Start Me Up With Kimberley A. Johnson

John Pavlovitz is a writer, pastor, and activist from Wake Forest, North Carolina. In the past four years, his blog Stuff That Needs To Be Said has reached a diverse worldwide audience.Topics: Even though Biden won, Trump is still terrorizing us; how Trump's presidency has destroyed personal relationships; he may vacate the White House in January, but his cult remai"s; Biden will have to deal with science/COVID deniers when he begins to heal the country; news media is already using the "both sides" argument when referring to Biden's incoming administration, and so much more.

Jennifer Cohn is an elections security advocate and she made it crystal clear that US election security needs tightening. She explains the problem and offers the solution. She also describes why certain election integrity groups are hesitant to call out the issues that must be addressed in order for everyone to trust results. We covered a lot of ground and Jennifer has inspired me to be loud about this issue. Expect me to be screaming about it from now on. We were fortunate in this past election, but Jennifer says we're not entirely out of the woods, yet, because Trump is masterful at swaying public opinion. A very important and informative show.

Greg Olear, the author of Dirty Rubles, is back again! Topics: Biden will be POTUS on 1/20/21 but Trumpism will still be here; Biden's DOJ will be strong and we will likely find out some of what's been hidden re: info inMike Flynn and other Trump grifters; COVID is out of control and how that might impact investigations into Trump and his one-term presidency. Greg is so much fun and he has a calming, hopeful message.

Drexel Heard is a political analyst and he's the Executive Director at L.A. Democrats. His resume is a mile long. We had a great conversation about Democratic strategy and where Democrats should put their focus moving forward. Topics: How to engage young people and keep them interested in the political process; how Democrats can improve their game, and realistic expectations for COVID in a Biden administration.

Jody Hamilton, the host of the From The Bunker podcast is back!Topics: Biden won but the "baby" is acting like a baby and insisting he won--which is very dangerous. The dumbfuckery of the white supremacy super-spreader MAGA march, COVID is spiking and the holidays will not be the same. Jody and I also talked about people who voted for Trump and the privilege that allowed them to justify it.

Documentary filmmaker and climate activist Josh Fox joined me for a productive conversation about how Democrats are in a position to "stop the bleeding" and move forward with a climate plan that will benefit the planet. We also discussed how centrist and progressive Democrats must find common ground so we can continue winning elections and move forward with progressive policies. Josh supported Bernie Sanders in the primary and he supports Joe Biden now. There is common ground to be found and my goal moving forward is to make that happen to the best of my ability.

Jody Hamilton the host of the From The Bunker podcast returns! We're just over a week away from the most important election of our lifetimes and Jody and take a moment to appreciate the high number of early voters. 61 million and that number is rapidly increasing. Topics: Handmaiden COVID Barrett will be confirmed and the need for term limits; Trump's abysmal 60 Minutes interview; Jared Kushner's racism and so much more.

Comedian Dana Goldberg joined me to talk about the crazy political shenanigans we're dealing with now. The countdown to Election 2020 is underway and it's a surreal time. Topics: keeping busy during COVID; a record number of Americans are voting and what that means; QAnon conspiracy theorists are a little too frightening, and whether this makes you happy or not, neither Dana nor I masturbated at any time during this podcast.

Hank Gilbert is a Texas Democrat running to unseat Republican Rep. Louie Gohmert. He's quite funny, but more importantly, he's pragmatic, he cares about voters and this country and he will be a transparent elected .official...and he explains exactly how he'll do it. We covered so much. Topics: Texans are breaking records with early voting; Hank emphasizes how the ACA affects everyone and if Handmaiden Coney Barrett votes to kill it, all insurance premiums will rise; Louie Gohmert is an idiot; Hank offers his thoughts on Biden possibly expanding the court and he made a compelling argument on why there should be an even number of SCOTUS justices and he also offers up a fantastic idea to formulate an even better healthcare plan. Lot's of great stuff in this conversation.

Chrissy Stroop is a prominent ex-evangelical writer, speaker, and advocate.We talked about what it was like for her growing up in an evangelical family, her time in Russia, and the relationship between American conservative leaders and Russian leaders. Chrissy shared a bit of her gender journey as a trans woman and we compared stories about hormone replacement therapy I take them because I'm menopausal. We also discussed how Amy Coney Barrett is connected to the Koch Bros vision.

Malynda Hale is a singer, an activist and the host of the We Need To Talk podcast. She joined me for a conversation about (some) hesitance towards Biden and Harris in the black community; where the BLM movement is headed; Amy Coney Barrett's sham confirmation hearing, and we discuss the idea of Biden expanding the court.

Greg Olear, the author of Dirty Rubles, is back again to inform and entertain as we navigate through these insane political times. Topics: Trump has COVID; he's behaving more unhinged than ever; women--including white women--are turning on him; blue tsunami is expected but don't get happy. I had a dream in 2015 before Trump announced his bid and it seems that my dream is unfolding in front of our eyes. Good show today because Greg is awesome.

Author/Lawyer Teri Kanefield is back and we had a lot to discuss! Last night's presidential debate was unlike anything we've ever seen. Teri and I go through Trump's bombastic behavior and that he didn't do himself any favors. Teri reminds us Trump wants to be seen as a strongman but he isn't one, and Democratic voters have to be careful not to give more power by panicking or assuming the worst. Other topics: Should Biden expand the courts; how dangerous is Amy Coney Barrett? And what's the best voting plan?

Mary Trump was kind enough to chat with me and we talked about her uncle's current tax problems as well as other timely news events. We discussed Amy Coney Barrett's SCOTUS nomination; I asked her questions about her family; Don Jr. (Donny) and Ivanka both possibly running for president one day, and I also asked her about some of the dirt Noel Casler dropped about theTrump's when he was on my show a couple of weeks ago. Mary and I enjoyed the conversation and I hope you do, too.

My guest today is Fred Gutenberg. He's an activist against gun violence, and his 14 year old daughter, Jaime, was killed in the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting on February 14, 2018. He just released the book Find The Helpers. We talk about that, and how Joe Biden was there for Fred in the days after his daughter's murder. Fred has turned an unthinkable tragedy into a positive movement and he continues to fight for common-sense gun laws. He also serves as a calm, steady voice in tumultuous times. He's really a great man and I'm honored he graced us with his presence. I mention in the intro that after Fred and I finished the interview, I kind of lost it and got very emotional. I decided to keep it in the show. Be warned, there's a little bit of ugly crying.

Former federal prosecutor Glenn Kirschner returns and I'm so glad he's here today. The death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg was not only a great loss bit it sadly represents a victory for the corrupt GOP. Glenn offers up some cautiously hopeful scenarios--one includes a possible class-action suit by Americans who cast their ballots before her passing. He also shares his thoughts on the possibility of the Supreme Court killing off Obamacare. We also talked about what it would take to impeach and remove Brett Kavanaugh, and we addressed Bill Barr's latest threat of defunding the police in blue "anarchist" states.

Comedian Noel Casler worked on Celebrity Apprentice with the trump family for six seasons. He's breaking his NDA agreement and telling us what he knows and it is juicy. Topics: Trump's drug use; Trump's incontinence (yes, it's gross); Mark Burnett and his connection to Putin; Jeffrey Epstein likely has tapes of Trump and young girls; Trump had his own parties where he got his own blackmail material to hold over others; Ivanka is the real evil one...and so much more. I didn't get to all of my questions but we did pack A LOT in this endlessly fascinating interview.

Rob Anderson is a working-class, Jack of all Trades, Democrat and a candidate for the US House of Representatives for Louisiana District 3 in 2020! Topics: How Democrats can campaign be better at campaigning and bragging about their accomplishments; Republicans are so desperate they're blaming Biden for Trump's failures; Trump wants to be POTUS forever and Rob shares what kind of elected official he'll be: "Accountability with swagger."

Voting is everything and my guests today are not only here to get out the vote, they are so much fun and I love them: Alex Mohajer and Jonathan Welch are the Executive Producers of the National Vote at home Initiative for the Stonewall Democratic Club. We spent the hour talking about all the different ways people can make sure their vote is counted, and we had a good time doing it.

Majid M. Padelan A.K.A. Brooklyn Dad Defiant is back! He's the author of The Liddle'est President and he has a massive Twitter following. He's funny, authentic, and a great conversationalist. Show Topics: The blowback Trump is getting for his recentdisparaging comments about members of the United States military; Trump's former fixer Michael Cohen's book comes out tomorrow, and we emphasize the importance of staying calm on Election Night. There might be a "red mirage" that Trump will take as a victory, but there will still be mail-in votes that will have to be counted. In fact, BDD offers up a prediction that is completely plausible but you have to listen to the show hear it.