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Shontel Brown is the Chairwoman of the Cuyahoga County Democratic party, and was both the first woman, and the first African American elected to the position. She recently won a heated primary in Ohio’s 11th congressional district, which gained national attention and has been seen as an indicator for the direction of the Democratic Party.Find Shontel on Twitter at @ShontelMBrownLearn more about her House campaign at shontelbrown.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 2018, Miles Taylor anonymously authored a New York Times op-ed titled “I Am Part of the Resistance Inside the Trump Administration”. At the time, Miles worked in a senior role in the Department of Homeland security. Eventually, after Trump asked him and other officials to break the law, Miles quit. He decided to author a book, again anonymously, titled A Warning, which described in detail the morally gray, and sometimes blatantly illegal orders that came from the President.In the lead up to the 2020 election, Miles felt it was important to reveal himself as the anonymous author of both the op-ed, and the book.Now, he’s created the Renew America Movement, an organization dedicated to giving a voice to the ‘rational’ republicans who won’t subscribe to the right-wing extremism of Donald Trump. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Amy McGrath talks about her new book, Honor Bound: An American Story of Dreams and Service, which details her groundbreaking time in the military, her tough political campaigns, and the challenges we face as a country.Follow Amy on Twitter at @AmyMcGrathKY Check out her interview from last year hereFor more details about her time in the Marine Corps, listen to her interview on our other podcast, Warriors In Their Own Words, out next Thursday.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kris Goldsmith is an Army combat Veteran who served in Iraq. As a 19 year-old, he was assigned the task of photographing corpses and documenting mass graves. He developed severe PTSD, and in 2007, as the result of a suicide attempt that caused him to miss redeployment, he was given a less-than-honorable discharge. After years of legal battles, that discharge was upgraded. Kris went on to become an advocate for veterans with “bad paper” discharges, and helped pass crucial legislation that helps them receive the benefits they deserve. Since then, Kris has turned to combating domestic right-wing extremism. To learn more about Kris’s time in the Army, listen to his episode of Warriors In Their Own Words.Find Kris on Twitter at @KrisGoldsmith85Learn more about his organization, High Ground Veterans Advocacy, here.Learn more about Kris’ work fighting domestic extremism here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Originally a reporter for the Santa Barbara Independent, Chris Meagher has worked for a number of prominent democrats. Most notably, he served as a communications advisor to Governor Gretchen Whitmer, and as the national press secretary during Mayor Pete Buttigeig’s Presidential Campaign. Now as the White House Deputy Press Secretary, he is working to promote President Biden’s ‘Build Back Better’ Infrastructure Plan. Split amongst three bills, the plan invests money into traditional infrastructure such as roads and bridges, as well as the development of electric vehicles and high speed internet across the country.You can find Chris on twitter at @chrismeagher46 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Anne Nelson is an award-winning war correspondent, playwright, and author. Her newest book, Shadow Network: Media, Money, and the Secret Hub of the Radical Right, details the influence of the Council for National Policy, a powerful right-wing political coalition. Find her book here: Shadow Network: Media, Money, and the Secret Hub of the Radical RightLearn more about Anne here: anne-nelson.comFollow Anne on Twitter here: @anelson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Master Sergeant Michael ‘Top’ Washington served in the Gulf War, Bosnia, Iraq, and Afghanistan between 1988 and 2004, before becoming a firefighter. His son, Mike Jr., followed in his footsteps and joined the Marines. In 2008, Mike Jr. was killed during combat operations in Afghanistan.The loss of his son sent Top into a deep depression, culminating in a moment on a bridge in Tacoma. Top had decided to end his life there, but says he felt his son’s hand pulling him back, saying, “You’re not done yet.” Since then, Top has found a new calling, as a licensed therapist focusing on fellow military veterans and first responders. To hear more from Top, check out his interview on Warriors In Their Own Words, out next Thursday. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jason Kander, an Army Veteran and former Senate Candidate, talks about his struggle with PTSD and his continuing public service.Jason served as an intel officer in Afghanistan and as Secretary of State of Missouri, before his Senate campaign in 2016 catapulted him onto the national stage. Despite an extremely promising mayoral race in Kansas City, he decided to step away from the public eye and focus on dealing with his PTSD. Now, he serves as the president of the Veteran’s Community Project.Check out Jason’s Podcast, Majority 54Follow Jason on Twitter, @jasonkander Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Judge Lina Hidalgo, county executive for Harris County, Texas, talks about changing the system from within and about budgeting through a values lens. Including the city of Houston, Harris County is the third most populous in the country, larger than some states. As the county's chief executive, Lina took early public health measures to stop the spread of COVID-19 and has made great strides to challenge voter suppression in Texas.Learn more about Judge Hidalgo’s work in Harris County at CJO.HarrisCountyTX.gov and find her on Twitter at @LinaHidalgoTX. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Elliot Ackerman, Marine combat veteran and bestselling author, talks about writing and about his fears for the future.Elliot’s latest book is 2034: A Novel of the Next World War. The Harper’s story referenced in the episode is “Civil Warning”. Learn more about Elliot’s work at elliotackerman.com and find him on Twitter at @elliotackerman. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Christian Picciolini, a former leader in the American white power movement, talks about his past and his current work in extremism prevention.Christian runs the Free Radicals Project, which is dedicated to extremism prevention and disengagement. His latest book is titled Breaking Hate: Confronting the New Culture of Extremism. Learn more about his work at christianpicciolini.com and learn about the Free Radicals Project at freeradicals.org. Find him on Twitter at @CPicciolini. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rep. Jason Crow, former Army Ranger and congressman from Colorado’s 6th district, talks about the January 6th insurrection and the importance of truth and accountability.Rep. Crow served as a House impeachment manager during Trump’s first impeachment trial in early 2020. In the aftermath of the Jan. 6 insurrection, he has been hailed by his colleagues in Congress as “one of the heroes of that day,” for his actions guiding fellow members to safety.Learn more about Jason’s legislative priorities at crow.house.gov and find him on Twitter at @RepJasonCrow. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dr. Kathleen Belew talks about the white power movement and the role of veterans in the movement’s history.Dr. Belew is a professor of U.S. history at the University of Chicago, and the nation's foremost expert on the involvement of military veterans in the white power movement. She is the author of Bring the War Home: The White Power Movement and Paramilitary America.Find Kathleen on Twitter at @kathleen_belew and learn more about her work at kathleenbelew.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jon Soltz, founder of VoteVets, talks about the organization's origins and priorities and what it means to give a voice to veterans.Jon served two tours in Iraq. VoteVets’ PAC helps elect veterans to public office at the federal, state, and local level.Find Jon on Twitter at @jonsoltz and VoteVets at @votevets. Learn more about VoteVets at votevets.org. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Content Warning: this episode includes some graphic descriptions of wounds and combat.Dr. Jon Heavey is an emergency room physician on the front lines of the battle against COVID, who began his medical career as a battalion surgeon with the 101st Airborne Division in Iraq.Jon is also the Director of Business Development at Cleveland Clinic Innovations and the co-founder of Minuteman Capital.Find Jon on Twitter at @JonHeavey and read his 2012 article “An Unbearable Price” in the Dartmouth Alumni Magazine for more about his service as battalion surgeon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Carlos Gauna is an artist, videographer and wildlife advocate. On his YouTube channel, TheMalibuArtist, Carlos shares his drone footage of marine life. His videos have been viewed millions of times and are a powerful tool for public education and advocacy on behalf of these animals.Find Carlos’s videos on YouTube and follow him on Instagram at @themalibuartist. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dan Barkhuff, former Navy Seal and founder of Veterans for Responsible Leadership, talks about fighting Trumpism and the importance of belonging. Veterans for Responsible Leadership is an organization founded to help fight Trump and to serve as a tribe to compete with the white nationalism of Trumpism. In addition to founding VFRL, Dan Barkhuff is an ex-Navy SEAL, emergency medicine physician, and star of two viral videos from the Lincoln Project: “Betrayed” and “Conservative”.Find Dan on Twitter at @DBarkhuff and Veterans for Responsible Leadership at @VetsForRL. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Steve Schmidt, longtime Republican political strategist and co-founder of The Lincoln Project, comes on Burn the Boats to talk about his work fighting Trump and Trumpism.Steve worked on the campaigns of President George W. Bush and John McCain. He served in the White House as a senior advisor to both President Bush and Vice President Cheney, and was largely responsible for the Supreme Court nominations of Justices Alito and Roberts. Steve formally left the Republican Party in 2018 and co-founded The Lincoln Project in 2019.Find Steve on Twitter at @SteveSchmidtSES. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mike Howard, a veteran in the security and protection field, comes on Burn the Boats to talk about his 22 year career with the CIA and the years he spent as Chief Security Officer at Microsoft.Keep an eye out for Mike’s upcoming book on leadership, out later in 2021, titled “The Art of Ronin Leadership: Strategy, Execution, Sustained Success. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This rerun from July 2020 features former congressman Max Rose and counterterrorism expert Ali Soufan talking about their work addressing the threat of transnational violent white supremacist groups in the United States and across the world.This episode aired long before the events of January 6th, but the conversation was prescient. If we want to stop threats like last week’s violent mob at the Capitol in the future, we need to listen to people like Max and Ali, who know the dangers of white supremacist terrorism and how to curb them.At the time of this recording, Max was a congressman representing New York’s 11th district, which includes all of Staten Island and parts of southern Brooklyn. Find him on Twitter at @MaxRose4NY.A former FBI agent, Ali is now the Chairman and CEO of The Soufan Group, a global intelligence and security consultancy. Find Ali on Twitter at @Ali_H_Soufan.In this episode, Ken references a New York Times op-ed co-authored by Max and Ali in February 2020. Read “We Once Fought Jihadists. Now We Battle White Supremacists” here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices