Uploaded December 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
In this episode, Cori Bush and Kat Abughazaleh join Laura Flanders to discuss why they’re running for Congress and what sets politician-activists apart from the rest of the party. "Politivists” could be the future of the Democratic Party, but Congress will need more of them, says Bush.
In this episode, Cori Bush and Kat Abughazaleh join Laura Flanders to discuss why they’re running for Congress and what sets politician-activists apart from the rest of the party. "Politivists” could be the future of the Democratic Party, but Congress will need more of them, says Bush.
![Public Safety in Public Hands: The Newark Model [EXCERPT]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/mAwALkZIvcE/mqdefault.jpg "Public Safety in Public Hands: The Newark Model [EXCERPT]
This conversation is an excerpt from our episode Public Safety in Public Hands: The Newark Model. Watch the full report here: https://youtu.be/6XbcRQwxim8. This episode first aired September 2020.")
![The Paramount Skydance Sale Makes the Case for Public Media [commentary-rewind]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/oPSpsBX4LGc/mqdefault.jpg "The Paramount Skydance Sale Makes the Case for Public Media [commentary-rewind]
Synopsis, Lauras Commentary: As billionaires buy up our newsrooms and Congress defunds public media, the stakes for democracy couldn’t be higher. If we don’t reinvent and reinvest in independent media now, it may soon be too late.
For the transcript of this commentary and more articles by Laura subscribe to Substack (https://dashboard.simplecast.com/accounts/72a99690-00a0-4376-8b30-9ea490811cc0/shows/c3cf0ccd-6993-4c0f-a004-338778a46c5b/episodes/e85e3d46-2602-4bc6-8487-be39709447f6/substack.com/home/post/p-165868460) .
Watch Lauras interview with Documented NYs Labor Reporter Amir Khafagy and Capital Bs Rural Issues Reporter Aallyah Wright on Laura Flanders & Friends on YouTube, or PBS stations and hear their take on commercial coverage of the NYC Mayors race and anti-Black rule changes at USDA, or listen to past commentaries and full uncut interviews (https://lauraflanders.simplecast.com/episodes/mamdani-black-farmers-usda-ice-the-stories-bipoc-journalists-uncover-uncut-conversation) through subscribing to this free podcast.
Related Episode Information: Documented NYs Labor Reporter Amir Khafagy and Capital Bs Rural Issues Reporter Aallyah Wright-
Watch: YouTube (https://youtube.com/watch?v=QJL4m9917uw&feature=youtu.be) Listen: Episode & Full Uncut Conversation available wherever you get your podcasts.
Full Episode Notes (https://www.patreon.com/posts/134863092) are located HERE. (https://www.patreon.com/posts/134863092)
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Laura Flanders and Friends Crew: Laura Flanders-Executive Producer, Writer; Sabrina Artel-Supervising Producer; Jeremiah Cothren-Senior Producer; Veronica Delgado-Video Editor, Janet Hernandez-Communications Director; Jeannie Hopper-Audio Director, Podcast & Radio Producer, Audio Editor, Sound Design, Narrator; Sarah Miller-Development Director, Nat Needham-Editor, Graphic Design emeritus; David Neuman-Senior Video Editor, and Rory O’Conner-Senior Consulting Producer.
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![Its Still Jail: What Its Like to Wear an Ankle Monitor & the Companies Making a Profit [EXCERPT]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/oT9CI0lpaVc/mqdefault.jpg "Its Still Jail: What Its Like to Wear an Ankle Monitor & the Companies Making a Profit [EXCERPT]
This conversation is an excerpt from our episode Corporate Prison Reform Will Not Keep Us Safe: A Report from Los Angeles. Watch the full report here: https://youtu.be/dmY1CobjVRI. This episode first aired July 2024.
Under the view of the iconic Hollywood Sign, a struggle is being waged over the future of policing and incarceration. Los Angeles is ground zero for fights over the job of District Attorney, Police Chief, and the size of prisons and jails. It recently became one of the only cities in the US to cancel construction of a jail. Activists have forced out two police chiefs, while conservatives have brought two recall petitions against the DA. Corporations that have profited from prison communications are now profiting on electronic monitoring. And in this election year, with criminal justice reform a major issue, how are activists pushing back against false narratives on crime? Looking at the fight inside and outside the system, Laura Flanders talks to activists and elected officials in Los Angeles. All this from the city where SWAT teams were invented, from the state where Ronald Reagan and Richard Nixon launched their careers, and the nationwide boom in prison construction was born. Can todays Los Angeles change the script?
“Los Angeles has a history of repression, and I think because its Los Angeles, theyre also masters at narrative, so theyll mask it with pictures of palm trees and Venice Beach and all of these other things. But really, when we look at the history of Los Angeles, its deeply rooted in racism, deeply rooted in racist repression and oppression, and deeply rooted in a system of policing that absolutely descends from slave catching,” - Melina Abdullah
“When we talk about closing Mens Central Jail, yes, were trying to close that particular building, but what it requires is every jail in our county to reduce its population . . . Were trying to decarcerate globally across the jail system, that will then allow us to close this monument of essentially torture in our communities.” - Mark-Anthony Clayton-Johnson
“The reason why Ive done this work is because Ive seen how the system works, and Ive seen how it doesnt prevent harm and violence. It only responds to it . . .” - Eunisses Hernandez
Update: In the course of reporting our episode, Laura Flanders & Friends wrote to Securus, the security company we mention, and asked for confirmation of their prison-related revenue, and their response to the contention that electronic monitoring is turning communities into cages. Visit https://lauraflanders.org/2024/07/corporate-prison-reform-los-angeles/ to read their statement.
GUESTS:
Melina Abdullah: Co-Founder, Black Lives Matter, Los Angeles
Mark-Anthony Clayton-Johnson: Co-Executive Director, Dignity & Power Now
Eunisses Hernandez: Los Angeles City Councilmember, District 1
Sheila Natt: Former Teen Ankle Monitor User
Anthony Robles: Statewide Organizer, Care First California
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