Protecting the Postal Service, Expanding Vote-By-Mail During COVID-19 Pandemic

Leslie begins the show with her 'Ripped from the Headlines' news segment.

Here are the stories she covers during the segment:

1. NBC NEWS: "Fact check: Coronavirus vaccine could come this year, Trump says. Experts say he needs a 'miracle' to be right."

2. NBC NEWS: "House to vote on Democrats' $3T coronavirus 'HEROES' aid: Stimulus checks, money for states, rent assistance"

3. AXIOS: "Ousted vaccine chief: I was told my pandemic warnings were "causing a commotion""

4. AXIOS: "UN issues dire economic report as WHO warns coronavirus "may never go away""

5. AXIOS: "Another 3 million Americans filed for unemployment last week"

During the second half of the show, Leslie is joined by Kristen Clarke, President and Executive Director of the National Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law (Lawyers’ Committee), which is one of the country’s most important and long-tenured national civil rights organizations in the pursuit of equal justice for all. The Lawyers’ Committee seeks to promote fair housing and community development, economic justice, voting rights, equal educational opportunity, criminal justice, judicial diversity and more.

The two discuss protecting the U.S. Postal Service, and expanding vote-by-mail for Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic. Clarke released the following statement about the recent murky departure of Deputy Postmaster General Ronald Stroman:

“We are sounding an alarm regarding the departure of Ronald Stroman from the Postal Service. The Postal Service lies at the heart of our democracy and is critical to the success of an unprecedented vote-by-mail system that is needed for a fair and effective 2020 election season. The Postal Service is also a lifeline for vulnerable people who are counting on mail delivery for medication, stimulus payments, and more. Stroman’s untimely departure signals deepening chaos and disruption inside the Postal Service at a critical moment during the 2020 election season.

“We call on Congress to convene oversight hearings to determine whether the recent wave of leadership shifts at the Postal Service stands to harm the public by jeopardizing implementation of the Census and vote-by-mail amid the pandemic.”

The website for the Lawyers’ Committee is lawyerscommittee.org and their Twitter handle is @LawyersComm. Kristen's handle is @KristenClarkeJD.

Additionally, the Lawyers’ Committee powers '866-OUR-VOTE,' which is working 365 days a year to advance and defend your right to vote. You can call 866-OUR-VOTE with your voting questions and issues! (Remember this number between now and Election day!) Their website is 866OURVOTE.org.

You can watch this episode here: https://www.pscp.tv/w/1mrGmQakykkGy