Corporations and Democracy: Previous Shows
State of the Free Press with Project Censored
December 19 click to listen
Annie and Steve discuss the 2025 edition of Project Censored’s "State of the Free Press--the Top Censored Stories and Media Analysis of 2024," with Andy Lee Roth, Associate Director of Project Censored. This annual guide focuses on the news that didn't make the news, and why.
Our Nation at Risk: Election Integrity as a National Security Issue
October 17 audio coming soon
Annie and Steve discuss "The Legal Maneuvers Underway to Undermine the November Election" with Pamela Smith, President and CEO of Verified Voting.
GrassRoots Institute on Election Workshops, plus Greg Palast on America's Vote Suppression Hitmen
September 18, 2024 click to listen
Annie and Steve welcome Jim Tarbell of the GrassRoots Institute to discuss the upcoming 2024 Election Workshops to be held biweekly at the Mendocino County Community Center.
In the second half of the show, starting around 32:00, voter suppression expert, author, and journalist Greg Palast talks about his new movie "Vigilantes Inc., America's New Vote Suppression Hitmen" and what you can do to help prevent your vote from being taken away from you. book examines how the lack of stability and integrity of the electoral process has become a threat to national security.
Our Nation at Risk: Election Integrity as a National Security Issue
August 15, 2024 click to listen
Annie and Steve will discuss the new book "Our Nation at Risk: Election Integrity as a National Security Issue" with co-editor Karen J. Greenberg, Director of the Center on National Security at Fordham Law. The book examines how the lack of stability and integrity of the electoral process has become a threat to national security.
The Courts Versus Working People and How is Democracy Doing Four Months Before the Election?
July 18, 2024 click to listen
This two-part show starts with a look at "The Courts v. Working People," with Molly Coleman, executive director of the People's Parity Project. Part two asks "How Is Democracy Doing Four Months before the Election?" with Jessica Corbett, senior editor and staff writer for Common Dreams.
Are We In the Middle of a Corporate Crime Wave?
June 20, 2024 click to listen
Annie and Steve discuss a new report, "The High Cost of Misconduct: Corporate Penalties Reach the Trillion-Dollar Mark," with one of its authors, Philip Mattera, of Good Jobs First.
Climate Change and Local Action
April 18, 2024 click to listen
Guests Eileen Mitro and Crispin Hollinshead, of Climate Action Mendocino, discuss local actions to slow climate collapse and prepare for the changes that are coming.
Mendocino's Historic Measure H
March 21, 2024 click to listen
Celebrate the 20th anniversary of Mendocino County's historic Measure H, the initiative campaign that prohibits growing of genetically modified organisms in the County. Joining hosts Annie Esposito and Steve Scalmanini are measure organizers Els Cooperrider, Doug Mosel, Jonathan Frey, and callers.
No More California Landlines?
February 15, 2024 click to listen
What are the public safety and access issues with AT&T's proposed discontinuation of landline service in California? Find out on with guests Matt Kendall, Mendocino Co Sheriff, and Loretta Lynch, former president, CA PUC.
The Israel Lobby versus the Innocents of Gaza
January 18, 2024 click to listen
Guests are Norman Solomon, Executive Director of the Institute for Public Accuracy and author of twelve books including War Made Invisible: How America Hides the Human Toll of Its Military Machine and Grant F. Smith, Director of the Institute for Research: Middle Eastern Policy and author of eight books including How Israel Made AIPAC: The Most Harmful Foreign Influence Operation in America.
How Did Democracy Do in 2023 and the Outlook for 2024
December 21, 2023 click to listen
Guest Jessica Corbett, staff writer & senior editor for Common Dreams, goes over some of the high and low points for democracy in 2023 and what to expect in the upcoming election year.
The State of the Free Press 2024
November 16, 2023 click to listen
Annie and Steve discuss Project Censored's annual book on the State of the Free Press 2024, with special attention to media bias in the conflict between Israel and Palestinians, with Andy Lee Roth, Associate Director of Project Censored.
Special 25th Anniversary Show
September 21, 2023 click to listen
The 25th anniversary edition of "Corporations and Democracy" features past and present hosts, a history of the issues and inspirations for the show, and a look back at favorite shows and guests.
How Local Governments are Blocking Ballot Initiatives at the Behest of Corporations
August 17, 2023 click to listen
Annie and Steve look at this attack on local democracy. Kai Huschke, Executive Director of the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund, is the guest.
How Do Corporate Subsidies Hurt Communities?
March 16, 2023 click to listen
Annie and Steve welcome Greg LeRoy, Executive Director of Good Jobs First.
The Newest Scam to Privatize Medicare: ACO REACH
February 16, 2023 click to listen
Anna Massoglia, manager of editorial content and investigations at OpenSecrets, is the guest for a discussion of where record-breaking amounts of money were spent in the 2022 midterm elections.
Money in the Midterm Elections
January 19, 2023 click to listen
Annie Esposito and Steve Scalmanini welcome Ruth Carter, Chair of the Senior Caucus of the California Democratic Party, and Corinne Frugoni, retired family physician in Humboldt County, California.
The 25 Most Censored Stories of 2022
December 15, 2022 click to listen
Annie and Steve welcome Andy Lee Roth, associate director of Project Censored, for what has become an annual event: a look at the 25 most censored stories of the year. Celebrate the importance of independent media, and learn how corporate and big money media try to control information and perspective.
Vote Suppression in Georgia click to listen
The Boys who Said No: Documenting Draft Resistance click to listen
November 17, 2022
In the first half of the show, Annie and Steve talk with investigative journalist Greg Palast about "Vote Suppression in Georgia in Last Week's Midterm Election and in the Upcoming Runoff." Greg is producer of the new movie, "Vigilante: Georgia's Vote Suppression Hitman." In the second half, Judith Ehrlich, director of the movie "The Boys Who Said NO! – Draft Resistance & the Vietnam War" is the guest.
Risks to Democracy in the November Midterms: The State of Election Integrity and Voting Rights
October 20, 2022 click to listen
Mendocino College Professor Phil Warf is the guest, discussing all things voting rights, from intimidation to gerrymandering to restrictions on where and when early or mail-in voting can take place.
How Does Billionaire Philanthropy Distort Public Policy?
September 15, 2022 click to listen
Program guests are Chuck Collins and Helen Flannery of inequality.org, discussing their report, "Gilded Giving - How Wealth Inequality Distorts Philanthropy and Imperils Democracy."
Paul Cienfuegos on Reclaiming Citizen Power
August 18, 2022 click to listen
Hosts Annie Esposito and Steve Scalmanini discuss the new book "How Dare We? -- Courageous Practices to Reclaim Our Power as Citizens" with its author Paul Cienfuegos, founder of CommunityRights.US.
Corporate Influence in the California Public Utility Commission's Proposed Tax on Home Solar Energy
June 16, 2022 click to listen
Annie Esposito and Steve Scalmanini focus on Pacific Gas and Electric's attempts to disincentivize solar power for homeowners, and how new taxes will particularly impact solar's adoption by middle and working class families, as well as for public projects. Guests are Dave Rosenfeld, Executive Director of the Solar Rights Alliance and Loretta Lynch, former President of the CPUC.
What are Russian Oligarchs Doing in US Tax Havens?
March 17, 2022 click to listen
Most people associate tax havens with small countries and tropical islands. But it turns out that the United States is one of the largest repositories for fortunes and assets whose owners want to keep their value a secret. Chuck Collins, noted author and Director of the Program on Inequality and the Common Good at the Institute for Policy Studies, explores how state policies help hide money and the price that we all pay for policies that encourage wealth hoarding and tax evasions.
How Vulnerable are Mobile Home Residents to Predatory Capital?
October 10, 2021 click to listen
Residents of some mobile home parks are organizing to resist speculative real estate investors by buying the land they live on. Guests are Jim Kachik, chairman of the new Woods Co-operative Association, which is currently purchasing The Woods mobile home park in Mendocino County, CA, and E. Kim Coontz, executive director of the California Center for Cooperative Development, which helps residents purchase their parks.
Greg Palast on How to Protect Your Vote From Another Stolen Election
August 24, 2020 click to listen
Journalist Greg Palast is Lynda McClure's first guest, with the latest on election protection and how to make your vote count. In the second half-hour, how votes are cast and counted in Mendocino County.
The Prosecution of Steven Donzinger and the IPCC Report
August 8, 2020 click to listen
Annie Esposito and Steve Scalmanini discuss the bizarre prosecution of attorney Steven Donziger by private attorneys, at the direction of a Federal Judge, on behalf of the Chevron Corporation, followed by discussion of the new report on climate change just published over the weekend by the IPCC, opposition to which is led by fossil fuel companies like...the Chevron Corporation.
PFAS, the Military, and Public Health
March 12, 2020 click to listen
We hear from a trio of experts on PFAS, the "forever" chemicals that are being detected in drinking water supplies across the country, and their use on military bases as fire suppressants. Joining Annie and Steve are Patricia Hynes, a retired professor of Environmental Health at Boston University and currently director of the Traprock Center for Peace and Justice, Liz Rozenbaum, founder and organizer of the Fountain Valley Clean Water Coalition, and Alliance co-chair and WILPF activist Nancy Price.
All Things Election Integrity with Jan BenDor
February 13, 2020 click to listen
Jan BenDor, of the Michigan Election Reform Alliance, leads a spirited discussion of resistance to voter suppression and how we can count all our votes accurately and transparently.
Funding Popular Programs With a Fraction of Our Military Budget
January 10, 2020 click to listen
Ashik Siddique, a research analyst for the Institute for Policy Studies' National Priorities Project, shares how $300 billion could be cut from US military spending, improving relationships with allies and funding necessary programs at home.
Hope and Action for 2020
December 26, 2019 click to listen
Host Lynda McClure and her guests discuss their reflections on 2019 and prospects for 2020. Hear from David Barsamian, host of the weekly radio program Alternative Radio and Paul Cienfuegos, founder of Community Rights US.
"Homewrecking" for Profit
November 8, 2019 click to listen
Hosts Annie and Steve talk to investigative journalist and author Aaron Glantz about his new book, "Homewreckers: How a Gang of Wall Street Kingpins, Hedge Fund Magnates, Crooked Banks, and Vulture Capitalists Suckered Millions Out of Their Homes and Demolished the American Dream."
For-Profit Prisons: Issues Confront California and the Nation
October 25, 2019 click to listen
A new California law aims to phase out state use of for-profit prisons by 2028. On this edition of "Corporations and Democracy," host Lynda McClure talks to Marissa Hatton, civil rights attorney for Equal Justice Under Law, about the moral and economic issues that states face when they contract with corporations seeking to make money from the criminal justice system.
David Rovics on the Corporate Takeover of the Music Business
October 11, 2019 click to listen
Singer-composer David Rovics talks with Annie and Steve about the troubles that independent musicians have seen as more traditional pathways to growing an audience are replaced by a few online markets for new music.
Ellen Brown on Public Banking, LIBRA, and Her Latest Book
August 9, 2019 click to listen
Annie and Steve talk with Ellen Brown, founder of the Public Banking Institute and author of several books on democratizing finance. Ellen reports on AB 857, the California public bank bill, Facebook's proposed cryptocurrency, and discusses her latest book, Banking on the People: Democratizing Money in the Digital Age.
Climate Action in Northern California: Who's Doing What?
June 14, 2019 click to listen
Annie and Steve welcome John Sorensen of the Elders Climate Action Coordinating Council and Coordinating Director of Elders Action Network for a hopeful discussion of organizing to protect climate.
The State of Community Rights
May 24, 2019 click to listen
Paul Cienfuegos, founding director of Community Rights US and long-time organizer for local democracy, talks about the state of community rights with host Lynda McClure.
PG&E After the Fires: What’s next?”
May 5, 2019 click to listen
Annie and Steve welcome Mindy Spatt, Communications Chief for The Utilities Reform Network to discuss the aftermath of the 2018 wildfires and Pacific Gas and Electric's liability and reaction.
Campaign Finance Trends from the 2018 Midterms
March 8, 2019 click to listen
What aspects of the midterm elections will continue to have an impact in 2020? Doug Weber, senior researcher at the Center for Responsive Politics shares insights with Annie and Steve.
The Missing $21 Trillion and Other Top Boondoggles from 2018
February 8, 2019 Click to listen
Annie and Steve welcome Conn Hallinan, columnist for Foreign Policy in Focus and independent journalist for a look at the winners of the Are You Serious awards, recognizing waste, fraud, and heartless idiocy among the corporate and political elites.
Exploitation and deregulation: the fossil fuel industry under Trump
January 23, 2019 click to listen
Noted journalist and author Antonia Juhasz takes a look at the US oil and gas boom and the current administration's quest for "energy dominance." Great questions from callers; Lynda McClure hosts.
Water for Weed (no, not that weed! Weed, California)
January 11, 2019 click to listen
Weed CA community members Bruce Shoemaker and Bob Hall discuss the city's fight to keep water rights to Beaugham Spring in the face of opposition, including a SLAPP suit, from Roseburg Forest Products. Listen or download here.
The 20th Year Reunion and Retrospective
December 11, 2018 click to listen
Past and current hosts of "Corporations and Democracy" join in studio and on the phone lines to talk about the show's early days, favorite guests, occasional snafus, and how their programming developed alongside a local and national democracy movement. With Tom Wodetzki, Toni Rizzo, Jim Tarbell, Jan Edwards, CJ Jones, Steve Scalmanini and Annie Esposito.
"One Person, No Vote," and "The Global Power Elite"
November 9, 2018
Voter suppression is, sadly, alive, well and deeply impacting recent elections. In Part 1, guest Carol Anderson, author of One Person, No Vote: How Voter Suppression is Destroying Our Democracy, looks at attacks on African American voter participation following the 2013 Shelby decision. Click to listen
In Part 2, Annie and Steve welcome Peter Phillips, whose book Giants: The Global Power Elite, focuses on the very few, very rich, and very powerful men who make up a global transnational corporate oligarchy. Click to listen
Can Public Pressure Ensure Government Ethics? and
Historic Injustices from Politicized Supreme Court Nominations
October 12, 2018
In part one David Levinthal, Federal Politics Editor at the Center for Public Integrity, explores the efficacy and limits of popular pressure for good government. Click to listen
In part 2, Calvin Schermerhorn, a professor at Arizona State University’s School of Historical, Philosophical, and Religious Studies, talks about the Supreme Court's structural role as an extension of executive branch power, and how most often that power has come down on the side of entrenched privilege, not human rights. Click to listen
Non-Violence Action and Training
September 28, 2018 Click to listen
Host Lynda McClure talks to Naomi Wagner and Alicia Littletree about their work as activists with Earth First! and the dynamics of non-violence training with diverse communities.
Listen or download here.http://www.thealliancefordemocracy.org/audio/candd2018-09-26.mp3
Norman Solomon on Lessons Unlearned, Fifty Years After the Chicago Convention
September 14, 2018 Click to listen
The Democratic Party leadership is unwilling to look back to the 2016 election and "autopsy" the results, so media critic, author, and journalist Norman Solomon helped with an independent review. He goes over the lessons unlearned with hosts Annie Esposito and Steve Scalmanini.
The Real Dirt on Frac Sand Mining
August 14, 2018 Click to listen
The health and environmental impacts of hydraulic fracturing--fracking--are becoming better known, but far from the injection site, mining and preparation of the sand used in fracking has serious, and often overlooked, impacts on water and air quality, the economic stability of rural communities, and public health. Patricia Popple, a long-time organizer and educator on frac sand mining impacts, talks with Steve and Annie about the problems and the groups and people at the grassroots and in state agencies who are taking action.
Getting Political--and Dramatic--With the San Francisco Mime Troupe
July 24, 2018 Click to listen
Michael Gene Sullivan, actor, playwright, teacher and member of the storied San Francisco Mime Troupe collective talks to host Lynda McClure about the challenges of doing political theater, and the medium's unique ability to bring people together as critics of the status quo.
Space Force? Or Space for Peace?
July 10, 2018 Click to listen
A talk with Bruce Gagnon, chair of Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space, who has worked on space issues for more than 20 years as an activist and author. He's joined by Dennis O’Brien, former member of the NASA-Hastings Law Project, and founder of the Space Treaty Project.
Talking Peace, War, and Decades of Activism with Medea Benjamin
June 26, 2018 Click to listen
Medea Benjamin, co-founder of CODEPINK and Global Exchange, activist, lecturer and author, talks with host Lynda McClure about the current situations in North Korea and the Middle East, and her experiences over decades of work for peace and global economic justice. Her recently released book is Inside Iran: The Real History and Politics of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Who Bought The Primaries? What We Know about Dark Money in This Year's Primary Elections
June 12, 2018 Click to listen
Whether you expect a blue wave or red resilience this November, you'll see a lot of secret donations at work: donations made to non-profits, which are not legally required to disclose donations, and then used to back candidates friendly to the donor's agenda. Sarah Kleiner and Ashley Balcerzak, reporters for the Center for Public Integrity, join Steve and Annie to find out how these donations undermine democracy.
Global Discontents with David Barsamian
May 22, 2018 Click to listen
Lynda McClure welcomes David Barsamian, founder and director of Alternative Radio, a weekly public affairs program heard on more than 250 stations. worldwide. They'll talk about his new book, co-authored with Noam Chomsky, entitled Global Discontents: Conversations on the Rising Threats to Democracy.
Our Two-Tier Education System
May 8, 2018 Click to listen
Steve and Annie welcome Lynn Parramore, from the Institute for New Economic Thinking, for a discussion of attacks on public education and the impetus between the recent red-state teacher walkouts.
NRA Power in Politics: Follow the Money
April 10, 2018 Click to listen
Steve and Annie welcome Geoff West, money-in-politics reporter for the Center for Responsive Politics, also known as opensecrets.org.
The State of Labor Rights
March 27, 2018 Click to listen
Lynda's guest is Joe Lewis Wildman, a labor and community organizer. The discussion takes on the state of the labor movement, the damage the Supreme Court could do to organizing depending on the outcome of the Janus decision, and the importance of broader outreach and organizing for keeping today's unions a growing force for good.
Single Payer Health Care: Election Year Update
March 13, 2018 Click to listen
Steve & Annie welcome Kathryn Donahue, retired board member of the California Nurses Association (CNA), and Martha Kuhl, secretary/treasurer for National Nurses United (NNU) for a look at the current status of single payer health care in California, and where the candidates stand on this issue.
Funding of Mendocino County's Employee Pensions: Crisis or Just Another Manageable Problem?
February 13, 2018 Click to listen
Steve & Annie discuss possible weaknesses in county pension funding with John Dickerson of Your Public Money and former State Assemblymember Michael Allen.
The Grassroots Institute and Mapping the Mendocino Solidarity Economy
January 23, 2018 Click to listen
Lynda McClure's guests are Jim Tarbell and Carrie Durkee, from the Grassroots Institute, a popular education program on the history of corporations and corporate influence on government. They discuss the program and its latest project, a solidarity economy map of the Mendocino area.
What Can be Done about Climate Change: Responding at the Grass Roots
January 9, 2018 Click to listen
Climate change is a global and an existential threat, but what can be done at the grassroots to counter it? Annie and Steve talk with two local activists: Margo Frank, a member of the coordinating council of Elders Climate Action, and Randal MacDonald of the Redwood Chapter of the Sierra Club and Citizens Climate Lobby.
The New Economy and the Quietly Emerging Next Economic System with Gar Alperovitz
November 14, 2017 Click to listen
A noted historian, political economist, activist and writer, Gar Alperowitz is co-founder of the Democracy Collaborative. He joins Annie and Steve to discuss aspects of a new economic system based on cooperatives, public banks, and clean energy. Callers bring their own questions and viewpoints.
The Project Censored Show
October 10, 2017 Click to listen
Every year, Project Censored picks the 25 top stories that didn't make the news and "Corporations and Democracy" brings in a guest from the project to take a look at some of these stories and the issues behind them, including media omission and distortion. Today, Annie and Steve talk to Andy Lee Roth about this year's investigatory work, including campus relationships to the fossil fuel industry, suppression of industry knowledge of climate change, and more.
What's at State in NAFTA Renegotiation?
September 12, 2017 Click to listen to part 1 Click to listen to part 2
Plans are underway for a renegotiation of NAFTA—along with grave concerns about environmental and worker protections. In part 1, Will Wiltschko, the Director of California Trade Justice Coalition, will bring us up to date on the issues from a California workers’ perspective. In part 2, Celeste Drake, the trade and globalization policy specialist at the AFL-CIO, will look at the changes to trade agreements that are necessary to protect working families. Nancy Price, Alliance co-chair, represents AfD on the California Trade Justice Coalition Advisory Board..
"The Myth of Green Capitalism" with Richard Smith
August 8, 2017 Click to listen
We are economically and culturally wedded to a system of perpetual growth, and we are only beginning to sense the scope of the ecological disaster that awaits us unless we can make big changes very soon, says guest Richard Smith. Smith is a founder of System Change Not Climate Change, and has written widely on China, climate collapse, and ecosocialism. He talks to Annie, Steve, and call-in guests about growth, consumption, and bringing participatory democracy and environmental protection together in a future where decisions about planning are made by people, not big corporations.
Trump's Election Integrity Commission—Fix or Fraud?
July 11, 2017 Click to listen
Jan Ben-Dor, Michigan voting rights and election integrity activist, is the guest, discussing the Trump administration's current push to "secure" US elections. Jan is a founding member of the Michigan Election Reform Alliance and a national board member of the National Election Defense Coalition, as well as a former Michigan election official.
Grassroots Activism Transforms a Company Town
June 13, 2017 Click to listen
Steve Early, author of the new book, Refinery Town: Big Oil, Big Money, and the Making of an American City explains how Richmond, California went through a decade of grassroots organizing that led to the political transformation of the city, making it one of the most progressive and safest in the nation.
Community Rights Versus Corporate Rule
April 25, 2017 Click to listen
For decades, Paul Cienfuegos has been studying, writing, and organizing in defense of communities versus corporate attacks on local rights, the environment, and public health. He joins Annie and Steve to discuss what it would mean, politically and culturally, to establish real democracy, and to introduce a new community rights organizing group, Communityrights.us.
A Trump Administration FDA & Top 10 Corporate Criminals
April 11, 2017 Click to Listen: Part 1 Part 2
In Part 1, Dr. Michael Carome, the director of Public Citizen's Health Research Group, talks about the possible future of the Food and Drug Administration under President Trump. In Part 2, Annie and Steve go over Global Exchange's list of "Top Ten Corporate Criminals of 2016."
Thomas Linzey on Community Rights
February 14, 2017 Click to listen
Annie and Steve will discuss the latest news from the Community Rights Movement and its implications in the current political climate with Thomas Linzey, co-founder of the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund (CELDF) and co-author of the new book We the People: Stories from the Community Rights Movement in the United States. Learn about community "civil disobedience," how the regulatory system only regulates environmentalists, and why we need to take the rights of nature seriously.
Record-Setting Money in the 2016 Elections
January 10, 2017 Click to listen
The 2016 election season was another record-setter for donations and spending. Annie and Steve dig into where the money came from with Michael Beckel, politics reporter for the Center for Public Integrity. Michael covered the campaign finance beat for the Center, which produced the "Buying the President” series of reports.
December 19 click to listen
Annie and Steve discuss the 2025 edition of Project Censored’s "State of the Free Press--the Top Censored Stories and Media Analysis of 2024," with Andy Lee Roth, Associate Director of Project Censored. This annual guide focuses on the news that didn't make the news, and why.
Our Nation at Risk: Election Integrity as a National Security Issue
October 17 audio coming soon
Annie and Steve discuss "The Legal Maneuvers Underway to Undermine the November Election" with Pamela Smith, President and CEO of Verified Voting.
GrassRoots Institute on Election Workshops, plus Greg Palast on America's Vote Suppression Hitmen
September 18, 2024 click to listen
Annie and Steve welcome Jim Tarbell of the GrassRoots Institute to discuss the upcoming 2024 Election Workshops to be held biweekly at the Mendocino County Community Center.
In the second half of the show, starting around 32:00, voter suppression expert, author, and journalist Greg Palast talks about his new movie "Vigilantes Inc., America's New Vote Suppression Hitmen" and what you can do to help prevent your vote from being taken away from you. book examines how the lack of stability and integrity of the electoral process has become a threat to national security.
Our Nation at Risk: Election Integrity as a National Security Issue
August 15, 2024 click to listen
Annie and Steve will discuss the new book "Our Nation at Risk: Election Integrity as a National Security Issue" with co-editor Karen J. Greenberg, Director of the Center on National Security at Fordham Law. The book examines how the lack of stability and integrity of the electoral process has become a threat to national security.
The Courts Versus Working People and How is Democracy Doing Four Months Before the Election?
July 18, 2024 click to listen
This two-part show starts with a look at "The Courts v. Working People," with Molly Coleman, executive director of the People's Parity Project. Part two asks "How Is Democracy Doing Four Months before the Election?" with Jessica Corbett, senior editor and staff writer for Common Dreams.
Are We In the Middle of a Corporate Crime Wave?
June 20, 2024 click to listen
Annie and Steve discuss a new report, "The High Cost of Misconduct: Corporate Penalties Reach the Trillion-Dollar Mark," with one of its authors, Philip Mattera, of Good Jobs First.
Climate Change and Local Action
April 18, 2024 click to listen
Guests Eileen Mitro and Crispin Hollinshead, of Climate Action Mendocino, discuss local actions to slow climate collapse and prepare for the changes that are coming.
Mendocino's Historic Measure H
March 21, 2024 click to listen
Celebrate the 20th anniversary of Mendocino County's historic Measure H, the initiative campaign that prohibits growing of genetically modified organisms in the County. Joining hosts Annie Esposito and Steve Scalmanini are measure organizers Els Cooperrider, Doug Mosel, Jonathan Frey, and callers.
No More California Landlines?
February 15, 2024 click to listen
What are the public safety and access issues with AT&T's proposed discontinuation of landline service in California? Find out on with guests Matt Kendall, Mendocino Co Sheriff, and Loretta Lynch, former president, CA PUC.
The Israel Lobby versus the Innocents of Gaza
January 18, 2024 click to listen
Guests are Norman Solomon, Executive Director of the Institute for Public Accuracy and author of twelve books including War Made Invisible: How America Hides the Human Toll of Its Military Machine and Grant F. Smith, Director of the Institute for Research: Middle Eastern Policy and author of eight books including How Israel Made AIPAC: The Most Harmful Foreign Influence Operation in America.
How Did Democracy Do in 2023 and the Outlook for 2024
December 21, 2023 click to listen
Guest Jessica Corbett, staff writer & senior editor for Common Dreams, goes over some of the high and low points for democracy in 2023 and what to expect in the upcoming election year.
The State of the Free Press 2024
November 16, 2023 click to listen
Annie and Steve discuss Project Censored's annual book on the State of the Free Press 2024, with special attention to media bias in the conflict between Israel and Palestinians, with Andy Lee Roth, Associate Director of Project Censored.
Special 25th Anniversary Show
September 21, 2023 click to listen
The 25th anniversary edition of "Corporations and Democracy" features past and present hosts, a history of the issues and inspirations for the show, and a look back at favorite shows and guests.
How Local Governments are Blocking Ballot Initiatives at the Behest of Corporations
August 17, 2023 click to listen
Annie and Steve look at this attack on local democracy. Kai Huschke, Executive Director of the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund, is the guest.
How Do Corporate Subsidies Hurt Communities?
March 16, 2023 click to listen
Annie and Steve welcome Greg LeRoy, Executive Director of Good Jobs First.
The Newest Scam to Privatize Medicare: ACO REACH
February 16, 2023 click to listen
Anna Massoglia, manager of editorial content and investigations at OpenSecrets, is the guest for a discussion of where record-breaking amounts of money were spent in the 2022 midterm elections.
Money in the Midterm Elections
January 19, 2023 click to listen
Annie Esposito and Steve Scalmanini welcome Ruth Carter, Chair of the Senior Caucus of the California Democratic Party, and Corinne Frugoni, retired family physician in Humboldt County, California.
The 25 Most Censored Stories of 2022
December 15, 2022 click to listen
Annie and Steve welcome Andy Lee Roth, associate director of Project Censored, for what has become an annual event: a look at the 25 most censored stories of the year. Celebrate the importance of independent media, and learn how corporate and big money media try to control information and perspective.
Vote Suppression in Georgia click to listen
The Boys who Said No: Documenting Draft Resistance click to listen
November 17, 2022
In the first half of the show, Annie and Steve talk with investigative journalist Greg Palast about "Vote Suppression in Georgia in Last Week's Midterm Election and in the Upcoming Runoff." Greg is producer of the new movie, "Vigilante: Georgia's Vote Suppression Hitman." In the second half, Judith Ehrlich, director of the movie "The Boys Who Said NO! – Draft Resistance & the Vietnam War" is the guest.
Risks to Democracy in the November Midterms: The State of Election Integrity and Voting Rights
October 20, 2022 click to listen
Mendocino College Professor Phil Warf is the guest, discussing all things voting rights, from intimidation to gerrymandering to restrictions on where and when early or mail-in voting can take place.
How Does Billionaire Philanthropy Distort Public Policy?
September 15, 2022 click to listen
Program guests are Chuck Collins and Helen Flannery of inequality.org, discussing their report, "Gilded Giving - How Wealth Inequality Distorts Philanthropy and Imperils Democracy."
Paul Cienfuegos on Reclaiming Citizen Power
August 18, 2022 click to listen
Hosts Annie Esposito and Steve Scalmanini discuss the new book "How Dare We? -- Courageous Practices to Reclaim Our Power as Citizens" with its author Paul Cienfuegos, founder of CommunityRights.US.
Corporate Influence in the California Public Utility Commission's Proposed Tax on Home Solar Energy
June 16, 2022 click to listen
Annie Esposito and Steve Scalmanini focus on Pacific Gas and Electric's attempts to disincentivize solar power for homeowners, and how new taxes will particularly impact solar's adoption by middle and working class families, as well as for public projects. Guests are Dave Rosenfeld, Executive Director of the Solar Rights Alliance and Loretta Lynch, former President of the CPUC.
What are Russian Oligarchs Doing in US Tax Havens?
March 17, 2022 click to listen
Most people associate tax havens with small countries and tropical islands. But it turns out that the United States is one of the largest repositories for fortunes and assets whose owners want to keep their value a secret. Chuck Collins, noted author and Director of the Program on Inequality and the Common Good at the Institute for Policy Studies, explores how state policies help hide money and the price that we all pay for policies that encourage wealth hoarding and tax evasions.
How Vulnerable are Mobile Home Residents to Predatory Capital?
October 10, 2021 click to listen
Residents of some mobile home parks are organizing to resist speculative real estate investors by buying the land they live on. Guests are Jim Kachik, chairman of the new Woods Co-operative Association, which is currently purchasing The Woods mobile home park in Mendocino County, CA, and E. Kim Coontz, executive director of the California Center for Cooperative Development, which helps residents purchase their parks.
Greg Palast on How to Protect Your Vote From Another Stolen Election
August 24, 2020 click to listen
Journalist Greg Palast is Lynda McClure's first guest, with the latest on election protection and how to make your vote count. In the second half-hour, how votes are cast and counted in Mendocino County.
The Prosecution of Steven Donzinger and the IPCC Report
August 8, 2020 click to listen
Annie Esposito and Steve Scalmanini discuss the bizarre prosecution of attorney Steven Donziger by private attorneys, at the direction of a Federal Judge, on behalf of the Chevron Corporation, followed by discussion of the new report on climate change just published over the weekend by the IPCC, opposition to which is led by fossil fuel companies like...the Chevron Corporation.
PFAS, the Military, and Public Health
March 12, 2020 click to listen
We hear from a trio of experts on PFAS, the "forever" chemicals that are being detected in drinking water supplies across the country, and their use on military bases as fire suppressants. Joining Annie and Steve are Patricia Hynes, a retired professor of Environmental Health at Boston University and currently director of the Traprock Center for Peace and Justice, Liz Rozenbaum, founder and organizer of the Fountain Valley Clean Water Coalition, and Alliance co-chair and WILPF activist Nancy Price.
All Things Election Integrity with Jan BenDor
February 13, 2020 click to listen
Jan BenDor, of the Michigan Election Reform Alliance, leads a spirited discussion of resistance to voter suppression and how we can count all our votes accurately and transparently.
Funding Popular Programs With a Fraction of Our Military Budget
January 10, 2020 click to listen
Ashik Siddique, a research analyst for the Institute for Policy Studies' National Priorities Project, shares how $300 billion could be cut from US military spending, improving relationships with allies and funding necessary programs at home.
Hope and Action for 2020
December 26, 2019 click to listen
Host Lynda McClure and her guests discuss their reflections on 2019 and prospects for 2020. Hear from David Barsamian, host of the weekly radio program Alternative Radio and Paul Cienfuegos, founder of Community Rights US.
"Homewrecking" for Profit
November 8, 2019 click to listen
Hosts Annie and Steve talk to investigative journalist and author Aaron Glantz about his new book, "Homewreckers: How a Gang of Wall Street Kingpins, Hedge Fund Magnates, Crooked Banks, and Vulture Capitalists Suckered Millions Out of Their Homes and Demolished the American Dream."
For-Profit Prisons: Issues Confront California and the Nation
October 25, 2019 click to listen
A new California law aims to phase out state use of for-profit prisons by 2028. On this edition of "Corporations and Democracy," host Lynda McClure talks to Marissa Hatton, civil rights attorney for Equal Justice Under Law, about the moral and economic issues that states face when they contract with corporations seeking to make money from the criminal justice system.
David Rovics on the Corporate Takeover of the Music Business
October 11, 2019 click to listen
Singer-composer David Rovics talks with Annie and Steve about the troubles that independent musicians have seen as more traditional pathways to growing an audience are replaced by a few online markets for new music.
Ellen Brown on Public Banking, LIBRA, and Her Latest Book
August 9, 2019 click to listen
Annie and Steve talk with Ellen Brown, founder of the Public Banking Institute and author of several books on democratizing finance. Ellen reports on AB 857, the California public bank bill, Facebook's proposed cryptocurrency, and discusses her latest book, Banking on the People: Democratizing Money in the Digital Age.
Climate Action in Northern California: Who's Doing What?
June 14, 2019 click to listen
Annie and Steve welcome John Sorensen of the Elders Climate Action Coordinating Council and Coordinating Director of Elders Action Network for a hopeful discussion of organizing to protect climate.
The State of Community Rights
May 24, 2019 click to listen
Paul Cienfuegos, founding director of Community Rights US and long-time organizer for local democracy, talks about the state of community rights with host Lynda McClure.
PG&E After the Fires: What’s next?”
May 5, 2019 click to listen
Annie and Steve welcome Mindy Spatt, Communications Chief for The Utilities Reform Network to discuss the aftermath of the 2018 wildfires and Pacific Gas and Electric's liability and reaction.
Campaign Finance Trends from the 2018 Midterms
March 8, 2019 click to listen
What aspects of the midterm elections will continue to have an impact in 2020? Doug Weber, senior researcher at the Center for Responsive Politics shares insights with Annie and Steve.
The Missing $21 Trillion and Other Top Boondoggles from 2018
February 8, 2019 Click to listen
Annie and Steve welcome Conn Hallinan, columnist for Foreign Policy in Focus and independent journalist for a look at the winners of the Are You Serious awards, recognizing waste, fraud, and heartless idiocy among the corporate and political elites.
Exploitation and deregulation: the fossil fuel industry under Trump
January 23, 2019 click to listen
Noted journalist and author Antonia Juhasz takes a look at the US oil and gas boom and the current administration's quest for "energy dominance." Great questions from callers; Lynda McClure hosts.
Water for Weed (no, not that weed! Weed, California)
January 11, 2019 click to listen
Weed CA community members Bruce Shoemaker and Bob Hall discuss the city's fight to keep water rights to Beaugham Spring in the face of opposition, including a SLAPP suit, from Roseburg Forest Products. Listen or download here.
The 20th Year Reunion and Retrospective
December 11, 2018 click to listen
Past and current hosts of "Corporations and Democracy" join in studio and on the phone lines to talk about the show's early days, favorite guests, occasional snafus, and how their programming developed alongside a local and national democracy movement. With Tom Wodetzki, Toni Rizzo, Jim Tarbell, Jan Edwards, CJ Jones, Steve Scalmanini and Annie Esposito.
"One Person, No Vote," and "The Global Power Elite"
November 9, 2018
Voter suppression is, sadly, alive, well and deeply impacting recent elections. In Part 1, guest Carol Anderson, author of One Person, No Vote: How Voter Suppression is Destroying Our Democracy, looks at attacks on African American voter participation following the 2013 Shelby decision. Click to listen
In Part 2, Annie and Steve welcome Peter Phillips, whose book Giants: The Global Power Elite, focuses on the very few, very rich, and very powerful men who make up a global transnational corporate oligarchy. Click to listen
Can Public Pressure Ensure Government Ethics? and
Historic Injustices from Politicized Supreme Court Nominations
October 12, 2018
In part one David Levinthal, Federal Politics Editor at the Center for Public Integrity, explores the efficacy and limits of popular pressure for good government. Click to listen
In part 2, Calvin Schermerhorn, a professor at Arizona State University’s School of Historical, Philosophical, and Religious Studies, talks about the Supreme Court's structural role as an extension of executive branch power, and how most often that power has come down on the side of entrenched privilege, not human rights. Click to listen
Non-Violence Action and Training
September 28, 2018 Click to listen
Host Lynda McClure talks to Naomi Wagner and Alicia Littletree about their work as activists with Earth First! and the dynamics of non-violence training with diverse communities.
Listen or download here.http://www.thealliancefordemocracy.org/audio/candd2018-09-26.mp3
Norman Solomon on Lessons Unlearned, Fifty Years After the Chicago Convention
September 14, 2018 Click to listen
The Democratic Party leadership is unwilling to look back to the 2016 election and "autopsy" the results, so media critic, author, and journalist Norman Solomon helped with an independent review. He goes over the lessons unlearned with hosts Annie Esposito and Steve Scalmanini.
The Real Dirt on Frac Sand Mining
August 14, 2018 Click to listen
The health and environmental impacts of hydraulic fracturing--fracking--are becoming better known, but far from the injection site, mining and preparation of the sand used in fracking has serious, and often overlooked, impacts on water and air quality, the economic stability of rural communities, and public health. Patricia Popple, a long-time organizer and educator on frac sand mining impacts, talks with Steve and Annie about the problems and the groups and people at the grassroots and in state agencies who are taking action.
Getting Political--and Dramatic--With the San Francisco Mime Troupe
July 24, 2018 Click to listen
Michael Gene Sullivan, actor, playwright, teacher and member of the storied San Francisco Mime Troupe collective talks to host Lynda McClure about the challenges of doing political theater, and the medium's unique ability to bring people together as critics of the status quo.
Space Force? Or Space for Peace?
July 10, 2018 Click to listen
A talk with Bruce Gagnon, chair of Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space, who has worked on space issues for more than 20 years as an activist and author. He's joined by Dennis O’Brien, former member of the NASA-Hastings Law Project, and founder of the Space Treaty Project.
Talking Peace, War, and Decades of Activism with Medea Benjamin
June 26, 2018 Click to listen
Medea Benjamin, co-founder of CODEPINK and Global Exchange, activist, lecturer and author, talks with host Lynda McClure about the current situations in North Korea and the Middle East, and her experiences over decades of work for peace and global economic justice. Her recently released book is Inside Iran: The Real History and Politics of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Who Bought The Primaries? What We Know about Dark Money in This Year's Primary Elections
June 12, 2018 Click to listen
Whether you expect a blue wave or red resilience this November, you'll see a lot of secret donations at work: donations made to non-profits, which are not legally required to disclose donations, and then used to back candidates friendly to the donor's agenda. Sarah Kleiner and Ashley Balcerzak, reporters for the Center for Public Integrity, join Steve and Annie to find out how these donations undermine democracy.
Global Discontents with David Barsamian
May 22, 2018 Click to listen
Lynda McClure welcomes David Barsamian, founder and director of Alternative Radio, a weekly public affairs program heard on more than 250 stations. worldwide. They'll talk about his new book, co-authored with Noam Chomsky, entitled Global Discontents: Conversations on the Rising Threats to Democracy.
Our Two-Tier Education System
May 8, 2018 Click to listen
Steve and Annie welcome Lynn Parramore, from the Institute for New Economic Thinking, for a discussion of attacks on public education and the impetus between the recent red-state teacher walkouts.
NRA Power in Politics: Follow the Money
April 10, 2018 Click to listen
Steve and Annie welcome Geoff West, money-in-politics reporter for the Center for Responsive Politics, also known as opensecrets.org.
The State of Labor Rights
March 27, 2018 Click to listen
Lynda's guest is Joe Lewis Wildman, a labor and community organizer. The discussion takes on the state of the labor movement, the damage the Supreme Court could do to organizing depending on the outcome of the Janus decision, and the importance of broader outreach and organizing for keeping today's unions a growing force for good.
Single Payer Health Care: Election Year Update
March 13, 2018 Click to listen
Steve & Annie welcome Kathryn Donahue, retired board member of the California Nurses Association (CNA), and Martha Kuhl, secretary/treasurer for National Nurses United (NNU) for a look at the current status of single payer health care in California, and where the candidates stand on this issue.
Funding of Mendocino County's Employee Pensions: Crisis or Just Another Manageable Problem?
February 13, 2018 Click to listen
Steve & Annie discuss possible weaknesses in county pension funding with John Dickerson of Your Public Money and former State Assemblymember Michael Allen.
The Grassroots Institute and Mapping the Mendocino Solidarity Economy
January 23, 2018 Click to listen
Lynda McClure's guests are Jim Tarbell and Carrie Durkee, from the Grassroots Institute, a popular education program on the history of corporations and corporate influence on government. They discuss the program and its latest project, a solidarity economy map of the Mendocino area.
What Can be Done about Climate Change: Responding at the Grass Roots
January 9, 2018 Click to listen
Climate change is a global and an existential threat, but what can be done at the grassroots to counter it? Annie and Steve talk with two local activists: Margo Frank, a member of the coordinating council of Elders Climate Action, and Randal MacDonald of the Redwood Chapter of the Sierra Club and Citizens Climate Lobby.
The New Economy and the Quietly Emerging Next Economic System with Gar Alperovitz
November 14, 2017 Click to listen
A noted historian, political economist, activist and writer, Gar Alperowitz is co-founder of the Democracy Collaborative. He joins Annie and Steve to discuss aspects of a new economic system based on cooperatives, public banks, and clean energy. Callers bring their own questions and viewpoints.
The Project Censored Show
October 10, 2017 Click to listen
Every year, Project Censored picks the 25 top stories that didn't make the news and "Corporations and Democracy" brings in a guest from the project to take a look at some of these stories and the issues behind them, including media omission and distortion. Today, Annie and Steve talk to Andy Lee Roth about this year's investigatory work, including campus relationships to the fossil fuel industry, suppression of industry knowledge of climate change, and more.
What's at State in NAFTA Renegotiation?
September 12, 2017 Click to listen to part 1 Click to listen to part 2
Plans are underway for a renegotiation of NAFTA—along with grave concerns about environmental and worker protections. In part 1, Will Wiltschko, the Director of California Trade Justice Coalition, will bring us up to date on the issues from a California workers’ perspective. In part 2, Celeste Drake, the trade and globalization policy specialist at the AFL-CIO, will look at the changes to trade agreements that are necessary to protect working families. Nancy Price, Alliance co-chair, represents AfD on the California Trade Justice Coalition Advisory Board..
"The Myth of Green Capitalism" with Richard Smith
August 8, 2017 Click to listen
We are economically and culturally wedded to a system of perpetual growth, and we are only beginning to sense the scope of the ecological disaster that awaits us unless we can make big changes very soon, says guest Richard Smith. Smith is a founder of System Change Not Climate Change, and has written widely on China, climate collapse, and ecosocialism. He talks to Annie, Steve, and call-in guests about growth, consumption, and bringing participatory democracy and environmental protection together in a future where decisions about planning are made by people, not big corporations.
Trump's Election Integrity Commission—Fix or Fraud?
July 11, 2017 Click to listen
Jan Ben-Dor, Michigan voting rights and election integrity activist, is the guest, discussing the Trump administration's current push to "secure" US elections. Jan is a founding member of the Michigan Election Reform Alliance and a national board member of the National Election Defense Coalition, as well as a former Michigan election official.
Grassroots Activism Transforms a Company Town
June 13, 2017 Click to listen
Steve Early, author of the new book, Refinery Town: Big Oil, Big Money, and the Making of an American City explains how Richmond, California went through a decade of grassroots organizing that led to the political transformation of the city, making it one of the most progressive and safest in the nation.
Community Rights Versus Corporate Rule
April 25, 2017 Click to listen
For decades, Paul Cienfuegos has been studying, writing, and organizing in defense of communities versus corporate attacks on local rights, the environment, and public health. He joins Annie and Steve to discuss what it would mean, politically and culturally, to establish real democracy, and to introduce a new community rights organizing group, Communityrights.us.
A Trump Administration FDA & Top 10 Corporate Criminals
April 11, 2017 Click to Listen: Part 1 Part 2
In Part 1, Dr. Michael Carome, the director of Public Citizen's Health Research Group, talks about the possible future of the Food and Drug Administration under President Trump. In Part 2, Annie and Steve go over Global Exchange's list of "Top Ten Corporate Criminals of 2016."
Thomas Linzey on Community Rights
February 14, 2017 Click to listen
Annie and Steve will discuss the latest news from the Community Rights Movement and its implications in the current political climate with Thomas Linzey, co-founder of the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund (CELDF) and co-author of the new book We the People: Stories from the Community Rights Movement in the United States. Learn about community "civil disobedience," how the regulatory system only regulates environmentalists, and why we need to take the rights of nature seriously.
Record-Setting Money in the 2016 Elections
January 10, 2017 Click to listen
The 2016 election season was another record-setter for donations and spending. Annie and Steve dig into where the money came from with Michael Beckel, politics reporter for the Center for Public Integrity. Michael covered the campaign finance beat for the Center, which produced the "Buying the President” series of reports.
