With Friends Like These

Former RNC chairman Michael Steele (@MichaelSteele) joins us for a live conversation from the Texas Tribune Festival in Austin, Tx.  We discuss why Steele no longer recognizes the Republican party [10:00], whether he sees Trump as an existential threat to American democracy [43:00], and why those three words “We The People” mean so much to him [50:40]. Another genuine With Friend Like This, Steele is also the former Lieutenant Governor of Maryland and a current political analyst on MSNBC. Say hello! Tweet the pod at @crooked_friends, or shoot us an email at withfriendslikepod@gmail.com. We read all your letters and will get a future guest to answer your questions. Also check out our wonderful sponsors! KIND: Get a free sample box at KindSnacks.com/friends FRAMEBRIDGE: Go to Framebridge.com and use promo code FRIENDS for 15% off your first order. ZIPRECRUITER: Post jobs for free at  ZipRecruiter.com/friends MM.LAFLEUR: Try a free Bento Box of wardrobe staples and accessories at MMBento.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week we get more Weedsy than The Weeds about America’s uniquely fucked up health care system with single-payer activist and Chapo wonk Timothy Faust (@crulge), an incredibly fun and energetic tour of health care with two people who curse a lot.  First, how we got here (Otto von Bismarck comes up); then, why the latest GOP attempt to repeal Obamacare is their worst yet; and finally, an examination of Bernie Sanders’ “refreshingly ambitious” Medicare For All bill — prefaced with a friendly reminder that the most socialist-y parts of the ACA were the most popular. Relevant to the discussion: https://www.jacobinmag.com/2017/06/trumpcare-obamacare-repeal-ahca-single-payer And check out Tim’s podcast “Heavy Medical” (https://www.blubrry.com/heavyxmedical/) and newsletter (http://tinyletter.com/error). You can also find him on the Chapo Trap House podcast, or catch him touring fifteen cities between NYC and Minneapolis in mid-October to talk single-payer with local DSA chapters, open to the public. Get in touch! Follow the pod on twitter at @crooked_friends, or email us at withfriendslikepod@gmail.com with questions, thoughts, just to say Hi. THIS WEEKEND is our LIVE SHOW in AUSTIN, TX: 9/23 at the Texas Tribune Festival. Find out more at https://www.texastribune.org/festival Thanks to our lovely sponsors!  MM.LaFleur: Try a free Bento Box of wardrobe staples and accessories at MMBento.com Stamps.com: Get a four-week trial plus postage by visiting stamps.com and typing in FRIENDS. Parachute: Visit ParachuteHome.com/friends for free shipping and returns. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A conversation with writer Rembert Browne (@rembert) [1:21]on how his “write-around” profile of football player Colin Kaepernick (Bleacher Report) became a piece about this moment in America — and why the stakes are too high to avoid the uncomfortable conversations needed to change it. You can read that very good piece here: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2732670-colin-kaepernick-anthem-race-in-america Also relevant to the discussion: http://grantland.com/hollywood-prospectus/my-desk-rescue-jon-taffer-of-bar-rescue-stages-a-cubicle-intervention/ Send us questions to be answered on the pod waves! Email withfriendslikepod@gmail.com, and tweet at @crooked_friends. A REMINDER: our LIVE SHOW in AUSTIN, TX is on 9/23 at the Texas Tribune Festival. Find out more at https://www.texastribune.org/festival Please check out our fantastic sponsors! UPSIDE: Go to Upside.com and use promo code FRIENDS for $100 gift card to Amazon.com.  TEXTURE: get a 14 day free trial when you go to texture.com/FRIENDS HELIX: Go to HelixSleep.com/Ana and get $50 off your order. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week, sex education instructor Kim Cavill (@sexposparenting) is back on the pod to answer your (adult) questions about perhaps the messiest coalition of all: sex. We discuss when and how to talk to your kids about porn [2:46], what to do if a friend tells you they’ve experienced a sexual assault [56:13], plus the importance of asking for what you want [64:57].  Kim’s website, Tea and Intimacy, is at https://www.teaandintimacy.com/. If you have had experience with any kind of sexual assault or violation, you are not alone. There is help. Two resources available: - RAINN (the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network): Call their hotline (800-656-4673) or use their anonymous chat feature at their website, RAINN.org - The Crisis Text Line is anonymous and available 24 hours a day to help with a wide variety of problems, including sexual assault and mental health or just an emotionally difficult time: 741741. For men, specifically, 1in6.org is here to help, as well. Get in touch! Tweet us at @crooked_friends, or send us a question through email at withfriendslikepod@gmail.com. Relevant to the discussion —  https://www.commonsensemedia.org/ is a resource to help parents navigate their kids’ devices, including info about sexting. https://sexetc.org/, a website for teens; and http://answer.rutgers.edu/page/sexetc, its companion site for adults. Those sex ed videos that teens and parents can watch together are at http://amaze.org/. Dan Savage's podcast https://www.savagelovecast.com/ and his column http://www.thestranger.com/ are worth a listen and read. Books! Aziz Ansari’s book Modern Romance (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00OZ0TMYG/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1) and Sex and the Constitution by Geoffrey R. Stone (https://www.amazon.com/Sex-Constitution-Religion-Americas-Twenty-First-ebook/dp/B01N95KFBS/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1504723631&sr=1-1&keywords=sex+and+the+constitution). And, of course, there’s always https://www.plannedparenthood.org. Our fantastic sponsors deserve your love! MM.LaFleur: Try a free Bento Box of wardrobe staples and accessories at MMBento.com Ziprecruiter.com: List your job for free by going to Ziprecruiter.com/FRIENDS Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

First, [2:15] a conversation with Neena Satija (@neenareports) from Houston, about Harvey and the choice to not prepare for catastrophic events. Second, [32:04] Jon Lovett (@jonlovett) helps field a listener question! And then [47:18] we talk about Game of Thrones as a metaphor for climate change. Lastly: [57:18] A short reflection on the Nashville Statement and attempts by Christians to dehumanize and deny our LGBTQ brothers and sisters. We want to hear from you! Tweet us at @crooked_friends, or email us a question at withfriendslikepod@gmail.com and we’ll get a future guest to answer it. A reminder that we are still taking your adult sex ed questions for next week’s show. And don’t forget about our LIVE SHOW in AUSTIN, TX on 9/23 at the Texas Tribune Festival. Find out more at https://www.texastribune.org/festival/ Relevant to the discussion — Neena and team's March 2016 piece on Houston (from The Texas Tribune and Reveal/ProPublica): https://projects.propublica.org/houston/; a little more about the Nashville Statement and the progressive Christian response to it: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/hundreds-of-christian-leaders-release-lgbtq-affirming-response-to-nashville-statement_us_59a71bcee4b0a8d14572cf35; and for GOT fans: https://www.vox.com/videos/2017/7/14/15969034/game-of-thrones-theory-climate-change Much love to our sponsors! Framebridge: Get 15% off your first order at Framebrige.com with the code FRIENDS TrackR: Get 20% off any order at TrackR.com with promo code FRIENDS. Stamps.com: Get a four-week trial plus postage by visiting stamps.com, clicking on the Microphone and typing FRIENDS Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

First [5:35], why aren’t evangelicals turning on the decidedly ungodly Trump? Jack Jenkins (@jackmjenkins), religion editor at Think Progress, explains how Christian nationalism has fused with Trumpism to create an unbreakable (?) bond. Second [43:06], Parker Molloy, (@ParkerMolloy), from Upworthy, joins to talk about the re-animation of the “trans ban” and why it matters beyond the military. Also, responding to a listener who asked about the ways one can help in the fight against bigotry *besides* going to protests and rallies. Reach the pod at @crooked_friends on Twitter and email us your questions (for our new weekly segment!) at withfriendslikepod@gmail.com. We’re also taking your adult sex-ed questions for an upcoming show, so email us those, too. We welcome *audio* questions, using a recording app.  And LIVE SHOW in AUSTIN, TX on 9/23 at the Texas Tribune Festival. Find out more at https://www.texastribune.org/festival/ Relevant to the discussion — Jack’s Christian nationalism series, part 1: https://thinkprogress.org/trumps-christian-nationalism-c6fe206e40cc/ and part 2: https://thinkprogress.org/history-christian-nationalism-e3303b46c3bc/ Shout out to our sponsors! MM.LaFleur: Try a free Bento Box of wardrobe staples and accessories at MMBento.com KIND: Pick up your free sample snack box by going to KindSnacks.com/friends Parachute: Visit ParachuteHome.com/friends for free shipping and returns. Third Love: Find the right fit and a free 30-day trial at ThirdLove.com/FRIENDS Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The aftermath of Charlottesville, considered from the right and the left. First [4:36] , Naval War College professor Tom Nichols (@radiofreetom) helps us understand how our enemies and allies abroad will interpret Charlottesville and Trump’s response to it. We also argue about whether it’s helpful, politically speaking, to connect the modern GOP to white supremacy. Then Jane Coaston (@cjane87, MTV NEWS FOREVER!) hops on the line [48:46] to argue that Trump’s defense of white supremacy was a tactical error — but still terrifying. We respond to an email from a listener (a new weekly segment!). Finally [1:23:55], some personal thoughts on what happens next.  That email for submitting a question: withfriendslikepod@gmail.com  AND feel free to submit an *audio* question using a recording app, if you are so technically inclined.  Relevant to the discussion: - Tom on how Trump’s Twitter feed undermines national security (it’s not that he’s revealing state secrets, it’s what he reveals about himself): http://thefederalist.com/2017/05/09/president-trumps-tweets-gold-mine-foreign-intelligence/ - Jane on “virtue signalling”: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/08/magazine/virtue-signaling-isnt-the-problem-not-believing-one-another-is.html?_r=0 SPONSORS: Upside: Bundled business travel. Get a $100 Amazon gift card with first purchase, go to: Upside.com, promo code FRIENDS Ring: The ultimate in home security. Get $150 off a Ring of Security kit by going to Ring.com/FRIENDS Blue Apron: Saved my marriage. Get a free week’s worth of meals at BlueApron.com/FRIENDSLIKE Helix: Get $50 off your order by going to Helix.com/ANA Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week’s episode is a dive into the intra-left culture wars: Who is sufficiently woke, and who gets to tell what stories (about whom)? Segment A [1:31]: New York magazine writer Kat Rosenfield (@katrosenfield) discusses her piece on “The Toxic Drama on YA Twitter” (link below). Segment B [30:32]: Culture critic for The Daily Beast and GQ and #friendofthepod Ira Madison III (@ira) joins to help us figure out what parts of the YA debate are helpful, and how it is and isn’t like the parallel debates over “Confederate” and “Detroit.” There are some digressions. Kat’s piece: http://www.vulture.com/2017/08/the-toxic-drama-of-ya-twitter.html Ira on “Confederate”: http://www.thedailybeast.com/the-game-of-thrones-creators-next-show-sounds-stupid-as-hell Ta-Nehisi Coates on “Confederate”: https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2017/08/no-confederate/535512/ Ira on “Detroit”: http://www.thedailybeast.com/how-kathryn-bigelows-detroit-erases-black-women The story I sent Ira about how the Confederate flag is back: https://www.buzzfeed.com/henrygomez/the-confederate-flag-fight-is-back?utm_term=.wsBVL9Z6y#.dkwK10mPQ Our glorious sponsors! Texture: WFLT listeners get 14 days free by going to Texture.com/FRIENDS Ziprecruiter.com: List your job for free by going to Ziprecruiter.com/FRIENDS Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

First [1:24], Montgomery Advertiser reporter Brian Lyman (@lyman_brian) joins to discuss covering the criminal justice system in Alabama -- including being present at the most recent execution conducted in the state. Also, what can the Alabama senate race tell us about the country at large? Second [40:50], #friendofthepod Jamil Smith (@jamilsmith) talks about the moment his life intersected with the question of capital punishment.... and stays for an extended chat about what the future of criminal justice looks like at this moment in American history. Show twitter: @crooked_friends Show email: withfriendslikepod@gmail.com Our amazing sponsors: Framebridge: The easiest way to custom frame your art and photos. WFLT listeners can save an additional 15% with promo code FRIENDS Harry's: A great shave at a fair price. Get a free trial set by going to Harry's.com/FRIENDS "Revisionist History": If you like WFLT, you're gonna like Malcolm Gladwell's "Revisionist History" -- the podcast that looks back and asks if we got it right the first time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After an intro in which I acknowledge the numerous categories of people who have *some idea* of what it’s like to live with an oppressor in the White House, I am joined by New York Times Magazine writer Greg Howard (@greghoward88) to discuss the aftermath of his essay about white women ignoring his existence. [4:29] Then Rick Wilson (@therickwilson), Never Trump stalwart, stops by to talk about Trump’s short-sighted and cruel Twitter declaration banning trans people from the military. I plead with him to not call it a distraction. [49:55] Read Greg's essay here: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/19/us/was-that-racist.html?_r=0 Some of the backlash is here: http://insider.foxnews.com/2017/07/21/new-york-times-white-women-new-york-racist-reporter-says And here: http://thehill.com/homenews/media/343073-ny-times-reporter-accuses-white-women-of-racism-on-city-sidewalks Send show feedback to @crooked_friends or withfriendslikepod@gmail.com Our fantastic sponsors include: Legal Zoom: Get ready for Make a Will Month by going to LegalZoom.com Third Love: Find the right fit and a free 30-day trial at ThirdLove.com/FRIENDS Ring Security: Get $150 off a Ring of Security floodlight kit by going to Ring.com/FRIENDS Parachute: I personally endorse these towels and sheets! Visit Parachutehome.com/FRIENDS for free shipping and returns Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Last week, without warning, the Trump administration cancelled over $200m in funding for research into teen pregnancy prevention (https://www.revealnews.org/article/trump-administration-suddenly-pulls-plug-on-teen-pregnancy-programs/). Sex education instructor Kim Cavill found out she was out of a job from reading about the funding cut on Twitter. She joins [3:52] to talk about the ramifications of the administration’s short-sightedness, and the importance of speaking truthfully and frankly about sex. Her blog, the Sex Positive Parent is at : http://www.chicagonow.com/sex-positive-parent/ Michelle Goldberg (@michelleinbklyn) is a writer for Slate and New York Times who has kept an unrelenting focus on what it means to have an admitted sexual assailant as our Commander in Chief — it’s a conversation no one ever wanted to have, something we don’t like to think, but that we have to talk about [51:10]. You can find her work here: http://www.slate.com/authors.michelle_goldberg.html and here: https://www.nytimes.com/column/michelle-goldberg Her book, The Means of Reproduction, is as relevant as ever: https://www.amazon.com/Means-Reproduction-Power-Future-World/dp/0143116886 If you have had experience with any kind of sexual assault or violation, you are not alone. There is help. Two resources available: - RAINN (the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network): Call their hotline (800-656-4673) or use their anonymous chat feature at their website, RAINN.org - The Crisis Text Line is anonymous and available 24 hours a day to help with a wide variety of problems, including sexual assault and mental health or just an emotionally difficult time: 741741 Our sponsors 23 and me: Win a “genetic adventure” to explore where you come from. Find out more at 23andme.com Upside.com: Bundling airfare and hotels will save you money, and you get a free Amazon gift card for each time you use Upside. Go to Upside.com/FRIENDS for a guaranteed $100 Amazon gift card with your first purchase. Texture: Every magazine you’d ever want, in one place. Go to Texture.com/FRIENDS to get a 14-day trial for free. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We talk to ADAPT activist Anita Cameron (@adaptanita) [2:53] about the history of the disability rights movement and its recent success raising awareness about what TrumpCare would do to Medicaid. (She also has a few pointers for reporters covering the protests on how to not infantilize the activists.) Vann Newark (@fivefifths) [23:40] joins to talk about the intersection of health policy and civil rights, both philosophically and historically. Easter egg [46:15]: A mini-op-ed on how to correctly insult Donald Trump, Jr. You can reach the show via Twitter at @crooked_friends or email: withfriendslikepod@gmail.com Our fabulous sponsors:  23 and Me: Through August 3, enter to win a “genetic adventure” to explore the heritage revealed by 23 and Me’s analysis of your DNA. Visit 23andme.com for details. Harry’s: A great shave at a fair price. Get a free trial, including a razor, ergonomic razor handle, shave gel and travel cover, by going to Harrys.com/FRIENDS ZipRecruiter: Reach the best candidates and post your job for FREE by visiting ZipRecruiter.com/FRIENDS Blue Apron: A better way to cook, as you may have heard. Get your first three meals for free by going to BlueApron.com/FRIENDSLIKE Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We sit down with Neera Tanden (@neeratanden), CEO of the Center for American Progress and friend of the pod, to discuss why we should stop debating the election — it’s everybody’s fault! — and the reasons she’s optimistic the Trump presidency will build a progressive majority. We were remiss in letting you know about the podcasts recommended by Jon Ward in last week’s pod. They are: Truth’s Table: “Black Christian women who love the truth and seek it out wherever it leads us.” https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/truths-table/id1212429230?mt=2  Pass the Mic: “Every month Jemar and Tyler sit down with voices from across the reformed movement with the mission of addressing the core concerns of African Americans biblically.” http://www.podasterynetwork.com/category/passthemic/ The Benjamin Dixon Show https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMCioqY4zblWt7Uw0E0VTGA You can reach the pod at @crooked_friends on Twitter or email us your comments at withfriendslikepod@gmail.com Our sponsors! Third Love: Get a free 30-day trial for a perfect-fit bra by going to ThirdLove.com/FRIENDS Ring: Save $150 off of Ring Floodlight Security Cam kit at ring.com/FRIENDS Framebridge: Get 15% off your first framing order by using offer code FRIENDS at framebridge.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jon Ward (@jonward11) was one of the people I had in mind when we came up with "With Friends Like These": A seriously smart and dedicated reporter who doesn't see the world the same way I do, but with whom I have found fertile common ground. He joins to discuss his reporting and his faith, and what it means to embrace the evangelism of racial reconciliation. Jon is a Political Correspondent for Yahoo News and is writing "a narrative history of Ted Kennedy's decision to challenge Jimmy Carter." He has a new podcast, "The Long Game," about "the lost art of solving problems through the lens of institutions," it is available here: https://medium.com/jon-ward/soft-launch-of-my-podcast-the-long-game-e3e728ccea3 The podcasts Jon mentions in the show are:  Truth’s Table: “Black Christian women who love the truth and seek it out wherever it leads us.” https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/truths-table/id1212429230?mt=2  Pass the Mic: “Every month Jemar and Tyler sit down with voices from across the reformed movement with the mission of addressing the core concerns of African Americans biblically.” http://www.podasterynetwork.com/category/passthemic/ The Benjamin Dixon Show https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMCioqY4zblWt7Uw0E0VTGA You can reach the pod at @crooked_friends on Twitter or email us at withfriendslikepod@gmail.com Our sponsors deserver your attention and patronage! Texture for all your magazine needs: Get a free 14-day trial at Texture.com/friends Parachute sheets are super comfy and stylish: Get free shipping and returns after a 60-night trial at ParachuteHome.com/friends. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A bonus pod about the Philando Castile verdict and what happens next, with Greg Doucette (@greg_doucette) and Jane Coaston (@cjane87).  Jane is a political correspondent at MTV News, you can browse her content here: http://www.mtv.com/news/author/coastonj/ Greg is a criminal defense attorney and criminal justice reform advocate, and is also known as Durham’s “Weed lawyer.” He now has his own podcast, Fsck ‘Em All: https://www.fsckemall.com/ Greg and Jane have appeared on the pod before, on the same episode but different segments. It’s here: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/being-called-racist-is-white-peoples-kryptonite/id1207507389?i=1000384636264&mt=2 This is their first time in conversation with each other.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices