District 34 Podcast
By District 34 Podcast
District 34 PodcastMar 03, 2021
Is There Life After Hate?
In this episode we take a look at life after hate. We speak with three ex right wing extremists about how they became radicalized and about how they exited the movement. Chris Buckley is an ex Imperial Nighthawk with the KKK that now works with Parents for Peace. Frank Meink and Chris Leek are both ex Neo Nazis.
Full interview with Chuck Leek on Status Coup: https://youtu.be/zZNGquZvpjM?t=5253
Bernie Sanders GOTV Rally for Karen Bass, Playa Vista Ca- Full Audio
Karen Bass welcomes Bernie Sanders to Los Angeles for a Get the Vote Out rally in Playa Vista. Includes speeches from Jane Kim, Rusty Hicks, Adam Conover and others.
Anatomy of a Scandal- Leaked Racist Audio of LA City Council Members Discussing Gerrymandering
LA City Council Members Martinez, Cedillo and De Leon- along with labor leader Herrera- discuss how to preserve their political power in a racially motivated closed door meeting.
Right Wing Extremists, School Boards and Trans Rights
You’ve probably seen videos of angry right wing extremists accosting school board members and turning school board meetings into culture-war battlegrounds. Tina-Desiree Berg spoke to a parent of a trans child in the Conejo Valley school district about what she has seen and experienced.
Actors Equity Aligns with Strippers United- Rally
Actors Equity has petitioned the NLRB on behalf of Strippers United. They held a joint rally to announce and celebrate the partnership. Speeches from the AE president, LA City Council candidate Hugo Soto-Martinez, and the ladies of Star Garden. Interviews with Hugo Soto-Martinez and attendees.
Meet Maebe A. Girl, CD20 Candidate Challenging Adam Schiff
Maebe A. Girl is an American drag queen and politician. She came to prominence as the first drag queen ever elected to public office in the United States. She currently serves on the Silverlake Neighborhood Council and did quite well in her primary. She discusses her platform and recent events.
You can learn more about her platform here
Conversation with LAPD Whistleblower Alex Salazar
Alex Salazar is a former LAPD cop. He talks about his time as an officer during the Rampart scandal- and about how racism, lying, and "sociopathic" behavior brainwashed him into being what he calls a "super pig". He now conducts investigations into civil rights issues.
Antitrust Summer with Ron Placone
There are two pieces of anti trust legislation going with Congress right now. We discuss them and also the out comes of the California primary.
Sunland-Tujanga Hosts it's First Pride Festival
This year, Sunland-Tujanga hosted it's first Pride Festival. Several political candidates, activists and elected officials came out to support them.
Meet Pete Hardin, Candidate for Orange County District Attorney
A former Judge Advocate in the U.S. Marine Corps, Deputy District Attorney, and Special Assistant United States Attorney, Pete Hardin has a keen interest in reforming issues with things like cash bail, and over aggressive prosecution against some groups. He also has ideas on how to fix qualified immunity and victims rights.
He is running against an extreme right wing incumbent who has recently come under fire for overt racism.
You can learn more about Hardin on his site.
Bans Off Our Bodies- Protect Roe v Wade Los Angeles May 14th
Coverage of the Women's March Rally to protect Roe v Wade in downtown Los Angeles.
Orange County District Attorney Debate- Full Audio
The Orange County District Attorney Debate sponsored by the bar association was held in Fullerton this week. Here is the full debate between the current DA Todd Spitzer and challengers Pete Hardin, Bryan Chehock and Mike Jacobs. Both Hardin and Chehok were the winners and showed a deep understanding of the problems facing our criminal justice system.
Spitzer verbally went after BLM activist Tatiana Turner who was sitting in the first row multiple times. Turner is being over-prosecuted by his office for protest actions. The moderator- who has donated 16k to Spitzers campaign and was a groomsman at his wedding, eventually had security throw her out for coughing. Meanwhile, Spitzer fans called her a bum and disgrace with no recourse. We interviewed Turner from prison on a previous episode if you are interested in more details on her prosecution.
PaPOW! Marc Mixon, State Chair of The People's Party Washington State
We spoke with Marc Mixon on developing a third party in the state of Washington. Their goal "is to represent the interests of the majority and to create a system that values each person and supports economic and social justice for all". They will start running candidates in the next election cycle.
BONUS: Full Audio of the Progressive Democrats of America Ca Dem Luncheon
The Progressives Democrats of America held their annual luncheon at the California Democratic Party Convention. Let's listen in.
Press Freedom is Under Attack by the Wealthy in UK Courts
Between June 2019 and June 2020, Forensic News published several articles and a podcast about the business affairs of British-Israeli security consultant Walter Soriano, after he was summoned by the US’ Senate Intelligence Committee. In response, they were sued by Soriano. Although the defendants are all based in the United States and Forensic News is incorporated in the state of California, the lawsuit has been brought in London.
“We believe that the lawsuit that has been brought against Forensic News is a SLAPP,” the undersigned organisations said. SLAPPs abuse the law in order to silence critical coverage on matters of public interest" the Council of Europe Platform for the Protection of Journalism and Safety of Journalists stated in their press release in support of Forensic News.
Tina-Desiree Berg spoke with the publisher and one of the journalists personally named in the suit.
CPAC wrap-up with Rolling Stone Journalist Steven Monacelli
"Candace Owens Is Mad Girls Aren’t Being Taught to Make Their Future Husbands a Sandwich — and 13 Other Crazy CPAC Moments You Missed" with Rolling Stones journalist Steven Monacelli. You can read his full piece here
War in Ukraine- One Woman's Plea for Peace From Mariupol
Mariupol is a vibrant city in the Southeast of Ukraine that has been ground zero in the 8 year civil war fought between Russian separatists on the one side and Ukrainian nationalists on the other. It is a complex situation that has been made more deadly by Putin's invasion ans war crimes. Caught between the two extremist groups, and global geopolitics, lie the majority of citizens who just want peace. We spoke with one of them as she hid from Russian bombs in a basement.
Single-Payer Healthcare with Dr. Joe Jarvis
Dr Joe Jarvis is the author of The Purple World- Healing the Harm in Healthcare. He is a longtime advocate of dismantling for the for-profit healthcare system that is both economically inefficient and immoral. He recently started a PAC to both educate and advocate for change.
Cal Care Pulled From a Floor Vote- What Happened?
AB 1400- California state's single payer bill- was set for a floor vote and was pulled at the last minute by the bill's author Ash Kalra. What happened? Hear directly from the Progressive Caucus chair Amar Shergill, Ash Kalra and others.
Full Interview with Amar Shergill on Status Coup News
Foreign Policy with Dr Assal Rad
Dr. Assal Rad graduated with a PhD in Middle Eastern History from the University of California, Irvine in 2018. Her PhD research focused on Modern Iran, with an emphasis on national identity formation and identity in post-revolutionary Iran. With this background, Assal works with the policy team on research and writing related to Iran policy issues and U.S.-Iran relations.
We discuss the ongoing crisis in Yemen, Ukraine, and issues with Israel.
The LA County Sheriffs Election is Heating Up
This week on the podcast, Tina-Desiree Berg is joined by civil rights attorney JiYoung Carolyn Park, and activist Brittani Nichols from Ground Game LA to discuss the upcoming Sheriffs election. Also important state bills that could change the dynamics.
BONUS: Is SCOTUS posed to chip away at Roe v Wade?
This week SCOTUS heard the case Dobbs v Jackson. This case- centered on Mississippi's Gestational Age Act- looks at fetus viability. Viability is the central holding in both Roe and Casey. The Fifth Circuit unanimously blocked the Mississippi law from going into effect because both cases bar states from banning abortion before fetal viability.
Meet Bryant Odega, Candidate for LA City Council District 15
Bryant Odega is graduate of UCLA with a Bachelor's Degree in Political Science and Minor in Labor Studies. He is running for the Los Angeles city council in CD 15.
"I'm running because since 1925, our district has never had a Council Member who looked or lived like the majority of us. We are renters, we are people of color, we are working-class. We are a district with a diverse and culturally significant history. But the political elites have been dominating our politics for far too long. Everyday Angelenos deserve to be represented by everyday Angelenos.”
We discuss current issues facing the district from real estate development corruption to environmental justice.
Investigative Journalist Eric Levai on Right Wing Extremists and Sketchy Delaware Corps
Eric Levai is a national security journalist based in California. He hosts and produces the podcast "Counter Intelligence". Eric joins me to discuss his latest articles in the Daily Dot and Forensic News.
Who are the sell-outs? With Punch Up Pod hosts Pat and Leila
Join me with guests Pat Cote and Leila Charles Leigh, hosts of the Punch Up Pod- on a conversation as who the progressive sell-outs are. We also discuss the state of the left in California.
The Women's March Los Angeles 2021
Activists marched from Pershing Square to City Hall, where they held a rally in support of abortion rights.Includes remarks from Gloria Allred, Maria Shriver, Barbara Streisand, Hilda Solis, Holly Mitchell, Planned Parenthood and Paxton Smith.
Crisis in Haiti with Guest Marc Francois From the Haiti American Caucus
Marc Francois joins Tina-Desiree Berg to discuss the ongoing immigration crises that has manifested in Del Rio at the border and the underlying factors that brought us to this point.
Meet Salem Snow- Congressional Candidate for PA 2
Salem is a Kensington-based millennial activist running for Pennsylvania’s 2nd Congressional district. He lives in Philly with his life partner, Zane, and his hairless cat, Chicken.
Salem credits his political activism to growing up in poverty, growing up LGBTQ+, and the Occupy protests in 2011. As a volunteer, he worked on the presidential campaigns of Bernie Sanders and Barack Obama
BONUS: Democracy Now! Interview with Amy Goodman
As U.S. COVID cases top 37 million, we look at a shocking story out of California, where two people were stabbed and two journalists were attacked Saturday while covering an anti-vaccine, anti-mask protest outside Los Angeles City Hall. The protest was attended by members of the Proud Boys and other right-wing groups. A Southern California mortgage broker named Tony Moon was videotaped screaming “Unmask them all!” I sat down with Amy to discuss the groups involved and recent extremist behavior.
You can support the important journalism that Democracy Now! does here
Billionaires Put the First Amendment on a Chopping Block with Peter Sterne
This month we heard the biotech billionaire owner of the LA Times exclaim that billionaires should not be allowed to own newspapers. He's right.
In light of this. I re-examine Peter Theil's take down of Gawker with Peter Sterne- who originally reported on it for Politico.
Medicare For All March Los Angeles- Speeches, Rally and Interviews
Highlights from the Medicare for All March in Los Angeles. We hear from AB1400 Sponsor Ash Kalara, Shahid Buttar, Wendy Carillo, Maria Estrada, Dr. Paul Song, Ron Placone, Jimmy Dore, Maebe A. Girl, and many more!
Wi Spa Violence- What Happened with Guest Taylor Eve
I sat down with street journalist Taylor Eve, or @Waterspider on Twitter, to discuss the events surrounding the Wi Spa protest violence over the past two weeks. One of her viral videos has had over 7 million views on Twitter.
Sunrise Movement Activists Camp Out at Senator Feinstein's Office
Youth activists spent three days camped out in front of Senator Diane Feinstein's office trying to pressure her to sign on to Ed Markey's Civilian Climate Core bill. Includes speeches and interviews.
Juneteenth Rally- Justice for Andres Guardado
Sheriff’s deputies chased and shot a security guard in the back multiple times at an auto repair shop in Los Angeles named Andres Guardado. He was just 18. Security footage shows that Guardado was kneeling with his back to the deputies, posing no threat whatsoever, when he was shot. Miguel Vega, the officer who fatally shot Guardado, had previous complaints against him. The officers claim that Guardado had a gun- but there is no evidence that that is true. The Sheriff’s Department has been accused of criminal misconduct in handling the case. They point to the fact that Sheriff Deputies ripped security cameras off the walls of nearby buildings and took them. Andrew Haney, manager of Freeway Auto Shop, where Andres worked as a part-time security guard, said the Sheriff’s Department took security footage from his shop without a warrant, and Memo Torres of nearby LA Taco had a video showing where security cameras were broken off the walls.
Interview with Palestinian Comedian Jennifer Jajeh
Jennifer's parents lived through the Nakba and Jennifer lived in Ramallah for a time. She discusses her lived experiences and shares her thoughts on the current conflict.
Echo Park Rising- Where are they now? Press Conference on the Unhoused
On March 25th, Mitch O'Farrell sent police in riot gear toting less-lethals to Echo Park Lake to clear the homeless encampment. This week the park re-opened and the displaced unhoused returned for a press conference.
The Anti-Masker Movement and Public Health with Dr. Blaine Pope
I spoke with public health expert, Dr. Blaine Pope, on the anti masker movement that has risen from the remnants of the Trump years in Los Angeles.
May Day- A Look at Workers Rights
May Day is a historic celebration of workers and workers rights. In this weeks episode we look at two ongoing workers rights issues- One at Kroger Grocery stores, and another at Amazon.
Crazy for Hrezi- Meet Muad Hrezi, Congressional Primary Candidate in Connecticut
Muad Hrezi is running for election to the U.S. House to represent CD 1 in Connecticut, for the Democratic primary in 2022. He is an educator, track coach, and former US Senate staffer for Chris Murphy. We discuss his Libyan background, foreign policy, and his other ideas and policy positions.
Journalist Alex Rubenstein on What He Calls Intersectional Imperialism
Alex Rubinstein is an independent journalist who has shared live coverage of social movements in the United States including Black Lives Matter, Standing Rock, Charlottesville, the inauguration protests against Pres. Trump, and from inside the besieged Venezuelan Embassy in Washington, DC. He currently lives in Mexico City.
Interview with CD 42 Candidate Liam O'Mara
Liam O'Mara is running for election to the U.S. House to represent California's 42nd Congressional District. Liam earned a bachelor's degree from Chapman University in 2006 and master's and Ph.D. degrees from the Univerity of California, Irvine, in 2008 and 2017, respectively. His career experience includes working as a historian, cook, information technology support, and longshore worker. We discuss Force The Vote, Medicare For All, Democratic Socialism and workers' rights.
Does Kamala Harris Has a History of Passing the Buck on Police Killings with Walker Bragman
Walker Bragman is a journalist and JD whose work has been featured in Paste Magazine, the Intercept, HuffPost, the Independent, Salon, Truthout, and the Hill. He discusses he latest piece in Jacobin on how Kamala Harris failed to investigate bad police shootings in Anaheim when she was AG in California.
The ICC, Palestine and Israel with Dr. James Zogby
Dr. Zogby is the founder and president of the Arab American Institute, a Washington, D.C.–based organization that serves as a political and policy research arm of the Arab-American community. He is also a Fellow at the Sanders Institute. We discuss the current situation with the ICC and Palestine and what role the Biden administration will play in it.
DSA and Left Caucus Sweep the Nevada Democratic Party Leadership Elections with Dan Rolle
A coalition of progressive candidates backed by the local chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America took over the leadership of the Nevada Democratic Party on March 6 and swept all five party leadership positions in a contested election. Judith Whitmer was elected chair. The establishment had moved $450,000 out of the party's coffers and into the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee’s account. The DSCC plans to use the money toward the 2022 reelection bid of Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, a first-term Democrat. The staff members who resigned included the party’s operations director, research director, communications director, and finance director.
Interview with Colin Kalmbacher, Editor at Law and Crime News
Colin Kalmbacher is an attorney and writer. He received his J.D. from Texas A&M School of Law and his LL.M. in International Law and Intellectual Property from Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in Manhattan. He is an editor at legal news and analysis site Law & Crime News. We discuss recent events.
Interview with Kitty Stryker on Leftist Movements and Journalism
Interview with Kitty Stryker, published author whose work has appeared in Teen Vogue, Vice, Cosmopolitan and others- identifies as an anarchist activist, queer femme, Juggalo ethnographer and leftist doomsday prepper located in the San Francisco Bay Area
Interview with Awkword- Rapper and Activist
Labeled “Antifa militant” by Andy Ngo and “quite profound” by Chuck D of Public Enemy, AWKWORD has fought for justice and equality through protest song, political organizing, digital strategy and street journalism for nearly a quarter century. He is a co-founder of TEN DEMANDS, co-creator of Ten For Justice: The Road to Abolition, and founding member of Our United Left.
Interview with Jailed BLM Activist Tatiana Turner
Tatiana Turner is currently i jail because she is unable to make an exorbitant one million dollar bail.
Turner is a BLM activist that attended a rally in Yorba Linda last September. Trump supporters showed up in numbers that day and were quite hostile. At one point they surrounded Turners car and she called 911. She received no assistance so tried to drive away in a panic hitting a man and a woman. Trump supporters smashed the back the window of her car- prompting her to panic further. She contends she feared for her life, yet DA Todd Spitzer claims she intentionally tried to kill the Trump supporters.
Sean Beckner-Carmitchel spoke with Turner over the phone about justice, the movement and the events in Yorba Linda.
Interview with General Jeff, the "Mayor of Skid Row"
We spoke with activist General Jeff on the issues currently surrounding the unhoused in Los Angeles and recent events in Skid Row.
Interview with Ken Mejia, Candidate for LA City Controller
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