Thanks for listening and sharing our body politic. As you know, we're only a few months into this show.

We are still evolving, still shaping it, and we need lots of input from listeners like you.

So I want to ask a small favor. After you listen today, please head over to Apple Podcasts on your phone,

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ideas matter to us, and thank you. This is our Body Politic.

I'm the creator and host, Farai Chidea.

We're talking with our public health experts about COVID vaccinations and diving deep into

the minimum wage increase Congress is debating to ease the financial burden of the pandemic.

The Biden-Harris administration is grappling with how different members of the Democratic Party

are staking out positions on a proposed increase to the minimum wage and on student loan

forgiveness. Senator Elizabeth Warren has been a key voice advocating for policies that benefit

lower and middle-income Americans.

She tells us how her positions are informed by her own experience growing up and how that

compares with the struggles of working families now.

Senator Warren, it is so great to have you with us.

Oh, and I'm so glad to be here with you.

So let's just jump right in with a bit of family history. You have talked about your early life as

being on, quote, the ragged edge of the middle class. And you were the first in your family to

graduate from college, I understand.

What do you mean by the ragged edge of the middle class?

You know, we were one of those families that so wanted to be middle class,

wanted to see ourselves as middle class.

...