Laura Flanders & Friends

News and Public Affairs Series / 1 Season

THE LAURA FLANDERS SHOW is back with more award-winning interviews and investigative reporting on the people and movements driving positive systemic change in our world today. The show features forward-thinking people from actress Sheryl Lee Ralph to author Naomi Klein and innovative projects as well as a monthly journalists' round table with journalists of color. It's produced in rural New York.

Watch Latest: S1 E148

26m 46s / TV-PG

What’s on the Ballot in North Carolina? Autonomy & Democracy

S1 E125 / 26m 46s / TV-PG

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 Goes Green: Art & Policy for Climate Action

S1 E124 / 26m 46s / TV-PG

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.

Solving Economic Inequality: An Occupy Movement for 2024?

S1 E123 / 26m 46s / TV-PG

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?

Project 2025 and the Far Right's Plot Against Workers

S1 E122 / 26m 46s / TV-PG

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.

“God & Country”: Christian Nationalism in U.S. Politics

S1 E118 / 26m 46s / TV-PG

In the documentary “God & Country”, producer Rob Reiner and director Dan Partland explore Christian Nationalism — a toxic brew of patriarchal White Nationalism and messianic faith. Christian Nationalism poses a real and immediate threat, not only to the very idea of secular democracy but also to Christianity itself. Whether you’re a Christian or a concerned citizen, this episode is a must-watch.

Democracy Under Siege: Disinformation in the 2024 Election

S1 E117 / 26m 46s / TV-PG

In the wake of Donald Trump's shooting, falsehoods flooded our feeds faster than facts. The problem of disinformation, the deliberate spread of false or misleading information, isn’t new, but the stakes are high in this critical election year. In this monthly installment of “Meet the BIPOC Press”, we ask: Who are the targets of disinformation in the run up to the 2024 election and why?

Corporate Prison Reform Will Not Keep Us Safe

S1 E116 / 26m 46s / TV-PG

Under the view of the iconic Hollywood Sign, a struggle is being waged over the future of policing and incarceration. Los Angeles is ground zero for fights over the job of District Attorney, Police Chief, and the size of prisons and jails. Corporations that have profited from prison communications are now profiting on electronic monitoring. Can today's Los Angeles change the script?

Malaika Jabali on Wisconsin's Black Voter-Options

S1 E115 / 26m 46s / TV-PG

As the Republican National Convention comes to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Laura talks with award-winning reporter and author, Malaika Jabali, author of "It's Not You, It’s Capitalism: Why It’s Time to Break Up and How to Move On”. Wisconsin is one of the most racially unequal states in the country. It’s also seen a precipitous decline in Black voting. Are these things connected?

Amanda Seales: Speaking Out About Gaza & Hollywood

S1 E114 / 26m 46s / TV-PG

What does it take to be politically outspoken in Hollywood? You may know Amanda Seales from her role on HBO’s “Insecure”, her stand-up comedy, her podcast and radio show or viral videos on social media. She’s lost agents, her publicist, and had speaking gigs retracted for her commitment to social justice. Hear why Seales is taking backlash from her support for Palestinians as “a badge of honor”.

Is Worker-Owned Media the Future of Journalism?

S1 E113 / 26m 46s / TV-PG

The business of media is in danger — but it sure isn’t dead. There have been layoffs across the industry and many newsrooms have cut back on the resources available to journalists. But workers have also organized unions, including high-profile campaigns at Condé Nast and The New Yorker, and started worker-owned media like Hell Gate and Defector.

Political Violence & MAGA: Strategies to Protect Democracy

S1 E112 / 26m 46s / TV-PG

Political violence is on the rise and has reached just about every corner of the country, whether it's confrontations on social media, at school board meetings or the chambers of Congress. While most Americans oppose political violence, it remains a growing threat to our democracy. We convene an expert panel to define political violence and discuss how to protect one another and democracy itself.

Working Families’ Maurice Mitchell: Voting is a Chess Move

S1 E111 / 26m 46s / TV-PG

Both President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump have serious problems. How do we square the contradictions when casting our vote, and how should we think about elections altogether? As National Director of the Working Families Party, what is Maurice Mitchell’s advice in this critical election year? For starters, he says “supporting a candidate is a chess move.”

Meet the BIPOC Press: Bursting the Corporate Media Bubble

S1 E108 / 26m 46s / TV-PG

It is a cliché to say that the richest corporate media operate inside a bubble of their own making, but it's largely true. Today’s guests are breathing new life into the world of journalism by covering people, places and perspectives beyond the conventional enclaves of power. How do we break media bubbles? Join us for that conversation.

CA’s Gender Lens on Homeless Domestic Violence Survivors

S1 E107 / 26m 46s / TV-PG

Women make up 35% of California’s homeless population, and domestic violence is a leading reason why women lose their housing. Organizations across California are coming together to address this issue, break down silos and bring survivors into decision-making. But their work is in danger because of a 45% budget cut. What can be done?

Stephanie Flanders on Elections & A Trump Economy

S1 E106 / 26m 46s / TV-PG

Just in time for election season, Laura invites her sister Stephanie back to the program. Stephanie is the head of Economics and Government at Bloomberg News and head of Bloomberg Economics. Sixty-four countries (plus the European Union) — nearly half of the world’s population — are facing an election this year. Some are calling 2024 “The Ultimate Election Year”, but what should we look out for?

An Abolitionist Plan for Immigration Justice

S1 E105 / 26m 46s / TV-PG

When it comes to crime and migration, all sorts of politicians have justified mass detention and incarceration in the name of confronting a dangerous crisis. But what's real and what's fear mongering, and how can reformers counter the rhetoric to advance alternatives? Activists can do their best to call out abuses, but what is really needed is an entirely new approach.

Ai Weiwei: How Do We Save Our Humanity?

S1 E104 / 26m 46s / TV-PG

In “ZODIAC: A Graphic Memoir”, the renowned artist Ai Weiwei writes that artists should “ignite stories”, “fight for freedom” and “help us hope.” Over his long and defiant career, he has used his art in a wide variety of media to do just that. In this wide-ranging conversation with Laura Flanders, they discuss the role of the artist and ask why is “Power so afraid of art and poets?”

Meet the BIPOC Press: Is Earth Day Still Relevant?

S1 E103 / 26m 46s / TV-PG

: Corporate greenwashing has hijacked Earth Day, but the ideas behind the holiday are more urgent than ever. There are environmental issues all around us, even within new stories like the Baltimore bridge collapse and the ongoing genocide of Palestinians in Gaza. On Meet the BIPOC Press, journalists of color discuss how the idea of the environment has been siloed and how the media can undo that.

Trust-Busting in 2024: A Bipartisan Battle Against Monopoly

S1 E102 / 26m 46s / TV-PG

Is 2024 the year of trust-busting? This bipartisan issue of small versus big is a fight taking place on the streets and in the federal and state courts; led by grassroots movements and consumer protest. How have people power and government action together brought about a shift? Is it real? The Biden administration has stepped up anti-trust action, but the number of merger filings is also up.

A Roadmap for Building a Better Future

S1 E101 / 26m 46s / TV-PG

In this first episode of Laura Flanders & Friends (formerly The Laura Flanders Show), Laura is joined by Angela Davis, a leading voice in the movement for abolition and feminism who has lots to share about her evolution and how decades of activism are coming together. From Palestine to elections, to our carceral state and collective liberation, this kickoff conversation is packed with her insight.

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