Pod Save the People

Apple’s Tim Cook delivers a golden box of nothing to the White House, Ice Cube defends his role advising Trump on a plan for Black Americans, WNBA games see a bizarre crypto-linked sex toy stunt, and grandmas run a summer camp serving up cooking skills and life lessons.

Transcribed - Published: 12 August 2025

Trump fires head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics over poor jobs report, a new tactic weaponizes state systems to crush opponents' credit, and a new spotlight shines on self-taught artist Bill Traylor.

Transcribed - Published: 5 August 2025

Trump named in Epstein files, ICE expands GPS ankle monitoring for immigrants, L.A. prosecutor struggles to land protest-related indictments, and a long-overlooked Black tech pioneer finally gets his due.

Transcribed - Published: 29 July 2025

Beto O’Rourke urges Democrats to fight “fire with fire”, Trump releases frozen school grants with strings attached, and Zora Neale Hurston’s final home is rescued from disrepair.

Transcribed - Published: 22 July 2025

Trump faces backlash from MAGA base, UnitedHealth works to silence critics, Mississippi water crisis continues, and the life and legacy of Jewel Thais-Williams. Myles interviews Saul Williams and co-director Anisia Uzeyman about their film Neptune Frost, now streaming on AfroPoP: The Ultimate Cultural Exchange.

Transcribed - Published: 15 July 2025

A deceptive “beautiful” bill conceals dangerous policy, Trump administration withholds billions in school funding, Essence Fest faces accusations of cultural erasure, and former politician Rick Perry finds purpose in psychedelics. DeRay interviews Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell on justice, leadership, and protecting communities under threat.

Transcribed - Published: 8 July 2025

Trump orders US bombing of Iran nuclear sites, ICE impersonations surge amid immigration crackdowns, young men emerge as a swing vote to watch, and Tyler Perry hit with a $260 million sexual-assault and harassment lawsuit. DeRay interviews Deborah N. Archer about her new book Dividing Lines: How Transportation Infrastructure Reinforces Racial Inequality.

Transcribed - Published: 24 June 2025

Democratic lawmakers attacked in Minnesota, tensions rise between Iran and Israel, SNAP work requirements threaten food access, tech bros’ bizarre transition to the military, and a reflection on the legacy of Living Single. DeRay interviews NYC Comptroller Brad Lander about his mayoral candidacy.

Transcribed - Published: 17 June 2025

AOC backs Zohran Mamdani for NYC mayor, DOGE engineer calls federal fraud ‘relatively nonexistent,’ and one far-right influencer finds outrage doesn’t always pay. DeRay interviews Amanda Litman about her new book When We're in Charge: The Next Generation’s Guide to Leadership.

Transcribed - Published: 10 June 2025

CBS considers airing PSAs to settle Trump lawsuit, RFK Jr. offers to rescue bird flu-infected ostriches, HHS cuts Moderna’s vaccine funding, and AI threatens half of all entry-level white-collar jobs.

Transcribed - Published: 3 June 2025

Trump admin targets political enemies, considers producing a reality show where immigrants compete for U.S. citizenship, and calls the future of social security into question. DeRay interviews author and activist Sandy Hudson to chat about her new book DEFUND: Black Lives, Policing, and Safety for All.

Transcribed - Published: 20 May 2025

House Dems face disciplinary action over opposition to ICE, white South African refugees welcomed into U.S. while others refused, a debate on mainstream use of Black revolutionary rhetoric.

Transcribed - Published: 13 May 2025

Trump approval rate tanks among Latino voters, Met Gala 2025 theme met with mixed emotions, and universal anti-venom develops from man with 200 snake bites.

Transcribed - Published: 6 May 2025

Wisconsin judge arrested by the FBI, Kehlani performance cancelled by Cornell University due to anti-war stance, and Mexico's president bans U.S. ads targeting migrants. Myles interviews Alphonzo Terrell, CEO of the first Black-owned social media platform SPILL.

Transcribed - Published: 29 April 2025

DOGE places AmeriCorps staff on administrative leave, Google in the hot seat for its search engine monopoly, 'Sinners' dominates the box-office with $45M on opening weekend, and lab-grown chicken nuggets make its way in rotation.

Transcribed - Published: 22 April 2025

DOJ ends agreement to address wastewater problems in rural Alabama, elevated blood levels of mercury and lead found in Palisades firefighters, and mixed feelings on the Dems recent public appearances. Myles interviews actor, performer, and New York Times Best Selling Author Bob The Drag Queen about their new book Harriet Tubman: Live in Concert.

Transcribed - Published: 15 April 2025

NC Supreme Court blocks order to throw out 60,000 ballots, Barack Obama doubles down on criminalization of Assata Shakur, and a debate on the ethics of genetically screened embryos.

Transcribed - Published: 8 April 2025

Louisiana voters reject far-right constitutional amendments, sudden influx in foreign recruitment of American scientists, Black expats share why they're happier living outside the U.S. DeRay interviews author and law professor Derek W. Black about his new book Dangerous Learning: The South’s Long War on Black Literacy.

Transcribed - Published: 1 April 2025

Louisiana voters reject far-right constitutional amendments, sudden influx in foreign recruitment of American scientists, Black expats share why they're happier living outside the U.S. DeRay interviews author and law professor Derek W. Black about his new book Dangerous Learning: The South’s Long War on Black Literacy.

Transcribed - Published: 1 April 2025

FDA targets popular gay party drug, majority-Black town starts armed protection group, and Dems draw thousands at 'Fighting Oligarchy' rally. Myles interviews filmmakers Charlyn Griffith-Oro and Jeannine Kayembe-Oro to explore their short film The Aunties which shares the story of Black land stewards & culture bearers Donna Dear and Paulette Greene.

Transcribed - Published: 25 March 2025

White House ignores federal orders, Fulbright scholars left stranded internationally, and California cannabis contaminated with pesticides. Myles interviews world renowned artist and model Ebonee Davis about her journey toward authorship of her book titled Daughter.

Transcribed - Published: 18 March 2025

The dark history of retinol, the causal myth of bacterial vaginosis, and Abel Selaocoe crosses time and cultures in new album. DeRay interviews Nic Stone about her new book, Dear Manny.

Transcribed - Published: 11 March 2025

Dems veer right, Trump-Zelensky heated exchange, and Curry J. Hackett use of AI in art, design, and urban planning. DeRay interviews former Lieutenant Governor Brian Benjamin.

Transcribed - Published: 4 March 2025

Jury finds Alabama police force operated as a 'criminal enterprise', Joy Reid's MSNBC show canceled, Luigi Mangione's lawyer receives key evidence from HBO doc, and Voletta Wallace, mother of Notorious B.I.G., passes at 78. In the final week of Blackest Book Club, Kaya interviews author Michael Harriot about his book titled Black AF History: The Un-Whitewashed Story of America.

Transcribed - Published: 25 February 2025

AI program jails innocent man for 17 months, Katt Williams imperialist rant, Congress members denied access to Department of Education. Pod Save The People is back with the Blackest Book Club reading list in collaboration with Reconstruction and Campaign Zero. DeRay interviews author Dr. Brittany Friedman about his new book titled Carceral Apartheid: How Lies and White Supremacists Run Our Prisons.

Transcribed - Published: 11 February 2025

Trump rewrites history on White House website, study on Harvard finds 43 percent of white students are legacy, athletes, or related to donors/staff, and the rise of Black educators on TikTok. Pod Save The People is back with the Blackest Book Club reading list in collaboration with Reconstruction and Campaign Zero. DeRay interviews author Aaron Robertson about his new book titled The Black Utopians: Searching for Paradise and the Promised Land in America.

Transcribed - Published: 4 February 2025

Automated grocery prices increase depending on the shopper, Target follows suit in abandoning DEI initiatives, ICE officers issued an arrest quota, and the legacy of Florence Price - the first Black women to premiere works by a US orchestra.

Transcribed - Published: 28 January 2025

Whistleblower exposes Russian political interference operation, Louisiana governor evicts homeless people ahead of Super Bowl, Mississippi infrastructure neglect leads to parasites in impoverished residents, and Doechii stuns in Black sitcom inspired music video. DeRay interviews Andrew Bakaj and Naomi Seligman of Whistleblower Aid.

Transcribed - Published: 21 January 2025

Meta makes up with MAGA, Black students barred from empowerment clubs, tow companies allowed to sell people's cars, and the legacy of Dada Masilo.

Transcribed - Published: 14 January 2025

An inside look into a white supremacist militia, GOP Congress member goes missing, housing costs force employed people into homelessness, and a new documentary on the late Luther Vandross.

Transcribed - Published: 7 January 2025

Trump rolls back on campaign promises, Black feminist artist Lorraine O'Grady becomes an ancestor, and a debate on the future of the Democratic Party.

Transcribed - Published: 17 December 2024

Conspiracies unfold as Florida prosecutors vacate convictions for people who bought crack made by the Sheriff's Office, Biden urged to empty federal death row before Trump presidency, and the most-known cause for depression debunked.

Transcribed - Published: 10 December 2024

A deep dive into the self harm occurring within a Virginia Supermax prison, Putin's efforts to market Russia to Africans, and the declining reputation of the Black church.

Transcribed - Published: 3 December 2024

Schools eerily quiet about election results, Bernice King 2017 election advice resurfaces, an ode to Ella Jenkins legacy in children's music and Malcolm Peacock uses art to push boundaries.

Transcribed - Published: 19 November 2024

Hosts gather for a post-election reflection episode. Myles interviews author Brit Barron about her new book Do You Still Talk to Grandma?.

Transcribed - Published: 12 November 2024

Election day is here: Kamala Harris makes SNL appearance, jury convicts former officer Brett Hankison of using excessive force on Breonna Taylor, a debate on celebrity in politics, and an ode to late music icon Quincy Jones. Kaya interviews Cassandra Welchlin, executive director of Mississippi Black Women’s Roundtable.

Transcribed - Published: 5 November 2024

Tensions high as the presidential election draws near, personal phones lawfully tracked to abortion clinics, and influential hip-hop producer Clark Kent passes from colon cancer. Myles interviews award winning author and producer George Johnson about their newest book titled Flamboyants: The Queer Harlem Renaissance I Wish I’d Known.

Transcribed - Published: 29 October 2024

Death row inmate receives life-saving subpoena, member of the school-integrating Little Rock Nine passes at 83, and Black US surfers reclaim the waters. DeRay interviews Ohio Congresswoman Emilia Sykes about her ongoing advocacy around issues related to Black maternal health, domestic violence, abortion, and more.

Transcribed - Published: 22 October 2024

Alaska exposed as state with the highest rate of women killed by men in the nation, Harris releases campaign agenda for Black men, pushback against racism's classification as health threat, and the resurfaced story of the soul group Superiors. DeRay interviews New York State Senator Zellnor Myrie about his ongoing Congressional efforts and NYC mayoral campaign.

Transcribed - Published: 15 October 2024

Elite college students struggle with literacy, U.S. Supreme Court kicks off a new term, Mississippi voter suppression, and Israel marks one year since Oct. 7 Hamas attack. Myles interviews Herb Murrell of the Stylistics about their October 11th return to Carnegie Hall.

Transcribed - Published: 8 October 2024

New York City Council decriminalizes jaywalking, Black New Orleanians reclaim historical beach, and Questlove to direct documentary on Earth, Wind, and Fire.

Transcribed - Published: 1 October 2024

Bodies of the poor leased for cash without family consent, independent grocery stores suffer under inflation, and a 1833 meteor shower falls on America's Deep South. DeRay interviews Jessica Pishko about her new book THE HIGHEST LAW IN THE LAND: How the Unchecked Power of Sheriffs Threatens Democracy.

Transcribed - Published: 24 September 2024

A study exposes superfluous hiring of D.C. patrol officers, a grant program for Black women disbanded after right-wing pushback, and an overdue conversation about the depreciation of journalism.

Transcribed - Published: 17 September 2024

Harris campaign releases initiatives ahead of presidential debate, American adults struggle with illiteracy, childcare funding under attack, and a nonprofit newsroom receives past due support.

Transcribed - Published: 10 September 2024

The police tell us they are here to protect us. But what if their original purpose was something else altogether? Peabody Award-winning host Chenjerai Kumanyika takes listeners on a journey to uncover the hidden history of the largest police force in the world – from its roots in slavery, to rival police gangs battling across the city, to everyday people who resisted every step of the way. As our society debates where policing is going, Empire City: The Untold Origin Story of the NYPD explores where the police came from. From Wondery, Crooked Media and PushBlack. Follow Empire City wherever you get your podcasts and listen to the second episode, available now. You can listen ad-free on Wondery+. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App or on Apple Podcasts.

Transcribed - Published: 9 September 2024

Myths uncovered: The 1994 Crime Bill, Democratic National Convention, and Black horror films.

Transcribed - Published: 27 August 2024

Hosts debate the prominence of celebrity culture in politics, a historic payout to Black farmers, and wealthy Arizonians blow threw the state budget.

Transcribed - Published: 20 August 2024

Black men rally for Kamala Harris, new map shows the deadliest neighborhoods for police killings, a fashion historian unveils a hidden archive, and a debate on politician accountability.

Transcribed - Published: 13 August 2024

Soaring death rates at Maricopa County Jail, Trump attends the National Association of Black Journalists Conference, Bloomberg donates record funding to HBCU medical schools, NYC restores budget to public libraries.

Transcribed - Published: 6 August 2024

Beyoncé pays tribute to Team USA Olympians, J.D. Vance advocates for menstrual surveillance, and Kamala Harris advances in her presidential campaign.

Transcribed - Published: 30 July 2024