MSNBC’s Symone Sanders Townsend on One Year of The Weekend & How to Handle the Next Four Years
Release Date: 01/09/2025
How Government Can Support Small Businesses with State Senator Christine Cohen
An Honorable Profession
This week, host Ryan Coonerty talks with Connecticut State Senator Christine Cohen. Cohen is a small business owner turned legislator who previously served on her local school board before running for the state senate following the first election of President Trump. In Hartford, she draws on her experiences as the owner of Cohen’s Bagel Company to guide her leadership on various legislative committees, including the Finance, Revenue, and Bonding Committee and the Environment Committee, and now as the Co-Chair of the Transportation Committee. Her impressive record of legislative success...
info_outline
How Government Can Get Sh*t Done: Jim Townsend on Public Policy and Legislative Oversight
An Honorable Profession
This week, we bring you another episode of our series on How Government Can Get Sh*t Done, as host Debbie Cox Bultan sits down with NewDEAL alumnus Jim Townsend. Jim is a former Michigan state legislator now serving as the Director of the Levin Center for Oversight and Democracy, which promotes fact-based legislative oversight as a key to the integrity, transparency, and accountability of the government. Debbie and Jim discuss the false choice between defending institutions that aren’t working and tearing the government to the ground and why DOGE and the current political climate might...
info_outline
How to Build the Democratic Talent Pipeline with Zach Wahls and Debbie Cox Bultan
An Honorable Profession
This week, The NewDEAL and The Next50 announced a partnership that will build a robust pipeline of center-left talent by combining The Next 50’s electoral backing and campaign tools with the network, policy, and skills support that the NewDEAL provides. The goal is to round out a cycle of support for leaders who can win tough elections, deliver results while in office, and be the Democratic messengers who connect effectively with the broad majority of Americans. CEO Debbie Cox Bultan speaks with NewDEAL Leader and Iowa State Senator Zach Wahls – who joins us today as Executive Director of...
info_outline
How to Help Fired Federal Workers with County Supervisor James Walkinshaw
An Honorable Profession
This week, host Ryan Coonerty speaks with Fairfax County, VA, County Supervisor James Walkinshaw as he navigates the significant impact of Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency on his community amid firings of federal employees who safeguard our national security, energy, social security, public health, and much more. Walkinshaw discusses how these cuts impact families, morale, and the politics of Virginia. He also talks about his path to public office, from his decade serving as Chief of Staff to Congressman Gerry Connolly to his transition to local office,...
info_outline
How Government Can Get Sh*t Done: Jennifer Pahlka on Modernizing Technology and Reforming Civil Service
An Honorable Profession
Faith in our government and elected officials has reached record lows in recent years. In 2023, trust in government institutions plummeted to 16%, marking one of the lowest points in history, and, in 2024, 49% of Americans – a plurality of respondents – asserted that the very foundation of our government, our democracy, was not working. This episode kicks off our limited series How Government Can Get Sh*t Done. In this series, hosts Debbie Cox Bultan and Ryan Coonerty will be joined by political scientists, policy experts, authors, and elected officials as they explore how to make...
info_outline
How Democrats Can Change Their Message on Homelessness and Public Safety
An Honorable Profession
This week, host and NewDEAL CEO Debbie Cox Bultan speaks with San José, CA, Mayor Matt Mahan, who was elected two years ago on his promise to tackle the city’s most intractable problems like homelessness, crime, and traffic. Mayor Mahan talks about his recently announced "Responsibility to Shelter” initiative, which makes historic investments in intermittent housing and supportive shelters while creating accountability for homeless residents to go indoors. Debbie and the mayor also discuss his advocacy for California’s Proposition 36, which increases penalties for petty theft and public...
info_outline
How to Bring a 500-Year-Old City into the Future with Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan
An Honorable Profession
This week, host Ryan Coonerty speaks with Albany, NY, Mayor Kathy Sheehan, who is approaching the end of a 12 year tenure in which she has guided her city out of bankruptcy, spearheaded pivotal redevelopment projects, and cut childhood poverty rates. She reflects on the challenges of navigating a rapidly evolving world to modernize city services and the importance of work that is not initially visible to most residents. Sheehan also shares her approach to integrating new technologies into City Hall to efficiently respond to the needs of community members, the bright economic future of Albany,...
info_outline
How the States are Doing DOGE with TX Representative Salman Bhojani
An Honorable Profession
This week, host and NewDEAL CEO Debbie Cox Bultan speaks with Texas State Representative Salman Bhojani, as he navigates his newest role as Vice Chair of the House DOGE Committee. The conversation digs into the contentious election of Texas’s new Speaker of the House and why Democrats backed moderate Representative Dustin Burrows against more conservative options, as well as how Bhojani has successfully navigated the legislature’s political dynamics to pass legislation on religious freedom and higher education funding as a member of the Democratic minority. Bhojani also talks about his...
info_outline
What Real Government Efficiency Looks Like With Xay Khamsyvoravong
An Honorable Profession
This week, host Ryan Coonerty speaks with Newport, RI, City Councilmember Xay Khamsyvoravong. With a background in public finance, Khamsyvoravong talks about the importance of understanding where the money goes in public policy, reflecting on his own successes modernizing utilities, improving school attendance, and strengthening infrastructure at a low cost for residents. The conversation digs into the challenges facing his coastal city, the importance of financial literacy in policymaking, and what it takes for communities to be resilient in the face of economic, environmental, and political...
info_outline
How Tariffs Could Exacerbate the Housing Crisis with City Councilmember Tom Beckius
An Honorable Profession
This week, host Ryan Coonerty speaks with Lincoln, NE, City Councilmember Tom Beckius. In addition to serving as an elected official, Beckius is a business owner and a housing developer. He talks with Ryan about why it’s important for Democrats to take an aggressive stance in support of small businesses, especially in the face of potentially disastrous economic policies from the Trump Administration. Beckius also explains the current challenges when it comes to building more homes, how tariffs and immigration restrictions from the federal government could worsen conditions, and his...
info_outlineHappy New Year! Our first episode of 2025 features leading political strategist and author Symone Sanders Townsend, now host of MSNBC's The Weekend. Symone speaks with co-hosts Debbie Cox Bultan and Ryan Coonerty about the importance of citizens being informed and staying engaged in the political arena, even if they feel worn out after the 2024 election. She shares her approach to covering the incoming Trump administration and the current political environment, as well as the nuts and bolts of her life in the political media and what it takes to be ready to go live every Saturday and Sunday on MSNBC. With 2024 being the first year of The Weekend, Symone talks about some of her favorite highlights and her desire to elevate good ideas from state and local policymakers. Tune in to learn more about Symone’s background, what fostered her love of policy and politics, and what motivates her to keep working in her field.
IN THIS EPISODE:
The Weekend airs at 8am ET on Saturdays and Sundays on MSNBC.
• [01:15] Welcoming today’s guest, Symone D. Sanders Townsend.
• [02:47] She tells us about her show The Weekend and what it’s been like for the past year.
• [10:12] Symone shares some advice for making sure local news makes more headlines.
• [15:34] How they put the show together and decide what to discuss.
• [19:06] What motivates Symone to keep talking about politics and stay informed.
• [22:30] How Symone got involved in politics and what led her to being a reporter.
• [27:21] Why Symone doesn’t think being an elected official is in the cards for her.