The guest host for today's show is Brad Bannon. Brad runs Bannon Communications Research, a polling, message development and media firm which helps labor unions, progressive issue groups and Democratic candidates win public affairs and political campaigns. His show, 'Deadline D.C. with Brad Bannon,' airs every Monday from 3-4pm ET.

Brad is first joined by Alex Lawson, Executive Director of Social Security Works. 
The two discuss the eight Senate Democrats who caved to the GOP and gave up healthcare tax credits in order to re-open the government.
They also hypothesize Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer's role in the eight Senators' decision, and whether it's time to look for a new leader for Senate Democrats.
Finally, Alex explains that it's ultimately the Republicans who have caused the health care catastrophe.
On that front, there’s a list of the 25 most vulnerable House Republicans that people should continue to focus on, and Social Security Works will continue to do protests on these matters.

Then, Brad is joined by Eve Levenson, Senior Director of Political Partnerships and Strategy at Flytedesk, 'the technology that powers college media.'
The pair analyzes last Tuesday's election results across the country, and how young voters played a huge part in determining the outcomes.
Flytedesk's key takeaways showed that young voters remain a stronghold for Democrats: across the country from VA and NJ to CA and NYC, they favored Dems strongly in last Tuesday's elections.
Young voters favored candidates who prioritized affordability. This tracks with Flytedesk's research that the economy and, in particular, costs were a top issue in both 2024 and 2025.
The gender gap among young voters remains, but is shrinking: Abigail Spanberger, Mickie Sherrill, and Zohran Mamdani all won young men by double digits, while winning young women with even larger margins.

The 'Social Security Works' website is www.socialsecurityworks.org and their handle on BlueSky is @socialsecurityworks.org. Alex's handle there is @alaw202.bsky.social.  

Flytedesk's website is www.flytedesk.com.
Eve Levenson's handle on BlueSky is @eve-levenson.bsky.social.


Eight Senate Democrats Cave to GOP; Youth Vote Powered 2025 Democratic Wins

Cherita Odums is the Benefits Consultant for The O Insurance Group, a multi-generational health insurance agency. Cherita joins the show to further discuss Health insurance options and deadlines.

Cherita Odums | The Midday Break Room w/ Tiffany Bacon - 11.11.25

With flexible prices and full coverage, Innovative Partners LP helps families get health insurance that they can count on.  Enjoy telemedicine services, countrywide PPO access, and wellness programs that are designed to keep you safe and at ease for the rest of your life. Click Here: https://tinyurl.com/3hjsx9ex

Use Innovative Partners LP to confidently protect your family's health

Subscribe on Patreon and hear this week's full patron-exclusive episode here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/144323282

Beatrice and Phil discuss how healthcare costs are expected to dramatically spike next year without significant intervention, and how the structure of the Affordable Care Act itself ensures that we’re going to relive moments like the shutdown fight until we can make something fundamentally better.

Runtime 1:26:47

We're testing out a new Bookshop.org page (still under construction), where you can find books by past guests and book recommendations from the hosts. Find it here: bookshop.org/shop/deathpanel

Show links:

Get Health Communism here: bookshop.org/a/118130/9781839765179

Find Tracy's book Abolish Rent here: bookshop.org/a/118130/9798888902523

Unlock full episode

Teaser - The ACA and the Looming Healthcare Crisis (11/24/25)

Innovative Partners LP shows that you don't have to pay a lot for good health insurance by offering insurance plans at competitive pricing. Emphasizing preventative care, they assist members maintain maximum health while managing medical expenses. Access includes nationwide PPO providers, telemedicine capabilities, and wellness programs supporting healthier lifestyles.  Click Here: https://tinyurl.com/m3wer98b

Innovative Partners LP: Great insurance at a low price

Uneasy Times begins where many stories stop—after the holidays, when the lights are put away and the quiet returns. It names the familiar pressures of ordinary survival: food, transportation, healthcare, utilities, and the long winter stretch where hope feels thinner than it should.

The song doesn’t offer solutions or slogans. Instead, it documents adaptation—stretching meals, saving small amounts, finding quiet ways to endure. What emerges is not despair, but steadiness. People adjusting. People watching out for one another. People continuing, even when certainty is out of reach.
The chorus returns to a simple, necessary truth: we are still here together. Still hurting. Still caring. Still capable of reaching out—both to help, and to ask.

 This is not a song about crisis. It’s a song about continuing.



***** Lyrics *****

Verse 1 
The holidays are well past,
The decorations have come down.
The same bare walls are waiting now
Nothing left to soften the sound.

The old questions are back again,
And we ask how to keep going on.

Chorus
The thing to remember,
We’re all in this together.
Every one of us hurting,
Still caring through the weather.

We’re hoping, but hope feels thin,
With what we know is still ahead.
So can we reach out to give help?
Will we reach out when we need it instead?

Verse 2 
How do we keep the pantry stocked,
Diapers on the little one, shoes on the rest?
How do we keep the car still running
When every repair costs more than we guessed?

How do we pay the higher utilities,
When insurance is suddenly out of sight?
How do we stay healthy without it,
Or pay it when the price works us far into the night.

Chorus 
The thing to remember,
We’re all in this together.
Every one of us hurting,
Still caring through the weather.

We’re hoping, but hope feels thin,
With what we know is still ahead.
So can we reach out to give help?
Will we reach out when we need it instead?

Verse 3 
We find deals on shoes and diapers we didn’t see before.
We freeze up our leftovers, make some meals to save some more.
We cut coupons, save our quarters, save our nickels, save our dimes,
And hope and pray for better days and easier times.

Verse 4
We check on neighbors, ask how they’re holding on.
We trade a little kindness, share a meal or two if we can.
We listen more than talking, let the silence do its part.
We steady one another, helping heart to heart.

Chorus 
The thing to remember,
We’re all in this together.
Every one of us hurting,
Still caring through the weather.

We’re hoping, but hope feels thin,
With what we know is still ahead.
So can we reach out to give help?
Will we reach out when we need it instead?


<3

Lyrics: Madelyn Dionne
Arrangement and Production: Madelyn Dionne
Cover Art Concept and Design: Madelyn Dionne
℗ & © 2025 Madelyn Dionne 
All Rights Reserved

*

Uneasy Times

Leslie is joined by Jody Calemine, Director of Advocacy for the 63 Unions and 15 million members of the AFL-CIO.

The two review President Trump's first year of his second term, and how it's been filled with relentless attacks on workers during his pursuit of 'Project 2025.'
However, they also discuss how the labor movement is fighting back, and winning!

The administration:

- committed the single biggest-act of union-busting in history, 
- launched a brutal assault on immigrants and communities across the country,
- ripped health care from millions,
- made billionaires richer and corporations more powerful,
 - moved to unleash untested AI technology,
 - And dismantled government agencies that provide essential services. 

President Trump promised to “make America affordable again,” but instead, he spent a year driving up costs, holding down wages and letting jobs disappear—including jobs that would keep energy bills from skyrocketing. 
But in the face of relentless attacks on our livelihoods and freedoms, workers are turning to unions to fight back. And we’re winning. 

 In December we saw the first sprouts of victory when a bipartisan group of lawmakers canceled votes on the SCORE Act, succumbing to pressure after months of organizing from the labor movement. Then before the year ended, a group of bipartisan lawmakers passed a discharge petition advancing one of labor's top priorities: restoring federal workers collective bargaining rights.
At the beginning of 2026, we saw lawmakers in the house rally around an extension of the ACA tax credits and a band of Republicans come together to sink a series of anti-worker labor bills.


The website for the AFL-CIO is AFLCIO.org and their handle on Blue Sky is @AFLCIO.org. Their handle on Facebook, Instagram and X is @AFLCIO.  Jody's handle on Blue Sky is @guerino.bsky.social.

Trump Spent 2025 Attacking Workers, But the Labor Movement is Fighting Back!

When employees hear “employee benefits,” they might think of healthcare, perks, wellness programs, PTO, 401(k) plans or disability coverage. But when HR professionals hear “employee benefits,” they’re likely thinking about cost management, compensation strategies, open enrollment, and—most importantly—compliance. Compliance is a cornerstone of today’s insurance landscape. With that in mind, let’s dive into your March 2026 breakdown of Compliance in Minutes.

Side Affects Episode 160 | Compliance in Minutes - March 2026

Building a wellness program that actually works and stays compliant? It’s tougher than ever. Between HIPAA, EEOC, ADA, ACA and tax rules, even the best programs can stumble into costly mistakes.
In this episode, we cut through the alphabet soup and break down what employers really need to know. Partner and Co-Chair of Calfee's Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation, Jason Rothman joins MB Director of Population Health, Tiffany Kuck and MB CMO, Dave Homan as they dive into today’s biggest compliance risks, how wellness programs have evolved and what it takes to design something effective and penalty‑proof. If you touch wellness strategy, this is the episode you can’t skip.

Side Affects Episode 161 | The Compliance Risks Hiding in Your Wellness Program

While the straight talker is away, it doesn’t mean that the talkative trio won’t play: Life Insurance  (1:45), Album Listening (19:00), Random Facts (23:30), Price Hikes (26:10), New Age Weddings (35:27), Kay’s Questions (44:35), Time Travel (54:05), Over Hype Items (58:49), and much, much more 

Host: Rhys - Twitter: @Raw_like_me - Instagram: Rawlikeme, Mark Brown - Twitter: @Mister2Drink - Instagram: Mister2Drink - Kaydia - Instagram: @kay.veronica.fennella - Twitter: @KSmall91

Websites
https://differentstrokespodcast.onpodium.com/
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3xgxN3WbPiUEPTMWxvopKV?si=fCpm_fQXRFCYRCQo8jZETg
https://www.tiktok.com/@differentsrokespod
https://markanthonyphotography.online/
https://open.spotify.com/album/6iAURQb60d1A3c7GYkGPZJ?si=MaE9wOopQc6jl0EKRUg4LQ

EP: 257 - Open Door Policy 🚪

Innovative Partners LP provides customers with quality,  health insurance options that protect individuals and families.

💜 Greetings to all of my dear Listeners. I have 4 new songs for you this week.,  Next week I will be releasing the three individual songs that comprised the Triune that released recently. The triune is found in my Spotlight area. Thank you for listening and being so supportive. I appreciate each and every one of you! God Bless you all. May you have blessed and meaningful Easter season.

Side Affects Producer Kenzie McEvily, joined by her guest hosts, spotlights invited industry experts to discuss their best practices that disrupt the norm of health care, leadership, and business. Side Affects: A podcast that prompts you, as an employer, to think differently about the needs of your people and your company. We encourage you to take action by taking a deep look into benefit strategies that will transform your workforce engagement, i.e., diversity, compliance, mental health, and modern reporting. Kenzie and her guests bring these subjects and more to light to better health and productivity. Tune in and learn more!

The best progressive talk right here, on demand. Always Progressive, Always On!

Politics, culture, and public policy from the left. Stay alive another week.

w/ Beatrice Adler-Bolton, Artie Vierkant, Phil Rocco and Jules Gill-Peterson. 

https://www.patreon.com/deathpanelpod

WURD Radio is the only African-American owned and operated talk radio station in Pennsylvania, and one of few in the country. Taking a multimedia approach – on-air, online and in the community – WURD is widely recognized as the pulse of the African-American community locally, regionally, and nationally. From mayoral races to presidential elections, from the street corner to the corner suite, WURD has tackled the hard issues as an influential, respected and powerful voice in the marketplace.

Welcome to the chaos — real stories, real talk, and zero filters. Join Kaydia, Raw Talk Rhys, Snipper 2 Drinkz, and the oddball Gabs as they dive headfirst into life’s wildest moments and most unfiltered topics. Expect dark humour, raw honesty, and banter that cuts deep — no sugarcoating, no pretending, just straight-up vibes and laugh-out-loud realness.

New tracks tagged #health insurance