, artist Akinsanya Kambon brings suppressed histories of both colonization and liberation to life. His ceramic works depict struggle and survival across the African diaspora, and stepping into his studio is a spiritual experience, as Laura Flanders recently discovered. Join Flanders and Kambon as they discuss how art keeps spirits alive.

Hurricane Katrina was one of the deadliest hurricanes ever to strike the United States, killing 1,833 people, displacing hundreds of thousands more and causing more than $100 billion in damage. Louisianans wanted change and climate action, but 20 years on, a state ravaged by climate disasters is now ground zero for a whole new kind of storm: liquified natural gas facilities.

Explore the top headlines of the month — and stories you won’t find in mainstream media — in this timely episode of Meet the BIPOC Press. From New York City, hear how BIPOC journalists are covering mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani. And from the U.S. South, we discuss new legislation from the United States Department of Agriculture that will have devastating impacts on Black farmers.

Sara Nelson knows how to leverage worker power — and so do the 55,000 flight attendants she represents. She’s been the International President of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, AFL-CIO since 2014. In this episode, Nelson and Flanders explore labor movement tactics and strategies, wins and losses, and why general strikes and cross-industry worker solidarity are critical in this moment.

Military spending around the world is soaring, while spending on meeting social needs is on the chopping block. Governments often justify spending public money this way by saying it will create jobs, but what if the workers had a say? Fifty years ago, employees at Lucas Aerospace, a military contractor in the United Kingdom came up with an alternative plan. Laura heads to the UK to investigate.