What does disability rights and representation really look like? While the Trump administration continues to decimate access to healthcare and dismantle civil rights, disabled Americans are often among those most affected and most overlooked. More than 70 million adults in the United States live with a disability, navigating barriers that extend far beyond health care. This week, Stacey is joined by Marlene Sallo, Executive Director of the National Disability Rights Network, and disability rights advocate and motivational speaker Spencer West. They discuss the challenges facing the disability community, what many people get wrong about disability rights, and why building a more accessible and inclusive society is a social justice issue that impacts us all.For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast, episode title, and episode dateLearn & Do More:  Be Curious: Follow Spencer West on Instagram (@spencer2thewest) and expand your list of trusted creators, advocates, and journalists covering disability issues. Our guests also recommended The Anti-Ableist Manifesto: How To Build a Disability-Inclusive World by Tiffany Yu, and the books of the late activist and author Alice Wong. Finally, check out the Netflix documentary Crip Camp, which follows teens at a groundbreaking camp for young people with disabilities and their powerful journey as activists.  Solve Problems: Visit NDRN.org to learn more about the issues impacting disabled communities and how you can contact your elected representatives to advocate for change. If you are disabled and need assistance, the National Disability Rights Network can help connect you with legal advocacy and support services. You can also support their work by making a donation. Do Good: Look for organizations in your community that are advancing disability rights and accessibility. For example, New Disabled South at https://www.newdisabledsouth.org/ hosts remote and accessible events focused on issues such as voting rights, immigration enforcement, and other policies that uniquely affect disabled communities. Find an organization near you, get involved, and support the work being done on the ground.

In conjunction with the release of Steve Phillip's new book, Are White Men Smarter Than Everybody Else?: Playing Offense in the Fight for Racial Justice in America, Democracy in Color presents a three-part podcast series exploring one crucial question. In the final installment of the Are White Men Smarter Than Everybody Else? series, Robert Raben, founder and president of Raben and executive director of the Diverse Asset Managers Initiative (DAMI), sheds light on one arena where power operates largely out of public view: asset management and investing. He shares the historical context of inequality in the industry, impact of the racial reckoning following George Floyd’s murder, and the systemic biases and challenges faced by women and people of color in this field. Robert also discusses the need for more aggressive, data-driven approaches to identifying discrimination, holding institutions accountable, and using existing state and local authority to create fairer outcomes.  REFERENCES: Are White Men Smarter Than Everybody Else?: Playing Offense in the Fight for Racial Justice in America by Steve Phillips – available now! Robert Raben – Website – @RobertRaben Diverse Assets Managers Initiative

June 8, 2026On June 8, 1789, James Madison of Virginia introduced a series of amendments to the US Constitution, Ten of his amendments would eventually be adopted and become the Bill of Rights, One of the amendments said that no national religion would be established and the full and equal rights of conscience would not be infringed, Madison cared deeply about keeping the government away from religion, believing that representative government was at stake, The reality of these concerns is playing out today, Defense Secretary Hegseth has removed about 180 faith traditions from the list recognized by the Department of Defense, 31 religions are still recognized, 22 of them are Christian denominations, Mormons were originally left off the list, but after an appeal by Sen Mike Lee of Utah to the president, it appears poised to be included, Madison and those who passed and ratified the Bill of Rights believed that to make people’s religion – their right of conscience – depend on the approval of the president would destroy self-government.Watch today's recording here: https://www.youtube.com/live/g9TUa1Rwd6U?si=T8_KKcHQZElhpnZ-Get full, free access to Letters from an American here: https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribeYou can also find me:Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/hcrichardson.bsky.socialInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/heathercoxrichardson/?hl=enFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/heathercoxrichardson/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@heathercoxrichardson Get full access to Letters from an American at heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe

Donald Trump knows he is on target to lose the midterms, so he's busy laying the groundwork now for challenging the outcome in the fall.