Left In The Attic

Left in the Attic is a Colorado born podcast where two friends, Ana and Deep, discuss politics, power, community, and big life transitions while filming in an actual attic in Denver. Expect local and national headline debriefs, organizing stories, the chaos of life transitions (Ana in a career pivot & dating in Denver, Deep having a newborn), and guests who are doing the work in communities. If you are politically heartbroken but still hungry for hope, this podcast is for you. Meet Your Hosts Ana Mitchell , Ph.D., is a former CDC scientist who was swept up in federal cuts and is now reinventing herself as a civic coach and creator. After a decade reducing disparities in health and education, she’s building Civically Fit to make civic engagement accessible, authentic, and sustainable. A proud Latina and Colorado native, Ana is focused on helping people build community and power through everyday civic action. According to Deep, Ana has a dating

Left In The Attic is a news podcast hosted by Unknown Host, with 9 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Unknown Host hosts Left In The Attic, a news show with 9 episodes published.

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  Episode #28

  LITA 28: Trump's Attack on Mail Ballots and How Voter Suppression Wins Elections with Ethics Watchdog Aly Belknap from Common Cause

  Sep 13, 20261h 22m

  Ana and Deep sit down with Colorado Common Cause executive director Aly Belknap to break down the biggest threats facing Colorado’s 2026 election from federal pressure on mail voting and voter data to ICE at polling places and proposed ID changes. Aly explains why voter suppression, not voter fraud, is the bigger concern, how Common Cause is preparing through the Just Vote Colorado election protection coalition, and what voters should know about poll monitoring, community defense, and the 866-OUR-VOTE hotline. They also touch on Common Cause’s recent ethics and voting-rights work before closing with Tea Time on Mike Johnston, Shontel Lewis, and the crowded race for Sarah Parady’s seat. Introducing the LITA Newsletter on Substack: We're expanding. Deep and Ana are launching a Left in the Attic Substack with newsletters, hot takes we can't fit in the show, ballot guides, and a new column from Harshy Kaur Badhesha called "Harsh Takes." Subscribe to be the first to know at leftintheattic.substack.com/ Links Colorado Common Cause: commoncause.org/coloradoElection Protection Hotline: 866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683)Just Vote Colorado Coalition: https://www.justvotecolorado.org/ Democracy Defense Fundraiser Ace Eat Serve, Denver, September 23: https://www.commoncause.org/colorado/events/democracy-defense-fundraiser-for-colorado-common-cause/ Drag Out The Vote at Hamburger Mary's — October 8Save the date: Ballot Guide Event — September 30 Chapters 00:00 Voter Suppression Wins Elections 00:29 Show Intro And Housekeeping 01:48 Pumpkin Spice Debate 03:36 Meet Aly Belknap 04:08 From Twitter To Voter Engagement 07:11 What Common Cause Does 08:48 The Opportunity Caucus Complaint 17:21 Colorado's Secure Election System 21:07 Suing Colorado Springs 25:26 Trump's Attack On Mail Ballots 31:07 The Chaos Coming To Colorado 37:21 ICE At Polling Places 45:23 The Just Vote Colorado Coalition 49:30 How Community Defense Wins 50:34 866-OUR-VOTE Hotline 52:43 How To Sign Up As A Poll Monitor 54:19 Watch Out For Prop 362 57:28 Save The Date: Fundraisers 59:23 T-Time Begins 59:53 Introducing Harsh Takes 01:02:00 The 2027 Mayor Race Kicks Off 01:07:49 Mike Johnston's Launch Video 01:14:21 Shontel's Word Cloud Disaster 01:19:22 Ten Candidates For The Vacancy 01:21:28 Wrap And Subscribe Meet Your Hosts Ana Mitchell, Ph.D., is a former CDC scientist who was swept up in federal cuts and is now reinventing herself as a civic coach and creator. After a decade reducing disparities in health and education, she’s building Civically Fit (see civicallyfit.org ) to make civic engagement accessible, authentic, and sustainable. A proud Latina and Colorado native, Ana is focused on helping people build community and power through everyday civic action. Deep Singh Badhesha is an attorney, political strategist, and government affairs professional with over a decade of experience shaping political campaigns and policy in Colorado. A former public school math teacher, Colorado Supreme Court clerk, and senior policy analyst, he now works across campaigns, ballot initiatives, and legislative fights. He’s South Asian, a new dad, and a longtime organizer who believes community—not saviors—will rebuild the Left. He also has way too many hot takes on everything stemming from food and sports to politics. Links: Website: www.LeftInTheAttic.com Instagram: @leftintheatticpod TikTok: @leftintheattic Email: LeftInTheAtticPod@gmail.com Voicemail: (303) 416-2846

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  Episode #27

  LITA 27: The Colorado Education Paradox, Education Funding, Three Ballot Measures, and Why Disagreement Isn't Dysfunction with Monica Hunter

  Sep 7, 202657 min

  Ana and Deep welcome Monica Hunter, Vice President of the Denver Public Schools Board and former DPS teacher, for a conversation about what's actually happening in Colorado public schools, what's on the November ballot, and why school board disagreement is a feature, not a bug. Monica walks through her arc from first grade teacher in Montbello to strike captain during the 2019 DPS teachers' strike to founder of the DCTA Black Educators Caucus to her current role at the Colorado Education Association and DPS Board. They dig into Colorado's education paradox (ranked #1 in the country for educational attainment, 49th or 50th in teacher pay), the CMAS results showing 44% of students meeting literacy expectations and only 20% of Black students meeting math expectations, and how Brown v. Board pushed Black teachers out of the profession. Then they turn to the three education funding fights on the November ballot: the DPS Mill Levy ($6/month per median homeowner, $44M for the district), Prop NN (retaining tax revenue for K-12 without raising taxes), and Initiative 195 (the graduated income tax). They also cover the fight to unionize Education Support Professionals (workers of color who currently have no protection), the most expensive school board race in Colorado history (funded by Reed Hastings, Anschutz, and the Waltons), and why Monica refuses to "go along to get along" on the Board. Democracy is messy. That's the whole point. Denver Public Schools Mill Levy: https://bond.dpsk12.org/page/2026-mill-levy-override Prop NN Campaign Support: https://secure.ngpvan.com/HwAyZavU9kaKH5-EYOPXpQ2 Amendment 87/Initiative 195 (Graduated Income Tax): protectcoloradosfuture.com Contact the DPS Board about ESP unionization: https://www.dpsk12.org/page/about-the-board 00:44 Back To School Memories From Three DPS Teachers 04:17 Meet Monica Hunter 05:21 From Church Volunteer To Montbello Teacher 06:59 The Innovation Schools Fight 08:27 Why Teacher Diversity Matters 08:52 How Brown v. Board Pushed Black Teachers Out 13:18 The Colorado Paradox 14:26 CMAS Scores And The Racial Gap 16:32 TABOR And The Colorado Funding Crisis 19:02 Meet The BS Factor 22:43 Three Ballot Measures Preview 23:23 Ballot Measure 1: The DPS Mill Levy 25:53 $6 A Month For $44 Million 28:06 Why Charter Schools Get A Share 28:59 Charters, Equity, And Denver's Model 29:44 Ballot Measure 2: Prop NN 31:16 How TABOR Refunds Actually Work 34:10 Ballot Measure 3: Initiative 195 34:22 Ballot Letters vs. Numbers, Explained 37:42 Why Funding Is Still The Whole Fight 38:57 Unionizing Education Support Professionals 44:22 Who Actually Recognizes A Union 46:10 What The Headlines Get Wrong About The Board 49:43 The Most Expensive School Board Race In Colorado History 52:04 Democracy Is Messy (Sirota Callback) 54:03 The Exit Ticket Meet Your Hosts Ana Mitchell, Ph.D., is a former CDC scientist who was swept up in federal cuts and is now reinventing herself as a civic coach and creator. After a decade reducing disparities in health and education, she’s building Civically Fit (see civicallyfit.org ) to make civic engagement accessible, authentic, and sustainable. A proud Latina and Colorado native, Ana is focused on helping people build community and power through everyday civic action. Deep Singh Badhesha is an attorney, political strategist, and government affairs professional with over a decade of experience shaping political campaigns and policy in Colorado. A former public school math teacher, Colorado Supreme Court clerk, and senior policy analyst, he now works across campaigns, ballot initiatives, and legislative fights. He’s South Asian, a new dad, and a longtime organizer who believes community—not saviors—will rebuild the Left. He also has way too many hot takes on everything stemming from food and sports to politics. Links: Website: www.LeftInTheAttic.com Instagram: @leftintheatticpod TikTok: @leftintheattic Email: LeftInTheAtticPod@gmail.com Voicemail: (303) 416-2846

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  Left In The Attic

  LITA 26: Rayna Kingston on DAWG, Gatekeeping, and Why She Walked Away From A Winning Campaign

  Aug 22, 202643 min

  Ana and Deep welcome Rayna Kingston, Denver community organizer, content creator, and founder of Denver Activist Women's Group (DAWG), for a conversation about building political power outside electoral politics. Rayna walks through her arc: from a Christian conservative kid in Littleton, to a food-tour content creator during COVID, to a first-time candidate for Colorado House District 5, to the decision to step away from a race she was probably going to win. She founded DAWG after the 2024 election with a single Instagram Story that reached 500 women instead of the 30 she expected, and the group has now grown to a reach of 11,000+. Then she gets into what she learned running for office and the moment she realized she'd have to lie to voters about how much a junior state rep can actually change. Denver Activist Women's Group (DAWG): denveractivistwomensgroup.com DAWG on Instagram: @denveractivistwomensgroup Rayna Kingston on Instagram: @raynakingdenver 00:00 Cold Open Banter 00:17 Show Intro And Guest 00:43 Matcha, Celsius, And Almost Dying 02:08 Coffee And The Celsius Scare 04:00 Meet Rayna Kingston 04:51 From Federal Boulevard To Full-Time Influencer 07:45 From Content Creator To DAWG Founder 11:02 500 Women Showed Up 14:02 What DAWG Actually Does 15:56 Why Run For Office 19:30 Running Without Permission 19:54 "Who Are You?" Democratic Gatekeeping 22:49 The "Delete It" Story 25:39 The Launch Party And The Momentum 26:28 Why She Walked Away From Winning 29:44 The Democratic Party Is 20 People 34:09 How To Hold Electeds Accountable 38:30 The Revolution Is Low-Hanging Fruit 40:24 Fall Ballot Preview And Wrap Meet Your Hosts Ana Mitchell, Ph.D., is a former CDC scientist who was swept up in federal cuts and is now reinventing herself as a civic coach and creator. After a decade reducing disparities in health and education, she’s building Civically Fit (see civicallyfit.org ) to make civic engagement accessible, authentic, and sustainable. A proud Latina and Colorado native, Ana is focused on helping people build community and power through everyday civic action. Deep Singh Badhesha is an attorney, political strategist, and government affairs professional with over a decade of experience shaping political campaigns and policy in Colorado. A former public school math teacher, Colorado Supreme Court clerk, and senior policy analyst, he now works across campaigns, ballot initiatives, and legislative fights. He’s South Asian, a new dad, and a longtime organizer who believes community—not saviors—will rebuild the Left. He also has way too many hot takes on everything stemming from food and sports to politics. Links: Website: www.LeftInTheAttic.com Instagram: @leftintheatticpod TikTok: @leftintheattic Email: LeftInTheAtticPod@gmail.com Voicemail: (303) 416-2846

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  Episode #25

  LITA 25: The Private Prison Money Grab, Kyle Giddings on Prop 132

  Aug 14, 202657 min

  Ana and Deep welcome Kyle Giddings, Deputy Director of the Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition (CCJRC), for a conversation on what's happening inside Colorado's prisons and what's about to happen if voters pass Prop 132 this November. Kyle walks through his own journey from Republican aide, to jail, to being one of the loudest voices for reform in the state. He names the paradox at the heart of Colorado's justice system: crime is at a five-year low, but prison populations are growing. Then they turn to Prop 132, the fentanyl ballot initiative funded by Advance Colorado. Kyle calls it a private prison money grab that would felonize all fentanyl possession, lump sharing drugs with dealing at 8-32 year mandatory minimums, and increase overdose deaths by 41%. If it passes, 25 years of Colorado criminal justice reform gets undone in a single election. Vote NO on Prop 132. Vote NO on Prop 132: noon132.com CCJRC (Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition): ccjrc.org CCJRC on Instagram: @ccjrc How Advance Colorado gets people to sign ballot initiatives: https://www.instagram.com/reel/Da3R9DIxZNj/ Who is Advance Colorado: https://www.whoisadvancecolorado.org/ 00:00 The Kid At A Party 00:26 Show Intro And Topics 00:45 Nintendo Lore Icebreaker 03:32 Meet Kyle Giddings 04:35 From Republican Aide To Recovery 06:24 "Wait, I Can Vote?" 08:34 Quitting A Six-Figure Job For CCJRC 14:29 The School-To-Prison Pipeline 17:28 Crime Is Down, Prisons Are Growing 22:46 Do Prisons Actually Make Us Safer? 24:57 Community Reinvestment Actually Works 26:44 Designing Neighborhoods For Safety 27:47 What Public Safety Really Means 28:13 The "Lock 'Em Up" Culture 29:05 Jim Crow And The Origins Of Mass Incarceration 31:05 $68,000 Per Prisoner, $18,000 Per Student 33:00 Black Coloradans, 4% Of The State, 17% Of Prisons 37:53 Enter Advance Colorado 38:52 What Prop 132 Actually Does 42:47 Hidden Harms And The $433M Price Tag 49:19 What Actually Works 53:28 Vote NO On Prop 132 55:39 Wrap And Share Meet Your Hosts Ana Mitchell, Ph.D., is a former CDC scientist who was swept up in federal cuts and is now reinventing herself as a civic coach and creator. After a decade reducing disparities in health and education, she’s building Civically Fit (see civicallyfit.org ) to make civic engagement accessible, authentic, and sustainable. A proud Latina and Colorado native, Ana is focused on helping people build community and power through everyday civic action. Deep Singh Badhesha is an attorney, political strategist, and government affairs professional with over a decade of experience shaping political campaigns and policy in Colorado. A former public school math teacher, Colorado Supreme Court clerk, and senior policy analyst, he now works across campaigns, ballot initiatives, and legislative fights. He’s South Asian, a new dad, and a longtime organizer who believes community—not saviors—will rebuild the Left. He also has way too many hot takes on everything stemming from food and sports to politics. Links: Website: www.LeftInTheAttic.com Instagram: @leftintheatticpod TikTok: @leftintheattic Email: LeftInTheAtticPod@gmail.com Voicemail: (303) 416-2846

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  Episode #24

  LITA 24: Legalized Corruption and Making Sure 2028 Isn't Obama 2.0 with David Sirota

  Jul 30, 202639 min

  Ana and Deep sit down with David Sirota, founder of The Lever, creator of Master Plan and Meltdown, former Bernie Sanders speechwriter, and one of the sharpest voices in independent political journalism. Sirota walks listeners through the through-line from Obama's supermajority-era failures to Trump's rise, connects it to his 50-year investigation of how the right legalized corruption in America, and offers a warning to the new wave of progressives (Melat Kiros, Zohran Mamdani, Phil Weiser, Abdul El-Sayed) about what happens if they win power and don't use it. Sirota lays out public financing of elections and how Zohran Mamdani couldn't have won New York without it. Denver also has a version of it and it's the single lever that could break the corporate stronghold on Democratic primaries. This is a wisdom-from-an-elder conversation for the movement leaders about to inherit a broken system. We cannot build another cult of personality but instead must build pressure to keep whoever wins accountable. The Lever: levernews.com Master Plan (podcast): search "Master Plan" wherever you get your podcasts: https://the.levernews.com/master-plan/ Meltdown (podcast): available on Audible: https://www.levernews.com/meltdown/ 00:00 The Supreme Court Just Legalized Bribery 00:40 Show Intro And Sirota Hype 01:15 Rentell Sponsor Read 02:15 Meet David Sirota 03:00 From Sixers Fan To Sports Writer 04:30 Northwestern And A Very Young J.B. Pritzker 06:00 Working For Bernie In The 90s 08:30 Cross-Party Coalitions Against The Corporate Middle 10:30 The Matrix Moment 11:45 Zooming Back To 2008 13:00 Obama Promised Populism, Governed Moderate 15:00 Ten Million Foreclosures And A Bank Bailout 17:00 Obama Raised More Wall Street Money Than Anyone 18:30 Corruption vs. Capture 19:45 What The Master Plan Actually Is 21:00 Watergate Was A Dark Money Scandal 22:00 Lewis Powell's Memo And The Court That Followed 23:00 From Bribes To Gratuities 24:00 Organized People Beat Organized Money 25:00 The Uprising: Then vs. Now 27:00 Democrats Are Finally Angry At Their Own Party 28:30 How Not To Be Obama 2.0 29:15 Cults Of Personality Have To Go 30:00 Michigan Is The Next Test 31:15 Rip Power Out 32:00 Democracy Is Messy (And That's The Point) 33:00 AIPAC And Bending The Knee 34:00 Public Financing Of Elections 35:30 How Zohran Won New York 36:00 Denver's Model Works 37:00 Wrap And Subscribe Meet Your Hosts Ana Mitchell, Ph.D., is a former CDC scientist who was swept up in federal cuts and is now reinventing herself as a civic coach and creator. After a decade reducing disparities in health and education, she’s building Civically Fit (see civicallyfit.org ) to make civic engagement accessible, authentic, and sustainable. A proud Latina and Colorado native, Ana is focused on helping people build community and power through everyday civic action. Deep Singh Badhesha is an attorney, political strategist, and government affairs professional with over a decade of experience shaping political campaigns and policy in Colorado. A former public school math teacher, Colorado Supreme Court clerk, and senior policy analyst, he now works across campaigns, ballot initiatives, and legislative fights. He’s South Asian, a new dad, and a longtime organizer who believes community—not saviors—will rebuild the Left. He also has way too many hot takes on everything stemming from food and sports to politics. Links: Website: www.LeftInTheAttic.com Instagram: @leftintheatticpod TikTok: @leftintheattic Email: LeftInTheAtticPod@gmail.com Voicemail: (303) 416-2846

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