Assembly Required with Stacey Abrams

Obama's Library, Trump's UFC 250, and Two Very Different Americas

This week, guest host Melissa Murray, host of Crooked Media’s Strict Scrutiny podcast is joined by Erin Ryan, co-host of Crooked Media’s Hysteria. They juxtapose the Obama Presidential Center opening with Trump’s UFC event celebrating his 80th birthday, and talk about the two very different visions of our country that those events (and their attendants) represent. They also touch on Trump’s dismal approval ratings, the biggest takeaways from primary battles in states like New York and Georgia, the positive vibes at the World Cup, and why the right just can’t move on from attacking pride month. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here [https://youtu.be/ZVH9ry6JH40]. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast, episode title, and episode date. Learn & Do More:  * Be Curious: Listen to Strict Scrutiny and Hysteria, wherever you get your podcasts.   * Solve Problems: Don’t let the right twist your understanding of our founding documents. Educate yourself and those around you by picking up a copy of Melissa’s newest book, The U.S. Constitution: A Comprehensive and Annotated Guide for the Modern Reader. [https://www.amazon.com/U-S-Constitution-Comprehensive-Annotated-Modern/dp/1668221934]  * Do Good: Celebrate America’s 250th birthday by visiting constitutioncenter.org [http://constitutioncenter.org].

How Christian Nationalism Threatens Democracy - Original Airdate 2025

This episode originally aired in 2025. Christian nationalism is an extremist, anti-democratic ideology rooted in the belief that the United States should be a nation for Christians to the exclusion of all others. In modern times, the Trump administration and its Republican allies have wielded this ideology as a weapon to divide Americans and implement an agenda via plans like the infamous Project 2025 that eviscerates the rights of immigrants and the LGBTQ+ community, questions the rights of women to vote, restores a freedom to discriminate against others and targets reproductive rights. This week, in response to a listener question asking what Christian nationalism has to do with the central tenets of Christianity, Stacey shares her own experience as a progressive, democratic Christian, pulling back the curtain on a core truth: the malice and hatred preached by right-wing religious leaders who shape our politics has nothing to do with Jesus’s actual teachings. She’s joined by Bishop William Barber, president of Repairers of the Breach, co-chair of the Poor People’s Campaign, and professor at Yale Divinity School and Father Greg Boyle, Jesuit priest, founder of Homeboy Industries, and author. Together, they break down the threat Christian nationalism poses to democracy and show how faith, at its best, can be a powerful force for justice and progress. This inspiring conversation has so much to offer all our listeners, whether they come from a Christian background, some other faith background, or no faith at all. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here [https://youtu.be/sQeEyQgQCWQ]. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast, episode title, and episode date. Learn & Do More: 1. BE CURIOUS: To learn more about progressive Christian philosophy, liberation theology is a good place to start: read  “A Theology of Liberation” by Gustavo Gutierrez and “The Cross and the Lynching Tree” by James Cone. 2. SOLVE PROBLEMS: Join secular or interfaith organizations that can oppose the march of Christian nationalism and reassert our faith pluralism. Check out the Interfaith Alliance at interfaithalliance.org [http://interfaithalliance.org/], whose mission is to advocate at all levels of government for an equitable and just America. Look for similar groups where you live — but remember, belonging must be met with volume and action. 3. DO GOOD: Visit homeboyindustries.org [http://homeboyindustries.org/] to learn how you can volunteer or donate to support their programs. Check out poorpeoplescampaign.org [http://poorpeoplescampaign.org/] to get involved with a movement led by the poor and dedicated to supporting those in poverty across the country.

Why Is Disability Still an Afterthought?

What does disability rights and representation really look like? While the Trump administration continues to decimate access to healthcare and dismantle civil rights, disabled Americans are often among those most affected and most overlooked. More than 70 million adults in the United States live with a disability, navigating barriers that extend far beyond health care. This week, Stacey is joined by Marlene Sallo, Executive Director of the National Disability Rights Network, and disability rights advocate and motivational speaker Spencer West. They discuss the challenges facing the disability community, what many people get wrong about disability rights, and why building a more accessible and inclusive society is a social justice issue that impacts us all. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here [https://youtu.be/k0JVnXUuF2E]. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast, episode title, and episode date Learn & Do More:  * Be Curious: Follow Spencer West on Instagram (@spencer2thewest) and expand your list of trusted creators, advocates, and journalists covering disability issues. Our guests also recommended The Anti-Ableist Manifesto: How To Build a Disability-Inclusive World by Tiffany Yu, and the books of the late activist and author Alice Wong. Finally, check out the Netflix documentary Crip Camp, which follows teens at a groundbreaking camp for young people with disabilities and their powerful journey as activists.  * Solve Problems: Visit NDRN.org [http://ndrn.org] to learn more about the issues impacting disabled communities and how you can contact your elected representatives to advocate for change. If you are disabled and need assistance, the National Disability Rights Network can help connect you with legal advocacy and support services. You can also support their work by making a donation. * Do Good: Look for organizations in your community that are advancing disability rights and accessibility. For example, New Disabled South at https://www.newdisabledsouth.org/ [https://www.newdisabledsouth.org/] hosts remote and accessible events focused on issues such as voting rights, immigration enforcement, and other policies that uniquely affect disabled communities. Find an organization near you, get involved, and support the work being done on the ground.

How the Left Can Take Back States’ Rights

Why are state governments more important than ever? While the Trump administration has been busy gutting and remaking the federal government, it’s critical to remember that the power in Washington was given to it by…the states. This week, Stacey is joined by Pennsylvania House Speaker Joanna McClinton and Daniel Squadron, cofounder of The States Project and author of The Fourth Branch. They talk about the biggest lessons from their own time as elected officials, the critical ways that state legislatures impact peoples’ lives, share stories of their biggest victories, and argue that the states can be a powerful tool  in the fight for Democracy. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here [https://youtu.be/SAZu_kIrvV8]. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast, episode title, and episode date. Learn & Do More:  * Be Curious: Pick up a copy of Daniel’s book, The Fourth Branch: How State Government Can Save Our Union, to learn more about the power of state government and check out the chapters at the end on how to take action at home.  * Solve Problems: We need more people who care about their communities running for state and local office. Run for Something helps recruit, train, and elect young people. Organizations like Emerge and Emily’s List support women candidates, and New American Leaders helps immigrants and refugees run for office. If you’re interested in getting more involved in local races, organizations like States Win and the States project can help you take action in support of local candidates.  * Do Good: As schools let out across the country, children will face a summer without school lunch, sometimes their only meal of the day. Consider donating to your local food bank or supporting No Kid Hungry at nokidhungry.org [http://nokidhungry.org].

How Anxious Should You Be About AI? (w/ Katie Drummond and Timnit Gebru)

AI development is barreling ahead with no guardrails,  leading Americans to feel anxious about what lies ahead. This week, Stacey tackles the big questions we need to ask ourselves about the technology with Katie Drummond, Global Editorial Director at Wired, and Timnit Gebru, founder and Executive Director at the Distributed AI Research Institute (DAIR). They discuss the economic uncertainty created by AI, , the motivations driving tech leaders,  making sense of the flurry of information and opinions that are influencing the discourse on the issue, and whether we can imagine a more optimistic technologically-forward future. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here [https://youtu.be/kIpfksS6FK4]. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast, episode title, and episode date. Learn & Do More:  * Be Curious: Subscribe to Wired [https://www.wired.com/] to gain access to their excellent reporting on technology, politics, science, and culture.  * Solve Problems: Learn about Timnit’s organization at dair-insitute.org [http://dair-insitute.org] to support their work to imagine an alternative technological future and build a better world.  * Do Good: Building off of the “Read Them Home” Dilley activation, on Wednesday May 20th Stacey will join  other members of Read Them Home and the National Coalition to End Family and Child Detention to host a day of action. Visit readthemhome.org [http://readthemhome.org] to learn more and support and support our activations in DC and around the country.