Video Presentations

KEYNOTE

Gov. Jerry Brown: “What’s the Big Picture?”

Former four-term governor of California.

ECONOMY

Robert Kuttner on Inflation and Growth

Co-founder of Economic Policy Institute and The American Prospect; author of numerous books on the economy, including this year, Going Big: FDR’s Legacy, Biden’s New Deal, and the Struggle to Save Democracy.

David Cay Johnston on Taxes

Pulitzer-prize winning author of Free Lunch and The Making of Donald Trump; ex-NY Times reporter, 13 years; founder of DCReport; professor at Syracuse University.

Thom Hartmann on Labor and Energy

Top-rated national radio talk host and author of many books on public
affairs.

HEALTH CARE

Dr. Steffie Woolhandler on Medicare-for-all, ACA

Distinguished Professor of Public Health at Hunter College; co-founder of Physicians for National Health Policy; co-author of leading Medicare-for-All proposal.

Dr. Irwin Redlener on Covid

Co-founder of Children’ Health Fund & director of the National Center for Disaster Preparedness at the Earth Institute, Columbia University.

CRIME & CORRUPTION

Richard Aborn on Street Crime and Guns

President of the Citizens Crime Commission, ex-President of Handgun Control Inc and a principal strategist behind the Brady Law and Assault Weapons Ban.

Russell Mokhiber on Corporate Crime in the Suites

Publisher of The Corporate Crime Reporter.

NATIONAL SECURITY

William Hartung on The Wasteful Military Budget

Director of the Arms & Security Project at the Center for International Policy. Author of Prophets of War.

Lawrence Wilkerson on The Pentagon

Chief of Staff to Secretary of State Colin Powell; now professor at College of William and Mary.

Marielena Hincapié on Immigration

Director of the National Immigration Law Center.

Anatol Lievan on Ukraine-Russia

Senior Research Fellow on Russia and Europe at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft.

CHILDREN

Robert Fellmeth on Voters Care About Children

Professor of Law at San Diego School of Law. Founder and Executive Director of the Center for Public Interest Law and The Children’s Advocacy Institute.

JAMIE RASKIN ON TRUMP

Rep. Jamie Raskin: “What can you say about a walking crime scene?”

Member of the House Special Committee on January 6 and author of Unthinkable.

RHETORIC & DEBATE

Mark Green on Dangerous Extremists

First NYC Public Advocate; author/editor of several books, including Changing America, Citizen Transition books for Clinton (1992) and Obama (2008) and Losing our Democracy (2004).

Jim Hightower on How to Talk Like a Populist

Syndicated columnist, national radio commentator, publisher of the monthly The Hightower Lowdown. Previously Texas Agricultural Commissioner (1983-1991).

Anat Shenker-Osorio on Messaging

Principal and founder of ASO Communications, a political consultancy that develops messaging for progressive campaigns.

Bill Hillsman on Advertising

Founded and runs North Hills Advertising in Minnesota. Has won 150 “Pollies” (Oscars for ads). Author of Run the Other Way. Clients included Paul Wellstone, Jesse Ventura, John Hickenlooper.

CLASS, RACE & DEMOCRACY

Rob Weissman on Democracy 

President of Public Citizen.

Heather McGhee on Class and Race

Past head of Demos. Author of The Sum of US: What Racism Costs Everyone. Chair, Color of Change. NBC contributor.

Ruth Ben-Ghiat on Authoritarianism

Author of Strongmen: Mussolini to the Present. Professor of History at NYU.

CLIMATE VIOLENCE

Annie Leonard on Taking on the Climate Crisis

Co-director of Greenpeace, USA.

Lois Gibbs on Toxics and Communities

Discovered Love Canal, NY built on chemical waste dump. Led citizens drive for cleanup & evacuation. Runs the grassroots Center for Health, Environment & Justice.

GOTV

Joe Madison on Connecting with Potential Voters

Renowned national radio talk show host for 40 years. Went on hunger strike for several weeks in 2021 to protest voter suppression.

Sophia Woodrow on Motivating Youth Voters

Grew up in Roswell, Georgia and is a third-year student at Stanford University. Working for the Future Coalition, she is currently building electoral coalitions in GA & AZ for the ’22 midterms.

CLOSING

Celinda Lake on Polling and Voting

Leading Democratic pollster and strategist who was one of the two pollsters for Biden 2020. President of Lake Research Partners.

Ralph Nader on Fresh Tactics and Important Issues

Consumer advocate, author of 17 books – including Unsafe at Any Speed – and founder of dozens of citizen organizations around the country.