Compassionate Las Vegas Podcast with Will Rucker Will Rucker

Congressman Ro Khanna is a Representative of California’s 17th District in the 117th Congress. Congressman Khanna was elected to Congress in 2016 and is now serving his third term representing California’s 17th District, which covers communities in Silicon Valley. He is the Chair of the Oversight Subcommittee on the Environment and a member of the House Oversight and Government Reform, Agriculture, and Armed Services Committees.

Khanna is also the Deputy Whip of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, an Assistant Whip for the Democratic Caucus, and the Democratic Vice Chair of the House Caucus on Indian Americans. In Congress, Khanna is a progressive voice working to create good jobs and opportunities for people in the 17th district and across the country. He authored the Endless Frontier Act, which formed the basis for the sweeping CHIPS and Science bill signed into law by President Biden, to ensure that the United States remains a leader in science and technology in the 21st century and has championed a new economic patriotism to drive innovation and bring people together.

As Chair of the House Oversight Subcommittee on the Environment, Khanna has been a leader on climate, bringing in the CEOs of six major fossil fuel companies before Congress to testify under oath about climate disinformation for the first time in history and playing a key role in negotiations around the Inflation Reduction Act. He has also helped introduce progressive legislation to establish Medicare for All, set term limits for Supreme Court Justices, and get big money out of politics.

Prior to holding elected office, Khanna was a Lecturer in the Department of Economics at Stanford University and an Adjunct Professor at Santa Clara Law School. Governor Jerry Brown appointed him to the California Workforce Development Board for the State of California, where he served as chair for the Advanced Manufacturing Committee. He also served on the Board of Directors of Planned Parenthood Mar Monte and provided pro bono legal aid to the Mississippi Center for Justice on several contractor fraud cases on behalf of Hurricane Katrina victims.

In 2009, President Obama appointed Khanna to serve as Deputy Assistant Secretary at the U.S. Department of Commerce. While there, he broke new ground organizing clean technology trade missions and expanding the Green Embassy program, which allows American clean technology firms to showcase their products in our embassies overseas. Khanna also served on the White House Business Council, working with both business and labor for policies that promote to bring back American manufacturing jobs.

Khanna’s commitment to public service is rooted in the belief that the American Dream that inspired his family should continue to inspire future generations. His grandfather participated in Gandhi’s independence movement in India, spending several years in jail for promoting human rights and his parents immigrated to the United States—coming from India to seek opportunity and a better life for their children. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a B.A. in economics from the University of Chicago and received a law degree from Yale University. As a student at the University of Chicago, Khanna worked on the campaign of a little-known candidate for State Senate named Barack Obama. Later, he worked on Obama’s presidential campaign.

Khanna has written two books: Entrepreneurial Nation: Why Manufacturing is Still Key to America’s Future and Dignity in a Digital Age. He calls Fremont home, and he and his wife Ritu have two young children.

Andrew Yang is an entrepreneur, author, philanthropist, non-profit leader, and former 2020 presidential candidate. After working as a lawyer and executive at several early-stage technology companies, Andrew eventually became CEO of an education company that became #1 in the country. He then started a national entrepreneurship non-profit, Venture for America, which worked to empower thousands of young entrepreneurs to bring their dynamism to communities across the country, from New Orleans and Baltimore to Denver and Detroit.

Andrew was named a Presidential Ambassador of Entrepreneurship by the White House under the Obama administration and a Champion of Change for his work with Venture for America.

Initially dubbed a "longer than long shot" candidate by the New York Times in 2018, Andrew became a top-tier contender for the presidency, raising nearly $40 million in grassroots funding. With a vision to rewrite the rules of the United States economy through a “Freedom Dividend” of $1,000 a month for every American adult, Andrew became one of the most exciting stories in the 2020 race.

Andrew's nationwide support, known as the “Yang Gang,” propelled him to seven Democratic primary debates, outlasting six senators, four governors, three members of congress, two mayors, and one secretary. Following this unexpected run for president, Andrew formed the non-profit Humanity Forward, successfully lobbying Congress for direct cash relief for struggling American families during the pandemic while simultaneously distributing over $8 million directly to struggling families.

From his presidential and New York mayoral runs, Andrew has seen first-hand what’s preventing our country from getting things done, and he is now directing his energies toward fixing the machinery of our stagnant democracy. With FORWARD: Notes on the Future of Our Democracy, Andrew lays out the case for a variety of democracy reform measures that can unclog the pipes of our system and realign the incentives of legislators with the well-being of the American people.

#UBI #Forward #democracy

Las Vegas is always evolving. What began as a long distance gambling outpost is now a thriving metropolis fueled by the hospitality, technology, sports, and entertainment industries. The city will never stop changing, but to keep up with every evolution it needs leaders like Christian Bishop. A veteran of the video gaming industry with successful stints at Level 3 Communications, Time Warner, AT&T, and Thunder Gaming, where he developed the esports and gaming news program 4Cast.

Christian arrived in Las Vegas in 2018 as the Commissioner of the World Showdown of Esports for Estars Studios, an independent competitive gaming production company. Working in tandem with gaming titans Caesars and MGM Resorts International, he led the development of a studio at the center of the Strip to “produce premium content and showcase the best of Las Vegas to millions of people around the world.”

Today, Christian is now responsible for the sales and monetization of Twitch 1st and 3rd party properties serving as Amazon's Director of Twitch Properties. Senior leadership supporting the world’s largest brands and agencies. Twitch broadcasts to 140 million unique monthly visitors with over 10 million active streamers.

Through the gaming industry, Christian seeks to develop the foundation of a new online world, one that complements Las Vegas’ professional sports and entertainment offerings. “Combine the established spirit of innovation and entertainment that is synonymous with Las Vegas with a video gaming industry that drives more revenue than TV, film, and music combined, and all I can see is the tremendous opportunity,” Christian says.

Christian represents the diversity and inclusivity that he sees in today’s video gaming culture; one that brings people together regardless of race, religion, culture, or sexual preference. At the same time, he wants to combat the toxic aspects of gaming, notably the bullying, bigotry, and ignorance that ruin the experience for gamers. “This cold truth, and dealing with the toxic underbelly of online culture, is something I work hard to address every single day,” he explains.

#twitch #lasvegas #gaming

Sondra Cosgrove has been a Las Vegas resident since 1986 and is a history professor and the Executive Director of the nonprofit Vote Nevada.  Sondra received a Ph.D. from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, with areas of specialization in the U.S. West, Native American History, and Latin America.  

Currently, Sondra is a full-time history professor at the College of Southern Nevada and is actively involved in a wide range of college service. As Executive Director of Vote Nevada, Sondra engages in community civics education and stresses the ways civics can empower individuals through advocacy.

 

Social Media:

Twitter: @sondracosgrove 

Instagram: @sondracosgrove

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VoteNevada21/ 

A lifelong Las Vegan, born here in 1982. Max graduated from Bonanza High School in 2000, then attended the University of Arizona where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Political Science. After graduating from college, Max moved to Washington D.C. to work for a year on Capitol Hill as a staff assistant for United States Senator Harry Reid.

In 2006, Max returned home to Las Vegas and began law school at the Boyd School of Law at UNLV. Max Berkley worked for the law firms Brownstein, Hyatt, Farber, Schreck, as well as Ed Bernstein and Associates before beginning his work at the Clark County Public Defender's Office, where Max has been a Clark County Public Defender for the past 10 years. Max married his wife Kelly in 2018, and they welcomed their second son Teddy in February of this year.

 

#LasVegas #Justice #politics