Assembly Required with Stacey Abrams

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.

How SCOTUS Is Erasing Black Voters, and Abby Phillip on Jesse Jackson’s Legacy

This week, Stacey goes beyond the headlines about the Supreme Court’s recent ruling on the Voting Rights Act and outlines why this step is so dangerous - not just for minority voters around the country - but for our democracy as a whole She’s joined by Lauren Groh-Wargo, CEO of Fair Fight, to discuss what people can still do at the local level and at the ballot box to save our elections and fight back against authoritarianism. Then, Stacey is joined by CNN host Abby Phillip, who talks about the importance of debate in our political culture and what current activists can learn from Jesse Jackson’s legacy of fighting for equality. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here [https://youtu.be/8lkRnRG2ipQ]. 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: To learn more about the extraordinary legacy of Jesse Jackson, pick up Abby Phillips’ book, “A Dream Deferred: Jesse Jackson and the Fight for Black Political Power [https://www.amazon.com/Dream-Deferred-Jesse-Jackson-Political/dp/1250806313]”.  * Solve Problems: On Saturday, May 16th, a national mass rally will take place at the Alabama state capitol in Montgomery. Visit allroadsleadtothesouth.com [http://allroadsleadtothesouth.com] to learn about how you can participate and stay updated on boycotts, events and other rapid response efforts. You can also follow  @FairFightAction on Instagram to stay up to date on the evolving voting rights landscape and mobilization efforts in the South, including upcoming marches in Jackson, Mississippi and at state capitols in South Carolina and Louisiana.  * Do Good: Medication abortion now accounts for more than two-thirds of all abortions in the U.S., and since Dobbs, mail access to the pill has been a lifeline for people in states where abortion is banned. As the Supreme Court case on this issue continues to unfold, and Republican attacks on abortion access escalate, consider donating to the National Network of Abortion Funds at https://abortionfunds.org/ [https://abortionfunds.org/], and look for local organizations that support reproductive justice for ways to get involved.

What’s Next for Voting Rights, and Why Activism Matters (w/ Jane Fonda)

This week, Stacey opens the show by answering audience questions about the Supreme Court’s recent ruling on the Voting Rights Act, and what it means for our democracy. Then she’s joined by Jane Fonda, who explains why she’s revived the Committee for the First Amendment, a group originally supported by her father in the 1940’s. Stacey and Jane also talk about the Trump administration’s attacks against Jimmy Kimmel, why the Warner Bros. and Paramount merger is so dangerous, and what Jane has learned after decades of activism, including her actions during the Vietnam War. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here [https://youtu.be/UXIiXM7ZjOU]. 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: To learn more about Jane Fonda’s extraordinary history of art and activism, check out the documentary Jane Fonda in Five Acts from HBO.   * Solve Problems: You can get involved in the fight against the consequences of the Supreme Court’s recent ruling on the Voting Rights Act. Check out the Louisiana-based organization Power Coalition for Equity and Justice at powercoalition.org [http://powercoalition.org] to learn about volunteer opportunities. The organization Civic Tennessee at https://www.mobilize.us/civictn/ [https://www.mobilize.us/civictn/] also has volunteer opportunities available.  * Do Good: The ACLU continues to be a powerful resource in their fight for Free Speech. Visit ACLU.org [http://aclu.org] and check out their campaigns in support of free speech and expression.

A Democrat’s Guide to Challenging Trump on Iran, ICE, and Dollars (w/ Rep Ansari)

What can international pro-democracy activists teach us about taking on authoritarianism here in the US? Stacey opens the show with reflections from the Salzburg Global Forum Democracy Resilience Conference featuring reformers from Bolivia, to Hungary, to Nepal. Then she’s joined by Representative Yassamin Ansari, a freshman from Arizona and the only Iranian-American in Congress. She tells Stacey about her opposition to Trump’s war with Iran, the horrific conditions she’s seen firsthand when visiting ICE detention centers, and how we demand a practical response to the competing harms coming out of Washington. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here [https://youtu.be/nAvRH3Uu9RU]. 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: Check out the Substack “The Anti-Authoritarian Playbook” [https://antiauthoritarianplaybook.substack.com/] by Scot Nakagawa, President of the 22nd Century Initiative.  * Solve Problems: Step Six in the “Ten Steps to Freedom and Power” is disruption. Visit Stacey’s Substack “Assembly Notes” [https://staceyabrams.substack.com/] to read her recent post about taking action. Do Good: Visit the nonprofit FreedomforImmigrants.org [http://freedomforimmigrants.org] to donate to their commissary fund – proceeds are directly deposited into commissary accounts at detention centers across the country.

What Is America Beyond Trump? (w/ Astead Herndon)

Do you want the government spying on you, or do you want it to catch bad guys? This week, Stacey opens the show by pointing out the false binary Americans are being presented with as Congress debates renewing Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. Then she speaks to reporter Astead Herndon, host of “America, Actually” at Vox Media. They break down how to talk about and report on America without focusing exclusively on Trump, why both parties should consider non-systems candidates in 2028, and the big realignments among groups like voters of color and faith-based voters. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here [https://youtu.be/AXrNLQJeayI]. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast. Learn & Do More:  * Be Curious: Check out Astead’s new podcast America, Actually and his reporting for Vox.  * Solve Problems: American reporter Ahmed Shihab-Eldin has been detained in Kuwait for the past six weeks. Visit the Committee to Protect Journalists to learn more about his unjust detention and sign the petition demanding his release [https://cpj.movements.mov/pet/kuwait-release-journalist-ahmed-shihab-eldin-from-detention]. * Do Good: As Trump’s war in the Middle East continues, the needs of members of our military, military families, and veterans are often overlooked. Check out organizations like Operation Homefront, which provides relief and recurring family support for members of our military and helps members transition to civilian life. Visit operationhomefront.org [http://operationhomefront.org] to find ways to donate and get involved.