This week on All Ears Abby talks about good government and the American Dream with Julián Castro, whose own journey in public service began in San Antonio, first as city councilman at age 26 and then as mayor at 35. In 2014, President Obama put him in charge of HUD: the sprawling federal Department of Housing and Urban Development. Last year, he spent most of his time away from home and family as he ran in the Democratic presidential primary. Since dropping out, he’s started a podcast and begun to think about how he can continue to be of service to his community. Julián and Abby grapple with how divided Democrats can find common ground within the party. Julián also tells Abby he believes government does have a role to play in helping people achieve the American Dream, particularly those who rely on housing and healthcare programs to create stability. He recounts his own experience growing up in Texas in a family that exemplifies that model, where his grandmother came to this country as an orphan from Mexico, and lived to see her grandsons go to Harvard Law School.Find Julián Castro on Twitter: @JuliánCastroListen to Our America with Julián CastroEPISODE LINKS2012 Democratic National Convention keynote speech: Julián Castro (New York Times)Everything Julián Castro Knows He Learned From His Mother (Texas Monthly)Raza Unida Party (Texas State Historical Association)Biden Says His And Obama's Immigration Record Was A ‘Mistake’ (Politico) Gini Coefficient by Country, 2020 (World Population Review)The Marshall Plan (The George C. Marshall Foundation)

This week on All Ears, Abby takes a trip through the underworld of internet culture with YouTuber Natalie Wynn, also known as ContraPoints. An ex-philosopher with a penchant for elaborate sets and costumes, Natalie got her start making response videos to right-wing YouTubers after finding herself alarmed at the increase in hate speech online. Her wildly popular YouTube videos are highly stylized essays, full of sharp, incisive commentary on topics ranging from gender pronouns to capitalism. Natalie and Abby’s conversation touches on the dangerous misogyny of incels, Natalie’s hijacking of YouTube's algorithm, and how alt-right ideologies hide in plain sight. Natalie also talks about the discomfort of transitioning in the public eye, and gives her surprising prediction about the next big schism on the platform.The videos excerpted in the show include Gender Critical, Incels, and The Left.For more of Natalie's work, All Ears recommends Opulence, Beauty, Men, and Canceling.EPISODE LINKSStrawberry Banana Pancakes (iHop)The Making of a YouTube Radical (New York Times)The Woman Who Accidentally Started the Incel Movement (Elle Magazine) Robespierre overthrown in France (History.com)Contrapoints YouTube ChannelContrapointsNatalie Wynn on Twitter: @ContraPoints

This week on All Ears Abby invites us all to take a break from ongoing election shenanigans and enjoy a lively interview with musician David Byrne, whose eccentric musical stylings as the former Talking Heads frontman catapulted him into a multi-faceted career as an artist across many modes of expression. He’s written books, designed art installations, created journalism projects, and last year adapted his acclaimed concert tour, American Utopia, for Broadway. He and Abby look back at his remarkable journey and talk about some of the ways art pushed him to grow as a person, giving him perspective on some of his youthful, broad critiques of middle class American values. These insights led him to some revelations about his earlier work that manifest with a kind of joyful, percussive melancholy in American Utopia. Spike Lee filmed the show right before COVID hit in March, preserving a mood that seems like a perfect fit for these times. Lee’s filmed adaption of American Utopia is currently screening on HBO Max. Bonus All Ears David Byrne Playlist! David Byrne Hits and Hidden Gems (Spotify)David Byrne's American Utopia (2020): Official Trailer (HBO)EPISODE LINKSAmerican Utopia Returns to Broadway September 17, 2021 (Tickets)Hell You Talmbout (Janelle Monae) Ursonate (Kurt Schwitters, 1932)David Byrne on ‘True Stories,’ His Tabloid-Inspired Vision of Eighties America (Rolling Stone)Reasons to Be Cheerful We Are Not Divided David ByrneDavid Byrne on Twitter: @DBtodomundo

On the heels of historic voter turnout in Georgia, Abby revisits her interview with Stacey Abrams back in July. In that conversation, Stacey outlined her bold strategy to fight voter suppression and educate communities about voting. And her work bore fruit, with Georgia flipping blue for the first time in a presidential race since 1992. Recounting her upbringing in Mississippi, the former Georgia House of Representatives minority leader describes the powerful example of citizenship and activism her parents set for their six children, as activists and citizens, even as they had struggled their whole lives for fair access to education, employment opportunities, and the voting booth. Oh, and when Abrams isn’t saving our democracy, she’s got a side hustle as a romance novelist.EPISODE LINKSStacey’s book: Our Time Is NowFair Fight 2020 FairCount.orgStacey Abrams Says Fighting Voter Suppression Changed "The Trajectory Of The Nation"Make Way For Ducklings: The Art of Robert McCloskey (MFA Boston)Stacey Abrams: I Know Voting Feels Inadequate Right Now (NY Times)1,285 Proven Cases of Voter Fraud in America (Heritage Foundation)Stacey Abrams, Georgia Candidate For Governor, Has Strong Mississippi Roots (Hattiesburg American)Stacey Abrams on Twitter and Instagram: @staceyabrams

Join us this week for an All Ears rapid response to Election Day 2020! Awash in uncertainty the morning after election day, Abby talks with Anand Giridharadas, the journalist whose unsparing criticisms of the liberal establishment have themselves made headlines. Abby and Anand consider Trump’s popularity with voters and why it’s such a bitter pill for liberals to swallow. They talk about how neoliberalism has put mainstream Democratic leaders at risk of losing blue collar workers. Anand says Joe Biden’s two political personas help explain how the party has lost credibility. There is “Scranton Joe” (the small town, working class defender of the little guy) and “Delaware Joe” (the corporate-friendly elite catering to powerful donor constituents). And, although toxic masculinity as modeled by Trump still holds strong, Anand does express hope about how the needle has moved on race, leaving Abby a bit more optimistic than when the conversation started.Find Anand on Twitter @anandwritesSign up Anand's newsletter, The.Ink EPISODE LINKSThe Sazerac (Cocktail recipe via Bon Appetit)Winners Take All: The Elite Charade of Changing the World, Anand GiridharadasDemocrats And Neoliberalism Vox 6/11/19Clinton Says Era Of Big Government Is 'over' In 1996 State Of The Union The Washington Post 1/22/14The Burden Of A 40-year Career: Some Of Joe Biden’s Record Doesn’t Age Well LA Times 3/18/19How Delaware Thrives As A Corporate Tax Haven New York Times 7/7/12

This week we have a very special episode of All Ears. Breaking from our usual format, we’re reacting in real time to the late night swearing in of the latest Supreme Court justice, Amy Coney Barrett. Abby’s guest this week is Reverend Robert Schenck, an evangelical minister and former prominent anti-abortion activist, who for decades was at the center of the conservative efforts to criminalize abortion and strike down Roe v. Wade. To his regret, those efforts came closer to fruition this week with the long-sought manipulation of the nation’s highest court to reflect an extreme conservative tilt. Describing himself now as a “menace” to vulnerable women during his years of activism, Rob has renounced his work as an anti-abortion crusader, admitting that he was part of a group that in 1995 paid Norma McCorvey (aka Jane Roe) to say that she had changed her mind to come out against abortion. For this All Ears, we air a previously unreleased interview from this past summer between Abby and Rob, where they discuss the origin of their unusual friendship five years ago, the process of setting aside political and religious differences, taking emotional risks to build trust, and how Abby’s experience of sharing her own abortion story shifted their friendship and played a part in Rob’s ideological reversal. Then Abby checks in with Rob by phone after Coney Barrett’s installation to the Supreme Court to react and reflect on the moment, and how they plan to move forward, both personally and politically, with hope and action.Find Rob on Twitter @@RevRobSchenck1EPISODE LINKSVote Common GoodThe Armor Of Light (dirs. Abigail Disney and Kathleen Hughes)Costly Grace: An Evangelical Minister's Rediscovery of Faith, Hope, and Love by Rob SchenckAKA Jane Roe (FX)Opinion | I Was an Anti-Abortion Crusader. Now I Support Roe v. Wade The New York Times 5/30/19How a More Conservative Supreme Court Could Impact Environmental Laws Scientific American 9/28/20The Effects of Stand-Your-Ground Laws RAND Corporation 4/22/20People of Praise: Inside Group With Reported Ties to Amy Coney Barrett Rolling Stone  9/29/20

This week on All Ears, Abby is joined by Emmy and Peabody-winning journalist Maria Hinojosa, whose work on issues that affect the Latinx community has brought her both acclaim and scrutiny. As an intrepid reporter at places like CNN and PBS, as well as the first Latina correspondent at NPR, Hinojosa has long challenged what she sees as the typically inequitable race, gender, and cultural narratives told by these venerable but monolithic institutions. And yet her spirit is unbroken! Hinojosa is a funny, warm, and engaging guest, and she and Abby banter and gossip as well as take on heady topics like immigration reform, overcoming imposter syndrome, and the agenda behind labeling women “angry”. Also, there’s an epic takedown of CNN’s Lou Dobbs you won’t want to miss.  Follow Maria on Twitter: @Maria_HinojosaListen to Maria: Latino USA is on all podcast platforms and airs on 240 radio stations across the countryIn The Thick podcastEPISODE LINKSOnce I Was You: A Memoir Of Love And Hate In A Torn AmericaInside the Former Walmart That Is Now a Shelter for Almost 1,500 Migrant Children (New York Times)Fact Sheet: US Refugee Resettlement (National Immigration Forum)The Easiest Loaf of Bread You’ll Ever Bake (Abby's King Arthur Flour recipe)

All Ears is kicking off Season 2 with comedian Samantha Bee. As the host of Full Frontal on TBS since 2016, and as a correspondent on The Daily Show for 12 years prior, Sam has been skewering politicians, culture, and society’s sacred cows for the better part of two decades. And she’s really good at it! Abby talks to Sam about growing up in Canada with a Wiccan mom, an atheist dad, and a serious schoolgirl crush on Jesus. Sam describes her journey from pre-law student to comedian, and how the platform of late night news satire became the new face of journalism in modern American politics. Along the way Sam developed a spine of steel, her own show, and a sense of responsibility to tell underreported stories and collaborate with show staffers who represent diverse racial, economic, and gender viewpoints. Did we mention she’s funny? Yeah, that too!Full Frontal with Samantha Bee airs on TBS on Wednesdays at 10:30 PM ESTFind Samantha Bee on Twitter @iamsambee and @FullFrontalSamBeeEPISODE LINKS The Cut - Smirking in the Boys’ Room With Samantha BeeNY Times Opinion - Ivanka Trump's Dangerous Fake FeminismL.A. Times - Samantha Bee has the solution for Hollywood's diversity problem: 'Just hire people'The Atlantic - How Shelby County v. Holder Broke AmericaTBS - Russian Thinkfluencers, Full Frontal with Samantha Bee TBS - Help Floridians Vote! Full Frontal with Samantha Bee

“ALL EARS with Abigail Disney” is back for Season 2! With the 2020 election season and lame duck session - whatever it may bring - as our backdrop, Abby is excited to talk to people she considers "troublemakers". These are the folks whose work as writers, artists, politicians and activists push back with imagination and courage against the status quo. We'll be intertwining big ideas and personal stories about gender, class, and race, and how we can take action to make changes in our cultural and political landscape. However this chaotic political story shakes out, Abby will have some great thinkers to help us navigate.

This week All Ears brings you a special bonus episode: Abby couldn’t pass up the opportunity to talk to author Mary Trump about her new book, “Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created The World’s Most Dangerous Man”. As like-minded mavericks, Abby and Mary discuss what it’s like to stand up to a wealthy American family empire from the inside, and the friction and drama that results. Mary brings a gimlet eye to the Trump family mythology, and deconstructs the brutal dynamics that destroyed her father, Fred Trump Jr. (Donald Trump’s elder brother). As Mary relates in vivid detail, the Trump family patriarch, Fred Sr., pitted the five Trump siblings against each other, and Donald emerged as the ruthless victor by emulating Fred Sr.’s narcissism and sociopathy, while Fred Jr. died at 42 from complications of alcoholism, broken by years of emotional abuse at the hands of his father. This is an interview you won’t want to miss! EPISODE LINKSToo Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World's Most Dangerous Man (Mary Trump)The Inside Story of Why Mary Trump Wrote a Tell-All Memoir (New York Times)Mary Trump's interview with ABC News' George Stephanopoulos (ABC News)The Men Who Gave Trump His Brutal Worldview (Politico)Mary Trump on Twitter: @MaryLTrump