Assembly Required with Stacey Abrams

How Big Tech Has Sold Us Out

The internet was originally seen as a tool of progress and innovation, but the reality has turned out to be economically, politically, and morally fraught. The question isn’t whether technology is good or bad. It’s who it serves, who it harms, and who profits. Our dependence hasn’t just created better gadgets, it’s created a new economic ruling class. Companies that don’t just dominate the market; they are the market. Platforms that don’t just reflect culture; they steer it. This week, Stacey is joined by former Special Assistant to the President for Technology and Competition Policy, law professor, and author of The Age of Extraction, Tim Wu to break down how these dominant platforms manipulate attention, extract wealth, and deepen inequality.  For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here [https://youtu.be/rFZkKIHytHU]. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast. Learn & Do More  * Be Curious: If you enjoyed Stacey’s conversation with Tim Wu check out his book, “The Age of Extraction [https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/691177/the-age-of-extraction-by-tim-wu/]” * Solve Problems: Right now, Congress is again considering legislation [https://www.nbcconnecticut.com/news/local/congress-again-considers-banning-state-ai-laws/3672108/]that would prevent states from passing their own AI regulations, and Trump has floated an executive order that would override state laws. In contrast, Senator Richard Blumenthal has proposed a minimum set of federal regulations while also allowing states to add their own. Call your member of Congress and ask them to oppose any legislation that would block AI regulation. In addition, urge your state legislature and local leaders like your school board to pass legislation for policies that protect data and privacy. Urge them to do it now, before Congress takes action. Organizations like the Electronic Frontier Foundation, t [https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2025/02/key-issues-shaping-state-level-tech-policy#:~:text=In%20total%2C%20seven%20states%E2%80%94Kentucky,went%20into%20effect%20in%202024.]he ACLU, and the Center for Humane Technology [https://www.humanetech.com/policy-work] can be resources for understanding good local tech policy. You also have power as a consumer. Look to alternative platforms for search like Duck Duck Go, and NPR has an excellent resource for ethical shopping options [https://www.npr.org/2023/01/23/1150457928/amazon-smiles-ethical-shopping-alternatives]. * Do Good: Take a tech mini-break. Go do something that exists off-screen. See a friend in person, take a workout class, sit in a park, go for a walk. If you’re game, try and set some real limits for yourself. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hegseth’s Strike Order, “Remigration” & the Midterm Stakes (with Alex Wagner)

This week on Assembly Required, Stacey sits down with Alex Wagner, veteran journalist and host of the new Crooked Media podcast “Runaway Country”. Together, they unpack Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s alleged order to execute the two remaining survivors of an American missile strike on a fishing boat suspected of drug smuggling in the Caribbean, and the rare moves in Congress to investigate the matter. They also talk about how the Trump administration is using the shooting of two National Guard members in D.C. to further anti-immigrant policies, what the Republicans’ razor-thin House majority means for the 2026 midterms, and more. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here [https://youtu.be/U_MewsbpqAA]. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.   Learn & Do More  * Be Curious: If you enjoyed Stacey’s conversation with Alex Wagner, be sure to check out her new podcast Runaway Country. * Solve Problems: As protests continue across the country in response to ICE’s cruel abductions and other authoritarian actions by this administration, it’s more important than ever to know your rights. Visit the ACLU’s website at aclu.org/know-your-rights/protesters-rights [http://aclu.org/know-your-rights/protesters-rights] for comprehensive guidance on organizing a protest, participating safely, filming law enforcement, and more. * Do Good: Republicans in Congress have allowed Affordable Care Act subsidies to expire, putting millions of Americans at risk of skyrocketing premiums and losing healthcare access altogether. Just Fix It is a nationwide, nonpartisan activation led by the 10 Steps Campaign in partnership with SEIU-NW, Caring Across Generations, MomsRising, and other labor and advocacy organizations. Learn how you can get involved and help protect healthcare for everyone. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

What's the future of organizing? + Ken Martin with Vote Save America’s Shaniqua McClendon (Crooked Con)

Live from Crooked Con, Shaniqua McClendon, Vice President of Politics at Crooked Media, hosts Maurice Mitchell of the Working Families Party, Ezra Levin of Indivisible, DeRay Mckesson of Pod Save the People, Kate Barr of Can’t Win Victory Fund, and Melissa Morales of Somos Votantes to talk about the best ways to contact and engage the low-information voters we know we desperately need. Then, Shaniqua McClendon sits down with the chairman of the DNC, Ken Martin to answer questions about how the party is rebuilding and where we go from here.  For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here [https://youtu.be/ZtQGejeUhj0]. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Redrawing Democracy: Prop 50, Trump’s Maps, and the Battle for 2026

The battle for 2026 has already begun, and it’s all about the maps. Step three in the 10 steps to authoritarianism is to weaken competing powers, and step 10 is to end democracy itself by disrupting election systems and restricting who can vote so no meaningful opposition can ever win again. In California, voters passed Prop 50, the Election Rigging Response Act as a way to fire back at Republican gerrymandering in Texas that was designed to steal power by making it harder for voters to make their voices heard. Now, the battle lines for a competitive democracy are being redrawn, with partisanship, not representation, as the explicit strategy. More than 13 states across the country are seeing mid-census redistricting efforts taken on by Republicans, with Democrats fighting back. This week, Stacey is joined by co-host of Pod Save America, author of The Message Box, and Crooked Media’s resident polling expert Dan Pfeiffer to break down what this redistricting war means for democracy, why it’s a fight for survival, and what it reveals about the Democratic Party’s future.  For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here [https://youtu.be/ol5tskjR054]. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast. Learn & Do More:  * Be Curious: If you enjoyed my conversation with Dan Pfeiffer, subscribe to his weekly Message Box [https://www.messageboxnews.com/] newsletter, where he breaks down the latest polls, key events, and political trends—it’s one of my go-to sources for analysis and insight. You can also become a Friend of the Pod [https://crooked.com/friends-of-the-pod-subscription/] here at Crooked Media and get access to his subscriber only shows like Pollercoaster! * Solve Problems: As Dan said, polling can offer useful insight into where people stand, but it is a reflector, not a predictor. However, we have the ability to shape outcomes using polling as an illuminator: what people are hearing, what worries them and what they want for the future. Instead of slipping into anxiety, we can channel that energy into action - starting now. Voting is the end of the process, but the work starts immediately: encourage your neighbors, your community, your friends, and your family to understand how politics will affect them, whether they know it or not. Look for issues that resonate, and work together to see who is responsible for making it better. The midterms are more than Congressional races. City, county and school boards will also be impacted. All of this may feel far away, but they’ll be here before we know it. Start planting seeds now. Volunteer with organizers. Knock on doors. Have real conversations with people - asking what they need to make their lives better. Percentages can only tell you so much, but talking to real people can tell you everything. * Do Good: This past weekend, more than a thousand Starbucks workers went on strike across 40+ cities [https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/nov/13/starbucks-workers-launch-strike], due to stalled contract negotiations. Organizers say they’re ready to widen the strike if executives don’t budge—and they’re asking customers to stand with them by steering clear of Starbucks as part of the ‘No Contract, No Coffee’ campaign. We’ve talked a lot on this show about the power of protest, and boycotts are one of the most effective tools we have. It’s also a muscle we have to flex if we want to be ready for broader actions.  So please: do your part. Skip the latte. Stand with the workers.   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Samantha Bee on How the Funny Can Fight Trump and Republicans

Late night comedians have become some of the most recent high profile targets for Donald Trump and Republicans, because like most wannabe authoritarians, they can dish it out, but certainly can’t take a joke. This week, Stacey is joined by comedian, podcast host, writer, and former host of Full Frontal, Samantha Bee to discuss comedy’s role in pushing back against political censorship with relentless humor. They take on the current state of late night comedy, the very real threats to truth and free speech, and how we can all process this very fraught moment.  For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here [https://youtu.be/hXHHkOmDgu4]. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast. Learn & Do More: * Be Curious: Take a listen to Samantha Bee’s podcast, Choice Words [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/choice-words-with-samantha-bee/id1522072002] to hear inspiring stories from people we all admire about the power of the choices we make. * Solve Problems: Keep up the pressure to demand affordable healthcare, especially since the government shutdown is coming to an end without solving the issue. Visit https://10stepscampaign.org/JUST-FIX-IT [https://10stepscampaign.org/JUST-FIX-IT] and make your voice heard. * Do Good: Help families who are struggling to put food on the table and in the crosshairs of Trump and Republicans who are targeting SNAP benefits. Ask local businesses if they can set up a community fridge to donate to, in addition to contacting food banks and anti-hunger organizations in your area. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.