We highlight significant outcomes from the May primaries in Ohio, emphasizing how the ongoing struggles against Christian nationalism and extremist ideologies manifest in local politics. One standout event was the primary defeat of some vocal proponents of Christian nationalism, which could signal a shift in voter sentiment since one candidate, Rep. Josh Williams sold his sole to the religious extremists and didn't even win his home county. While some positive changes occurred, the presence of remaining extremists raises concerns about their potential influence in the upcoming general election.

Another freethinking celebrity, Bill Maher, took his podcast guest, comedian David Cross to task for Cross' daughter having Trans friends. Maher repeated many transphobic myths like he was a member of Turning Point USA. We listen to a segment from Sam Seder of Majority Report about the interview and we agree how Maher’s skepticism reflects a disregard for the lived realities of many. It is crucial to highlight that listening to and validating children's identities is not an agenda; instead, it is an essential aspect of affirming their dignity and well-being.

Finally we try to unpack the US Supreme Court case Louisiana v. Calais that finally gutted the last bit of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. Many southern states with history of racial voter suppression are trying to quickly redraw their voting maps to eliminate as many Democrat held seats as possible before the midterm election in November. We connect the historical context of voting rights with contemporary struggles against systemic racism, illustrating how far we still need to go in achieving electoral equity.

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Before Ohio holds its primary, the presumptuous GOP candidate for Governor Vivek Ramaswamy is running a negative ad against the presumptive Democrat candidate Dr. Amy Acton. Ramaswamy's ad attempts to gaslight voters about Acton's role as the Director of the Ohio Department of Health at the start of the COVID pandemic in 2020. The ad falsely claims Acton acted outside her authority to postpone the March 2020 primary election. Ohio Republicans have been wanting voters to forget the truth of their inaction during the pandemic and undermining the state's response for political reasons since 2020.

We look at Ohio Representative Josh Williams who is the only black Republican in the Ohio House and he is running for Congress in Ohio's 9th District. He claims DEI and affirmative action keep the Black community stuck in poverty and he vocally supports anti-abortion stances, often echoing sentiments that appeal to a predominantly white anti-abortionist base like repeating the false and harmful narrative of abortion as a form of genocide within the Black community. Williams should be the last person holding negative views about policies and programs that give a hand up out of poverty since he himself needed and used that help when he was bed ridden for six years and had no high school diploma yet is now a lawyer and teaches law at a local college while serving as a state representative.

Finally we look at the fight between President Trump and the Pope. It is particularly striking that figures like Trump and JD Vance, especially Vance's recent conversion to Catholicism, feel emboldened to critique religious authorities, including the Pope, on theological grounds that contradict their own political alignments. This speaks to a broader trend of politicization of religion where moral authority is wielded selectively. We see that politicization in every level of government from the local to the federal. It is a trend that needs to be stopped.

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Our guest is Wil Jeudy an urgent care physician by day and a secular activist the rest of the time. He is the State Director (Texas) for the American Atheists where he helps keep the secular groups in Texas healthy and active. He is the chair of the American Atheists's "Secular Advocacy Team" which tracks and testifies for/against bills during the Texas legislative session. He formed the group Secular Houston which organizes the secular political voice in the greater Houston area, endorsing candidates that align with our values, and teaches constituents how and where to direct their energy to affect change through a secular prism aka Separation of Church & State.

We discuss politics, church and state issues in Texas, and Democrat James Talarico who Jeudy believes is a unicorn for secular voters - a person of faith who actually understands and supports real religious freedom and separation of church and state. Our host, Doug, is still nervous about him.

With the establishment of Secular Texas PAC, Jeudy emphasizes the importance of endorsing political candidates who align with values prioritizing church-state separation and other progressive issues. Jeudy expresses his frustrations about the lack of participation from Republican candidates, highlighting the absence of secular representation in the Texas GOP, a barrier that complicates his mission.

The conversation shifts to political endorsements, specifically focusing on James Talarico, a Democrat endorsed by Secular Houston for the U.S. Senate. Though Talarico's background as a seminarian raises eyebrows among some secular voters, Jeudy reassures that Talarico demonstrates a commitment to church-state separation and effectively challenges Christian nationalism through his legislative actions. Jeudy shares an experience of attending a fundraiser where Talarico emphatically advocated for secularism, further solidifying his faith in the candidate.

We talk about the complexities of navigating faith in politics, with Jeudy asserting the significance of collaboration between secular and interfaith groups to counter the influence of Christian nationalism.

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