Part 1). Alex Scrivener is a British-Georgian independent political analyst based in Tbilisi, Georgia. He writes for a number of outlets including the BBC, and is a fellow of the Democratic Security Institute.
Topics: the state of fascism globally and in the US, the challenges involved in defeating fascism and how the solution may have something to do with connectedness.
Part 2) Dean Preston is a tenants rights attorney, democratic socialist, and the former elected representative for District 5 on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. He was the first democratic socialist elected in San Francisco in 40 years. Best known for his tenant advocacy, Dean founded California’s only statewide tenant rights organization, led the successful campaign to save rent control in California, established a right to counsel for tenants, banned evictions during the COVID-19 pandemic, and taxed the rich to fund rent relief and social housing.
Topics: Daniel Lurie’s failure to stand up to Trump in San Francisco, how Mamdani will likely conduct himself very differently in the face of Trump’s fascist threats, how now is the time to fight fascism before Trump’s capacity to repress us grows.