S4 E7 - Why One Congresswoman Wore Tennis Shoes on Jan. 6 - a podcast by PRX

When a violent pro-Trump mob stormed the legislature on Jan. 6, it caught the Capitol Police completely off-guard. But there was one woman in the House Chamber who was not surprised. In fact, she wore tennis shoes that day — Rep. Barbara Lee.

We speak with Lee about the greatest terror threat inside the United States today, white nationalism, as well as a more general trend toward political radicalization. We also revisit her lonely vote in the wake of 9/11, when Lee was the only lawmaker in both chambers to take a stand against granting broad war powers to the president in response to the attack.

Twenty years later, those powers have been stretched to cover drone strikes and military interventions across the globe. But with President Joe Biden in the White House, Lee seems closer than ever to getting that authorization repealed.

GUEST: Rep. Barbara Lee, of California’s 13th congressional district, is a member of the Democratic Party. Besides her efforts to reign in presidential war powers, she’s advocated to end poverty and fight HIV.

ADDITIONAL READING:

60 Words And A War Without End, BuzzFeed

White Supremacist Domestic Terror Threat Looms Large In US, The Guardian

Lone Wolves Connected Online: A History Of Modern White Supremacy, NYT

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