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If he lives up to his word, President-elect Donald Trump’s first day in the Oval Office will include a wave of executive actions with significant repercussions for tribes and individuals. In addition to major moves to expel immigrants, Trump promises to expand oil and other extractive development, cancel selected green energy spending, and eliminate federal diversity and equity measures. Trump also has an ambitious agenda for his first 100 days that herald sweeping changes in federal government. We’ll hear from political watchers about what could be in store.

GUESTS

Aaron Payment (Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians), tribal councilman and former chairperson for the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians

Angela Parker (Mandan, Hidatsa, and Cree), assistant professor of history at the University of Denver

Julia Wakeford (Muscogee and Yuchi), policy director for the National Indian Education Association

Lizbeth De La Cruz Santana, assistant professor in the Department of Black and Latino Studies at Baruch College

Break 1 Music:  Our Autonomy (song) Klee Benally (artist) Appropriation (album)

Break 2 Music: Grandmother’s Song (song) Fawn Wood (artist) Iskwewak (album)

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President Donald Trump and Republicans pulled off a decisive victory. Are Native Americans poised to benefit from the change in power? We’ll get the early analysis about what the election results mean from a Native perspective and hear more about how Native candidates fared up and down the ballot. We’ll also find out how tribes might shift strategies to accommodate the change in political winds.

GUESTS

OJ Semans Sr. (Rosebud Sioux Tribe), co-executive director of Four Directions Vote

Allen Wright (Choctaw), president and founder of the Hustings Group

Dr. Aaron Payment (Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians), tribal councilman and former chairperson for the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians

Rhonda McBride, journalist and producer at our Koahnic Broadcast Corp. flagship station KNBA

Break 1 Music: 500 Years O’ Blues (song) Digging Roots (artist) Seeds (album)

Break 2 Music: Midnite Blues (song) Crystal Shawanda (artist) Midnight Blues (album)

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It’s the final day to cast your vote, setting the political course for the foreseeable future. All the messages to encourage Native voting, the legal and technical work to assure access, and the onslaught of campaign ads come down to Election Day. We’ll get reports from around the country to talk about progress and remaining hurdles as Native voters choose their elected leaders.

GUESTS

Gabriella Cázares-Kelly (Tohono O’odham), Pima County Recorder

April Ignacio (Tohono O’odham), co-founder of Indivisible Tohono

Kevin Killer (Oglala Lakota), former president of the Oglala Sioux Tribe and member of the South Dakota legislature

Maria Haskins (Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe), Wisconsin Native Vote manager and organizer

Break 1 Music: Ideal Dub (song) Casper Loma Da-Wa (artist) Honor the People (album)

Break 2 Music: Midnite Blues (song) Crystal Shawanda (artist) Midnight Blues (album)

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The Lumbee Nation counts 55,000 members, and although they are not federally recognized and have no tribal trust land, they have a strong cultural identity. The possibility of federal recognition is a factor in who members support in the presidential race. Across the state, the smaller, but federally recognized, Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians has political and economic muscle and opposes Lumbee recognition. We’ll explore the dynamics of navigating the Native vote in a critical swing state.

GUESTS

John Cummings (Lumbee Tribe), chairman of the Robeson County Board of Commissioners

Christopher Reed (enrolled member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians), vice chair of the North Carolina District 11 Democratic Party

Jesalyn Kaziah (Lumbee), executive director of the Triangle Native American Society

Break 1 Music: Hug Room (song) Chuck Copenace (artist) Oshki Manitou (album)

Break 2 Music: Midnite Blues (song) Crystal Shawanda (artist) Midnight Blues (album)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 55:52 — 38.4MB) | Embed

Nevada is the first state to extend electronic ballots to tribal members. It allows them to register and vote from their own homes, giving rural Native voters an alternative to traveling miles to their nearest polling or ballot drop-off site. It’s an idea that other states remain wary of. In Alaska, efforts to improve voting among Native voters remain elusive. Opposition from Republican state lawmakers killed a bill eliminating witness signatures on absentee ballots. On a conservative talk show, the Alaska House Speaker admitted she opposed it because it would have favored U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola, a Democrat and the only Alaska Native in Congress. Rep. Peltola calls it “a concerted effort to silence” Native votes. We’ll discuss progress and continuing hurdles for Native voters.

GUESTS

Mathilda Guerrero Miller (Kanaka Maoli), government relations director for Native Voters Alliance Nevada

Elveda Martinez (Walker River Paiute Tribe), voter rights activist

Michelle Sparck (Qissunamiut Tribe of Chevak), director of Get Out the Native Vote

Gabriel Di Chiara, Chief Deputy Secretary of State for Nevada

Break 1 Music: Keep Rising (song) House of Shem (artist) Keep Rising (album)

Break 2 Music: Grateful Sun (song) Mike Bern (artist)