Politics Unfiltered

Hendrell returns after a hiatus to examine America’s political crossroads leading to the 2026 Midterm elections: an unpopular president, an escalating war with Iran, rising costs crushing working families, and a growing insurgency within both parties. The episode breaks down how affordability, foreign policy, and a new generation of candidates, including democratic socialists and increasing Black political power could reshape the midterms and American politics for years.

Hendrell sits down with Reverend Dr. Earl Fisher for an unfiltered conversation unpacking Tennessee's mid-decade redistricting and its consequences for Memphis’s majority-Black representation, voting power, and community resources. The two discuss how this moment could send ripples through an already politically strained society. Dr. Fisher breaks down the magnitude of the moment, as the intersection of faith, politics, and the disruption of social norms threatens to create a long-term impact on the political power of Memphis voters.

In this episode, Hendrell breaks down how the Supreme Court’s rollback of Voting Rights protections has enabled partisan redistricting in Tennessee and across the South allowing Radical Republicans to split Memphis into three Republican controlled congressional districts, diluting Black political power, and reshaping democracy through engineered maps instead of delivering for the people.
The episode connects the modern tactics to a long history of voter suppression, explains the stakes for representation and public resources, and issues a clear call to action: organize, register, and turn out voters to defend equal representation and win in upcoming elections.

In this episode, Hendrell warns the world is on the edge of a dangerous conflict involving the U.S., Israel, and Iran, exploring the sudden shift from diplomacy to military strikes, the death of Iran’s supreme leader, and the unpredictable succession that could escalate or de-escalate the war.
The episode examines regional alliances, the human and economic costs, the nuclear proliferation risk, and urges responsible leadership, renewed diplomacy, and Congressional debate as the stakes grow global during an election year.

Hendrell warns that current U.S. politics resembles a coordinated regime strategy that is attacking elections, normalizing violence, weaponizing culture wars, and hiding elite corruption to seize and centralize power.
He connects recent events (Fulton County raids, ICE-related deaths, racist presidential posts, and the Epstein files) and urges listeners to resist exhaustion, organize, and defend democratic norms.

On this MLK Day episode of Politics Unfiltered, Hendrell delivers a reflection on the fight to make MLK Day a national holiday, and how Dr. King’s battles against segregation, voter suppression, and poverty have modernized into discriminatory legislation, economic exclusion, and digital intimidation.
The episode calls out the weaponization of institutions, the persistence of racial and economic inequality, and the danger of complacency from politicians, clergy, and community leaders. Hendrell issues a clear call to action: quoting Dr. King isn’t enough, listeners must speak up, organize, and defend democracy.
 
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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.

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.

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.

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.