Politics Unfiltered

2025 Political Recap: The Year America Stopped Pretending

Hendrell closes out 2025 with Episode 25, a raw, no-holds-barred recap of 2025; a year he calls a political reckoning. This solo episode walks listeners through the biggest themes that defined the year: expanding executive power, a paralyzed Congress and politicized courts, runaway corporate profits amid everyday economic instability, and the immigration chaos that left communities exhausted.
2025 disillusioned more Americans than it radicalized. It proved that a broken system delivered for insiders while leaving most behind. This episode reveals that anger from the American people signals awareness and must be channeled into results, not more political theater.

Unfiltered with DNC Chair Ken Martin: ‘All Gas, No Brakes’ How the Democrats Plan to Win in 2026

In this episode of Politics Unfiltered Hendrell sits down with DNC Chair Ken Martin in Nashville,TN to discuss his first 10 months leading the national party, lessons from his 14 years as Minnesota DFL Chair, and the DNC’s long-term strategy of organizing everywhere.
The two discuss Ken Martin's transition from state to national leadership, recent special-election wins and over performance across the country, fighting redistricting and gerrymandering, coalition-building with young and Latino voters, and the urgent policy challenges around affordability, health care, and SNAP. Chair Martin explains the party’s focus on infrastructure, local investments, and winning through addition, not subtraction.

Unfiltered with Congressman Steve Cohen: Will Voters Keep Going With Cohen in 2026?

Congressman Steve Cohen sits down for an unfiltered conversation about his Memphis political roots, his record in Congress, and his 2026 re‑election bid. The episode covers Cohen’s local accomplishments, from infrastructure grants and neighborhood revitalization to support for FedEx and the Memphis Zoo and his role on Judiciary and the Intelligence Committee.
National topics include Cohen’s views on the Israel–Gaza conflict, concerns about rising antisemitism, criticism of President Trump’s actions and the Supreme Court’s immunity decision, immigration and ICE enforcement, and the prospects for Democratic oversight heading into 2026.
Listeners can expect a candid, wide‑ranging discussion about local projects, national security, democracy and the courts, the challenges of political survival, and what qualities Cohen believes should define the district’s next leader.

Unfiltered with State Representative Gabby Salinas: One Latina Fighting Tennessee’s Supermajority

In this episode of Politics Unfiltered host Hendrell Remus sits down with Tennessee State Representative Gabby Salinas — an immigrant, three‑time cancer survivor, scientist, and the first Democratic Latina elected in Tennessee’s House District 97. They discuss her personal journey from Bolivia to Memphis, the impact of St. Jude, and what motivated her to enter public service.Topics include the fight for Medicaid expansion and affordable, quality health care (including support for single‑payer concepts), the challenges of serving in a Republican supermajority legislature, recent legal battles over National Guard deployments in Memphis, and the current national immigration climate. Salinas also reflects on education, Plyler v. Doe concerns, the importance of civic engagement, and the path forward for Democrats in the South ahead of 2026.Listeners should expect a candid, personal conversation about policy and politics, the stakes for vulnerable communities in Tennessee, and practical calls to action for voters and organizers who want to help change the state’s political trajectory.

Shut It Down, Tear It Down: Trump Building America in His Image

As millions of Americans struggle to pay rent and feed their families, the federal government grinds to a halt; paychecks frozen, services shuttered, hope fading. Yet on the grounds of what once stood the East Wing of the White House, construction crews keep working, installing marble and gold into a new presidential ballroom fit for royalty. Shut It Down, Tear It Down exposes the hypocrisy and human cost of a government that can fund luxury while leaving its own people in the dark. From furloughed workers to hungry kids, this episode asks the question: Who really pays the price when power puts vanity before people? 
Listeners are called to civic action: hold elected officials accountable, vote in upcoming elections, attend town halls, and push for transparency and leadership that serves the many, not the few.

Power Without Purpose: Shutdowns, Ceasefires, and a Rising Trade War

Step into the mini Oval Office with Hendrell Remus as he threads three explosive stories—Washington’s furloughed workers and a government shutdown with no end in sight, a fragile ceasefire in Gaza that reunites families yet leaves ruins in its wake, and a rekindled U.S.-China trade war that threatens to remake the global order.
This episode reveals how power without principle leaves everyday people paying the price—and why fragile moments of mercy can hang by a thread.
Press play and stay with the story: this is a week where lives, livelihoods, and the shape of the future are all on the line, and the choice to act could change everything.

Talking To Memphis: Is the National Guard Necessary?

This is Part 1 of a multi-part series of Politics Unfiltered, Hendrell brings together three Memphians — Ruby Powell‑Dennis (Elect Black Women PAC, Shelby County Democratic Party), Luke Cymbal (Vice Chair, Republican Party of Shelby County), and Richard Massey (community organizer and University of Memphis student) — to discuss the arrival of federal agencies and the National Guard as part of the Memphis Safe Task Force surge.
Topics covered include the role of federal law enforcement and the National Guard, Operation Viper and recent arrest statistics, civil‑rights and due‑process concerns (including ICE activity), local vs. federal coordination, gun policy and permitless carry, juvenile justice, education and economic investment as long‑term solutions, and the optics and political implications of the deployment.
This conversation highlights the disagreement over whether the surge is a necessary, short‑term fix or political theater that risks civil‑rights harms; debate over causes of violent crime and whether investment in schools, jobs, and community resources would be more effective; and discussion of how the intervention might affect local politics and public trust going forward.

Unfiltered with Dr.Thurston Smith: America Are You Ok?

If you want a straight, heart-to-heart on what’s happening right now, this episode’s for you. We unpack the threat of the National Guard being deployed to our cities, attacks on free speech, and the Charlie Kirk fallout. In this episode Hendrell welcomes Dr. Thurston Smith to talk about whether we are losing our country to the ego of President Donald Trump.
This episode is honest, urgent, and practical — we're not just talking politics, we're talking about what’s at stake and what you can do to hold power accountable.

Trump vs. Memphis: We Won't Back Down

This episode is for my beloved Memphis. I'm calling out the politics of fear, the troop deployment, and why we must refuse to be baited or become a backdrop for Donald Trump's political side show.
Talk to your neighbors, stay disciplined if you protest, organize, and demand real investment — teachers, jobs, and hope, not tanks. We must save and protect our city together.

Charlie Kirk Is Dead: A Turning Point

Hendrell delivers a raw, reflective episode responding to the assassination of Charlie Kirk, examining both his rise as a polarizing conservative influencer and the broader consequences for American politics.
The episode covers Kirk’s role building Turning Point USA and energizing young conservatives, critiques of his divisive rhetoric and its contribution to political polarization, and a firm condemnation of political violence. Hendrell calls for honest reflection across the political spectrum, defends First Amendment rights, and urges listeners to choose unity over hatred.
This episode dives into the fragility of democracy, the dangers of inflammatory political speech, empathy for victims and their families, and a challenge to Americans to shape a less violent, more civil political culture.