The BradCast w/ Brad Friedman Brad Friedman

On today's 'BradCast':  It's the final week of the 2024 presidential primaries, and we have notable results in NJ, MT, NM, SD, IA, and District of Columbia. Arizona's GOP-controlled state legislature voted to put a controversial ballot measure before voters in November that makes illegal immigration a state crime. A Georgia state appeals court paused Donald Trump's criminal 2020 election case while it hears his appeal on a ruling allowing Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis to remain on the case. The Texas Republican Party has adopted its most radical party platform yet, outlining an agenda to criminalize abortion as homicide, teach the Bible in public schools, prevent any Democrat from ever winning statewide office, and more. Independent Texas journalist ANDREA GRIMES explains the Texas GOP's move to the ultra-far right, why it matters, and what concerned citizens can do to counter rightwing extremism in Republican-controlled states.

On today's 'BradCast':  Republicans are shamelessly lying about 'a justice system 'weaponized' by Joe Biden to go after Republicans,' omitting the federal indictments of Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez (NJ), President Biden's own son, Hunter, and other Democrats. Indicted Sen. Menendez will run for re-election as an independent, allowing him to use campaign cash to pay legal bills. U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland pushed back against House Republicans' nonsense in anotheir latest ridiculous 'Weaponization of  Justice' hearing. Wisconsin's Attorney General indicted three top Trump lieutenants over their failed fake electors plot to steal the 2020 election from Biden. Ohio's Republican-controlled state legislature exploited a technical legislative fix allowing Joe Biden on the state's 2024 ballot as a vehicle to ram through an unrelated measure undermining voter-approved ballot initiatives. A Washington State law bars felons from running for office, which could spell trouble for convicted felon Donald Trump. Plus Desi Doyen has our latest 'Green News Report.'

On today's 'BradCast':  Finally, accountability for a criminal US president. Late last week, a jury convicted former President Donald J. Trump on all 34 criminal felony counts of falsification of business records, related to hush-money payments made to a porn star before the 2016 election in a successful effort to help him cheat to win it. Award-winning columnist HEATHER DIGBY PARTON, of Salon and Hullaballoo, and attorney KEITH BARBER of Daily Kos discuss the historic trial and verdict, its cultural and political ramifications, and debunk disinformation pushed by rightwing media and Republicans. Mexico elected its first female president, who is also a climate scientist. The trial of President Biden's son Hunter on gun charges gets underway in Delaware.

Encore: original airdate 5-21-2024. On today's 'BradCast':  The chief prosecutor at the International Criminal Court is seeking warrants for the arrest of Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel's defense minister, and three Hamas leaders for war crimes and crimes against humanity. A U.K. court granted Julian Assange's appeal to fight extradition to the U.S.  In Donald Trump's 2016 election interference trial in New York, the defense rested without calling the disgraced former president to the stand. Former Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani and 11 others were arraigned in an Arizona court for their roles in attempting to steal the 2020 election for Trump. VICTORIA CADOSTIN, researcher at non-profit organization DOCUMENTED, discusses her new report on 'Citizens for Sanity,' the shadowy extremist group that is behind vile, racist, trans-phobic disinformation ads in battleground states, and the extreme rightwing dark money groups that are bankrolling them.

Encore: original airdate 5-23-2024. On today's 'BradCast': The gerrymandered Republican-controlled Ohio state legislature is blocking President Joe Biden from the 2024 Presidential ballot, forcing Ohio's Republican Governor Mike DeWine to call a special session to apply a routine legislative fix. In a 6-3 ruling, the corrupt rightwing majority on the packed and stolen U.S. Supreme Court allowed a racial gerrymander in South Carolina to remain in place for the 2024 election. Far-right Justice Alito violated the judicial code of ethics by displaying political flags at his homes demonstrating support for Jan. 6 insurrectionists and Christian Nationalists. Senate Democrats have meekly requested that Alito recuse himself from Jan. 6 insurrection cases. Voting system vendor Smartmatic caught far-right NewsMax destroying evidence related to the company's defamation lawsuit against the propaganda outlet for broadcasting lies about the 2020 election. President Biden cancelled student loan debt for another 160,000 borrowers. Plus Desi Doyen has our new 'Green News Report.'

Encore: original airdate 5-16-2024. On today's 'BradCast':  The stolen-and-packed US Supreme Court issued two unusual rulings on Thursday. The rightwing supermajority upheld Louisiana's new, fairer US House district voting maps that add a second Black-majority voting district in the state, but the liberal justices dissented for critical reasons. In a 7-2 ruling, the Court rejected an effort by the sleazy payday lending industry to kill the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). CRAIG HOLMAN, veteran government ethics lobbyist at non-profit Public Citizen, explains the historic vote at the Federal Election Commission (FEC) on a shocking proposed rule to gut what little remains of our campaign finance laws by allowing all campaign donors to evade campaign cash disclosure requirements. Holman explains who was behind the proposal that sought to deprive voters of critical election information, what happens next, and another proposal to regulate the surge of A.I.-generated deepfake audio and video of candidates in the run-up to the critical 2024 election. Plus Desi Doyen has our latest 'Green News Report.'