Americans want options. They don't want to have to pick just between Coke and Pepsi. They don’t just want to have to pick between McDonald’s and Burger King. And, in higher numbers than at any other point in modern history, they want more than just Republicans and Democrats.

Every major issue America faces today—from climate change and healthcare to income inequality and student loan debt—can be traced at least in part to government policies that prioritize corporate profit over public good. Since  our current political system allows corporations to spend unlimited amounts of money, they wield far greater influence over public policy than do individual voters or even groups of voters. This situation directly contradicts the fundamental idea that in a democracy each voter has an equal voice.

Today’s episode is all about solutions. We talk with Executive Director of the Institute of Political Innovation (IPI), Solomon Lieberman, about what cross-partisan “politics industry theory” reform is, and how it can help us move into a better era of American politics.

Ever since I accompanied my mother to vote about a decade ago, I have been anxiously awaiting to turn 18. I remember walking with my mother into the polling place one sunny afternoon, listening as she explained what we were about to do. I watched her fill in her ballot and stood on my toes to try to catch a glance at the candidates’ names. I was envious of the “I voted” sticker she got when she was done, and I couldn’t wait to get my own sticker someday.

Long woven into bizarre conspiracies, is there any actual truth behind claims that multitudes of Chinese citizens are being unjustly imprisoned and then murdered in order for the Chinese Communist Party to sell their organs on something called the "red market?"