0:08 – The latest filings show 1.5 million new unemployment claims in the U.S. — and that’s not including 700,000 people who applied for pandemic unemployment assistance, because they don’t qualify for the state UI programs. Together, that’s 2.2 million people who applied for unemployment last week. Heidi Shierholz of the Economic Policy Institute points out … Continued


0:08 – Hours-long lines at the polls, scores of voters sent to nursing homes to cast their ballots, black voters not receiving confirmation of their registration, voting machines without cords, poll workers without the information necessary to operate the machines, police being called on voting rights observers  — these are just some of the stories … Continued


0:08 – NFL commissioner Roger Goodell published an “apology” video recognizing that athletes have the right to protest, and didn’t mention Colin Kaepernick’s name once. Dr. Harry Edwards, professor emeritus of sociology at UC Berkeley, and one of the lead organizers calling for a black athletes’ boycott of the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, … Continued


0:08 – Could there be another stimulus check? Will Republicans block an extension of the paycheck protection program under the idea that the economy is recovering on its own? Mitch Jeserich, host of Letters & Politics weekdays at 10AM, joins us for “Mondays with Mitch.” We chat about new unemployment data and what it might mean … Continued


0:08 – On May 30, Alameda County saw a spike in Covid-19 cases. Erin Allday, health writer for the San Francisco Chronicle has been tirelessly reporting on the crisis in the Bay Area for months and joins us to talk about it. 0:18 – Protests against the murder of George Floyd have spread around the world. … Continued


0:08 – The NYPD’s budget is nearly $6 billion. How do activists go about defunding it? We talk with Alex Vitale, professor of sociology and coordinator of the Policing and Social Justice Project at Brooklyn College, and the author of The End of Policing. Vitale has been outspoken this month in calling to defund NYPD. 0:34 … Continued


On this show: 0:08 – Is organized labor poised to expel police unions? We talk with Bill Fletcher, Jr., long-time writer and social justice activist, with work in the trade union movement, electoral politics and international affairs. 1:08 – John Eligon is a national correspondent for the New York Times covering race. He has been … Continued



0:08 – Tuesday with Mitch – Mitch Jeserich is the host of Letters and Politics, weekdays at 10. 0:34 – Today marks one year since Walnut Creek police killed 23-year-old Miles Hall. We talk with his mother, Taun Hall, about her ongoing fight for justice for her son. Community members will pay tribute to Miles … Continued


0:08 – The U.S. is erupting in protests against the police killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, Steven Taylor and many more. Thousands of people joined marches, uprisings and a car caravan on Friday, Saturday and Sunday in Oakland. Police departments across the country have responded with brutal and excessive force against demonstrators, … Continued