The Wave

04/08/22 • 51 min

1 Listener

In the inaugural episode of The Continuous Action, former Office of Government Ethics Director Walt Shaub and journalist Virginia Heffernan begin exploring the issues confronting democracy by examining the wave of voter suppression efforts crashing across the states. They interview Janai Nelson, president and director-counsel of the NAACP’s Legal Defense and Educational Fund, about the fight for voting rights. They also speak with Supreme Court expert Dahlia Lithwick about the judiciary’s role in ripening the conditions for voter suppression. Their message: The fight for voting rights is urgent and requires the public to act – right now.

The Continuous Action is sponsored by The Project On Government Oversight. Stay tuned on the latest from POGO: pogo.org/subscribe

For episode show notes, visit pogo.org/series-collections/the-continuous-action/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Continuous Action is sponsored by The Project On Government Oversight. Stay tuned on the latest from POGO: pogo.org/subscribe

For episode show notes, visit pogo.org/series-collections/the-continuous-action/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Previous Episode

Introducing The Continuous Action

On The Continuous Action, co-hosts Walter Shaub and Virginia Heffernan break down some of the biggest issues facing our republic today. In this limited series, Shaub, former director of the Office of Government Ethics, and Heffernan, a seasoned journalist, interview experts, activists, philanthropists, and others on topics ranging from voting rights to government surveillance. Listen in on lively discussions as they analyze the issues and identify the actions we can all take to help hold our democracy together.

The Continuous Action is sponsored by the Project On Government Oversight (POGO). Stay tuned on the latest from POGO: pogo.org/subscribe

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Next Episode

War Lies, Watchdogs, and Whistleblowers

In Episode 2, hosts Walt Shaub and Virginia Heffernan explore a troubling truth: the government lies, particularly when it comes to war. The government has repeatedly misled the American people to justify starting or staying in a military conflict, leaving whistleblowers and watchdogs the dangerous task of exposing the truth.

Military expert Mandy Smithberger recounts how manipulation of intelligence information sent us to war in the Middle East, and activist Ben Cohen talks about the need for consequences when government officials lie us into war. The cohosts speak with John Sopko, special inspector general for Afghanistan reconstruction, about the systemic pressures that led officials to exaggerate success and conceal failures, and he talks about the vital role whistleblowers play.

The episode also features reflections from Ron Ridenhour, who exposed the My Lai massacre and combatted a massive government coverup. His words drive home just how crucial whistleblowers are — and how hard it is for them to tell the truth. Finally, Walt explains what we can do to better encourage whistleblowers to come forward and protect them from retaliation.

The Continuous Action is sponsored by The Project On Government Oversight. Stay tuned on the latest from POGO: pogo.org/subscribe

For show notes, visit: pogo.org/series-collections/the-continuous-action/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.