Last week, ICE stormed through Los Angeles, raiding Home Depots, warehouses, and schools in a cruel, targeted crackdown on undocumented immigrants. Those raids sparked a wave of protests as thousands of Angelenos marched through downtown, denouncing the Trump administration’s unjust actions. What began as largely peaceful demonstrations escalated after Trump defied both the California governor and LA mayor by deploying the National Guard and the Marines to the city. It was a deliberate show of force and a warning to other blue states: this is what happens when you resist. But LA didn’t back down. Over the weekend, Angelenos joined millions of other demonstrators in every state for the No King’s protests, while Trump held an underwhelming military parade on the streets of Washington DC. It’s a stark contrast in a moment when we must continue to stand up to the onslaught anti-Democratic power grabs and strongman tactics. This week, Stacey sits down with MSNBC's senior Washington correspondent and co-host of MSNBC's the Weekend, Eugene Daniels and Immigrant Defenders Law Center (IMMDEF) attorney Yliana Johansen-Méndez to help us unpack what's happening right now and prepare for what's coming next.

For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.

Learn & Do More:

1. Be Curious: To better understand the current national debate around immigration, our June Assembly Required reading recommendation is “The End of Asylum” by Philip G. Schrag, Andrew I. Schoenholtz, and Jaya Ramji-Nogales. These leading immigration law experts trace the evolution of the U.S. asylum system and expose how the Trump administration dismantled America’s long-standing role as a refuge for the persecuted. And as Eugene mentioned, watch your local news, subscribe to your local paper, and stay plugged into what's happening in your own community. To learn more about how you can support local journalism, visit the American Journalism Project at www.theajp.org.
2. Solve Problems: As the rule of law continues to erode, it’s more important than ever to support those on the front lines—legal aid organizations, researchers, and advocates serving immigrant communities. Find out how you can get involved and make a difference in your own area. If you're in Southern California, connect with our guest Yliana’s organization, the Immigrant Defenders Law Center, at www.immdef.org.
3. Do Good: Protest works—but not everyone can take to the streets. Start where you are and use what you have. If you're on social media, amplify the voices and stories of those directly impacted by the Trump administration’s campaign of fear. If you’re able to volunteer, find a local organization supporting immigrants and get involved. If you would like to contribute directly to a detained immigrants bond fund, you can visit Clue Justice at https://www.cluejustice.org/support-the-detained-immigrant-bond-fund/ Every action counts.

Winning elections starts now, and that’s only the beginning. The way we get our news has always evolved, and today we face a fractured media landscape that makes it harder to reach people consistently. The American right has often been at the forefront of navigating these waters by finding compelling messengers and putting them on new platforms that reach voters, from the rise of talk radio in the 80s to Fox News, TikTok and YouTube today. That innovation has too often led to domination of these information ecosystems, and we can see the impact in the results of the 2024 election, especially with young voters. Meanwhile, the Democratic Party is lagging behind, struggling to connect authentically with the growing number of people who get their information on social platforms. Instead of copying the right’s strategies, it's time to listen to the people who actually know how to use these platforms. Stacey sits down with two standout voices shaping the future of political content online: journalist and political commentator Aaron Parnas, and Gen Z historian Kahlil Greene. They break down how they stay ahead of the curve, what makes social media truly effective for change, and why understanding people—not just platforms—is the key to being heard.

For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.

Learn & Do More:

1. Be Curious: Getting your news from social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram, or Twitter isn’t wrong—in fact, it can be a fast and convenient way to stay informed throughout your busy day. The key is to follow credible creators you trust, like Aaron and Kahlil, and always take a moment to fact-check what you’re seeing. Stay curious, but stay smart.
2. Solve Problems: Skip the doomscrolling. What starts as “just a few minutes” on TikTok can quickly spiral into hours lost in an endless feed of chaotic news. Break the cycle by sandwiching your screen time with something grounding—take a walk, read a few pages of a book, or unwind with a new show or movie. Give your mind a reset.
3. Do Good: Support your favorite content creators beyond the scroll. Many political commentators have blogs, websites, or Substack pages where they dive deeper into the stories they summarize in under a minute. Following them on these platforms helps you get the full picture—and helps them keep doing what they do best. Follow Stacey’s new Substack, Assembly Notes where she dives into some topics we cover on the show and topics that come up in between episodes.

Recommendations:

Stacey Abrams recommends the podcast “Landslide” from WFAE and NPR.

Kahlil Greene recommends “The Cruel Kids Table”by Brock Colyar at New York Magazine.

The U.S. birth rate is falling, and the Trump administration has a solution: Make. More. Babies. But instead of expanding support for families—through childcare, reproductive healthcare access, or paid leave—they’re turning to policies touted by a set of right-wing members of a movement called pronatalism, which includes Christian nationalists and tech-industry eugenicists who see increasing the birth rate as an existential mission, for a select few. Today’s pronatalists include figures like Elon Musk – a father of at least 14 children himself – who only want to encourage white, conservative Americans to have larger families; an idea that has terrifying implications for their vision of America. Stacey sits down with Dr. Karen Guzzo, director of the Carolina Population Center and professor of sociology at UNC Chapel Hill, and senior writer from New York Magazine Sarah Jones, to unpack the history of pronatalism, how the Trump administration is quietly aligning with it with a hollow policy agenda, and the kinds of proposals that can actually support American families.

For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.

Learn & Do More:

The draconian Republican so-called “Big Beautiful Bill” better named the “Terrible Tyrannical Bill,” just passed the House and is headed to the Senate. It would add $3 trillion to the national debt while handing $1.5 trillion in tax cuts to the ultra-wealthy—paid for by slashing food, job, and healthcare access for millions of working- and middle-class Americans. Most alarmingly, it targets Medicaid, requiring recipients to work 80 hours a month to keep coverage, a move the nonpartisan CBO warns could push 10.3 million people off the program by 2034. So, this week, we’re urging you to take action.

1. Call your members of Congress, state legislators, city council members, and county commissioners. All of these local elected officials have more power than you can imagine, and they are all going to be impacted by the decisions made at the federal level. Head to commoncause.org to find your federal, state and local representatives and let them know exactly how you feel about the bill and its attack on Medicaid.
2. You can also support organizations that are in the crosshairs of these proposed cuts and provide vital healthcare to millions of Americans. Planned Parenthood is one of them. Go to planned parenthood.org/getinvolved to donate and take a stand.
3. As SNAP benefits are cut, more families and their children are going to struggle to access food. Consider getting involved with your local food bank or a mutual aid organization that provides food assistance.