DSR's Words Matter

The biggest national security story in America today is the biggest domestic story and the biggest political story and the biggest economic story and the biggest public health story. The COVID outbreak at the White House might have resulted in greater empathy for those who have suffered so due to the pandemic but the opposite seems to be happening. It seems to be leading to an effort by the president and his supporters to double down on disastrous policy choice and to put more Americans at risk. We discuss with Pultizer Prize Winner Laurie Garrett, Dr. Kavita Patel, former WH staffer, Kori Schake of the American Enterprise Institute and Rosa Brooks of Georgetown Law Center. Don't miss it.Each week, we’re bringing you a new episode of one of our favorite podcasts, Deep State Radio. Deep State Radio, hosted by David Rothkopf, produces new episodes 2-3 times per week and brings together top experts, policymakers, and journalists from the national security, foreign policy, and political communities. You can subscribe to the podcast on Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. If you become a member of the DSR Network, you’ll receive benefits such as ad-free listening via private feed, discounts to virtual events and Deep State Radio Swag, and access to the member-only Slack community. This is one of the most closely followed podcasts among the people influencing the most important decisions in Washington and worldwide today. You can learn more by visiting thedsrnetwork.com. Listeners to Words Matter will receive 25% off of the regular membership price. Use code wordsmatter at checkout. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/words-matter. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Katie and Jennifer Duck talk to Clemson University Professor Darren Linvill about social media and the 2020 campaign. Professor Linvill is a academic, an author, a researcher and an expert on social media disinformation and political discourse. As an Associate Professor in Clemson's Department of Communications, his research explores state sponsored social media disinformation and its influence on civil and political discourse. In addition to his academic publications, Dr. Linvill has written for The Washington Post and Rolling Stone. He and fellow Clemson Professor Patrick Warren created the Spot the Troll Quiz to help promote social media literacy. Take the Spot the Troll Quiz: https://spotthetroll.org/start Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/words-matter. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mary Ellen Pethel and Jennifer Duck join Katie to talk about the debates, President Trump's COVID-19 diagnosis and the history of women as candidates and voters. ABOUT THE GUESTS Mary Ellen Pethel is an author, historian, digital humanist, and academic entrepreneur who serves as an Assistant Professor at Belmont University. Dr. Pethel is widely published. Her latest book is Athens of the New South…And she is currently working on a manuscript celebrating the 50th anniversary of Title Nine. She teaches courses such as “Making the Modern City,” which inspired the historical walking tour app, NashvilleSites.org. She also teaches a course called: "The Good Life” and “Democracy, Media, and the Public Sphere.” Jennifer Duck -- Emmy award-winning producer and instructor of journalism in the department of Cinema, Media and Television. Prior to her work with Belmont, Jen was a producer for CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360 and Katie Couric’s syndicated show in New York. Additionally, she worked for Oprah Winfrey Network in Los Angeles. Jen began her career at ABC News in Washington, D.C. and traveled around the world aboard Air Force One as White House producer covering President George W. Bush and reported from the campaign trail as President Barack Obama and Senator John McCain canvassed the country in 2008. Jen has been a consultant for Words Matter on-and-off since our launch in August of 2018. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/words-matter. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Constitutional rot of the past four years has set the stage for the corruption of our institutions and, equally importantly, for growing delegitimization of our government. This plays into the hands of a president who is ever more desperate to cling to power lest he lose his fortune and his freedom. This in turn has experts who are studying the preparations for the November 3 election to express deep concern that we may be heading into a period of profound crisis for our system, one that, should Trump prevail in undermining the will of the people could mean the collapse of our system and a the onset of a period of national chaos. This is not abstract. Critical, dangerous steps confirming this is the direction we are headed are already taking place. We discuss with Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Barton Gellman, Rosa Brooks of the Georgetown Law Center and Ed Luce of the Financial Times. It is essential listening.Each week, we’re bringing you a new episode of one of our favorite podcasts, Deep State Radio. Deep State Radio, hosted by David Rothkopf, produces new episodes 2-3 times per week and brings together top experts, policymakers, and journalists from the national security, foreign policy, and political communities. You can subscribe to the podcast on Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. If you become a member of the DSR Network, you’ll receive benefits such as ad-free listening via private feed, discounts to virtual events and Deep State Radio Swag, and access to the member-only Slack community. This is one of the most closely followed podcasts among the people influencing the most important decisions in Washington and worldwide today. You can learn more by visiting thedsrnetwork.com. Listeners to Words Matter will receive 25% off of the regular membership price. Use code wordsmatter at checkout. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/words-matter. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It is impossible to understand Donald Trump without understanding America's relationship with television. James Poniewozik is the chief television critic for The New York Times. He often focuses on the intersection between television, politics and culture. He is the author of the new book -- Audience of One: Donald Trump, Television, and the Fracturing of America Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/words-matter. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Is a resurgent COVID the October Surprise? Is it the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg? Will it be the nomination and approval of a replacement for her prior to the election? Will it be the announcement of a vaccine? Or is it tied to the president's reluctance to guarantee a peaceful hand-over of power if he loses. We discuss these options and others with Mimi Rocah, candidate for Westchester, NY, District Attorney, Katie Barlow, attorney and journalist, and Dr. Kavita Patel, practicing physician and former senior Obama White House aide. Co-hosts Ryan Goodman of NYU Law School and David Rothkopf of The DSR Network explore the implications of this week's developments on all these issues with our guests and the discussion is riveting. You can subscribe to the podcast on Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. If you become a member of the DSR Network, you’ll receive benefits such as ad-free listening via private feed, discounts to virtual events and Deep State Radio Swag, and access to the member-only Slack community. This is one of the most closely followed podcasts among the people influencing the most important decisions in Washington and worldwide today. You can learn more by visiting thedsrnetwork.com. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/words-matter. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last week, America lost an iconic jurist and a life long advocate for equal rights. In memory of the Honorable Ruth Bader Ginsburg, we replay Katie's interview with Lauren Moxley, the host of The Ginsburg Tapes Podcast -- which chronicles Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s oral arguments before the then all-male United States Supreme Court from 1972 to 1978 —before she became #Notorious RBG. The Ginsburg Tapes allows the listener to be a fly on the wall for some of the most important cases in American jurisprudence as future Justice Ginsburg challenged laws treating men and women differently. In between the actually Supreme Court recordings, Lauren puts the cases, the law and even the Justices themselves in historical context and explains how as a lawyer, RBG really did change the World. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/words-matter. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Brian Stelter, host of CNN's Reliable Sources, joins Katie Barlow and Joe Lockhart to talk about his new book HOAX - Donald Trump, Fox News, and the Dangerous Distortion of Truth. Brian talks about the battle between Fox News journalists and the network’s primetime opinion hosts - Tucker Carlson, Laura Ingraham, and Sean Hannity. Brian credits former Fox anchor Gretchen Carlson as being the catalyst behind the international #MeToo movement. Brian also explains how American lives were lost during the Coronavirus pandemic because viewers believed the information they saw and heard on the network. Recorded September 9, 2020 Words Matter will become part of the CAFE Insider membership product in the coming weeks. Become a member: www.cafe.com/words Sign up to receive the weekly CAFE Brief newsletter which includes analysis by Elie Honig, links to new content, and more: www.cafe.com/brief If you are interested in Brian Stelter's book HOAX - Donald Trump, Fox News, and the Dangerous Distortion of Truth you can find it at: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Hoax/Brian-Stelter/9781982142445 Sign up for Brian's must read and highly influential Reliable Sources newsletter here: https://form.cnn.com/reliable_sources Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/words-matter. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Congressman Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) joins Katie Barlow and Joe Lockhart to talk about the 2020 elections, systemic racism and the Trump Administration’s response to the Coronavirus pandemic. Congressman Jeffries recalls his role in the Impeachment Trial of President Trump, including when he became the first person in history to quote Biggie Smalls on the floor of the United States Senate. He also explains why the future of American democracy may well hinge on the results of the November elections. Recorded September 4, 2020 Words Matter will become part of the CAFE Insider membership product in the coming weeks. Become a member: www.cafe.com/words Sign up to receive the weekly CAFE Brief newsletter which includes analysis by Elie Honig, links to new content, and more: www.cafe.com/brief Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/words-matter. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

White House and campaign veterans Jen Psaki and Paul Begala join Katie Barlow and Joe Lockhart for a discussion about the “Rainbows & Rainclouds” of the 2020 presidential campaign. In a McLaughlin Group tribute, Joe joins the panel, and Katie leads the group as they analyze the political landscape heading into the home stretch of the race for the White House. Jen explains the challenges facing Team Biden as they work to keep the Democrats united. Paul says the best strategy for defeating Trump is to ignore his Twitter feed and focus the voter’s attention on his track record and how his Administration has negatively impacted their lives. And Joe discusses Q-Anon – and why Team Trump is looking to this dangerous conspiracy group for new voters. Recorded August 28, 2020 Words Matter will become part of the CAFE Insider membership product in the coming weeks. Become a member: www.cafe.com/words Sign up to receive the weekly CAFE Brief newsletter which includes analysis by Elie Honig, links to new content, and more: www.cafe.com/brief And check Paul Begala’s new book You’re Fired: The Perfect Guide to Beating Donald Trump. https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Youre-Fired/Paul-Begala/9781982160043 Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/words-matter. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Former RNC Chairman Michael Steele joins Katie Barlow and Joe Lockhart to talk about the virtual Republican National Convention, the future of his party, and Donald Trump’s “magic dust” with voters that the press and the political class often miss. Steele explains why he joined the Republican Party in the 1970s. He discusses where the party was heading then, and how it continued to grow until 2012. And Steele details how under Donald Trump, the GOP has been transformed into haven for racists, grifters, and conspiracy theorists. Recorded August 20, 2020 Words Matter will become part of the CAFE Insider membership product in the coming weeks. Become a member: www.cafe.com/words Sign up to receive the weekly CAFE Brief newsletter which includes analysis by Elie Honig, links to new content, and more: www.cafe.com/brief Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/words-matter. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Former Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe joins Katie Barlow and Joe Lockhart to talk about Vice Presidential Nominee Kamala Harris, the virtual Democratic National Convention and the 3rd Anniversary of Charlottesville. Governor McAuliffe says Senator Harris needs to directly address all of the issues where progressives in the Democratic Party may have concerns about her record. McAuliffe explains how political conventions have been transformed by the Coronavirus pandemic and how they may never again return to what they once were. McAuliffe also discusses Joe Biden’s campaign, systemic racism and the 3rd Anniversary of the Charlottesville Tragedy. Recorded August 12, 2020 Words Matter will become part of the CAFE Insider membership product in the coming weeks. Become a member: www.cafe.com/words Sign up to receive the weekly CAFE Brief newsletter which includes analysis by Elie Honig, links to new content, and more: www.cafe.com/brief Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/words-matter. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Former White House Political Director Doug Sosnik joins Katie Barlow and Joe Lockhart for an update on the 2020 elections. Sosnik explains how 2016 and 2020 are vastly different for President Trump, who he calls the “Austin Powers” candidate. Sosnik breaks down how the political landscape has been transformed in the midst of the Coronavirus pandemic and how a vast majority of the electorate thinks the country is on the “wrong track”. Sosnik also discusses Joe Biden’s strategy, the impact of early voting on the general election debates, and what impact an “October Surprise” might have on the race between Biden and Trump. Recorded August 7, 2020 Words Matter will become part of the CAFE Insider membership product in the coming weeks. Become a member: www.cafe.com/words Sign up to receive the weekly CAFE Brief newsletter which includes analysis by Elie Honig, links to new content, and more: www.cafe.com/brief Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/words-matter. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our guest today served as the 37th Deputy Attorney General of the United States from April 2017 until May 2019. Prior to his appointment, he served as a United States Attorney for the District of Maryland. At the time of his confirmation as Deputy Attorney General on April 25, 2017, he was the nation's longest-serving U.S. Attorney. The Senate approved his nomination by a vote of 94-6. We are so excited to announce that Words Matter Media is partnering with CAFE Studios to bring you a new season of the Words Matter podcast. CAFE strives to inform its listeners about the most critical issues of the day. Each week, Katie and Joe will do their best to bring facts and context to the often fraught political conversations that dominate our national discourse. They’ll be speaking with an array of guests, including people who have made a great impact on American politics or who make it their business to understand what’s really happening in Washington. For now, you can continue to listen to episodes of Words Matter for free. In the coming weeks the show will be available exclusively to members of CAFÉ Insider. We hope you’ll consider joining the Insider community, whose members enjoy a collection of podcasts created for engaged citizens around the world. You can head to https://cafe.com/offer/words-matter/ to get 2 free weeks of membership. You’ll get access to all future episodes of Words Matter and other exclusive content including the Insider podcast co-hosted by Preet Bharara, former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York and Anne Milgram, former Attorney General of New Jersey, along with much more excusive content. https://cafe.com/offer/words-matter/ Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/words-matter. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We're back! This week Katie and Joe officially return with a thank you and a message for our listeners. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/words-matter. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Since we currently have a president who doesn't seem to know or even understand the importance of words, especially when they are spoken by the president of the United States, we thought it might be helpful in a time of national crisis to remember that we have had presidents of both parties who did understand this. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, led our country through difficult times with the power and eloquence of his words. In 1936 during the Great Depression and as the clouds of war gathered over Europe, he delivered one of the most important political speeches ever given by a sitting president. The occasion was the Democratic National Convention held that year in Philadelphia four years earlier in 1932. FDR had made history by flying to Chicago and becoming the first presidential candidate to accept his party's nomination in person. In an earlier episode of Words Matter, we discussed this important speech with Professor Harvey Kaye, who has just published a new book entitled: FDR on Democracy. In his 1936 acceptance speech, Roosevelt used the language of the founders and decried the economic royalists who were trying to fight back against the progress of the New Deal because it threatened their power. As you listen to his words, pay particular attention to the part where Roosevelt tells his audience they have a rendezvous with destiny. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/words-matter. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Space shuttle Challenger’s launch had already been delayed twice when it finally took off on January 28th 1986. This particular launch was widely publicized because for the first time a civilian—a teacher named Christa McAuliffe—was traveling into space. The plan was to have McAuliffe communicate to students from space. According to the New York Times, nearly half of America’s school children aged nine to thirteen watched the event live in their classrooms. But tragically - After a short seventy-three seconds into flight, the world was stunned when the shuttle burst into flames, killing all seven crew members on board. President Ronald Reagan cancelled his scheduled State of the Union address that evening and instead addressed the nation’s grief. A young speechwriter — a friend and hero of mine — Peggy Noonan was tasked with drafting the president’s remarks. It was a heavy burden - as she later recalled “I kind of figured the entire nation had seen an auto accident,” Peggy Noonan draft a speech that was aimed - as she put it “at those who were 8-years-old, those who are 18, and those who are 80 without patronizing anybody.” It was one of the greatest speeches in presidential history and earned Ronald Reagan his now famous title “The Great Communicator” Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/words-matter. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On July 4th we celebrate the birth of the American Experiment. The Declaration of Independence -- written in the Spring of 1776 by a 33 year old Thomas Jefferson -- is America’s mission statement. And like all mission statements, the words represented not what we were, but what we aspired to be. In fact, the author himself was a gifted writer, but a deeply flawed person who – like his country -- did not embody the ideas and ideal of that document. For more than two hundred and forty years, the story of America has been the struggle between those who want to move us close to the words of our mission statement – and those who want to stop them. It is often forgotten that the Declaration itself was meant to be spoken. In 2004 the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library released a previously unknown 1957 recording of then-Senator Kennedy reading the Declaration of Independence in New York on July 4th. So this week to honor Independence Day -- And to remind ourselves that as a country must continue the struggle to turn America’s founding words into reality – we give John F. Kennedy’s reading of the Declaration of Independence the final word. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/words-matter. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Wondery has new tru-crime mini series that we think you’ll really enjoy. In the Mid 2000s James Arthur Ray was a charismatic self-help guru who promised his followers a path to wealth and happiness. But not all who followed him finished their journey. This is the story told in a new true crime mini-series from Wondery called “GURU: The Dark Side of Enlightenment”. James Arthur Ray wasn’t really well known until he was in a movie called “The Secret”, and then was a guest on Oprah’s TV show a few times. Soon after that, thousands of people started attending his seminars, and he was pegged to be the next great self-help guru. But what many didn't know about were his more...extreme methods. Methods that pushed his students to their limits, giving some the transformative life experience they dreamed of ... and killing others. Be sure to subscribe to Wondery’s new tru crime mini-series “GURU: The dark side of enlightenment”, wondery.fm/wordsmatter_guru on Apple podcasts. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/words-matter. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on Presidential Words Matter - we highlight Bill Clinton’s remarks in the aftermath of the 1995 Oklahoma City Bombing. On April 19, 1995 a domestic terrorist used a truck bomb to destroy the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Office Building[2] in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Perpetrated by American terrorists Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols, the bombing killed at least 168 people, including 19 children,[3] - and injured more than 680 others. The blast destroyed more than one third of the building, which had to be demolished.[4] In addition, The blast destroyed or damaged 324 other buildings within a 16-block radius, Until the September 11 attacks in 2001, the Oklahoma City bombing was the deadliest terrorist attack in the history of the United States. It remains the deadliest confirmed act of domestic terrorism in American history. Four days later, On April 23, 1995 - President Bill Clinton attended a memorial prayer service in Oklahoma City called “A Time for Healing” With the 1996 presidential election less than 18 months away - President Clinton spoke of unity and healing over the politics of division and hatred. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/words-matter. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On June 26th 2015 President Barack Obama delivered the eulogy at the funeral of the Reverend Clementa C. Pinckney, the senior pastor of the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston and a South Carolina State Senator. Reverend Pinckney and 8 other Black church members had been murdered a week earlier during Bible Study in a racially motivated mass shooting perpetrated by a white supremacist. The Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church is one of the oldest Black churches in the United States, and it has long been a center for organizing events related to civil rights. Founded in 1816, the church played an important role in the history of South Carolina, during slavery and Reconstruction, during the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 60s and in the Black Lives Matter movement. It is the oldest African Methodist Episcopal Church in the South, often referred to as "Mother Emanuel". Rev. Pinckney, was a well known activist who had held rallies after the shooting of Walter Scott by a white police officer two months earlier, in nearby North Charleston. As a state senator, Reverend Pinckney had pushed for legislation requiring police to wear body cameras. The Reverend and his church were targeted because of their history and role in civil rights activism. With a rousing eulogy and a chorus of “Amazing Grace,” President Barack Obama called on the country to honor the nine victims of the South Carolina church massacre by working toward racial healing. He said that included removing the Confederate battle flag from the South Carolina State House grounds. “It’s true, the flag did not cause these murders,” The President said, but “we all have to acknowledge the flag has always represented more than just ancestral pride. For many, black and white, that flag was a reminder of systemic oppression and racial subjugation. We see that now.” “By taking down that flag,” he said, “we express God’s grace.” But I don't think God wants us to stop there.“ On July 6, 2015, the South Carolina Senate voted to remove the Confederate flag from display outside the South Carolina State House. Make no mistake - the protests we have seen in the last month are a continuation of that struggle. And none of us can stop - none of us should rest until we dismantle and remove every symbol and every fact of the systemic oppression and racial subjugation that President Obama described in his eulogy of Reverend Pinckney. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/words-matter. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On June 4, 1965, President Johnson delivered the commencement address at Howard University, the nation’s most prominent historically black university. ‪In his address, Johnson explained why “opportunity” was not enough to ensure the civil rights of disadvantaged Americans. ‪The ‘To Fulfill These Rights’ speech as it is widely known was the intellectual framework for affirmative action. ‪President Johnson spoke of racial injustice and economic disparities between black and white Americans. ‪For many in the audience that day, it was one of the first times they felt a president - any president - really acknowledge the treatment of black citizens from slavery to Jim Crow. ‪As one graduate - Lillian Beard -recalled on the 50th Anniversary - “I believe that afternoon in 1965 changed a lot of minds, because we felt that he spoke directly to us.” ‪LBJ’s Howard University address came only a few months after he had gone before a Joint session of Congress to speak in support of the Selma to Montgomery Voting Rights March. ‪It was in that message to Congress that Johnson famously identified himself with the civil rights movement when he declared, “We shall overcome.” ‪The Howard speech, which was principally the work of presidential speech writer Richard Goodwin and then-Assistant Secretary of Labor Daniel Patrick Moynihan was an extension of Johnson’s March voting-rights speech. ‪The goal was to take the civil rights movement from one focused on legal justice to one focused on economic justice. ‪In the Howard speech, Johnson pointed out that the racial barriers to freedom were slowly tumbling down, but instead of resting on that progress and what his administration had done to that point - Johnson went a step further: “Freedom is not enough,” the President told the graduates. ‪It was important for American society to achieve “equality as a fact and equality as a result.” ‪The next day President received a telegram from Martin Luther King Jr., telling him, “Never before has a president articulated the depths and dimensions of the problems of racial injustice more eloquently and profoundly.” Dr. King was not exaggerating the importance of the Howard speech. In August Johnson would sign the Voting Rights Act of 1965 into law, and two years later, he would appoint Thurgood Marshall to the Supreme Court, making him the nation’s first black justice. But unfortunately- the racial transformation Johnson had promised and hoped to bring about when he spoke at Howard did not take place. 55 years later the same underlying conditions exist and the economic disparities LBJ described have not gotten better - far from it. They have gotten exponentially worse. If we are to fulfill the promise of social and economic justice made By LBJ to Black Americans more than a half century ago - all of us must commit ourselves to radical and immediate change. Anything less would be a monumental failure. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/words-matter. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week we highlight presidential leadership and one of the most important civil rights speeches ever delivered by a sitting American president. By June of 1963, John F. Kennedy has been president for nearly two and a half years. While Kennedy had long privately expressed his deep moral objections to the treatment of black people in American society and indicated support for New federal legislation. His public comments ranged from cautious moderate criticism to a 1950s version of “both sides-ism” but were mostly nonexistent. In June of 1963, however the man and the moment met. Alabama Governor George Wallace’s staged photo op definance of federal law by standing in the school house doorway had lasted less than 90 minutes. On June 11th 1963 two black students were peaceful enrolled at the University of Alabama under the protection of a federalized Alabama National Guard commanded by US Marshals under the direction of the Department of Justice and the Attorney General of the United States. Kennedy’s advisors recommended and Fully expected that the president would NOT address the American people that evening. With a little less than 18 months until to the 1964 elections, the President’s legislative agenda and his political future depended upon the votes Southern Democrats in Congress and those of their politically unforgiving constituents. The President had other ideas. Kennedy saw a way to exercise moral leader on an issue where he had to that point failed. He would request Network Television airtime to address the nation on the issue of civil rights. The facts and statistics on racial inequality in the United States described by President Kennedy to the American people that evening had even never been acknowledged by a President before - much less spoken in such a detailed and direct language. In a telegram to the White House after watching the President’s remarks in Atlanta with other civil rights leaders, the Reverend Dr Martin Luther King Jr. described the address as ONE OF THE MOST ELOQUENT, PROFOUND, AND UNEQUIVOCAL PLEAS FOR JUSTICE AND FREEDOM OF ALL MEN, EVER MADE BY ANY PRESIDENT. Dr King knew that Kennedy was moved by his now famous “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” - written just weeks before. To President Kennedy and many Americans Dr. King’s letter was more than than a spirited defense of civil disobedience. It was an indictment of white indifference. As you listen to the speech, you will hear Kennedy echoing King’s “Letter” The President rejects the idea that Black Americans should have to wait for equality. "Who among us," Kennedy asks the American people, "would then be content with counsels of patience and delay?" Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/words-matter. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week we highlight one of the most significant and consequential calls for racial equality and social justice in American History - “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” On Good Friday, April 12, 1963 - the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr and fellow civil rights leaders were arrested in Birmingham, Alabama as they lead a now famous Campaign of non-violent direct action to protest racial segregation and oppression in that Southern City. In the early 1960s, Birmingham was one of the most racially segregated cities in the United States - enforced by both law and culture. Black citizens faced legal and economic oppression, and violent retribution when they attempted to even draw attention to these conditions The Birmingham Campaign would become a pivotal moment in the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. President Kennedy’s Address to the Nation on Civil Rights, the August 1963 March on Washington and many other events were a direct result of this campaign and Dr. King’s now famous letter. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/words-matter. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week we focus on leadership and comfort in a time of national tragedy, crisis and mourning. On September 14th 2001 - President George W. Bush spoke at the National Cathedral in Washington at a National Day of Prayer and Remembrance Service. Just 72 hours earlier - more than 3,000 Americans had been killed during the most lethal terrorist attack in US history. The country was still shut down - commercial air travel was grounded. The dead were still being counted. But the president talked of unity. The tragedy whose full toll had yet to be reckoned, could have torn the country apart, but instead it had united the American people and their leadership. He expressed both empathy for those who lost family, friends and loved ones and a steady resolve that they shall not have died in vain. In the interest of full disclosure - I joined President Bush’s White House staff less than three months after this speech. I was a Democrat from New York who had worked at both ABC and NBC News. Not the most likely candidate to serve in the West Wing under a Republican President from Texas. In the weeks, months and years that followed this speech - the President, his advisors and his Administration myself included - make some serious and consequential mistakes. We will spend the rest of our lives trying to rectify those errors and atone for those failings. But in the immediate aftermath of that national tragedy- President Bush provided leadership and resolve as well as a few things that the American people desperately needed - comfort, empathy and hope. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/words-matter. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week we highlight presidential leadership and one of the most important civil rights speeches ever delivered by a sitting American president. By June of 1963, John F. Kennedy has been president for nearly two and a half years. While Kennedy had long privately expressed his deep moral objections to the treatment of black people in American society and indicated support for New federal legislation. His public comments ranged from cautious moderate criticism to a 1950s version of “both sides-ism” but were mostly nonexistent. In June of 1963, however the man and the moment met. Alabama Governor George Wallace’s staged photo op definance of federal law by standing in the school house doorway had lasted less than 90 minutes. On June 11th 1963 two black students were peaceful enrolled at the University of Alabama under the protection of a federalized Alabama National Guard commanded by US Marshals under the direction of the Department of Justice and the Attorney General of the United States. Kennedy’s advisors recommended and Fully expected that the president would NOT address the American people that evening. With a little less than 18 months until to the 1964 elections, the President’s legislative agenda and his political future depended upon the votes Southern Democrats in Congress and those of their politically unforgiving constituents. The President had other ideas. Kennedy saw a way to exercise moral leader on an issue where he had to that point failed. He would request Network Television airtime to address the nation on the issue of civil rights. The facts and statistics on racial inequality in the United States described by President Kennedy to the American people that evening had even never been acknowledged by a President before - much less spoken in such a detailed and direct language. In a telegram to the White House after watching the President’s remarks in Atlanta with other civil rights leaders, the Reverend Dr Martin Luther King Jr. described the address as ONE OF THE MOST ELOQUENT, PROFOUND, AND UNEQUIVOCAL PLEAS FOR JUSTICE AND FREEDOM OF ALL MEN, EVER MADE BY ANY PRESIDENT. Dr King knew that Kennedy was moved by his now famous “Letter from Birmingham Jail” - written just weeks before. To President Kennedy and many Americans Dr. King’s letter was more than than a spirited defense of civil disobedience. It was an indictment of white indifference. As you listen to the speech, you will hear Kennedy echoing King’s “Letter” The President rejects the idea that Black Americans should have to wait for equality. "Who among us," Kennedy asks the American people, "would then be content with counsels of patience and delay?" Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/words-matter. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Everyone needs a reminder about just how good people can be. On Wondery’s new series The Daily Smile, host Nikki Boyer brings you stories that will make you feel good each weekday morning. With interviews, inspiring clips, and chats with special guests and passionate friends, The Daily Smile takes you on a journey into goodness, gives you all the feels, and will leave you with a smile on your face. Listen to the full episode: wondery.fm/dailysmilewords Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/words-matter. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In January of 1989 after 8 years in office, President Ronald Reagan delivered his 34th and final Oval Office address. His tenure was not without controversy - and there is much about Reagan and his policies for historians and commentators to rightly criticize. But more than anything else Ronald Reagan understood the power and importance of words. For his final presidential address Reagan wanted to end on a note of what had become his trademark - optimism. All of his political life The Gipper had talked about America as a Shining City on a Hill. But he never really defined what he’d meant. As he prepared to leave office - Reagan finally communicated that vision. Pay attention to his words - in Reagan’s view America was made great by free trade and the contributions of immigrants. “If that City had to have walls, those walls had doors and those doors were open to all who had the heart and the will to get here.” It is a very different message than we hear from those who claim his legacy three decades later. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/words-matter. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Katie and Joe sit down with best-selling author and political analyst Doug Sosnik. He has advised presidents, senators, governors, Fortune 100 corporations and universities for 35 years. Doug also served as a senior advisor to President Clinton for six years as Senior Advisor for Policy and Strategy, White House Political Director and Deputy Legislative Director. He is the co-author of New York Times bestseller Applebee’s America: How Successful Political, Business and Religious Leaders Connect with the New American Community. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/words-matter. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today, on what would have been his 70th birthday, we pay tribute to the late, great Tim Russert - Moderator of Meet the Press and NBC News Washington Bureau Chief. Unlike many in the public eye - Tim was the same guy off camera as he was on. He was tough, but fair, - always quick with a joke and above all he was forever humbled by his success and the opportunities afforded the son of a sanitation worker from South Buffalo. “What a country?” Tim would often marvel - he lived by the words of the pious Saint Luke - “To whom much has been given, much will be required.” Tim believed it was his responsibility as a journalist to hold our leaders accountable - regardless of party. To ask tough, but fair questions in pursuit of the truth. A lawyer by training, a Meet the Press interview was like a public deposition. He didn’t suffer fools and he wrote his questions so that anything short of a complete and honest answer would be met with a series of increasingly pointed follow ups. When he believed a public official was shading the truth – or worse – Tim would lean across the table and remind them, with purpose: "Senator, Madame Secretary, Mr. President – Words Matter." That is his legacy - and for those of us who want to honor him, we must try our best to continue that mission. So today - on what would have been his 70th birthday - we honor Tim Russert by playing his 2002 Commencement Address at the University of Massachusetts Boston. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/words-matter. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, we begin a new series, Presidential Words Matter. Since we currently have a president who doesn't seem to know or even understand the importance of words, especially when they are spoken by the president of the United States, we thought it might be helpful in a time of national crisis to remember that we have had presidents of both parties who did understand this. These presidents have led our country through difficult times with the power and eloquence of their words. So this week, we wanted to highlight President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who in 1936 during the Great Depression and as the clouds of war gathered over Europe, delivered one of the most important political speeches ever given by a sitting president. The occasion was the Democratic National Convention held that year in Philadelphia four years earlier in 1932. FDR had made history by flying to Chicago and becoming the first presidential candidate to accept his party's nomination in person. In an earlier episode of Words Matter, we discussed this important speech with Professor Harvey Kaye, who has just published a new book entitled: FDR on Democracy. In his 1936 acceptance speech, Roosevelt used the language of the founders and decried the economic royalists who were trying to fight back against the progress of the New Deal because it threatened their power. As you listen to his words, pay particular attention to the part where Roosevelt tells his audience they have a rendezvous with destiny. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/words-matter. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Cindi Leive is the former editor-in-chief of both Glamour and Self magazines. She was the driving force behind barrier- breaking initiatives like “Glamour Women of the Year” and “The Girl Project” which supports girls’ education. Cindi is the author and editor of numerous books including the 2018 New York Times bestseller Together We Rise, about the organizing of the Women's March. She has interviewed heads of state, Hollywood and fashion’s biggest personalities, and iconic leaders from all walks of life. Her many awards and honors include recognition from the White House, the United Nations, and dozens of media organizations. She is currently a senior fellow at the University of Southern California’s Annenberg Center. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/words-matter. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, we want you to join one of our favorite hosts, Lindsey Graham of -- American Scandal and American History Tellers -- as he previews his new six-part series, "The Harry Krishna Murders," as he explores an eastern religion with pure intentions that in the hands of its Western followers became a criminal enterprise of drug running abuse and murder. wondery.fm/wordsmatterAS Subscribe to American Scandal wondery.fm/wordsmatterAS and other great podcasts from Wondery on Apple podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts wondery.fm/wordsmatterAS Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/words-matter. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Back in December Katie and Joe sit down with the Chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. Congressman Adam Schiff is in his 10 term representing California’s 28th Congressional District.Before that he was a Member of the California State Senate where he served as Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Congressman Schiff began his career as an Assistant US Attorney in the Central District of California. Katie and Joe talk to him about the Impeachment of President Trump, what a Senate trial would look like and more. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/words-matter. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Contenders is a special podcast series by Joe Lockhart. Given the importance of the race for the Democratic presidential nomination, we thought it important and informative to hear from those people who've actually run for president. What goes into the decision? How do you possibly get to the place of thinking you can take on the toughest job in the world? What were your biggest mistakes as a candidate? What lessons did you learn and what advice do you have for those running against Donald Trump? Joe recently traveled to Minnesota to interview his former boss, Vice Presidential Walter Mondale. Nearly a quarter century before Sarah Palin was picked by John McCain, it was Walter Mondale who first put a woman on a national ticket when he picked Congresswoman Geraldine Ferraro in 1984. The former Vice President reflects on that and much more. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/words-matter. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our guest today is a senior staff writer at ELLE.com where he has written the daily pop culture and politics humor column since 2016. His opinion columns have also been published by The New York Times, among many others. As a playwright, R. Eric Thomas won the Barrymore Award and the Dramatists Guild Lanford Wilson Award and was a finalist for the Steinberg/American Theater Critics Association New Play Award. He is also the long-running host of The Moth Story Slams in Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia. R. Eric Thomas' first book -- Here for It: Or How To Save Your Soul In America was published last month and is already a national best seller. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/words-matter. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our guest this week is a writer, lawyer, speaker and an advocate. Cassie Chambers grew up in Eastern Kentucky, graduated from Yale College, the Yale School of Public Health, the London School of Economics, and Harvard Law School, where she was president of the Harvard Legal Aid Bureau, a student-run law firm that represents low-income clients. Cassie received a Skadden Fellowship to return to Kentucky to do legal work with domestic violence survivors in rural communities. In 2018, Cassie helped pass Jeanette’s Law, which eliminated the requirement that domestic violence survivors pay an incarcerated spouse’s legal fees in order to get a divorce. Her new book, Hill Women: Finding Family and a Way Forward in the Appalachian Mountains, celebrates the amazingly resilient women in her family and the beloved mountain culture that helped shape her. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/words-matter. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the latest of Joe's special series - The Contenders -- the sixty fifth governor of Massachusetts from 1975 to 1979. Four years later, Michael Dukakis became the sixty seventh governor from 1983 to 1991 -- making him the longest serving chief executive in Massachusetts history. Before that, he was a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 1963 to 1971. In 1988, he ran for and won the Democratic nomination for president, facing the vice president, George H.W. Bush in the general election. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/words-matter. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the latest of Joe's special series - The Contenders -- he interviews author, medical doctor, and from 1991 to 2003 the 79th governor of Vermont. In 2004, Howard Dean ran for the Democratic nomination for president. While he didn’t win the nomination, he started a movement and later served as the Chairman of the Democratic National Committee from 2005 to 2009. His implementation of the fifty-state strategy as head of the DNC is credited with the Democratic victories in the 2006 and 2008 elections -- with Democrats taking control of the House, the Senate and the White House. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/words-matter. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Katie and Joe are honored to be joined this week by New York Times bestselling author, serial entrepreneur, nonprofit CEO and political leader Stacey Abrams. In 2018, after serving for eleven years in the Georgia House of Representatives, seven as Democratic Leader, Stacey Abrams became the Democratic nominee for Governor of Georgia, winning more votes than any other Democrat in the state’s history. Leader Abrams was the first black woman to become the gubernatorial nominee for a major party in the United States, and she was the first black woman and first Georgian to deliver a Response to the State of the Union. After witnessing the gross mismanagement of the 2018 election by the Georgia Secretary of State’s office, Leader Abrams launched Fair Fight to ensure every American has a voice in our election system. Over the course of her career, Leader Abrams has founded multiple organizations devoted to voting rights, training and hiring young people of color, and tackling social issues at both the state and national levels. Stacey Abrams is a lifetime member of the Council on Foreign Relations, where she serves on the Subcommittee on Diversity. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/words-matter. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Since World War 2, US presidents have had to deal with pandemics as part of their job – the Eisenhower Administration fast-tracked the polio vaccine. Gerald Ford dealt with Swine Flu, Ronald Reagan’s legacy is marred by his Administration’s inaction on AIDS in the 1980s and of course, President Obama confronted the global threat of Ebola. And now we have the Coronavirus – this week Katie and Joe, talk about the Presidency and pandemics. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/words-matter. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week Katie and Joe sit down with best-selling author and political analyst Doug Sosnik. He has advised presidents, senators, governors, Fortune 100 corporations and universities for 35 years. Doug also served as a senior advisor to President Clinton for six years as Senior Advisor for Policy and Strategy, White House Political Director and Deputy Legislative Director. He is the co-author of New York Times bestseller Applebee’s America: How Successful Political, Business and Religious Leaders Connect with the New American Community. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/words-matter. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week Katie and Joe sit down with award winning journalist, best-selling author and nationally syndicated columnist for the Washington Post, Dana Milbank. Dana is the author three books on politics and has covered politics for the Post since the year 2000. Before that Dana was a senior editor at the New Republic, and before that a reporter for the Wall Street Journal. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/words-matter. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Impeachment is over and the Democratic primaries begin. This week Katie and Joe sit down with campaign veteran and former White House Communications Director under President Obama, Jen Psaki. They discuss the primaries with Jen who has worked on presidential, senate and gubernatorial campaigns in among other places – Iowa. She is also a CNN political analyst. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/words-matter. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The US Senate refuses to hear witnesses in the Impeachment Trial of Donald J. Trump. Joe and guest Elie Honig breakdown what happened and what may happen next. Elie Honig is a former state and federal prosecutor with extensive experience leading and managing criminal trials and appeals. As a state prosecutor in New Jersey and a federal prosecutor in the Southern District of New York, Elie Honig directed major criminal cases against street gangs drug trafficking organizations illegal firearms traffickers corrupt public officials, child predators and white-collar criminals. Elie also serves as a Rutgers University scholar, is a CNN legal analyst and is featured on Cross Exam. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/words-matter. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Rise and Fall of WeWork is a stunning story of hope and hubris. WeWork was the poster child for a new economy. Its founders wanted to revolutionize everything about the way people lived their lives. Its charismatic founder Adam Neumann had an intoxicating vision for the company — but did it ever match the reality? Hosted by David Brown of Wondery’s hit podcast Business Wars, WeCrashed is a six-part series about the rise and fall of WeWork. It’s a story of hope and hubris, and pulls back the curtain on the lengths certain people will go to chase “unicorns.” Listen now at www.wondery.fm/wecrashedWM Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/words-matter. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For only the 3rd time in American history, the President of the United States stands trial in the United States Senate for "high crimes and misdemeanors. Katie and Joe breakdown what's happened so far and what may happen next in the Impeachment Trial of President Donald Trump. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/words-matter. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Almanac of American Politics described Daniel Patrick Moynihan as “The nation’s best thinker among politicians since Lincoln and its best politician among thinkers since Jefferson.” Before his election to the US Senate in 1976, Moynihan served in the administrations of Presidents Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon and Ford. He was ambassador to India, and U.S. representative to the United Nations, and was four times elected to the U.S. Senate from New York. This week we are honored to add Daniel Patrick Moynihan: A Portrait in Letters of an AmericanVisionary to the Words Matter Audible Library. In this important book, distinguished journalist Steven Weisman compiles a vivid portrait of Moynihan’s life, in the senator’s own words. Moynihan's letters offer an extraordinary window into particular moments in history, from his feelings of loss at JFK’s assassination, to his passionate pleas to Nixon not to make Vietnam a Nixon war, to his frustrations over healthcare and welfare reform during the Clinton era. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/words-matter. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For only the 3rd time in American History, the Impeachment Trial of a President of the United States began last week in the United States Senate. Legendary NPR Correspondent Nina Totenberg covered the 1999 Senate Impeachment Trial of Bill Clinton. And this week, Nina joins Katie to talk about what will be the same and what will be different in the Senate Impeachment Trial of Donald Trump. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/words-matter. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Richard Haass is President of the Council on Foreign Relations. He is a veteran diplomat and the author or editor of more than a dozen books including the forthcoming “The World: A Brief Introduction” Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/words-matter. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices