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Assembly Required with Stacey Abrams: Daily Summaries Delivered
by Assembly Required with Stacey Abrams
Let's face it, sometimes the world feels broken. We can see what needs fixing, yet more and more, it feels like the problems are too big and the bad guys are winning. But the truth is, they’re not. They’re just hoping we stop fighting. Welcome to Assembly Required with Stacey Abrams. Stacey knows better than anyone that societal shifts happen when a group of ordinary people decide that a problem is solvable, and are willing to pitch in and work towards the solution. Each week, Stacey will break down the biggest issues we face into digestible, actionable items, introduce us to the warriors for good already working towards solutions, strategize, and share tangible ways to get involved. Because we can't fix everything, everywhere, all at once; but we can each do something, somewhere, soon.
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- Yesterday59 min
Election Day Survival Guide (w/ Dan Pfeiffer)
It’s officially Election Day, and voters (yes, you!) are bound to make mistakes. Stacey opens the show by talking about the very normal, very human errors that can happen when casting a ballot, whether it’s showing up at the wrong precinct or returning a mail-in ballot too close to the deadline. Donald Trump and Republicans want voters to believe that even a small mistake could invalidate their vote or, worse, land them in legal trouble. But there’s no need to panic: most voting mistakes can be fixed. Stacey walks through common errors, potential solutions, and a state-by-state guide to making sure your vote counts.Then, Stacey sits down with Dan Pfeiffer, Pod Save America host and author of Message Box, to discuss polling misses, Democratic messaging in Michigan, and unexpected opportunities for Democrats across the country. The two dig into the possibility of a blue wave in the South and what voters should be thinking about on November 4, once the midterm election sugar high wears off.Learn & Do More: 1. BE CURIOUS: For more sharp political insight, subscribe to Dan’s newsletter focused on political strategy, Message Box.2. SOLVE PROBLEMS: The nonpartisan Election Protection Coalition works year-round to ensure that every voter has an equal opportunity to cast their ballot and have it counted. If you or someone you know experiences voting machine issues, long lines at polling places, intimidation or harassment, or needs help understanding how to cast a provisional ballot, call 866-OUR-VOTE for assistance in English.1. (888) VE-Y-VOTA for assistance in Spanish and English.2. (844) YALLA-US for help in Arabic and English.3. (888) API-VOTE for help in English, Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean, Vietnamese, Tagalog, Urdu, Hindi, Bengali, and Punjabi.4. American Sign Language video call: 301-818-VOTE (301-818-8683)You can also text MYVOTE to (866) 687-8683 to get voting help from a trained volunteer. Learn more or share these resources at PROTECTTHEVOTE.NET.3. DO GOOD: November 3rd is Election Day, but that doesn’t mean our work is done. New Voters is an organization dedicated to ensuring that every high school student registers to vote before graduating. Visit NEW-VOTERS.ORG (New Dash Voters Dot Org) to learn more and volunteer to run a voter registration drive in your community.Become a subscriber to Crooked Media! It’s the best way to directly support us as we build an independent, pro-democracy media company. Subscribers get exclusive benefits, like bonus podcasts, newsletters and more. Subscribe now at crooked.com/friends or wherever you listen to podcasts.You can request a transcript by emailing transcripts@crooked.com. Include the podcast name, episode title, and air date. Please allow 48 hours for delivery.
- 1 weeks ago1h 10m
Brazil’s Shock Election, and Preparing for Midterms (w/ Jen Psaki)
This week, Stacey opens the show cautioning Americans to watch and learn from Brazil’s election results, where Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva surprised everyone with a victory, and his right wing opponent Flavio Bolsonaro called for the election to be annulled. As we brace for our own midterm elections in just one week, she gets into how the Justice Department is weaponizing power and practicing voter suppression against Americans from the bottom up, most recently attacking voters in California. So, what does free and fair voting require? Stacey talks to Jen Psaki, host of MSNOW’s The Briefing with Jen Psaki and former White House press secretary, about the larger motives behind what Republicans are chasing ahead of the midterms, how Democrats can remain hopeful but strategic in their messaging, and what to expect on and ahead of November 3rd.Learn & Do More: BE CURIOUS: For more insightful analysis of the political moment we’re in, check out Jen Psaki’s show on MSNOW, The Briefing with Jen Psaki and her weekly Q&A on MS NOW Membership. SOLVE PROBLEMS: We’re days away from the midterms, and every little thing you do can still help. Think about your legislative candidates, candidates for Senate, House or Governor, and donate or sign up to volunteer. Organizations like EMILY’s List at emilyslist.org, Run For Something at runforsomething.net, and the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee at dlcc.org are great places to look for ways to help. You can also look up who is running in your area to give directly and get involved. DO GOOD: Defeating authoritarianism takes thousands of small actions, and a lot of them start in somebody’s living room. Autocrats rely on confusion, apathy and fear. We rely on each other. That starts with building trust with a few neighbors on your block. Download Plurality, a free app that helps you organize in your neighborhood and connect with people nearby. The 10 Steps Campaign has ready-to-use event blueprints on Plurality designed to make civic organizing as easy as hosting a dinner party. Pick one, post your event on Plurality and tag @10StepsCampaign on social media so your neighbors can find it. Become a subscriber to Crooked Media! It’s the best way to directly support us as we build an independent, pro-democracy media company. Subscribers get exclusive benefits, like bonus podcasts, newsletters and more. Subscribe now at crooked.com/friends or wherever you listen to podcasts.You can request a transcript by emailing transcripts@crooked.com. Include the podcast name, episode title, and air date. Please allow 48 hours for delivery.
- 2 weeks ago1h 3m
Why Everything Costs More—and Who’s Really Paying (w/ Robert Reich)
How are affordability and corruption connected? Professor and former U.S. Secretary of Labor Robert Reich joins Stacey to unpack rising gas prices and the cost of living, why he sees Trump’s White House as a symptom of a much deeper culture of government corruption, and what’s at stake in the upcoming midterm elections. Then, they discuss how 2026 is shaping up to resemble a new “Gilded Age,” marked by extreme wealth inequality and a government struggling to address the consequences. Stacey also sits down with Sheila Nix, CEO of the Mobile Voting Project, to discuss voter suppression, expanding access to the ballot, and how bringing mobile voting to all 50 states could help increase voter turnout.Learn & Do More: BE CURIOUS: For more sharp insight into the economy and how corruption affects us all, follow Robert Reich on Substack and check out his course on wealth and inequality. Also, check out his new book Coming Up Short and his new film The Work in Progress. SOLVE PROBLEMS: State and local elected officials play critical roles in protecting our democracy. School board members, city council members, county commissioners, state legislators, and judges are the officials closest to our communities. Right now, they’re some of the most targeted, especially women. Threats, harassment, doxxing, even political prosecution. Too many elected women spend their first year in office shocked by how bad it is, and most of them face it alone. Women’s Democracy Lab is changing that. They build safety and support infrastructure for women in state and local office, because when you make it safe for the most targeted, you make it safe for everyone. We work hard to elect bold leaders. Join them in making sure those leaders can stay. Give: Help fund rapid-response support for a woman under threat. Go to womensdemocracylab.org. Share it with an elected official you know: If she’s facing threats, she can reach WDL at safety@womensdemocracylab.org for direct support. Show up for your local elected officials: Go to the meeting. Show your support. Report harassment when you see it. Stay connected: Sign up for WDL’s updates and follow their work at hello@womensdemocracylab.org. DO GOOD: As prices continue to soar, food insecurity remains an urgent problem. Ten Steps partner 901 Community Fridges is committed to fighting food insecurity in Memphis by partnering with neighborhoods to place fridges stocked with food and sundries in the areas where they’re needed most. If you’re in the Memphis region, check outhttps://10stepscampaign.org/partners to learn more and get involved. You can also look for opportunities in your local community to address hunger by supporting. Become a subscriber to Crooked Media! It’s the best way to directly support us as we build an independent, pro-democracy media company. Subscribers get exclusive benefits, like bonus podcasts, newsletters and more. Subscribe now at crooked.com/friends or wherever you listen to podcasts.You can request a transcript by emailing transcripts@crooked.com. Include the podcast name, episode title, and air date. Please allow 48 hours for delivery.
- 3 weeks ago1h 6m
Will We Survive the Apocalypse? (w/ Naomi Klein and Astra Taylor)
Fascism has gotten a facelift, and we’ve got tech oligarchs, religious extremists, and ethnonationalists to thank. Naomi Klein and Astra Taylor, co-authors of End Times Fascism: And the Fight for the Living World, sit down with Stacey to unpack how certain groups of fascists believe the end times of our society are not only inevitable, but are invested in precipitating our collapse while ensuring they are the elite few destined to survive. They also discuss the “wealth-rapture,” how extreme economic inequality has created fertile ground for fascists to thrive, and how this new brand of fascism can be stopped if we fight for empathy, equality, and universal rights during this administration and beyond.Learn & Do More: Be Curious: Pick up a copy of Naomi and Astra’s book, End Times Fascism and the Fight for the Living World. Solve Problems: On October 17th, No Kings, Common Cause, and other 10 Steps campaign partners are taking part in a national day of action, mobilizing their communities to vote early in the midterm elections. Visitnokings.org or protectthevote.net to make a plan to vote or find and host an event near you. Even if early voting hasn’t yet started in your state, there are plenty of ways to get involved and make sure everyone shows up for these elections. Do Good: The horrors of capital punishment have recently made headlines. Whether you support ending the practice, as I do, or believe it needs reform, there is more we can do to make a difference. Visit the Equal Justice Initiative to support their important work to end mass incarceration and excessive punishment and challenge racial and economic injustice. The ACLU has a list of reputable organizations working to reform the death penalty, and we’ll link to it in the show notes. You can request a transcript by emailing transcripts@crooked.com. Include the podcast name, episode title, and air date. Please allow 48 hours for delivery.
- 4 weeks ago1h 1m
Can We Make Injustice Unprofitable? (w/ Rashad Robinson)
Can we make injustice unprofitable? Author and former president of Color Of Change Rashad Robinson joins Stacey to discuss how we can come together to confront authoritarianism, make it harder for bad actors to profit from harming individuals, and hold corporations accountable. They explore the connection between the fight for a stronger economy and a functioning democracy, why voters of color particularly in the South are not a monolith, and why bipartisanship is a legal ethos, not simply a political strategy. Robinson also discusses his new book, From Presence to Power: How to Take On the Fights That Matter—and Win, and why visibility, protests, hashtags, and media attention aren’t the same as building real power. Learn & Do More: Be Curious: To learn more about how to not just take action, but work towards building sustained power, pick up a copy of Rashad’s new book, From Presence to Power: How to Take on the Fights That Matter – and Win. Solve Problems: As we look ahead to the midterms, supporting and mobilizing voters of color is essential. Visit the Ten Steps Campaign website at 10STEPSCAMPAIGN.ORG to check out our partners that help build political power for these communities. Organizations like Voto Latino at VOTOLATINO.ORG, Higher Heights for America at HIGHERHEIGHTSFORAMERICA.ORG, and others are mobilizing volunteers—so find an organization at the national and local level, and let’s get to work Do Good: Kids have already started school, and with states across the country facing cuts in SNAP benefits, childhood hunger and the ability to learn are growing more dire. Please visit NOKIDHUNGRY.ORG to find out how you can help children in your community. Also, last week, three red states sued three blue states in the Supreme Court of the United States. Louisiana, Alabama and Arkansas want the Court to strike down the abortion shield laws in California, Massachusetts and New York. Those are the laws that protect doctors who prescribe abortion pills by telehealth to patients in states that have banned abortion. Here’s how you can help: Commit. Know what’s coming. Read your own state's shield law, if you have one. Twenty-two states and D.C. do. If your state is one of them, it's in the Supreme Court's crosshairs now, even if it isn't named in this case. If you have one of these states' attorneys general, ask them publicly whether they plan to defend the law or file a brief supporting it. And bookmark this podcast so you can share it with others.Deny. Don't let them justify this violation of civil rights. Whether it’s at your dinner table or in your group chat, a familiar pattern is about to unfold. Cousins will say these doctors are dealing drugs. Friends will say that shield laws allow criminals to be sheltered from consequences. Wrong. These doctors are practicing legal medicine under FDA rules the Supreme Court left in place in May. Support the organizations defending them, like the Center for Reproductive Rights and the Abortion Coalition for Telemedicine, and the abortion funds that help women pay for care. Visit the National Network of Abortion Funds to donate and directly support access to abortion care.Elect. On November 3rd, four states will vote on abortion directly. In Missouri, voters will decide whether to repeal the abortion rights amendment they passed just two years ago. Nevada and Virginia will vote on putting abortion protections in their constitutions, and Idaho will vote on whether to restore access through viability. If you live in one of those states, vote, and bring three people with you. If you don't, find a campaign in one of them and call or text voters from home. Also, remember, most states will elect state leaders on Nov. 3. Look at your own ballot for attorney general and governor, because those are the offices that decide whether a shield law gets defended or a doctor gets extradited. Send your friends emails about what’s happening, and remind them that this is not a drill.
- Sep 29, 202658 min
Will We Drive Off a Cliff on AI? (w/ Ambassador Susan Rice)
This week, Stacey opens the show with a warning about why Americans need to closely watch Brazil’s elections on October 4th and what it means as we fight back against authoritarianism here at home. Then she gets into AI: the daily headlines about how fast the technology is developing, a growing list of incidents where AI has gone outside of human control, and the snail's pace at which Washington is dealing with the problem…. are all painting a very grim picture. So can AI still be stopped? This week, Stacey is joined by Susan Rice, a former United Nations Ambassador, National Security Advisor to Barack Obama and Domestic Policy Advisor to Joe Biden. Ambassador Rice lays out the case for how we can still regulate AI, why the UN is stuck in gridlock on global issues of this magnitude, and why voters making their voices heard is so critical this November.Learn & Do More: Be Curious: To learn more about the companies that, for better or worse, are shaping our AI future, pick up a copy of Karen Hao’s excellent book Empire of AI: Dreams and Nightmares in Sam Altman’s Open AI. Solve Problems: The Ten Steps Campaign continues to add new partners. Visit 10stepscampaign.org/partnersto find a local cause you care about. This week we want to spotlight the Southern Legal Center for Youth, which provides free civil legal support to young people ages 12-24 in Georgia. Visit SLCY.org to learn more, donate, and get involved. Do Good: The East coast is being pummelled by storms this weekend, which can cause flooding and power outages. Check on your friends and neighbors, particularly those who are elderly or in need of medical support, and make sure they are safe. You can request a transcript by emailing transcripts@crooked.com. Include the podcast name, episode title, and air date. Please allow 48 hours for delivery.
- Sep 22, 202656 min
Who Gets to Vote? SCOTUS, ICE and the 2026 Midterms
How could the Supreme Court’s decisions shape the 2026 midterms? What are the current threats posed by ICE? How can we build communities rooted in connection rather than fear? Lawyer and Democracy Forward President and CEO Skye Perryman joins Stacey to discuss the Supreme Court cases to watch ahead of opinion season, whether a ruling could come before the midterms in a case involving ICE and polling places, and her new book, Ordinary People, Extraordinary Times, a practical guide to reclaiming our power and taking action during extraordinary times. Stacey also discusses the freedom of the press or lack thereof, as the White House continues its efforts to reshape the media landscape and what that means for the administration’s broader agenda.Learn & Do More: BE CURIOUS: Pick up a copy of Skye’s new book, Ordinary People, Extraordinary Times: How to Reclaim Your Power, Fight for Freedom, and Reimagine Democracy, for more practical tips on how to fight back against autocracy. SOLVE PROBLEMS: Visit Democracy Forward to learn more about how to get involved and find educational resources that can help us all learn more in the fight against autocracy. DO GOOD: City Bureau is a civic media lab that designs people-powered journalism practices and supports their local adoption and adaptation across the country. They started the Documenters program, which equips and pays community members to attend local government meetings, distill what matters, and bring actionable information back to their neighbors. Visit Documenters to learn more and sign up to participate. You can request a transcript by emailing transcripts@crooked.com. Include the podcast name, episode title, and air date. Please allow 48 hours for delivery.
- Sep 15, 20261h 11m
The AI Apocalypse, Supreme Court Takeover, and JD Vance’s Next Move (w/ Alex Wagner)
Is the AI apocalypse already underway and will we get meaningful regulation before it’s too late? How did the “four horsemen” of the right-wing legal movement lay the groundwork for today’s conservative Supreme Court? Will JD Vance continue to position himself as the Republican Party’s next leader? Host of Runaway Country and MS NOW Senior Political Analyst Alex Wagner joins Stacey to discuss the growing fight over AI and data centers, the GOP’s midterm convention, the census coming under attack, and the decades-long conservative campaign to reshape the Supreme Court that she explores in her new book, The Steal. Then, in honor of Assembly Required’s 100th episode, Stacey answers listener questions about everything from politics and the state of the world to books, TV, and beyond.Learn & Do More: 1. Be Curious: Tune into Alex Wagner’s Crooked Media podcast, Runaway Country, and pick up a copy of her illuminating new book, The Steal.2. Solve Problems: Step three in the Ten Steps to Authoritarianism is capturing the other branches, which, as we learned today, has been a project of the right for decades. The Brennan Center for Justice fights to make elections fair, preserve our civil liberties, and end mass incarceration in Congress, the states, and the courts. Visit BrennanCenter.org to support their work on Supreme Court reform, reforms to improve the confirmation process for federal judges, and promoting fairness in state courts.3. Do Good: With so much of our judicial system under right-wing control, vulnerable communities are under attack. Women’s Equity Center and Action Network educates, engages, and activates women of color to lead social change efforts. Visit WomensEquity.org to learn more about their efforts to facilitate social justice and equal opportunity, and sign up for “Mobilize Monday,” where they highlight opportunities to take action against injustice.Also, as we grapple with how to regulate AI advancements, we need to acknowledge the powerful tools at our disposal at the local level. 1. See if your ballot has a Public Service Commission race and take action. Nine states elect their utility regulators, and they're on the ballot on November 3rd — Georgia, Alabama, Arizona, Louisiana, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, and South Dakota. In Georgia, Districts 3 and 5, elected statewide. Last November, Georgia Democrats flipped two of these seats because the bills are too high. The commission sits at three to two. Two seats decide who sets the rate you pay and whether a data center pays its own freight. Find out if there is a race and tell your friends and family to vote for candidates who support AI regulation.2. Show up to your utility commission hearing. Demand that data centers pay their own infrastructure costs rather than passing them onto the consumer. A utility commission hearing is one of the few places left in American government where showing up still has an effect. Why? Because the industry shows up every single time and you don't. If you're there to watch them, the elected officials see you too.3. Use your county commissions. When a data center comes to your planning commission, the question is not yes or no. Read the fine print and demand details. Ask for a separate rate class and written indemnity so you don't cover stranded costs. Ask for a water disclosure and a decommissioning bond. Quiz your county leaders and teach them what they need to know. Will you vote for a separate rate class for large loads, so my bill doesn't subsidize theirs? Would you refuse to sign an agreement not to enforce this state's AI laws?You can request a transcript by emailing transcripts@crooked.com. Include the podcast name, episode title, and air date. Please allow 48 hours for delivery.
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About Assembly Required with Stacey Abrams
Let's face it, sometimes the world feels broken. We can see what needs fixing, yet more and more, it feels like the problems are too big and the bad guys are winning. But the truth is, they’re not. They’re just hoping we stop fighting. Welcome to Assembly Required with Stacey Abrams. Stacey knows better than anyone that societal shifts happen when a group of ordinary people decide that a problem is solvable, and are willing to pitch in and work towards the solution. Each week, Stacey will break down the biggest issues we face into digestible, actionable items, introduce us to the warriors for good already working towards solutions, strategize, and share tangible ways to get involved. Because we can't fix everything, everywhere, all at once; but we can each do something, somewhere, soon.
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