Laura Flanders & Friends

This week, learn about a young British journalist who, seeing what was happening in Germany in the 1930s, quit his job with The London Times and founded The Week, a newsletter that became famous for its opposition to fascism and the Western powers that were enabling it. A new biography from Patrick Cockburn tells the story of his grandfather, Claud Cockburn.

What are the takeaways from this historic presidential race, as well as critical local races and ballot initiatives? Laura Flanders & Friends presents an exclusive post-election roundtable discussion, featuring analysts and perspectives you won’t find in the money media. Join Laura and her guests as they examine what lies ahead for people, the planet and democracy. Where do we go from here?

What if January 6 happened again? Are we prepared for another post-election insurrection? “War Game” is a political thriller that tackles this question head-on in what Rolling Stone calls, “the scariest documentary you’ll see this year.” Laura’s joined by the directors and producer of the war game inside the film. Plus a commentary on Donald Trump’s appearance at New York’s Madison Square Garden.

Election 2024 is happening in a media environment unlike any other. With legacy papers closing and digital media in crisis, too, election ads are filling the news vacuum with misinformation and lies. What is to be done? In this episode of “Meet the BIPOC Press”, we examine the state of election media and ask, could this be a moment of opportunity for others to transform the news and build power?

The 2022 Supreme Court ruling to overturn Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health dramatically changed the political scene. Now we are witnessing another watershed moment in the struggle for abortion rights. Abortion, access to trans health, contraception and freedom from sterilization abuse are all part of the far Right’s agenda to control bodies. Could reproductive rights leap forward in 2024, not back?

Abolition, decolonization, immigration, Palestine — how is the Left thinking about the future in this perilous political moment? Laura Flanders & Friends was on the ground at this year’s Socialism Conference, a four-day event packed with discussion of today’s most pressing issues and strategies for organizing. Join us as we envision a liberated future and explore all that it takes to get there.

Military conflict won’t make Jews — or any of us — more safe, so why do leaders like Benjamin Netanyahu and former U.S. president Donald Trump continue to get away with casting themselves as the “protectors” of Israel and the Jewish people? We investigate antisemitism, Zionism and the weaponizing of fear in this report on the one-year anniversary of October 7.

Voting should be simple, but we’re seeing more and more barriers — especially for BIPOC voters — this election. From efforts to eliminate same-day voter registration, new voter-ID laws, and vigilante style “election integrity” watchdogs turning up at the polls, voters in many states and tribal nations face serious challenges they’re working hard to overcome. Will all who want to vote be able to?

North Carolina is a battleground state, and a petri dish for extremist policy and practice. Whether it's the right to vote, the right to read, or the right to decide the fate of one’s body, North Carolinians are on the frontlines. Where is the state headed this November and beyond?

South Australia has become a global leader in green energy transition. How did they do it, and what can we learn from them? In this report for Climate Week, Laura goes Down Under with her partner, Elizabeth Streb, and her extreme dance company, and discovers how the region’s culture and its many world-class festivals have helped pave the way for transformation.

Were you one of the hundreds of thousands of people on the streets during the Occupy movement? For many the movement was a political awakening, as people rallied to end economic inequality and support democracy in response to the 2008 global financial crisis. On this 13th anniversary, how does the spirit of Occupy live on? And what progress — if any — has been made when it comes to the wealth gap?

What risks do working people face this Labor Day? Workers continue to die on the job and struggle to protect worker safety, but the dangers for labor go beyond bad bosses. On the federal level, the far Right’s Project 2025 playbook has plans to gut unions and fire federal workers.