evangelical

"Does Mubarak want to leave quietly or is it going to be a messy exit?" That's the only question left in Egypt, according to Haroon Moghul of the Maydan Institute. The protests continue, and Mubarak has announced that though he won't be running for reelection, he doesn't plan on stepping down.Haroon and Samer Shehata of Georgetown University join Laura to discuss the ongoing revolution in Egypt, the history behind it, the groups involved, and why US news outlets that are obsessed with the Muslim Brotherhood are missing the real story in their fearmongering."Violence is visited upon us when our lives are made to be valueless," says Cary Alan Johnson of the International Gay & Lesbian Human Rights Commission. The murder of David Kato in Uganda last week after a tabloid had splashed his name and picture under the headline “100 Pictures of Uganda’s Top Homos” and called for their murder. But homophobia in Uganda has US roots as well--evangelical leaders had promoted the country's notorious bill that advocated the death penalty for "aggravated homosexuality."Johnson joins Laura in studio to discuss the murder, the flow of US money--both official and through churches--to Uganda, and why it is our responsibility to speak up for the lives of LGBT people around the world.Finally, Egypt's struggle continues under near-total communication blackout--thanks in part to a US company. Laura has some thoughts.

There are many unknown factors about the incoming Republican House majority. How indebted to the Tea Party will they be? Will they shut down the government out of spite? Will the renege all responsibility to govern, or will they at least manage to get a couple things right? But one thing is certain: John Boehner will be dropping some big ol’ crocodile tears when he’s sworn in as Speaker of the House. Distributed by Tubemogul.

In the wake of the Republican election victories Tuesday night, Christian conservatives like Ralph Reed have been quick to declare victory for the "Teavangelicals," evangelical Christian politicians who embraced the Tea Party movement and claim to speak for it. Jeff Sharlet, author of C Street, notes that Jim DeMint and others are actually Washington insiders, not representatives of an insurgent new movement.Sharlet joins Laura via Skype to discuss the influence of the religious right on the current Republican party and trends within it, as well as its long-term influence on American politics.Elections come down to Get Out The Vote efforts--everyone knows that, right? Election 2010 was more a referendum on whose base was more energized than a massive shift in ideology. ; Registering, mobilizing, and educating voters are vital parts of the effort, just as much as television advertising--and those efforts need to keep up even when there isn't an election looming.We talk to two organizers about the ongoing struggle for progressive election victories: Gihan Perera of Florida New Majority and the Miami Workers' Center and Claire Tran of the Right to the City Alliance. They look at results, demographics, and discuss why Latino voters in Florida voted for anti-immigrant candidate Rick Scott.Finally, Nancy Goldstein, runner-up for the Washington Post's Next Great Pundit contest, gives us her thoughts on Obama, extrajudicial killings, and what we've lost regardless of election results.

Barack Obama spent his 49th birthday speaking to labor leaders at an AFL-CIO federation meeting, but GRITtv commentator Bill Fletcher, Jr. noted that Obama needs to do more than attend meetings--it's time for some action on the Employee Free Choice Act. In addition, Fletcher notes, Obama should be situating himself among working people, not just union higher-ups, against the "economic royalists" who would keep the economy's fundamental inequality. Fletcher joins us via Skype from Washington, D.C. to talk about Obama's ongoing struggle with obstructionism, and how no matter which party comes out of the 2010 elections, the working people need to keep pressing for what's theirs. There's struggles in the courts and there's struggles in the streets over the question of marriage equality. The National Organization for Marriage is running its "Summer of Marriage" tour across the country, "defending" the institution of marriage from those who think it should be open to ALL people. California's Courage Campaign has been following the tour, and in Indianapolis, they interviewed Larry Adams, who was holding a sign with two nooses drawn on it. They shared this video with us. "I conceived a film driven by fear and ended up with one grounded in faith," wrote Stephen Marshall of the process of making his documentary, Holy Wars.