Kicking off the fourth Season of All Ears, Abby gets on the line with one of her economic heroes, Robert Reich. Reich understands the issues at the heart of The American Dream and Other Fairy Tales, Abby’s new documentary, better than almost anyone, because he’s been speaking out about exploitative labor practices and corporate greed for decades. From within the halls of power, when Reich was Secretary of Labor under President Clinton, he was vocal about rising inequality, and he’s in no mood to stop now. In recent years, Reich has become one of the most powerful and effective voices explaining the inequality crisis in clear, unequivocal language. Over the course of their rousing conversation, Reich shares his vision for a bottom-up economics and provides some introspection on his own commitment to fighting inequality. He also clues Abby into the real cause of rising inflation last year (hint: it’s not labor!) and lets her know when he’ll believe corporations deserve the same rights as people (hint: something to do with Texas!)EPISODE LINKSRobert Reich on linkt.reeRobert Reich's SubstackWhat Ownership Society? (The American Prospect)Civil Right Workers Remembered 50 Years After Slaying (USA Today)It’s A Wonderful Life TrailerRepublicans block bill requiring dark money groups to reveal donors (The Hill)Meet The 24 Robber Barons Who Once Ruled America (Business Insider)When Did Corporations Become People? (NPR)

Abigail is back in front of the microphone! Season 4 of All Ears will kick off on Thursday, February 2, 2023 with a conversation with former Labor Secretary Robert Reich.Abigail took a podcasting hiatus while out promoting her documentary, The American Dream and Other Fairy Tales, in which she examines the inequality crisis through the lens of the company her grandfather helped found, The Walt Disney Company. In the film, she asks how it is possible that so many workers at Disneyland, aka “the happiest place on earth,” can’t afford life's basic necessities, even when they work full time. For the fourth season of All Ears, Abigail poses that question to people who are doing the most Disney thing of all–using their imaginations–in this case to rethink capitalism. She talks with business leaders, union organizers, and economists to learn how to fix our broken economy. Join her every Thursday starting February 2nd!Watch The American Dream and Other Fairy Tales on iTunes, Amazon, or Vudu. Find out more about the film at AmericanDreamDoc.Com.

It’s our final episode of the season, and who better to finish it off with than feminist icon and Abby’s longtime friend, Gloria Steinem. Steinem has been a pioneer and leader in the feminist movement for more than half a century. Her political and cultural impact is truly immeasurable, but it’s undeniable that she, alongside women like Dorothy Pittman Hughes and Florynce Kennedy helped lay the foundation for the modern feminist movement. She’s spent much of her extraordinary life traveling the world: marching in solidarity, giving talks, introducing ideas, facilitating conversations, and most of all, listening. Now, in her 87th year, she says she’s enjoying being home for what may be the first time in her long life. In this week’s conversation with Abby, we learn about the time they ended up in Botswana on the back of an elephant named Cathy together, how families built on equality can temper political trends of authoritarianism, and what it is that gives her hope about the future of feminism. Tune in to our last episode of the season for a fun and thoughtful conversation between old friends, and we’ll be back soon.Follow Gloria on Twitter: @GloriaSteinemEPISODE LINKS Elephants Without BordersAbu Camp Elephant Conservation Gloria Steinem's WebsiteTheosophical Society of AmericaNew York Mag, After Black Power, Women’s Liberation, 1969NPR's Fresh Air, Feminist Activist Gloria Steinem, 2020National Geographic, How Gloria Steinem became 'the world's most famous feminist', 2019 Ms. Magazine, The Story of Iconic Feminist Dorothy Pitman Hughes: “With Her Fist Raised”, 2021New York Times, With Plan to Walk Across DMZ, Women Aim for Peace in Korea, 2015New York Times, What I See: Gloria Steinem, Shoulder to Shoulder With Women of Color, 2018New York Times, Gloria Steinem Is Nowhere Near Done With Being An Activist, 2020

This week on All Ears, Abby talks food and food policy with New York State Senator Jessica Ramos. Jessica burst onto the New York political scene in 2018 when she and several other progressive candidates ousted a powerful group of conservative New York Democrats who had been crossing party lines to caucus with Republicans. She represents District 13 in Queens, where more than 24,000 food workers live in just three square miles. In 2019 Jessica helped pass the Farm Workers Fair Labor Practices Act, which gave farmworkers in upstate New York long overdue rights, things like overtime pay and unemployment insurance. She also pushed hard to remove New York City’s cap on street vending permits.  In this week’s conversation with Abby, Jessica discusses her love of food, her love of Queens, the powerful influence of Julia Child’s unmitigated use of butter, and why our country is long overdue for comprehensive immigration reform.  And you won't want to miss the tasty story that kicks off the episode: All Ears Producer Christine Schomer profiles vendors who work in Corona Plaza, one of the most exciting and diverse outdoor food courts in the country--just blocks from Senator Ramos' office.To learn more about The Street Vendor Project, visit https://svp.urbanjustice.org/EPISODE LINKS New York Times, Food Is Not a Prop For Senator Jessica Ramos, It’s a Platform, 2021 New York Times, No Papers, No Jobs: The New Street Vendors of Queens, 2020City and State New York, Jessica Ramos isn’t sugarcoating anything, 2020Grub Street, State Senator Jessica Ramos Likes Her Food Very Local, 2019New York Focus, Unlicensed Street Vendors Fear Steep Fines as Enforcement Escalates, 2021Eater, City Council Moves to Lift Street Vendor Permit Cap in Historic Vote, 2021New York City Business Solutions, Street VendingInstitute for Justice, Groundbreaking Report Highlights Economic Impact of New York City Vendors, 2015

With the United Nations’ 26th annual climate change conference–aka COP26–happening in Glasgow, Scotland this week, we thought it was the perfect time to re-air Abby’s conversation with environmental activist Varshini Prakash. Varshini is the executive director and co-founder of the Sunrise Movement, a youth-centered climate activist group that’s helped bring the climate crisis to the forefront of national politics in the United States. The organization has made a name for itself by coordinating confrontational climate protests, and working to popularize the Green New Deal. Back when Abby interviewed Varshini, nobody would have predicted that two Democrats (Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Senator Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona) would bring down President Biden's plan to implement sweeping progressive policies nationwide. Still, Sunrise is not letting the President off the hook: on October 20, five Sunrise activists began staging a hunger strike outside the White House, demanding that he take executive action, in spite of legislative obstacles. After 14 days without food they ended the strike, when President Biden promised a 50% decrease in emissions by 2030. Tune in for an inspiring conversation about the determination of younger generations to lead,  and the power of grassroots movements to address the climate crisis.Follow Varshini and The Sunrise Movement on Twitter: @varshprakash and @sunrisemvmtEPISODE LINKS: The Sunrise Movement WebsiteUnited Nations Climate Change, Glasgow Climate Change ConferenceNew York Times, Key to Biden's Climate Agenda Likely to Be Cut Because of Manchin Opposition, 2021 New York Times, Your Country Is Getting a Bad Deal, and You Can Do Better, 2021 The Guardian, Climate advocates who backed Sinema exasperated by blocking of Biden bill, 2021 Al Jazeera, Climate activists go on hunger strike near WH urging Biden to act, 2021 Huffington Post, 5 Young Activists On Hunger Strike Demand Democrats Not Cut Back On Climate in Bill, 2021 

This week on All Ears it’s the second part of our two-part interview with journalist and activist Imara Jones. Abby and Imara talk in-depth about “The Anti-Trans Hate Machine”, a fantastic 4-part podcast by Imara and Translash Media. It’s an investigative series that looks into the political activities of powerful far-right wing Christians to advocate for and help create laws that discriminate against trans people. One of the most influential people in this sphere of influence is former Trump Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, whose family has reportedly donated over $200 million to Republicans and Republican causes. Imara walks Abby through the agenda of Dominionism, a theology that seeks to elect and install a Christian nationalist government based on biblical law. Sharing audio and details of her reporting, Imara paints a dramatic portrait of a coordinated, well-funded effort to influence democratic institutions by using anti-trans legislation as a cultural wedge. You won’t want to miss this one.Last week in part one Imara and Abby covered the Netflix/Dave Chappelle controversy, Please take a listen if you haven’t had the chance!EPISODE LINKS: The Anti-Trans Hate Machine Podcast, on A-CastACLU, Legislation Affecting LGBT Rights Across the CountryThe Gathering Conference Politico, Trump’s education pick says reform can ‘advance God’s kingdom’, 2016 Rolling Stone, Betsy DeVos' Holy War, 2017 Mother Jones, Betsy DeVos Wants to Use America's Schools to Build 'God's Kingdom', 2017 Vanity Fair, The Strange Ascent of Betsy DeVos and Erik Prince, 2018 Politico, A look at DeVos family philanthropic giving, 2018The Daily Beast, The $1-Billion-a-Year Right-Wing Conspiracy You Haven’t Heard Of, 2014Sludge, America’s Biggest Christian Charity Funnels Tens of Millions to Hate Groups, 2019Political Research Associates, Christian Reconstructionism, 1994The Texas Observer, The Radical Theology That Could Make Religious Freedom a Thing of The Past, 2016

This week on All Ears, Abby is joined by Imara Jones. Imara is an activist, journalist and the creator of TransLash Media, a cross-platform journalism, storytelling and narrative project. She’s also the host of the TransLash podcast, a show that centers trans narratives and experience. Imara’s and Abby’s conversation was so rich and varied, we decided to split it up into two episodes. In this week’s conversation, she discusses the love and acceptance she found in her family after transitioning, the immense and intractable power of storytelling, and what went wrong in Dave Chappelle’s most recent Netflix special, ‘The Closer.’ Tune in for a compelling and insightful conversation about why we should all be invested in the fight to protect black trans women. TransLash Media Translash, Episode 3: Family MattersTime, Imara Jones: Why Black Trans Women Are Essential To Our FutureThe Guardian, Trans black and loved: what happened when I returned to the deep south after transitioningNPR, Amid Wave Of Anti-Trans Bills, Trans Reporters Say 'Telling Our Own Stories' Is Vital New York Times, Dave Chappelle's Brittle Ego IndieWire, Dave Chappelle’s Last Netflix Special Is a Season Finale With Nothing New to SayNew York Times, Netflix employee who criticized Dave Chappelle’s comedy special is among three suspendedNew York Times, Netflix workers plan a walkout as fallout over Dave Chappelle continues

This week on All Ears, Abby is joined by Ellen Pao. Pao made headlines in 2012 when she sued venture capital firm Kleiner-Perkins for gender discrimination. In 2015 she lost the lawsuit, but it sent shockwaves throughout Silicon Valley and got people talking about the rampant bro-culture, sexism and bad behaviors that had gone unchallenged there for so long. She went on to become the interim CEO of Reddit, where she banned revenge porn and shut down some of the worst subreddits. Now she runs Project Include, a non-profit that is focused on increasing diversity and inclusion in the tech industry. In this week’s conversation with Abby, she talks about the impact of her lawsuit, her brief but influential time at Reddit, Silicon Valley’s obsession with 26 year-old white, cis men in hoodies, and her hope for the future of the tech industry. Tune in for a thoughtful discussion on what can go right and what does go wrong in Silicon Valley. EPISODE LINKSEllen Pao's Website Project Include Website Reset: My Fight For Inclusion and Lasting Change by Ellen Pao The Pao v. Kleiner Perkins Gender Discrimination Lawsuit The Guardian, 'They don't think it's important': Ellen Pao on why Facebook can't beat hate, 2020 New York Times, Ellen Pao Disrupts How Silicon Valley Does Business, 2015 New York Times, Ellen Pao Loses Silicon Valley Bias Case Against Kleiner Perkins, 2015 New York Times, Lawsuit Shakes Foundation of a Man’s World of Tech, 2012 VOX, A Who’s-Who of the Kleiner Perkins-Ellen Pao Trial, 2015The Verge, Ellen Pao shifted hiring practices at Reddit to improve diversity, 2015The Guardian, Reddit chief Ellen Pao resigns after receiving ‘sickening’ abuse from users, 2015The Verge, Timnit Gebru was fired from Google–then the harassers arrived, 2021

This week on All Ears, Abby is joined by E. Jean Carroll. Carroll is a journalist, memoirist, and the author of America’s longest running advice column. She’s also one of the many, many women who have come forward with sexual assault allegations against former President Donald Trump. When Trump denied the allegation Carroll sued him for defamation, and oral arguments are set to begin on December 3rd. Here, Carroll tells Abby her side of the story in vivid and exacting detail. What follows is a personal narrative in the hands of a master storyteller: E. Jean spins a web of drama, dry wit, and boundless vivacity as she recounts her childhood in Indiana, her lawsuit, the road trip that makes up the contents of her memoir, and what exactly it is that we need men for. EPISODE LINKS E. Jean Carroll's Substack Askejean.com E. Jean Carroll v Trump E. Jean Carroll on America's Talking (1995) The Cut, Hideous Men by E. Jean Carroll, 2019 The Atlantic, 'I Moved On Her Very Heavily' The E. Jean Carroll Interviews, 2020New York Times, Why E. Jean Carroll, the 'Anti-Victim,' Spoke Up About Trump, 2019New York Times, What Happened Between E. Jean Carroll and Elle Magazine? 2020 The New Yorker, There's A Lot More to E. Jean Carroll's Book Than Trump, 2020 NPR, Biden DOJ Plans To Continue To Defend Trump, 2021 The Cheerleaders, by E. Jean Carroll What Do We Need Men For? A Modest Proposal Hunter: The Strange and Savage Life of Hunter S. Thompson 

Jia Tolentino, NYT bestselling author and New Yorker staff writer, discusses the challenges of new motherhood, failures of capitalism, and the urgent need for collective action on climate change. The conversation also touches on topics like the impact of the pandemic, flaws in philanthropy, and the dominance of men in the field.