What will it take for Dems to connect with black & brown voters? How can Dems keep Republicans from branding them, radicals? What can Dems do better to keep the house? All this and more is discussed on the season finale of Politics: Meet Me in the Middle. Bill and Jane are joined by Lanae Erickson (Senior Vice President for the Social Policy Program at The Third Way) and Quentin James (founder and president of The Collective) to explore their six month study and report that was praised by The NY Times. Episode Timestamps: 2:00 Intro 5:52 Defining The Third Way, The Collective, and The Lati ..read more

Bill Curtis, Jane Albrecht, and Ted Lieu continue their discussion with Congressman Ted Lieu about cybersecurity and the potential threats to America’s infrastructure. According to Lieu, the Trump Administration did not take cybersecurity as seriously as it should have, even eliminating government cybersecurity positions. The new administration seems to be taking the issue of cybersecurity with more gravity. He wants more people to realize that the severity of an attack could go well beyond individual businesses and affect the quality of the lives of many Americans. Then, he speaks about crypt ..read more

Bill Curtis, Jane Albrecht, and Congressman Ted Lieu discuss computer hackers, cyber warfare, America's infrastructure, and how we can keep our country safe from these attacks. This is part one of our two-part series on cyber security with Representative Ted Lieu. Congressman Ted W. Lieu represents California’s 33rd Congressional District. Serving his fourth term in Congress, Ted has already made a significant impact in Washington. He was elected President of the Democratic Freshman Class by his colleagues during his first term. Last term, after being elected Vice Chair of the Democratic Congr ..read more

Bill and Jane sit down with economist, Stephanie Kelton for a comprehensive conversation about the federal budget, inflation, jobs, revamping the debt system, the power of the purse, and the US economy. Stephanie is a leading authority on Modern Monetary Theory, a new approach to economics that is taking the world by storm. She is considered one of the most important voices influencing the policy debate today. Her New York Times bestseller, The Deficit Myth: Modern Monetary Theory and the Birth of the People’s Economy, shows how to break free of the flawed thinking that has hamstrung policymak ..read more

It's the second half of Bill Curtis and Jane Albrecht's conversation with Bill Kristol, and they cover just about everything under the political sun. Jane and Bill ask about the Republican's inability to think for themselves when it comes to outlandish conspiracy theories, getting rid of the filibuster, and dissecting Biden's infrastructure plan... all while the verdict comes down on the murder of George Floyd. Plus, we also have a riveting "Lighting Round" with our guest! William Kristol is editor-at-large of The Bulwark. He was a founder of The Weekly Standard and is a regular guest on leadi ..read more

Bill Curtis and Jane Albrecht discuss the insurrection, Trump-ism, and the Biden infrastructure plan with political commentator, Bill Kristol.  William Kristol is Editor-at-Large of The Bulwark. He was a founder of The Weekly Standard, and is a regular guest on leading political commentary shows. Prior to his work at The Weekly Standard, Kristol led the Project for the Republican Future, an organization that helped shape the strategy that produced the 1994 Republican congressional victory. From 1985 to 1993, Kristol served as Chief of Staff to Education Secretary William Bennett in the Re ..read more

Michael Steele joins Bill Curtis and Jane Albrecht to discuss what changes need to be made in the Republican (and Democratic) Party. Michael Steele the former RNC Chairman, former Lt. Gov. Maryland, political analyst for MSNBC,  and host of The Michael Steele Podcast. When he was elected Lt. Governor of Maryland in 2003, Michael Steele made history as the first African American elected to statewide office; and again with his subsequent chairmanship of the Republican National Committee in 2009. Episode Timestamps: 1:42 Still a Republican 2:57 What if you were the chair again? 4:40 Is the R ..read more

CEO of Liberty Hill Foundation, Shane Murphy Goldsmith, joins Bill Curtis and Jane Albrecht to talk about her story, dream job as an activist, reforming the police, social imbalance, what brought her to her current position in life, and how LHF is making LA a better place for all. Episode Timestamps 2:05 Shane’s Origin Story 4:41 Community 5:36 Gang Life 6:00 The Police State 7:58 Reasons SMG joined the LAPD Commission 11:08 Making a Difference 12:53 Some of the things SMG learned about the police 15:00 The Reckoning of 2020 17:31 Good Cops 21:06 Appropriate Punishment and How Police respond 2 ..read more

Bill Curtis and Jane Albrecht invite Congressman Ted Lieu to the show to discuss the aftermath of the insurrection, his personal feelings on January 6th, 2021, and breaking down the Biden Infrastructure Plan.  Episode Timestamps: 1:57 Following up after the storming of the Capitol  3:00 Details on the day of the insurrection 3:57 The fear Ted felt 4:41 How the insurrection changed Ted 5:46 Feelings about the impeachment process 7:35 Diving into the decision not to convict the president 8:20 On two-thirds vote 9:14 14th Amendment Section 3 11:00 The second impeachment and not having e ..read more

Economist and Professor Ioana Elena Marinescu returns for part 2, with hosts Bill Curtis and International Trade Attorney Jane Albrecht, to discuss where the US currently stands economically, where it will stand in a post-COVID world, and the arguments for and against raising the minimum wage. Episode Timestamps:  - :30 Minimum Wage - 1:54 Difference between a federal and state minimum wage - 2:36 Why we need a federal minimum wage - 3:33 Why a new minimum wage won’t lose jobs - 5:45 Places of business that underpay - 7:30 Public vs Private - 7:50 Companies who influence politicians to vo ..read more