This episode kicks down the door with Southern fire and righteous fury. Hosts Steve, Jeremy, and Nathan celebrate unexpected wins—like a young Black Democrat flipping a deep-red South Carolina seat and Georgia’s youngest lawmaker stepping into the fight for justice. Even the return of North Carolina’s blue ghost fireflies gets its moment as a symbol of hope.
Then comes the main event: Tennessee State Rep Aftyn Behn. She doesn't sugarcoat it—the latest legislative session was a dystopian circus. The GOP supermajority passed cruel, anti-democratic laws while ignoring real problems like infrastructure, healthcare, and education. Behn lays it bare: Tennessee’s government is bought by corporations, indifferent to its people, and obsessed with punishment over progress.
Still, there’s grit in the cracks. Aftyn shares small victories—like stopping a bill that would’ve kicked undocumented kids out of school—and reminds us that organizing, not despair, is the path forward. She urges folks to get local, stay loud, and build the next generation of leaders.
Oh, and yes—Doug the Pug makes an appearance, because even revolution needs a mascot.
Bottom line: This isn’t politics as usual. It’s a call to action from a South that’s still got fight in it.
Find a June 14 protest near you at nokings.org
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