Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s Biggest Fight

The Mother Jones Podcast

WTF is the Green New Deal? Washington D.C. is awash with talk of a polarizing plan to fight climate change, as freshman Democrats like U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez turn up the pressure on party leaders to take urgent action. Today, we take a historical look at the Green New Deal, beginning with Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s depression-era economic jumpstart, and trace how ideas of environmental justice and the green economy have evolved across subsequent presidencies. To help us assess the challenges ahead, we’re joined by Vien Truong, CEO of Green for All, an advocacy group that’s championed the Green New Deal for more than a decade, and Mother Jones climate reporter Rebecca Leber, who’s been following the deal’s newfound momentum.