Listen: Epstein Cover-Up Fractures MAGA Nation; Progressives Look to Be ‘Bold’
The 2ND Annual Henry A. Wallace Symposium presents "Bold Ideas For A New Progressive Majority” later this week on July 17.
By Bob Hennelly
Almost six months into Trump 2.0 and President Trump is pressing ahead with his controversial plan to deport millions of immigrants, many of whom are essential workers in the healthcare, agricultural and construction sectors. While the federal courts slow the pace of the implementation of Trump’s agenda, The Supreme Court’s conservative majority has been largely deferential to the White House letting President Trump move ahead while the litigation in the lower courts proceeds.
Meanwhile, Beltway Democrats are still struggling to find their footing as the GOP controlled Congress delivers for Trump on his push to downsize the federal civil service, kill regulations, promote the burning of fossil fuels and cut healthcare spending to fund tax cuts for the nation’s wealthiest families and corporations.
But a half year into Trump’s second term, and there are signs of stress fractures in the Trump base. Most recently MAGA world has been roiled by how Trump’s Attorney General Pam Bondi is trying to close out the file of the politically connected sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, who reportedly committed suicide while in federal custody back in 2019, during Trump’s first term.
On this episode of “We Decide: America at the Crossroads with Jenna Flannagan” we will look at the public health fallout from the GOP push to kick 17 million people off of their healthcare coverage with Dr. Steve Auerbach, who retired from a distinguished career as an officer in the U.S. Public Health Service and is now a leading voice for a national single payer health plan. He will be joined by Teresa Purcell, executive director The Rural Strong Network that works to organize rural America which could lose as many as 300 hospitals as a consequence of the GOP cuts to Medicaid.
We also hear from Tope Folarin, executive director the Institute for Policy Studies and Katrina vanden Heuvel, editorial director and publisher of The Nation magazine. They will preview a national symposium planned for later this week convening under the banner "Bold Ideas For A New Progressive Majority” that will pose questions like how can we replace a cruel, militaristic budget for the few with a budget that benefits ALL people and the planet? Is it still possible for us to actually expand democracy while transitioning to a green economy that lifts all workers? Can the U.S. be a good neighbor internationally?"
We also get a reporter’s notebook from Pacifica’s Roy Clark from WEFR Radio in Fairmont, West Virginia on navigating flash floods amidst our deepening climate crisis.
And of course our weekly reporters roundtable with DC based investigative journalist Dave Levinthal, whose work appears in places like Rolling Stone and NOTUS.
He is joined by Laura Jedeed, a freelance journalist, based in New York City whose work has appeared in Politico, Rolling Stone, and The New Republic. You can read her Substack at BannedInYourState.com
Laura also served two combat tours with the U.S. Army in Afghanistan in Signal Intelligence. She tracks the MAGA movement.
Listen to the entire show below: