PBS Airtime: Friday, November 13, 2009, at 9:00 p.m. EST on PBS (check local
listings here).
While politicians and the media war over “the public option” and
“bending the cost curve,” acclaimed actress-playwright Anna Deavere
Smith gives voice to questions of life and death, sickness and health care.
Bill Moyers speaks with Smith, whose one-woman play, “Let Me Down Easy”
– nine years and more than 300 interviews in the making – has been applauded
for spotlighting the real-life personal stories of people facing illness and
mortality. Anna Deavere Smith has won two Obie Awards, been nominated for the
Pulitzer Prize and two Tony Awards, and is a recipient of the prized MacArthur
Fellowship.
Help us Prepare for Trump’s Day One
Trump is busy getting ready for Day One of his presidency – but so is Truthout.
Trump has made it no secret that he is planning a demolition-style attack on both specific communities and democracy as a whole, beginning on his first day in office. With over 25 executive orders and directives queued up for January 20, he’s promised to “launch the largest deportation program in American history,” roll back anti-discrimination protections for transgender students, and implement a “drill, drill, drill” approach to ramp up oil and gas extraction.
Organizations like Truthout are also being threatened by legislation like HR 9495, the “nonprofit killer bill” that would allow the Treasury Secretary to declare any nonprofit a “terrorist-supporting organization” and strip its tax-exempt status without due process. Progressive media like Truthout that has courageously focused on reporting on Israel’s genocide in Gaza are in the bill’s crosshairs.
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In addition to covering the widespread onslaught of draconian policy, we’re shoring up our resources for what might come next for progressive media: bad-faith lawsuits from far-right ghouls, legislation that seeks to strip us of our ability to receive tax-deductible donations, and further throttling of our reach on social media platforms owned by Trump’s sycophants.
We’re preparing right now for Trump’s Day One: building a brave coalition of movement media; reaching out to the activists, academics, and thinkers we trust to shine a light on the inner workings of authoritarianism; and planning to use journalism as a tool to equip movements to protect the people, lands, and principles most vulnerable to Trump’s destruction.
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