lobbyists

Even though today is the most important primary election day of the year, a slough labor protestors has invaded K Street to protest lobbying efforts against the banks as detracting attention from the actual state of the American people. Despite continuing foreclosures and layoffs, federal and local initiatives do not seem to be catering to these circumstances. On the contrary, they are not divesting from essential economies such as transit, and other blue collar strongholds. Labor correspondent and executive director of the New York City Central Labor Council, Ed Ott, joins us in the studio to discuss why Americans are so angry, how the outcomes of the primaries could affect these issues, and ask where the power really lies. Don't forget, we are in pledge season! Help GRITtv meet its goal of $100,000 by giving now or spreading the word! GRITtv with Laura Flanders brings participatory democracy onto your computer screen and into your living room, bridging the gap between audience and advocates. Watch any show, at any time: http://grittv.org Distributed by Tubemogul.

Republicans might have dropped their filibuster and agreed to allow a debate on financial reform, but with the amount of money that Wall Street firms have sunk into both Republicans and Democrats, does it make a difference? And what kind of reform do we really need, anyway? Independent Senator Bernie Sanders joins us via Skype from Washington to tell us what he thinks about financial regulations, too-big-to-fail banks, and transparency at the Federal Reserve. GRITtv with Laura Flanders brings participatory democracy onto your computer screen and into your living room, bridging the gap between audience and advocates. Watch any show, at any time: http://grittv.org Distributed by Tubemogul.

In the wake of health care reform, new attempts to restrict women's access to abortion services have surged. Nebraska has passed a new law that criminalizes abortions after 20 weeks of gestation on the basis of "fetal pain," and another that forces women to undergo mental health examination before obtaining an abortion at all. Eesha Pandit of MergerWatch and Raising Women's Voices For the Healthcare We Need returns to GRITtv to discuss the new attacks on women's right to choose and the chilling effect they're intended to have. Is the economy coming back--or is our debt going to sink us? Are people who don't pay taxes this year just freeloading? Did Virginia's governor really forget that slavery was a big part of the Civil War? Who's fact-checking the news, and what about that WikiLeaks tape, anyway? Danny Schechter, News Dissector, and Lizz Winstead, cofounder of the Daily Show, join us in studio to answer these and other pressing questions about the week in news. Finally, the Tea Party supposedly originated from opposition to taxes and government spending. Yet a New York Times poll finds something a little different behind the anger. Laura discusses.

President Obama promised change in Washington, but one year in we've got nothing but gridlock. Professor Lawrence Lessig has known Obama for years, and in this video from our friends at The Nation, Lessig calls on Obama -- and all of us -- to push for real change: change in Congress. We'll be discussing this issue with Lessig and others on the show soon!