The BradCast w/ Brad Friedman

Epizódy

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  'BradCast' 9/15/2026 (A Midterm Bullet Dodged (For Now). Can't Say Same for the Climate) 16.09.2026 58min

  On today's 'BradCast': Election officials and voters across the nation are relieved after the US Supreme Court blocked Donald Trump's unconstitutional executive order attempting to use the US Postal Service to interfere in the critical midterm elections and undermine mail-in voting. The man-baby president threw a tantrum in response. But it isn't over -- Trump and Republicans will continue their schemes to steal the midterms. A Florida county experienced how the now-blocked USPS rule would have generated chaos in the election. Costco restricted shoppers' purchases of motor oil as Trump's expanding Iran War triggers shortages of refined oil products. Trump's EPA repealed limits on climate-warming emissions from the nation's polluting power plants, and moved to block future administrations from enacting emissions standards. Plus Desi Doyen has our new 'Green News Report.'
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  'BradCast' 9/14/2026 (Going Postal...50 Days Before Midterm Election Day) 15.09.2026 57min

  On today's 'BradCast': America has just 50 days to go until the critical midterm elections -- last chance to vote is November 3rd. The US Postal Service's restructuring resulted in the rejection of thousands of legal, on-time, mail-in ballots across the country, particularly affecting rural voters. Two federal courts blocked Donald Trump's unconstitutional executive order directing USPS to interfere with mail-in balloting. A whistleblower and the Postal Workers union warn USPS is radically unprepared to implement the order. The US Supreme Court blocked Trump's USPS scheme, but voters should try to vote early, dropping their ballot at a dropbox or polling place, or mail ballots at least 7 days before Election Day and ask for a manual postmark. The road ahead will get very bumpy, so vote carefully, and spread the word. Callers weigh in.
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  'BradCast' 9/10/2026 (SCOTUS Again Rejects MO's Trump/GOP U.S. House Gerrymander; Trump's $5k 'dividend checks') 10.09.2026 58min

  On today's 'BradCast': The US Supreme Court, for the second time, rejected Missouri Republicans' newly-gerrymandered US House voting maps, ordering that the state's original 2022 maps be used for the upcoming critical November midterm elections. Rhode Island's primary delivered interesting results. Indiana's Supreme Court confirmed that otherwise legal ballots must be counted despite minor clerical errors made by election officials, handing a narrow primary victory to a Republican Indiana state senator who blocked Donald Trump's demands for new, extremely gerrymandered maps. Crude oil prices, mortgage rates and inflation are soaring again. Trump said he would give $5000 checks to all adult US citizens, but only if Republicans win both uses of Congress in November, adding another false promise to his very long list. Plus Desi Doyen has our new 'Green News Report.'
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  'BradCast' 9/11/2026 (Encore: Midterm Mayhem; 'Trump-a-Palooza' in Dallas; Vote suppression in Fort Worth; Gerrymander mess in MO) 11.09.2026 58min

  Encore: original airdate 9-8-2026. On today's 'BradCast': Midterm Mayhem is underway in the final two months before the critical midterm elections. Donald Trump is launching the first-ever GOP Midterm convention in Texas this week, focused primarily on himself. The Trump Administration appealed to the rightwing US Supreme Court to overturn a court ruling blocking the US Postal Service from implementing Trump's unlawful scheme to interfere with mail-in ballots, even as states have already begun sending out absentee ballots. Republican officials in Ft. Worth, Texas voted to close 92 polling places used in the 2022 midterms, including at college campuses. Missouri's state Supreme Court blocked GOP state lawmakers' newly-gerrymandered voting maps. Incumbent Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS) sued 700 of his own low-income patients for non-payment. Plus Desi Doyen has our new 'Green News Report.'
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  'BradCast' 9/9/2026 (Missouri's insane U.S. House map battle, with guest Richard Von Glahn of People Not Politicians) 10.09.2026 58min

  On today's 'BradCast': Missouri's midterm elections have been thrown into chaos after a federal judge issued a ruling defying both the Missouri state Supreme Court and the US Supreme Court, which had blocked the state from using the Republican state legislature's newly-gerrymandered maps in the November election. The man at the center of the state's insane, ongoing gerrymandering storm, plaintiff RICHARD VON GLAHN, Policy Director at non-profit People Not Politicians, explains how state Republican officials deployed various outrageous schemes to deny the will of the voters and entrench GOP power; the latest twists and turns in the legal battle; and much more. Also today: Noteworthy results from New Hampshire's primary elections. Global oil prices soared again due to the Iran War, as Donald Trump claimed gas prices won't fall until AFTER the midterm elections.
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  'BradCast' 9/8/2026 (Back to Midterm Mayhem; 'Trump-a-Palooza' in Dallas; Vote suppression in Fort Worth; Gerrymander mess in MO) 09.09.2026 58min

  On today's 'BradCast': Midterm Mayhem is underway in the final two months before the critical midterm elections. Donald Trump is launching the first-ever GOP Midterm convention in Texas this week, focused primarily on himself. The Trump Administration appealed to the rightwing US Supreme Court to overturn a court ruling blocking the US Postal Service from implementing Trump's unlawful scheme to interfere with mail-in ballots, even as states have already begun sending out absentee ballots. Republican officials in Ft. Worth, Texas voted to close 92 polling places used in the 2022 midterms, including at college campuses. Missouri's state Supreme Court blocked GOP state lawmakers' newly-gerrymandered voting maps. Incumbent Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS) sued 700 of his own low-income patients for non-payment. Plus Desi Doyen has our new 'Green News Report.'
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  'BradCast' 9/7/2026 (Encore: We're Paying an Unspeakable Price for the Cost of DOGE; Guest: Michael Mechanic of MoJo) 07.09.2026 58min

  Encore: original airdate 8-13-2026. On today's 'BradCast': Donald Trump's White House vanity projects will cost taxpayers at least $900 million, raided from other agencies to prevent congressional oversight. Trump's hand-picked Kennedy Center board voted to shut down the facility for two years, imperiling the survival of the National Symphony Orchestra. Homeland Security officials spent $464 million on a no-bid contract for 10 used airplanes that have barely been used since. A new GAO report confirms that Elon Musk's so-called 'Department of Government Efficiency' (DOGE) did not save any taxpayer dollars, or reduce the debt or deficit. Mother Jones' MICHAEL MECHANIC explains how Musk's DOGE scam actually cost taxpayers money, and cost America dearly in heath, humanity, privacy, education, food safety, consumer protections, and world leadership in science. Plus Desi Doyen has our new 'Green News Report.'
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  'BradCast' 9/4/2026 (Encore: Democracy is 'Kryptonite for Empires'; Guests: Heather Digby Parton and 'Driftglass') 04.09.2026 58min

  Encore: original airdate 8-26-2026. On today's 'BradCast': In GOP primary runoffs this week, Trump-backed candidates eked out narrow victories, including South Carolina's clueless Darline Graham (sister of the late Sen. Lindsey Graham) for the Republican US Senate nomination. Election denier Mike Lindell failed to meet the payment deadline for a statewide hand recount of the GOP Minnesota gubernatorial primary he lost. A federal judge lifted the injunction on Donald Trump's unlawful executive order on mail-in voting, setting in motion the next stage of litigation. And we lost both Dolly Parton and Tim Curry. Salon's Heather Digby Parton and 'Driftglass' of the Pro Left Podcast bring insight, analysis, history and hilarity to a wide-ranging discussion on the midterm primary season, Trump's stupid trade war with Canada, the Iran War stalemate, his 'special aide' Natalie Harp, and much more...
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  'BradCast' 9/3/2026 (Encore: National Debt Tops $40 Trillion; Guest: Former WH economist Bobby Kogan) 03.09.2026 58min

  Encore: original airdate 8-20-2026. On today's 'BradCast': Donald Trump voted by mail in the Florida primary while going to extraordinary measures to prevent Americans from doing so. Another federal judge rejected the corrupt Trump Justice Department's lawsuit seeking voter-roll data. Election denier and pillow salesman Mike Lindell plans to fund a statewide hand-count of his loss in Minnesota's GOP gubernatorial primary. The U.S. gross national debt has topped $40 trillion, driven largely by multiple Republican tax cuts and economic calamities, so Republicans are calling for cutting social programs like Medicaid and food assistance. Economist Bobby Kogan of the Center for American Progress explains how we got to here, what it means for the US economy today and long term, ways we can fix it, and much more. Plus Desi Doyen has our new 'Green News Report.'
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  'BradCast' 9/2/2026 (Encore: About that Corrupt SCOTUS Ruling on Trump Election Order; Guest: Former U.S. Dept. Asst. Attorney General Justin Levitt) 02.09.2026 58min

  Encore: original airdate 8-26-2026. On today's 'BradCast': Lower courts blocked an executive order issued by Donald Trump directing the US Postal Service to obtain state voter lists and prevent delivery of absentee mail ballots to any voter not on the list. Then the corrupted rightwing supermajority on the US Supreme Court issued a disturbing ruling allowing some of Trump's executive order to proceed, risking chaos and confusion in the midterm elections. Constitutional Law Prof. Justin Levitt of Loyola University Law School explains what the ruling means -- and doesn't mean -- in the complex litigation, and how voters can protect their right to vote. Levitt also debunks the shoddy report issued under a Census Bureau label that falsely claims thousands of non-citizen voted in the 2020 election that Trump lost. Plus Desi Doyen has our new 'Green News Report.'
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  'BradCast' 9/1/2026 (Encore: Thom Hartmann on the Fourth Rise of U.S. Oligarchy and the 2026 Election That Could Begin to End It) 01.09.2026 58min

  Encore: original airdate 7-27-2026. On today's 'BradCast': The Trump Administration has appealed to the US Supreme Court to block a ruling striking down his unconstitutional executive order requiring the US Postal Service block delivery of vote-by-mail ballots in states that refuse to play by Trump's unlawful rules. Progressive radio host THOM HARTMANN discusses his new article detailing cycles of oligarchy through U.S. history, and how each time, pro-democracy Americans have joined forces to defeat them. Hartmann explains that November 2026 elections offer the next opportunity to stop the 'fourth assault on American democracy' and details potential Republican schemes to hold on to power, block Democrats from taking control of Congress, and much more. Callers weigh in.
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  'BradCast' 8/31/2026 (Encore: Is the Zombie Myth that Repubs are Better than Dems on the Economy Finally Dead?; Guest: Michael Tomasky of The New Republic) 31.08.2026 58min

  Encore: original airdate 8-18-2026. On today's 'BradCast': The Trump Administration moved to end the 'Roadless Rule,' opening up millions of acres of the public's pristine, protected national forests to logging, mining and drilling. Voters head to the polls for primaries in Alaska, Wyoming, and Florida, which has several nutty races. The New Republic's MICHAEL TOMASKY discusses why new polls indicate that majorities of American voters now say Democrats are better stewards of the economy than Republicans, thanks to Donald Trump's reckless, irrational, destabilizing policies. Tomasky debunks several GOP zombie myths with astonishing historical data and context; explains how the rightwing media echo chamber perpetuates those myths with help from corporate mainstream media; and actions to shift course so that the public hears and understands the facts. Plus Desi Doyen has our new 'Green News Report.'
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  'BradCast' 8/28/2026 (Encore: Lawless FCC Votes to Ignore Legal Cap on TV Station Ownership; Guest: John Bergmayer of Public Knowledge) 28.08.2026 58min

  Encore: original airdate 8-6-2026. On today's 'BradCast': South Korea declared a public health emergency amid a record-shattering heat wave that has killed dozens, hospitalized thousands, and canceled pro baseball games. The 2026 midterm election primaries continue in Tennessee and Hawaii. The libertarian CATO Institute criticizes Donald Trump for taking an unprecedented US government ownership stake in at least 30 major corporations, even as he and Republicans have shifted to fear-mongering about a 'Communist Menace' threatening America. JOHN BERGMAYER of Public Knowledge explains the Trump FCC's corrupt move lifting media ownership caps, allowing giant corporations to gobble up even more local television stations; why the rule change violates the law; how removing barriers to corporate media consolidation violates the public's interests and endangers democracy; and much more. Plus Desi Doyen has our new 'Green News Report.'
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  'BradCast' 8/27/2026 (Will Dems Risk Being Called 'Election Deniers' If They Need to Challenge Midterms?) 28.08.2026 58min

  On today's 'BradCast': The deadly glacier-related flood catastrophe in Nepal/Tibet joins a series of similar glacial flood disasters around the world triggered by man-made climate change. Donald Trump is paying companies to halt their offshore wind projects and instead invest the taxpayer funds in fossil fuel projects that directly benefit his wealthy donors. Democrats who mock election denier Mike Lindell's push for a recount in the Minnesota GOP gubernatorial primary would be smart to remember that they might also need to pursue recounts and legal actions in the critical midterm elections. A growing number of conservative Texas voters say they are fed up with Republicans. Texas officials quietly 'suspended' more than 1.2 million legal voters from the voting rolls -- remember to check that your registration is still active. Plus Desi Doyen has our new 'Green News Report.'
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  'BradCast' 8/26/2026 (Democracy is 'Kryptonite for Empires'; Guests: Heather Digby Parton and 'Driftglass') 27.08.2026 57min

  On today's 'BradCast': In GOP primary runoffs this week, Trump-backed candidates eked out narrow victories, including South Carolina's clueless Darline Graham (sister of the late Sen. Lindsey Graham) for the Republican US Senate nomination. Election denier Mike Lindell failed to meet the payment deadline for a statewide hand recount of the GOP Minnesota gubernatorial primary he lost. A federal judge lifted the injunction on Donald Trump's unlawful executive order on mail-in voting, setting in motion the next stage of litigation. And we lost both Dolly Parton and Tim Curry. Salon's Heather Digby Parton and 'Driftglass' of the Pro Left Podcast bring insight, analysis, history and hilarity to a wide-ranging discussion on the midterm primary season, Trump's stupid trade war with Canada, the Iran War stalemate, his 'special aide' Natalie Harp, and much more...
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  'BradCast' 8/25/2026 (About that Corrupt SCOTUS Ruling on Trump's Election Order; Guest: Former U.S. Dept. Asst. AG Justin Levitt) 26.08.2026 58min

  On today's 'BradCast': Lower courts blocked an executive order issued by Donald Trump directing the US Postal Service to obtain state voter lists and prevent delivery of absentee mail ballots to any voter not on the list. Then the corrupted rightwing supermajority on the US Supreme Court issued a disturbing ruling allowing some of Trump's executive order to proceed, risking chaos and confusion in the midterm elections. Constitutional Law Prof. Justin Levitt of Loyola University Law School explains what the ruling means -- and doesn't mean -- in the complex litigation, and how voters can protect their right to vote. Levitt also debunks the shoddy report issued under a Census Bureau label that falsely claims thousands of non-citizen voted in the 2020 election that Trump lost. Plus Desi Doyen has our new 'Green News Report.'
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  'BradCast' 8/24/2026 (SCOTUS Gifts Trump Again on USPS Vote-by-Mail Order; Trade war with Canada?!) 25.08.2026 58min

  On today's 'BradCast': The corrupt rightwing majority on the US Supreme Court gave another gift to Donald Trump, allowing his administration to begin carrying out parts of an unprecedented executive order to restrict mail-in voting via the US Postal Service. The three liberal justices dissented, noting that the ruling gives all 50 states only three weeks to figure out new procedures to comply before the deadline to send out mail-in overseas and military ballots. A Trump think-tank was secretly behind a Census Bureau 'report' asserting tens of thousands of non-citizens voted in the 2020 election that Trump decisively lost. Trump doubled down on his very stupid, very damaging tariff trade war with ally Canada. Callers weigh in.
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  'BradCast' 8/21/2026 (Encore: Alarming voting system vulnerabilities persist, with guest Susan Greenhalgh, election security expert) 21.08.2026 57min

  Encore: original airdate 8-10-2026. On today's 'BradCast': Colombia suffered significant damage from a powerful earthquake. China was struck by Super Typhoon Dolphin. Europe braces for its fifth major heatwave. In the US, Lake Mead has hit a new record low due to heat and drought. Donald Trump's Iran War remains in stalemate. Trump's corrupt personal attorney Todd Blanche was sworn in as US Attorney General. Trump's Justice Department has lost every lawsuit to force states to turn over unredacted voter data. A cybersecurity group found vulnerabilities in U.S. electronic voting systems and then was fired by the Trump Administration. Election security expert SUSAN GREENHALGH of Free Speech For People explains the cybersecurity report, other known election security vulnerabilities; the lack of response from election officials, Republicans and Democrats; best practices to secure our elections; and more.
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  'BradCast' 8/20/2026 (National Debt Tops $40 Trillion; Guest: Former WH economist Bobby Kogan) 21.08.2026 58min

  On today's 'BradCast': Donald Trump voted by mail in the Florida primary while going to extraordinary measures to prevent Americans from doing so. Another federal judge rejected the corrupt Trump Justice Department's lawsuit seeking voter-roll data. Election denier and pillow salesman Mike Lindell plans to fund a statewide hand-count of his loss in Minnesota's GOP gubernatorial primary. The U.S. gross national debt has topped $40 trillion, driven largely by multiple Republican tax cuts and economic calamities, so Republicans are calling for cutting social programs like Medicaid and food assistance. Economist Bobby Kogan of the Center for American Progress explains how we got to here, what it means for the US economy today and long term, ways we can fix it, and much more. Plus Desi Doyen has our new 'Green News Report.'
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  'BradCast' 8/19/2026 (Hope for Democracy Shines After Fascinating Primaries in WY, FL, AK, and more) 20.08.2026 58min

  On today's 'BradCast': Wyoming, Florida, and Alaska delivered fascinating primary results while highlighting the corrosive effect of outside special interest money in our democratic elections. A US House runoff in California is too close to call, despite a flood of AIPAC campaign cash. Donald Trump’s influence appears to be weakening as his candidates lost in Wyoming and elsewhere. Trumpy Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) will face former Republican-turned-Democrat David Jolly for Florida's gubernatorial seat. Despite being outspent 16–1, progressive Angie Nixon scored a surprise win over Alexander Vindman in Florida's Democratic US Senate primary. Former Rep. Mary Peltola (D) led Alaska's top-four US Senate primary, and voters approved new limits on campaign finance. But Elon Musk and his billionaire buddies are funding an effort to tear down Alaska's reforms on voting and campaign finance.