In this interview, we discuss how Al Cardenas developed his conservative views and why he became a Republican; his personal story of arriving in the U.S. from Cuba all the way to running for Congress and joining the Reagan Administration; some of the ways he helped the Republican Party gain so much ground in Florida politics; why he voted for Donald Trump in 2016 and when he began to question whether he could support him any longer; at what point he got involved in No-Labels and the Problem Solvers caucus; what the goals of No-Labels are; what his thoughts are on the numerous cases against Donald Trump; and what the conversations are like around the dinner table at the Cardenas-Navarro household (Al and Ana Navarro got married in 2019); and much, much more!
 
You might recognize Al Cardenas as a regular contributor on MEET THE PRESS, as well as his frequent appearances on CNN, FOX, MSNBC, Univision and Telemundo. Al  has served as an adviser to U.S. Presidents and has been named one of Washington DC’s top lobbyists by The Hill. Al was named one of “The Most Influential Leaders in the Latino Community Today” by a number of leading national publications. He is the Vice-Chairman of No-Labels and formerly was Chairman of the American Conservative Union and served two terms as Chairman of the Republican Party of Florida. And Governor Jeb Bush appointed Al as a member of the Board of Trustees of Florida A&M University. He is a former Trustee of Miami Dade College and was named to its “Hall of Fame.”
 
Talkin' Politics & Religion Without Killin' Each Other is part of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what’s broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it.
 
www.democracygroup.org/shows/talkin-politics-religion
 
twitter.com/coreysnathan
 
twitter.com/AlCardenasFL_DC

What was it like for Jennifer Rubin (of The Washington Post and Jen Rubin's Green Room) to be one of the first conservatives to come out publicly against the candidacy of Donald Trump? What about being the subject of one of Trump's attacks on Twitter? How does one go from making a case for neoconservative positions to aligning more consistently with centrist Democratic policies? Was it really such an evolution? Or has the political climate around us changed more radically? What about the career shift from being a highly successful labor lawyer in Hollywood to becoming one of the most widely read and listened to voices in politics? We discussed all this and more on this week's TP&R!
 
Jennifer Rubin writes reported opinion for The Washington Post and is the host of Jen Rubin’s Green Room. She covers politics and policy, foreign and domestic, and provides insight into the conservative movement, the Republican and Democratic parties, and threats to Western democracies. Jennifer is also an MSNBC contributor, and was with Commentary magazine before joining the Post. Prior to her career in journalism, Jen practiced labor law for two decades. She is also the author of the 2022 book “Resistance: How Women Saved Democracy from Donald Trump.”
 
Talkin' Politics & Religion Without Killin' Each Other is part of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what’s broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it.
 
www.democracygroup.org/shows/talkin-politics-religion
 
twitter.com/coreysnathan
 
twitter.com/JRubinBlogger
 
www.washingtonpost.com/people/jennifer-rubin/
 
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/jen-rubins-green-room/id1686973843
 
www.harpercollins.com/products/resistance-jennifer-rubin?variant=39933666066466

Journalistic integrity. How can individual reporters and news outlets uphold their professional ethics? Is it possible in today's environment? How can a journalist get a coveted interview, yet be fair without it becoming a hit job or a puff piece? Is it any different now than 5 or 10 or 25+ years ago, when our guest Bob Cusack of THE HILL first entered the business? What is it like interviewing Donald Trump (which Bob has done 4 times)? How can reporters be equipped to deal with attacks from a subject like Trump who repeatedly refers to the press as "the enemy of the people"? What about situations when correspondents are in harm's way due to such attacks? What lessons can be learned from the demise of companies such as BuzzFeed and Vice Media? Oh, and of course we do a little political prognostication!
 
Bob Cusack serves as Editor-in-Chief of The Hill, a media platform that provides nonpartisan reporting on the inner workings of Government and the nexus of politics and business. Bob has been reporting on policy and politics in Washington, D.C. since 1995 and has interviewed top newsmakers such as former President Trump, Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. He regularly appears on news networks as a non-partisan political analyst and has won six awards from the National Press Club and the Society of Professional Journalists. Bob is also an accomplished tennis player and has appeared in numerous movies and tv shows such as WONDER WOMAN and VEEP.
 
Talkin' Politics & Religion Without Killin' Each Other is part of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what’s broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it.
 
www.democracygroup.org/shows/talkin-politics-religion
 
twitter.com/coreysnathan
 
thehill.com/
 
thehill.com/people/bob-cusack/

"What's your source?" That's the question former Congressman Denver Riggleman will often ask in order to cut through the walls that divide people - whether it's patrons who visit Silverback Distillery that he and his wife own, his former constituents from when he was a U.S. Congressman in Virginia's 5th, or even friends and family who object to his record of taking independent stances against the MAGA wing of his former political party.
 
We cover a lot of ground in this conversation like how he and his wife got into the whiskey business; why he joined the Freedom Caucus and whether he regretted that decision; what he learned through his work on the January 6th Committee and what Americans need to know about it; whether some of his former colleagues in Congress are really as crazy as they seem; and the truth about Bigfoot!
 
Denver Riggleman supported advanced intelligence analysis and technical development programs during his over two decades as an intelligence officer, NSA adviser, federal contractor, research and development technology lead, and successful CEO of support companies for the Department of Defense. A veteran of the Global War on Terror and multiple worldwide operations, he served with honor in the US Air Force for nine active-duty years and is a former member of the House of Representatives from Virginia’s Fifth Congressional District, which he represented as a Republican from 2019–2021. Congressman Riggleman is the former senior technical advisor for the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol. He is the CEO of Riggleman Information and Intelligence Group, the co-owner of the award-winning Silverback Distillery and is the author of the NY Times bestseller THE BREACH and BIGFOOT… IT’S COMPLICATED.
 
Talkin' Politics & Religion Without Killin' Each Other is part of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what’s broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it.
 
www.democracygroup.org/shows/talkin-politics-religion
 
twitter.com/coreysnathan
 
denverleeriggleman.com/
 
www.sbdistillery.com/
 
amzn.to/3IdodPv
 
amzn.to/3LYuO0Y

Can a modern journalistic enterprise provide information and better analysis rather than merely affirmation for its audience? Steve Hayes, CEO and Editor of The Dispatch, believes it's not only possible, there's an overwhelming appetite for it. What was it like to be in the room with Donald Trump when he asserted that John McCain was not a war hero? Steve was there and even got to ask him several hard follow up questions. We asked Steve if, as a conservative, he could have a political mulligan between the early 90s and 2015, right up to Trump's entry into the presidential race, what would it be? What did Steve and the founding partners of The Dispatch see in the public square and the marketplace that motivated them to launch an independent media outlet that is informed by conservative principles? What were the major factors that led to Steve's decision to leave Fox News as a contributor? And we had to ask him for some recommendations for good Spanish wine!
 
Steve Hayes is CEO and Editor of The Dispatch, one of our favorite media outlets. The Dispatch provides “Fact-based reporting and commentary on politics, policy and culture – informed by conservative principles.” Prior to The Dispatch, Steve succeeded friend of the pod, Bill Kristol as editor-in-chief of The Weekly Standard. Steve was also a senior writer for National Journal’s Hotline and served as Director of the Institute on Political Journalism at Georgetown University for six years. He has written for such publications as the Los Angeles Times, the New York Post, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Times, National Review, and Reason. He has been a commentator and appeared on such television shows as the Today show, Meet the Press, CNN, Fox News Channel, MSNBC, CNBC, and C-SPAN.
 
Talkin' Politics & Religion Without Killin' Each Other is part of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what’s broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it. 
 
thedispatch.com
 
twitter.com/stephenfhayes
 
www.democracygroup.org/shows/talkin-politics-religion
 
twitter.com/coreysnathan

In this conversation with renowned speaker, writer, activist and artist, Lisa Sharon Harper, we discuss Lisa's own genealogy, which she painstakingly researched for her 2022 book FORTUNE: How Race Broke My Family and the World and How to Repair It All, and how doing the work of genealogy is doing the work of history. We also got into some theology! In particular, we explored a profound reading of the first chapters of Genesis. Spoiler alert: I love when Lisa said, "It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know this is not science!" The truths communicated in Genesis are much more profound than the reductionist reading of some of our young earth creationist friends. That leads us to explore the concept of TOV and TOV M'OD. And we went on to discuss what it will take to repair what race broke in the world.
 
Lisa Sharon Harper is the founder of Freedom Road, a consulting group dedicated to shrinking the narrative gap by designing forums and experiences that bring common understanding, common commitment and common action. Ms. Harper leads trainings all around the globe that increase clergy and community leaders’ capacity to organize people of faith toward a just world. She is the author of several books, including the critically acclaimed The Very Good Gospel: How Everything Wrong Can Be Made Right and Fortune: How Race Broke My Family and the World and How to Repair It All. She also writes extensively on shalom and governance, immigration reform, health care reform, poverty, racial and gender justice, climate change, and transformational civic engagement with her work appearing in numerous national publications as well as her Substack The Truth Is... Ms. Harper earned her Masters degree in Human Rights from Columbia University, is an Auburn Theological Seminary Senior Fellow, has begun working on her PhD in Christian Public Ethics with Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam aka the VU and also served as Sojourners Chief Church Engagement Officer.
 
Talkin' Politics & Religion Without Killin' Each Other is part of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what’s broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it.
 
www.democracygroup.org/shows/talkin-politics-religion
 
twitter.com/coreysnathan
 
lisasharonharper.com/
 
freedomroad.us/
 
lisasharonharper.substack.com/
 
www.instagram.com/lisasharper/
 
www.facebook.com/lisasharonharper.page/
 
twitter.com/lisasharper

"What's your source?" That's the question former Congressman Denver Riggleman will often ask in order to cut through the walls that divide people - whether it's patrons who visit Silverback Distillery that he and his wife own, his former constituents from when he was a U.S. Congressman in Virginia's 5th, or even friends and family who object to his record of taking independent stances against the MAGA wing of his former political party.
 
We cover a lot of ground in this conversation like how he and his wife got into the whiskey business; why he joined the Freedom Caucus and whether he regretted that decision; what he learned through his work on the January 6th Committee and what Americans need to know about it; whether some of his former colleagues in Congress are really as crazy as they seem; and the truth about Bigfoot!
 
Denver Riggleman supported advanced intelligence analysis and technical development programs during his over two decades as an intelligence officer, NSA adviser, federal contractor, research and development technology lead, and successful CEO of support companies for the Department of Defense. A veteran of the Global War on Terror and multiple worldwide operations, he served with honor in the US Air Force for nine active-duty years and is a former member of the House of Representatives from Virginia’s Fifth Congressional District, which he represented as a Republican from 2019–2021. Congressman Riggleman is the former senior technical advisor for the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol. He is the CEO of Riggleman Information and Intelligence Group, the co-owner of the award-winning Silverback Distillery and is the author of the NY Times bestseller THE BREACH and BIGFOOT… IT’S COMPLICATED.
 
Talkin' Politics & Religion Without Killin' Each Other is part of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what’s broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it.
 
www.democracygroup.org/shows/talkin-politics-religion
 
twitter.com/coreysnathan
 
denverleeriggleman.com/
 
www.sbdistillery.com/
 
amzn.to/3IdodPv
 
amzn.to/3LYuO0Y

We’ve all kind of grown accustomed to Instagram takeovers and other stunty maneuvers to grab attention, but a podcast takeover? I think that’s still kind of a rarity. But Corey Nathan is a rare breed. So, I suppose it isn’t really a surprise that when I contacted him a week ago and asked if we could do a reading of my play LOVE & HATE IN THE TIME OF COVID as a special edition of Talkin‘ Politics & Religion Without Killin‘ Each Other on May 11 to commemorate the end of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency Declaration in the United States he immediately said yes. So, in a matter of days, I reached out to a few actor friends who lovingly agreed to participate, and we quickly recorded and cut the play so we could have it ready on May 11. We didn’t have time to plan or rehearse, which, in retrospect, seems appropriate since it mirrors the advent of Covid.
 
Public commemorations are not normally my thing, but I needed something to acknowledge this moment, the millions of people who have died, and the countless people whose lives have been changed forever. When I hesitantly spoke to friends about what I was feeling, I learned they were experiencing something similar. That confirmation gave me the courage to do something, and that’s when I reached out to Corey. We have all been through so much collectively and individually over the past three years. Whatever your politics, whatever your religion, I hope this offering helps heal, inspire, or is of some other service.
 
Thank you Corey, the extraordinarily talented Kenya Moses, Donnell Smith, Ash Sroka, Xyla Huck, and all the actors who helped me work on this piece. I also want to thank Kevin March for his inspiration, and Reg E. Gaines for his motivation. I’m indebted to all of you and grateful for your help satiating this need.
 
CAST
 
Ash Srokahttps://www.instagram.com/ash.sroka/
 
Donnell Smithhttps://www.instagram.com/donnell.iam/
 
Kenya Moseshttps://www.instagram.com/kenyamoses/
 
Xyla Huck
 
Playwrightwww.kimyaged.com
 
Talkin' Politics & Religion Without Killin' Each Other is part of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what’s broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it.
 
www.democracygroup.org/shows/talkin-politics-religion
 
twitter.com/coreysnathan