Episodes

  • Desmond Meade, who led the campaign to restore voting rights to the formerly incarcerated in Florida, returns to talk about Gov. Ron DeSantis's decision to deny him a pardon and renewed threats to democratic participation in his state. But in spite of it all, Desmond's excitement about people exercising the franchise is infectious.

    Then, Emmy-winning journalist Soledad O'Brien is ready to Disrupt & Dismantle structural racism in her new BET series—and to call out cable news for its role in spreading disinformation.

    Plus: Hari admits that for him "new music" means Baby Beluga, and Kamau reveals The Goal of Life.

    Find our guests:
    Desmond Meade (@desmondmeade) https://floridarrc.com/desmond-meade/
    Soledad O'Brien (@soledadobrien) https://soledadobrienproductions.com

    Mentioned in the show:
    Silk Sonic, "Leave the Door Open" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adLGHcj_fmA
    Florida Rights Restoration Coalition https://floridarrc.com
    ACLU of Florida https://www.aclufl.org
    Disrupt & Dismantle https://www.bet.com/shows/disrupt-and-dismantle.html
    Comedian and Filmmaker Hari Kondabolu on Comedy, Culture and Maintaining Your Integrity https://www.culturedmag.com/comedian-and-filmmaker-hari-kondabolu-on-comedy-culture-and-maintaining-your-integrity/
    Brontez Purnell Explores Intimacy and Longing in New Book 100 Boyfriends https://www.culturedmag.com/brontez-purnell-100-boyfriends/

    Find us:
    Hari Kondabolu (@harikondabolu) http://www.harikondabolu.com/
    W. Kamau Bell (@wkamaubell) http://www.wkamaubell.com/

    Find the show:
    Twitter (@PoliticReActive)
    Facebook (@politicallyreactive)
    Instagram (@politicallyreactive)

    Produced by Topic Studios. Part of the WarnerMedia Podcast Network.
    Full credits.www.PoliticallyReActive.com

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  • Do Black people have an attitude problem about the COVID-19 vaccine? Dr. Rhea Boyd says absolutely not—the problem is lack of access to the vaccine and to real information. So she's launched BetweenUsAboutUs, a national campaign with Black doctors, scientists, and health care professionals (and a certain podcast host), to give Black communities the resources they need to make informed choices and get vaccinated.

    Then Kamau and Hari have the conversation that every politically engaged basketball fan dreams of with Marc J. Spears, Senior NBA writer for The Undefeated. Hear the full story of how the league shut down after the police killing of Jacob Blake, the underappreciated impact NBA players had on the 2020 election, and what it will take for Becky Hammon to get a real shot as the league's first female head coach. Marc also attempts to convert our resident Knicks fan to the Nets. It doesn't work.

    Plus: Hari's anticolonialist recap of Oprah's takedown of the British royal family.

    Find our guests:
    Dr. Rhea Boyd (@RheaBoydMD) https://rheaboyd.com
    Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpears) https://theundefeated.com

    Mentioned in the show:
    BetweenUsAboutUs https://www.betweenusaboutus.org
    NYT Opinion: Black People Need Better Vaccine Access, Not Better Vaccine Attitudes https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/05/opinion/us-covid-black-people.html

    Find us:
    Hari Kondabolu (@harikondabolu) http://www.harikondabolu.com/
    W. Kamau Bell (@wkamaubell) http://www.wkamaubell.com/

    Find the show:
    Twitter (@PoliticReActive)
    Facebook (@politicallyreactive)
    Instagram (@politicallyreactive)

    Produced by Topic Studios. Part of the WarnerMedia Podcast Network.
    Full credits.www.PoliticallyReActive.com

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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  • Amber Ruffin's career is really taking off (FYI, The Amber Ruffin Show is now on NBC), and she and her sister Lacey Lamar are as close as ever, trading stories about the crazy everyday racist behavior Lacey encounters in their hometown of Omaha, Nebraska. Their book You Won't Believe What Happened to Lacey is necessary reading for anyone who doesn't understand how enough microagressions and you'll want to flip a table.

    Hari and Kamau also talk to top litigator and former Acting Solicitor General Neal Katyal about facing the Supreme Court, Merrick Garland vs. the insurrectionists, and how the right uses affirmative action to divide Asian Americans from Black and Latino Americans.

    Plus: Arjun unbound!

    Find our guests:
    Neal Katyal @neal_katyalhttps://www.nealkatyal.com
    Amber Ruffin @ambermruffinhttps://youllneverbelievelacey.com

    Mentioned in the show:
    Billie Joe Armstrong on Brontez Purnell’s ‘White Boy Music’: ‘Blast This On a Big-Ass Speaker' https://bit.ly/3sKHFZA
    How to win an argument (at the US Supreme Court, or anywhere) | Neal Katyal https://bit.ly/30b8MRu

    Find us:
    Hari Kondabolu (@harikondabolu) http://www.harikondabolu.com/
    W. Kamau Bell (@wkamaubell) http://www.wkamaubell.com/

    Find the show:
    Twitter (@PoliticReActive)
    Facebook (@politicallyreactive)
    Instagram (@politicallyreactive)

    Produced by Topic Studios. Part of the WarnerMedia Podcast Network.
    Full credits.www.PoliticallyReActive.com

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  • Can we talk about Palestine? Dr. Marc Lamont Hill (who, admittedly, calls himself "a prisoner of hope") says we can, and that Americans are ready to even if our government isn't. He joins Hari and Kamau for a conversation that encompasses Michael Che, Bill Clinton, the Fourth Geneva Convention, and the Columbia House record club. Then Kamau's Mom, Janet Cheatham Bell, talks about structural racism in healthcare and her distrust of the pharmaceutical industry—and why none of that stopped her from getting the COVID-19 vaccine. Plus: a surprisingly-detailed analysis of the NBA MVP race.

    Find our guests:
    Dr. Marc Lamont Hill (@marclamonthill) https://www.marclamonthill.com
    Janet Cheatham Bell (@CheathamBell) https://www.janetcheathambell.com

    Mentioned in the show:
    Marc Lamont Hill + Mitchell Plitnick Except for Palestinehttps://thenewpress.com/books/except-for-palestine
    Playgrounds for Palestine https://playgroundsforpalestine.org
    Uncle Bobbie's Coffee & Books https://www.unclebobbies.com

    Find us:
    Hari Kondabolu (@harikondabolu) http://www.harikondabolu.com/
    W. Kamau Bell (@wkamaubell) http://www.wkamaubell.com/

    Find the show:
    Twitter (@PoliticReActive)
    Facebook (@politicallyreactive)
    Instagram (@politicallyreactive)

    Produced by Topic Studios. Part of the WarnerMedia Podcast Network.
    Full credits.www.PoliticallyReActive.com

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  • Historian, journalist and hero-of-Hari Vijay Prashad analyzes the Farmers' Protest in India and makes a powerful case for why their struggle is our struggle. And while he's at it, he salutes Rihanna, defines Marxism, and makes quick work of Dinesh D'Souza. Comic duo The Lucas Brothers give the backstory for the new film Judas and the Black Messiah and their 15-year journey to making a movie about Black Panther leader Fred Hampton. Plus: How Kenny and Keith's stoner nihilism withered in the face of Fred Hampton's love for the people.

    Find our guests:
    Vijay Prashad (@vijayprashad) https://www.thetricontinental.org
    The Lucas Bros (@lucasbros) https://thelucasbros.com

    Resources mentioned in the show:
    We Stand With Farmers https://farmersprotest.carrd.co
    Judas and the Black MessiahPodcasthttps://www.radiotopia.fm/podcasts/judas-and-the-black-messiah-podcast
    Eyes on the Prize II: Interview with William O'Neal: https://vimeo.com/512709094

    Find us:
    Hari Kondabolu (@harikondabolu) http://www.harikondabolu.com/
    W. Kamau Bell (@wkamaubell) http://www.wkamaubell.com/

    Find the show:
    Twitter (@PoliticReActive)
    Facebook (@politicallyreactive)
    Instagram (@politicallyreactive)

    Produced by Topic Studios. Part of the WarnerMedia Podcast Network.
    Full credits.www.PoliticallyReActive.com

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  • What does cancel culture have to do with defunding the police? How do we liberate our attention? Can better orgasms improve public policy? Hari and Kamau get answers—and Valentine's Day advice—from pleasure activist and abolitionist adrienne maree brown, author of We Will Not Cancel Us. Plus: Adam Jentleson lays out the Jim Crow roots of the filibuster and gives a Senate insider's view on why even Joe Manchin might be convinced to abandon it. His new book is Kill Switch: The Rise of the Modern Senate and the Crippling of American Democracy.

    Find our guests:
    Adam Jentleson (@AJentleson)
    adrienne maree brown (@adriennemaree) http://adriennemareebrown.net

    Resources mentioned in the show:
    We Stand With Farmers https://farmersprotest.carrd.co
    Movement for Black Lives https://m4bl.org
    The Frontline: #postcardstobiden https://demand.thefrontline.org
    Generation Five http://www.generationfive.org

    Find us:
    Hari Kondabolu (@harikondabolu) http://www.harikondabolu.com/
    W. Kamau Bell (@wkamaubell) http://www.wkamaubell.com/

    Find the show:
    Twitter (@PoliticReActive)
    Facebook (@politicallyreactive)
    Instagram (@politicallyreactive)

    Produced by Topic Studios. Part of the WarnerMedia Podcast Network.
    Full credits.www.PoliticallyReActive.com

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  • Hari and Kamau debate the morality of Super Bowl-watching before being joined by legendary poet Nikki Giovanni. She's out with a new collection called Make Me Rain, and ready to talk about everyone from Kwame Alexander to Tupac, James Baldwin to Colin Kaepernick. Hear why Nikki Giovanni is inspired by the women who launched Black Lives Matter—and the prospect of traveling to Mars.

    Find our guest:
    Nikki Giovanni https://nikki-giovanni.com

    Find us:
    Hari Kondabolu (@harikondabolu) http://www.harikondabolu.com/
    W. Kamau Bell (@wkamaubell) http://www.wkamaubell.com/

    Find the show:
    Twitter (@PoliticReActive)
    Facebook (@politicallyreactive)
    Instagram (@politicallyreactive)

    Produced by Topic Studios. Part of the WarnerMedia Podcast Network.
    Full credits.www.PoliticallyReActive.com

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  • Porsha Williams, star of The Real Housewives of Atlanta and granddaughter of civil rights legend Rev. Hosea Williams, talks about why she put her body on the line to demand justice for Breonna Taylor. ACLU Racial Justice Program Director ReNika Moore breaks down the immediate and long-term agenda for racial equity after Trump. And Kamau tries to explain Garth Brooks to Hari.

    Find our guests:
    ReNika Moore (@ReNikaMoore) https://www.aclu.org/news/by/renika-moore/
    Porsha Williams (@Porsha4Real) https://www.porshawilliams.com

    Mentioned on the show:
    ACLU Petition: Divest from the police. Invest in Black and Brown communities. https://bit.ly/36iwZIG
    ACLU Action: Tell Congress we Need Reparations for Slavery now. https://bit.ly/3abdsLr
    Until Freedom https://untilfreedom.com
    Breonna Taylor's mom Tamika Palmer (@TamikaPalmer)

    Find us:
    Hari Kondabolu (@harikondabolu) http://www.harikondabolu.com/
    W. Kamau Bell (@wkamaubell) http://www.wkamaubell.com/

    Find the show:
    Twitter (@PoliticReActive)
    Facebook (@politicallyreactive)
    Instagram (@politicallyreactive)

    Produced by Topic Studios. Part of the WarnerMedia Podcast Network.
    Full credits.www.PoliticallyReActive.com

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  • Hari and Kamau explore the pressing questions: What would Martin Luther King Jr. have been like on Twitter? Can live-streaming a federal crime boost your real estate business? And how many ways can Donald Trump end up in jail? They're joined by CNN analyst and former FBI special agent Asha Rangappa. Plus: Listeners bid a fond farewell to our 45th President.

    Find our guests:
    Asha Rangappa (@AshaRangappa_) https://asharangappa.com

    Mentioned in the show:
    Justice for Oscar Grant https://www.justiceforoscargrant.com

    Find us:
    Hari Kondabolu (@harikondabolu) http://www.harikondabolu.com/
    W. Kamau Bell (@wkamaubell) http://www.wkamaubell.com/

    Find the show:
    Twitter (@PoliticReActive)
    Facebook (@politicallyreactive)
    Instagram (@politicallyreactive)

    Produced by Topic Studios. Part of the WarnerMedia Podcast Network.
    Full credits.www.PoliticallyReActive.com

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  • Hari and Kamau can't help noticing that Blue Lives Matter, except when they try to defend the Capitol. Cat Brooks of the Anti Police-Terror Project and Dr. Phillip Atiba Goff of the Center for Policing Equity unpack what it means to "defund the police" — and why it's so damn hard. Plus, the ACLU's Kate Ruane is concerned about Twitter's Trump ban, even though she thinks he deserves much worse.

    Find our guests:
    Dr. Phillip Atiba Goff (@DrPhilGoff)https://www.policingequity.org
    Cat Brooks (@catscommentary) https://www.antipoliceterrorproject.org
    Kate Ruane https://www.aclu.org

    Find us:
    Hari Kondabolu (@harikondabolu) http://www.harikondabolu.com/
    W. Kamau Bell (@wkamaubell) http://www.wkamaubell.com/

    Find the show:
    Twitter (@PoliticReActive)
    Facebook (@politicallyreactive)
    Instagram (@politicallyreactive)

    Produced by Topic Studios. Part of the WarnerMedia Podcast Network. Full credits.www.PoliticallyReActive.com

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  • Just when Kamau and Hari thought they could breathe and take in the Democratic victories in Georgia's Senate runoff, an armed right-wing mob storms the Capitol. Hear their reaction to the chaos in DC and their conversation with Nse Ufot of the New Georgia Project and The Intercept's Ryan Grim about how Democrats can make the most of their power (and not fuck it up this time).

    Find our guests:
    Nse Ufot (@NseUfot) https://newgeorgiaproject.org
    Ryan Grim (@RyanGrim) https://theintercept.com/podcasts/deconstructed/

    Find us:
    Hari Kondabolu (@harikondabolu) http://www.harikondabolu.com/
    W. Kamau Bell (@wkamaubell) http://www.wkamaubell.com/

    Find the show:
    Twitter (@PoliticReActive)
    Facebook (@politicallyreactive)
    Instagram (@politicallyreactive)

    Produced by Topic Studios. Part of the WarnerMedia Podcast Network. Full credits.www.PoliticallyReActive.com

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  • The multitalented Daveed Diggs joins Hari and Kamau to talk about translating Blindspotting for TV, James McBride's liberating take on Frederick Douglass, and rich people loopholes in the time of COVID. Plus: Advanced-level Oakland shit, from Dope Era to Children's Fairyland.

    Find our guest:
    Daveed Diggs (@DaveedDiggs)

    And mentioned in the episode:
    Deconstructed: Inside Biden's Meeting With Civil Rights Leaders https://theintercept.com/2020/12/10/biden-audio-meeting-civil-rights-leaders/
    Daveed Diggs asks: What to my people is the Fourth of July? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WuCeUyItpzE
    Daveed Diggs: Puppy for Hanukkah https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8MkeIo2bUE

    Find us:
    Hari Kondabolu (@harikondabolu) http://www.harikondabolu.com/
    W. Kamau Bell (@wkamaubell) http://www.wkamaubell.com/

    Find the show:
    Twitter (@PoliticReActive)
    Facebook (@politicallyreactive)
    Instagram (@politicallyreactive)

    Produced by Topic Studios. Part of the WarnerMedia Podcast Network. Full credits.www.PoliticallyReActive.com

     

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  • Hari and Kamau are ejected from their post-election malaise by LaTosha Brown, the unstoppable co-founder of Black Voters Matter. She's on fire to build electoral power in Black communities and has her sights set on Democrats winning both seats in the Georgia Senate runoff. She's also got a message for progressives: If you want to win, time to root out structural racism. Plus: Hari confronts the inconvenient truth about John Kerry.

    Find our guest:
    LaTosha Brown (@MsLaToshaBrown) https://blackvotersmatterfund.org

    Find us:
    Hari Kondabolu (@harikondabolu) http://www.harikondabolu.com/
    W. Kamau Bell (@wkamaubell) http://www.wkamaubell.com/

    Find the show:
    Twitter (@PoliticReActive)
    Facebook (@politicallyreactive)
    Instagram (@politicallyreactive)

    Produced by Topic Studios. Part of the WarnerMedia Podcast Network. Full credits.www.PoliticallyReActive.com

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  • Ijeoma Oluo breaks down the costs of catering to underwhelming white guys in her new book Mediocre: The Dangerous Legacy of White Male America – and describes what it’s like to be a target for harassment from people who’ve never read a word she’s written. Sarah Silverman can’t wait for there to be a vaccine so she can get back to stand-up, but in the meantime she checks in about scumbag artists, relearning comedy for her new podcast, and the “Mostly Not Racist” t-shirt Kamau gave her. Plus: Hari puts himself through the Cyber Monday absolution matrix.

    Find our guests:
    Ijeoma Oluo (@IjeomaOluo) https://mediocrethebook.com
    Sarah Silverman (@SarahKSilverman) https://art19.com/shows/the-sarah-silverman-podcast

    Find us:
    Hari Kondabolu (@harikondabolu) http://www.harikondabolu.com/
    W. Kamau Bell (@wkamaubell) http://www.wkamaubell.com/

    Find the show:
    Twitter (@PoliticReActive)
    Facebook (@politicallyreactive)
    Instagram (@politicallyreactive)

    Produced by Topic Studios. Part of the WarnerMedia Podcast Network. Full credits.www.PoliticallyReActive.com

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  • Comedian Sarah Cooper shares the secrets she's learned lip-syncing to our most toxic president and making her Netflix special Everything's Fine. Then, Dr. Peter Hotez talks about surviving the COVID-19 spike, fighting anti-science propaganda, developing a dollar-a-dose coronavirus vaccine — and why Kamau should settle his beef with Surgeon General Jerome Adams.

    Find our guests:
    Sarah Cooper (@sarahcpr) https://sarahcpr.com
    Dr. Peter Hotez (@peterhotez) https://peterhotez.org

    Find us:
    Hari Kondabolu (@harikondabolu) http://www.harikondabolu.com/
    W. Kamau Bell (@wkamaubell) http://www.wkamaubell.com/

    Find the show:
    Twitter (@PoliticReActive)
    Facebook (@politicallyreactive)
    Instagram (@politicallyreactive)

    Produced by Topic Studios. Part of the WarnerMedia Podcast Network. Full credits.www.PoliticallyReActive.com

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  • Jesse Wegman dives into the extortionate history of the Electoral College. Indivisible's Meagan Hatcher-Mays outlines the prospects for the pro-democracy agenda without the blue wave. And Hari and Kamau kick back with Dope Queen Phoebe Robinson to talk publishing, Black Frasier, and texting with Michelle Obama.

    Find our guests:
    Jesse Wegman (@jessewegman) https://jessewegman.com
    Phoebe Robinson (@dopequeenpheebs) https://www.phoeberobinson.com
    Meagan Hatcher-Mays (@importantmeagan) https://indivisible.org

    Find us:
    Hari Kondabolu (@harikondabolu) http://www.harikondabolu.com/
    W. Kamau Bell (@wkamaubell) http://www.wkamaubell.com/

    Find the show:
    Twitter (@PoliticReActive)
    Facebook (@politicallyreactive)
    Instagram (@politicallyreactive)

    Produced by Topic Studios. Part of the WarnerMedia Podcast Network. Full credits.www.PoliticallyReActive.com

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  • Hari and Kamau check in with Alicia Garza of Black Futures Lab about the hope and confusion of Election 2020, what Joe Biden owes popular movements, and why this is no time for Democrats to follow the rules. Plus, Alicia's take on BLM going mainstream and becoming the target of all kinds of weird misinformation.

    Find our guest:
    Alicia Garza (@aliciagarza) https://blackfutureslab.org

    Find us:
    Hari Kondabolu (@harikondabolu) http://www.harikondabolu.com/
    W. Kamau Bell (@wkamaubell) http://www.wkamaubell.com/

    Find the show:
    Twitter (@PoliticReActive)
    Facebook (@politicallyreactive)
    Instagram (@politicallyreactive)

    Produced by Topic Studios. Part of the WarnerMedia Podcast Network. Full credits.www.PoliticallyReActive.com

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  • Hari and Kamau welcome Congresswoman Katie Porter, who wields her whiteboard against corrupt CEOs and regulators who don't do their jobs. Caroline Rose Giuliani talks about riding the Rudy rollercoaster and inspires Kamau to reveal his true identity. Plus, Hari's Dad Ravi Kondabolu on voting for the first time, citizenship and Hari's comedy.

    Find our guests:
    Katie Porter (@katieporteroc) https://katieporter.com
    Caroline Rose Giuliani (@CarolineRoseGiu) www.carolinerosegiuliani.com

    Find us:
    Hari Kondabolu (@harikondabolu) http://www.harikondabolu.com/
    W. Kamau Bell (@wkamaubell) http://www.wkamaubell.com/

    Find the show:
    Twitter (@PoliticReActive)
    Facebook (@politicallyreactive)
    Instagram (@politicallyreactive)

    Produced by Topic Studios. Part of the WarnerMedia Podcast Network. Full credits.www.PoliticallyReActive.com

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  • Hari and Kamau talk to Maria Hinojosa, anchor of Latino USA and co-host of In The Thick. She was the first Latina in the newsrooms at NPR, CNN, and PBS, and in her new memoir "Once I Was You," she connects the experiences of her Mexican immigrant family to her passion for defending the humanity of immigrants and refugees. She does her best to explain Latino Trump voters and discovers that she and Kamau went to the same high school in Chicago. But first, Hari has some QUESTIONS about court-packing (and gets the answers he needs!) from Take Back the Court's Aaron Belkin.

    Find our guests:
    Maria Hinojosa (@Maria_Hinojosa) hwww.inthethick.org
    Aaron Belkin (@AaronBelkin) www.takebackthecourt.today

    Find us:
    Hari Kondabolu (@harikondabolu) http://www.harikondabolu.com/
    W. Kamau Bell (@wkamaubell) http://www.wkamaubell.com/

    Find the show:
    Twitter (@PoliticReActive)
    Facebook (@politicallyreactive)
    Instagram (@politicallyreactive)

    Produced by Topic Studios. Part of the WarnerMedia Podcast Network. Full credits.www.PoliticallyReActive.com

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  • Hari and Kamau welcome insurgent Democrat Cori Bush, the nurse and Black Lives Matter activist who's poised to win election as Missouri's first Black congresswoman and join The Squad in Washington. Then, they rave on with Pod Save America co-host Jon Lovett about our traumatized democracy, the price Democrats have paid for Barack Obama's genius, the silliness of constitutional originalism, and Hari's time in Hillary Clinton's mailroom.

    Find our guests:
    Jon Lovett (@JonLovett) https://crooked.com/
    Cori Bush (@CoriBush) https://coribush.org/

    Find us:
    Hari Kondabolu (@harikondabolu) http://www.harikondabolu.com/
    W. Kamau Bell (@wkamaubell) http://www.wkamaubell.com/

    Find the show:
    Twitter (@PoliticReActive)
    Facebook (@politicallyreactive)
    Instagram (@politicallyreactive)

    Produced by Topic Studios. Part of the WarnerMedia Podcast Network. Full credits.www.PoliticallyReActive.com

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.