Watch the full conversation here: https://youtu.be/iZ-fMf9X_p4 The United States is moving towards authoritarianism in a way that's leaving many asking, what will it take to reverse course? What could improve the chances of re-balancing power in the nation, and advancing towards that multiracial democracy that many still dream of? The answer is worker organizing, say Alex Han and Tarso Ramos. "When we look at the history of U-turns from democratic backsliding to democratic revival, the success rate is about 50 percent," says Ramos. "Where there's active, vibrant union participation, the odds go up to about 80 percent." So what's holding Labor back? In early May of 2025, Laura sat down with Ramos and Han at a conference on Labor in age of Authoritarian Politics, held at the CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies (SLU) in New York. Ramos is a leading expert on the U.S. Right Wing and former Executive Director of Political Research Associates. He now serves as Senior Advisor to Future Currents, a strategic planning group of social and economic justice leaders. Han has spent most of his adult life in the labor movement, as an organizer and elected president of a large Chicago local. In 2023, he became Executive Director of In These Times, the long-running Chicago-based progressive magazine. In the wake of mass layoffs and the abduction of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a union member wrongly exported to El Salvador, can enough workers and their allies band together to make a difference? Watch our full report on the conference, convened by the CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies with the Cornell Worker Institute: https://youtu.be/-EaWXg5vheM Laura Flanders & Friends is non-commercial independent media that relies on the contributions of viewers and listeners. Follow the show and Laura Flanders on Bluesky! https://bsky.app/profile/lauraflanders.org https://bsky.app/profile/gritlaura.bsky.social DONATE TODAY at https://lauraflanders.org/donate or consider becoming a PATREON partner at https://www.patreon.com/lauraflandersandfriends 🔔Subscribe to get weekly episodes that prompt you to think critically about the world around you. If you enjoyed this episode, don't forget to hit the 'Like' button and share it with your network. 📩Newsletter: For more in-depth analysis, including uncut interviews and commentaries, subscribe to our free newsletter at lauraflanders.org. CREDITS: Executive Producer: Laura Flanders Supervising Producer: Sabrina Artel Senior Producer: Jeremiah Cothren Senior Consulting Producer: Rory O’Connor Senior Video Editor: David Neumann Video Editor: Veronica Delgado Audio Director: Jeannie Hopper Development Director: Sarah Miller Communications Director: Janet Hernandez Special thanks: Gina Kim and Stephanie Luce Additional crew: Camera: Michael Di Bartolo, Adam LaPalio, Santiago Pineda-Leyton, Petar Talijancic Rose Imperato, CUNY SLU Producer Joseph Montalbano, CUNY TV Producer Editor: Jonathan Klett

Stay informed and engaged! Don't miss out on our captivating weekly episodes that dive deep into the heart of our economy, culture, and politics. SUBSCRIBE HERE https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFLRxVeYcB1H7DbuYZQG-lg?sub_confirmation=1 Can the Democratic party reinvent itself? In this exclusive one-on-one interview with Bernie Sanders, recorded during the Senator’s “Fighting Oligarchy” tour, he sits down with Laura Flanders in Las Vegas to discuss what he hopes people will take away from his rallies, and how we can all push back against oligarchy. Sanders’ message is especially resonating with Americans in this moment, as record-breaking crowds turn out for his tour — with many first-time activists in the audience. What is driving this phenomenon? Laura Flanders & Friends hit the road to find out, and traveled from Kenosha to Warren and Las Vegas. Along the tour, Flanders spoke with veterans, retirees and many concerned citizens. She also caught speeches from Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain, and sat in on a town hall meeting with Nevada Congresswoman Dina Titus. Will 2025 turn out to be the year that Americans remake democracy? “I did 28 years in the army. I maintained an apolitical front at all times . . . I think we're sliding into tyranny, and I took an oath to support and defend the constitution and I'm going to do that whether in or out of uniform.” - Terrance Deuel “We are at a point where the wealthiest people in the world, like Elon Musk and all the Republicans enabling him, are turning to loot what is left of Medicaid, Medicare, and social security to bankroll even deeper tax cuts and sweetheart contracts for themselves, their fellow billionaires and their corporations. And our political system right now is ill prepared for this abuse of power.” - Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez “I think the message of the moment is to understand that the vast majority of the American people do not think that we give tax breaks to the rich and cut social security or veterans programs. They don't. And our job is to work as hard as we can. Part of what this tour is about is to get them involved in their own local communities.” - Bernie Sanders GUESTS: Jacqueline Davania-Williamson: Resident, Las Vegas, Nevada Terrence Deuel: Veteran, U.S. Army Thomas Dyer & Pam West: Retirees Dr. Abdul El-Sayed: Health Director, Wayne County, Michigan Shawn Fain: President, United Auto Workers (UAW) Danielle & Jordan Lovik: Residents, Salt Lake City, Utah Sandra & Raymond Martinez: Applicant & Social Security Recipient Donavan McKinney: U.S. Representative (MI-11) Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: U.S. Representative (NY-14) Bernie Sanders: U.S. Senator (VT); Fighting Oligarchy Tour Dina Titus: U.S. Representative (NV-1) 🎧 PODCAST: Listen to this week's episode on major podcast platforms (Available 4/09): https://lauraflanders.simplecast.com. ✏️SHOW NOTES: Visit our Patreon for Show Notes and learn more about this week's episode: https://www.patreon.com/posts/episode-notes-s6-125946986 📚 Check out our Book of the Week on BOOKSHOP - “It's OK to Be Angry About Capitalism” by Bernie Sanders: https://bookshop.org/a/22992/9780593238738 (*Bookshop is an online bookstore with a mission to financially support local, independent bookstores. LF&F is an affiliate of bookshop.org and will receive a small commission if you click through and make a purchase.) Laura Flanders & Friends is non-commercial independent media that relies on the contributions of viewers and listeners. Follow the show and Laura Flanders on Bluesky! https://bsky.app/profile/lauraflanders.org https://bsky.app/profile/gritlaura.bsky.social DONATE TODAY at https://lauraflanders.org/donate/ or consider becoming a PATREON partner at https://www.patreon.com/lauraflandersandfriends 🔔Subscribe to get weekly episodes that prompt you to think critically about the world around you. If you enjoyed this episode, don't forget to hit the 'Like' button and share it with your network. 📩Newsletter: For more in-depth analysis, including uncut interviews and commentaries, subscribe to our free newsletter at lauraflanders.org. CREDITS: Executive Producer: Laura Flanders Supervising Producer: Sabrina Artel Senior Producer: Jeremiah Cothren Senior Consulting Producer: Rory O’Connor Senior Video Editor: David Neumann Video Editor: Veronica Delgado Audio Director: Jeannie Hopper Development Director: Sarah Miller Communications Director: Janet Hernandez ADDITIONAL CREW: Videographers: Jonathan Klett Dan T Peters Media, Dan T Peters Production Assistant: Madison Pecha

Saturday, April 17, 2025, was a national day of action in the U.S., as people around the country held protests to say “Hands Off!” to Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and the Republican regime. Throughout the crowd in New York City, protesters held signs that read “Hands Off Our Students,” calling attention to ICE abductions against students like Mahmoud Khalil and Rümeysa Öztürk. Laura Flanders was on the ground to hear why professors from universities across the U.S. showed up to the “Hands Off” protest. Educators from NYU, UT-Austin, UC-Davis, the University of Utah and members of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) share why the Trump administration sees universities as a threat. For more reporting on the crackdown on college campuses against students, professors, and education, watch our recent episode with Maria Hinojosa and Chenjerai Kumanyika, two award-winning journalists and professors at Columbia University and NYU, respectively: https://youtu.be/zadY_qK1nJY Laura Flanders & Friends is non-commercial independent media that relies on the contributions of viewers and listeners. DONATE TODAY at https://lauraflanders.org/donate or consider becoming a PATREON partner at https://www.patreon.com/lauraflandersandfriends Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauraflandersandfriends/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LauraFlandersAndFriends/ Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lauraflandersandfriends Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/lauraflanders.org CREDITS Videographer: Titi Yu Editor: Jonathan Klett

Laura Flanders & Friends is on the road, following Bernie Sanders on his “Fight Oligarchy” Tour. Thousands of Americans showed up to his latest rally, but we’re virtually the only media here. Subscribe to our YouTube channel and stay tuned for more coverage. We’re on the ground in Warren, Michigan for Bernie Sanders’ next rally on Saturday: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFLRxVeYcB1H7DbuYZQG-lg?sub_confirmation=1 Sanders spoke to over 3,000 attendees on Friday, March 7, 2025 in Kenosha, Wisconsin at the De Simone Arena on the UW-Parkside campus. Among the featured guests were Congressman Mark Pocan (WI-02), who spoke to the crowd and introduced Sanders; and musical artist Laura Jane Grace. Follow us on social media for more coverage. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauraflandersandfriends/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LauraFlandersAndFriends/ Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lauraflandersandfriends Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/lauraflanders.org Laura Flanders & Friends is non-commercial independent media that relies on the contributions of viewers and listeners. DONATE TODAY at https://lauraflanders.org/donate/ or consider becoming a PATREON partner at https://www.patreon.com/lauraflandersandfriends CREDITS Videographer: Jonathan Klett Production Assistant: Madison Pecha CHAPTERS: 00:00 “We will not accept oligarchy” | Bernie Sanders explains why he’s on the “Fight Oligarchy” tour. Thousands of people have shown up, and there are a thousand more people in the overflow area. 07:30 “An addiction of greed” | Bernie Sanders calls out greed in politics and tax breaks for the 1%. What will happen after Medicaid and social security cuts? 14:11 “No cuts to the VA” | Bernie Sanders on his work as the former Chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs. 16:00 Bernie Sanders on the Department of Education & nutrition programs. 19:00 “They’re coming for your job” | Bernie Sanders on Trump firing federal employees; AI and technology. 26:08 “He ignored every major issue” | Bernie Sanders reacts to Trump’s State of the Union speech 35:25 "Zelenskyy is not a dictator, Putin is." 37:30 "No more tax breaks for billionaires" | Money in politics, Citizens United & Elon Musk intervening in Supreme Court election in Wisconsin. 44:05 "Despair is not an option" | The history of America's winning movements. 50:12 No more funding for Netanyahu government. 52:00 Bernie Sanders' message to Wisconsin and the nation.

Laura Flanders was recently in Alabama for the 60th anniversary of "Bloody Sunday" and the Selma-to-Montgomery march. Led by Martin Luther King, Jr., this historic march led to the 1965 Voting Rights Act that prohibited discriminatory voting practices, and made it easier for Black Americans to vote. But civil rights are under attack today under the Trump administration. What can Selma teach us about this moment? This special field report will premiere on YouTube this Friday, April 11 at 5:00 p.m. ET. Subscribe today and turn on notifications so you don’t miss the episode premiere: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFLRxVeYcB1H7DbuYZQG-lg?sub_confirmation=1 Episode premiere: April 11, 2025 5:00 PM ET on Youtube April 13, 2025 11:30AM ET on WORLD and Local PBS Stations April 16, 2025 on Apple Podcasts and Spotify April 16, 2025 5:00 PM ET on radio via Audioport & PRX Radio Exchange Check local listings at lauraflanders.org. Visit https://lauraflanders.simplecast.com/ to subscribe to the podcast and download new episodes. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauraflandersandfriends/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LauraFlandersAndFriends/ Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lauraflandersandfriends Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/lauraflanders.org Laura Flanders & Friends is non-commercial independent media that relies on the contributions of viewers and listeners. DONATE TODAY at https://lauraflanders.org/donate/ or consider becoming a PATREON partner at https://www.patreon.com/lauraflandersandfriends Thumbnail photo by Paula Allen.

Laura Flanders & Friends was recently on the road to catch Bernie Sanders on his “Fight Oligarchy” tour. This exclusive one-on-one interview, with speeches from Senator Sanders, Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, United Automobile Workers President Shawn Fain and more, will premiere on YouTube on Friday, April 4 at 5:00 p.m. ET, to kick off a brand new season of LF&F. Subscribe today and turn on notifications so you don’t miss the episode premiere: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFLRxVeYcB1H7DbuYZQG-lg?sub_confirmation=1 Episode premiere: April 4, 2025 5:00 PM ET on Youtube April 6, 2025 11:30AM ET on WORLD and Local PBS Stations April 9, 2025 on Apple Podcasts and Spotify April 9, 2025 5:00 PM ET on radio via Audioport & PRX Radio Exchange Check local listings at lauraflanders.org. Visit https://lauraflanders.simplecast.com/ to subscribe to the podcast and download new episodes. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauraflandersandfriends/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LauraFlandersAndFriends/ Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lauraflandersandfriends Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/lauraflanders.org Laura Flanders & Friends is non-commercial independent media that relies on the contributions of viewers and listeners. DONATE TODAY at https://lauraflanders.org/donate/ or consider becoming a PATREON partner at https://www.patreon.com/lauraflandersandfriends CREDITS Videographer: Jonathan Klett Dan T Peters PA: Madison Pecha

Arizonans are having to choose between paying for their electric bills and their groceries. Arizona's Corporation Commission is supposed to keep rates affordable. Instead, its GOP majority lets power companies jack up rates. But three seats are up for election 11/5. ----- More Perfect Union’s mission is to build power for working people. Here’s what that means: We report on the real struggles and challenges of the working class from a working-class perspective, and we attempt to connect those problems to potential solutions. We report on the abuses and wrongdoing of corporate power, and we seek to hold accountable the ultra-rich who have too much power over America’s political and economic systems. We're an independent, nonprofit newsroom. To support our work: - Help fund our reporting: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/mpu-splash - Substack: https://substack.perfectunion.us/ - TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@moreperfectunion - Twitter: https://twitter.com/MorePerfectUS - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MorePerfectUS - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/perfectunion/ - Threads: https://www.threads.net/@perfectunion - Website: https://www.perfectunion.us

Stay informed and engaged! Don't miss out on conversations that dive deep into our economy, culture, and politics. SUBSCRIBE HERE https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFLRxVeYcB1H7DbuYZQG-lg?sub_confirmation=1 Abolition, decolonization, immigration, Palestine — how is the Left thinking about the future in this perilous political moment? Socialists and activists showed up in the thousands to this year’s Socialism Conference, a four-day event packed with discussion of today’s most pressing issues and strategies for organizing. Laura Flanders & Friends was there, in Chicago (just days after the Democratic National Convention) for a live taping with three renowned organizers: Nick Estes, a citizen of the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe and author of “Our History is the Future: Standing Rock Versus the Dakota Access Pipeline, and the Long Tradition of Indigenous Resistance” and co-founder of The Red Nation, an organization dedicated to Native liberation; Rachel Herzing, an organizer, activist, and advocate fighting the violence of surveillance, policing and imprisonment and co-author of “How to Abolish Prisons: Lessons from the Movement Against Imprisonment”; and Harsha Walia, co-founder of No One Is Illegal, an anti-colonial migrant justice organization and author of the books “Undoing Border Imperialism” and “Border and Rule”. As you’ll hear, they’re not counting on politicians to step into office and grant their wishes. They’re focusing beyond the election cycle. Join us as we envision a liberated future and explore all that it takes to get there. Plus Laura’s commentary. “. . . Having Deb Haaland [serve as] the Secretary of Interior, has been good in the sense that we've gotten these really amazing reports on things that we've already known, that there was this massive systematic genocide of Native children . . . But at the same time, her department has overseen more oil and gas leases on federal lands than the Trump administration, and that's not an indictment of her as a person. That's an indictment of that department . . .” - Nick Estes “. . . We know in an election season that Black women get told we're the saviors of the entire world and everything relies on us, even though the rest of the time it's very happily that we're kind of left to die, quite literally. We are given this message on a regular basis, and I don't know what to say to people about that. The policies of the so-called United States are not life-affirming policies for Black people, for imprisoned people, and for people living as women.” - Rachel Herzing “I just think that the strongest counterforce to fascism and anti-colonialism is an organized Left. It is not a candidate . . . Sometimes I think we get fixated on what candidates will or won't do, and we don't think about the conditions that the Left can create to actually make those possibilities happen . . .” - Harsha Walia GUESTS: Nick Estes (Lower Brule Sioux Tribe): Author, Our History is the Future: Standing Rock Versus the Dakota Access Pipeline, & The Long Tradition of Indigenous Resistance Rachel Herzing: Co-Author, How to Abolish Prisons: Lessons from the Movement Against Imprisonment; Former Co-Director, Critical Resistance Harsha Walia: Author, Border and Rule & Undoing Border Imperialism; Co-Founder, No One Is Illegal 🎧 PODCAST: Listen to this week's episode on podcast platforms: https://lauraflanders.simplecast.com/episodes/not-party-to-party-politics-movement-leaders-consider-election-24 Visit https://bookshop.org/shop/lauraflandersandfriends for books featured in this episode. (*LF&F is an affiliate of bookshop.org and will receive a small commission if you click through and make a purchase.) Laura Flanders & Friends is non-commercial independent media that relies on the contributions of viewers and listeners. DONATE TODAY at https://lauraflanders.org/donate/ or consider becoming a PATREON partner at https://www.patreon.com/lauraflandersandfriends. Find this week's show notes here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/114186745?pr=true 🔔Subscribe to get weekly episodes that prompt you to think critically about the world around you. If you enjoyed this episode, don't forget to hit the 'Like' button and share it with your network. 📩Newsletter: For more in-depth analysis, including uncut interviews and commentaries, subscribe to our free newsletter at lauraflanders.org. 🎧LOOKING FOR UNCUT INTERVIEWS? Patreon subscribers help us make our full, uncut conversations and audio extras free and available to everyone! Join our growing family today! patreon.com/lauraflandersandfriends Executive Producer: Laura Flanders Supervising Producer: Sabrina Artel Senior Producer: Jeremiah Cothren Senior Consulting Producer: Rory O’Connor Senior Video Editor: David Neumann Video Editor: Veronica Delgado Audio Director: Jeannie Hopper Development Director: Sarah Miller Communications Director: Janet Hernandez Technical Creative: Nat Needham Thumbnail image courtesy of Socialism 2024.

Ticketmaster and Live Nation have destroyed the concert experience. But it didn't use to be this way. Today, Oasis and Taylor Swift tickets might go for thousands of dollars, but back in 1955, you could see Elvis Presley in concert for less than the modern-day equivalent of $20. We investigated further and found ticket stubs from the biggest acts between 1970-1989, and they all cost around $45. Now you’re paying exorbitant service fees and indie venues are getting squeezed, all because two corporations gobbled up the industry. So how did they do it? Watch our full deep dive into the history of concerts over the last 70 years and how corporate greed turned one of the most populist forms of entertainment into a luxury good. Additional reading: https://prospect.org/power/ticketmasters-dark-history/ https://www.economicliberties.us/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/20240104-AELP-Livenation-Brief-FINAL.pdf ----- More Perfect Union’s mission is to build power for working people. Here’s what that means: We report on the real struggles and challenges of the working class from a working-class perspective, and we attempt to connect those problems to potential solutions. We report on the abuses and wrongdoing of corporate power, and we seek to hold accountable the ultra-rich who have too much power over America’s political and economic systems. We're an independent, nonprofit newsroom. To support our work: - Help fund our reporting: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/mpu-splash - Substack: https://substack.perfectunion.us/ - TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@moreperfectunion - Twitter: https://twitter.com/MorePerfectUS - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MorePerfectUS - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/perfectunion/ - Threads: https://www.threads.net/@perfectunion - Website: https://www.perfectunion.us