Donald Trump threatens to pardon the insurrectionists while potentially inciting new ones, guest host Ben Rhodes talks about his new Atlantic piece that focuses on how to fight Trumpism, Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro talks about his democracy-focused campaign for Governor in what will be one of the most important races of 2022, and a wave of book bans sweeps through red states.

Organizations to Support

• Baby to Baby, an LA non profit that provides children living in poverty with diapers, clothing, and basic living necessities,
• Star Legacy Foundation, a non profit organization dedicated to reducing pregnancy loss and neonatal death
• Baby Quest Grants, a non profit providing fertility grants to those who can’t afford costly procedures like IVF and egg freezing

Show Notes

TRUMP THREATENS DEMOCRACY

• The Atlantic: This Is No Time for Passive Patriotism
• NYT: Trump Says He Would Consider Pardons for Jan. 6 Defendants if Elected
• WaPo: Trump’s Texas trip illustrates his upsides and downsides for Republicans and their midterm hopes
• CNN: Trump’s rally in Texas shows exactly why he’s so dangerous
• Daily Beast: Trump Senate Pick Tells Crowd to ‘Lock and Load’ to Combat Election Fraud
• NYT: Trump’s Grip on G.O.P. Faces New Strains

• NYT: Georgia Prosecutor Investigating Trump Seeks Safety Assistance From the F.B.I.
• WaPo: Opinion: Trump’s 2024 campaign is about revenge. We should be very frightened.
• WaPo: Opinion: Mike Pence, this is your moment to rebuke Donald Trump
• CNN: Trump says he wanted Pence to overturn the 2020 election and falsely claims it was vice president’s ‘right’
• Aaron Rupar Substack: ​​Trump yelled the quiet part all weekend. Republicans keep making excuses for him anyway.

INTERVIEW WITH JOSH SHAPIRO

• NYT: In Pennsylvania Governor’s Race, Josh Shapiro Focuses on Voting Rights
• AP: Pennsylvania attorney general jumps into ’22 governor’s race
• NYT: Why Democrats See 3 Governor’s Races as a Sea Wall for Fair Elections
• PhiladelphiaInquirer:Trump is front and center in Pennsylvania’s race for governor. Will it stay that way?
• NYT: Pennsylvania Court Says State’s Mail Voting Law Is Unconstitutional
• TheAtlantic: The Desperate Scramble to Stop an Insider Election Threat
• NYT: With Some Voters ‘Ready to Move On,’ Democrats Search for New Message on Virus

BANNED BOOKS

• NYT: Book Ban Efforts Spread Across the U.S. 
• NPR: Art Spiegelman decries Tennessee school board for removing ‘Maus’ from its curriculum 
• DailyBeast: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott Is Pushing Republicans Across the Country to the Extreme Right
• The Atlantic: Republicans Are Trying to Suppress More Than Votes 
• HuffPost: Conservatives Are Banning Books From Schools While Whining About ‘Cancel Culture’ 
• NBC: Meet the moms of color from Texas fighting book bans at their kids’ schools
• Esquire: This Is Parents and Legislators Under the Sway of a Media Industrial Complex 
• MSNBC: The right’s book-banning campaign reaches a new level 
• Intelligencer: The Right Has Mastered Cancel Culture 
• AP: Va. bill to regulate explicit books in school libraries killed
• AZ Central: Doomsday approaches for Arizona’s schools and Republican leaders are banning books? 
• The Guardian: US conservatives linked to rich donors wage campaign to ban books from schools 
• Axios: Book bans are back in style
• Politico: GOP sees ‘huge red wave’ potential by targeting critical race theory

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.